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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Maria Del Carmen Alvarez-Concepcion, 57, was arrested Thursday afternoon on charges of soliciting/accepting kickback payments, organized fraud and second-degree grand theft.

An arrest report states that a current board member and homeowner at the Greynolds Park Club Condominium Association, located at 17890 W. Dixie Highway, contacted MDSO about concerns he had regarding the mismanagement of association funds by certain members of the board of directors and the on-site building manager, identified as Alvarez-Concepcion.

Detectives said the board member told detectives that on Jan. 23, he was approached by a contracted vendor who reported that Alvarez-Concepcion had been soliciting and accepting kickback payments “in the form of cash and Zelle transfers.”

The report states that the board member “further reported longstanding concerns regarding the defendant’s exclusive control over multimillion dollar contracts, lack of financial transparency, questionable fees, missing records, and the exclusion of certain board members from major association decisions.”

According to the report, the vendor who spoke with the board member met with detectives on Feb. 13 and corroborated the information initially provided by the board member.

Detectives said that the vendor claimed that between March 7, 2025, and Dec. 5, 2025, Alvarez-Concepcion repeatedly solicited and accepted kickback payments, saying that he paid her about $19,910 in cash and Zelle transfers during that time period.

Authorities said the payments were not authorized by the association and were “intentionally concealed from the board of directors.”

According to the report, between Feb. 18 and March 19 of this year, Alvarez-Concepcion accepted an additional $1,000 in kickback payments.

In total, she is believed to have accepted $20,910 in “undisclosed kickback payments,” authorities said.

According to the arrest report, Alvarez-Concepcion was located Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of the condominium community and was taken into custody.

Detectives said she provided them with a “self-serving” statement, in which she “admitted to accepting kickback payments while acting in her position as an on-site manager.”

“This arrest reflects our commitment to protecting residents and holding accountable those who exploit positions of trust, and we will continue to aggressively combat association fraud in our community,” Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said in a statement.

As of Friday morning, Alvarez-Concepcion was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Online jail records listed her bond at $10,000, which she has since posted.

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Deputies said it happened just before 4:40 p.m. near the 16500 block of Golf Club Road, near the Bonaventure Golf Club.

Authorities said the video shows “a light-skinned male wearing a khaki hoodie and distinctive red and black pants exposing and pleasuring himself in an adjacent parking lot,” then “slowly approaching the victim, surveying his surroundings and removing his shoes before grabbing her from behind.”

“She struggled with the attacker before he got up, put on his shoes, and ran to a nearby scooter, which he used to flee the scene,” a BSO news release states.

Anyone with information on the suspect is being asked to call BSO Detective Michael Kravecz at 954-626-4006 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

According to BSO, tips leading to an arrest “are eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.”

Los agentes indicaron que ocurrió poco antes de las 4:40 p.m. cerca de la cuadra 16500 de Golf Club Road, en las inmediaciones del Bonaventure Golf Club.

Las autoridades dijeron que el video muestra “a un hombre de tez clara, vestido con una sudadera con capucha color caqui y pantalones distintivos rojos y negros, exponiéndose y tocándose en un estacionamiento cercano”, y luego “acercándose lentamente a la víctima, observando a su alrededor y quitándose los zapatos antes de sujetarla por detrás”.

“Ella forcejeó con el atacante antes de que él se levantara, se pusiera los zapatos y corriera hacia un scooter cercano, que utilizó para huir de la escena”, señala un comunicado de BSO.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el sospechoso debe llamar al detective de BSO Michael Kravecz al 954-626-4006 o a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

Según BSO, las pistas que conduzcan a un arresto “pueden ser elegibles para una recompensa de hasta $5,000 USD”.

Oneka Davis is an example of that.

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She’s a mom whose love and perseverance carried her family through the darkest of times.

Three years ago, the 38-year-old mother of six girls was abandoned by the person she trusted most.

“My husband decided he no longer wanted to pay bills. He no longer wanted to help,” Oneka said. “So he packed up and he left me with our daughters.”

He also left them without a home. Oneka’s salary as a full-time county track repair technician wasn’t enough to cover the rent.

“We stayed at hotels,” she said. “From there, it was back to square one, living out of my car.”

“Your daughters are with you in your car?” Local 10’s Mayte Padron asked.

“Yes,” Oneka said.

“So, it’s you and your six daughters?” Padron asked.

“Yes,” Oneka responded.

Oneka’s daughter, Melanie, 15, shared what it was like for her.

“At first, I didn’t understand. I was very confused,” she said. “It was very hard. We would search for a place, but then they would turn us down.”

The family lived this way for 2 1/2 years. And during that time, they were hit by another crisis. Oneka’s youngest daughter, Noa, was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

“She had brain surgery at 3 years old,” Oneka said. “Everything was removed successfully.”

“She made it through. She’s healthy,” Oneka added.

And it was the love of family and love of community that changed the course of the family’s lives.

“My union got involved and my union reached out to Chapman Partnership and Chapman immediately stepped in to help,” Oneka said.

Chapman Partnership is a leading emergency housing provider in Miami-Dade County.

“We are just incredibly blessed to be able to help families, like Oneka and her family, to transition themselves very rapidly into stable housing,” Kavaja Sarduy, Vice President of Operations for Chapman Partnership, said.

“I am so thankful to have a roof over my head, to be able not to worry about them being safe. I know that they are safe,” Oneka said.

Natalia, Melanie, Paris, Hazel, Justise and little Noa are indeed safe, happy and very grateful for their mom.

“Mom, I want to tell you that you are a vessel in my life and I love you dearly,” Natalia said.

This is only the first chapter in Oneka’s story and we hope to bring you another update soon.

Until then, it’s important to point out that Oneka does not receive any government assistance -- not for food or for rent.

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Oneka Davis es un ejemplo de ello.

Es una madre cuyo amor y perseverancia sacaron a su familia adelante en los momentos más difíciles.

Hace tres años, la madre de 38 años y seis hijas fue abandonada por la persona en la que más confiaba.

“Mi esposo decidió que ya no quería pagar las cuentas. Ya no quería ayudar”, dijo Oneka. “Así que empacó sus cosas y me dejó con nuestras hijas”.

También las dejó sin hogar. El salario de Oneka como técnica de reparación de pistas del condado a tiempo completo no era suficiente para cubrir el alquiler.

“Nos quedamos en hoteles”, dijo. “De ahí, volvimos al punto de partida, viviendo en mi carro”.

“¿Tus hijas estaban contigo en el carro?”, preguntó Mayte Padron de Local 10.

“Sí”, respondió Oneka.

“¿Eran tú y tus seis hijas?”, preguntó Padron.

“Sí”, respondió Oneka.

La hija de Oneka, Melanie, de 15 años, compartió cómo fue esa experiencia.

“Al principio, no entendía. Estaba muy confundida”, dijo. “Fue muy difícil. Buscábamos un lugar, pero nos rechazaban”.

La familia vivió así durante 2 años y medio. Y durante ese tiempo, enfrentaron otra crisis. La hija menor de Oneka, Noa, fue diagnosticada con un tumor cerebral.

“Tuvo una cirugía cerebral a los 3 años”, dijo Oneka. “Todo fue removido con éxito”.

“Salió adelante. Está saludable”, agregó.

Y fue el amor de la familia y de la comunidad lo que cambió el rumbo de sus vidas.

“Mi sindicato se involucró y contactó a Chapman Partnership, y Chapman intervino de inmediato para ayudar”, dijo Oneka.

Chapman Partnership es uno de los principales proveedores de vivienda de emergencia en el condado Miami-Dade.

“Nos sentimos increíblemente bendecidos de poder ayudar a familias como la de Oneka a hacer una transición rápida hacia una vivienda estable”, dijo Kavaja Sarduy, vicepresidenta de operaciones de Chapman Partnership.

“Estoy muy agradecida de tener un techo sobre mi cabeza, de no tener que preocuparme por su seguridad. Sé que están seguras”, dijo Oneka.

Natalia, Melanie, Paris, Hazel, Justise y la pequeña Noa están seguras, felices y muy agradecidas con su madre.

“Mamá, quiero decirte que eres una bendición en mi vida y te amo mucho”, dijo Natalia.

Este es solo el primer capítulo en la historia de Oneka y esperamos poder traer otra actualización pronto.

Hasta entonces, es importante señalar que Oneka no recibe ninguna asistencia gubernamental, ni para alimentos ni para el alquiler.

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Sunrise police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Thomas Jamaine Roberson.

On Thursday, the victim told police about a domestic violence incident involving her boyfriend, Roberson, with whom she had been in a relationship for five to six months, according to the report.

Police said the victim is about 10 weeks pregnant with Roberson’s child, and the two lived together as a family.

The victim said that around midnight Thursday, she asked Roberson to return her cellphone after the couple got into an argument at a home in Sunrise.

Roberson initially denied having the phone but later retrieved it from under a pillow inside the home they shared, the report states.

Shortly after, police said Roberson left the home and took the victim’s vehicle, which was registered to her grandmother but in the victim’s care, along with her cellphone and other property.

About an hour later, they said Roberson returned to the home but refused to give the phone back.

The victim then reminded Roberson that she was pregnant, to which he responded, “I don’t care,” the report states.

Sunrise police said the victim later found Roberson’s loaded gun hidden inside the home in a laundry basket under clothing.

Shortly after, they said Roberson then pulled the victim, tearing her shirt and causing her to fall onto her neck.

The report states that Roberson refused to call 911, and the victim remained on the floor for about an hour after the incident.

Police said the victim attempted to flee the home multiple times, but at least twice Roberson “restrained her and brought her back inside against her will.”

The victim later fell asleep, then woke up and requested her phone. Roberson gave it to her after she handed him the gun, according to the report.

Police said the victim then gathered her two children, ages 2 and 3, and attempted to leave on foot when Roberson used his vehicle to block her path and “forcibly took both children from her custody without her consent, placing them into the vehicle without proper constraints.” Investigators noted Roberson is not the father of the children.

The victim then attempted to call 911 using her laptop, but Roberson allegedly grabbed it and threw it to prevent her from calling, police said.

They said the victim later fled and located her two children inside a vehicle before driving away and calling 911.

While on the phone with dispatchers, police said Roberson located the victim, forcibly entered her vehicle to turn off the ignition and took her phone.

He then attempted to remove her from the vehicle and threatened to kill her before fleeing with the vehicle while one of the children was still inside, according to the report.

A short time later, police said Roberson released the child to the victim and returned to the home, where she observed “extensive property damage, including overturned furniture, destroyed food items, and damaged electronics valued in excess of $1,000.”

Roberson was later located in Fort Lauderdale, where police said he fled from a traffic stop, leading to a pursuit that ended in a rollover crash near Powerline Road and Northwest 12th Street.

