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Los meteorólogos prevén que el mercurio alcance los 38º Celsius (100º Fahrenheit) en el centro y el sureste de Inglaterra, rozando el récord de 2003 de 38,5º C para un mes de agosto.

La Oficina Meteorológica británica indicó a principios de semana que bastaría con que las condiciones meteorológicas se mantuvieran en sus valores promedio el resto de agosto para superar el récord del año pasado como el año más caluroso.

Para un país que, en gran medida, no está preparado para hacer frente a este grado de calor, han sido unas semanas especialmente incómodas. Tener aire acondicionado es una rareza más allá de en las tiendas y las oficinas.

Trabajar ha sido especialmente difícil en los hospitales, donde se han dado casos de enfermeras se han desmayado por agotamiento debido al calor, según el Real Colegio de Enfermería (RCN, por sus siglas en inglés).

“Cuando el personal de enfermería se desmaya, se siente mareado, enfermo o incluso termina ingresado en los mismos hospitales en los que trabaja porque sus lugares de trabajo no pueden soportar el calor, eso demuestra hasta qué punto se les está fallando”, manifestó la directora ejecutiva y secretaria general del RCN, la profesora Nicola Ranger.

La mayor parte del país se encuentra ahora oficialmente en situación de sequía, lo que aumenta la presión sobre los recursos hídricos para los hogares, la agricultura y el medio ambiente, que deben buscar medidas tanto a corto como a largo plazo frente al cambio climático causado por el ser humano.

Southern Water, la empresa que gestiona el suministro en el sur de Inglaterra, ha solicitado una inusual orden de sequía que prohibiría a las empresas el uso no esencial de agua, incluyendo para la limpieza de autos y el llenado de piscinas no domésticas, señalando que una ausencia de lluvias “excepcional” ha amenazado el abastecimiento en Hampshire y la isla de Wight. La secretaria de Medio Ambiente, Angela Eagle, decidirá sobre la solicitud, que sería la primera prohibición de este tipo desde mayo de 2006.

Mientras, los incendios forestales han ardido sin control, especialmente esta semana en el New Forest, en el sur de Inglaterra. En lo que va de año se han registrado unos 1.017 fuegos en Inglaterra y Gales, según datos del National Fire Chiefs Council, los mismos que en todo el año pasado, que batió récords.

Aunque no alcanzan la magnitud de los registrados en Francia, Grecia y España, son una prueba más que suficiente de la necesidad de que Reino Unido se adapte a una nueva realidad.

El primer ministro, Andy Burnham, apuntó que considerará la prohibición de las barbacoas desechables ante el riesgo de más incendios forestales, mientras el calor extremo sigue afectando a algunas partes de Reino Unido.

“Creo que debemos transmitir el mensaje alto y claro”, manifestó. “La gente no debería estar utilizar esas barbacoas al aire libre en este momento”.

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

Learning teamwork and reducing screen time are among the perceived benefits of youth sports, according to the AP-Ipsos survey.

About half of U.S. parents with K-12 school-aged children say their kids play a structured sport, but participation is higher among more affluent families. About 7 in 10 K-12 parents with a household income of at least $100,000 annually say their children play organized sports, compared to about 4 in 10 parents with a lower household income.

The findings point to a key problem in youth sports: parents almost universally see participation as an important part of kids’ childhood, but the out-of-pocket expenses can be significant, particularly for lower-income families.

“There's travel, the uniforms, pitching in on the lunches,” said Tanisha Curry, 51, who lives in Ohio. She has custody of her granddaughter, who plays volleyball through her school. It strains Curry's budget, but the whole family pitches in to keep the costs manageable.

“Kids don't go out and do things anymore,” she said. “Getting them away from a screen, at least for an hour — it's worth it.”

About two-thirds of K-12 parents with at least one child playing sports estimate spending up to $2,000 annually on equipment, fees, training and travel for youth athletics. More affluent sports parents spend about the same amount yearly as less affluent sports parents, which underscores the additional financial burden for lower-income families. Some parents hope the investment will pay off beyond the social benefits, with scholarships or other opportunities.

Despite the demands — and hefty cost — K-12 sports parents overwhelmingly say the benefits of youth sports outweigh the drawbacks.

Most see major benefits to kids playing youth sports

Jon Fassnacht, a 47-year-old dad in Pennsylvania, has seen his 9-year-old daughter push herself physically and mentally through competitive swimming. She got involved in the sport after taking swim lessons, and he has been thrilled to see her build her confidence over multiple seasons as she improves her swim times.

“It’s just so good for her self-esteem to have that goal setting,” Fassnacht said. “And then there’s the social aspect on top of it. She’s kind of shy, so to have these opportunities to meet new people outside of her school is big.”

Soccer, basketball and softball or baseball are among the most commonly played sports, the poll found.

Nearly all U.S. adults say learning to deal with adversity, improving physical fitness, learning teamwork, making friends, reducing technology time and learning about hard work and commitment are “major” and “minor” benefits for children playing organized sports, the poll found.

Some of that perceived benefit may come from adults’ own experiences. About three-quarters of adults who played organized sports as a child say playing sports had a “mostly positive impact” on their childhood, and about 6 in 10 say it positively influenced their adulthood.

About three-quarters of K-12 sports parents say their children have ever played on a recreational sports team, and about two-thirds say their kids have played on a school sports team. Around half say their kids have played in specialized youth sports camps or done independent sports training, while about 4 in 10 say their kids have participated in travel or club sports teams or done private lessons.

Scheduling and costs present challenges for some sports parents

Most K-12 sports parents face challenges when children play organized sports.

About 8 in 10 say that scheduling and logistics — or the time commitment — present a “major” or “minor” challenge for their household. Roughly 7 in 10 say the same about team or club fees, the amount of travel involved and the equipment or uniform costs.

In addition to the roughly two-thirds of sports parents who estimate spending up to $2,000 annually on equipment, fees, training and travel for their children’s athletics, roughly 2 in 10 spend more than $2,000 but less than $5,000. Only about 1 in 10 K-12 sports parents spend more than $5,000 annually.

Kathryn Stuczynski, 37, said she and her husband budget in order to make sure they can afford the activities their 7-year-old and 13-year-old daughters are passionate about, including karate, grappling and wrestling. Stuczynski, from New York, says their household skips buying the latest iPhone or a new TV in order to keep their budget manageable.

“Giving my girls life experiences, it’s priceless,” she said. “I’d rather have the old phone, you know? I’m fine with that.”

In general, more affluent sports parents — those in households that make at least $100,000 annually — spend about the same as sports households with lower incomes. Higher-income households are more likely to say they spend more than $5,000, though that is still atypical. About 1 in 10 households that make at least $100,000 spend over $5,000, compared to almost no lower-income households.

Despite the challenges, the vast majority of sports parents feel good about their children playing organized sports. About 8 in 10 sports parents say “proud” describes how they feel “extremely” or “very” well, and a similar share say that about “happy.”

Some parents hope youth sports will lead to athletic scholarships

Relatively few K-12 athletes will go on to play at the collegiate level or earn athletic scholarships, but the poll shows many sports parents have it on their minds. About 8 in 10 sports parents say the possibility of improving college acceptance odds is at least a “minor” benefit of kids playing organized sports.

Stuczynski has seen her 13-year-old daughter excel at wrestling and believes she has the potential to get a college scholarship in the sport if she sticks with it, but she and her husband are letting their daughter's passion and competitiveness drive her future with sports.

“We would never force it,” Stuczynski said. “We’ll go as hard as she wants to go, basically.”

About 6 in 10 sports parents say the hope of their child earning an athletic scholarship or improving their college acceptance odds plays either “a major role” or “a minor role” in the decision to enroll their kids in sports, though only about 3 in 10 say either played a “major role” in their decision.

Less affluent parents are more likely than more affluent parents to say the possibility of their child improving college acceptance odds, earning an athletic scholarship or earning NIL money played a “major” role in their decision to enroll their child in sports, while more affluent parents are more likely to say it played “no role.”

Fassnacht, from Pennsylvania, hopes his daughter will continue swimming through high school because of the physical and mental benefits, but he’s not expecting her to make a career of it.

“I’m more focused on the benefits to her,” he said. “If she ever stops enjoying it, then we’ll move on to something else.”

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The poll of 1,737 adults was conducted July 21-26, 2026, using a sample drawn from Ipsos’ probability-based KnowledgePanel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. It included interviews with 510 parents of school-aged children who play youth sports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 2.7 percentage points for adults overall and +/- 4.9 percentage points for parents of school-aged children who play youth sports.

“How can you assure us,” the 71-year-old pressed, “that you won't become another John Fetterman?”

As the crowd in the clubhouse of a manufactured home community for seniors jeered the mention of the contrarian Pennsylvania Democratic senator, Jolly, who once critiqued politicians as an MSNBC pundit, made the case for himself.

“Change is part of my journey,” he responded. “What I can tell you is that the values I speak of — that the economy should work, that government can do a little bit to improve our lives and that everyone should have the right to be protected — those are the guideposts for how I'll serve as governor.”

Doyle, an independent who said she's a registered Democrat mostly to participate in primaries, left impressed.

“I believe him,” she said. “I don't believe many.”

Florida spent a generation as America’s prized political battleground, where the interests of big cities, agricultural towns, freshly arrived retirees and diverse Latino communities collided in elections often decided by fractions of a percentage point.

Jolly is bent on proving those days aren't over.

In the course of a single day last weekend, he rallied a chandeliered ballroom in The Villages, a wealthy Republican-leaning retirement community. Then it was off to the fluorescent lights of the Leesburg clubhouse before ending with a rousing speech to Democrats in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, which backed a Republican presidential candidate for the first time in 20 years in 2024.

Democrats have collapsed in Florida

President Donald Trump's rise has coincided with a Democratic collapse in Florida. He won here three times, with ever-expanding margins. The 19-percentage-point win by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022 cemented a GOP supermajority in the legislature.

Jolly's path to victory could be blocked by both math and money in his likely race against Rep. Byron Donalds, the Trump-backed candidate in Tuesday's Republican primary. Donalds, who would be Florida's first Black governor, has raised more than $100 million compared to Jolly's $10 million.

Donalds has cast Jolly as an out-of-touch liberal, blanketing the state this week with an ad featuring Jolly referring to “gender-affirming care” and backing communities painting rainbow crosswalks to show support for LGBTQ people. Jolly countered that Donalds is ignoring pressing economic issues.

In an interview over an Outback Steakhouse lunch while his wife and two young children busied themselves with coloring, Jolly acknowledged “there’s not going to be the political will” to reverse the state’s ban on transgender girls and women participating on female teams at public schools and universities.

He said he didn't think governors should decide who plays in what sports even as he described himself as a “girl dad” and noted “I don’t think we should have biologically born men playing in competitive sports."

“But look,” he added, “if a 10- or 12-year-old soccer league in the community has a coed team, I don’t think the governor should be throwing a flag on the field.”

Republicans face tests of their own

For all the headwinds confronting Jolly, Republicans may encounter their own turbulence.

The culture wars that have raged under DeSantis, including a feud with Disney and fights over gender and sexual orientation, have left some exhausted. Karen Kuhn, a 72-year-old resident at The Villages, described herself as in “despair.”

Democrats have won a string of special elections from Miami to Palm Beach and Tampa, adding to their optimism. Former GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo said Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024 might not support Republicans again, in part because of the administration's immigration enforcement tactics.

“I definitely can see a scenario where it’s a closer race, where it’s a competitive race,” said Curbelo, who narrowly lost his reelection bid in 2018, the last wave election year for Democrats.

A race with implications for 2028

Jolly is telling that to any Democrat who will listen, including those with potential presidential ambitions such as Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Gavin Newsom of California, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. If Florida can change, he argues, the national political landscape would change with it.

“All of a sudden the road to the White House looks dramatically different,” Jolly said. “It reshapes the House of Representatives. The structural change from winning Florida is a generational opportunity for Democrats.”

It’s a point echoed by other Democrats, including state Rep. Emily Gregory, who flipped the Palm Beach district home to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago.

“To abandon Florida was deeply, deeply unwise,” she said. “I hope that investment is coming back because it is a purple state and I feel very confident going into November."

Nikki Fried, the Florida Democratic Party chair, acknowledged “the bottom fell out” for Democrats. She has spent the past several years rebuilding the operation. Democrats charged with winning back state legislative and congressional seats are prioritizing some Florida races this year.

But Beshear, who chairs the Democratic Governors Association, isn't making a financial commitment yet.

“David’s working really hard," he said in an interview. “He’s a good candidate, and we’re watching it closely.”

Donalds' campaign remains confident. His communications director, Gates McGavick, said: “Florida voters will reject radical liberal David Jolly because he will make life more expensive.”

A ‘Bush 41’ Republican's path to becoming a Democrat

Jolly is an unlikely figure cajoling Democrats to think about their future.

He first gained national attention in 2014 as the GOP winner of a Tampa Bay congressional seat that was seen as a bellwether. In a Democratic Party that emphasizes diversity, Jolly regularly refers to himself as a “53-year-old white former Republican with salt-and-pepper hair.” His time in Congress runs counter to voters elevating fresher voices this year.

During stump speeches, he says he was a “Bush 41” Republican. He left the GOP in 2018, spending several years as an independent before registering as a Democrat in 2025.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who challenged Jolly until suspending his campaign in June and announcing he had prostate cancer, acknowledged Florida Democrats have to appeal to independents. But he also said “people don’t want a chameleon.”

“That's the big challenge that he's had, is convincing people that he has stepped away from the Republican policies,” Demings said.

Others were more forgiving.

Sylvia Rieger, a 70-year-old resident at The Villages, said Jolly’s evolution showed “moxie.”

Steven Slyter, an 81-year-old retired handwriting expert, said it was “courageous” for Jolly to leave his party. “He made a decision about what he stands for,” Slyter said. “I like that.”

Florida's last Democratic candidate for governor, Charlie Crist, was also a former Republican. After his drubbing by DeSantis, several Democrats said Jolly was campaigning more effectively.

Facing minimal primary competition, Jolly has largely avoided debates over the party's ideological future. He's won support from progressives including Rep. Maxwell Frost while shoring up his centrist credentials by picking former Rep. Gwen Graham, the daughter of longtime Sen. Bob Graham, as his running mate.

Some Jolly supporters are hoping that his poly-party background will be an asset.

Jeff Adelman is running for a nonpartisan seat on the Coral Springs City Commission in Broward County. As he left a recent meeting of the Coral Springs Parkland Democratic Club, he described Jolly as a potentially unique fit for the state.

“We live in Florida,” he said. “I don't think you're going to get somebody like Bernie Sanders to run for governor in the state of Florida."

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the siege a “horrific act of terror.”

Since Sunday, according to local officials and family members, settlers have gathered near the home in the village of Qusra and harassed those inside, defying efforts by the Israeli military to defuse the situation.

A group that has included up to dozens of men has thrown stones, attempted to bring down a stone wall nearby, and prevented the occupants from leaving despite dwindling supplies.

Speaking to The Associated Press by phone from his home in Ohio, the home's owner Lou Ridi said his 48-year-old brother and nephew, who have been holed up in the home to defend it, had been unable to leave the house and did not have access to food or water for several days.

On Thursday morning, the owner’s brother Qusai Abu Rida said that he and his teenage son had been evacuated by Israel’s military. It was unclear what would happen to the property and at least one other that has been targeted.

Israeli troops intervened in recent days to try to restore order. The military said that overnight Thursday its troops had dismantled “two illegal outposts” on the outskirts of Qusra and a nearby village, and detained one Israeli. It added that additional soldiers had surged to the area, which is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) of the Palestinian city of Nablus, to “carry out defensive missions and patrols.”

Journalists on the outskirts of Qusra said roads into the village were closed. Israeli police did not immediately respond to questions about whether any Israeli civilians had been arrested.

Palestinians and the Israeli opposition accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline government of turning a blind eye to attacks by settlers against Palestinians as clashes have surged in the last few years.

Huckabee’s post on X was an unusually sharp rebuke from a U.S. official, even as he defended the Israeli military’s response. Huckabee is a longtime ally of Israel’s settler movement and in the past has expressed support for Israeli control over the occupied West Bank while condemning settler violence.

Home security footage from Thursday morning appeared to show a few settlers still hiding by a damaged stone wall near the house.

Ridi said that settlers have been harassing his home for months before the situation escalated in recent days, saying they had cut off the water and electricity to his house and thrown stones, causing damage to the property as well as at least one more house in the area.

“We are prisoners in our own house, hostages in our own house,” he said.

Last month, a mosque in Qusra was set on fire in another apparent settler attack. That followed the killing of an Israeli settler, which triggered violence that left two Israeli soldiers and four Palestinian villagers dead.

Settlers have been building more outposts in an effort condemned by many in the international community as aimed at dismantling any remaining hopes of establishing a Palestinian state in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinians seek the West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, as part of a future state. Many settlers and their supporters say the entire area should belong to Israel for historical, religious and security reasons.

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Associated Press writers Sam Mednick and Giovanna Dell'Orto contributed from Jerusalem. Koral Saeed contributed reporting from Herzliya, Israel.

The slowdown Thursday for people in the capital, Taipei, and six other cities and localities was part of the last phase of the island's annual Han Kuang exercises, military drills that began last week and aim to model a response to a possible Chinese military invasion.

Telecommunication operators slowed mobile web traffic to 256 Kbps, making it difficult to exchange anything other than texts. Usually, residents can access 5G in major cities.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te apologized to the public for the inconvenience, “We ask for your understanding and support, as this is a necessary drill,” he said.

Taiwan has stepped up the intensity of the Han Kuang drills, incorporating reservists and more civilians into the exercises with a focus on real-world scenarios. Previously, urban resilience drills in Taipei went largely unnoticed as they were not disruptive. For example, air raid drills in the metro station didn’t stem the flow of passengers.

This year, integrating civilians and coordinating with local governments was a key part of the exercises, according to the Taipei Times.

At a Taipei metro station Thursday afternoon, passengers waited to be released after the station's gates were shut for the simulation as part of air raid drills.

Allen Hsieh, a tourist from Hong Kong who was among the passengers who waited 30 minutes to be let out of the station, said he found the exercises to be convincing.

“The exercise did not cause me any inconvenience. I know that Taiwan needs to conduct exercises, given the current situation. I can understand that,” he said. “I did not expect it to be so real. I thought I would only receive text messages.”

Lai also visited a hospital as it simulated how to relocate its critical operations to underground facilities as part of the drills.

Taiwan is ramping up its defense exercises and purchases in response to heightened tensions with China, which claims the island as its own. China sends military planes, as well as Coast Guard ships and other vessels towards Taiwan on a daily basis and carries out large-scale military exercises from time to time.

Between Wednesday to Thursday morning, 18 Chinese warplanes and 11 navy ships operated around Taiwan, the island's Defense Ministry said.

Freeman isn't sure whether he'll play when the Dodgers begin an important four-game series with the MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, but he's grateful his freefall to the dugout floor wasn't worse.

“I didn't hit my head, so that was the key part there,” Freeman said. “I am sore. Kneecaps are sore. Shoulder is sore. Hand sore. Wrist sore. I mean, I fell. (But) I'm in good spirits.”

Freeman stayed in the game and finished the top of the eighth, but Tommy Edman pinch hit for him in the bottom of the inning before Los Angeles closed out a 4-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, its fourth in five games.

The right side of Freeman's body took the punishment, but the 2024 World Series MVP apparently didn't break any bones. He'll wait to see how he feels in the morning before he decides whether to play Thursday night when the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers welcome Milwaukee in a reamtch of last year's National League Championship Series.

Freeman said he simply miscalculated the location of the dugout railing while he tracked Isaac Collins' foul pop.

“I went to lean, like I was going to lean against the rail to catch the ball — and obviously there was no rail,” Freeman said with a smile.

Freeman, who turns 37 in one month, said he was fortunate to fall all the way into the dugout, missing the top flight of stairs entirely. That's because when he landed, his head stuck out into the open space above the second flight of stairs that goes down into the visitors' clubhouse instead of banging on the ground.

“Luckily, I was tall, so I missed everything else,” the 6-foot-4 Freeman cracked.

This wasn’t Freeman’s first fielding misadventure: He said he fell into the seats in Arizona roughly a decade ago while he was with the Atlanta Braves.

The Orange County native and childhood Angels fan also said he still remembers the infamous 1999 opening-day dugout fall by Mo Vaughn, who got hurt on the first play of his first game with the Halos.

The Royals rushed to Freeman's side after the fall, urging him to stay on the ground. Freeman decided to get up anyway, and the Dodgers' training staff rushed across the field to check on him.

“I think that we really dodged a bullet,” Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. “Very scary visually. For right now, he's in good spirits, which I think is a good sign. Just kind of total body soreness.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Janse's farm on the fertile land of the Netherlands' southwestern Zeeland Province is drying out despite his efforts to make it more drought resistant as accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Nino batter fields across Europe.

The drought that is roasting much of Europe this summer is taking a heavy toll on crops across the continent, from potatoes in the Netherlands to corn in Bosnia and grapes in Italy. Even when farmers try to adapt, the extreme weather is hitting their crops and water supplies.

Triodos, a Dutch bank that has a focus on sustainability, published an analysis this week that estimated the heatwaves and drought could reduce gross domestic product across the European Union by 1% for 2026 or around 180 billion euros ($208 billion). Farmers are among the hardest hit, with their crops set to be badly affected by soaring temperatures and lack of water. In large parts of the Netherlands, farmers are no longer allowed to use water from streams and drainage channels to irrigate fields and orchards.

Just add water? Dutch crops suffer from the drought

Another farmer in Zeeland, Hendrik Jan ten Cate, looks at a field full of withered potato plants that are almost all ready for harvest — a month early and with a significantly reduced crop. His potatoes are used to make French fries for companies including McDonald’s, but they’re likely going to be too small this year.

“People want long fries,” he says as he holds one of the potatoes. “That’s going to be tough this year.”

Ten Cate is one of the lucky farmers because he is allowed to irrigate his crops. But, even so, he estimates his harvest this year will be down by about one-third compared to average years.

“It's not just the drought that is the problem,” he says. “It is also the sun, the dry air and especially the hot days we have had this year. The potatoes just can't handle that combination very well.”

Bosnian agriculture, a key driver of the economy, is suffering

In Bosnia, where agriculture contributes roughly 5% of annual GDP and 10% of all employment, grain farmer Slavisa Lukic stood in one of his corn fields as stalks blew limply in the breeze. His crops have been hit by repeated heat waves and drought conditions. He said this year’s corn yield would be very poor, if he manages to harvest one at all.

Lukic remembers when he grew 6 to 7 tons per hectare on his farm. He expects this year’s corn yield will be around 1.5 to 2 tons per hectare.

Pointing to the drought-stricken land in northeastern Bosnia, Lukic said clover fields that once grew abundantly have all but disappeared. “Now they literally do not exist,” he said. “Nothing.”

Czech brewers fear bad hop harvest

The drought is even hitting one of the Czech Republic's most famous products: beer.

Plzeňský Prazdroj, the country’s largest beer producer, expects to incur losses this year due to a stunted hops yield.

Jakub Zaoral, the brewer’s sustainability manager, said that changes in rainfall patterns — characterized by long periods of dryness with occasional heavy storms — mean that when rain does fall, it runs off the dry soil. That results in inconsistent yields and increasingly low groundwater levels.

“There’s no choice but to simply accept the fact that one year will be great and the next won’t be,” he said. “If it were to happen three times in a row, that could very well become an existential problem for hop growers.”

Drought takes a toll across the Danube region

In Romania, some heat and drought-resistant crops like sunflowers have been less affected by the extreme conditions and yields have been plentiful. But the drought is still hitting home with record-low water levels on the Danube River disrupting grain transport, causing chronically congested terminals and an increasing pileup of crops with nowhere to go.

“In a short time, maximum 10 days, we will enter full blast in sunflower harvest, to be followed by corn,” Cezar Gheorghe, founder of grain consultancy firm Agricolumn, told The Associated Press. “Already farmers are in panic mode. They can’t find a place to store the corn and sunflower seeds.”

Cattle grazing plains in Hungary are turning to dust. No rain has fallen on Sándor Molnár's dairy farm since late May and he is having to buy expensive feed for his 130 cows.

“We’re trying to hang in there and hope for the best, hoping next year will be better,” he added. “To be honest, we’ve been saying that for a few years now, but maybe this time it will be.”

Huge UK farm that invested in irrigation is feeling the heat

Elveden Estate, with more than 10,000 acres of farmland on the Suffolk-Norfolk border in eastern England, has built a reservoir that can hold enough water to fill about 200 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Less than a year after opening, it's almost dry. Another reservoir is at about 20% capacity.

But the farm's water policy is paying off.

“The fact that we’ve invested significantly in reservoir storage and the infrastructure associated with pumping water has meant that we’ve been in a very strong position to continue to irrigate our crops through this growing season,” the farm's managing director, Andrew Blenkiron, said.

But every drop counts.

“We’re very concerned that we haven’t got enough water to see us through this season,” Blenkiron said. “We’ve got probably, if this weather stays as it is, six weeks of watering left to do.”

Diversify and feed the soil

Janse uses no-till farming on his fields — not plowing the soil, planting crops to cover the ground year-round and adding organic matter — to help cope with the whims of the weather as climate change triggers more extremes.

He has also diversified by running a popular campsite on his farm near the picturesque town of Veere. As he tends to his fields, guests walk by toward a lake where yachts and a river cruise ship sail past.

And as dry weather causes an increase in soil salinity in fields, Janse grows samphire, also known as sea asparagus, on a small patch of land. It's a crop that can thrive in salty conditions. But with no rainfall, even that is struggling this year.

“Samphire needs fresh water, and if there is only saltwater it doesn’t grow either,” he said.

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Nadja Lovadinov in London, Mustakim Hasnath in Suffolk, Stanislav Hodina in Prague, Czech Republic, Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, and Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England, contributed to this report.

Es una escena habitual en la playa pública de Bolsa Chica y en otras playas populares del sur de California, donde el número de personas picadas por las afiladas y destadas púas caudales que se encuentran en la cola de las rayas ha aumentado de forma significativa respecto a hace un año, a medida que una ola de calor marina atrae a más rayas —y a más gente— hacia la orilla.

Hemann, un turista de 31 años de Nuevo México, contó que estaba aprendiendo a surfear cuando se bajó de la tabla y cayó sobre lo que creyó que era un palo puntiagudo. “Me dolió bastante”, comentó, mientras hundía su pie palpitante en el agua más caliente que podía tolerar para aliviar el dolor. “Se me irradiaba hasta el tobillo”.

En las playas de Bolsa Chica y Huntington se han reportado más de 3.100 incidentes en lo que va del año, el doble que en todo 2025. El tramo de costa de 5,6 kilómetros (3,5 millas) de la ciudad de Huntington Beach registró más de 2.000 incidentes de este tipo en lo que va del año, más que durante todo el año pasado, mientras que en las playas de San Diego hubo más de 900 picaduras durante la primera mitad de 2026, más que en los primeros seis meses de cualquiera de los últimos cinco años, según los datos de los socorristas.

“Definitivamente estamos viendo un aumento”, afirmó Bryan R. Etnyre, superintendente de parques estatales en el norte del condado de Orange. “Gran parte se debe al calentamiento de las temperaturas del océano, que se mantienen de manera constante en los 15,6º Celsius (60º Fahrenheit). No creo que haya habido una semana en todo el invierno en la que bajáramos de 60º este año”.

El agua más cálida atrae a rayas y a gente

Las rayas redondas se encuentran en aguas del océano Pacífico desde Panamá hasta el sur de California y se sabe que se acercan a la orilla cuando baja el oleaje y el agua está caliente.

En los últimos años, muchas especies que se alimentan de rayas, como los tiburones, los leones marinos y la corvina gigante, han visto disminuir sus poblaciones, lo que ha hecho que aumente su número, explicó Chris Lowe, profesor de biología marina y director del Shark Lab en la Universidad Estatal de California, Long Beach.

Se sabe que las rayas prefieren aguas más cálidas, como las lagunas. Las hembras prefieren esas aguas para reproducirse y, durante el verano, los machos tienen un metabolismo más activo que los impulsa a buscar alimento entre los invertebrados a lo largo de la orilla, señaló Lowe.

“En realidad son una especie subtropical que está prosperando en el extremo de su hábitat debido al cambio climático”, agregó.

Según meteorólogos, el océano ya se ha estado calentando por el cambio climático causado por el ser humano.

Este año se han visto aún más rayas debido a una persistente ola de calor marina frente a partes de la Costa Oeste, lo que supone la tercera vez que se registra que un tramo tan grande de aguas costeras se mantiene cálido durante tanto tiempo, de acuerdo con la Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica de Estados Unidos. En junio, las autoridades confirmaron la formación de un fenómeno de El Niño —el calentamiento natural de partes del Pacífico central que altera el clima en todo el mundo— y se espera que alcance una intensidad histórica.