Fort Lauderdale police said the crash involved a vehicle, which overturned after being struck. They said several people, including Roberson, were taken to Broward Health Medical Center with minor injuries.

Jail records show Roberson is facing charges including robbery with carjacking, aggravated battery of a pregnant female, obstruction of justice, grand theft of a vehicle, child neglect and interfering with custody of a minor.

As of Friday morning, he was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail and ordered to have no contact with any victims or to possess firearms, weapons or ammunition.

La policía de Sunrise identificó al sospechoso como Thomas Jamaine Roberson, de 24 años.

El jueves, la víctima informó a la policía sobre un incidente de violencia doméstica con su novio, Roberson, con quien mantenía una relación de cinco a seis meses, según el informe.

La policía indicó que la víctima tiene aproximadamente 10 semanas de embarazo de Roberson y que ambos vivían juntos como familia.

La víctima dijo que alrededor de la medianoche del jueves le pidió a Roberson que le devolviera su teléfono celular después de una discusión en una vivienda en Sunrise.

Roberson inicialmente negó tener el teléfono, pero luego lo sacó de debajo de una almohada dentro de la casa que compartían, según el informe.

Poco después, la policía indicó que Roberson salió de la vivienda y se llevó el vehículo de la víctima, registrado a nombre de su abuela pero bajo su cuidado, junto con su teléfono y otras pertenencias.

Aproximadamente una hora después, regresó a la vivienda, pero se negó a devolver el teléfono.

La víctima le recordó que estaba embarazada, a lo que él respondió: “No me importa”, según el informe.

La policía de Sunrise indicó que la víctima luego encontró el arma cargada de Roberson escondida dentro de la casa en una canasta de ropa debajo de prendas.

Poco después, dijeron que Roberson la jaló, rompiéndole la camisa y provocando que cayera sobre su cuello.

El informe indica que Roberson se negó a llamar al 911 y que la víctima permaneció en el suelo durante aproximadamente una hora tras el incidente.

La policía dijo que la víctima intentó huir de la vivienda en múltiples ocasiones, pero al menos dos veces Roberson “la retuvo y la llevó de regreso al interior en contra de su voluntad”.

La víctima se quedó dormida y luego despertó y pidió su teléfono. Roberson se lo devolvió después de que ella le entregó el arma, según el informe.

La policía indicó que la víctima reunió a sus dos hijos, de 2 y 3 años, e intentó irse a pie, cuando Roberson utilizó su vehículo para bloquearle el paso y “le quitó por la fuerza a ambos niños sin su consentimiento, colocándolos en el vehículo sin las debidas sujeciones”. Los investigadores señalaron que Roberson no es el padre de los menores.

La víctima intentó llamar al 911 usando su computadora portátil, pero Roberson presuntamente la tomó y la lanzó para impedir la llamada, según la policía.

Posteriormente, la víctima logró huir, encontró a sus dos hijos dentro de un vehículo y se fue conduciendo mientras llamaba al 911.

Mientras hablaba con los operadores, la policía indicó que Roberson la localizó, entró por la fuerza al vehículo para apagarlo y le quitó el teléfono.

Luego intentó sacarla del vehículo y la amenazó de muerte antes de huir con el auto mientras uno de los niños aún estaba dentro, según el informe.

Poco tiempo después, la policía dijo que Roberson devolvió al menor a la víctima y regresó a la vivienda, donde ella observó “daños extensos a la propiedad, incluyendo muebles volcados, alimentos destruidos y aparatos electrónicos dañados valorados en más de $1,000 USD”.

Roberson fue localizado más tarde en Fort Lauderdale, donde la policía indicó que huyó de una parada de tráfico, lo que provocó una persecución que terminó en un choque con volcadura cerca de Powerline Road y la calle 12 del noroeste.

La policía de Fort Lauderdale indicó que el choque involucró a otro vehículo que volcó tras ser impactado. Varias personas, incluido Roberson, fueron trasladadas al Broward Health Medical Center con heridas leves.

Registros de la cárcel muestran que Roberson enfrenta cargos que incluyen robo con robo de vehículo, agresión agravada contra una mujer embarazada, obstrucción de la justicia, hurto mayor de un vehículo, negligencia infantil e interferencia con la custodia de un menor.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en la cárcel principal del condado Broward y se le ordenó no tener contacto con las víctimas ni poseer armas de fuego, armas o municiones.

Scheffler hit 3-iron into a tributary of Rae's Creek on the par-5 13th, and his second shot into the par-5 15th went over the green and rolled into the pond on the 16th hole.

Both led to bogeys, and he didn't recover. His 2-over 74 was his first round over par at the Masters since a 75 in the second round in 2023.

“It was frustrating to get it back to even, have a couple of par 5s in front of me, and then not do many things I felt wrong and wasn't able to convert basically anything coming down the stretch,” said Scheffler, who was at even-par 144.

The water balls stand out. Scheffler tried to play a draw into the 13th, a deceptively difficult shot because the ball is slightly above the feet but a shot not cleanly struck tends to stay out to the right, and that's where the trouble is.

“I just tried to kind of swing it with the slope and just didn’t catch it that solid and kind of hung out there,” Scheffler said. “But that was one ... to that pin specifically that’s a shot that I could get in there close, so I felt like it was worth the risk of going for it.”

The real problem was his putting. He didn't make many, mainly an issue of speed more than line.

“I felt like I definitely played better than my score,” he said.

Scheffler, trying to win his third Masters in the last five years, now has a big climb. The two times he won, he went into the weekend with at least a share of the lead.

Li feels sick but still shows major form

The majors seem to bring out the best in Haotong Li of China, even when he's so sick he wonders if he can even play.

Such was the case Friday at the Masters. Li said he was in the bathroom most of the night and “kind of live in the toilet” even when he got to Augusta National. And then he made four straight birdies on the back nine and shot 69 to finish at 4-under 140.

“I didn’t hit many balls on the driving range. I was feeling really, really bad,” Li said. “No energy, fuzzy, want to throw up something. I actually just planned to play a few holes, see how it goes. If really sick, then I probably just decide not to. So glad I survived today.”

Li closed out the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale with a 63. Three years later, he opened 67-65 at Harding Park in the PGA Championship to become China's first player to lead after any round of a major championship.

No low amateur this year

For the second straight year, none of the amateurs will be sticking around for the weekend.

That's not to suggest they all are leaving disappointed, and some of them are not in any hurry to leave at all.

“My friends were telling me, ‘Thank you for inviting me, it was awesome to see you.’ Yeah, I would love to have played better, but it's fine,” Mateo Pulcini of Argentina said after going 81-78. “We're going to keep having fun. We're going to come to watch tomorrow and Sunday and enjoy the moment and the tournament.”

Amateurs have access to stay in the Crow's Nest in the top of the clubhouse even if they fail to make the 36-hole cut.

Fifa Laopakdee of Thailand, who won the Asia-Pacific Amateur, had rounds of 80-75. He also had the pleasure of spending two rounds with Fred Couples, who even at 66 oozes charisma and cool.

“Oh, man, if you give me an hour I can write 100 bullet points what I learned this week,” said Laopakdee, who plays at Arizona State. “Play with Freddie and Min Woo (Lee), I learned a lot. If you watch Freddie first 14 holes (Thursday), it was perfect golf.”

Koepka is in the mix

Brooks Koepka's first mission was to get in the mix in his return to the PGA Tour after four years with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He didn't think it would take until the Masters, but here he is.

Koepka has made 11 birdies through two rounds, enough to offset some soft bogeys. He had a 69 on Friday and goes into the weekend at 3-under 141. Key to his second round was changing the setting on his driver and getting the ball in play.

“Ball-striking has been really good this week. Putted better today. Short game has been kind of iffy,” he said. “But I like the way I’m playing right now. Just need to be a little bit more aggressive.”

Tom Watson was critical of the PGA Tour for letting Koepka return under a program that kept Koepka from getting equity grants for five years and not having access to bonus money this year. Watson felt the tour reneged on its promise to ban LIV players for life. If anything, he said Koepka or anyone else should have spent a year on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“I would have to look at exactly what he said. Just going off your summary, everybody is entitled to their own opinion,” Koepka said. “He’s not the first person that’s thought that. I’m just grateful to be out here. The people that make those decisions let me out here. If you’re going to get the opportunity to come back out, you’re going to take it.”

___

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

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Wilton Manors police say Katherine Luciano left the kittens at Donn Eisele Park around 10 a.m. on Sunday. Surveillance video from a nearby home shows a red sedan pulling up, with a taped cardboard box inside.

Moments later, the five baby kittens spill out onto the ground as the woman walks away.

“While walking back to the car, the defendant is heard asking the male she is with, ”There were five total correct," her arrest report states.

The two then got back into the vehicle and left the park, abandoning the five kittens with no access to food, water, or shelter.

Peter Carey, who was walking his dog at the time, told Local 10 that he witnessed the kittens being abandoned.

“I was really focused on the cats, but it kept my anger from being focused on her,” he said. “Because I really wish that I could just put her in a box and dump her in a field so she could see how it felt. That’s how I feel.”

Carey rescued four of the kittens, while the fifth was found later.

All five have since been adopted.

“Happy to say that they’ve all been adopted,” Carey said. “I dropped off the last kitty last night to a nurse that lives in Aventura.”

After seeing her mugshot, Carey said, “It looks like her. And I hope I never see her again.”

Zachary Rinkins at Broward County Animal Care says they have resources to help shelter or house animals — even strays.

Luciano appeared to smirk when a judge on Friday morning told her that she is not allowed to have an animal while on pre-trial release.

Luciano remained at the Broward County Main Jail on five counts of animal abandonment and five counts of conservation of animals: torment, deprive, mutilate or kill. Her total bond was set at $5,000.

It’s not clear if the passenger in the car will face any charges.

Investigators said people were killed and six others were injured in the attack, which happened nearly a year ago.

The material, released by the State Attorney’s Office, include body camera video showing officers rushing to the scene, confronting the suspected gunman and taking him into custody.

Recordings of 911 calls capture the urgency of the moment.

“Can you tell me exactly what’s happening?” a 911 dispatcher asked the caller.

“There’s a shooter at the FSU Student Union” the caller responded.

Authorities later identified the suspect as Phoenix Ikner, who was 20 years old at the time of the shooting.

Records related to his parent’s custody dispute show Ikner’s identity before 2020 was Christian Gunnar Eriksen, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Norway, and included allegations that he had been diagnosed with “several health and mental issues” by the time he was 11 years old, ABC News and First Coast News.

After the FSU shooting, Leon County Sheriff Walter A. McNeil said Ikner was a “long-standing” member of The Leon County Sheriff’s Office Youth Advisory Council and identified, Jessica Ikner, a deputy who served in LCSO for over 18 years, as his mother..

“Her son had access to one of her weapons and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene,” McNeil said referring to the deputy’s stepson.

Newly released court documents also detail Eichner’s alleged conversations on the day of the shooting with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, including questions about the university and prompts such as when the FSU student union is busiest.

Attorneys in Tallahassee have since filed a lawsuit against ChatGPT on behalf of one of the victims. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also announced an investigation into the company this week.

Investigators said Eichner faces nine charges, including first-degree murder. His trial is expected to begin in October.

Local 10 digital journalist Andrea Torres contributed to this story.

Según la sentencia, fechada el 31 de marzo y a la que tuvo acceso The Associated Press el viernes, el perito independiente solicitado por el juez dio la razón a los demandantes y estableció que el siniestro ocurrido en mayo de 2018 fue un “accidente institucional", es decir, que se gestó dentro la compañía por las negligencias en el mantenimiento y colocó a los pilotos como "la última barrera de defensa y a quienes desafortunadamente no les fue posible controlar el desplome a baja altura" de la aeronave.

Por eso, el juez ordenó a la empresa, Aerolíneas Damojh, pagar 1,5 millones de dólares por familia de los cuatro miembros de la tripulación que fueron los primeros en demandar. La compañía no se presentó al juicio y fue juzgada en rebeldía. La empresa que aseguraba el avión también fue demandada pero quedó exenta de multas.

El avión, un Boeing 737, se estrelló sobre un campo de yuca poco después de haber despegado del aeropuerto internacional José Martí en La Habana en lo que fue una de las peores tragedias aéreas de la isla en décadas. Aunque algunas personas fueron hospitalizadas, finalmente solo sobrevivió una mujer.

Un año después del accidente, Cuba dijo que el siniestro se debió a errores de cálculo de la tripulación. Previamente las autoridades de aviación civil mexicanas habían suspendido temporalmente a la empresa, que había tenido irregularidades en el pasado, y abrió una investigación sobre el caso.

L a AP preguntó por la situación actual de dichas pesquisas a la Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes pero no recibió respuesta de manera inmediata.

Damojh utilizaba el nombre comercial de Global Air y rentaba el avión con tripulación incluida a la aerolínea estatal de la isla, Cubana de Aviación, que era la que operaba el vuelo.

“Es una sentencia ejemplar... que se logró probar después de muchísimos esfuerzos”, dijo uno de los abogados litigantes, Samuel González. Según explicó, el juez confirmó lo que el jefe de mantenimiento de la empresa dijo a varios familiares desde el primer día, “que el avión no podía volar”, máxime porque días antes había tenido un golpe.

”Ese avión voló por la cabeza de todos nosotros durante diez años sin mantenimiento", agregó. “Cayó en Cuba... pero pudo haber caído en cualquier parte”.

La sentencia todavía puede ser apelada. González cree que Damojh está tramitando su quiebra, “que puede ser una quiebra fraudulenta, en cuyo caso también denunciaremos”.

Además de esta primera demanda de familias de la tribulación, el abogado señaló que hay una acción civil colectiva ya en trámite en representación de todas la víctimas y una denuncia penal por homicidio contra la empresa y todo aquel que resulte responsable ante la Fiscalía General de la República.

Esta última investigación está ralentizada, según González, porque las autoridades cubanas no han aportado la información solicitada. La fiscalía no respondió de manera inmediata a la AP sobre el estado de este caso.

Queda por verse si hubo responsabilidad por acción u omisión de autoridades mexicanas, aunque el equipo litigante ya interpuso denuncias en otras dependencias, entre ellas la fiscalía anticorrupción, contra quienes autorizaron el vuelo y dieron el certificado de aeronavegabilidad al avión.

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At The Berry Farm in southwest Miami-Dade, children and parents spread out across 40 acres Saturday for the farm’s annual Eggstravaganza.

Kids of all ages raced through egg hunts, played on playgrounds, visited baby animals and posed for photos with the Easter Bunny.

“We actually live in Chicago,” said Christine Burger, a grandmother attending the event. “And the weather is better than Chicago. It’s a whole lot of outdoor activities for us to do today too.”

Karl Wiegandt of The Berry Farm said the event has grown over the years and has become a tradition for many families.

“This is the sixth year we’ve done the egg hunts here at the berry farm and we’ve really learned a lot,” Wiegandt said. “We do 39 egg hunts to keep organization, enough eggs for all the kids, and really for parents to be able to get those pictures where it’s not a congestion of kid running at the same time.”

“We always say we try to create that forever moment and picture and those memories. I think we’ve done a great job of it,” he added.

The event continues on Easter Sunday.

In Broward County, families gathered in Plantation for the city’s annual Royal Easter Egg Hunt at Pop Travers Park.

Children from toddlers to 10 years old were split into age groups, each taking turns running across the field to collect eggs.

“It was very nice to come out on a Saturday. I got up really early to do it. I wasn’t expecting this but it was really good. The kids enjoyed it,” said Ambria Butts.

After the hunt, families stayed to enjoy inflatables, games and a visit from the Royal Easter Bunny.

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Investigators said it happened on Feb. 24 near suspect Joel Xavier McNeil’s home in the county’s unincorporated West Little River area.

According to an MDSO arrest report, the victim told investigators that she had arranged a “quick visit out call” with McNeil early that morning, in which she would drive to him and have sex with him.

Authorities said the woman picked McNeil up near his home and the two drove close to a Dollar General, but McNeil had her turn around and head back to where she picked him up, near his home.

Deputies said at around 7:30 a.m., he had the victim pull over along the side of the road near Northwest 18th Avenue and 93rd Terrace, and “began to rub (her) inner thigh.”

According to the report, after she asked McNeil to pay first, he “stopped, used his phone, then pulled out a pistol from his waistband and pulled the slide backwards to chamber a round.”

The report states that he then told her “that he was police and (he) was going to need her to wait right there.”

Authorities said the woman put her hands up and asked what McNeil what he was doing and he asked her, “Where is the money?”

Deputies said the victim told him she had no money and showed her empty purse. At that point, they said McNeil, listed in the report as 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, grabbed hold of the woman’s jacket as she tried to leave the vehicle and held her at gunpoint.

Authorities said she briefly got back in the vehicle, then ran out again and broke free from McNeil’s grip as another car headed her way.

“The victim then walked in front of the passing vehicle and asked for them to help her and call the police, however the vehicle continued driving away, not assisting (her),” the report states. “The victim then used her cellphone camera to record (McNeil) in her vehicle as he continued to ask her to come back into the vehicle. (He) then jumped over to the drivers side of the vehicle, closed the door and drove off in an unknown direction.”

On Thursday, authorities said McNeil’s father had called MDSO regarding a dispute over McNeil leaving their home in the 1800 block of Northwest 93rd Street.

Deputies said a check revealed an unrelated domestic violence warrant and a probable cause message in connection with the escort robbery.

As four deputies tried taking McNeil into custody, he started “pulling his hands away and rolling on the ground in an effort to avoid being handcuffed,” a separate arrest report states.

He was eventually taken into custody on charges of armed robbery, false imprisonment with a deadly weapon, falsely personating an officer with a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and resisting an officer without violence.

Appearing in court on Friday, a Miami-Dade judge ordered he be held without bond.

As of Friday afternoon, McNeil was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, online records show.

Bowser’s proposal makes education and health care spending priorities but would cut funding for several areas, including $127 million set aside for future collective bargaining agreements and non-union pay increases for city employees.

Notable in the proposal is the decrease in the proposed general funds budget of $12.7 billion, a 3.3% cut from 2026. General funds are what pay for city services. Bowser said the cuts are necessary because of a drop in revenue due in part to federal workforce reductions and rising costs, including higher Medicaid expenses and higher administration costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) because of a change in federal law that shifted some costs to states.

Bowser, speaking to the Council, assured members the city is “not broke” as she walked them through what she called the three periods of her tenure, the days of growth, the COVID-economic years and post-COVID.

“We are adjusting to what DOGE has done to our workforce and commercial corridor,” she said, referring to the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the federal government. She said the rising costs and decreased revenue have left the city with an estimated budget gap to address.

“I think we all have to be clear headed about where we are and what it will take to keep growing,” said Bowser, who has served as mayor since 2015 and has announced she will not be running for reelection this year.

Members of the council questioned Bowser and members of her staff on proposed targets, including taking aim at programs intended to help defray the cost of child care in a city where a family pays on average more than $25,000 a year for infant care, according to the advocacy group Child Care Aware of America. It would cap the District’s child care subsidy program, which helps the city’s poorest families afford care, at 6,000 children. Families currently receiving the subsidies would continue to receive them. And it would eliminate a program that supplemented the wages of child care providers, a measure passed during the pandemic to help attract and retain workers to a field with historically low wages.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said the council would likely vote on the budget in June.

Washington's budget has been complicated in the last two years, including in 2025 when the House passed a federal government funding bill that would force the district’s government to revert to its 2024 budget parameters, effectively cutting $1.1 billion from its previously balanced budget midway through the financial year.

The remaking of the federal workforce by the Department of Government Efficiency heavily impacted the Washington region. Terry Clower, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University estimated more than 50,000 jobs were lost in the region. Clover said those job losses would be more than lost salaries and income taxes for the workers, also hitting businesses that support those workers, meaning additional lost revenue for localities.

The D.C. Office of Revenue Analysis estimated that Washington had a net loss of 22,000 federal jobs at a combined annual pay of more than $3 billion.

City Administrator Kevin Donahue said said one area where revenue was hit was the impact of the reductions in the federal workforce, primarily by the Department of Government Efficiency, that cost about $325 million in lost revenue from job cuts and the accompanying consumer spending. Those losses will be even higher in the 2027 fiscal year.

Los investigadores dijeron que el hecho ocurrió el 24 de febrero cerca de la vivienda del sospechoso, Joel Xavier McNeil, en el área no incorporada de West Little River.

Según un informe de arresto de MDSO, la víctima dijo a los investigadores que había coordinado una “visita rápida a domicilio” con McNeil esa mañana, en la que ella conduciría hasta él para tener relaciones sexuales.

Las autoridades indicaron que la mujer recogió a McNeil cerca de su casa y ambos condujeron hacia un área cercana a un Dollar General, pero McNeil le pidió que diera la vuelta y regresara al lugar donde lo había recogido.

Los agentes dijeron que alrededor de las 7:30 a.m., él le indicó a la víctima que se detuviera a un lado de la vía cerca de la avenida 18 del noroeste y la terraza 93, y “comenzó a tocar la parte interna de su muslo”.

Según el informe, después de que ella le pidiera que pagara primero, él “se detuvo, usó su teléfono y luego sacó una pistola de la cintura y deslizó la corredera hacia atrás para cargar un proyectil”.

El informe indica que luego le dijo “que era policía y que iba a necesitar que se quedara allí”.

Las autoridades dijeron que la mujer levantó las manos y le preguntó qué estaba haciendo, a lo que él respondió: “¿Dónde está el dinero?”