Además, desde la pandemia del coronavirus, más gente acude a las playas en busca de actividades al aire libre. Y cuando el agua está más caliente, es más probable que se metan a nadar.

Cuando se pisa una raya, esta levanta instintivamente la cola y pica con sus púas venenosas. Los salvavidas instan a los bañistas a arrastrar los pies al entrar al agua, ya que ese movimiento suele hacer que los animales se deslicen para apartarse sin picar.

En el sur de California, los socorristas pueden atender unas 10.000 lesiones por picaduras de raya al año, indicó Lowe.

En Seal Beach, una zona atrae a muchas rayas debido a la afluencia de agua cálida procedente de una central eléctrica cercana que se la conoce como “la bahía de las rayas" ("ray bay"), aunque los salvavidas allí no han visto muchos cambios en las picaduras este año.

Con una red de casi 23 metros (75 pies) de largo, investigadores recogieron unos 200 ejemplares —con tamaño similar al de un plato llano— en un tramo de la playa una mañana reciente.

“Puede haber tantas que literalmente alfombran el fondo; no se ve la arena”, explicó Lowe. “Durante los (episodios de) El Niño, nos llegan más desde el sur y se acercan más a la orilla. Así que este año esperamos cifras récord”.

Avisos y botines pueden ayudar

Lowe dijo que está trabajando con televisoras para elaborar un aviso sobre las rayas que ayude a reducir el número de personas que sufren picaduras y el número de animales que son aplastados. Las rayas ayudan a mantener la playa en buen estado al alimentarse de pequeñas almejas y airear el sedimento.

Muchas playas usan una aplicación para avisar a los bañistas cuando se producen múltiples picaduras en un lugar. Por su parte, una empresa ha desarrollado unos botines de surf que, según dice, son resistentes a las púas, aunque se pide a los nadadores que sigan entrando con cuidado para evitar pisar a las rayas.

En Bolsa Chica, bañistas con picaduras en los lados de los pies y en los dedos se sentaron en círculo rellenando sus baldes con agua caliente de una manguera. Algunos llevaban allí más de una hora esperando a que el dolor disminuyera.

En la mayoría de los casos no se necesita atención médica adicional. Si el enrojecimiento y la hinchazón continúan por más de cuatro o cinco días, podría haber una complicación médica como una infección o una púa clavada que puede verse en una radiografía, explicó la doctora Christanne Coffey, que investiga estas picaduras en la Universidad de California, San Diego Health.

Allen Lowry contó que estaba jugando con su nieto de 7 años cuando pisó algo blando. Levantó el pie y vio sangre, así que su esposa lo llevó en auto al puesto de los salvavidas para remojarlo en agua caliente, que es el remedio para las picaduras.

Lowry, de 69 años, dijo que nada tres veces por semana en otra playa, y que sufrir una picadura, aunque sea dolorosa, no lo cambiará. Comentó que a algunas personas de su grupo de natación les ha pasado varias veces.

“Por lo general, una vez que se te va el dolor que sientes, al día siguiente estás bien”, manifestó.

___

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

Glaciers in Switzerland and around the Alps have been retreating rapidly in recent years, among other changes attributed to the impact of climate change caused by human activity. Snowfall has become less frequent and reliable over recent decades.

That's a big issue for a mid-altitude ski resort like the Adelboden-Lenk area, whose roughly 200 kilometers (125 miles) of slopes span an altitude between 1,000 and 2,300 meters (3,280 and 7,545 feet). These days, an estimated 70% of the snow on its slopes is made artificially.

Snow cannons and lances are the visible part of the snowmaking network. But much of it is out of sight: dozens of kilometers of underground water pipes that could prove useful beyond the winter months as the risk of wildfires grows even in places such as Switzerland’s Adelboden-Lenk ski area.

“We can help firefighters with our infrastructure," said Jürg Klopfenstein, who is responsible for the resort's snowmaking operations. "Not primarily with our snow cannons, which can mainly be used to water the fields or aim them at surrounding infrastructure. But firefighters can use our infrastructure, and helicopters can refill their tanks using our water reservoirs.”

Those reservoirs collect rainfall and melting snow in the warmer months, and the water is used to produce snow during the ski season. The pipes and pumps connect 210 snow cannons and 50 snow lances in the Adelboden-Lenk area. In case of fire, the system could be used to create wet buffer areas, slowing the advance of flames and buying time until emergency services and air support arrive.

So far this year, Switzerland hasn’t experienced large-scale fires, unlike some of its neighbors. But the country is suffering from drought and the authorities assess the risk of wildfires as high across almost the entire nation, including the Bern region where Adelboden is located.

Like many other mountain areas, the Bernese Oberland isn't just a winter destination but attracts many mountain bikers, hikers, runners and paragliders in summer.

Stefan Buchs, the operations manager at the Adelboden-Lenk resort, said that different types of vegetation and different levels of soil humidity mean the large and frequent forest fires seen in southern Europe can't be extrapolated directly into a similar risk in the Alps.

But even so, “widespread wildfires are a likely scenario," he said. “We discussed this with the firefighters, and they recognized it already. They see that humidity is a real problem. It gets really dry even in the spring. Not just in the summer.”

Adelboden Mayor Willy Schranz said that “we must be prepared, because I am sure it won’t be the last summer like this one.”

A climate change expert with environmental group Greenpeace, Nathan Solothurnmann, cautioned against overestimating what putting a snowmaking system to work against wildfires can achieve in the long run and in a wider context.

“This watering system that they’re planning in Adelboden might for sure help for a while," he said. “But of course the changes we're facing (are) much worse. All those types of adaptations, they just help for a while.”

"In most parts of Switzerland, there are no pipes buried underground that we can use when a forest is burning,” he added.

ESPN got a copy of the letter that was sent to LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry and said Daniels’ decision stems from the school’s decision to allow cornerback D.J. Pickett to wear a No. 5 jersey. That’s the number Daniels wore during his two seasons at LSU.

This would mark the first time an LSU player has worn No. 5 since Daniels’ departure, though the school hadn’t retired the jersey.

“Jayden made it clear that he did not want his number given to another player, and he believed his wishes would be respected,” the statement from Daniels' spokesperson said. “His Heisman Trophy-winning season and everything he accomplished on and off the field cemented his place in LSU history. To see his number given to another player is incredibly disappointing and feels like a failure to honor the significance of what Jayden accomplished at LSU.”

Pickett wore a No. 3 jersey as a freshman last year but is switching to No. 5 this season. The 6-foot-5 cornerback is a former five-star recruit who had three interceptions as a freshman last season.

LSU coach Lane Kiffin said last week that Pickett was promised the opportunity to wear No. 5 when he signed with LSU in December 2024, when Brian Kelly was coaching the Tigers. Kelly was fired in October 2025. and Kiffin was hired at the end of the regular season.

“When a kid’s promised something to come to a school, he should wear it,” Kiffin said during an Aug. 5 media session. “So at that point, I don’t think it’s really my decision. We should honor what he was told.”

___

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

Around 8 million people in the southern African country of 22 million are registered to vote in the one-day election. Voters will also choose members of Parliament and local government councilors. Results are expected on Monday, according to the electoral commission.

Before dawn, voters bundled in thick jackets against the morning chill began forming long lines outside polling stations across Lusaka.

Some huddled around small makeshift fires to keep warm while election officials arranged ballot boxes, checked voter lists and prepared polling stations.

European Union election observers watched the proceedings at one polling station in the capital.

Mathias Ngoma, in his 70s, said he has voted in every election he could because “it’s the only voice I have.”

“I braved the cold to choose leaders I am hoping will make things better in our constituency, ” he said, encouraging other Zambians to cast their ballots, saying every vote counts.

Economy dominates the vote

Hichilema faces 13 other candidates in the presidential vote, though Brian Mundubile of an opposition alliance is expected to be his strongest challenger.

The election is widely seen as a referendum on Hichilema’s handling of the economy. He came into power in 2021 and is seeking a second term. He argues that he inherited an economy in crisis and has overseen the restructuring of Zambia’s massive foreign debt, presided over economic growth, and helped to court investors.

Hichilema says he needs another five years to create jobs, improve infrastructure and expand public services.

Many Zambians say they don’t feel the benefits as unemployment, food prices and an unstable electricity supply continue to strain household budgets.

Joseph, who only gave his first name, told The Associated Press he voted hoping for better economic management after becoming disillusioned with the current government.

“I voted for development and change," the 53-year-old said. "Change in the management of the economy ... (and) natural resources.”

Zambian copper production draws international interest

The election is also being closely watched abroad because Zambia is a major copper producer seeking to sharply increase production of the metal, critical to electric vehicles, renewable energy and power grids.

China is Zambia’s largest foreign investor and has extensive mining interests in the country, while the United States has sought a greater role as Washington looks to diversify supplies of critical minerals and reduce its reliance on China. Hichilema has courted investment from both China and Western partners, including the U.S., as he seeks to increase annual copper production to 3 million metric tons by 2031.

Security concerns shadow the vote

Security and political tensions rose in the final days of the campaign. Police deployed additional officers and warned against violence, disruptions at polling stations and the circulation of false results.

Opposition parties have accused Hichilema’s government of using state institutions to target political rivals, allegations the government rejects.

The opposition's Tonse Alliance said a law enforcement raid on its offices days before the election was politically motivated.

Hichilema spent four months in jail on treason charges when he was an opposition leader under former President Edgar Lungu, whom he defeated in 2021.

Lungu remained an influential political figure until his death in South Africa last year. A prolonged dispute between his family and the government over his funeral and burial added to tensions ahead of the election.

A presidential candidate must win more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Zambia has long been regarded as one of southern Africa’s more stable democracies, with a history of largely peaceful transfers of power. Hichilema’s victory in 2021 marked the country’s third transfer of power to an opposition candidate since multiparty democracy was restored in 1991.

Polls are expected to close at 1600 GMT.

___

Associated Press writer Michelle Gumede in Johannesburg contributed to this report.

Ahead of the meeting, the Kennedy Center's management said it would present the board with three approaches for consideration.

The options would include a complete closure or a partial closure that would allow “some continued public access and limited programming in spaces unaffected” by the work. A third option would “consider a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the Center’s most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming.”

In blocking earlier plans for closure, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled the board's March 16 vote backing the move appeared “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.” In moving forward, the board, which is largely made up of President Donald Trump's allies, may face pressure to prove they've thoroughly considered their options.

During Trump’s second term, the Kennedy Center has become an unlikely — and highly visible — metaphor of presidential power. While he largely ignored the institution during his first round in Washington, Trump moved quickly to oust the institution’s leadership when he returned to office in January 2025 and replaced it with a board of trustees that named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building, a move that Cooper also declared illegal.

Trump’s name came down from the building in June but the area where it once stood is now covered by a massive tarp. Cooper has asked the Kennedy Center for updates on how long the tarp is expected to stay in place.

Trump's push to remake the nation's capital

The Kennedy Center moves are part of Trump's broader push to reshape the physical landscape of the nation's capital in ways that have few modern parallels.

He demolished the East Wing of the White House and is building a controversial ballroom in its place, though an appeals court ruled last week that construction should stop because Congress didn't approve the project. Trump has said he will take the case to the Supreme Court.

His remodel of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has also stumbled after algae returned and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro refuted his claims that a vandal was responsible for the damage.

Meanwhile, Trump is planning extensive renovations of a golf course in East Potomac Park, which could significantly reduce the public’s access to running and biking paths. He is also moving forward with a triumphal arch that will sit near Arlington National Cemetery.

Trump has derided the Kennedy Center as “rusted, rotted, and rat and bug infested” and threatened to hand the building over to Congress after Cooper rejected the closure and the addition of the president’s name to the building.

The institution’s leadership has argued that it’s in genuine need of repair and updating.

Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director and chief operating officer, guided a group of journalists through the building in April, highlighting severe water damage that he said corroded steel in some places as thin as tissue paper. Some pieces of equipment, including several 800-ton chillers that help cool the building, are decades old and in need of replacement.

At the time, Floca said he considered doing the repairs individually but insisted it was his recommendation to Trump to close the building and move forward with the renovation all at once.

“When the president asked: ‘How do you make these projects the best? How do you make them really excellent and deliver them efficiently?’ my recommendation was you close the building and you do everything over a definite period of time, two years,” he said.

More recently, the legal battles became the subject of barbs and jokes as comedian Bill Maher accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in late June. At the start of the program, Pamella Roland DeVos, a Kennedy Center trustee appointed by Trump, described the institution as a “national cultural center open not just for some but for every American patron who wants to experience the greatest art and expression the world has to offer.”

“The responsibility that comes with it is one our board takes very seriously,” she said.

Forecasters in the U.K. are predicting the mercury will rise as high as 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in central and southeast England, potentially making it the hottest day of the year. The highest temperature this year was recorded on June 26 when the temperature hit 38 C in eastern England.

The U.K.’s Met Office said earlier this week that only average conditions were needed for the rest of August to beat last year’s record for the hottest year.

Temperatures in France, meanwhile, are forecast to go even higher, reaching 40 degrees C (104 F) in central and southern areas and 38 C in Paris.

Britain and France ill-equipped for this sort of heat

This summer has shown that both Britain and France are ill-equipped to deal with these levels of heat. Air conditioning is a rarity outside of shops and offices, for example.

In Britain, it emerged Thursday that working has been particularly difficult in hospitals, where nurses have been known to collapse from heat exhaustion, according to the Royal College of Nursing.

“When nursing staff are collapsing, feeling dizzy, sick or even being admitted to the very hospitals they work in because their workplaces cannot handle the heat, it shows just how badly they are being failed,” said Nicola Ranger, the college's chief executive and general secretary.

Unsurprisingly, drought conditions are spreading

Like many parts of Europe, Britain and France are facing widespread drought conditions that have shriveled crops and drained rivers, heaping pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment, and forcing governments and water users to seek both short- and long-term measures to mitigate the effects of human-caused climate change.

Britain's Southern Water, which oversees supplies in the south of England, has applied for a rare drought order which would ban businesses from nonessential water use, including cleaning cars and filling nondomestic swimming pools, saying an “exceptional” lack of rain has threatened supplies in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will decide on the application, which would be the first such ban since May 2006.

Wildfire fears remain a clear and present danger

With the land parched and no sign of any meaningful rain coming, authorities in Britain and France remain on high alert for wildfires.

In Britain, which is increasingly looking sandy brown rather than its traditional luscious green, firefighters have been out in force this week trying to contain a wildfire in the New Forest in southern England.

Some 1,017 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, according to data from the National Fire Chiefs Council, the same as last year’s record-breaking total.

Though not on the same level as those witnessed in France, Greece and Spain, they provide ample evidence of the need for the U.K. to adjust to a new reality.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he will consider imposing a ban on disposable barbecues amid the risk of further wildfires as extreme heat continues to grip parts of the U.K.

“I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear,” he said. “People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time.”

French firefighters were back in action too after a desperate summer and are threatening to go on strike to demand more staff and resources to cope with increasingly extreme weather events.

One broke out late Wednesday in the northern Pas-de-Calais region, and another in Brittany, far from the hotter, drier and more fire-prone regions in southern France. A historic fire devoured forests near Bordeaux last month and pushed a quarter of a million people from their homes.

___

Charlton reported from Paris.

That's not what Nigel Farage, the man who arguably did more than anyone to get Britain to vote to leave the European Union a decade ago, intended when he triggered Thursday’s special election in Clacton by quitting his seat in the House of Commons last month. When doing so, he expected to run again against candidates from Britain's main political parties, including the governing Labour Party and the main opposition Conservative Party.

Farage, who is the leader of anti-immigration party Reform UK, stood down in the hope the election could put to bed awkward questions about his finances. Farage said he would let voters judge him in a “people versus the establishment” contest. His political foes described the move as a stunt and opted against standing a candidate.

Instead, Farage's main opponent is Count Binface, a political satirist posing as a comic space alien, with a keen interest in earthly matters, including the positioning of a hand dryer in the men's toilet in a pub in west London.

Record number of candidates standing in Clacton

The special election is a novelty, if not quite a circus, with a record 34 candidates standing, including Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Marcus White from the Everyone is God Party. They have pounded the streets of Clacton over the past few weeks as they seek to win the support of around 80,000 voters.

Given the numbers standing, Clacton residents will be presented with a ballot paper that is around 3 feet long (around 1 meter). That's not going to be easy to navigate.

Turnout is widely expected to be low for a variety of reasons. For one, turnout is usually lower at special elections rather than at general elections. In the July 2024 general election, Farage faced eight rivals and garnered 21,225 votes, or 46.2% of the total. Turnout was 58.7%.

This election is taking place in the midst of the summer holidays when thousands of voters will be far away from Clacton. It's also taking place during another U.K. heatwave, which could prompt many to opt against making the trip to the polling station as they seek sanctuary from temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).

Election isn't the one Farage was planning

Farage, who in 2024 was elected to Parliament at his eighth attempt in the strongly Brexit -backing town, has for months been facing what he considers to be unfair scrutiny of his finances.

Parliament’s standards watchdog is investigating an undeclared donation of 5 million pounds ($6.7 million) to Farage in 2024 from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire. Farage says he didn’t need to declare the money because it was a personal gift he used to fund his security and came before he was elected.

Newly elected lawmakers must declare gifts worth more than 300 pounds ($400) received in the previous year if they are related to political activities.

When he stood down on July 7, he described the scrutiny as an “establishment hit job” and a media-driven “witch-hunt.”

His decision to stand down put a pause to the parliamentary investigation, but if he wins on Thursday, as most pollsters expect, it is set to start up again.

If he's found to have breached Parliament's rules, then he could face a recall petition in Clacton, which may lead to another special election later this year, costing the British taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds more. The difference is that in that one, the other parties would choose to stand.

Farage's decision to trigger another election in Clacton came weeks after Andy Burnham returned to Parliament in a special election in the Makerfield constituency near Manchester. That campaign shone a positive spotlight on Burnham, triggering a chain of events that saw him become Britain's prime minister a few weeks later following the resignation of Keir Starmer.

Any hope that Farage had that the Clacton campaign would be similarly positive for him was dashed when the other political parties failed to play ball and he was left standing against the likes of Count Binface.

Binface leads the alternatives

Under Binface’s black cape, trash can and ample body armor that looks straight out of a low-budget sci-fi film, is a middle-aged comedian named Jon Harvey trying to keep his cool during a sweaty summer.

He has been a regular candidate in high-profile elections before, having previously stood against then prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

He says his repeated candidacies are aimed at promoting the beauties of Britain's centuries-old democracy where even the most high-profile politicians are above no one — including someone from his fictional native planet of Sigma IX.

He's also funny.

The numbers backing him have been negligible — and fairly costly. Candidates standing for election have to put down a deposit of 500 pounds ($675). They only get it back if they muster 5% of the votes cast. In his most recent run, against Burnham in Makerfield, the comedian received 95 votes, or 0.2% of the total.

There is an expectation that he will do a lot better in Clacton. Many of the voters of the other political parties have been lending him their support, partly in the hope of embarrassing Farage.

The result of the election, which will be announced as Farage is onstage with all his fellow candidates, is expected Friday morning between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.

U.S. Magistrate Lauren Louis will have a chance to question both sides before determining if the brothers, who have repeatedly denied wrongdoing, should stay in jail or be released during what could be a monthslong extradition process.

The Tates have remained in a federal detention center in Miami since making a brief court appearance two days after their July 18 arrest. Their attorneys have argued the Tates’ high profile makes it nearly impossible for them to flee and that they regularly post updates about their locations on social media.

The Tates have become among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities with their promotion of wealth, male dominance and misogyny through their social media empire. The new allegations are the latest in the Tates' long-running international legal saga spanning the U.S., Britain and Romania.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office filing, the Tates should be detained pending their extradition hearing because they cannot overcome the strong presumption against bail in international extradition cases.

The serious pending U.K. charges involving human trafficking and violent rapes and assaults against multiple victims, along with allegations in Romania that the Tates attempted to intimidate witnesses, present a clear public safety concern, prosecutors say.

While prosecutors call the brothers a flight risk, their attorneys said they have proved they are not by complying with all pretrial restrictions in Romania, where they are accused of luring women for sexual exploitation.

The U.K. has until mid-September to provide evidence to the State Department to support extradition, meaning the brothers could spend months in the Federal Detention Center in Miami before the proceedings are resolved, the defense motion says. No date has been set for an extradition hearing. They are being held in a special unit for their own protection.

The Democratic National Committee is expected to vote at its summer meeting in Austin, Texas, on the new order that frontloads states with more diverse populations.

The meeting comes ahead of bitterly contested midterm elections that will decide control of Congress later this year. Democratic voters have delivered mixed messages on the direction they want to see the party go — backing candidates viewed as more left-wing as well as moderates in consequential primaries across several states.

The group also is convening at a time of internal turmoil, with some members calling for DNC Chairman Ken Martin to be replaced. Critics have questioned Martin's leadership decisions and the party's fundraising, which lags well behind Republicans just months before the crucial midterms.

New calendar would cement South Carolina as 1st primary

The party is expected to give final approval to a calendar that has South Carolina's primary first on Jan. 22, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia would round out the early states, voting throughout February.

The overhaul shows Democrats’ effort to give greater influence to states reflecting the party’s coalition, particularly Black and Latino voters. It follows years of a calendar led by Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with overwhelmingly white electorates.

The proposed calendar would cement South Carolina at the start of the calendar, reflecting a change former President Joe Biden pushed for after that state revived his struggling 2020 campaign.

South Carolina has long been the first Southern contest and has served as a key test of candidates’ support among Black voters.

Two traditional early states aren't happy

Iowa and New Hampshire officials have expressed disappointment with the decision after the early approval at a committee meeting in July. Rita Hart, the Iowa Democratic Party chair, said it was a sign the party is “out of touch with voters.”

New Hampshire congressional leaders, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, said the decision was wrong for their state and the country. New Hampshire's secretary of state is required by law to schedule its presidential primary at least seven days before any other state holds a similar contest, setting up a potential conflict with the DNC calendar.

The GOP still needs to draw up its calendar. Republicans are expected to stick with their traditional early-state lineup led off by Iowa and New Hampshire.

Questions linger about Democrats' next steps

Democratic primaries already have been testing which direction the party is headed in, through races in states such as Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

While there's been a split between more progressive candidates who buck the party's establishment and those with more moderate views who have backing from party officials, the common thread is that Democratic voters have been looking for change.

Republicans, confronting high prices and the president's sagging approval, have been eager to cast the party as moving too far to the left.

Meanwhile, the DNC's leadership and financial concerns continue.

The gathering also coincides with financial struggles confronting Democrats, including lackluster fundraising and carrying debt. The DNC reported about $16 million cash on hand in its most recent Federal Election Commission filing along with more than $18 million in debt. The GOP, meanwhile, reported nearly $129 million cash on hand in its latest FEC filing.

Martin isn't expected to be replaced before the midterms, as the party has no clear alternative to take over. But members have said the most likely time for a leadership change may be the DNC’s winter meeting after the November contests — and before the 2028 presidential primary process begins in earnest.

___ Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in New York contributed to this report.

Shippers including FedEx and UPS that acted as customs brokers for imported packages and received tariff refunds from the U.S. government have started to pass on those refunds to the customers that originally paid the tariffs.

The refunds to consumers are the last step in a monthslong process that kicked off in February when the Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs implemented by President Donald Trumpin March 2025 under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act on goods from almost every country. The court ordered the government to return the tariffs it collected.

So far, about $100 billion in tariffs have been refunded to companies who paid them under a system set up by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That doesn't mean Americans will get anywhere close to what they paid in tariffs, since most were paid indirectly. In 2025, the Trump tariffs amounted to an average tax increase of $1,000 per U.S. household, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C., group that studies taxes.

But some consumers are getting some of what they paid directly back from shippers including UPS, DHL and FedEx. The refunds are being rolled out in phases based on what date they were paid. Shippers have said they'll return the refunds on a rolling basis as they receive them.

Tariff refunds from shippers will be directly refunded to credit cards or bank accounts

FedEx said it has begun the process of issuing $800 million in tariff refunds it received from the government back to the customers that paid them. Customers don’t need to apply to receive their refund, but they can enter tracking numbers for purchased items into a portal on the FedEx website to see whether or not they are due a refund.

UPS said in April it had paid $5 billion in tariffs on behalf of clients and would begin the process of applying to the government for refunds. In the first phase, it applied for $500 million in refunds and said customers should get refunds one to three months after it receives reimbursement from the Treasury.

DHL similarly said that it has filed claims for almost all eligible shipments where it served as the importer of record and is returning the refunds it has received.

“The volume and pace of refunds continue to depend on CBP’s processing of claims,” DHL said in a statement.

Major retailers say they could give back some refunds but mostly will use them to lower prices

Unlike shippers who collected tariffs directly from customers, most big retailers passed on tariffs in indirect ways, changing their product lineups or partly absorbing higher costs, making a consumer refund unlikely.

Amazon executives said last week the company received $600 million in tariff refunds in the second quarter.

In a call with investors, Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky said the company isn't the importer of record on most of the goods it sells and that it has absorbed some tariff costs. But he said the company has “identified a limited set of circumstances where we can trace that we pass specific import charges on to customers.” In those circumstances, he added, “we will proactively contact affected customers and automatically issue refunds to them.”

Otherwise, he said, Amazon will use tariff refunds to lower prices for customers.

That echoes what other large retailers have said. In May, Cori Barrie, outgoing CEO of Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, said the retailer is an importer of record of only about 2% to 3% of what it sells and that the company would use any refund it gets to “deliver value back to our customers.”

And Costco CEO Ron Vachris said the company planned to return “in some form” the tariffs that were passed on to consumers.

“How much we return and when depends on a variety of factors, including how much refund money we receive and when it arrives as well as developments in the lawsuit filed against the company regarding the return process,” he said in a quarterly earnings call in May.

Dozens of class-action lawsuits have been filed

Some shoppers are suing to get the tariffs they paid in the form of higher prices back from companies. More than 80 class-action lawsuits have been filed by customers across the country against retailers including Costco, Nike, Amazon, Walmart and others.

The lawsuits will face difficulty because plaintiffs will have to prove they paid for price increases that were specifically tied to the tariffs, according to Lori Leskin, partner and co-chair of law firm Arnold & Porter’s Consumer Products Practice Group. None of the lawsuits have yet been certified as class action, which would mean they apply to all customers.

“It’s going to be very hard for anyone to establish that the price increase they paid was due to tariffs and not some other market force,” she said. “Most of them are just talking about price increases, and to be able to trace a price increase due to a single factor is going to be really difficult given the multifactorial approach that most companies take.”

France's CAC 40 edged up 0.1% in early trading to 8,685.40, while the German DAX added 0.4% to 26,445.93. Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.4% to 10,791.07.

U.S. shares were set to drift moderately higher with Dow futures up nearly 0.1% at 53,921.00. S&P 500 futures rose nearly 0.1% to 7,775.25.

Earlier in Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 advanced 1.2% to finish at 68,308.59.

In South Korea, the Kospi jumped 3.6%, climbing to 6,813.34, as shares in Samsung Electronics surged 4.9%. Computer chipmaker SK Hynix jumped 9%.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 0.2% to 25,378.14, while the Shanghai Composite index fell 0.5% to 3,926.96. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.2% to 9,188.50.

On Wednesday, several AI-related companies reported better earnings for the spring than analysts expected, while a report showed inflation across the United States was in line with forecasts for a slight improvement.

Analysts say investors are starting to study which AI stocks to play, instead of getting drawn in by the whole sector.

AI stocks recently have been on a roller-coaster ride, surging to records and then coming under pressure on worries that they have shot too high. Investors want to see big spenders on AI prove their investments are yielding enough in profits and productivity to make them worth it. That in turn could lead to sustained demand for chips and other AI infrastructure.

In other dealings early Thursday, benchmark U.S. crude slipped $1.18 to $82.08 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell $1.17 to $87.81 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 159.37 Japanese yen from 159.42 yen. The euro cost $1.1526, down slightly from $1.1527. Foreign exchange fluctuations have been in focus after the U.S. and Japan recently jointly intervened to prop up the yen. Although the dollar has fallen slightly against the yen, it still remains above 150 yen.

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Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

Investigators say an argument between two men escalated to gunfire at the Mobil gas station located at 10300 NW 12th Ave. Wednesday around 5:25 p.m.

One of the men was struck and drove himself to North Shore Hospital before he was later taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, authorities said.

Authorities said they are searching for the person who shot the victim.

Additionally, detectives are examining surveillance footage and investigating the circumstances that led up to the gunfire.

No other injuries were reported.

Coral, sea turtles, manatees and even whales all play a vital role in our ocean ecosystem. But recent changes at the federal level could erase critical protections these species depend on.

A bedrock environmental law is being dramatically rewritten, and now some of our most beloved and endangered marine life could pay the price.

“The Endangered Species Act will no longer protect the habitat, the home of the species it’s trying to keep from going extinct, which doesn’t make any sense,” said Nora Ives, a marine scientist with Oceana.

The Trump administration is rescinding the definition of “harm” from the Endangered Species Act, a bill that has been the law of the land for more than 50 years.

“These changes take the teeth out of this law, and what is the value of listing a species if you can’t protect its home?” Ives said.

The move strips critical protection of habitats for two of Florida’s most embattled species — green turtles and manatees — both listed as endangered.

The number one driver of extinction is harm to a species’ habitat.

“Before it was listed under the ESA or Endangered Species Act, there were about zero sea turtle nests on the Florida beaches. Since it was listed in 1978, we’re up to over 200,000 sea turtle nests of the green sea turtle species,” Ives said. “So, just another example that this law works and that our coastal economies, our local communities, our nation as a whole benefits from its success.”

Perhaps no species illustrates the devastating effects of habitat loss better than the Florida manatee. Five years ago, a pollution-fueled seagrass die-off triggered a mass mortality event: More than 1,200 manatees died, many starving to death.

“Another big concern is oil coming onshore and destroying seagrass habitat and ..ruining the habitat that manatees have,” said Beth Brady, director of science and conservation at Save the Manatee Club. “Manatees are just an indicator of the health of the ecosystem. And when you have healthy manatees, you have healthy habitat, springs, drinking water.”

Any further threat to the habitat has scientists concerned it could trigger another deadly crisis.

“Right now, I would say that the fluctuations that we’re seeing in both seagrass and manatee numbers really make us think that the balance is very fragile,” said Dr. Jeremy Kiszka, associate professor of biology at FIU.

Signed into law by President Nixon in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has been an incredible bipartisan success story.

“It has protected over 99% of the species listed under its care from going extinct. And polling shows that it is a law that our country supports across the political spectrum,” Ives said.

Still, in March, the Trump administration convened the Endangered Species Committee for the first time in more than 30 years.

The powerful panel of senior administration officials, nicknamed the “God Squad,” moved to exempt oil-and-gas exploration from key ESA protections.

Then the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ended automatic protections for future threatened species and eased rules for excluding land from critical habitat.

“If you take away that protection, who knows what the impacts would be for the species and the recovery of the species, so it could be catastrophic,” Ives said.

President Trump defended the moves, posting that the Endangered Species Act is overreach by radical climate activists, stifling production of oil, natural gas and timber.

But conservation groups are fighting back. Earthjustice is filing multiple federal lawsuits, joined by an armada of others around the country, including Oceana.

“There’s no need to dismantle something that has worked for 50 plus years. And additionally, it allows human activity to go forward safely while protecting the species we all rely on for our ecological and our climate health,” Ives said.

Congress is also pushing back, introducing a bipartisan bill into the House late last month that would restore the definition of “harm” in the ESA.

“What is really important is the idea of coexisting. And these species are not to be taken for granted. They’ve been protected in in the US, in Florida for many years. But it doesn’t mean that they’re going to be present in, you know, 30, 40 or 50 years. They’re really fragile,” Kiszka said.

“It’s not just about a manatee, it’s about having a healthy Florida for generations to come,” Brady said.

The fight is also coming to South Florida.

Oceana is partnering with Surfrider and the Endangered Species Coalition for rallies in the Florida Keys at the end of the month to help draw support for endangered marine life.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has 60 days to respond to the federal lawsuits.

It happened on May 13 near Northwest 86th Terrace and Northwest 18th Avenue in Miami-Dade County.

Investigators arrested 29-year-old Ronald Kelly after Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies and Florida Highway Patrol troopers chased him down and crashed his red Dodge pickup truck by performing a PIT maneuver, causing the truck to overturn.

Authorities quickly took Kelly into custody and safely recovered the victim, who was being held in the bed of the truck.

Kelly is facing charges of kidnapping, aggravated fleeing and eluding causing injury or death, false imprisonment and burglary of an unoccupied structure and third-degree theft from a construction site and petit theft stemming from this case, and he’s also facing charges in another investigation regarding an alleged domestic dispute.

Messi started the second half and received a loud ovation from fans at Miami's Nu Stadium. It was his first match since his father, Jorge, died Saturday at 68. Messi shared a tribute to his father on social media earlier Wednesday, saying he wasn't sure about his playing future.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” the post said in Spanish, shared on Messi’s Instagram. “I don’t know how to keep going. All I ever did was play soccer, and now I have serious doubts about whether I’ll keep doing it for much longer.”

Jorge Messi played a fundamental role in the soccer star’s career, serving as his agent and managing his business affairs. Messi returned to his native Argentina over the weekend, missing Miami's 2-1 loss to Monterrey on Saturday, but was dressed and on the bench before subbing in for Daniel Pinter at the start of the second half.

Juan Pablo Domínguez also scored for León, which used a three-goal second half to overcome a 1-0 deficit after Pinter put Miami ahead in the 42nd on an assist from Ian Fray. It was the second straight blown second-half lead for Inter Miami.

Arcila scored with a right-footed shot from the center of the box in the 50th, then whipped the go-ahead goal past Óscar García for his fourth goal of the tournament.

Yannick Bright also scored for Inter Miami, which was eliminated after winning the Leagues Cup in 2023 and reaching the final last year.

The Herons' chances of advancing were already bleak after entering the match 12th in the MLS standings following their loss to Monterrey. Only the top four clubs from the MLS standings and the top four from Liga MX will advance to the quarterfinals.

León, after winning its first two matches of the tournament, moved to first in the Liga MX standings.

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

Messi came off the bench in the second half after returning from his father’s funeral in Argentina, but Club León scored a late winner to defeat the Herons 3-2 and officially eliminate Miami from the Leagues Cup.

Miami entered the match with a slim path to the next round. Although the Herons were not mathematically eliminated before kickoff, they needed several results elsewhere to go their way. Only the top four teams from each side of the tournament advance to the knockout stage.

The Herons typically open matches with an aggressive, high-tempo attack, but Wednesday’s opening was more measured. Miami patiently moved the ball around the field while León dropped back and focused on limiting the Herons’ chances.

Miami’s first major opportunity came in the 10th minute after earning a dangerous free kick just outside the box. Stand-in captain Rodrigo De Paul sent the ball into the penalty area, but León cleared the danger and conceded the first corner of the match.

The corner produced nothing, and Miami went back to work.

Ian Fray nearly opened the scoring later in the half when he chipped the ball over a León defender before firing a shot just wide of the left post.

León’s defensive approach continued to frustrate Miami. Despite controlling possession, the Herons struggled to create clear chances and had only one shot on target for much of the opening half.

Miami eventually began to find its rhythm, increasing the pressure and forcing several saves from the León goalkeeper.

León, meanwhile, appeared content to sit back and absorb the pressure, waiting for opportunities to attack on the counter.

Miami finally found its breakthrough just before halftime.

Fray delivered a beautiful cross into the center of the box, where Daniel Pinter calmly finished with his left foot to put the Herons ahead 1-0.

Miami carried the lead into halftime.

Then came the moment the crowd had been waiting for.

Messi entered to begin the second half, and the stadium erupted into chants of “Messi, Messi, Messi” as the Miami supporters welcomed their star back onto the field.

But the celebration did not last long.

León quickly punished Miami on the counterattack, finding the equalizer to make it 1-1 and putting another dent in the Herons’ already slim hopes of advancing.

Miami responded immediately.

The Herons won a corner shortly after conceding, and the ensuing pressure resulted in another goal. Yannick Bright reacted first to a rebound and volleyed the ball into the back of the net after the León goalkeeper made the initial save.

Miami was back in front, 2-1.

Rocco Ríos Novo then came up with a massive save to keep the Herons ahead, denying León a potential equalizer.

But León continued to push.

The visitors eventually found the breakthrough they were looking for, leveling the match at 2-2 and setting up a frantic final stretch.

With Messi now on the field, the match had completely changed. The controlled opening had turned into the high-tempo, end-to-end game Miami is accustomed to playing.

León was comfortable with a draw. One point would be enough for the visitors to advance.

Miami had no such option.

The Herons needed a win and pushed forward in search of a late winner. Chance after chance was blocked or cleared, while León continued to threaten whenever it won possession and broke forward.

Then came the decisive moment.

León scored a late goal that was initially ruled offside. After a quick VAR review, however, the decision was overturned and the goal was awarded.

Miami suddenly found itself trailing 3-2 after leading 2-1.

The Herons desperately searched for one final opportunity, but time was running out.

Sergio Reguilón had a chance to equalize, but his attempt lacked the power to trouble the León goalkeeper, who made the save comfortably.

The final whistle confirmed León’s 3-2 victory and officially ended Miami’s Leagues Cup campaign.

For Miami, it was another night of late heartbreak. After finishing as the Leagues Cup runner-up last year, the Herons will not make the knockout stage this time around.

The Herons now turn their attention back to Major League Soccer, with their next match coming Saturday against first-place Nashville SC in Nashville.

El proceso estará enfocado en la reforma de la ley del Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (TSJ), entre otras, en renovar y ampliar el comité de postulaciones para la designación de todos los magistrados del máximo tribunal, así como conformar un consejo de revisión de credenciales y requisitos de los postulados al TSJ para evitar irregularidades en la designación de los magistrados, dijeron los delegados en un comunicado conjunto al final del encuentro.

Los adversarios del ahora fallecido presidente Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) y de su sucesor, el ahora depuesto presidente Nicolas Maduro (2013-2026), repetidamente han acusado al oficialismo de designar con su abrumadora mayoría a los magistrados entre sus aliados para asegurarse el control del máximo tribunal, que en los últimos 27 años se ha convertido en un actor decisivo en la trama política venezolana con una gran cantidad de sentencias desfavorables a los críticos de los gobiernos socialistas.

El oficialismo, por su parte, ha dicho que los nombramientos de magistrados principales y suplentes se hicieron bajo “estricto cumplimiento” de las leyes.

El primer encuentro se instaló casi siete semanas después de una reunión en Caracas entre el influyente presidente del Legislativo, Jorge Rodríguez —hermano de la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez—, y la exdiputada Dinorah Figuera, quien regresó entonces brevemente al país luego de casi ocho años en el exilio.

Washington fue el principal impulsor de los diálogos sobre una agenda para fortalecer la democracia y restituir derechos fundamentales tras casi tres décadas de gobiernos socialistas.

Los miembros de la actual Asamblea Nacional, de mayoría oficialista, y un grupo de exlegisladores opositores que en su momento intentaron destituir a Maduro también acordaron concentrar esfuerzos para promover “la recuperación de activos de reserva internacional” depositados en el Banco de Inglaterra para atender a las víctimas de los dos poderosos sismos que azotaron Venezuela el pasado 24 de junio y que dejaron al menos 6.300 fallecidos y unos 17.900 ciudadanos sin viviendas por el colapso de 190 edificios.

Las conversaciones tuvieron como sede un lujoso hotel del este de Caracas.

Pese al fracaso de los cuatro anteriores procesos de diálogo entre 2017 y 2024 realizados todos fuera del país, muchos venezolanos consideran que esta vez sería posible lograr acuerdos mínimos que permitan estabilizar y mejorar la situación de Venezuela en buena medida por la inédita situación política tras la destitución de Maduro, quien otrora acudió a los diálogos ejerciendo un control férreo del poder, y la influencia estadounidense en el gobierno de la presidenta en funciones.

El presidente Donald Trump ha procurado trabajar estrechamente con la mandataria encargada para estabilizar Venezuela tras la salida de Maduro y abrir el país a la inversión de Estados Unidos. La gobernante venezolana, por su parte, ha enviado numerosas señales de cooperación y acercamiento entre la Casa Blanca y su administración.

La influencia de Estados Unidos se profundizó en los últimos meses luego del levantamiento de sanciones contra la presidenta, a quien Trump ha reconocido como la única jefa de Estado de Venezuela. Eso ha allanado el camino para restablecer vínculos con bancos occidentales y obrar con mayor libertad con inversionistas estadounidenses que buscan acceder a las reservas de petróleo venezolanas, las mayores del mundo.

El Departamento de Estado estadounidense ha celebrado los diálogos en Caracas destacando que “representan una oportunidad única", según indicó en un comunicado la semana pasada. Expresó que Washington "mantiene su compromiso de apoyar este proceso liderado por Venezuela, que desempeña un papel fundamental en el plan de tres fases del Presidente para lograr la estabilización, la recuperación económica, la reconciliación política y una transición pacífica”.

The official, who was briefed on the situation and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details of presidential travel, said Rubio was aware of the switch and details of the threat behind it but could or would not say why he had stayed on the plane. The official said Bessent was likely aware but did not know for sure.

The official, however, noted that security precautions for the president — especially one who has been the target of several assassination attempts — are more robust than those for even top members of the Cabinet.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the secretaries of State and Treasury follow the vice president and the highest ranking member of each chamber of Congress in the presidential line of succession.

Trump had flown to the annual gathering of NATO country leaders in Ankara, Turkey, in a new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet. But ahead of departing Turkey, he said he would fly partway home on an older-model baby blue Air Force One plane instead.

The president at the time said the new luxury jet was being flown out ahead of his departure from Ankara to give some U.S. troops based in eastern England a chance to check out the new Air Force One.

The Washington Post reported this week that Trump wasn’t on the old Air Force One on the return flight from Turkey and that he instead was smuggled onto another jet via a catering cart to avoid a possible Iranian assassination plot. The ruse was carried out as journalists and some White House staff members were led to believe they were on the same plane as the president as he began his journey back to Washington.

The New York Times and CBS News had reported last month that intelligence officials had raised concerns about a potential attack on the president or his jet, triggering additional precautions and the decision not to use the newly inaugurated aircraft gifted to Trump by Qatar for the first leg of Trump’s trip home from Ankara.

Trump acknowledged the transfer late Tuesday.

“It’s only up to the Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do, so I go by Secret Service and the military,” the president told reporters at Joint Base Andrews. “They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane, equal safety, but they wanted me to do it, so I do it, I do what they say.”

It’s the biggest jackpot so far this year. It comes after the United Kingdom joined most U.S. states in offering the game, adding the to the jackpot pool.

Of course, the $1 billion figure represents a pre-tax sum of annuity payments.

Those opting to take a lump sum cash payout would come away with $433 million before taxes and almost $273 million afterward, according to lottery website USA Mega.

No matter how you slice it, it’s an eye-popping number.

Watch the video above to see how customers at a Hollywood gas station say they’d spend the big haul.

Telfort, the owner of the Jude & Jude tax office at the Hollywood Shopping Plaza, said the same burglar broke into his office at 520 Hallandale Beach Boulevard.

“He is really slim, and he crawled in,” Telfort said, adding that the burglar set off a motion detector.

There were burglaries on July 14 and July 28. During the investigation, Pembroke Park police officers reported recovering a black knife and a blood sample.

“What is he looking for? Because there is no money here,” Telfort said.

On Tuesday, Pembroke Park police officers arrested Lawrence Ganswith, a suspect in the burglaries, who denied having committed any crimes.

“I did go inside the building,” Ganswidth told a detective, according to police.

Corrections booked Ganswidth at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale.

Ganswidth faced charges of criminal mischief of over $1,000 and two counts of burglary of a dwelling with structural damage of more than $1,000.

Records show Ganswidth was arrested last year for loitering and prowling in West Park.

Prosecutors called them a major flight risk.

The two have been in the downtown Miami Federal Detention Center since July 19.

Several social media posts used by prosecutors point to self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate boasting online in 2021 that he is untouchable.

“I can be in another country under a different name, with a penthouse and $300K if things go bad,” he previously said.

Another post from the same year said in part, “Court date. I absolutely do not care.”

U.K. authorities are seeking their extradition for 59 charges related to rape and human trafficking.

The allegations took place between 2010 and 2017.

Prosecutors say Tristian Tate may have a Mexican passport under the name Vladimir Scorpius.

A photo of it was included in the filing.

Officials in Mexico say they have no record of issuing a passport in that name.

The document says the U.K. has not received travel alerts for the brothers’ true passports.

Prosecutors referenced a video of Andrew Tate appearing on Patrick Butler’s podcast.

“I have 7 passports, I have 15 drivers licenses,” he said during the appearance.

The Tate’s lawyer says they have no plans to evade the law and wrote in a recent motion following their 2022 arrest in Romania, “The brothers traveled to nine other countries and on every occasion they returned to Romania to check in with authorities because their release conditions required it.”

Since being arrested, someone has been posting to social media on Andrew Tate’s behalf.

A post from two days ago reads, “Bugattis, money, federal prison, prosecutors after you, street notoriety, professional fights, children with endless women etc. It’s GTA6. I live what everyone is waiting to play.”

The Tates claim they are innocent of the accusations against them.

After the court’s consideration, the final decision on extradition falls on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The hearing will now take place on Aug. 27, meaning they will remain there at least until then.

The epicenter was near San José del Palmar, a rainforest town in the impoverished Chocó region. At least 265 died, according to Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management’s report on Wednesday.

“The U.S. Embassy is continuing to respond to reports of affected U.S. citizens, as well as monitor reports of airport and road closures,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson wrote in a statement.

The United Nations reported on Wednesday that severe infrastructure damage and disruptions to transport, communications, and public services were “actively hindering humanitarian relief efforts in hard-hit areas.”

President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office on Friday, declared a national emergency.

The quake damaged some roads, tunnels, and bridges. Some widespread power, cell phone, and internet outages were hindering relief efforts.

The Matecaña International Airport in Pereira was closed. The Guillermo León Valencia Airport in Popayan was closed because of the Purace volcano system’s instability. Commercial flights at the Santa Ana Airport in Cartago were canceled. There were flight delays at other airports.

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At Auburndale Elementary, students picked out free backpacks filled with school supplies, with plenty of colors and styles to choose from.

“I’m feeling excited!” said Keila, a fifth grader.

Second grader Camilla said she chose a purple backpack because it also had pink on it.

The Auburndale event was one of several held across Miami-Dade Public Schools on the eve of the new school year.

Local commissioners partnered with schools to welcome students and their families.

“I went to public school just a few blocks from here. I remember the first day of school. It was scary, intimidating — new kids, new teachers, principal,” said Miami Commissioner Rafael Rosado. “What we’re doing is welcoming them back so they can see our smiles, our excitement and our support for them.”

The events also gave students a chance to get a preview of their classrooms and learn more about the programs they will take part in during the school year.

At Bowman Ashe/Doolin K-8 Academy in southwest Miami-Dade, students and families got a look at the magnet school’s STARTs program, which includes music and robotics.

Teachers were also getting ready to welcome students back.

“Meeting with parents and having that connection ultimately brings students that success,” said Rachel Ruiz, a teacher at Bowman Ashe/Doolin Academy. “I’m beyond excited. The butterflies are good butterflies. I’m ready to teach them.”

For some families, this school year will come with its own personal adjustments.

Temporary Protected Status was recently ended for thousands of Haitian nationals in the U.S.

Miami-Dade school leaders had a message for parents who were impacted.

“Parents should not keep their children at home,” said Miami-Dade Superintendent Jose Dotres. “Please bring them to school.”

Work permits also expired for Haitian nationals who worked in the school system, and leaders are adjusting.

“We have to take the appropriate measures, but we try to make sure that we monitor closely TPS impact on our school district,” said Dotres.

School leaders said they are ready to help families who may have anxiety about the current immigration crackdown.

As for employees, officials said they have human services looking at every employee’s status, but everyone’s situation is different.

Several back-to-school events were scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, including a school resource fare in South Miami Heights running until 4 p.m., an event at Shenandoah Elementary at 1 p.m. and another at Citrus Grove K-8 at 2:30 p.m.

As students begin returning to classes across South Florida, Local 10 wants to help celebrate the milestone by sharing your favorite back-to-school photos.

A Louisiana grand jury in June declined to indict Christopher Gillum on a state terrorism charge that could have carried up to a 15-year sentence, court records show.

Gillum, who had been held without bond, was released shortly after the grand jury’s decision and is not facing charges in any other jurisdictions, according to his attorney, Dylan Utley. He declined to comment further.

Gillum's release has not previously been reported.

The 45-year-old ex-police officer, who is from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, had been arrested in Florida in April with hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a handgun while on his way to Louisiana to commit a mass shooting, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation had involved the FBI and authorities across Louisiana, North Carolina and Florida.

Authorities did not name the event Gillum was allegedly targeting, but his arrest came on the eve of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, which attracts hundreds of thousands of festivalgoers annually.

Gillum, who is white, had “expressed recent threats to harm ‘Black people’ ”, according to authorities. His family had reported him missing in North Carolina and said he had a history of self-harm.

Lester Duhe, a spokesperson for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said in a statement that Gillum’s family had taken him “to a treatment facility out of the state” and that he is not facing additional criminal charges.

Duhe said there were “several jurisdictional issues” that complicated the case after Gillum was extradited to Louisiana following his arrest.

“The threat relayed to a family member actually occurred in North Carolina,” Duhe said. “The defendant never entered the State of Louisiana until after his arrest.”

Gillum had been planning to travel to the Florida Keys “during the same period he would have been suspected to travel to Louisiana,” Duhe added.

Gillum was charged under a Louisiana statute for the crime of “terrorizing,” which requires that “a crime of violence is imminent or in progress or that a circumstance dangerous to human life exists or is about to exist.”

Jonathan Guidry, the foreperson for the grand jury, declined to comment on the decision to not indict Gillum.

Katherine Schweit, a former Chicago prosecutor and FBI executive who ran the agency’s active shooter program, said that thwarted acts of mass violence do not always lead to indictments, but prosecutors often seek an array of criminal charges when possible.

“It’s very difficult to convince a jury, or to convince a grand jury, that something might have happened,” Schweit told The Associated Press.

Law enforcement authorities in North Carolina, where Louisiana court records list Gillum as residing, told the AP that they were not aware he had been released from custody.

“If we’ve got an individual that was accused of such an action, we would want to know if in fact he did return to Alamance County,” said Byron Tucker, a spokesperson for the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.

Nazneen Ahmed, a spokesperson for North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, said there are no plans for the state to pursue charges against Gillum.

The office of the Florida Attorney General did not respond to a request for comment about whether Gillum may face additional criminal charges in its jurisdiction. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Louisiana also did not return messages seeking comment.

In a statement, the FBI New Orleans office said the decision whether to charge Gillum rested with prosecutors.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival declined to comment.

___

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

The Bald Range wildfire erupted Friday near Summerland, a community of about 12,000 in British Columbia’s Okanagan region. By Wednesday, it had grown to about 184 square kilometers (71 square miles) after destroying homes and killing an 80-year-old woman.

"There’s an important set of lessons for us to take about how quickly this moved and that this may be our new normal for fire speed," Premier David Eby said. He said the blaze outpaced wildfire modeling and left some residents with little time to evacuate.

Officials have begun damage assessments, but the area remained unsafe Wednesday and there was no timeline for residents to return.

Crews were clearing vegetation to help slow the fire’s spread as officials warned that thunderstorms could bring erratic winds and increase fire activity. Highway 97, a major route through the area, remained closed.

Eby visited an evacuation reception center in Penticton, where he said he met people devastated by the loss of their homes.

“A lot of emotions in there, obviously,” he told reporters, calling the woman’s death a “tragic loss.”

Summerland pharmacist Jonathan Kiesman said he was worried about displaced patients getting their medications and said seeing the fire approach the community “almost brought tears to my eyes.”

Officials said they were withholding broader details on property losses until residents could be notified directly.

“The last thing that I would want is somebody to have the shock of finding out on social media or on television about their home being lost,” British Columbia Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said.

Eby said the province would review the response, including whether changes are needed to wildfire planning, building standards and vegetation management near communities.

Given the drought and summer heat, he warned, “this is very unlikely to be the last significant fire we see this summer.”

Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes warned that recovery would be long and difficult.

Canada has endured a series of severe wildfire seasons in recent years, with smoke repeatedly drifting into the United States. In record-setting 2023, fires burned more than 14.6 million hectares (36 million acres), an area roughly the size of Illinois.

Canada has warmed faster than the global average in recent decades, while the amount of land burned by wildfires has increased substantially. Much of the country’s forest is remote and dominated by spruce and pine, conditions that can make fires difficult to contain once they become established.

The entrepreneur said the Trump administration’s recent end of Temporary Protected Status for about 300,000 Haitians created a labor shortage, and even though he raised pay to $25 per hour, he is unable to find workers to employ.

“We are losing a lot of money,” said an entrepreneur who operates a palm tree nursery, and has lost half of his staff and tens of thousands of dollars.

The Trump administration also ended TPS for Venezuelans, Hondurans, and Nicaraguans. In southern Miami-Dade, the entrepreneur, who said he voted for Trump, added that he had too many palm trees and not enough hands to care for them.

He added that it isn’t easy to find agricultural workers in South Florida. It’s hard work, he said.

“We are going to have to close,” the entrepreneur said.

Witnesses said Krome Avenue traffic stops to check immigration status are common. Many employers used to pick up day workers and travel in groups to the farms in southern Miami-Dade.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported deporting hundreds of thousands since the start of the second Trump administration, according to the White House. Last year, DHS reported 1.9 million had “self-deported” and 605,000 had been deported.

During the push for deportations, ICE agents and officers have partnered with Florida Highway Patrol troopers and other local law enforcement agencies for traffic stops.

“They surround the car, and everyone goes down,” a witness said in Spanish while recording a video of a detention earlier this year. “They are deporting good workers. It’s abusive. I voted for Trump but I didn’t vote for this.”

Critics of the push for deportations fear that the labor shortages that are hurting businesses will eventually end up driving up consumer prices.

Some Miami-Dade entrepreneurs hope the midterm elections will prompt the Trump administration to stop aggressive actions, so workers can go back to the farms and nurseries, and businesses can recover.

Advocates of undocumented migrants say fear has many in hiding. Congress recently passed a $70 billion immigration enforcement funding package for the Department of Homeland Security, and Trump signed it into law on June 10.

On Monday, DHS published a notice reporting a plan to spend up to $20 million by March on thousands of gloves that will make it easier for ICE officers to deliver painful electric shocks to detainees, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

The DHS plans to purchase the gloves from Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies LLC, which manufactures the “Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter,” or G.L.O.V.E., so an officer is able to press a switch to gain compliance in seconds.

Related stories

• Miami chef on chilling effect of immigration policy: TPS causes worker shortage; ICE detention scares customers
• Trump’s end of TPS threatens status of Miami residents who identify as Haitian American
• ICE says it expects to equip every field officer with body cameras by the end of August

“There are no immediate eligibility matters affecting the WNBA, and we strongly denounce the bad-faith efforts to use these topics to demean or marginalize others,” a league spokesperson said Wednesday in a statement, hours after an anti-hate task force met virtually and discussed a variety of topics, including social media vitriol and transgender athletes.

The league’s collective bargaining agreement states that “only players who are women are eligible to play in the WNBA,” but it does not include any more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth. Last Friday, two former NBA players, Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White, declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women.

The draft isn’t until next April.

There has never been a transgender woman — a person assigned male at birth who transitions to align with their gender identity — on a WNBA roster. There have been players in the league who were assigned female at birth and later came out as transgender or nonbinary.

The anti-hate committee was formed last year to deal with hateful and abusive online comments directed at players and the league.

“Today’s meeting covered a wide range of topics, including ongoing discussions on transgender athletes and the continued hate and vitriol directed at players online,” the WNBA statement said. “We will continue to engage all league stakeholders in the coming weeks and months. We will approach these important conversations thoughtfully and in alignment with the values of our league.”

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert sent a memo last Friday to team presidents and general managers saying the league would discuss the subject of transgender women in women’s basketball.

“We recognize that this is a complex and nuanced topic, and we will continue to have important conversations with all of you and the Players Association in the weeks and months ahead,” Engelbert said in the memo. “We also plan to convene additional discussions and offer listening sessions for any team leaders who would like to participate. Your perspectives and feedback are invaluable, and I appreciate those who have already reached out to share their thoughts.”

In an ESPN article published last month, Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham voiced support for barring transgender girls and women from girls’ and women’s sports. Cunningham's comments sparked small rallies and protests in Seattle and Portland when the Fever were on the road last week.

Some WNBA players and coaches have come out in support of transgender athletes, including Seattle Storm center Stefanie Dolson and Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.

“We need to protect trans kids,” Reeve said on Aug. 1. “To me, it’s a human rights issue. Every kid has a right to sports.”

Many players have declined to comment on the subject.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

During a meeting of the so-called Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition in Panama, Hegseth said Colombia would also join the “Shield of the Americas” initiative, becoming its 19th member. The initiative emerged from a March summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and Latin American countries that sought to join forces in fighting drug cartels. Colombia’s then-President Gustavo Petro was not invited to that meeting.

“Through the newly inaugurated president, as our president likes to say, President El Tigre, Colombia has already requested that the Department of War join Colombia in its fight against narco-terrorism, authorizing joint military operations to destroy terrorists and terror networks,” Hegseth said.

The government of de la Espriella, who was sworn in last week and is known as “The Tiger” or “El Tigre,” did not immediately comment on the announcement in Panama. But the conservative leader has previously said his administration would join the U.S. initiative.