Los agentes dijeron que la víctima le indicó que no tenía dinero y le mostró su bolso vacío. En ese momento, McNeil, descrito en el informe como de 6 pies y 5 pulgadas de estatura y 200 libras, sujetó la chaqueta de la mujer cuando ella intentó salir del vehículo y la mantuvo a punta de pistola.

Las autoridades indicaron que ella volvió brevemente al vehículo, luego salió corriendo nuevamente y logró soltarse del agarre de McNeil cuando otro vehículo se acercaba.

“La víctima caminó frente al vehículo que pasaba y les pidió ayuda y que llamaran a la policía, sin embargo, el vehículo continuó su marcha sin asistirla”, señala el informe. “Luego, la víctima utilizó la cámara de su teléfono celular para grabar a McNeil en su vehículo mientras él continuaba pidiéndole que regresara. Posteriormente, él se pasó al lado del conductor, cerró la puerta y se fue conduciendo en dirección desconocida”.

El jueves, las autoridades dijeron que el padre de McNeil llamó a MDSO por una disputa relacionada con que su hijo había salido de la vivienda en la cuadra 1800 de la calle 93 del noroeste.

Los agentes dijeron que al verificar, encontraron una orden de arresto por un caso no relacionado de violencia doméstica y una causa probable vinculada al robo de la escort.

Mientras cuatro agentes intentaban detener a McNeil, este comenzó a “retirar las manos y a rodar en el suelo en un intento de evitar ser esposado”, según otro informe de arresto.

Finalmente fue puesto bajo custodia y enfrenta cargos de robo a mano armada, privación ilegal de la libertad con arma mortal, hacerse pasar por agente con arma mortal durante la comisión de un delito grave y resistirse a un agente sin violencia.

Durante su comparecencia en corte el viernes, un juez de Miami-Dade ordenó que permaneciera detenido sin derecho a fianza.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, McNeil permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según registros en línea.

Mayor Quinton Lucas and nine of 12 City Council members introduced a proposed ordinance Thursday to allow the city manager to negotiate with the Royals over a new stadium near the city's historic Union Station and its World War I museum, about 6 miles northwest of the Royals' current Kauffman Stadium.

The city expects the new stadium to cost $1.9 billion, and Missouri last year enacted a law allowing the state to cover half, or $950 million. If Kansas City issued its bonds, the Royals would need $350 million in private funds.

Kauffman Stadium sits beside the Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium in the Truman Sports Complex, owned by Jackson County, Missouri, and home to both teams since 1973. Their stadium leases expire in 2031, and in April 2024, county voters rejected extending a tax that would have helped pay for renovations of both.

The Royals also have considered another site for a new stadium about 5 miles north in neighboring North Kansas City.

Kansas legislative leaders who would have to approve a deal to attract the Royals have shown little appetite for one after the state committed in December to issuing $2.4 billion in bonds to cover 60% of the cost of a new, $3 billion domed stadium for the Chiefs in Kansas City, Kansas. Two of them, House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican, and Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, a Democrat, issued a joint statement Friday congratulating Missouri, adding, “We're looking forward to what's ahead.”

The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council could vote on the proposed ordinance as early as Thursday, but City Manager Mario Vasquez said the work toward keeping the team “is just beginning.”

The team said in a statement Friday: "We are grateful for their engagement in this process, as well as for the critical work of the State of Missouri, and look forward to more detailed conversations as we consider solutions that are best for our team, our fans, and our community.”

Economists who have studied pro sports teams have concluded for decades that subsidizing stadiums isn’t worth the cost for their communities because the venues pull economic activity away from other parts of the area instead of expanding the overall economy. Yet states and cities continue providing subsidies to renovate stadiums or build new ones.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe called the Royals “a key economic catalyst” for his state.

“The State of Missouri is committed to continue working alongside the Kansas City Royals organization and the City of Kansas City to ensure the Royals remain in Missouri — where they belong," Kehoe said.

Of the 60 stadiums used by MLB and NFL teams, 49 are publicly owned or sit on public land.

New York state and Erie County together chipped in $850 million, or 40% of the cost, for the Buffalo Bills' new $2.1 billion NFL stadium. Ohio state and local governments have pledged $1.2 billion to cover half the cost of a new stadium for the NFL's Cleveland Browns, though the state's portion is held up by a lawsuit.

Kansas officials have described the Chiefs' stadium as the largest economic development project in state history. The team also plans a retail district around the stadium and a new training complex in Olathe, Kansas.

“It's only been four months,” she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail.

The “Gulf Crossing” video more than three years ago marked the start of a sailing adventure — chronicled on Facebook — for a couple who are now at the center of criminal investigations after Lynette went missing in the Bahamas.

A few days after Lynette disappeared, police in the Atlantic Ocean island nation arrested Brian. He denies any wrongdoing in his wife’s disappearance and has been cooperating with law enforcement, his attorney, Terrel Butler, said.

Brian Hooker told police that his wife of more than 20 years fell overboard Saturday night from a small motorboat that was carrying the couple from Hope Town to Elbow Cay, small islands on the eastern end of the Bahamas. He said Lynette, 55, had the keys and the boat's engine shut off.

“Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” police said in a statement Saturday.

He paddled to shore and alerted others early Sunday, said authorities, who arrested and questioned him Wednesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard has opened an investigation separate from the one by Bahamas authorities.

Karli Aylesworth, Lynette's daughter, has said it's unlikely her mother would “just fall” from a boat.

And while the couple is seen smiling, laughing and joking in social media videos of their voyage, they have a history of contention.

Brian and Lynette Hooker accused each other of assault in 2015, according to a Kentwood, Michigan, police report obtained by NBC News.

Brian Hooker, who was intoxicated and bleeding from the nose, told police his wife had struck him multiple times in the face, the report said. He told officers Lynette also was drunk. She was arrested for assault and spent the night in jail. A warrant was denied because it wasn't clear “who started the assault.”

Aylesworth also told NBC that the couple’s relationship was volatile and that they have a “history of not getting along, especially when they drink.”

The couple’s home is in Onsted, about 72 miles (117 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. The closest big body of water is Lake Erie, about 60 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Onsted.

Lynette Hooker's mother, Darlene Hamlett, said Wednesday that the family “grew up on water” and that her daughter's life has been “near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming.”

The couple posted videos of their years sailing around the Caribbean on their “Sailing Hookers” Facebook page.

Lynette, in the March 2023 video, describes the start of the couple's voyage aboard the Soul Mate as the sailboat slips through the Kemah, Texas, fog and into the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“Pretty cool,” Lynette said as Brian blared the Soul Mate's foghorn. Later, while changing an engine alternator belt, he looks up at his wife and says, “Hi sexy.”

In an earlier video, the couple explains how they bought the Soul Mate in the coastal town of Rockport, Texas, and fixed it up.

“After several years of driving around the country, looking for our perfect sailboat, we finally found her in Texas,” Lynette said in that eight-minute video, posted in January 2023. “She was a little rough on the edges. The decks needed to be redone, but we knew we were up for the task.”

That video shows them working together, scraping, priming and painting. “The decks are done! we're still married! party time!” is printed in a message on the video.

A video posted two years ago shows them using their smaller motorboat to buy food on land. The video doesn't give the couple's location.

“We got the grub,” Brian says into the camera, which shifts to a case of beer at his feet and bags of groceries in the bow. “Delivery ... the way of life, man.”

___

Associated Press writers R.J. Rico and Dánica Coto contributed to this report.

Anfernee Watts, quien también tiene una hija de 2 años, compareció el jueves ante la corte de fianza de Broward, donde un juez le negó la fianza.

Watts “admitió haber fabricado una historia para presentar a las autoridades, colocando al bebé fallecido de nuevo en el corral con la intención de hacer parecer que murió mientras dormía”, escribió un agente, según la orden de arresto.

Crystal Garcia tenía 20 años cuando dio a luz a su hijo el 11 de julio en el Memorial Regional Hospital, según la policía.

Un pediatra reportó que el bebé estaba en buen estado de salud el 28 de julio, según la orden. La tragedia ocurrió pocos días después.

“Ella restringió intencionalmente al bebé envolviéndolo firmemente en una manta, asegurando un chupón en su boca y sujetándolo en un asiento de auto antes de colocarlo dentro de una bañera y aislarlo detrás de una puerta cerrada mientras sonaba música a alto volumen”, y “ignoró deliberadamente su angustia y no lo revisó durante varias horas”, escribió un detective, según la orden.

Personal de Hollywood Fire Rescue declaró muerto al bebé a la 1:50 p.m. del 1 de agosto en una vivienda ubicada en 6660 Thomas St., según los registros.

Los oficiales notaron una “almohadilla desechable para cambiar pañales que parecía tener manchas de sangre”, y el bebé “tenía espuma visible en la boca y labios agrietados que parecían tener sangre seca”, según la orden de arresto.

Watts dijo a los agentes que había asistido a una entrevista de trabajo cuando ocurrió la muerte, pero el supuesto entrevistador indicó que eso era falso, según la orden.

La Oficina del Médico Forense de Broward determinó que la causa de la muerte fue asfixia y la clasificó como homicidio. La evidencia también incluye un video de una cámara de vigilancia Ring que muestra a Garcia con una bolsa de basura antes de llamar al 911.

La madre de Watts contactó a la policía para reportar que Garcia, de 21 años, le dijo que el bebé murió atrapado entre el marco de la cama y el colchón, según la orden.

Garcia dejó mensajes de voz a la policía desde el 4 de agosto hasta el miércoles y admitió haber mentido y haber “asfixiado” al bebé, según la orden.

“Crystal admitió que mintió a la policía por miedo a ser arrestada”, escribió un agente, según la orden.

El Grupo de Trabajo de Fugitivos de los U.S. Marshals arrestó a la pareja el miércoles.

Registros carcelarios indican que Garcia permanecía detenida sin derecho a fianza el viernes en el North Broward Bureau, un centro de detención en Pompano Beach.

Garcia y Watts enfrentan cada uno cinco cargos: obstrucción de una investigación criminal, homicidio agravado de un menor, negligencia infantil con gran daño corporal, manipulación de evidencia y alterar o manipular un cadáver, su vestimenta o elementos circundantes sin autorización.

La madre de Watts tiene la custodia de la hija de 2 años desde que tenía aproximadamente 5 meses, luego de que Garcia y la bebé dieran positivo a THC al nacer, según la orden de arresto.

Lea una parte de la orden de arresto

Historia relacionada: pareja comparece en corte de Broward acusada por la muerte de su hijo de tres semanas y encubrimiento

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Anfernee Watts, who also has a 2-year-old daighter, appeared in Broward bond court on Thursday, and a judge denied him bail.

Watts “admitted to fabricating a story to present to law enforcement, placing the deceased baby back into the playpen in an effort to make it appear as though the baby died in his sleep,” a police officer wrote, according to an arrest warrant.