Separately, Hegseth urged the Latin American countries at the meeting not to recognize the International Criminal Court, or ICC. The U.S. under Trump has carried out military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the region, which have raised questions about their legality.

Hegseth argued that such efforts “are entirely legal under international humanitarian law.”

It remains unclear from Hegseth’s statements what measures, if any, the international court has taken to hinder U.S. operations in the region.

He urged the nearly 20 countries in attendance to abandon the ICC and reject its attempts to strip their governments and courts of their “sovereignty.” The Trump administration is pushing a campaign to dismantle the international court in retaliation for arrest warrants issued against senior Israeli officials over the war in Gaza and investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.

Durante una reunión en Panamá de la Coalición de las Américas contra los Cárteles, Hegseth dijo que el país sudamericano también se sumará a “Escudo de las Américas”, con lo cual se convertirá en el 19no miembro de la iniciativa que surgió de la cumbre realizada por el presidente Donald Trump en marzo con países de América Latina para unir fuerzas en el combate a los cárteles de las drogas. El entonces mandatario progresista Gustavo Petro no fue invitado a ese encuentro.

Hegseth dijo que a través del “recién investido presidente —como le gusta decir a nuestro presidente, ‘el presidente El Tigre’, Colombia ya ha solicitado que el Departamento de Guerra (como el gobierno de Trump denomina a la cartera de Defensa) se una a ella en su lucha contra el narcoterrorismo, autorizando operaciones militares conjuntas para acabar con los terroristas y las redes terroristas”.

The Associated Press formuló un pedido de comentario a la jefe de prensa de De la Espriella y sus portavoces, pero no hubo una respuesta de inmediato. El nuevo líder conservador colombiano ha dicho previamente que su adminstración se unirá a la iniciativa estadounidense.

Por otra parte, Hegseth también instó a los países latinoamericanos en el encuentro a no reconocer a la Corte Penal Internacional (CPI), mientras el ejército estadounidense ataca a presuntos narcotraficantes en la región.

Argumentó que estos esfuerzos “son totalmente legales según el derecho internacional humanitario”. Enfrenta interrogantes en su país sobre la legalidad de llevar a cabo ataques mortales contra pequeñas embarcaciones acusadas de traficar drogas.

No queda claro en las declaraciones de Hegseth qué medidas, si las hay, ha tomado la CPI para obstaculizar las operaciones estadounidenses en la región. Instó a los casi 20 países reunidos a “abandonar la CPI y rechazar sus intentos de arrebatarles la soberanía a sus gobiernos y tribunales”.

La administración Trump impulsa una campaña para “desmantelar” el tribunal mundial en represalia por las órdenes de arresto emitidas por la corte contra altos funcionarios israelíes por la guerra en Gaza y las investigaciones sobre personal estadounidense en Afganistán.

La secretaria de prensa de la Casa Blanca, Karoline Leavitt, calificó la decisión de abandonar la CPI como una decisión crucial.

Hegseth arribó el miércoles al mediodía y de inmediato se reunió con el presidente de Panama Jose Raúl Mulino en una bilateral para luego ambos participar de la clausura de la reunión.

El secretario de Defensa permanecerá en tierras canaleras hasta el jueves cuando participará de los ejercicios Panamax, las maniobras militares y multinacionales anuales coordinadas por el Comando Sur de Estados Unidos enfocadas en la protección, seguridad y defensa del Canal de Panamá, así como para dar respuesta ante amenazas como el narcoterrorismo o ciberataques.

Mulino defendió la coalición, en la que intervienen militares de Colombia, El Salvador, Estados Unidos y República Dominicana, afirmando que esta “no representa ninguna amenaza a la soberanía nacional de ninguno de nuestros países... Lo que representa una clara amenaza a la soberanía nacional es el narcotráfico”.

El presidente panameño también refirió que en los últimos 18 meses gracias a los acuerdos alcanzados con los Estados Unidos han recibido 174 millones de dólares para aumentar la capacidad tecnológica y logística de las fuerzas de seguridad panameñas.

Esta es la segunda visita de Hegseth a Panamá. La anterior ocurrió en abril de 2025, cuando ambos países firmaron un memorando para ampliar la cooperación en seguridad, con entrenamientos conjuntos y presencia rotativa de personal estadounidense, lo que generó críticas de la oposición política y otros sectores que consideraron que el acuerdo afectaba la soberanía de la nación centroamericana.

Hegseth destacó el miércoles los “avances” que han logrado a lo largo del último año ambos países y que dijo “son un buen ejemplo del tipo de sociedad que buscamos, colaboración que buscamos en el hemisferio”.

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La periodista de la AP, Astrid Suárez, contribuyó con este reporte desde Bogotá.

“That legacy of Fidel is gone,” said Local 10 Cuba analyst Dr. Andy Gomez. “In terms of today’s Cuba, what we’re looking at is a bunch of gangsters as a mafia at the very top living off the Cuban government and sacrificing the Cuban people.”

Gomez was referencing the military-run conglamerate gaesa founded by Castro’s brother Raul, which Gomez described as corrupt.

“When the Soviet Union fell apart, the ideology of the revolution started to disappear, so the legacy of Fidel is the only thing that Raul Castro is holding onto,” said Gomez. “You hear in the streets, they don’t chant Raul Castro, they still shout Fidel. It is not yet a failed state because the military is still very much in support of Raul Castro. Once Raul Castro is gone, then all bets are off.”

In May, the U.S. indicted Raul Castro for his role in the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown that killed four people.

In the vacuum of an in-country capture of the aging leader, paired with concerns from some in America’s Cuban American community about the absence of political change, Gomez said Cuba poses a tough foreign policy challenge for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Because of its geographical location, Cuba becomes a very key part of our national security strategy,” said Gomez. “That is the reason why GITMO (Guantanamo Bay detention camp) needs to remain under the United States control. There’s nothing in Cuba that the United States can benefit from, sadly to say. In Venezuela, of course, there is oil and a lot of minerals, but there’s nothing in Cuba that we can benefit from, and as a Cuban American, it is very difficult for me to say that, but we have to be very open-minded and understand it.”

In a video posted on social media by the U.S. State Department, Rubio reiterated his belief that a prosperous and U.S. aligned Cuba is in America’s national interest.

“Before this administration ends, we will be on an irreversible path towards a much different future,” Rubio said in the video.

Gomez said he has known for a while that a goal like Rubio’s would not be easy to attain.

“People in South Florida, the expectations have been great,” he said. “You just cannot sanction the Cuban government as we have, punish the Cuban people and expect that the Cuban people are going to revolt against a regime that has been in place for almost 68 years.”

Gomez responded to Rubio’s comments, and the secretary’s timeline.

“I was surprised that Secretary Rubio used those words, that it might take two years,” said Gomez. “I think could have been a little bit more, if you will, diplomatic. But it doesn’t surprise me personally. Cuba is not easy unless we take the last option, which is a military strike to try to bring down the regime.”

Gomez said he believes the Cuban government will continue to fight back.

“The regime continues to dig in, they continue to introduce, as we have seen in the last couple of months, economic reforms that are a little bit too late, and they don’t have the infrastructure in Cuba, the government, to be able to implement them,” he said. “The one thing I know is that something’s got to give inside Cuba. The Cuban people cannot continue to live under the circumstances that they’re living today, but I still don’t see them revolting against the Cuban government. Their consequences, as you know, are very dire. You end up in jail for years for basically just protesting.”

En enero, grandes comerciantes de granos se retiraron de la moratoria de la soya, la cual ayudó a reducir la deforestación durante sus casi dos décadas de vigencia, después de que los principales estados productores de soya aprobaran proyectos de ley que revocaban beneficios fiscales para las compañías participantes.

Brasil es el mayor productor de soya del mundo, y representa aproximadamente el 40% de la producción global. Gran parte del cultivo se efectúa en estados del centro y del norte que incluyen partes del bioma amazónico, tales como Mato Grosso, Pará y Rondônia.

La Amazonía, la selva tropical más grande del mundo, desempeña un papel crucial en la regulación del clima mucho más allá de Sudamérica. Algunos científicos advierten que la pérdida de bosque podría acelerar el calentamiento global y alterar la agricultura, incluso en lugares tan lejanos como la región centro-norte de Estados Unidos y partes de Europa.

El país sudamericano produjo 171,5 millones de toneladas métricas de soya en la temporada 2024-25, según el Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos. China fue el principal destino de las exportaciones, de acuerdo con los datos oficiales de comercio de Brasil.

Lanzada en 2006, en respuesta a la presión de grupos ambientalistas y compradores internacionales, la moratoria fue un compromiso voluntario y no una ley. Los principales comerciantes de soya acordaron —y el gobierno brasileño posteriormente respaldó— una prohibición de comprar soya cultivada en tierras amazónicas taladas después de julio de 2008.

Pero los productores de soya alegaron durante mucho tiempo que la moratoria perjudicaba los negocios porque era más estricta que la legislación ambiental brasileña. Según las normas nacionales, los agricultores en la Amazonía deben preservar el 80% de sus tierras y pueden talar legalmente el 20% restante, mientras que la moratoria prohíbe cualquier deforestación, incluso cuando la ley la permite.

La moratoria de la soya ayudó a reducir la deforestación en áreas de riesgo en un 35% durante la primera década desde que entró en vigor en 2006, sin afectar la productividad, según un estudio publicado en julio en la revista Science. El fin del pacto podría derivar en deforestación de hasta 1,4 millones de hectáreas (3,5 millones de acres) en la próxima década, y dejar un área del tamaño de Portugal vulnerable a la deforestación legal, indicó el estudio.

Tras alcanzar niveles récord en las décadas de 1990 y 2000, la deforestación disminuyó hasta el mandato del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro de 2019 a 2022, ampliamente criticado por debilitar las protecciones ambientales. Bajo el gobierno del presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, la deforestación ha vuelto a disminuir, alcanzando sus niveles más bajos en una década.

La coordinadora jurídica de Greenpeace Brasil, Angela Barbarulo, considera que el reconocimiento por parte del Supremo Tribunal Federal de la constitucionalidad de la moratoria es “enormemente importante”, pero señaló que el fallo quedó debilitado por su aval a leyes estatales que penalizan a agricultores y empresas que adoptan estándares ambientales más allá de los exigidos por la ley.

“Hay una aparente contradicción entre reconocer la importancia ambiental de la moratoria de la soya y, al mismo tiempo, validar leyes estatales que pueden debilitar su eficacia", expresó Barbarulo. "Cuando se trata de proteger la Amazonía, no deberíamos permitir que la legislación estatal cree lagunas o incentivos que socaven compromisos ambientales construidos colectivamente”.

La Asociación Brasileña de Industrias de Aceites Vegetales (ABIOVE, por sus siglas en portugués) indicó que el fallo del Supremo Tribunal Federal pone fin a años de incertidumbre jurídica y valida compromisos voluntarios de sostenibilidad adoptados por los comerciantes. Sin embargo, el grupo se refirió a la moratoria en pasado, lo que deja entrever que la decisión del miércoles difícilmente reactivará el pacto.

La ABIOVE también manifestó que esperaba que el fallo “abra una nueva fase de diálogo entre diferentes partes de la cadena de suministro, con un enfoque en la seguridad jurídica, la competitividad y la sostenibilidad”.

La Asociación de Productores de Soya de Mato Grosso, que se opuso a la moratoria, señaló en un comunicado que el fallo reforzó la autoridad de los gobiernos estatales para resistir medidas del sector privado que imponen restricciones ambientales más allá de las exigidas por la ley. También se comprometió a seguir combatiendo cualquier acuerdo futuro que recree las restricciones de la moratoria.

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La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de múltiples fundaciones privadas. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Consulte las normas de la AP para trabajar con filantropías, una lista de patrocinadores y las áreas de cobertura financiadas en AP.org.

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

In marquee Senate primaries in Michigan and Minnesota, progressive candidates defeated two members of Congress with significant backing from party leaders. Wisconsin voters narrowly rejected a democratic socialist but still chose a 40-year-old county executive who is seeking to become the state’s first Black governor. And in Connecticut, voters ousted one of the longest-serving Democrats in Congress for a challenger who campaigned on generational change.

The results so far this month deliver no clear ideological mandate. Instead, they add to mounting evidence from this year’s primaries of a Democratic appetite for turnover that is cutting across the party’s traditional divisions.

“The through line between these races isn’t ideology. It’s impatience with this political system that feels disconnected from the urgency voters feel,” said Lis Smith, a national Democratic strategist. “The demand for change is much broader than the demand for socialism.”

The immediate challenge for Democrats is whether they can harness the frustration fueling revolts against their own party and turn it against Republicans in November. Beyond that looms the 2028 presidential race, when a new generation of leaders will compete to shape a changing Democratic Party.

“If leaders in our party don’t recognize that we need to make changes, then the changes are going to come from the ground up,” Luke Bronin, a former mayor who defeated 14-term Connecticut Rep. John Larson in Tuesday’s primary, said in his victory speech. “That’s a message our party needs to hear.”

Progressives are ascendant, but Wisconsin shows their limits

Progressive leaders touted Tuesday’s results as further proof that their message is working after victories in Minnesota and Michigan.

“What we are seeing is that people are sick and tired of establishment politics and establishment policies,” Sen. Bernie Sanders told The Associated Press on Wednesday, pointing to a string of progressive victories around the country.

In Wisconsin, Democratic socialist Francesca Hong had hoped to also ride the wave of recent progressive victories to the Democratic nomination for governor. Instead, she narrowly lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a more moderate Democrat who had the backing of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers.

Hong’s defeat also came after a number of her past comments resurfaced, including support for defunding the police and a call to cancel Thanksgiving, which she said was a joke. Unlike El-Sayed, Hong didn’t receive the backing of some of the nation’s most prominent progressive leaders, including Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Sanders said Wednesday that he didn’t endorse Hong because his team lacks the resources to “get involved in every single race. Period. And that’s about it.” He nevertheless praised her “very strong grassroots campaign” for getting “a whole lot of people excited.”

The result illustrates a tension for the party’s ascendant left flank. Candidates running on populist economic messages have found growing success with Democratic voters. But some positions associated with the progressive movement’s recent past remain vulnerabilities — particularly among voters worried about electability in November.

“A lot of Democrats are traditionalists on things like culture issues. This is not about culture, it’s about economics. It’s about corruption,” said David Axelrod, who was an adviser to President Barack Obama. “The closer that candidates hew to those issues, the larger the base they’re going to be able to accumulate.”

That tension was evident Tuesday for Sarah Atkins Hoggatt, 61, who said she agreed with Hong on some issues but worried that Hong’s deeply progressive politics and the democratic socialist label would make it harder for her to defeat Republican Tom Tiffany. She voted for Crowley.

“I didn’t vote my heart,” Atkins Hoggatt said.

Progressives scored a much clearer victory in Minnesota, where Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan resoundingly defeated centrist Rep. Angie Craig. Craig had the backing of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other prominent Democrats, while Flanagan was supported by Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Flanagan, similar to El-Sayed in Michigan, highlighted her opponent’s support from wealthy donors while also attacking her vote for a Trump-backed immigration bill that became a liability after immigration agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

As in Michigan, the winning progressive candidate was significantly outspent.

“Super PACs spent over $80 million trying to defeat El-Sayed and Peggy Flanagan,” Sanders said. ”They lost both elections. I think what people are saying is, we’re sick and tired of billionaires and their super PACs buying elections.”

Democrats are hungry for change

Flanagan is 46 years old. Crowley is 40. And El-Sayed is 41. But nowhere was the demand for generational change more explicit Tuesday than in Connecticut.

Bronin, 47, defeated the 78-year-old Larson — who was first elected to Congress in 1998. A central theme of Bronin’s campaign was the need for a new generation of leadership in Washington.

Larson became the seventh Democratic House incumbent to lose a primary this year, many of them to younger challengers. The defeated incumbents and the Democrats replacing them span ideological lines, making the wave of losses difficult to explain simply as a shift to the left.

The push for generational turnover has taken on greater urgency since 2024, when concerns about President Joe Biden’s age ended his reelection campaign and forced Democrats into a reckoning over aging leadership.

That sentiment was evident among voters in Larson’s district. Dan Schnaidt, a 73-year-old Democrat, said he appreciated Larson’s service but believed it was time to move on.

“It’s time for new blood, for new ideas,” Schnaidt said.

The generational divide extends to the electorate

While Hong fell just short in Wisconsin, the strength of her insurgent campaign highlighted another force reshaping Democratic politics: younger voters.

Cody Chandler, a 35-year-old software engineer, voted for Hong and called her “probably the most exciting candidate I’ve seen.” Unlike in elections past, Chandler said, he voted for the candidate he most wanted to win rather than the one he considered most electable.

That support showed up geographically. Hong won Madison, home to the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus, by nearly 7 percentage points, though it wasn’t a big enough of a margin to help her win the nomination.

A similar pattern helped propel El-Sayed to victory a week earlier in Michigan.

El-Sayed won Washtenaw County, home to the University of Michigan, by nearly 25 percentage points and Ingham County, home to Michigan State University, by 23 points. He also won Grand Rapids, with its large population of younger, college-educated voters, by nearly 26 points.

Jordan Snyder, a 20-year-old Michigan voter who supported El-Sayed, said she backed him because of his progressive positions and because she viewed him as someone she could trust, rather than “someone who I feel could be bought and sold.”

“People are feeling like a lot of the people that they’ve trusted that have been in government haven’t really been living up to expectations,” Snyder said.

——-

Associated Press reporters Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, Tim Sullivan in Hudson, Wisconsin and Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

Leavitt, 28, called it a “bittersweet decision” in a social media post Wednesday shortly after President Donald Trump announced she would be stepping down. She recently returned to the White House podium after the birth of her second child, a daughter named Viviana, in May. She also has a 2-year-old son.

“The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life,” Leavitt wrote.

Trump did not outline plans for who might replace her in the high-profile role. He said in a social media post of his own that her decision to leave is one “I totally understand and respect!” and indicated she would continue to play a role in his orbit.

“Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections,” the president wrote.

Leavitt worked as a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing the general election to incumbent Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

During Trump’s first term in office, Leavitt worked as an aide in the White House press office. She then became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Leavitt briefed from the White House press room less frequently than some of her recent predecessors. Trump, who regularly engages with reporters during White House events and during his travels, primarily deployed Leavitt to Fox News and other conservative news outlets to trumpet his agenda and take shots at Democrats and the mainstream media.

Trump’s first-term press secretaries included Sean Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who were known for quarreling with reporters. Another, Stephanie Grisham, never held a briefing. Her successor, Kayleigh McEnany, often lectured the news media during her appearances in the press briefing room.

Thursday will bring more of the same: sunshine, scattered clouds and hot, humid conditions. Temperatures are forecast to reach the low 90s with the heat index topping 100°F. Spotty storms could “pop” during the afternoon, particularly inland.

As the father of an 8-year-old boy remained hospitalized on Wednesday at the Broward Health Medical Center, Wray said 80% of his brain was dead.

“May have to make a decision to pull the plug,” Wray said through tears.

Surveillance video shows Lawrence Edmonson walking to his parked car to retrieve a knife on Aug. 6 before he allegedly stabbed the man at the popular bar at 2432 East Sunrise Boulevard, according to police officers.

“I want see Justice for my son,” Wray. said. “He don’t bother nobody. He would take the last out of his pocket and give to you.”

Edmonson, 52, fled, but officers used a tag reader to track him and a grappler device to stop him, according to police.

Wray had questions for Edmonson: “Why? Why did you do that? He is my baby, my son, he was the one who was taking care of me. I don’t have that no more.”

Edmonson faced a charge of premeditated attempted murder and was at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale without bond, according to court and inmate records. Edmonson’s sister told a bond court judge that he is a father of four.

Now the former prosecutor and state attorney general is looking to fill the role permanently, if elected by voters.

“We’ve delivered for the space coast and private investment, we’ve rolled back regulations to help one of our number one industries which is the Florida orange, we have brought in billions of dollars in disaster relief we’d been waiting on for many, many years because we got in there, got to the work, and that isn’t party related,” said Moody.

But three other Republicans are vying for the same senate seat.

Among them is Chris Gleason, a U.S. Army veteran and data forensics expert.

“I have a long and demonstrated history of trying to do the right thing and exposing corruption and fraud wherever I see it on both sides of the aisle,” said Gleason.

Candidate Dr. Neelam Taneja Perry is currently in a legal battle. She is accused by the state of writing prescriptions for people she never met.

“For me it’s not just politics, it’s my mission,” she said.

Perry said she decided to run after hitting a snag of her own when accessing treatment for a prior health scare.

“I stand for the people,” she said. “I am fighting for the rights of the people, not just in healthcare, but there’s corruption at every level and every field. My opponent works for special interests.”

Pastor Ernie Rivera believes his background in finance and as a licensed housing manager could help curb South Florida’s affordability problems.

“Our campaign is based on faith, family and Florida first,” said Rivera. “I think that describes exactly why people would be interested. We worked with the Trump administration, the first Trump administration. We served in many areas helping the communities.”

The winner in the Aug. 18 primary will to head-to-head with the prevailing Democrat during the main election in November.

While it is an exhibition game, it marks another milestone for the venerated wide receiver on his homecoming tour. Coach John Harbaugh expects Beckham to play in the team's preseason opener against Minnesota at home on Saturday.

"I’m looking forward to seeing him play," Harbaugh said Wednesday. “He’s looked good. He’s in shape. He’s taking every rep he’s supposed to take in practice. He’s getting stronger. I feel like he’s getting stronger every day. He’s in a good place.”

Beckham at 33 is in a very different place than he was in December 2018, when he was nearing the end of his rookie contract after surpassing 1,000 yards receiving in four of his first five NFL seasons.

Now, after serving a six-game suspension for failing a performance-enhancing drug test and not playing at all in 2025, he is attempting to show he still belongs in the league. His last game was Dec. 8, 2024, with Miami.

“I kind of had two years off,” Beckham told reporters in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, earlier this month. “Spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically — whatever it was — I got time to heal, so, I feel good.”

Beckham has shown flashes of his younger self at training camp, including a catch in the back of the end zone from Jameis Winston during the opening week. Behind Malik Nabers ( when healthy ), Darius Slayton and others on the depth chart and with plenty of competition from fellow free agent additions Calvin Austin and Darnell Mooney and rookie Malachi Fields, there is no guarantee Beckham makes the initial 53-man roster.

Games and practices provide an opportunity for him to earn a spot. It is not clear yet who might be throwing him the ball, as Harbaugh dodged a question about whether franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart and the rest of the expected starters will play against the Vikings.

No matter who he's catching passes from, Beckham has the chance to steal the summer spotlight as a returning crowd favorite.

“I can’t wait to hear the fans yell when he run out there and catches a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in MetLife Stadium,” Winston said. “I think that is going to be one of the loudest roars. ... I just cannot even imagine just the anticipation that our fans have.”

Harbaugh explains the Giants bringing in Terrion Arnold for a visit

After Terrion Arnold worked out with the Giants, Harbaugh did not rule out them signing the free agent cornerback, who is facing eight felony charges, before the legal process runs its course.

“The legal process could take years, so then his career is gone,” Harbaugh said. “I think you have to decide: ‘Where does the legal process stand? What are we really talking about here? What does it look like?’ And you have to make a judgment along those lines.”

Arnold, 23, was charged in June with counts of kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy after allegations he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men in February. He became a free agent when the Detroit Lions released him a few days after the charges were levied.

New York is the third team to bring in Arnold for a visit this week alone, after New Orleans and defending champion Seattle. Harbaugh explained the reasoning as wanting to be aggressive, while acknowledging there's a risk-reward proposition to the possibility.

“There’s things to be gained and things to be lost, and you just kind of got to balance it out and try to make a decision that’s two-fold,” Harbaugh said. “One aspect is what’s best for your football team. The other aspect is what’s best for your organization and your people and doing the right thing.”

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After crowded fields in November left multiple races without a clear majority winner, the top candidates faced off one-on-one.

Miami Mayor

• Eileen Higgins defeats Emilio González

In the first round of voting, Eileen Higgins emerged as the top vote-getter with roughly 36 percent of ballots cast, but she fell short of the more than 50 percent threshold required to win outright.

Following her was Emilio González, with approximately 19 percent of the vote.

Higgins received 59 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s runoff election.

Miami Commissioner – District 3

• Rolando Escalona defeats Frank Carollo

Rolando Escalona, a political newcomer, defeated Frank Carollo in Tuesday’s runoff, receiving 53 percent of the ballots cast.

Miami Beach Commissioner – Group 1

• Monica Matteo-Salinas defeats Monique Pardo Pope

Miami Beach voters chose between two candidates hoping to address tourism impacts, public safety and storm-preparedness.

They ultimately selected Monica Matteo-Salinas, who received 71 percent of the ballots cast in Tuesday’s runoff election.

Hialeah Councilmember – Group III

• Gelien Perez defeats Jessica Castillo

Galien Perez received 80 percent of the votes in Tuesday’s runoff election.

Hialeah Councilmember – Group IV

• William “Willy” Marrero defeats Javier Morejo

Willy Marrero received 71 percent of the ballots cast in Tuesday’s runoff election.

The Rays swept three-game series at Colorado and Seattle before scoring 30 runs in their three wins over the Athletics. Tampa Bay joins the Boston Red Sox, who did it in 1977, as the only teams to go 9-0 out West. The Rays became the 13th team since 1900 to go 9-0 on any trip, and they matched the longest road winning streak in franchise history.

The Red Sox also had an unbeaten nine-game trip this year that began with a series at the Los Angeles Angels.

Rasmussen (12-5) saw his scoreless streak end at 22 2/3 innings when he gave up a two-run double to Carlos Cortes in the third, but he completed an efficient five innings to win his fifth straight start.

Hicks went 3 for 5. His 16th homer capped a four-run fourth against Athletics rookie Jack Perkins (2-9).

Jonny DeLuca also had three hits as Tampa Bay (74-46) improved to 33-28 on the road.

Zack Gelof hit his 13th homer and Lawrence Butler added his ninth for the Athletics, who have lost three straight and 9 of 11.

Richie Palacios had an RBI single in the Rays' two-run second. Cedric Mullins made it 3-0 in the third with a two-out RBI double.

Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero had consecutive two-out singles in the fourth to make it 4-2. Díaz added an RBI single in the eighth.

Perkins gave up seven runs — six earned — on 12 hits in five innings. The right-hander is 0-7 in 11 starts.

Up nex

t

The Rays open a four-game series against visiting Baltimore beginning Friday, while the Athletics host Texas for three games starting Friday.

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After all ballots were cast, it was Eileen Higgins who came out on top, defeating Emilio Gonzalez after receiving approximately 59 percent of the votes.

Higgins celebrated with family and friends at the Miami Women’s Club, which was appropriate as she made history on Tuesday.

Higgins now becomes the first woman to serve as the city’s mayor.

“It’s very exciting to be the first woman to serve the city of Miami,” Higgins said. “It’s hard to think of it that way because we always know Miami was founded by a woman, but I hope this sends a message to any girls or teenagers out there that of course you can be a mayor, of course you can be an engineer. You can be anything you want.”

For González, he accepted defeat with positivity. He and his supporters were toasting to new beginnings and breaking plates, an old Greek custom, after news of the loss came in.

“We’re celebrating democracy, we’re celebrating our city,” said González. “Every day for me was a different adventure. I was talking to different people, visiting different neighborhoods and organizations, and I just had a blast. I really did. I enjoyed every minute of it, and by the way, if you’re not going to enjoy it, you shouldn’t do this.”

In the first round of voting, Higgins emerged as the top vote-getter with roughly 36 percent of ballots cast, but she fell short of the more than 50 percent threshold required to win outright.

Following her was González, with approximately 19 percent of the vote.

If either candidate had not secured more than half the votes in the runoff, the city might have required another follow-up to determine a winner.

Now we know that won’t be necessary.

The Dec. 9 runoff marked the first time since 2001 that Miami has required a second round to select its mayor.

The polarizing quarterback will start Cleveland's exhibition opener at Chicago on Saturday — his first game action since 2024 — and Shedeur Sanders will play in the second half as the Browns' QB competition creeps toward a conclusion.

First-year coach Todd Monken informed Watson and Sanders of his plans for the first two preseason games following Wednesday's practice.

The QBs have been battling for Cleveland's starting job throughout training camp, with every throw, incompletion and interception scrutinized by media and fans — both in person and online.

Monken intends to play his starter for the first half against the Bears and hopefully get him a two-minute drill. The second QB will play the third quarter.

The roles will be flipped against Buffalo on Aug. 22 in Cleveland.

“We’re going to see both of them,” said Monken, who disclosed his plans for the Chicago matchup without offering any explanations behind his rationale for them. "One’s going to start this week and one’s going to start next week.”

The Browns will practice against the Bills on Aug. 20 before their preseason game.

Cleveland opens the regular season against Jacksonville on Sept. 13. Monken hopes to have his No. 1 QB in place well in advance of Week 1. Time is running out.

Watson and Sanders are at different ends of their respective career spectrums.