Crystal Garcia was 20 years old when she gave birth to their son on July 11 at Memorial Regional Hospital, according to police.

A pediatrician reported the baby boy was in good health on July 28, according to the arrest warrant. The tragedy unfolded a few days later.

“She intentionally restrained the baby by tightly wrapping him in a blanket, securing a pacifier in his mouth, and strapping him into a car seat before placing him inside a bathtub and isolating him behind a closed door while loud music played,” and she “willfully ignored his distress and failed to check on him for several hours,” a detective wrote, according to the warrant.

Hollywood Fire Rescue personnel pronounced the baby dead at 1:50 p.m. on Aug. 1st, in a house at 6660 Thomas St., records show.

Police officers noticed a “disposable changing pad that appeared to have blood spotting on it,” and the baby “had visible foam in his mouth and cracked lips that appeared to have dried blood on them,” according to the arrest warrant.

Watts told police officers that he had attended a job interview when the baby died, but the alleged interviewee said that was false, according to the warrant.

The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the baby’s cause of death to be suffocation and the manner of death to be a homicide. The evidence also includes a video recorded by a Ring surveillance camera showing Garcia with a garbage bag before calling 911.

Watts’ mother contacted police to report that Garcia, 21, told her the baby died while pinned between the bed frame and the mattress, according to an arrest warrant.

Garcia left voicemails to police from Aug. 4 to Wednesday and admitted to lying and to report that she had “smothered” the baby, according to the arrest warrant.

“Crystal admitted she lied to the police out of fear of being arrested,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest warrant.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested the couple on Wednesday.

Corrections was holding Garcia without bond on Friday at the North Broward Bureau, a detention center in Pompano Beach, according to inmate records.

Garcia and Watts are each facing five charges: Obstruction of a criminal investigation, aggravated manslaughter of a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, tampering with evidence, and willfully touching, removing, or disturbing a dead body, clothing, or surrounding items without authorization.

Watt’s mother has had custody of their 2-year-old daughter since she was about 5 months old after Garcia and the baby tested positive for THC at birth, according to the arrest warrant.

Read a part of the arrest warrant

Related story: Couple appears in Broward court accused of 3-week-old son’s death and cover up

Reading prepared remarks at the White House on Thursday, Melania Trump said she and her attorneys were fighting back against “unfound and baseless lies” in regards to her connections to the late financier, a convicted sex offender who leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.

“The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

The first lady didn't take questions from the press after her statement, leaving many with questions:

Why now?

It's unclear.

The message came as her husband, President Donald Trump, and his administration had finally seemed to move past more than a year of controversy surrounding Epstein, especially as the Iran war had become all-consuming in Washington.

The first lady’s comments almost assuredly will serve to push the story back into the political spotlight even as the president urged the public and media to move on from the case.

Who was Melania Trump responding to?

Melania Trump seemingly referenced a brief email from 2002 with the sender and recipient blacked out. It begins, “Dear G!” and ends “Love, Melania,” and compliments the recipient on a magazine article about “JE.”

“I know you are very busy flying all over the world,” it says. “How was Palm Beach? I cannot wait to go down. Give me a call when you are back in NY.”

That email was sent the same month that a New York Magazine article was published about Epstein in which Trump called him a “terrific guy.”

Melania Trump said Thursday that she was not friends with Epstein or his confidant and onetime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, but was in overlapping social circles in New York and Florida. She described an email reply she sent to Maxwell as “casual correspondence” without elaborating.

“My polite reply to her email doesn’t amount to anything more than a trivial note,” she said.

Among other documents released was an image from Epstein’s home showing a series of photographs along a credenza and in drawers. In that image, inside a drawer among other photos, was a photograph of Donald Trump alongside Epstein, Melania Trump and Maxwell.

Melania Trump noted Thursday that several individuals and organizations have had to apologize for their “lies about me.” Of the examples she cited, the most recent was in October. In that case, book publisher HarperCollins UK apologized to the first lady and retracted passages from a book suggesting Epstein played a role in introducing her and Donald Trump.

What did President Trump say about his wife’s comments?

MS ​NOW ​reporter Jacqueline Alemany said on social media Thursday that President Trump told her he ⁠did ​not “know anything ​about” ​Melania ​Trump’s statement about ⁠Epstein.

The White House press office did not respond to requests for comment.

Nick Clemens, a spokesperson for the first lady, said the West Wing was aware beforehand that she was making a statement. But he deferred to the West Wing on whether the content of what Melania Trump planned to say was known.

In recent weeks President Trump’s public appearances have largely centered around the war in Iran.

What is the status of the release of the Epstein files?

The first lady brought Epstein back to the forefront months after federal authorities released millions of pages of documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the law enacted after months of public and political pressure. It requires the government to open its files on the late financier and Maxwell.

Lawmakers initially complained when the Justice Department made only a limited release, but officials said more time was needed to review additional documents that were discovered and to ensure no sensitive information about victims was released.

Did anyone get punished after the files were made public?

Several key leaders in Europe have been punished for their affiliation with Epstein but there have been no comparable prosecutions in the U.S.

Most notably, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — Britain's former Prince Andrew — was arrested in February following the most recent trove of files that were released. Mountbatten-Windsor's name frequently appeared in the files, depicting a close relationship with Epstein.

But his arrest didn't have anything to do with sexual impropriety. Instead, he was arrested for allegedly sharing confidential trade information with Epstein.

Melania Trump called on Congress to hold a public hearing centered on survivors of Epstein’s crimes, with a chance to testify before lawmakers and have their stories entered into the congressional record.

“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” she said. “Then, and only then, we will have the truth.”

The unveiling of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki's statue had an unforced error on Friday — a broken bat.

As broadcaster Rick Rizzs declared “we're going to count down from 51!” — a nod to the jersey number retired by the Seattle Mariners for their beloved Suzuki — the curtain covering the bronze statue was pulled down, and so too went the bat.

A snapping noise could be heard as the bronze bat flopped down and confetti sprouted up.

“Here it is! The statue of one of the greatest players in the history of the game!” Rizzs declared as the curtain was pulled and a celebratory tune rang outside of T-Mobile Park.

The statue depicts Suzuki in his famed batting stance. He appeared to find the mishap to be hilarious, and joked through an interpreter that New York Yankees Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera got the best of him again.

“I didn’t think Mariano would come out here,” Suzuki said with a smile through the interpreter, “and break the bat.”

It did not take long for the Mariners to fix the statue; Suzuki’s bat was soon turned upright and reconnected at the handle. Suzuki, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last summer, became only the third Mariners player to have his number retired by the franchise last year, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (No. 24) and Edgar Martinez (No. 11).

Griffey and Martinez also have statues outside of the park. They joined Suzuki at the ceremony, and all three pulled the curtain off the statue together. Suzuki made history last summer as the first Japanese-born player inducted into the Hall of Fame, earning a near-unanimous 99.7% of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

The way a jovial Suzuki saw it, his statue having an imperfection was only fitting.

“In the Hall of Fame, I was short one vote,” Suzuki said. “Today, the bat was broke. It kind of lets me know that I’m still not there, that I still need to keep going. So, this is a good example of that.”

___

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

Adams, a Democrat, received the honorary citizenship “at his request,” according to an official decree from the country’s president, Bajram Begaj.

The news was first reported in the Albanian press and confirmed by a spokesperson for Adams, who said the ex-mayor had “long been a friend and ally of the Albanian-American community.”

“The decision by the Republic of Albania to grant Mayor Adams citizenship reflects that enduring relationship and mutual respect,” the spokesperson, Todd Shapiro, said in a text message, adding that the recognition “further strengthens the bond between New York and Albania.”

Adams, who once described himself as an “international mayor,” has previously expressed an affinity for the small Balkan nation. His adult son lived in the country while competing in Albania’s version of “American Idol." Adams traveled there himself in October — one of several international trips taken in his final months in office.

The purpose, he said at the time, was “to say hello to a friend and learn from a friend and build a relationship with a friendship that will not allow our oceans or seas to divide us.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what, if anything, Adams planned to do with his new citizenship. But he has previously expressed a desire to move far from his hometown of New York City.

“When I retire from government, I’m going to live in Baku,” Adams, then Brooklyn Borough President, said at an event honoring the Azerbaijan community in 2018. A few years later, in an interview with a Jewish publication, Adams said he would like to retire in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

As mayor, Adams' penchant for international trips to Turkey prompted a federal indictment focused, in part, on allegations that he accepted improper travel benefits from foreign nationals.

Adams denied the allegations, and the case was later ordered dropped by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. Adams later met with Trump administration officials about the possibility of taking an ambassadorship, which did not materialize.

Shortly after dropping his ailing bid for reelection, Adams embarked on a four-day trip to Albania, meeting with the country’s Prime Minister Edi Rama and members of his Cabinet, along with local business leaders. The trip was paid for in part by the Albanian government.

Since leaving office, Adams has been spotted in Dubai and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also told reporters that he planned to fly to Senegal for a business opportunity, which he declined to discuss further.

In January, he launched a cryptocurrency coin that he said would beat back antisemitism and “anti-Americanism,” but it drew scrutiny after losing millions of dollars in value.

The team announced that Conine was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring tear after attempting to make a diving catch in left field during Thursday’s series finale win against the Cincinnati Reds.

Conine is batting .273 with a .951 OPS, six hits, two home runs, and four RBIs in 22 plate appearances this season.

It is still unknown how long he will be out.

The Marlins also recalled infielder Deyvison De Los Santos from Triple-A Jacksonville.

Imanaga struck out nine and walked one. He threw 100 pitches, 68 for strikes.

O’Hearn greeted Thielbar with a liner to right on a 1-1 slider. Bryan Reynolds drove Thielbar's next pitch deep to left for his third homer, lifting the Pirates to a 2-0 lead on a chilly afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Pittsburgh got its first baserunner when Oneil Cruz walked with two down in the second. Imanaga then fanned rookie Konnor Griffin for the final out of the inning.

The 32-year-old Imanaga went 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in his first two starts of the season.

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

Schaefer still has three-time All-American Madison Booker to build around, but the departures were jarring. A program coming off consecutive Final Four appearances was expecting to refresh and reload behind Booker, a group of seasoned veterans and one of the top recruiting classes in the country.

Texas was already losing starting point guard Rori Harmon and center Kyla Oldacre, as well as key reserve forward Teya Sidberry as all three had expired their college eligibility.

But soon after the transfer portal opened, a trio of players who were expected to be major contributors next year bolted.

Sophomore Jordan Lee, the team’s second-leading scorer who started 38 games and averaged 13.2 points and was the team's top 3-point shooter, was among them. So was Aaliyah Crump, who was one of the top recruits in the country in 2025. She missed 15 games last season with a foot injury but played in 24, averaging 7.9 points.