The 30-year-old Watson's tenure with the Browns has been mired by injuries and turmoil. Cleveland acquired him in 2022 and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract, He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023 and came back the next season only to twice rupture his Achilles tendon.

He was also suspended 11 games by the NFL in 2022 after being accused of sexual assault and misconduct by two dozen massage therapists while playing in Houston.

When he goes behind center Saturday, it will be Watson's first snaps in a game since Oct. 20, 2024, a span of 22 months.

“I’m super excited,” Watson said before practice. “All the hard work that I put in with the training staff, with my team, my personal team, to get to this stage has been tremendous. I’m super excited for those opportunities and can’t wait for it.”

After a terrible start in this camp, Watson has made steady improvement. He's been more decisive, accurate and shown glimpses of the Pro Bowl-level player he was with the Texans — the one who enticed the Browns to make a monumental investment.

Watson knows he can't retrieve lost time. He'll never be the same QB. The guy from his days in Houston is long gone.

“I’m different, man,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been here early on, bringing up Houston was cool. But I’m 30 now. I had some injuries and things like that. So my game has definitely changed, but the mentality in how I play and how I approach it doesn’t.”

While others have varying expectations about Watson can do, he's realistic about his current abilities. He's also proud of his resiliency.

“I have a clear vision,” he said. “I have a clear mind. The world knows what I went through."

Monken has seen enough positives from Watson to believe he might be able to recapture his old form. The only way to find out is on the field.

Monken believes Watson can be special again. He wants him to feel that way, too.

“I would never put limitations on a player,” he said. “I’d hate that he would do that. Why can’t he play like that? I don’t know. I haven’t seen it yet. I’m not going to say he can’t until I see it, until we see it. I’ve seen a lot of really good things over the course of the four or five months I’ve been here. I’m not going to put that on him. If he thinks he can’t play like that, that’s on him.”

Sanders showed promise while starting seven games as a rookie in 2025. The immensely popular fifth-round pick said he's made strides in Monken's offense, but knows he's an unfinished product.

He needs to improve in everything.

“It’s like a chart within myself and seeing, OK, if I got 10 different areas to improve, let’s improve each area every day until it gets to max threshold," he said. "Max threshold, that’ll take some time. That’s going to take a couple years, max threshold. But I think I’m improving in every area overall.”

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What’s up for vote?

In Miami, the election covered the mayor’s office and City Commission seats for Districts 3 and 5. In addition, there were four charter-amendment questions on the ballot.

Voters in Miami Beach also selected their choice for mayor, along with commissioners for Groups I, II and III.

In Hialeah, the election covered the mayor’s office and councilmember seats for Groups III, IV, VI and VII.

In Homestead, the election covered the vice mayor’s office, along with councilmember seats for Seat 1 and Seat 5. Voters also decided on four referendums.

In Surfside, there were also four referendums on the ballot.

And in Marathon, voters selected up to three choices for City Council.

For Local 10 App users, CLICK HERE to view all election results in Miami, CLICK HERE to view in Hialeah, CLICK HERE to view Miami Beach, CLICK HERE to view Homestead and CLICK HERE to view all election results in Monroe County.

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In a matter of seconds, video shows the 1-year-old breathing again during the May 12 incident.

“Baby’s responsive, but barely breathing,” one of the officers is heard saying on his police radio. “Water is coming out of his mouth.”

He was taken into the arms of medics and rushed to a hospital.

Officers Renato Bejar and Hector Rosado were both recently commended for their bravery.

The boy is now reportedly doing OK.

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Surveillance video showed Charles Anderson “suddenly approach the victim while she was seated on her assistive walker” and punch “her in the face with closed fists in an aggressive manner without any apparent provocation,” a police officer wrote, according to a police arrest report.

Police officers responded to the woman’s apartment after a neighbor reported hearing her yelling on July 24 in the area of Northwest 18 Avenue and 27 Street in Allapattah, according to a police officer’s arrest report.

The victim said Anderson had “asked her for money to purchase gas, and she refused,” a police officer wrote, according to the police report.

Miami Fire Rescue personnel took the victim, who has a disability and is unable to walk, to Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she was treated for a laceration beneath her chin that required stitches, according to the police report.

Police officers detained Anderson for questioning at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Northwest First Avenue and 20th Street, and he confessed, according to police.

“The remembered that he and the victim got into a verbal altercation, which caused him to become upset,” he then “blacked out ... he put his hands on the victim ... he noticed the victim was bleeding and fled,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest report.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Anderson shortly before 6:55 p.m. on Tuesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Anderson faced charges of aggravated battery with great bodily harm and aggravated abuse to a disabled adult. His bond was $22,500.

En cuestión de segundos, el video muestra al bebé de un año respirando nuevamente durante el incidente del 12 de mayo.

“El bebé responde, pero apenas respira”, se escucha decir a uno de los agentes por su radio policial. “Le está saliendo agua de la boca”.

Fue puesto en brazos de los paramédicos y trasladado de urgencia a un hospital.

Los agentes Renato Bejar y Hector Rosado fueron reconocidos recientemente por su valentía.

Según reportes, el niño ahora se encuentra bien.

The Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence detained the two staffers in the western city of Herat on Sunday, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told U.N. reporters. He said the U.N. mission has not been informed of the charges against the two men or been able to visit them.

The mission has called on the Taliban "to ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its officials,” Haq said.

The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021, as U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from the country after two decades of war.

Shortly after, it barred girls from secondary schools and later extended the restrictions to higher education, employment and other sectors, effectively excluding women and girls from public life.

The U.N. mission's mandate from the U.N. Security Council includes promoting and supporting humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people, promoting human rights, equality for women and girls, inclusive governance and economic stability.

The two men were detained as a humanitarian crisis in the poverty-stricken Asian nation is worsening and as Taliban forces are engaged in cross-border fighting with Pakistani forces. Clashes escalated sharply in February when Afghan forces launched a raid into Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Islamabad later declared it was in “open war.”

Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said their detention “seriously threatens the U.N.’s work throughout Afghanistan and its ability to deliver lifesaving aid.”

“Taliban authorities should immediately release those held and ensure all aid agencies can work without intimidation or interference,” she said.

El video de vigilancia mostró a Charles Anderson “acercándose repentinamente a la víctima mientras estaba sentada en su andador de asistencia” y golpeándola “en la cara con los puños cerrados de manera agresiva y sin ninguna provocación aparente”, escribió un agente de la Policía, según un reporte de arresto.

Los agentes de la Policía acudieron al apartamento de la mujer después de que un vecino reportara haberla escuchado gritando el 24 de julio en el área de Northwest 18 Avenue y 27 Street en Allapattah, según el reporte de arresto de un agente de la Policía.

La víctima dijo que Anderson le “pidió dinero para comprar gasolina y ella se negó”, escribió un agente de la Policía, según el reporte policial.

Personal de Miami Fire Rescue trasladó a la víctima, quien tiene una discapacidad y no puede caminar, al Jackson Memorial Hospital, donde fue atendida por una laceración debajo de la barbilla que requirió puntos de sutura, según el reporte policial.

Los agentes de la Policía detuvieron a Anderson para interrogarlo a las 2:30 p.m. del martes en Northwest First Avenue y 20th Street, y confesó, según la Policía.

“Recordó que él y la víctima tuvieron una discusión verbal, lo que hizo que se molestara”, luego “se desmayó... puso las manos sobre la víctima... notó que la víctima estaba sangrando y huyó”, escribió un agente de la Policía, según el reporte de arresto.

El Departamento de Correcciones de Miami-Dade ingresó a Anderson poco antes de las 6:55 p.m. del martes en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Anderson enfrentaba cargos de agresión agravada con lesiones corporales graves y abuso agravado contra un adulto con discapacidad. Su fianza era de $22,500 USD.

Mientras el NHC continúa asignando a 92L altas probabilidades de convertirse en una depresión tropical o tormenta tropical en los próximos días, los modelos de pronóstico han reducido su ya tibio interés a largo plazo en el sistema, especialmente a medida que se acerca a las islas este próximo fin de semana.

En el boletín del martes, analizamos dos escenarios para 92L:

• Un sistema más débil (más probable), como máximo una depresión tropical o una tormenta tropical de baja intensidad, siguiendo una trayectoria hacia el oeste hacia el Caribe o sobre las Antillas Menores, las Islas Vírgenes y Puerto Rico desde finales del fin de semana hasta principios de la próxima semana.
• Un escenario de fortalecimiento (menos probable) que se desviaría hacia el norte de las islas hasta principios de la próxima semana.

El miércoles, los escenarios más fuertes y más hacia el norte están prácticamente descartados. Aunque 92L no está demasiado lejos de convertirse en una depresión tropical o tormenta con nombre, está rodeada por una masa de aire seco que será un obstáculo durante gran parte de esta semana. Para cuando llegue al Caribe oriental, una fuerte corriente de cizalladura del viento debería darle un golpe definitivo, y es poco probable que sobreviva al fin de semana.

Para las islas del Caribe afectadas por la sequía —incluidos Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes de Estados Unidos— el sistema podría traer lluvias beneficiosas desde este fin de semana hasta principios de la próxima semana.

Como ocurre con cualquier sistema tropical, existe el riesgo de lluvias localmente intensas, pero en este momento no se espera que represente una amenaza generalizada mientras atraviesa la región este fin de semana y hasta el lunes.

Los modelos de IA rápidamente se enfocan en la próxima onda

Los modelos de IA rápidamente dirigieron su atención el martes de 92L a una nueva onda que avanza hacia el Atlántico oriental desde África. El NHC presentó este sistema en su pronóstico tropical el martes por la noche, inicialmente con bajas probabilidades de formación esta semana.

A diferencia de su contraparte 92L al oeste, los modelos de IA son mucho más optimistas sobre el fortalecimiento de esta próxima onda más adelante, especialmente la próxima semana mientras se acerca al Atlántico central.

Tanto DeepMind de Google como el sistema de modelado basado en IA de Europa muestran mayor interés en las perspectivas a largo plazo de esta nueva onda. Todavía estamos en las primeras etapas y los modelos convencionales basados en la física aún no se han sumado a la tendencia. Veremos si la señal a largo plazo se mantiene en los modelos de IA, pero por ahora tenemos mucho tiempo para seguir este sistema.

De cualquier manera, el aumento de actividad es un buen recordatorio de que estamos entrando en el período de seis semanas más activo de la temporada de huracanes del Atlántico. Aunque esperamos una menor actividad general esta temporada debido a El Niño, durante la temporada alta solo hace falta una pequeña zona de condiciones favorables para producir un huracán fuerte, incluso durante los años de menor actividad.

Cristobal se forma sobre el Atlántico Norte, supera las probabilidades y se apodera de los trópicos profundos

Como hemos analizado en los boletines esta temporada, esta temporada existe una vía un poco más fácil para que se formen rápidamente tormentas en los subtrópicos en comparación con los trópicos profundos tradicionales debido a El Niño.

Un ejemplo de ello es la amplia zona de baja presión en el Atlántico Norte abierto que ayer tenía solo un 10% de probabilidades de desarrollo, pero logró suficiente organización a primera hora del miércoles para convertirse en Cristobal, la tercera tormenta con nombre de la temporada de huracanes del Atlántico.

Cristobal tendrá una corta duración y no representa ninguna amenaza para tierra mientras se dirige mar adentro esta semana.

Hawai’i en alerta por impactos tropicales este fin de semana

Una perturbación en el Pacífico central, a unas 1,000 millas al sureste de Hawai’i, fue designada como Ciclón Tropical Potencial Uno-C (anteriormente Invest 93C) por el Centro Nacional de Huracanes a última hora de la mañana del miércoles. Un ciclón tropical potencial es un sistema que aún no se ha formado, pero que se espera que lo haga y que podría provocar condiciones de tormenta tropical o huracán en zonas terrestres en un plazo de 2 a 3 días.

Se pronostica que el sistema se convertirá en una tormenta tropical más tarde hoy o el jueves, se fortalecerá y amenazará a las islas de Hawai’i durante el fin de semana. El primer nombre de la lista para la temporada de huracanes del Pacífico central es Lala.

Es difícil y poco común que un huracán golpee Hawai’i desde el este, en gran medida debido a que las temperaturas del agua normalmente disminuyen rápidamente cerca de la cadena de islas y al norte de ella, pero este año las aguas están mucho más cálidas de lo habitual sobre el Pacífico central. Aunque es poco común que los huracanes golpeen Hawai’i, no es algo desconocido y huracanes fuertes han azotado el estado en el pasado.

Es demasiado pronto para saber si el sistema representará una amenaza de huracán, pero ante esa posibilidad, los residentes y visitantes de todo el estado —desde la Isla Grande hasta Maui, Oahu y Kauai— querrán consultar frecuentemente los pronósticos durante los próximos días.

Como mencionamos en el boletín del martes, debido a la geografía extrema del estado, no se necesita una tormenta tan fuerte como en el territorio continental para causar problemas, especialmente en áreas pobladas como Oahu, donde las amenazas de tormentas son menos comunes.

De cualquier manera, las personas deberían comenzar a tomar las precauciones necesarias ante una creciente amenaza de condiciones meteorológicas y oleaje peligroso debido al sistema este fin de semana.

In January, major grain traders withdrew from the soy moratorium, which helped slash deforestation over its nearly two decades in effect, after top soy-producing states passed bills revoking tax benefits for participating companies.

Brazil is the world’s largest soybean producer, accounting for about 40% of global output. Much of the crop is grown in central and northern states that include parts of the Amazon biome, such as Mato Grosso, Para and Rondonia.

The Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, plays a critical role in regulating the climate far beyond South America. Scientists warn that forest loss could accelerate global warming and disrupt agriculture as far away as the U.S. Midwest and parts of Europe.

The South American country produced 171.5 million metric tons of soybeans in the 2024-25 season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. China was the top destination for exports, according to Brazil’s official trade data.

Launched in 2006 as a response to pressure from environmental groups and international buyers, the moratorium was a voluntary commitment rather than law. Major soy traders agreed — and the Brazilian government later endorsed — a ban on purchasing soy grown on Amazon land cleared after July 2008.

But soy producers long argued that the moratorium hurt business because it was stricter than Brazilian environmental law. Under national rules, farmers in the Amazon must preserve 80% of their land and may legally clear the remaining 20%, while the moratorium bans any deforestation, even when permitted by law.

The soy moratorium helped reduce deforestation in risk areas by 35% in the first decade since it became effective in 2006 without hurting productivity, according to a study published July in the journal Science. The end of the pact could drive up to 1.4 million hectares (3.5 million acres) of deforestation in the next decade and leave an area the size of Portugal vulnerable to legal deforestation, the study said.

After reaching record levels in the 1990s and 2000s, deforestation declined until former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 2019–2022 term, widely criticized for weakening environmental protections. Under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration, deforestation has fallen again, reaching its lowest levels in a decade.

Greenpeace Brazil legal coordinator Angela Barbarulo called the court’s recognition of the moratorium’s constitutionality “enormously important,” but said the ruling was undercut by its endorsement of state laws that penalize farmers and companies that adopt environmental standards beyond those required by law.

“There is an apparent contradiction between recognizing the environmental importance of the soy moratorium while simultaneously validating state laws that can weaken its effectiveness,” she said. “When it comes to protecting the Amazon, we should not allow state legislation to create loopholes or incentives that undermine environmental commitments built collectively.”

The Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries, or ABIOVE, said the Supreme Court ruling ends years of legal uncertainty and validates voluntary sustainability commitments adopted by traders. However, the group referred to the moratorium in the past tense, suggesting Wednesday’s decision is unlikely to revive the pact.

ABIOVE also said it hoped the ruling would “open a new phase of dialogue among different parts of the supply chain, with a focus on legal certainty, competitiveness and sustainability.”

The Mato Grosso Soy Producers Association, which opposed the moratorium, said in a statement that the ruling reinforced the authority of state governments to push back against private-sector measures that impose environmental restrictions beyond those required by law. It also pledged to continue fighting any future agreements that recreate the moratorium’s restrictions.

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

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While NHC continues to assign 92L high odds of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm in the next few days, forecast models have pared back their already-lukewarm long-term interest in the system, especially as it approaches the islands this upcoming weekend.

In Tuesday’s newsletter, we discussed two scenarios for 92L:

• A (more likely) weaker system (tropical depression or low-end tropical storm at most) taking a westward trajectory into the Caribbean or over the Lesser Antilles, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico for late weekend into early next week.
• A (less likely) strengthening scenario curving north of the islands into early next week.

On Wednesday, the stronger, farther north scenarios are effectively off the table. Though 92L isn’t too far removed from becoming a tropical depression or named storm, it’s surrounded by a slug of dry air that’ll be a thorn in its side for much of this week. By the time it reaches the eastern Caribbean, a firehose of wind shear should give it a knockout punch, and it’s unlikely it survives the weekend.

For the drought-stricken islands of the Caribbean – including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands – the system could bring beneficial rains this weekend into early next week.

As with any tropical system, the risk for locally heavy rain exists, but at this time it’s not expected to pose a widespread threat as it passes through this weekend into Monday.

AI models quickly latch on to the next wave

The AI models on Tuesday quickly turned their attention from 92L to a fresh new wave rolling into the eastern Atlantic from Africa. NHC introduced this system in their tropical outlook Tuesday evening, starting out with low odds of formation this week.

Unlike its counterpart 92L to the west, the AI models are much more bullish on this next wave strengthening down the line, especially next week as it approaches the central Atlantic.

Both Google’s DeepMind and the European’s AI-based modeling system show more interest in the long-term prospects of this new wave. We’re still in the early innings and the conventional physics-based models haven’t jumped on the bandwagon just yet. We’ll see if the long-range signal sticks with the AI models, but for now we have plenty of time to follow this one.

Regardless, the uptick in activity is a good reminder that we’re turning the corner into the most active 6-week stretch of the Atlantic hurricane season. While we expect lower overall activity this season due to El Niño, during peak season it only takes a small pocket of conducive conditions to get a strong hurricane, even during the down years.

Cristobal forms over the North Atlantic, overcoming the odds and scooping the deep tropics

As we’ve discussed in newsletters this season, it’s a little easier pathway this season for quick-forming storms in the subtropics versus the traditional deep tropics due to El Niño.

A case in point is the broad area of low pressure in the open North Atlantic that had only 10% development odds yesterday but gathered enough organization early Wednesday to become Cristobal, the third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Cristobal will be short-lived and poses no threat to land as it heads out to sea this week.

Hawai’i on alert for tropical impacts this weekend

A disturbance in the central Pacific about 1,000 miles southeast of Hawai’i was designated Potential Tropical Cyclone One-C (formerly Invest 93C) by the National Hurricane Center late Wednesday morning. A potential tropical cyclone is a system that hasn’t yet formed but is expected to do so and could bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to land areas within 2 to 3 days.

The system is forecast to develop into a tropical storm later today or on Thursday, strengthen, and threaten the Hawaiian Islands by the weekend. The first name on the list for the Central Pacific hurricane season is Lala.

It’s difficult and unusual for a hurricane to strike Hawai’i from the east – largely due to water temperatures that typically drop off quickly near and north of the island chain – but this year waters are running much warmer than usual over the central Pacific. While it’s uncommon for hurricanes to hit Hawaii, it’s not unheard of and strong hurricanes have struck the state in the past.

It’s too soon to know whether the system will be a hurricane threat, but with that possibility, residents and visitors across the state – from the Big Island to Maui, Oahu, and Kauai – will want to check back frequently on the forecasts in the days ahead.

As we mentioned in Tuesday’s newsletter, due to the state’s extreme geography, it doesn’t take as strong of a storm as it does on the mainland to cause problems, especially in populated areas like on Oahu where storm threats are less common.

Either way, folks should begin taking necessary precautions for an increasing threat of weather and dangerous surf conditions from the system this weekend.

Their enthusiasm was buoyed by Tuesday’s primary, which saw former sportscaster Michele Tafoya win the Senate nomination and state House speaker Lisa Demuth win the primary for governor. Both women defeated rivals seen by some GOP strategists as too extreme for Minnesota’s left-of-center electorate.

And the newly minted GOP ticket wasted no time before hammering Democrats over the fraud. Dozens of people have been convicted of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars meant to provide food, shelter, healthcare and childcare to people in need.

“We have seen now what all of these years of single-party rule has done to this state,” Tafoya said Wednesday. “And it is mobilizing voters in a way that I think is new and refreshing and exciting. And that’s what we’re going to tap into.”

Republicans are mostly playing defense as they look to hold onto their narrow House and Senate majorities. President Donald Trump is unpopular, and voters have a negative view of the state of the economy and the country’s direction.

In the fight for Senate control, most of the competitive seats on the ballot this fall are held by Republicans and in states that Trump won by healthy margins in 2024, such as Texas and Iowa. Minnesota presents one of the GOP's few opportunities to go on offense.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic nominee, is emerging from a contentious and expensive primary, and as the state’s No. 2 Democrat, Republicans think she’s uniquely vulnerable to attacks over fraud. Demuth faces Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has easily won other statewide races.

Republicans see an opening in Minnesota

Minnesota isn’t as blue as the GOP’s two-decade losing streak suggests.

Republicans have come close to winning in the recent past — Trump lost the state by just 1.5 points in 2016. The Legislature is nearly evenly divided, with 101 Democrats and 100 Republicans; the state House is tied and has a Republican speaker under a power-sharing agreement between the parties.

“The Republican party has just really struggled to field good candidates, to run strong campaigns, and as a result, it’s withered,” Amy Frederiksen, a Republican strategist and former minority leader in the state Senate, said in an interview before the primary.

Frederiksen said backlash to the fraud scandal gives Republican candidates a chance to reach new people. Republicans say the state's Democratic leaders should have caught the fraud, which unfolded over years as organizations with state contracts to provide social services stole hundreds of millions of dollars through various means, including faking clients and billing for services that were never provided.

Amid the outcry, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz dropped his reelection campaign.

“There’s an opening for Republicans to make the case that even though Tim Walz isn’t running for re-election, it's not enough to just replace Tim Walz with another Democrat,” said Brian McClung, who was deputy chief of staff for former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the last Republican to win a statewide race in Minnesota.

Still, winning GOP converts will be hard. On top of the headwinds Republicans face nationally, in Minnesota they will also face Democrats galvanized by last winter's immigration operation in the Minneapolis metro area. Citing fraud, Trump surged federal agents into the city for an aggressive enforcement push that led to tense and deadly confrontations.

The GOP is pinning its hopes on Michele Tafoya

Tafoya has caught the attention of Republicans in Washington, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee supported her early.

A well known sportscaster who reported from the sidelines of NFL games for years, she has a profile separate from politics and doesn’t have a lengthy voting record that Democrats can mine for ammunition to use against her.

She supports abortion rights up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, a position that put her out of step with many GOP primary voters but could help neutralize a potent Democratic line of attack.

Democrats immediately previewed their plan to beat her — they will link her to Trump.

“We are not about to give Donald Trump another loyal soldier like Michele Tafoya to take his orders and do his bidding,” Flanagan said in her victory speech Tuesday night.

Flanagan has suggested Republicans are disingenuous to focus on fraud in Minnesota when she says Trump has used the presidency to enrich himself.

“They’re going to have to answer for that corruption,” she told reporters at a campaign event last weekend.

Proceeds from online donations and ticket sales collected during the “Unidos por Los Nuestros,” or “United for Our Own,” concert will address both immediate and long-term needs, including rebuilding homes, repairing schools and community spaces, supporting children and providing mental health support, among other initiatives.

“Uniting for a common cause — taking action and helping fellow human beings facing hardship — is a duty we all share,” said Anthony, a multiple Grammy Award winner whose nonprofit Maestro Cares Foundation will administer the funds along with the Univision Foundation.

Proceeds from the concert will support the nonprofit groups All Hands and Hearts, CARE, Global Empowerment Mission, Techo and World Central Kitchen.

The concert was expanded after Monday's disaster in Colombia

The event was initially created to benefit Venezuela after magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes rocked northern areas of the country just 39 seconds apart on June 24, killing at least 6,300 people. Those plans changed Monday when western parts of Colombia were hit by a deadly 7.4 magnitude earthquake, spurring event organizers to include the neighboring country.

Authorities and residents are just beginning to comprehend the devastation in Colombia, where at least 265 people were confirmed dead and nearly 500 people were reported missing by Wednesday afternoon, according to President Abelardo de la Espriella. Civilian-run databases put the number of missing at more than 4,100.

For Venezuela, the fundraiser comes at a crucial time as public and media attention fades on a humanitarian crisis that will last years, said Rodner Figueroa, co-founder and vice president of the I Love Venezuela Foundation, which channels resources to nonprofits working in Venezuela and is a Global Empowerment Mission partner.

“The biggest challenge right now is to keep the moment alive,” said Figueroa. “The need in Venezuela continues to be at a scale that is unbelievable.”

Tens of thousands of displaced survivors there need housing, clean water and sanitation and ongoing medical attention. More than six weeks later, people are still searching for missing friends and relatives, often without any official help.

Performers from across Latin America rally to the cause

The benefit concert will take place Sunday at 6 p.m. EDT at Miami’s Kaseya Center and will be shown live on Univision, ViX, WAPA and TelevisaUnivision radio stations, iHeartLatino and Venevision Play in Venezuela.

Viewers can donate by scanning on-screen QR codes, texting UNIDOS to 707070 or visiting univision.org during the broadcast.

Additional music acts include Piso 21, Gente de Zona, Elena Rose, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Ricardo Montaner, Mau y Ricky, Olga Tañón and others. The performers span Latin genres from salsa and reggaeton to pop and come from across Latin America, including Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Cuba and Puerto Rico.

Dozens of Latin television personalities, journalists and other celebrities will help host the event, including Don Francisco, longtime host of the TV show “ Sábado Gigante ” and former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres.

“We have all witnessed the devastation that has affected our communities at some point — we have seen it happen time and again in many of our countries and across the globe,” said Anthony, who also advocated and raised funds after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. “The need is immense.”

Some Colombian artists committed to the fundraiser well before Monday's earthquake. The Urbano Latino musician Feid, born in Medellín, has been reaching out to his more than 14 million Instagram followers this week to support aid groups there.

Latin music also shares a special connection with Cali, Colombia, one of the hardest-hit cities and a globally recognized hub for Salsa music and dance.

“Unidos por Los Nuestros” is being organized by Cárdenas Marketing Network, Maestro Cares Foundation, TelevisaUnivision and PIMIENTO Entertainment.

Additional benefits are also planned

Other musicians are also mobilizing relief efforts. The Venezuelan band Rawayana founded Fundación El After shortly following the disaster to support impacted young people. Shakira and other Colombian musicians, including Karol G, Ryan Castro and J. Balvin, rallied support for Colombia on Monday through social media. Metallica’s foundation donated $100,000 for Venezuela through the humanitarian organization Direct Relief.

Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel will host a benefit concert for earthquake recovery Aug. 23 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, his last performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic before he joins the New York Philharmonic.

Proceeds from Dudamel's “A Concert for Venezuela” will benefit recovery funds of the United Nations Development Programme and the CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. Beck, Natalia Lafourcade and Carlos Vives will join Dudamel.

——

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

ICE plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million to outfit officers and agents with “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices,” according to a notice published Monday and revealed first by The Associated Press.

The devices known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, are normal patrol gloves until an officer presses a button to activate its electrical mode. They must be applied directly to someone’s skin to produce a voltage that causes pain, which is intended to gain compliance from people who are resisting. Unlike Tasers, they do not leave burn or contact marks.

New York AG says she is ‘outraged' by plan

The size of the purchase suggests ICE plans to give the device to most or all of its officers. The gloves have been used by local departments more often in jails than in the streets, where ICE officers have increasingly used force to extract people from cars and faced protests over their actions carrying out President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

“We are outraged,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said at a news conference Wednesday, where she warned that ICE officers who misuse the gloves in her state could face criminal and civil consequences.

The Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, issued a statement that did not mention the product specifically or explain why it had been chosen.

“ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country,” the statement said. “Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards.”

Lawsuit alleges shocks from gloves contributed to man's death

While the devices are marketed as nonlethal and safe for the heart, a pending lawsuit alleges a 43-year-old man died in 2024 after he was shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 more times by a Taser at a jail in Richmond, Kentucky. An internal investigation found two of the glove shocks lasted 45 and 99 seconds apiece — far more than the manufacturer’s recommended 15-second limit.

“These actions not only inflicted unnecessary pain but also heightened the risk of serious health complications,” the investigation by the Madison County Detention Center found, according to court documents.

An Associated Press review found two other lawsuits alleging injuries from the gloves, including a man with heart problems who was shocked at a Las Vegas trade show and a defendant who said he was laughed at after he was unnecessarily shocked in court. Both cases have been dismissed.

Several Democrats in Congress, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Maxwell Frost and Delia Ramirez, said on social media that ICE did not need another weapon.

“This won’t make anyone safer and in fact just gives ICE another dangerous tool to target citizens and immigrants alike,” Jayapal wrote on X.