And sophomore Justice Carlton, who flashed moments of brilliance but also struggled with consistency, started 28 games and averaged 8.5 points. Also transferring is Aaliyah Moore, who missed last season with an injury.

Carlton posted on social media that she had wanted to play her entire career at Texas.

“I never imagined I'd transfer,” she wrote, “But some things just don't work.”

Schaefer did not plan to make a comment on the departures, a team spokesman said.

The players transferring out leave a team that has rocketed into the national elite in Schaefer's six seasons. In that span, Texas returned to the Final Four for the first time since 2003 and advanced to the Elite Eight three other times.

Texas won a share of the Southeastern Conference regular-season title in 2025 and won the league tournament this past season. Texas also earned No. 1 seeds for the NCAA Tournament the last three years.

Schaefer has proven to be a demanding coach to play for, and willing to publicly criticize his players.

After an 18-point loss in Nashville on Feb. 12, he went on a postgame rant that questioned his team’s heart and called the Longhorns “probably the softest team I’ve had in years.”

They didn't lose again until the Final Four. Schaefer's comments followed the team to Phoenix, where Harmon and Booker said the players had responded well to their coach's rebuke.

The roster needs an overhaul for next season but is far from bare. Schaefer's incoming recruiting class is ranked among the best in the nation, highlighted by guard Addison Bjorn and forward Brihanna Crittendon.

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Rozier was with the Heat for one game this season — the opener at Orlando on Oct. 22, a contest in which he did not play. He was arrested by federal officials at the team hotel the following morning on charges that he offered information to help people win bets on his stat totals in a 2023 game when was with the Charlotte Hornets.

Miami has until Sunday to sign another player. It’ll open play in the play-in tournament either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Rozier was placed on leave by the NBA shortly after his arrest. He has collected his $26.6 million salary this season; the Heat were first paying it into an interest-bearing account, and an arbitrator later ruled that Rozier should be getting the money despite his legal issues.

The Heat traded for Rozier in January 2024, unaware of the gambling probe. Miami sent Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round pick to Charlotte in return for Rozier; last month, the Hornets wound up giving Miami a second-round pick in this year’s draft, a largely unprecedented move presumably to close the dispute over what wasn’t disclosed at the time of the original deal.

Miami, like all teams, had until 5 p.m. Friday to waive a player with either an expiring contract or one where the team held an option for next season. The Heat, albeit in name only, have continued listing Rozier on injury reports as “not with team” all season, and his nameplate has even remained over his stall in the team locker room even after it became obvious that he would not be with the team again.

It’s not known how much contact Rozier — who was in the final year of his four-year, $96.2 million contract — has had with the Heat since his arrest. He did reach out to some in the organization via text in celebration of Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game against Washington, but hasn’t been known to have been around the team in any way since October.

The NBA was aware of unusual prop bet activity surrounding Rozier’s performance in that March 23, 2023, game he played with Charlotte against the New Orleans Pelicans; it was flagged by sportsbooks that afternoon, but a league probe — not the federal investigation — found no reason at that time to keep him from playing.

Rozier was in the starting lineup for Charlotte for that game and played reasonably well in 9 1/2 minutes of action, with five points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. That remains one of only two times in his career that he had that many points, rebounds and assists in a first quarter.

Rozier cited foot pain as his reason for not returning to that game. The Hornets have not said publicly if they were aware of any federal probes into Rozier’s conduct at that time.

Rozier has averaged 13.9 points per game in his career, which includes stops with Charlotte and Boston before coming to Miami. He appeared in 95 games with the Heat.

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

Las autoridades indicaron que los agentes acudieron al área de la calle 58 del suroeste y la avenida 120 del suroeste, en el vecindario de Kendale Lakes.

La escuela, que abarca desde prekindergarten hasta grado 12, está ubicada cerca de la intersección.

Sky 10 sobrevoló la escuela a las 2:53 p.m., donde se observaba a agentes y equipos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue en la escena.

Las autoridades informaron que los agentes realizaron una revisión de seguridad exhaustiva del campus siguiendo los protocolos establecidos.

Posteriormente, los equipos de respuesta concluyeron la inspección y determinaron que la llamada fue un incidente de “swatting”.

Los estudiantes y el personal ya regresaron a la escuela.

No se divulgaron más detalles de inmediato.

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Authorities said MDSO deputies were called to the area of Southwest 58th Street and Southwest 120th Avenue in the Kendale Lakes neighborhood.

The pre-kindergarten–12 school is located near the intersection.

Sky 10 flew over the school at 2:53 p.m., where deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews were at the scene.

Authorities said deputies conducted a comprehensive security sweep of the campus while following established safety protocols.

First responders later concluded the sweep and determined the call was a swatting incident. Students and staff have since returned to the school.

No other details were immediately released.

The 12-page plan released by the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts shows the arch will stand 250 feet tall (76.2 meters) from its base to the tip of the winged figure's torch, with “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” inscribed in gold atop either side of the monument.

The plan indicates the structure would stand between the Lincoln Memorial in the east and Arlington National Cemetery toward the west and within a traffic circle connecting Washington with northern Virginia. The arch would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial, which stands at 99 feet tall (30.2 meters).

Trump has said he wants to build the arch near the Lincoln Memorial and argued that the nation’s capital first sought such a monument 200 years ago.

“It was interrupted by a thing called the Civil War, and so it never got built,” Trump said in February. “Then, they almost built something in 1902, but it never happened.”

Trump has said that major cities around the world have such monuments, and Washington is the only one without one.

The arch is one of several architectural changes Trump is making in his second term. In addition to building a large ballroom at the White House, he's also made changes to the Oval Office and converted the Rose Garden into a stone-covered patio.

The arch goes beyond the White House, giving Trump a chance to leave another lasting monument in a city known for them. It would expand on his earlier talk of sprucing up the city by replacing its “tired” grasses, and broken signage and street medians.

Rolbert Joachin, 40, was arrested and charged with killing a woman on April 2 in Fort Myers, about 160 miles northwest of Miami. Authorities said the man was from Haiti and arrived in the U.S. in 2022. The woman who was killed was identified as a 51-year-old immigrant from Bangladesh and a mother of two adult daughters.

Trump, who posted the video late Thursday to his Truth Social account, has often sought to portray immigrants as bringing crime to the U.S., and the video emerging from the Florida attack presented him with a new, particularly graphic opportunity to do so. Trump also often paints Democrats and his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, as allowing in immigrants who posed a criminal or national security threat to the U.S.

Critics say the president unjustly paints all immigrants as criminals in an effort to bolster his immigration agenda, when studies have found that people living in the U.S. illegally are less likely than native-born Americans to have been arrested for violent, drug and property crimes.

“The video of her brutal slaying is one of the most vicious things you will ever see,” Trump said in his post, describing the man as an “animal."

Graphic video captured woman's killing

The woman who was killed was working as a clerk at the convenience store of the gas station, according to court documents. The killing happened outside the store and the man was arrested the same day.

In security camera footage of her killing posted on the Department of Homeland Security's X feed, the man can be seen repeatedly slamming the hammer into a black vehicle parked in front of the gas station. Eventually a woman in black pants and a pink shirt comes out and appears to question him.

The man, wearing a yellow shirt and black shorts, walks up to the woman and immediately swings the hammer at her head. The woman falls down on the sidewalk in front of the gas station’s front doors. The man attacks the woman with the hammer multiple times before stepping over her unmoving body and walking away, out of the frame of the camera.

The victim was later ıdentified in a police report as Nilufa Easmın, 51. A GoFundMe started by Samir Bahadur Syed, the President of the Bangladesh Association of Southwest Florida, described her as a "devoted mother who worked tirelessly to provide for her two young daughters."

Syed said that Easmin arrived in the United States about three decades ago and resided in Miami and Palm Beach before moving to Florida’s west coast. She was a single mother, and her two daughters — one 23 years old and the other about 26 — were born in the U.S., Syed told The Associated Press.

He added that Easmin had been working at the convenience store for nearly five months and that she also held another job.

Fort Myers police said they responded to a report of a woman being hit with a hammer at a Chevron gas station. When officers arrived they found a woman on the ground with blood around her head and multiple cuts.

Officers later located Joachin walking on the street and took him into custody. The police said he has confessed. He was charged with murder and property damage and appeared in court on Wednesday. His arraignment is set for May 4.

An email message sent to the public defender listed in court records as Joachin’s lawyer seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Trump administration criticizes temporary deportation protections

Trump blamed Biden for granting the man temporary protection to stay in the U.S.

Kelly Walker, acting field office director for ICE enforcement and removal operations, Miami field office, said during a news conference Friday that Joachin arrived in a “water vessel” near Key West, Florida in August 2022. He was arrested and given Temporary Protective Status in 2023. That status was revoked this week, Walker said.

The Trump administration has harshly criticized the use of Temporary Protected Status, which can be granted by an administration to citizens of a country that's going through turmoil or strife. Immigrants who qualify are allowed to stay in the U.S. and work for a temporary period, although Republican critics contend that the Biden administration misused its TPS authorities to broadly allow hundreds of thousands of people to stay in the country.

There are several lawsuits at the federal courts challenging Trump's efforts to terminate TPS for more than one million people, including 350,000 Haitians. In March, a federal appeals court sided with a lower judge’s ruling against the end of temporary status for Haiti and the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on April 29.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration have often highlighted crimes committed by immigrants and created a website where people can look up people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the crimes they’ve committed in the U.S.

The administration often highlights “Angel Families” who have lost family members to crimes committed by immigrants.

On Thursday ICE held an event marking the one-year anniversary of the reopening of an office dedicated to assisting those families, including emotional testimony from some of the surviving family members.

——

Bellisle reported from Seattle and Santana from Washington.

Y según analistas consultados el viernes, el conflicto no muestra señales de resolverse en el corto plazo.

La tensión está causando graves afectaciones a los sectores productivos de ambos países, especialmente en la zona fronteriza donde hasta hace unos meses el comercio, el transporte de mercancías, de bodegas y servicios eran incesantes.

La guerra arancelaria comenzó a fines de enero cuando Ecuador reclamó a Colombia por la falta de control de su lado de la frontera, donde actúan con relativa libertad grupos armados y del narcotráfico y se quejó de una balanza comercial negativa de casi 1.000 millones de dólares anuales.

Afectaciones económicas y comerciales

Ecuador subió la víspera al 100% los aranceles a los productos colombianos y la respuesta no tardó en llegar. El viernes el Ministerio de Comercio colombiano anunció que aumentaría el arancel a las importaciones provenientes de Ecuador del 30% al 100% en una propuesta que llevará a un comité antes de dejarla firma y que busca "restablecer las condiciones equitativas en el intercambio comercial”.

“Es un mensaje concreto de querer aniquilar totalmente el mercado de exportaciones entre Colombia y Ecuador, porque con un arancel del 100% obviamente saca de competitividad a las empresas colombianas”, advirtió a The Associated Press Oliva Diazgranados, directora ejecutiva de la Cámara Colombo Ecuatoriana, con sede en Bogotá.

Vaticinó que la mayoría de las empresas no lograrán sobrevivir hasta agosto, cuando se produzca el cambio de gobierno en Colombia, y estimó que ya han perdido cerca de 800 millones de dólares de intercambio comercial.

Expectativa por cambio político en Colombia

El presidente ecuatoriano Daniel Noboa lamentó el jueves en X que no se pueda llegar a acuerdos “con quien no tiene el mismo compromiso para luchar contra el narcoterrorismo”, aunque evitó mencionar a su par colombiano Gustavo Petro. Aseguró que espera que en el futuro pueda “conversar con un gobierno que sí esté comprometido con combatir la delincuencia y el narcotráfico”.

Colombia elegirá al sucesor de Petro el 31 de mayo y en caso de que ningún candidato alcance la cantidad de votos exigida por la ley irá a un balotaje en junio. En la carrera presidencial compiten 14 candidatos, entre ellos el senador Iván Cepeda, del partido de Petro; la senadora Paloma Valencia y el ultraderechista Abelardo de la Espriella.

El analista político y profesor de la Universidad Andina, Gustavo Isch, dijo que ve "imposible una salida en el corto plazo” a la crisis bilateral porque Ecuador tiene una política internacional y comercial “anclada a Estados Unidos y ese país no es afín al gobierno colombiano”.

Al tiempo que Noboa reclamaba a Colombia por no actuar con eficacia contra el crimen en la frontera, anunció operaciones conjuntas con Estados Unidos contra el crimen organizado.

“Esa alianza se está fortaleciendo y están tomando ventaja del anti-petrismo de oficiales dentro del Departamento de Estado, para ser aún más audaces con Colombia porque saben que Estados Unidos los va a apoyar”, dijo a la AP Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli, directora para los Andes de la Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos (WOLA).

Una compleja frontera

La extensa y porosa franja limítrofe ha sido usada por años por grupos armados ilegales colombianos vinculados al tráfico de drogas, la minería ilegal, el contrabando y la trata de personas que se asocian con bandas locales ecuatorianas, según el gobierno de Noboa.

La tensión política podría tener consecuencias “muy serias” en el ámbito de la seguridad según Grace Jaramillo, analista internacional y catedrática de Universidad de la Columbia Británica en Vancouver, Canadá.

Jaramillo explicó que cuando no hay confianza bilateral “no hay inteligencia compartida, seguridad, control del tráfico de narcóticos, de armas, de movimientos del crimen organizado. Eso es gravísimo”.

Organismos internacionales han advertido que el 70% de la droga que llega a Ecuador se produce en Colombia. Petro ha dicho que su gobierno ha priorizado la incautación de droga logrando resultados récord y aumentando la presencia militar en la frontera compartida, mientras cuestionó que Ecuador “debilitó la vigilancia en los puertos marítimos”.

Jaramillo aseguró que la crisis podría resolverse si Noboa elimina la tasa a los productos colombianos que “nunca debió comprometer el comercio con otro país” y que afecta especialmente a Ecuador.

El mercado colombiano recibe 1.150 productos ecuatorianos y es el quinto destino de sus exportaciones no petroleras —entre las que se destacan las grasas y aceites vegetales, las conservas de atún, la madera, el camarón y minerales. Al menos 620 empresas ecuatorianas están vinculadas con la exportación a Colombia, según la Federación Ecuatoriana de Exportadores.

El exministro de Economía de Ecuador, Fausto Ortiz, aseguró a AP que debido a la magnitud de la economía colombiana es “más fácil que asimile el impacto de las medidas impuestas por Ecuador".

“Es un desgaste innecesario” que causa un efecto que “tomará un proceso largo para ser restaurado desde cuando haya una solución”, aseguró Ortiz, quien advirtió que la incertidumbre paraliza las empresas, causa despidos y alienta el contrabando.

————

Suárez reportó desde Bogotá.

Offset, one-third of the influential hip-hop trio Migos, was shot Monday night following a fight at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, just north of Miami.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Offset confirmed that the rapper was in stable condition, but his exact condition was unknown. Police said the injuries were not life-threatening.

“Offset has been released from the hospital and he is up and walking," a representative for Offset said on Friday. "We’re incredibly grateful to the doctors, nurses, and the entire hospital staff who took such great care of him.”

The rapper shared his own statement on social media Friday, writing, “Thank you to everyone who’s checked in on me and showed me love! I’m good….but I’m planning to be better! I’m focused on my family, my recovery, and getting back to the music…realizing that life is made up of quiet wins and loud losses...”

“Life’s a gamble and I’m still playing to win,” he concluded.

Earlier this week, officers detained two people. The rapper Lil Tjay, born Tione Jayden Merritt, was arrested in connection with the altercation that occurred before the shooting, the Seminole Police Department in Florida said. He was charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license.

The second person detained at the scene has not been charged and investigators were working to identify others involved, police said in a statement Tuesday.

Offset, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus, launched his career with Migos, one of the most popular hip-hop groups of all time. The Atlanta trio is celebrated for their rapid-fire triplet flow, an often-imitated delivery that changed the trajectory of trap.

The group had several multiplatinum selling singles, including “Bad and Boujee,” which went No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Stir Fry,” and “Narcos." Migos released four full-length albums across their career.

More than three years ago, Offset’s cousin Takeoff, another member of Migos, was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley.

As a solo artist known for his idiosyncratic style — a melodic, aggressive finesse — Offset has released three full-length albums.

He was also previously married to the rapper Cardi B. The pair were secretly wed in September 2017 in Atlanta. In 2024, Cardi B announced that she filed for divorce. They have three children together.

The White Sox announced on Friday that they will hand out pope-themed hats to all fans who attend their Aug. 11 game against Cincinnati. The promotional item was originally limited to fans who had purchased specialty theme night tickets.

“The fans have spoken, and unlike some of our more limited quantity promotions, the White Sox Pope Hat is one we believe all fans should have the opportunity to take home,” Brooks Boyer, the chief revenue and marketing officer for the team, said in a release. “We viewed the promotion as a creative way to celebrate one of the franchise’s most popular fans, and by the overwhelming response we received, White Sox fans certainly agreed.”

The hats are shaped like the Pope’s miter, with the team’s sock logo in the middle. The White Sox said fans who had already purchased the specialty tickets would receive the hat and an additional item.

The pope, the former Robert Prevost, attended Chicago's 2005 World Series opener against Houston and watched as his beloved team beat the Astros 5-3 on the way to a four-game sweep and its first title since 1917.

In May, the White Sox unveiled a graphic installation near the seat paying tribute to Pope Leo and that moment. The pillar artwork features a waving Pope Leo XIV, along with a picture from the TV broadcast of the future pope sitting with good friend Ed Schmit and his grandson, Eddie.

In June, Rate Field hosted an event honoring his election as the first American pope. A month later, at a pregame ceremony honoring the 2005 team, White Sox great Paul Konerko was presented a jersey signed by the pope, a gift from one No. 14 to another.

Pope Leo broke Vatican protocol by donning a White Sox cap last year. In October, he shouted “they lost” to someone who screamed “go Cubs.” And a few weeks ago, he gave a thumbs up to someone who yelled “God bless the White Sox!”

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

Researchers looked at 1,600 tropical cyclones — the broader category of storms that includes hurricanes — that made landfall since 1981 and found those that went over the extra-hot water were more likely to intensify rapidly, a problem that's becoming more frequent. This resulted in 60% more disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage — adjusted for inflation — when they hit land, according to a study in Friday's journal Science Advances.

A better understanding of how marine heat waves amplify hurricanes could help forecasters, emergency officials and long-term planners prepare for future storms.

The study defined marine heat waves as long-lasting, large areas of water in the top 10% of historical heat. They are becoming more of a danger with climate change and ever hotter oceans, study authors said. Warm water is fuel for hurricanes.

“These marine heat waves affect more than half of landfalling tropical cyclones,'' said study co-author Gregory Foltz, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “They're happening closer to land and more frequently, so I think people need to pay attention and know that these are more likely to result in extreme damages when they make landfall.”

It's important for meteorologists forecasting the storm track to see if these hurricanes go over a marine heat wave because it is more likely to intensify rapidly which “can potentially have a bigger impact on landfall,” Foltz said.

Just look at damaging hurricanes that smacked the United States in 2023, said study co-author Hamed Moftakhari, a coastal engineering professor who studies compound hazards at the University of Alabama.

“The story of Helene and Milton is that if you've got a warmer ocean, you've got the fuel to supercharge tropical cyclones even in a cascade. So within a few weeks you could get two rapidly intensified hurricanes making landfall in the west coast of Florida,” Moftakhari said. “This is shocking but should also be alarming for people.”

The study also points to October 2023's Hurricane Otis, which rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a top level Category 5 hurricane in one day, then caused about $16 billion in damage and 52 deaths when it made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, with 165 mph (265 kph) winds.

Researchers said the higher damage, compared with storms that didn’t cross marine heat waves, wasn’t driven by increased coastal development. Storms that crossed hot water and hit developed coasts were contrasted with other storms that hit similarly urbanized areas but without crossing hot water, said study lead author Soheil Radfar, a scientist who does hurricane hazard modeling at Princeton University.

Science has long known that warm water fuels and often strengthens tropical cyclones, providing more of a link on causation.

That means the future looks more dangerous, Radfar said.

“All these pieces of the puzzle are going to be really challenging for the coastal environment in the next four decades when you have more rapid intensification, more marine heat waves," Radfar said. This “is going to be really costly and frightening for the coastline environment, and it’s going to cause more billion-dollar disasters in the future.”

Moftakhari said “from a coastal engineering and risk management perspective, this has important implications for how governments plan, design, and respond to these hazards.”

Evacuation planning must account for storms that cross ocean hot spots being more likely to intensify rapidly and pose greater threats, according to Moftakhari. Earlier warnings and triggers on when people leave may be needed when there are marine heat waves. Designs for flood protection, drainage system, sea walls all have to be updated to the new worsening storm reality, he said.

Outside scientists said the study fits with the known physics of hurricanes and climate change, while putting a more specific number on the likelihood for mega-damage when marine heat waves are present.

“Climate change is causing stronger and longer-duration marine heat waves. Tropical cyclones draw their energy and produce heavy rain via evaporation from warm ocean waters,” said University at Albany atmospheric sciences professor Brian Tang, who wasn't part of the study. “It’s reasonable that marine heat waves are turbocharging hurricanes, provided other environmental conditions are favorable for hurricanes to intensify. In effect, the dice is being loaded.”

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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.

MLB said that 6.8% of players on opening day rosters, injured lists and the restricted list were Black, up from 6.2% at the start of the 2025 season and 6.0% at the beginning of 2024.