Former ICE leader, law professor worry gloves will be misused

The manufacturer warns the devices should not be used against some populations that ICE agents routinely encounter: the elderly, small children, pregnant women and the severely handicapped. The device's user manual also warns it should not be used in response to verbal defiance, or for punishment, torture or horseplay.

“It's too easy for this to get misused, against a population that doesn't pose a threat," former ICE acting director John Sandweg said Wednesday in an interview on MS NOW.

The maker of the Taser recently phased out its drive-stun feature, a similar pain compliance tool that had been misused by some officers.

Michael Mannheimer, a law professor at Northern Kentucky University who has written about police use-of-force and issues in federal law enforcement operations, agreed the gloves raised concerns about officers using disproportionate force.

“One concern I would have is if ICE agents have this at their immediate disposal, will they use it more than they should? Will they jump over lesser force that could be appropriate and successful to attain compliance and instead use this first?" he said.

The notice published in a DHS database indicated the solicitation for a no-bid contract to purchase the gloves could be released as early as Friday, and the contract would last through March 31, 2027. The founder of Compliant Technologies LLC, which manufactures the gloves, declined comment.

___

Associated Press writer Claudia Lauer contributed to this report.

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A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck on Monday in Colombia. The 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes hit on June 24 in Venezuela.

Francine De La Rosa, a GEM executive member, was at the GEM warehouse in Doral, where volunteers received a truckload of aid for western Colombia.

“We really need to double up because a lot of help is needed,” De La Rosa said.

GEM also announced partnerships in Colombia with two nonprofits: Motorrad Angels Foundation, a nonprofit that travels to hard-to-reach areas, and Fundación Solidaridad por Colombia, a Bogotá-based nonprofit founded in 1975 with offices in Medellin and Córdoba.

Spence Taylor, a GEM team member who experienced the earthquake on Monday in Bucaramanga, spent about a month in northern Venezuela, and he was working in the city of Pereira, where officials reported 79 dead.

“One thing that you see here that is fundamentally different from Venezuela is the Colombian people and the government is very strong. The response is actually very impressive,” Taylor told CNN. “So, you see a lot more first responders, you see people flooding in from the areas that weren’t affected.”

Taylor recently told CNN that GEM had teams going to Chocó, an impoverished region where the earthquake’s epicenter was, and there was a GEM team in Cali, where the mayor reported 74 dead. Taylor said teams were packing family kits.

“We are doing our best to source those here in Colombia. But right now, I would say to the Colombian diaspora, it is very helpful with cash donations,” Taylor told CNN.

The government’s official toll in Colombia had increased to at least 239 dead and 3,755 injured.

On Tuesday, Colombia’s first lady, Ana Lucie Pineida listed GEM in Miami-Dade as an authorized drop-off point. On Wednesday, Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella asked donors to exercise caution.

“For those who want to help by donating, there are official channels and collection and gathering points; do not donate to politicians who only commit the crime of illegal fundraising of money, especially if they come from being associated with people involved in corruption scandals,” De La Espriella wrote on X in Spanish. “What a shame that there are people profiting from the tragedy; that must be investigated.”

GEM representatives asked the public for in-person donations of new camping gear, hygiene supplies, and first-aid kits with items that are not expired.

The warehouse is accepting donations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1850 NW 84th Ave. in Doral. For more information about how to donate to GEM or volunteer in Doral, visit this page.

Related stories

• BOXR Gym hosts fundraising run in downtown Miami
• More than 43,175 people homeless in Colombia’s Chocó region, officials report
• Earthquake response to test U.S.-Colombia relations under new president, expert says

American citizens were paid as much as $30,000 to enter into bogus marriages with immigrants seeking lawful permanent resident status as part of the scheme orchestrated from New York, according to court papers. The defendants charged up to $100,000 per green card, bringing in tens of millions of dollars over the course of the decade-long scheme, according to officials.

Authorities say they believe the group arranged more than 1,000 sham weddings, describing it as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.

“This scheme was not a quick, fly-by-night operation but rather a yearslong, multibillion dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not, or legally could not, otherwise become citizens of the United States,” Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters.

The charges come against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration that have sought to crack down on who is able to enter the country or become a citizen.

After recruiting U.S. citizens, the defendants would arrange fake weddings and in some cases stage photos of families at places such as restaurants afterward to make them look legitimate, according to officials. The defendants would then help the immigrants through the lawful permanent status application process.

“These schemes have real cost. They rob our country of its ability to know who should be and who should not be allowed in America,” Blanche said.

The 11 defendants, including people accused of officiating the sham weddings, are charged in an indictment filed in New York. It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether they had lawyers to speak on their behalf.

Un terremoto de magnitud 7.4 sacudió Colombia el lunes. Terremotos de magnitud 7.2 y 7.5 azotaron Venezuela el 24 de junio.

Francine De La Rosa, miembro ejecutivo de GEM, se encontraba en el almacén de GEM en Doral, donde voluntarios recibieron un camión cargado de ayuda para el occidente de Colombia.

“Realmente necesitamos redoblar los esfuerzos porque se necesita mucha ayuda”, dijo De La Rosa.

GEM también anunció alianzas en Colombia con dos organizaciones sin fines de lucro: Motorrad Angels Foundation, una organización que viaja a zonas de difícil acceso, y Fundación Solidaridad por Colombia, una organización sin fines de lucro con sede en Bogotá, fundada en 1975, con oficinas en Medellín y Córdoba.

Spence Taylor, miembro del equipo de GEM que vivió el terremoto del lunes en Bucaramanga, pasó aproximadamente un mes en el norte de Venezuela y estaba trabajando en la ciudad de Pereira, donde las autoridades reportaron 79 muertos.

“Una cosa que se ve aquí que es fundamentalmente diferente de Venezuela es que el pueblo colombiano y el gobierno son muy fuertes. La respuesta es realmente muy impresionante”, dijo Taylor a CNN. “Entonces, se ven muchos más primeros socorristas, se ve a personas llegando en masa desde las zonas que no fueron afectadas”.

Taylor dijo recientemente a CNN que GEM tenía equipos dirigiéndose a Chocó, una región empobrecida donde se encontraba el epicentro del terremoto, y que había un equipo de GEM en Cali, donde el alcalde reportó 74 muertos. Taylor dijo que los equipos estaban preparando kits familiares.

“Estamos haciendo todo lo posible para conseguirlos aquí en Colombia. Pero en este momento, yo diría a la diáspora colombiana que las donaciones en efectivo son muy útiles”, dijo Taylor a CNN.

Representantes de GEM pidieron al público donaciones presenciales de equipos nuevos para acampar, artículos de higiene y kits de primeros auxilios con artículos que no estén vencidos.

El almacén está aceptando donaciones de 9 a.m. a 5 p.m. en 1850 NW 84th Ave. en Doral. Para obtener más información sobre cómo donar o ser voluntario, visite esta página.

Historias relacionadas

• Terremoto en Colombia: el gimnasio BOXR organiza carrera benéfica en el centro de Miami
• Más de 43 175 personas se han quedado sin hogar en la región colombiana del Chocó, según informan las autoridades
• La respuesta ante el terremoto pondrá a prueba las relaciones entre EE. UU. y Colombia bajo el mandato del nuevo presidente, según experto

The rapid-fire developments came amid long-term questions about who will represent children in court amid President Donald Trump's push for mass deportations.

The administration last week announced plans to award the contract to the Burke Law Group, a Houston-based firm with little experience in immigration. The contract offer came after the administration let a key contract expire with nearly 100 providers through Acacia Center for Justice.

Unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody are being temporarily represented by another group, but it is unclear how things will shake out after its contract expires in December. A statement from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the contracts, offered no insight into why Burke declined the offer.

“Burke Law Group has declined to apply and has not been awarded any grant," the agency, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, said in an emailed statement in response to a query about the contract.

Burke Law Group published a short statement on social media Tuesday night saying it had considered applying for a “small portion” of the contract. It did not explain why it decided against it.

Burke Law Group's founder, Marcella Burke, served in President Donald Trump’s first administration as a lawyer with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior.

Others on its roster include Justin Shubow, a supporter of Trump’s efforts to require federal buildings to adhere to classical and traditional architectural styles, and a former Trump appointee to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. Prominent conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro is listed as senior counsel.

The administration awarded another contract worth up to $244 million to Our Rescue, an anti-child-trafficking organization based in Sandy, Utah. The group, previously called Operation Underground Railroad, was made famous by the 2023 movie “Sound of Freedom.”

Founder Tim Ballard resigned in 2023 amid allegations of misconduct. Women accused him in lawsuits of exploiting his position at Operation Underground Railroad and their desire to help combat child trafficking to abuse them.

Derek Benner, Our Rescue's current CEO, welcomed the new assignment.

“These are among the most vulnerable children in the world, and they deserve nothing less than the full weight of our experience,” said Benner, a former senior official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Migrant children who are detained after entering the U.S. without their parents are usually entrusted to federal government care. Congress created various legal protections for them, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, which requires the government to provide legal representation for children put into deportation proceedings.

About 1,800 children were living in shelters and roughly 22,000 facing deportation were living with outside sponsors such as family members, according to the legal service providers whose contract expired.

The Burke Law Group, with fewer than 30 lawyers and only two with relevant immigration experience listed on its website, was one of two groups tapped by the government to fill in the gap.

A temporary contract for $20 million was awarded through the end of the year to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, a legal aid group whose previous work with the government involved helping resettle Afrikaners.

Attorneys with USCRI started showing up in immigration court last week, unannounced, claiming to represent children they had not yet met and sparking confusion among judges and lawyers from the expired contract still providing representation.

Some legal aid providers whose contracts expired sued the administration after they went without payment since last year. On Aug. 6, a California federal judge ordered the federal government to pay the providers.

“These half-baked plans are not sufficient to comply with this court’s order,” Caelin Moriarity Miltko, an attorney representing the providers, told the judge last week, referring to the interim contracts the government is trying to set up.

“Plaintiffs have ethical obligations to the children they represent today, to continue providing that representation to the best of their abilities, and that representation cannot transfer instantaneously to a new group simply because defendants have changed the contract,” Miltko said.

Bilal Askaryar, director of communications at Acacia Center for Justice, the organization that handled the expired contract with the government, confirmed on Wednesday that the groups started to receive payments covering six out of nine months owed, with the rest in progress.

The two-time scoring champion shared his decision on social media in a post featuring a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan where the guard never says a word.

“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” Westbrook wrote. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.”

Westbrook was the No. 4 pick in 2008 out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, just before they moved to Oklahoma City. He played his first 11 seasons with the Thunder and spent this past season with the Sacramento Kings.

Westbrook led the NBA in assists three times and was a two-time MVP of the All-Star Game. He won an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 London Games.

Westbrook leaves with 209 triple-doubles, the last on March 15. Nikola Jokic ranks second in that category with 198 going into this season. Westbrook also holds the NBA mark for most triple-doubles in a season with 42 in 2016-17, when he earned his only MVP award.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti called Westbrook “the ultimate competitor.”

“His internal belief and unbridled fearlessness helped establish the foundation of our organization from day one in 2008 and he elevated the confidence and inspired our community in every year thereafter,” Presti said in a statement. “Russell will be as successful in his life after basketball as he was during his career because his qualities and gifts transfer. His impact on our community is still felt today, and he is beloved for his devotion as much as his talent.”

Westbrook averaged double figures for points and assists in five of six seasons starting in the 2015-16 season.

Westbrook also played for Houston, Washington, the Lakers and Clippers — splitting the 2022-23 season between the Los Angeles teams and Denver.

Last season, Westbrook started 58 of the 64 games he played for Sacramento. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists.

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

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Miami police said Lesly Gisselle Flores, 29, who resides in the city’s Riverside neighborhood, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Aug. 9 incident that occurred at La Porteña Cafeteria, located at 503 SW 17th Ave.

The report states that officers were dispatched to the restaurant shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report of a “fight in progress.”

Police said the victim told officers she was washing her hands when Flores began shoving her out of the way to use the sink.

The report states that Flores told detectives the victim was washing her hands when she asked whether she could use the sink. Police said Flores claimed the victim responded, “Did your mom not show you any manners?”

Flores then said she told the victim, “Don’t bring my mom into this,” and claimed that the victim then punched her in the face, according to the report. Flores said she punched the victim back and that the two women became involved in a fight, the report states.

The victim initially told officers she did not fight back and instead tried to cover herself while Flores continued striking her until a manager and other people intervened, according to the report.

The report states the victim told detectives Flores then repeatedly struck her in the left eye with a cellphone.

It states that the victim claimed the blows from Flores caused significant injuries, including an orbital fracture and damage that required surgery.

She also told deputies that when she tried to get up, Flores bit her underneath her left arm and in the chest area, preventing her from standing or defending herself, according to the report.

An employee eventually intervened and pulled Flores from the restroom, the report states.

Deputies said the victim’s friend reportedly saw two cellphones on the floor. The victim told detectives one belonged to Flores and was the phone used to strike her, they said.

Detectives later showed the victim a photo lineup, and deputies said she identified Flores as the woman who attacked her.

Deputies said they arrested Flores Monday night and transported her to MDSO’s Violent Crimes Office for questioning. According to the report, detectives read Flores her Miranda rights, and she chose not to speak without a lawyer.

Jail records show Flores is facing one count of aggravated battery with a weapon causing great bodily harm.

As of Wednesday, Flores was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond was listed as “to be set.”

A motive for the attack is unclear at this time.

La Policía de Miami dijo que Lesly Gisselle Flores, de 29 años, quien reside en el vecindario Riverside de la ciudad, fue arrestada el martes en relación con el incidente del 9 de agosto ocurrido en La Porteña Cafeteria, ubicada en 503 SW 17th Ave.

El reporte señala que los agentes fueron enviados al restaurante poco después de las 5 a.m. del domingo tras recibir un reporte de una “pelea en progreso”.

La Policía dijo que la víctima les contó a los agentes que se estaba lavando las manos cuando Flores comenzó a empujarla para apartarla y usar el lavabo.

El reporte señala que Flores les dijo a los detectives que la víctima se estaba lavando las manos cuando le preguntó si podía usar el lavabo. La Policía dijo que Flores afirmó que la víctima respondió: “¿Tu mamá no te enseñó modales?”

Flores luego dijo que le respondió a la víctima: “No metas a mi mamá en esto”, y afirmó que la víctima luego le dio un puñetazo en la cara, según el reporte. Flores dijo que golpeó a la víctima de vuelta y que las dos mujeres comenzaron a pelear, señala el reporte.

La víctima inicialmente les dijo a los agentes que no respondió a la pelea y que, en cambio, intentó cubrirse mientras Flores continuaba golpeándola hasta que un gerente y otras personas intervinieron, según el reporte.

El reporte señala que la víctima les dijo a los detectives que Flores luego la golpeó repetidamente en el ojo izquierdo con un celular.

Señala que la víctima afirmó que los golpes de Flores le causaron lesiones significativas, incluida una fractura orbital y daños que requirieron cirugía.

También les dijo a los agentes que cuando intentó levantarse, Flores la mordió debajo del brazo izquierdo y en el área del pecho, impidiéndole ponerse de pie o defenderse, según el reporte.

Un empleado finalmente intervino y sacó a Flores del baño, señala el reporte.

Los agentes dijeron que, según se informó, el amigo de la víctima vio dos celulares en el piso. La víctima les dijo a los detectives que uno pertenecía a Flores y que era el teléfono utilizado para golpearla, dijeron.

Los detectives posteriormente le mostraron a la víctima una rueda de fotografías, y los agentes dijeron que identificó a Flores como la mujer que la atacó.

Los agentes dijeron que arrestaron a Flores la noche del lunes y la trasladaron a la Oficina de Delitos Violentos de MDSO para interrogarla. Según el reporte, los detectives le leyeron a Flores sus derechos Miranda, y ella decidió no hablar sin un abogado.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Flores enfrenta un cargo de agresión agravada con un arma que causó lesiones corporales graves.

Hasta el miércoles, Flores permanecía detenida en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, donde su fianza figuraba como “por determinar”.

El motivo del ataque no está claro en este momento.

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According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Andre Hart stole more than $65,000 from “several” seniors in metro Phoenix.

Authorities said Hart, 22, was participating in a phone-based scam in which fraudsters posed as bank representatives.

They said the victims “were persuaded to withdraw large sums of money and deliver the funds to someone they were told was an undercover investigator” and “were then sent an unwitting Uber driver who believed they were performing a package pickup and delivery.”

The Uber drivers would then hand the “package” to Hart, they said.

Authorities said his third trip to the Grand Canyon State would be his last before being handcuffed.

“Police were in the process of surveilling Hart to arrest him when they saw him receive one of the ‘packages,’” a news release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office states. “After taking him into custody, another Uber driver approached police to deliver another ‘package.’”

Records show that Hart was arrested by police in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona on July 30 on four counts of fraudulent schemes and artifacts and three counts of theft.

Jail records show he was being jailed in Maricopa County on a $100,000 bond.

Según la Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Maricopa, Andre Hart robó más de $65,000 USD a “varios” adultos mayores en el área metropolitana de Phoenix.

Las autoridades dijeron que Hart, de 22 años, participaba en una estafa telefónica en la que los estafadores se hacían pasar por representantes bancarios.

Dijeron que las víctimas “fueron persuadidas para retirar grandes sumas de dinero y entregar los fondos a alguien a quien les dijeron que era un investigador encubierto” y “luego les enviaban a un conductor de Uber que no sabía lo que estaba ocurriendo y que creía que estaba realizando la recogida y entrega de un paquete”.

Los conductores de Uber luego entregaban el “paquete” a Hart, dijeron.

Las autoridades dijeron que su tercer viaje al Estado del Gran Cañón sería el último antes de que fuera esposado.

“La Policía estaba en proceso de vigilar a Hart para arrestarlo cuando lo vieron recibir uno de los ‘paquetes’”, señala un comunicado de prensa de la Oficina del Fiscal del Condado de Maricopa. “Después de detenerlo, otro conductor de Uber se acercó a la Policía para entregar otro ‘paquete’”.

Los registros muestran que Hart fue arrestado por la Policía en el suburbio de Phoenix de Glendale, Arizona, el 30 de julio por cuatro cargos de esquemas y artefactos fraudulentos y tres cargos de robo.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que estaba detenido en el condado de Maricopa con una fianza de $100,000 USD.

Now-retired Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn said in her lawsuit that the raid violated press freedoms and protections from unreasonable law enforcement searches guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. She also said it almost immediately led to health problems, causing the return of potentially life-threatening seizures that had been controlled for years with medication.

Zorn's attorney, Randy Rathbun, and an attorney for the city Marion, Jennifer Hill, filed a joint statement Tuesday — the third anniversary of the raid on the newspaper's offices — that Zorn's lawsuit was being dismissed. It was among the lawsuits filed in federal court against local officials over the raids of the newspaper's offices, the home of Publisher Eric Meyer and the home of a former City Council member.

Rathbun did not immediately return a phone message Wednesday seeking comment. Another attorney for the city, Scott Ufford, declined to comment about the settlement but confirmed the amount.

Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody said he was investigating whether the paper had committed identity theft or other crimes in accessing a local restaurant owner's state driving record, but authorities who examined the raids said they were not legally justified. Meyer, Zorn and others saw the raids as retaliation for hard-hitting local coverage and efforts to gather information about Cody's past in law enforcement.

The raids put a national spotlight on Marion, a town of about 1,900 residents about 150 miles (241 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, and Cody later resigned. Meyer's 98-year-old-mother, also the paper's co-owner, who lived with him, died the day after the raids, and he blames stress from the raid at their home for her death.

Marion County agreed in November to pay a little more than $3 million to parties in the five lawsuits, including $600,000 to Zorn, to settle claims against its officials. While some of the remaining legal claims against the city and past and present officials have been settled or dismissed, some still remain, and a pretrial Zoom hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15.

Questions about Cody's conduct after the state launched an investigation of the raid led two special prosecutors to file a felony obstruction of justice charge against him in state district court, alleging that he persuaded a witness, the local restaurant owner, to withhold information from authorities. He pleaded not guilty, and a trial set for the end of this month has been postponed.

The NFL announced the headliners for the halftime show Wednesday. The game will air on Netflix in the U.S. on Sept. 10. The Jonas Brothers will be part of the entertainment lineup for the league's international schedule this season involving seven countries and four contents.

“We couldn’t be more excited to perform at halftime during the NFL’s first-ever regular season game in Australia,” the Jonas Brothers said in a statement. “Playing at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of such passionate Australian fans is an incredible honor.”

The Jonas Brothers — featuring Nick, Joe and Kevin — have sold more than 20 million albums and recently landed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Tim Tubito, the NFL's senior director of global game presentation and entertainment, said the league's first regular season game in Australia is a landmark for the NFL.

“The Jonas Brothers are global entertainers whose music connects across generations, making them the ideal artists to help us celebrate this historic game in Melbourne," Tubito said. "We look forward to delivering a memorable halftime performance for our fans in Australia and those watching around the world.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

The grand jury, which had been meeting in secret, returned the indictment on July 20, and it was unsealed Wednesday, when 32-year-old Nick Reiner entered a not guilty plea.

Rob Reiner, a director, actor and Hollywood luminary, and his wife, a photographer and producer, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested within hours and charged two days later.

The grand jury indictment is a major step toward trial and allows prosecutors to skip California’s preliminary hearing process, where evidence is publicly aired.

Lying in wait means a suspect waited for or hid from victims in order to ambush them, and as an allegation it's meant to show premeditation. A finding that he was lying in wait along with a murder conviction would make Reiner eligible for the death penalty, but prosecutors said they haven't decided whether to seek it.

“This was a profound betrayal by someone who was loved and trusted by the very people he is accused of killing,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “We hope that by having a grand jury return an indictment in this case it will bring us one step closer to a trial and achieving justice.”

Unsealed indictment gives few new details in secrecy-shrouded case

Prosecutors have said nothing about possible motives, and leaks in the case have been virtually nonexistent on both sides.

The Los Angeles County chief medical examiner told The Associated Press he would like to make their autopsy reports public, but a court order has prevented him from doing so.

The unsealed indictment reveals few new details in a case that has been shrouded in secrecy. It does not explain how or why Reiner was lying in wait. Without elaborating, prosecutors have said since December that the parents were stabbed. The indictment includes a special allegation of use of a deadly weapon — a knife — that could also contribute to a stiffer sentence.

Indictment released as Nick Reiner seeks trust funds

The indictment comes as Reiner is seeking unpaid money from a trust his parents established for him, saying he needs it to help in his defense.

Reiner said in a court petition that the trustees who oversee the funds have denied them to him without legal justification. The money was to have gone to Nick Reiner even if his parents were alive, legal filings say. The petition says the trust has at least $1.5 million in assets, but trustees would not share the exact amount.

“Nick loved his parents, and he is devastated by their deaths. But the facts about what did and did not happen to them are not at issue,” the petition says.

He is seeking to hire back high-profile criminal defense attorney Alan Jackson, who initially represented him before Reiner’s siblings would no longer agree to fund his defense and a public defender took over.

A hearing on the petition is set for next week.

The LA County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Reiner, declined to comment on the indictment.

Grand jury process happens in secret

California prosecutors can charge a defendant and take the case through a preliminary hearing — a sort of trial in miniature where evidence is publicly aired and a judge decides whether it should be sent to trial — as recently happened with singer D4vd.

Or they can use a grand jury to go through the process in secret. They can also publicly file charges and later seek a secret grand jury indictment, essentially creating a new version of the case, as happened here and in the Los Angeles prosecution of Harvey Weinstein.

Rob Reiner had prolific career as actor and director

Rob Reiner began as an actor, starring in the TV sitcom, “All in the Family,” as Michael “Meathead” Stivic, the liberal son-in-law to a much more conservative and bigoted Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O’Connor. Reiner won two Emmy Awards for the role, and last month got a posthumous Emmy nomination for his work as a guest star on “The Bear.”

He became a prolific director whose work included some of the most memorable and endlessly watchable movies of the 1980s and ’90s. His credits included “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “A Few Good Men,” and “When Harry Met Sally…” during the production of which he met photographer Michele Singer. They wed soon after and were married for 36 years.

Nick Reiner was the second of the three children they had together. He and his father co-wrote the script for the 2015 film “Being Charlie,” which was partly based on the son’s teenage struggles with addiction and homelessness.

His older brother Jake Reiner wrote in April that the experience of losing his parents and having his brother at the center of it was “a living nightmare” that is “too devastating to comprehend.”

The lawsuit alleges that Trump's deal to post first on his own company's site about U.S. policy decisions on war, tariffs and other issues violates the Constitution and that official announcements should be made available to everyone at the same time. The suit comes after his media company, Trump Media & Technology, rolled out a new subscription service earlier this month charging Wall Street firms as much as $100,000 a month to get his posts faster so they can trade off them.

“A president selling priority access to news he himself generates for the benefit of a private company he controls is so blatantly corrupt and unconstitutional that it would have been hard to even fathom just a few years ago,” said Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation, a plaintiff in the case along with news outlet The Intercept.

Trump Media said selling fast access to traders is common in its industry, and that the plaintiffs are just trying to silence the president.

“Information from President Trump is disseminated by countless platforms and news outlets, many of which offer subscription APIs," it said in a statement, using the acronym for the fast access service. "Now, left wing activists are trying to wrongfully weaponize the courts to censor him again and harm our shareholders.”

The early access service comes as the publicly traded Trump Media loses hundreds of millions of dollars each quarter and its stock has dropped below $10 from $62 shortly after going public two years ago.

The plaintiffs argue that Trump's deal giving exclusive Truth Social access to his posts for six hours before being distributed elsewhere violates two parts of the Constitution — the First Amendment right to access a president's comments on equal terms with other members of the press and public and the Fifth Amendment prohibitions on charging unreasonable conditions for government benefits.

The suit asks that Trump Media be forced to end both the new paid service, called Truth API, and its exclusive access deal with his company in general.

Even before the new API service was started earlier this month, ethics watchdogs criticized Trump's posting on Truth Social as a brash attempt to profit off the presidency, similar to other money making venture s, especially ones related to cryptocurrencies. Earlier this year, the president filed a required annual financial disclosure report that showed he took in more than a $1 billion last year from new crypto businesses that his administration regulates.

Among other moves since he was reelected, Trump's digital finance company, World Liberty Financial, got a $500 million investment from a company tied to the government of the United Arab Emirates and sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of special souvenir Trump meme coins to his fans and possible federal favor seekers, including a billionaire fighting a federal law suit that was later paused, then settled.

In addition to the president, the lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York names his deputy chief of staff Daniel Scavino and his executive assistant Natalie J. Harp as defendants.

The grand jury, which had been meeting in secret, returned the indictment on July 20, and it was unsealed Wednesday, when Nick Reiner entered a not guilty plea.

The director, actor and Hollywood luminary Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer and producer Michele Singer Reiner, were stabbed to death in their home in the upscale Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Dec. 14. Nick Reiner was arrested hours later and charged two days later.

The grand jury indictment is a major step toward trial and allows prosecutors to skip California’s preliminary hearing process, where evidence is publicly aired.

The unsealed indictment reveals few new details in a case that has been shrouded in secrecy. But the lying in wait allegation along with other circumstances mean Reiner is elligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors say they haven’t decided whether to seek it.

Heidi Beirich, a political extremism expert who left the law center about six years ago, was named in an indictment unsealed Wednesday.

Beirich, 59, of Palm Springs, California, is charged with wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to submit false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering. She was charged in the government’s existing case against the SPLC in Montgomery, Alabama.

In ankle cuffs and wearing a red T-shirt, Beirich made her initial court appearance for a bond hearing in Riverside, California, Wednesday afternoon. She did not enter a plea and U.S. Magistrate Judge David T. Bristow ordered her to surrender her passport and appear in court in Alabama within two weeks.

The judge released Beirich on her own recognizance after prosecutors declined to file a request for detention. Her lawyer, Michael Proctor, said in court that Beirich is a “highly, highly responsible, pro-social and trustworthy” member of society with no criminal history.

Outside the courthouse, Proctor said his client is innocent of the charges and described the case as politically motivated.

“She has dedicated her life to fighting the KKK, neo-Nazi groups, extremists. And for all of that life’s work, we’re all safer. We’re all better as a community," he told The Associated Press. “It is not just ironic, but terrible, that for this work she’s been indicted by the current Department of Justice.”

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the new charges at a news briefing in Washington, but did not name Beirich. CNN was first to report on the charges against Beirich.

“This is exactly what we said would happen in a case like this,” Blanche said. “Our investigators and the U.S. Attorneys and the agents working the case will keep on working it even after the initial indictment.”

An SPLC spokesperson said the case against it and Beirich “will not shake our resolve.”

“Taking on violent hate and extremist groups is among the most dangerous work there is, and we believe it is also among the most important work we do," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We are confident in our position and look forward to presenting the evidence and making our case in court.”

Beirich led the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, which incurred the anger of conservatives with its annual report on organizations that it classified as hate groups. Critics accused the law center of unfairly tarnishing right-wing groups with the same label that it applied to white supremacists.

Beirich co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism in 2020 after leaving the SPLC. She has testified before Congress about far-right extremism and is frequently interviewed about the subject by news outlets. Her current organization did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment Wednesday.

A superseding indictment filed in June appears to refer to Beirich as “Employee-2” and by her former title as director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project.

The indictment alleges that between 2007 and 2023, more than $4 million in donated funds were secretly funneled to people who infiltrated or were associated with violent extremist groups. Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.

The indictment says “Employee-2” oversaw the payment of donor money to SPLC informants or “field sources," including KKK members and white nationalists who initially approached the SPLC for help leaving the extremist organizations. The SPLC employee was in a romantic relationship with a source who infiltrated a neo-Nazi group at the direction of the law center, the indictment alleges

Proctor said Beirich “won’t be silenced or intimidated by the government’s false and politicized allegations.”

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Kunzelman reported from Washington and Chandler from Montgomery, Ala. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer and Collin Binkley in Washington and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

He would have preferred Thursday’s matchup with the Packers take place in Green Bay rather than Pittsburgh. Rodgers wanted to have one final moment in the place where he spent his first 18 seasons and won four MVP awards and a Super Bowl.

“I was really hoping this one was going to be in Green Bay, not just to get back at Lambeau one more time, but to head out to Chives for a dinner and maybe head out to Green Bay Country Club for a quick nine or something,” Rodgers said Wednesday in a Zoom session with Packers reporters. “I was really hoping it was going to be in Green Bay, for a lot of reasons.”

This will be the second time Rodgers has faced his former team since leaving the Packers in 2023, though there’s no indication yet on whether he will play Thursday. Both games were in Pittsburgh, so Rodgers will head into retirement after this season having never played against the Packers at Lambeau Field.

“It would have been strange, being in that locker room and stuff,” Rodgers said. “But I would have found my way over, like many former players have over the years, found my way over to Flea’s (Packers head athletic trainer Bryan Engel’s) office and hang out back there and see some of the guys and see some of the trainers and equipment staff and all the people I really care about that still work there.

"Yeah, I was definitely bummed out that we weren’t in Lambeau for this one.”

Rodgers’ Steelers lost 35-25 to the Packers last October. Jordan Love, the quarterback Green Bay selected in the first round of the 2020 draft to become Rodgers’ eventual successor, threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns that night.

When he was asked what he missed the most about Wisconsin aside from football and the fans, Rodgers talked about the house he owned during his Packers years, the meals he enjoyed at Chives and the rounds of golf he played. Then he turned the subject back toward football.

“The falls there are just awesome, when the weather gets that cool little nip,” Rodgers said. “I loved the night games at Lambeau, especially the Sunday nights, Monday nights and occasional Thursday nights. Just so much fun. There’s nothing like that crowd. I’ve been other places, I knew that when I was in Green Bay, but there’s nothing like that fan base and the way they travel and the crowds at home.

“Players around the league, they talk about how special it is to play at Lambeau, and sometimes you might miss that or forget about that when you’re playing because it becomes so normal to have such an amazing crowd and they’re tailgating and they’re loud and they rarely sell their tickets to other teams’ fans. There’s a lot of great things about Wisconsin. I grew up there, really, and became a little more mature as an adult over the years there and had a great time and still have a lot of close friends there, a lot of fond memories.”

Rodgers did play his other former team as a visiting player last season when he made his Steelers debut and led Pittsburgh to a 34-32 victory over the New York Jets in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Rodgers was with the Jets from 2023-24 after they acquired him from Green Bay, though he missed virtually all of 2023 after tearing his Achilles tendon in the season opener.

The Steelers host the Jets on Aug. 21 in their second preseason game.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

With Michael Penix Jr. still not cleared for team drills as he continues his recovery from surgery on his left knee, the Falcons' expected quarterback competition has been put on hold. Tagovailoa, the former Miami Dolphins starter who signed a one-year deal with Atlanta, has a clear path to the starting job as long as Penix is limited to individual work and seven-on-seven drills in practice.

Stefanski said Tagovailoa and other first-team players will play “a series, maybe 10 plays. We'll see which comes first.” Stefanski said the playing time could vary for some starters.

When asked if Tagovailoa's start means he has won the starting job for the season, Stefanski said: “As you guys know, I’m not there, we’re not there. ... We just will cross that bridge when we get to it. Obviously, I feel very good about where Tua is, where all of our guys are.”

Cooper Rush, who was signed at the start of training camp to give the team another veteran at quarterback, will play behind Tagovailoa. Undrafted rookie Jack Strand will finish the game.

Stefanski said Tagovailoa is “looking forward to getting his first action in a game in the system. There’s a lot of newness for him as well, in terms of that type of thing. It’s his first time in (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) as a Falcon.”

Tagovailoa said Tuesday he believes preseason games are important as he adjusts to the Falcons' playbook.

“Preseason plays a big role, I would say, for your team collectively,” Tagovailoa said. “You don’t have the coaches out there. You gotta go out there, you gotta make the calls, whether it’s right or wrong. You gotta live with them, and then from there you come in the next day, you watch film, you talk about it, and you go from there.”

Added Tagovailoa: “With the walk-throughs that we’ve had, you start to get more and more comfortable with the terminology. ... So getting comfortable, but it’s still something that I need to look over, need to continue to study and continue to process.”

Quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt said Tuesday Tagovailoa “is becoming more comfortable with the system” after being limited by lower back tightness at the start of training camp. “Really the last three or four days he’s really come on when you’re acclimating a quarterback into a new offense,” Van Pelt said.

While some teams hold out starters for most or all preseason games, Stefanski's decision to give his first-team players at least one series is consistent with the first-year Atlanta coach allowing players to be tackled in full-pads drills. Some coaches opt for “thud” tackles where players are not taken to the ground.

Stefanski said his goal is to have players “physically ready ... and mentally ready” for a 17-game regular season “and then more.”

“I just believe in making what we do out in the grass as close to football and as close to game-like as you can,” he said. “In order to do that, you have to practice hard. That’s just what comes with the territory of what we believe in.”

Stefanski said Penix will continue to be held out of team drills next week when the Falcons travel to Indianapolis for joint practices with the Colts.

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

Entre el martes y el miércoles se reportaron cinco ataques contra transportistas en la capital de Perú. El martes ocurrieron tres ataques que dejaron un chofer herido de dos disparos, otro bus con las lunas rotas por cuatro hombres que exigían pagos y un ataque a tiros contra el bus de la empresa 41, que recorre Lima de norte a sur, luego del cual los agresores dejaron un papel con un teléfono con código de Colombia para coordinar pagos extorsivos y advirtiendo a los transportistas que si salían a trabajar el miércoles iban a morir.

El miércoles, un chofer de mototaxi —la modalidad más común de transporte en Perú en zonas pobres— fue asesinado a tiros. La víctima era el migrante venezolano José Olivares, de 24 años. Más tarde otro chofer de bus recibió dos tiros por la espalda y fue llevado a la unidad de cuidados intensivos de un hospital.

La extorsión es uno de los delitos que más afecta a los peruanos y los más perjudicados son los transportistas, quienes son asesinados si no pagan a los delincuentes. En 2025 unos 239 transportistas fueron asesinados en Perú, según el observatorio del crimen y la violencia.

El sábado, el gobierno lanzó de forma discreta el plan Escudo donde militares y policías cuidarán algunos de los más de 22.000 vehículos y terminales del transporte público de Lima, para evitar ataques extorsivos. Esa misma noche la puerta de la terminal sur de la empresa 73 fue tiroteada y la compañía dejó de funcionar tres días. Casi todos los ataques extorsivos ocurren en la periferia capitalina donde vive la mayoría de los 10 millones de vecinos y que cuentan con escasa vigilancia policial en sus espacios públicos.

Los expertos y algunos legisladores opositores han cuestionado el enfoque gubernamental porque fue aplicado sin éxito por los últimos gobiernos y sugieren concentrarse en aumentar la inteligencia humana y electrónica.

Keiko Fujimori, quien asumió la presidencia el 28 de julio, pidió “paciencia” y confianza en su gestión durante una actividad pública, señalando que “no podemos dar resultados en 15 días".

Aseguró que el plan de su gobierno es diferente y se caracteriza por motivar a policías y militares, buscar coordinación entre instituciones que antes se criticaban y el uso de una estrategia “donde se utiliza la inteligencia”.

La fiscalía indicó que entre enero y el 17 julio se registraron 107 ataques criminales extorsivos al transporte público en la capital, pero no detalló el número de asesinados.

En las recientes elecciones presidenciales la principal preocupación de los peruanos fue la lucha contra el crimen, en especial las extorsiones que agobian a los negocios y que se han expandido por casi todo Perú. Las denuncias por este delito pasaron de 2.421 en 2019 a 26.734 en 2025, según datos oficiales.

Fujimori ganó tras prometer acabar con el crimen y en su campaña electoral recordó que actuaría como su padre —el fallecido y sentenciado expresidente Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000)— en cuya gestión se capturó a los líderes del grupo violento Sendero Luminoso.

The unclassified assessment, obtained by The Associated Press, was sent to Congress as part of an annual report on civilian casualties and reported earlier by NBC News. A Pentagon official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the department will submit the report in the coming months but had nothing more to announce.

Civilian casualties from U.S. military operations have drawn concerns, including from lawmakers in Congress, after a U.S. missile struck an Iranian primary school in the opening days of this year’s war, killing up to 168 people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is said to have slashed the size of an office focused on reducing civilian harm, the AP has reported.

The Pentagon review focused on three airstrikes in April 2025 that were launched during the U.S. campaign against the Houthis. The militants were attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route that leads to the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean, as well as Israel.

Those strikes targeted hostile forces in or near Yemen’s rebel-held capital city of Sanaa as well as the Ras Isa port, the report said. A total of 153 civilians were killed and 243 were injured.

The strike on the port was the most deadly, killing 80 people and injuring 171 others. It sent massive fireballs billowing skyward and turned tanker trucks into burning wrecks. The Houthis aired graphic footage of the aftermath on their al-Masirah satellite news channel, showing corpses strewn about the port.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said at the time that the "strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”

“U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years,” U.S. Central Command said in its statement in April 2025.

The command determined that the three strikes “more likely than not” resulted in civilian harm, the review said. The information was based on U.S. intelligence sources, imagery and open-source reporting.

It was determined that condolence payments were not appropriate for the three strikes, according to the Pentagon’s review, which did not explain why that was the case.

Such payments may be one of several responses when U.S. military operations injure or kill a civilian, the review stated, adding that they’re not required by law and not an admission of wrongdoing.

Such payments are not unheard of. Following an errant drone strike in Afghanistan that killed 10 people, seven of them children, in 2021, the Pentagon said it was committed to offering condolence payments to relatives.

The U.S. military first launched attacks against the Houthis in 2023, during the Biden administration, after the militants started launching drones and missiles at commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis said the attacks were aimed at stopping Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and supporting the Palestinians, though they occurred as the Houthis tried to strengthen their position in Yemen.

The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthi rebels turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy had faced since World War II, U.S. military leaders and experts told the AP in 2024. American fighter jets and Navy destroyers shot down Houthi drones and missiles that were launched at commercial vessels and U.S. warships.

The Houthis now are carrying out a growing number of strikes against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

Fears are growing that the renewed violence could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce and open a new front in the Middle East war.

The screen door, despite — or thanks to — its modest making, is fundamental to the American home, to the suburban and rural soundscape and to what remains of our collective innocence.

The door that is barely a door. Made of lightweight aluminum or wood, with a wire mesh and a latch lock that gives under a thumb nudge, it is about as shabby as a barrier gets. Its mission to let the breeze in and keep the mosquitos, pesky flies and assorted vermin out appears simple, but its impact goes beyond that.

Semi-transparent, a screen door is an invitation, allowing a peek inside. It says someone is there. In architectural terms, it means this threshold wants breaching.

The screen door creates a liminal space, a quasi-open passage where one can see, hear and even smell what nature and the local community offer on the other side.

Its sieve-like surface gives way to the semi-private backyard. It allows a grandmother to leave the sturdy, opaque real backdoor wide open, almost forgotten, until it is time to go to bed. In the meantime, she can listen to songbirds, contemplate her flowerbeds or keep an eye on her grandchildren at play.

Fittingly, there exists what appears to be an apparently apocryphal origin story of the screen door. It says it was invented by a woman in Iowa in the late 19th century. Accurate or not, it is one of those modern myths worth embracing.

As if it were a symbol of good behavior, the screen door resists being slammed. Its closing mechanism cushions the blow, gently pushing back against the tug of a human hand, wheezing as it finally gives in.

At best, the creaking of a screen door announces a loved one’s arrival. It demands our trust in the outside world. It tempers our anger, quells our suspicions.

Once shut, the quiet says you are home.

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

En Key Largo School, los miembros del personal se preparaban para recibir a casi 800 estudiantes en el plantel de primaria y secundaria.

El director Darren Pais dijo que los padres deben prestar mucha atención a los cambios que afectan a los estudiantes al regresar a clases, incluidas las rutas y los nombres de los autobuses.

“Queremos asegurarnos de que lleguen a la parada del autobús un poco temprano”, dijo Pais. “Tenemos algunos cambios en nuestras rutas de autobús y tenemos cambios en los nombres de nuestros autobuses”.

Pais también recordó a los padres que los formularios para comidas gratuitas y a precio reducido deben completarse nuevamente este año, incluso si un estudiante calificó para el programa el año pasado.

“Si firmaron los formularios para comidas gratuitas y a precio reducido del año pasado, tienen que hacerlo nuevamente este año”, dijo Pais. “Por favor, asegúrense de entregarlo”.

Con los estudiantes pasando de las vacaciones de verano nuevamente a una rutina escolar, Pais dijo que dormir lo suficiente será importante.

“Ha sido verano, así que tienen que volver a esa rutina”, dijo. “Así que los teléfonos tienen que guardarse, ya saben, un par de horas antes de acostarse, pero tienen que descansar”.

Pais dijo que Key Largo School, ahora en su año 56, continuará enfocándose en lo académico mientras brinda a los estudiantes oportunidades para participar en actividades y eventos familiares.

Se espera que regrese la celebración anual de Halloween Spooktacular de la escuela, junto con otras noches familiares programadas durante todo el año. Pais dijo que la escuela también tiene una nueva junta de la PTA que está trabajando en actividades adicionales.

El programa de teatro de la escuela se está preparando para dos grandes producciones: “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever” y “Beetlejuice”. Se espera que participen estudiantes de segundo y tercer grado hasta octavo grado, y que estudiantes de secundaria ayuden ocasionalmente con la utilería.

“Sí tratamos de involucrar a todos”, dijo Pais. “Así que sí, estamos emocionados, muy emocionados”.

La emoción ya era evidente durante el evento Meet the Teacher del martes, cuando Pais dijo que asistió alrededor del 90% de las familias.

“Todos estaban muy emocionados y sé que estarán emocionados hoy, y simplemente no puedo esperar a ver esa energía”, dijo.

Pais animó a los estudiantes a aceptar el nuevo año escolar, calificándolo como un día especial para la comunidad de Key Largo School.

“Es un gran día para ser un tornado y vamos. Terminemos este año”, dijo.

Pero también recordó que la emoción del primer día podría venir acompañada de algo de cansancio.

“Mañana habrá algunos zombis, pero está bien”, dijo Pais. “Por eso tienen que acostarse temprano”.

Mientras que algunos alumnos aún no estaban del todo preparados para despedirse de mamá y papá, otros estaban listos para empezar con buen pie.

“Lo más importante es establecer una relación con mis pequeños y, a partir de ahí, lo académico surge de forma natural”, afirmó la profesora de infantil Katherine García. “Una vez que tienes esa relación, te quieren y aprenden de ti”.

“Para algunos padres, como Jocelyn Sanabria, llevar a sus hijos al colegio fue una sensación agridulce”.

”Es muy emocionante y conmovedor”, dijo. “Estoy intentando contener las lágrimas porque ha estado en casa conmigo prácticamente desde que nació, así que es hora de soltarlo un poco”.

Mientras los estudiantes comienzan a regresar a clases en todo el sur de Florida, Local 10 quiere ayudar a celebrar este momento compartiendo sus fotos favoritas del regreso a clases.

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At Key Largo School, staff members were preparing to welcome nearly 800 students to the elementary and middle school campus.

Principal Darren Pais said parents should pay close attention to changes affecting students as they return to school, including updated bus routes and bus names.

“We want to make sure that you get to the bus stop a little bit early,” Pais said. “We do have some changes in our bus routes, and we have changes to our bus names.”

Pais also reminded parents that free and reduced-price meal forms must be completed again this year, even if a student qualified for the program last year.

“If you have signed your free and reduced lunch forms from last year, you have to do it again this year,” Pais said. “Please make sure you get that in.”

With students transitioning from summer break back to a school routine, Pais said getting enough sleep will be important.

“It’s been summertime, so you’ve got to get back in that routine,” he said. “So phones have to go away, you know, a couple of hours before bedtime, but you gotta get your rest.”

Pais said Key Largo School, now in its 56th year, will continue its focus on academics while giving students opportunities to participate in activities and family events.

The school’s annual Spooktacular Halloween celebration is expected to return, along with other family nights planned throughout the year. Pais said the school also has a new PTA board that is working on additional activities.

The school’s drama program is preparing for two major productions: “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Beetlejuice.” Students from second and third grade through eighth grade are expected to participate, with high school students sometimes helping with props.

“We do try to get everybody involved,” Pais said. “So yeah, we’re excited, very exciting.”

The excitement was already evident during Tuesday’s Meet the Teacher event, when Pais said about 90% of families attended.

“Everybody was super excited and I know they’re going to be excited today, and I just can’t wait for that energy,” he said.

Pais encouraged students to embrace the new school year, calling it a special day for the Key Largo School community.

“It’s a great day to be a tornado and let’s go. Let’s get this year done,” he said.

But he also offered a reminder that the first-day excitement could come with some fatigue.

“There’ll be some zombies tomorrow, but that’s OK,” Pais said. “That’s why they got to get to bed early.”

While some students weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to mom and dad, others were ready to hit the ground running.

“That is the number one priority setting a relationship with my kiddos, and then from there, academics comes naturally,” said kindergarten teacher Katherine Garcia. “Once you have that relationship, then they love you, they learn from you.”

“For some parents, like Jocelyn Sanabria, sending their children to school was a bittersweet feeling.”

“It’s very exciting and emotional,” she said. “I’m trying to hold back the tears because he’s been home with me pretty much since he was born, so it’s time to let go a little bit.”

As students begin returning to classes across South Florida, Local 10 wants to help celebrate the milestone by sharing your favorite back-to-school photos.

Scientists reported Wednesday on the radiation-shielding vest worn around the moon by a female test dummy in 2022. No one was aboard that Artemis I debut flight, which paved the way for humanity’s long-awaited return to the moon in April by a flyby crew of four.

Radiation remains one of the biggest threats to astronauts as NASA works toward a moon base. Shielding garments could keep lunar crews safe when solar storms strike and even allow them to venture beyond their shelters if necessary, the U.S., German and Israeli team reported in the journal Science Advances.

A version of the vest was previously tested on the International Space Station. It didn't travel with the Artemis II astronauts since it was a short 10-day mission with limited room, but may wind up a carry-on for future moon crews.

Meant to be worn only during high-radiation and potentially cancer-causing solar events, the vest covers the most vulnerable human organs and tissue: lungs, stomach, bone marrow, breasts and ovaries. Women are believed to be especially susceptible to radiation-induced cancer.

Artemis I carried two female manikins that spent nearly a month flying to the moon and back. Dubbed Zohar and Helga, the manikins — each a life-size 3 feet from head to lower torso — were strapped into the passenger seats of NASA’s Orion capsule.

Zohar wore the 57-pound (26-kilogram) AstroRad vest, developed by the U.S.-Israeli startup StemRad and Lockheed Martin. The companies had already tested a prototype on the space station for comfort and function, modeling it after gear worn by nuclear disaster teams.

Helga flew vest-less, but like its companion contained thousands of radiation sensors.

The study's lead author, StemRad’s Jordan Houri, called it “the largest experiment ever conducted to determine astronaut radiation exposure beyond low-Earth orbit.” NASA, the German Aerospace Center and the Israel Space Agency provided the funding. Radiation exposure is much less for space travelers closer to home, thanks to Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field.

Artemis I encountered no major solar outbursts. But based on measurements gathered as NASA's Orion capsule zipped through the inner Van Allen radiation belt, Houri and his team simulated how much protection the vest would provide during extreme solar particle events like those in 1972 and 1989 that detonated magnetic sea mines and collapsed a power grid.

Lucky for NASA, the 1972 solar outburst occurred in between that year's two moon landings, keeping the crews of Apollo 16 and 17 safe from potentially lethal radiation exposure.

The latest findings showed the vest could reduce an astronaut’s radiation dose by about 60% in a solar storm as fierce as the one in 1972 and by nearly 40% in a calamity mirroring 1989. That’s equivalent to 193 days and 131 days, respectively, of unnecessary deep space radiation exposure, the scientists noted.

While none of the Apollo moonshots exceeded two weeks, the moon-base stays envisioned by NASA will likely last weeks, if not months, driving up the risk of enduring a dangerous solar storm. Mars expeditions will last even longer — months, years and possibly entire lifetimes if SpaceX CEO Elon Musk achieves his goal of building a city on the red planet.

The scientists are using their observations to trim more weight from the vest without sacrificing protection. They’re also investigating how to make radiation shielding from items already aboard a spacecraft — recycling that could save the lives of crews.

Houri doesn't anticipate a need for further deep-space testing anytime soon, since Zohar and Helga “provided us with an exceptionally large, high-fidelity dataset.”

Zohar and her vest are now on display at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, where their journey to the moon began.

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

Everyone wanted a pope-themed hat.

“When things go bananas ... that’s when it gets really fun,” said Brooks Boyer, Chicago's chief revenue and marketing officer.

Fun is the overarching theme when it comes to stadium giveaways, and business has been good at major league ballparks this year.

An array of creative promotions — everything from the New York Mets handing out fake glasses and mustaches for a Bobby Valentine Disguise Night to the Texas Rangers giving away a Nolan Ryan bloody lip jersey — has played at least a small role in an MLB-wide average attendance of 29,618 through Tuesday's games, the highest such number for a full season since 2017.

Bobbleheads remain popular — like the Brandon Nimmo Bull Riding bobblehead in Texas, or the butter-churning Nick Kurtz “Big Amish” bobblehead with the Athletics — but it's not just those iconic figurines that are drawing big crowds. The Brewers handed out 25,000 bar dice sets to fans 21 and over on Saturday, and they had a crowd of 40,625 at American Family Field.

The pitch clock and other innovative rules introduced by MLB in 2023 are often credited for spurring fan interest. But it's clear from the long lines — and occasionally astronomical resale prices on eBay — what a clever giveaway can do for ticket sales, too.

“I definitely think across the league, there’s been an increase in demand and desire, and even necessity, to do things that are outside of the box," said Meagan Hermosillo, the director of marketing and promotions for the Arizona Diamondbacks. "For us, we can’t really do a standard bobblehead or a standard anything. It has to have some kind of unique factor if we want it to move the needle.”

Chicago's pope hats took creative — and careful — planning

The White Sox ended up giving the pope hats — shaped like the Pope’s miter, with the team’s sock logo in the middle — to everyone in the crowd of 38,113 for Tuesday night's 5-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The tribute to Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and longtime White Sox fan, helped push the club's season-long attendance to 1,460,383, surpassing its total of 1,445,738 for all of 2025.

The team leaned into the theme. There were signs posted in the ballpark that read “LEO KNOWS MUNE” and “LEO KNOWS KONERKO,” referring to current White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami and former slugger Paul Konerko. Sister Mary Jo Sobieck threw out a ceremonial first pitch, and former White Sox pitcher Donn “The Pope” Pall kicked off the game with the “play ball” announcement.

“I thought it was a great idea, knowing that the Pope is from Chicago and he's a Sox fan, which is great,” said Edward Lopez, 58, a truck driver from the south side of the city.

Lopez was supposed to go to the game with his girlfriend, but she wasn't able to make it. So he went through two different gates to make sure he secured two pope hats.

“It was worth it,” he said.

Promotions for the White Sox go through a committee led by senior director of marketing and promotions Mike Downey. They throw out ideas and concepts, and they also look at samples from different vendors.

The team also is handing out wooden domino sets to 10,000 fans on Aug. 22 and magic wands to 20,000 fans on Sept. 4, a nod to the viral wand-waving dugout displays of injured reliever Mike Vasil.

“We’ve always looked to have our giveaways be something that we know people would wear or use or value because it adds value to the ticket,” Boyer said. “So it starts with that.”

While planning the pope hat night, religious sensitivities were part of the conversation for the promotions committee.

“We haven’t done items that would be Pope Leo’s likeness,” Boyer said. “We wouldn’t do that without the permission of the Vatican. ... We’ve been very careful. There is a little bit of nuance and finesse that needs to be done. And items, you know a lot of items may not be for everybody.”

Teams are eagerly jumping on larger cultural moments for eye-catching promotions

The Baltimore Orioles handed out a Tupac Shakur bobblehead in May. The New York Yankees gave out a “ KPop Demon Hunters ” bobblehead on Tuesday night, and they have a George Costanza calzone bobblehead — paying tribute to a 1996 “Seinfeld” episode — coming up on Aug. 27. Every MLB team except Toronto had a Star Wars Night this season.

Following in the footsteps of the minor leagues in many cases, it's not enough anymore to just feature a popular player for a giveaway.

“You can see that teams are doing a much better job with their understanding (of) who they’re trying to target,” said Jim Strode, an associate dean and professor at Ohio University’s College of Business. “When I think of the ‘Seinfeld’ one, I’m thinking, you know, they’re targeting Gen X, they are targeting some, you know, younger baby boomers to try to get out to the ballpark.”

There is also what Lauren Anderson, the director of the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the University of Oregon, described as the “collector chase game.” There were multiple fans looking to buy additional pope hats at Tuesday night’s game, and there were several listings for the giveaway and the “KPop Demon Hunters” bobblehead on eBay on Wednesday.

“You want something that’s unique and cool and something that you can, you know, I’m one of 5,000 people to get these, I’m one of 10,000,” Anderson said. “I mean, there is also a bit of the game of people want something that’s limited so they can flip it and sell it, like on an eBay."

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AP Baseball Writer David Brandt contributed to this report.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

What seemed at first like an easy idea — slapping a new tax on people who own luxury second homes in the Big Apple but live elsewhere most of the year — has instead created a lot of confusion in the city’s notoriously convoluted world of real estate arrangements.

“It seems very simple but the more you dig into it, the more nuances you look at, the more complicated it gets,” said Gary Bingel, a state and local tax expert and partner at EisnerAmper, an accounting firm.

It has also prompted pushback from both the city's very wealthy and the merely moderately wealthy.

President Donald Trump, whose gilded Manhattan penthouse could be subject to the tax since his primary residence is now in Florida, said he was looking into whether federal intervention could “avert this disaster, before it is too late.”

A group of homeowners sued over the city’s rollout of the tax, arguing that officials had not done enough to figure out who would have to pay the tax and instead made it property owners' responsibility. A judge temporarily paused the process this week, but the city moved to appeal, allowing the tax effort to continue until it’s sorted out in court.

Securing a new tax on multimillion-dollar second homes, known as pied-à-terres, was an early win for Mamdani in his quest to raise taxes on the city's highest earners to pay for his ambitious liberal agenda.

The so-called pied-à-terre tax would levy a new surcharge on one-, two- and three-family homes valued at more than $5 million, as well as condos and co-ops valued at $1 million or more, if those dwellings are not a person's primary residence.

The idea, according to officials, would bring $500 million to the city's coffers annually, paid primarily by bigwigs who get to enjoy city life but don't pay city income taxes.

That's where things start to get hairy.

It's common for high rollers to place their properties in trusts, obscuring ownership while allowing the property to pass more easily to family members. Limited liability companies can similarly shield an owner's identity, also making it hard for government officials to tell who actually lives in any given apartment.

From there, there are numerous arrangements that can complicate who would be subject to the tax. For example, letting a distant family member stay at a second home without formal documentation, or if someone owns one or more properties and rents them out, but the tenants don't have documentation that the unit is their primary residence.

“Those situations make it difficult to prove people are in there,” said Mark Limardo, a partner at the law firm Herrick in Manhattan who focuses on taxes. “The concept is simple, but the ownership rules and the documentation rules have made it very complicated.”

Outcry and litigation

City Hall, for its part, argues that it shouldn't be difficult to provide proof that someone actually lives in the city and says that its finance department is experienced in parsing tangled webs of paperwork.

Mamdani, no stranger to razzing wealthy people, debuted the tax with a video singling out hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin by standing outside a Manhattan penthouse the billionaire purchased for around $239 million. The clip sent Mamdani's supporters swooning, but Griffin later said it was “frightening” that a public official would call attention to one of his homes, especially after the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in the same neighborhood.

The city then published an expansive online list of property owners who it said could be subject to the tax, listing their names, addresses and property values. The list, which the city is legally required to publish, inflamed tensions between the mayor and the city's wealthy, many of whom argued the roll amounted to doxing or public shaming.

The administration has mailed notices to a much smaller group — about 17,000 properties — that it suspected would be subject to the tax, telling them they could apply for exemptions. Mamdani announced the mailers in a celebratory social media post that read: “If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5M, check your mailbox when you’re back in the five boroughs — because you’ve got mail.”

He later pushed back the deadline for exemption requests following public outcry from people who claimed to have received the letters in error or had trouble navigating the process.

Stewart Sterk, a real estate law professor at Cardozo School of Law in New York, predicted last week's lawsuit wouldn't be the last, saying he expected many of the targets of the tax to file individual cases over denied exemptions, given the vast number of apartments at play and the various arrangements people have connecting them to their properties.

“This is going to be a subject of litigation for quite a while,” he said.

Such refuge was probably never more welcome than on the heels of this past summer.

It was just over a month ago that Kelce exchanged vows with Taylor Swift in a star-studded wedding that tied together one of the best tight ends in NFL history with the biggest pop star on the planet. At the intimate gathering in cavernous Madison Square Garden, Adam Sandler served as the surprise officiant, Stevie Nicks performed to a crowd of sports and entertainment icons, and fans lined the New York City sidewalks outside the historic venue hoping to catch a glimpse of it all.

“The wedding was the best night of my life,” Kelce said Wednesday, speaking for the first time at camp. “I appreciate everybody who came out and celebrated and had fun with us. That's about all I got for that night. It was a crazy night.”

The guest list included actors Bradley Cooper, Zoë Kravitz, Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke; models Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss; comic Chris Rock; film director Steven Spielberg; and plenty of NFL players, including retired quarterback Tom Brady and several of Kelce's teammates with the Chiefs, like his best friend and quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

The Swift-Kelce relationship began with his failed attempt at giving her a friendship bracelet at a concert. Kelce invited Swift to watch him play at Arrowhead Stadium, she took him up on the offer, and the rest of their courtship has been a celebrity fairy tale.

Right down to the nuptials at Madison Square Garden, which has always captured Kelce's imagination, and where Swift has played to plenty of sold-out shows; she also turned up there to watch the Knicks play the Spurs in the NBA Finals in June.

“I always told myself I'd go for a playoff game when the Knicks were rocking, and my wife went when I was stuck in minicamp,” Kelce said with a wry smile. “It was kind of cool to live out my childhood dream to be in that venue. I can't thank the owners of MSG enough for allowing us the opportunity to do that, knowing we wanted a private event.”

Besides the wedding, Kelce has been busy pursuing several business opportunities since the end of last season, including his decision to buy a small share of David Blitzer's stake in his hometown Cleveland Guardians.

That puts him into rivalry territory with Mahomes, who owns his own small stake in the Kansas City Royals.

Yet on the field, the quarterback and tight end continue in lockstep, and never has it been more important for them to lift each other up. Mahomes is coming off a season-ending knee injury that required surgery in December, and Kelce is trying to prove that at age 36 — he turns 37 in October — he can still get it done in a young man's game.

“I still got a lot of love for this game. I still think I can go out and play at a high level,” Kelce said. “I want to go out there and prove to myself that I can play at a better level than last year. I think that's the biggest thing for me.”

There are few things that Kelce has not accomplished over 13 seasons on an NFL field. He's won three Super Bowl rings, was voted first-team All-Pro four times, and he has been invited to the Pro Bowl each of the last 11 seasons.

He contemplated retirement prior to last year, but the fact that Kansas City had just been blown out by Philadelphia did not sit well with him. So, Kelce came back for another go-round, catching 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns while playing in every game — numbers that would represent a career year for most tight ends.

The Chiefs scuffled to a 6-11 finish, though. And if Kelce wasn't going out on a Super Bowl loss, he certainly wasn't quitting after a season like that.

“The fact that we didn't make the playoffs,” he said, “I moved on pretty quick.”

He moved onto wedding planning, to be sure. But also into preparing for the upcoming season, which most believe will be his last, one way or another. Kelce was ever-present throughout the offseason, whether it was voluntary workouts or mandatory minicamp, and he has been a constant source of energy during the hot, humid practices that are the hallmark of training camp.

“This is always going to be my sanctuary. I think St. Joe has a special place in my heart,” Kelce said. “You need to have these days. You need to have this time of grinding with the guys, being around them all day, starting to create that chemistry and standard for how we are going to do things. This year it's ramped up even more.

“I think that's a big thing,” Kelce added, “just enjoy these moments with these guys I've built this culture with.”

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

Desde el lunes por la mañana, los equipos de búsqueda y rescate han estado rescatando a las víctimas de entre los escombros en Quibdó, Cali, Pereira, Manizales y otras zonas gravemente afectadas.

Hasta el miércoles, se habían registrado al menos 254 fallecidos, entre ellos 95 en Cali y 79 en Pereira, según las autoridades.

El presidente colombiano Abelardo De La Espriella, que tomó posesión del cargo el viernes tras una ceremonia celebrada en Cali, visitó Quibdó el lunes y Pereira el martes, donde estimó que había unos 2.595 heridos y más de 1.000 viviendas destruidas.

El gimnasio BOXR Gym también está aceptando donaciones. El evento tendrá lugar a las 18:30 h en el gimnasio situado en el 1310 NE First Avenue, justo al norte de la Interestatal 395. Para más información, llama al 305-417-3607.

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Since Monday morning, search-and-rescue teams have been pulling out victims from the rubble in Quibdó, Cali, Pereira, Manizales, and other hard-hit areas.

As of Wednesday, there were at least 254 dead, including 95 in Cali and 79 in Pereira, according to Colombian officials.

Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office on Friday after a ceremony in Cali, visited Quibdó on Monday and Pereira on Tuesday, when he estimated there were about 2,595 injured and more than 1,000 homes were destroyed.

BOXR Gym is also accepting donations. The event is at 6:30 p.m. at the gym at 1310 NE First Avenue, just north of Interstate 395. For more information, call 305-417-3607.

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The suspects were identified as Garlens Junior Jean-Philippe, 21, Garvens Jean-Philippe, 18, both of North Miami, and Kanarious Jerome Harris, 17.

Deputies said their arrests followed a traffic stop shortly after the vehicle left the school grounds.

The report states that an MDSO detective was conducting surveillance in northern Miami-Dade County around 2:12 p.m. Tuesday when he spotted a black 2025 Mercedes-Benz C300 near Northwest 96th Street and Seventh Avenue.

Deputies said that the suspected vehicle was known to law enforcement after its driver previously fled the scene in an unrelated case. Detectives also noted that the vehicle’s front windshield was tinted past the legal limit and that its front windows had a measured opacity of 5%.

Detectives began covert surveillance and followed the Mercedes to Miami Central High School, located at 1781 NW 95th St., according to the report.

The report states that Garlens Jean-Philippe was driving, Garvens Jean-Philippe was in the front passenger seat, and Harris was sitting in the rear passenger seat at the time of the incident.

Detectives said they watched as the car entered the school’s parking lot and remained there for about 10 minutes. They said no one was seen entering or exiting the vehicle during that time. The Mercedes then left the school grounds, with detectives continuing to follow it, according to the report.

Deputies then conducted a traffic stop near Northwest 13th Avenue and 123rd Street, the report states.

After the three occupants were ordered out of the vehicle, a MDSO detective reported seeing a loaded Glock .40-caliber handgun on the front passenger-side floorboard. The gun was within immediate reach of Garvens Jean-Philippe, according to the report.

Detectives said they also found a loaded Milsport .300 BLK-caliber AR-style pistol on the rear bench seat, next to and within immediate reach of Harris, the report states.

“Both firearms were not securely encased and readily accessible for immediate use,” a deputy wrote in the report.

The report also notes that classes were not in session at the time, but the school was “active and open to teachers and administrators.”

According to the report, Garlens Jean-Philippe claimed ownership of the firearms and made “spontaneous statements” to detectives acknowledging that the AR-style pistol had been left within Harris’ reach. He also said he was unaware that the law prohibited that, the report states.

Jail records show Garlens and Garvens Jean-Philippe were later transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, while Harris was taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center, according to the report.

Records show Garlens Jean-Philippe is facing one count each of illegal possession of a firearm on school property and contributing to delinquency/ dependency of a child. Gavens Jean-Philippe is facing one count each of illegal possession of a firearm on school property and illegal possession of a firearm by a minor.

As of Wednesday, both men remained at TGK, where their bonds were listed as “to be set.”

Authorities have not released a mugshot or details about the charges for the Harris.

At City Park in Sunrise, it’s the main event.

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The beat sets the pace. The weights add resistance. And Paige Romans brings the energy — turning a monthly community workout into a celebration of rhythm.

“It is the soul of calypso music. Anything high and positive vibration is soca music,” said Paige Romans, owner of Soca Fitness.

Romans is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer and owner of Soca Fitness in North Lauderdale. Her workouts built a following that caught the attention of the city of Sunrise, which recruited Romans to bring that same energy — free of charge — to the community on the last Friday of every month.

“You can’t run away or shy away from positive vibrations. You really can’t. Even if you try, at some little point you’re going to smile and feel good about that moment,” she said.

Romans may lead the workout, but the energy quickly becomes a group effort.

City leaders say the groups have grown every single month, with more people bringing friends.

“The way this program resonates with people — they come out, they release those endorphins through moving and they get happy, and they meet the person next to them. Smile. Have a good time. You’re going to see it,” said Khya Cummings, recreation supervisor for the city of Sunrise.

Romans wants Soca Fitness to celebrate the culture behind the music, build community through movement and inspire more people to simply show up.

“That’s what I’m hoping. For this community get bigger. More people to understand that movement is literally a gift and they should take on that in their day to day,” Romans said. “All the time, just show up. You’re never going to know how you are within a certain class until you actually do it. So, just show up.”

For those who want more Soca, Romans encourages them to stop by her studio. She also runs classes and fitness training virtually to keep everyone in step, so they never miss a beat.

Click here for more information on Soca Fitness or here to view the calendar of events for city of Sunrise.

Los sospechosos fueron identificados como Garlens Junior Jean-Philippe, de 21 años, Garvens Jean-Philippe, de 18, ambos de North Miami, y Kanarious Jerome Harris, de 17.

Los agentes indicaron que las detenciones se produjeron tras una parada de tráfico poco después de que el vehículo saliera del recinto escolar.

El informe señala que un detective del MDSO estaba realizando una vigilancia en el norte del condado de Miami-Dade alrededor de las 14:12 horas del martes cuando avistó un Mercedes-Benz C300 negro del año 2025 cerca de la calle Northwest 96th y la Séptima Avenida.

Los agentes indicaron que el vehículo sospechoso ya era conocido por las fuerzas del orden, ya que su conductor había huido anteriormente del lugar de los hechos en un caso no relacionado. Los detectives también señalaron que el parabrisas delantero del vehículo estaba tintado por encima del límite legal y que las ventanillas delanteras presentaban una opacidad medida del 5 %.

Según el informe, los detectives iniciaron una vigilancia encubierta y siguieron al Mercedes hasta el instituto Miami Central High School, situado en el 1781 de la calle NW 95th St.

El informe indica que, en el momento del incidente, Garlens Jean-Philippe conducía, Garvens Jean-Philippe ocupaba el asiento del copiloto y Harris se encontraba en el asiento trasero.

Los detectives afirmaron que observaron cómo el coche entraba en el aparcamiento del colegio y permanecía allí durante unos 10 minutos. Según ellos, no se vio a nadie subir o bajar del vehículo durante ese tiempo. A continuación, el Mercedes abandonó el recinto del colegio, mientras los detectives seguían siguiéndolo, según el informe.

A continuación, los agentes realizaron una parada de tráfico cerca de la Avenida 13 Noroeste y la Calle 123, según indica el informe.

Tras ordenar a los tres ocupantes que salieran del vehículo, un detective de la MDSO informó de que había visto una pistola Glock calibre .40 cargada en el suelo del lado del acompañante. El arma se encontraba al alcance inmediato de Garvens Jean-Philippe, según el informe.

Los detectives afirmaron que también encontraron una pistola tipo AR Milsport de calibre .300 BLK cargada en el asiento trasero, junto a Harris y al alcance inmediato de este, según indica el informe.

“Ninguna de las dos armas de fuego estaba guardada de forma segura y ambas eran fácilmente accesibles para su uso inmediato”, escribió un agente en el informe.

El informe también señala que, en ese momento, no había clases, pero que la escuela estaba «activa y abierta para profesores y personal administrativo».

Según el informe, Garlens Jean-Philippe reconoció ser el propietario de las armas de fuego e hizo “declaraciones espontáneas” a los detectives en las que admitió que la pistola tipo AR se había dejado al alcance de Harris. También afirmó que desconocía que la ley lo prohibiera, según el informe.

Los registros penitenciarios indican que Garlens y Garvens Jean-Philippe fueron trasladados posteriormente al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, mientras que Harris fue llevado al Centro de Evaluación Juvenil, según el informe.

Los registros muestran que Garlens Jean-Philippe se enfrenta a un cargo por posesión ilegal de un arma de fuego en un recinto escolar y a otro por contribuir a la delincuencia o dependencia de un menor. Gavens Jean-Philippe se enfrenta a un cargo por posesión ilegal de un arma de fuego en un recinto escolar y a otro por posesión ilegal de un arma de fuego por parte de un menor.

Hasta el miércoles, ambos hombres permanecían en el TGK, donde sus fianzas figuraban como «pendientes de fijar».

Las autoridades no han hecho pública ninguna foto policial ni detalles sobre los cargos que se le imputan a Harris.

The clashes were part of a government operation against what it calls members of “ Fitna Al Hindustan, ” a term Pakistani authorities use for Baloch separatist groups that Islamabad alleges are backed by India. New Delhi denies supporting militants in Pakistan.

The military said two soldiers were also wounded. The car bombing took place in the province's district of Surab.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest but least populous province and has long faced a separatist insurgency led by the outlawed ethnic Baloch Liberation Army. The BLA has carried out numerous attacks in recent years, often targeting security forces, Chinese interests and infrastructure projects.

Balochistan has also seen attacks by Pakistani Taliban who are a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban.

Washington and Baghdad agreed in 2024 to wind down the much smaller U.S.-led operations against the Islamic State group.

U.S. troops pulled out of bases in most areas of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region. Bases there have regularly come under attack since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads the U.S. Central Command, on Wednesday. Al-Zaidi said in a statement afterward that he had affirmed Sept. 30 as the “fixed and final date for ending the military mission of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Iraq and completing the departure of its forces.”

A U.S. official confirmed that the U.S. expects to complete its pullout by Sept. 30, but declined to say how many troops remain in Iraq or where they would be redeployed.

“The United States, Iraq and coalition partners have achieved tremendous success in defeating ISIS and now the Iraqi security forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, will lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq,” the official said.

Two Iraqi Kurdish officials said a drawdown of U.S. troops and military equipment from Erbil began about three weeks ago.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

The U.S. presence in Iraq grew to more than 170,000 troops at the peak of counterinsurgency operations in 2007. In December 2011, the final combat troops departed. But in 2014, the rise of the Islamic State group and its capture of a wide swath across Iraq and Syria brought U.S. forces back at the Iraqi government's invitation.

After IS lost its hold on territory it once claimed, coalition military operations ended in 2021. The U.S. maintained about 2,500 troops in Iraq for training and to conduct counter-IS operations with Iraq’s military.

Iraq also wants to disarm non-state groups

Iraq's prime minister has also set a Sept. 30 deadline for non-state armed groups in Iraq to give up their weapons, saying they will have no justification to carry arms once the foreign troops withdraw.

Some Iraqi militias have justified their existence by pointing to the U.S. military presence, which they describe as an occupation, although the current U.S. mission came at the invitation of the Iraqi government after IS militants rampaged across the country in 2014, seizing large swaths of territory.

It seems unlikely that the Iraqi government will meet its deadline for disarming non-state groups. Some of the country’s most powerful Iran-backed militias and have said they have no intention of giving up their weapons.

La decisión se da a seis días de la detención de Aguirre, que sacudió al estamento político mexicano y volvió a poner el foco de atención en el caso, el más representativo de la crisis de desapariciones que ha golpeado por décadas a México. Hasta la fecha, más de 134.000 personas están desaparecidas.

El exgobernador, quien es uno de los exfuncionarios de más alto rango detenido por el caso, fue vinculado a proceso la madrugada del miércoles bajo la hipótesis de que habría ocultado información de “alta relevancia” para las investigaciones, dijo en un comunicado la Fiscalía General de México.

El juez del caso ratificó la prisión preventiva del exgobernador, de 70 años, quien permanecerá recluido en el penal federal de máxima seguridad del Altiplano, en el Estado de México.

Aguirre dirigió Guerrero de 2011 a octubre de 2014, un mes después del crimen que ocurrió en la ciudad de Iguala entre el 26 y 27 de septiembre.

A casi doce años del hecho no está claro ni el móvil del crimen ni el destino de los estudiantes, aunque se encontraron restos calcinados de tres de los jóvenes y se presume que todos fueron asesinados por miembros de un cártel local que traficaba heroína y que actuó coludido con fuerzas de seguridad y autoridades locales, estatales y federales, incluidos militares.

Según la fiscalía mexicana, el exgobernador habría participado en el ocultamiento de los videos que pudieron haber registrado los hechos.

Durante la audiencia inicial, que se extendió por más de 14 horas, la defensa de Aguirre objetó los señalamientos del Ministerio Público alegando que el entonces gobernador no se encontraba en Guerrero cuando presuntamente recibió las grabaciones y ordenó su destrucción, sino que estaba en la Ciudad de México.

Aguirre, exmilitante del Partido de la Revolución Democrática — de donde surgió el oficialista Morena —, fue apresado el 6 de agosto en el Estado de México por funcionarios federales. Su detención se dio a casi cuatro años del arresto del exprocurador federal Jesús Murillo Karam, otro de los altos exfuncionarios procesados por el caso.

Murillo Karam, quien enfrenta acusaciones de desaparición forzada, tortura y obstrucción de la justicia en el caso de los 43 estudiantes desaparecidos, obtuvo en abril de 2024 la medida cautelar de arresto domiciliario debido a su avanzada edad y los problemas de salud que padece. El mes pasado un juez le levantó la medida y ordenó el uso del grillete electrónico y restricciones de movilidad.

Abelardo De La Espriella, the new president of Colombia, had taken his oath of office on Friday in Cali, where Mayor Alejandro Eder announced Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele sent a plane with 50 tons of aid and was preparing to send a second.

Adam Ratzlaff, a Florida International University researcher with experience in conducting analysis for the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank has been following the updates.

“This may be an opportunity to see the U.S. government working hand-in-hand with the new Colombian administration,” said Ratzlaff, the founder and chief executive officer of Pan-American Strategic Advisors, a strategic advisory firm and think tank.

The U.S. State Department also announced the deployment of a disaster assistance response team of humanitarian experts to Colombia.

“This is going to be a real testing point for the administration at a time when he is still staffing up. He is very close to the Trump administration. Obviously, the Trump administration would like to see him doing well,” Ratzlaff said.

The Trump administration deployed the U.S. military to northern Venezuela and committed more than $386 million in humanitarian assistance after the devastating 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes on June 24.

The U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, under Trump’s second administration faced both sweeping program cancellations and massive staff layoffs.

“The United States just gave a lot of aid money to neighboring Venezuela. The administration has laid out the Western Hemisphere as its priority. The question will be, ‘How much appetite is there for addressing humanitarian crisis?’” Ratzlaff said.

The U.S. hosts the largest portion of the Colombian diaspora, estimated at 1.6 to 2 million Colombian-Americans and immigrants, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington, D.C.

“It may mean that a lot of the aid going to Colombia will have to come from the diaspora,” Ratzlaff said. “The largest diaspora in the United States from South America is from Colombia, so we would hope to see a lot of aid flowing in country from the diaspora, but the geo-politics on this will be complicated.”

Before the earthquakes, the U.S. had already pledged $1 billion in security assistance to Colombia, and De La Espriella announced Colombia was joining the “Shield of the Americas,” also known as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, which Trump launched in March.

Related story: Shield of the Americas: What we know about the summit in Doral this weekend & Noem’s new title

En Auburndale Elementary, los estudiantes escogieron mochilas gratuitas llenas de útiles escolares, con muchos colores y estilos para elegir.

“¡Estoy emocionada!”, dijo Keila, estudiante de quinto grado.

Camilla, estudiante de segundo grado, dijo que escogió una mochila morada porque también tenía color rosado.

El evento de Auburndale fue uno de varios realizados en las Escuelas Públicas de Miami-Dade en la víspera del nuevo año escolar.

Comisionados locales se asociaron con las escuelas para dar la bienvenida a los estudiantes y sus familias.

“Fui a una escuela pública a solo unas cuadras de aquí. Recuerdo el primer día de clases. Era aterrador, intimidante: nuevos estudiantes, nuevos maestros, director”, dijo el comisionado de Miami Rafael Rosado. “Lo que estamos haciendo es darles la bienvenida para que puedan ver nuestras sonrisas, nuestra emoción y nuestro apoyo para ellos”.

Los eventos también dieron a los estudiantes la oportunidad de conocer sus salones antes del inicio de clases y aprender más sobre los programas en los que participarán durante el año escolar.

En Bowman Ashe/Doolin K-8 Academy, en el suroeste de Miami-Dade, estudiantes y familias conocieron el programa STARTs de la escuela magnet, que incluye música y robótica.

Los maestros también se preparaban para dar la bienvenida a los estudiantes.

“Reunirnos con los padres y tener esa conexión, en última instancia, ayuda a que los estudiantes tengan éxito”, dijo Rachel Ruiz, maestra de Bowman Ashe/Doolin Academy. “Estoy sumamente emocionada. Los nervios son buenos nervios. Estoy lista para enseñarles”.

Varios eventos de regreso a clases todavía estaban programados para la tarde del miércoles, incluida una feria de recursos escolares en South Miami Heights hasta las 4 p.m., un evento en Shenandoah Elementary a la 1 p.m. y otro en Citrus Grove K-8 a las 2:30 p.m.

Mientras los estudiantes comienzan a regresar a clases en todo el sur de Florida, Local 10 quiere ayudar a celebrar este momento compartiendo sus fotos favoritas del regreso a clases.

The trial scheduled to begin next week is expected to last six to eight weeks. Meta faces 29 states in the federal multidistrict lawsuit filed in 2023, but the Oakland trial will only include the first four — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey.

Eight states, including Tennessee where a trial is ongoing, filed lawsuits in their own state courts.

The 2023 lawsuit, filed in federal court in Oakland, California, claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its social media platforms,” the complaint says. “It has concealed the ways in which these platforms exploit and manipulate its most vulnerable consumers: teenagers and children.”

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers asked prospective jurors about their own social media activity, knowledge about other lawsuits Meta faces, and any strong feelings they may have about social media companies and their role regarding the allegations.

The trial is the latest in an avalanche of lawsuits against Meta Platforms and other social media companies including Google's YouTube, TikTok and Snap, over claims their platforms harm young people, illegally collect their data and are deliberately designed to addict them.

Last week, a New Mexico court ordered Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms in the second phase of a landmark trial.

The penalty is in addition to the $375 million in civil penalties that jurors ordered against Meta in March after determining the company knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

In the second phase, prosecutors asked the judge to impose fundamental changes at Meta aimed at reining in addictive features, improving age verification and preventing child sexual exploitation through default privacy settings and closer oversight.

The states are seeking heavy penalties and changes to the way Meta operates its platforms to make them safer for children. Meta has repeatedly said it has introduced dozens of features to do so. It is appealing the New Mexico decision.

“We strongly disagree with these allegations and are confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people,” the Menlo Park, California, tech giant said in a statement. “We’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, and we’re always working to do better.”

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Wesky Gillo, 21, had a child rape charge added to his docket on Tuesday while he was already behind bars, having been picked up while out on bond on Aug. 7 for driving on a suspended license.

According to the North Miami Police Department, the assault happened on Sept. 3, 2025 at the girl’s apartment. That’s one day after they said Gillo approached her after school.

Authorities said Gillo had texted with the victim and told her he was 17 and the two arranged a meeting at the girl’s apartment while her mother was at work.

Police said Gillo had the girl perform oral sex on him and then asked her to have intercourse. They said “the victim repeatedly told him no, but eventually complied out of fear.”

Authorities said Gillo left after “the victim began to cry” during the five-minute assault.

According to another arrest report, the KFC incident happened nearly a year before the rape.

North Miami police said on Oct. 7, 2024, Gillo, then 20 and working at the KFC at 701 NW 119th St., had unlocked a restroom door for a girl who had asked to use it.

According to NMPD, after the girl went in and locked the door, Gillo used the key to unlock it again and go in, asking the girl if he could “wash his hands.”

Police said the girl ― also under 16 ― told him “no,” but he stayed inside “and asked her if she keep(s) secrets.”

“The victim stated that (Gillo) told her to ‘keep this secret’ and started to unbuckle his belt and unzipped his pants,” the report states. “The victim stated that (he) told her to touch his penis.”

Authorities said surveillance video showed the girl bolting out of the bathroom after Gillo made the lewd request.

Police said they took him into custody two days later and he claimed he was outside sending text messages while the girl was inside the bathroom.

They said Gillo let officers search his phone to back up his alibi.

“A check of (Gillo’s) phone revealed that he was not sending any text messages or making any phone calls during the time the victim was using the bathroom,” the NMPD report states. “While going through (his) phone, it was observed that he had a saved pornographic video of a child engaging in sex.”

He was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 16 and a charge related to the transmission of child sexual abuse material. While the case remained active as of Wednesday morning, court records show prosecutors did not pursue the latter charge.

As of Wednesday morning, Gillo remained jailed without bond at the Metrowest Detention Center.

Wesky Gillo, de 21 años, recibió el martes un cargo de violación de un menor, mientras ya estaba tras las rejas, luego de ser arrestado el 7 de agosto mientras estaba en libertad bajo fianza por conducir con una licencia suspendida.

Según el Departamento de Policía de North Miami, la agresión ocurrió el 3 de septiembre de 2025 en el apartamento de la menor. Eso ocurrió un día después de que, según dijeron, Gillo se acercara a ella después de la escuela.

Las autoridades dijeron que Gillo intercambió mensajes de texto con la víctima y le dijo que tenía 17 años. Ambos acordaron encontrarse en el apartamento de la menor mientras su madre estaba en el trabajo.

La policía dijo que Gillo obligó a la menor a practicarle sexo oral y luego le pidió que tuviera relaciones sexuales. Dijeron que “la víctima le dijo que no repetidamente, pero finalmente accedió por miedo”.

Las autoridades dijeron que Gillo se fue después de que “la víctima comenzó a llorar” durante la agresión de cinco minutos.

Según otro informe de arresto, el incidente en el KFC ocurrió casi un año antes de la violación.

La Policía de North Miami dijo que el 7 de octubre de 2024, Gillo, que entonces tenía 20 años y trabajaba en el KFC ubicado en 701 NW 119th St., había abierto con llave la puerta de un baño para una menor que había pedido usarlo.

Según la NMPD, después de que la menor entró y cerró la puerta con seguro, Gillo usó la llave para abrirla nuevamente y entrar, preguntándole a la menor si podía “lavarse las manos”.

La policía dijo que la menor, también menor de 16 años, le dijo que “no”, pero él permaneció dentro “y le preguntó si ella guardaba secretos”.

“¿La víctima declaró que (Gillo) le dijo que ‘guardara este secreto’ y comenzó a desabrocharse el cinturón y a bajar la cremallera de sus pantalones”, señala el informe. “La víctima declaró que (él) le dijo que tocara su pene”.

Las autoridades dijeron que las imágenes de vigilancia mostraron a la menor salir corriendo del baño después de que Gillo le hiciera la solicitud lasciva.

La policía dijo que lo detuvieron dos días después y que él afirmó que estaba afuera enviando mensajes de texto mientras la menor estaba dentro del baño.

Dijeron que Gillo permitió que los agentes revisaran su teléfono para respaldar su coartada.

“Una revisión del teléfono de (Gillo) reveló que no estaba enviando mensajes de texto ni haciendo llamadas telefónicas durante el tiempo en que la víctima estaba usando el baño”, señala el informe de la NMPD. “Mientras revisaban su teléfono, observaron que tenía guardado un video pornográfico de un menor participando en actos sexuales”.

Fue arrestado por cargos de conducta lasciva y lasciva con un menor de 16 años y un cargo relacionado con la transmisión de material de abuso sexual infantil. Aunque el caso seguía activo hasta la mañana del miércoles, los registros judiciales muestran que los fiscales no procedieron con el último cargo.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Gillo permanecía encarcelado sin derecho a fianza en el Centro de Detención Metrowest.