This year's 0.6% increase was the most in a season since a 0.7% rise from 2017 to 2018.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida issued annual studies that showed the percentage was 18% when its reports started in 1991.

Twenty of the 64 Black players had been in programs such as the MLB Youth Academy, Breakthrough Series, DREAM Series, Nike RBI and the Hank Aaron Invitational.

MLB said the total includes 22 players 25 or younger and eight older than 32. The average age of Black players was 27.8 and the overall average 29.25.

In addition, 17 Black players assigned to the minor leagues were on opening day 40-man rosters, including seven from MLB development programs. That group included Milwaukee outfielder Blake Perkins, who was brought up to the Brewers on March 26.

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

Karl Jordan Jr. had been positioned for release as soon as Friday. But then federal prosecutors appealed a judge's decision granting him bond with electronic monitoring, and the judge agreed Friday to put it on hold while that appeal plays out.

A message seeking comment was sent to Jordan's attorneys. Prosecutors declined to comment.

Jordan and another man, Ronald Washington, were convicted in 2024, more than two decades after the Run-DMC turntable ace was gunned down in his recording studio. Both men had pleaded not guilty.

This past December, a judge overturned Jordan’s conviction and acquitted him, while upholding the verdict against Washington.

Prosecutors argued that Jordan should remain behind bars while they appeal his acquittal and he awaits trial on unrelated drug charges. He has pleaded not guilty to those.

Jordan's lawyers said the 42-year-old, who was seriously wounded in a stabbing in Brooklyn’s troubled federal jail, ought to get bond. A roster of loved ones has agreed to co-sign the bond and to put up properties amounting to everything they have, his attorneys said.

Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, and his fellow Run-DMC members helped launch rap into music’s mainstream with 1980s hits including “It’s Tricky” and a remake of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”

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According to police, the boy, who was initially believed to be named Lucas or Legacy, was found at about 11 p.m. Wednesday by the man, wandering around the area of Northwest Seventh Avenue and 17^th Street.

“God sent me there. I had to do what God say to do,” Arnett Johnson said.

Johnson has been sleeping on a bench in the area for six months after serving time in prison.

He told Local 10 that you see a lot of things go down in the area, but don’t often see a child by themselves.

“I’m looking around for a parent, but I looked and I don’t see nobody. You know what I’m saying? So I’m like, what is this kid doing out here outside at this time of night?” Johnson said.

Johnson said he immediately knew something was wrong, so he called police and stayed with the young boy until authorities arrived.

“This was a good Samaritan that was sleeping in the streets, and he called us and gave us that information. You know, kudos to him. We don’t know what would have happened if he would have remained on the streets,” Miami police Officer Mike Vega said.

Investigators say the child told them, “Mommy drop me off and left me.”

Police said the boy has delayed speech, which made it difficult for them to get information from him.

However, an officer from Miami-Dade Schools Police called the Miami Police Department shortly after 10:34 a.m. Thursday and was able to identify the boy after seeing the “need to identify” flyer.

According to the report, police were then able to make contact with a witness who told them she has known the mother, Annie Rivera, 30, for a few years and Rivera and the boy recently moved in with her and her children.

Police said she went to bed at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and noticed that Rivera and her son were not home.

She said she heard the front door open in the middle of the night and assumed it was Rivera so she went back to sleep, authorities said.

Police said the witness woke up at about 6 a.m. Thursday to get her kids and herself ready for the day when they went downstairs and saw Rivera sleeping.

According to the report, one of the witness’ children asked where the boy was and the witness said she didn’t know and assumed he was at his godmother’s home.

Police said Rivera was found at about 11:40 a.m. Thursday and was taken into custody.

Rivera claimed to have had no idea that her son was gone, police said.

The full statement she made to detectives was redacted from the publicly released report.

Rivera is facing a charge of child neglect without bodily harm.

The boy, whose name has not been publicly released, is now in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

“It’s dangerous everyday out here, right here,” Johnson said. “Especially, we got homeless people all together, and you’ve got fixed minds -- it’s dangerous.”

Rivera cried in front of a Miami-Dade County judge in bond court Friday, where she was ordered held on a $2,500 bond, which she has since posted.

It’s a story that could have gone much worse, but didn’t -- all because of an unlikely guardian angel.

“Probably anyone would have done the same thing I did, you know?” Johnson said.

Según la policía, el menor, que inicialmente se creía que se llamaba Lucas o Legacy, fue encontrado alrededor de las 11 p.m. del miércoles por el hombre, caminando por el área de la Séptima Avenida del noroeste y la calle 17.

“Dios me envió allí. Tenía que hacer lo que Dios me dijo que hiciera”, dijo Arnett Johnson.

Johnson ha estado durmiendo en un banco en el área durante seis meses después de cumplir tiempo en prisión.

Le dijo a Local 10 que en el área se ven muchas cosas, pero no es común ver a un niño solo.

“Estoy mirando alrededor buscando a un padre, pero miro y no veo a nadie. ¿Entiendes? Entonces pienso, ¿qué hace este niño aquí afuera a esta hora de la noche?”, dijo Johnson.

Johnson dijo que de inmediato supo que algo estaba mal, por lo que llamó a la policía y permaneció con el menor hasta que llegaron las autoridades.

“Este fue un buen samaritano que estaba durmiendo en la calle, y nos llamó y nos dio esa información. Reconocimiento para él. No sabemos qué habría pasado si el niño hubiera permanecido en la calle”, dijo el agente de la policía de Miami Mike Vega.

Los investigadores dicen que el niño les dijo: “Mami me dejó aquí y se fue”.

La policía indicó que el menor tiene retraso en el habla, lo que dificultó obtener información de él.

Sin embargo, un agente de la Policía Escolar de Miami-Dade llamó al Departamento de Policía de Miami poco después de las 10:34 a.m. del jueves y pudo identificar al niño tras ver el volante de “necesidad de identificación”.

Según el informe, la policía pudo entonces contactar a una testigo que dijo conocer a la madre, Annie Rivera, de 30 años, desde hace algunos años, y que Rivera y el niño se habían mudado recientemente con ella y sus hijos.

La policía dijo que la mujer se fue a dormir alrededor de las 9:30 p.m. del miércoles y notó que Rivera y su hijo no estaban en la vivienda.

Indicó que escuchó la puerta principal abrirse en medio de la noche y asumió que era Rivera, por lo que volvió a dormirse, según las autoridades.

La policía dijo que la testigo se despertó alrededor de las 6 a.m. del jueves para preparar a sus hijos y a ella misma para el día, y cuando bajaron, vieron a Rivera dormida.

Según el informe, uno de los hijos de la testigo preguntó dónde estaba el niño, y ella respondió que no sabía y asumió que estaba en la casa de su madrina.

La policía dijo que Rivera fue localizada alrededor de las 11:40 a.m. del jueves y fue puesta bajo custodia.

Rivera afirmó no tener idea de que su hijo no estaba, según la policía.

La declaración completa que hizo a los detectives fue censurada en el informe público.

Rivera enfrenta un cargo de negligencia infantil sin causar daño corporal.

El niño, cuyo nombre no ha sido divulgado públicamente, está ahora bajo el cuidado del Departamento de Niños y Familias de Florida.

“Es peligroso todos los días aquí”, dijo Johnson. “Especialmente, hay personas sin hogar juntas, y hay mentes inestables — es peligroso”.

Rivera lloró frente a un juez del condado Miami-Dade durante la audiencia de fianza el viernes, donde se le impuso una fianza de $2,500 USD, la cual ya pagó.

Es una historia que pudo haber terminado mucho peor, pero no fue así, todo gracias a un inesperado ángel guardián.

“Probablemente cualquiera habría hecho lo mismo que yo, ¿sabes?”, dijo Johnson.

Yelitza Pérez, the 29-year-old mother of two girls, said President Donald Trump’s administration deported her husband to Venezuela, and she couldn’t afford to stay in the U.S. without him.

Pérez opted to self-deport. But once she arrived to her connecting flight at Miami International Airport, the airline did not allow her to board her flight to Venezuela without a safety pass.

“Oh my God! I almost wanted to die,” Pérez said.

The only way the airlines would allow her to fly to Venezuela was if she was able to get a pass or “salvoconducto” from a Venezuelan consulate or embassy, but those were closed in 2019.

Pérez was part of a larger group of Venezuelans who slept with their children at MIA, where they were unable to afford a hotel or food.

“I sat with my children to cry,” a mother, who asked to be referred to as Jennifer, said.

Pérez and Jennifer said they reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to explain the dilemma. A CBP representative told Jennifer that CBP couldn’t help her.

“They couldn’t help me without a passport,” Jennifer said.

Jennifer reached out to a stranger on TikTok, who promised to help her in exchange for cash. The opportunistic fraudster stole her $520.

Miami-based nonprofit Hermanos De La Calle helped the vulnerable Venezuelans to get a place to stay and food while they remained stuck in a hopeless limbo.

Homeland Security has yet to respond to a request for information about the cases. A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar said she and her team were trying to find solutions.

Read the statement from DHS

In coordination with the Department of State, DHS actively engages with foreign governments to facilitate the travel documents for voluntary self-deportations. In some instances, however, the issuance of those documents is determined by the receiving country and cannot be compelled by the United States. DHS provides information and case-specific guidance to illegal aliens seeking to self-deport. Voluntary self-deportation remains subject to commercial carrier requirements and the admission requirements of the destination country.

DHS continues to support lawful and orderly departures and to work with interagency and international partners to mitigate documentation challenges where possible. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure by utilizing the CBP Home app to receive a free flight home and $2,600.

Source: Steve Sapp, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection

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• Legal advocates seek to halt CBP policy pressuring unaccompanied children to self-deport
• Noem repurposes asylum seekers app to encourage undocumented migrants to ‘self-deport’

Police officers reported attempting a traffic stop. The driver of the car that had been reported stolen out of Plantation sped away, according to police.

The driver crashed into a fence and damaged a parked car at 660 Long Island Ave., according to Casey Liening, a spokeswoman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department.

After the crash, the driver attempted to flee again, but he didn’t get far — a police dog helped the officers to find him, according to Liening.

The Plantation Police Department was dealing with the carjacking case.

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

Location

Miami Beach officials made their message loud and clear.

“We have worked hard in this community, we are a vibrant part of this community, we help make this thing work,” Palace performer Tiffany T. Fantasia said.

Friday marked a resurrection of the nearly 4,000 pavers that were removed by the Florida Department of Transportation from the crosswalk at 12th Street and Ocean Drive.

“It’s so exciting because this is what it’s all about. This is about representing our community in the way our residents, our visitors, our businesses want to be represented,” Miami Beach Commissioner Tanya Katzoff Bhatt said.

Earlier this year, Katzoff Bhatt brought forth the idea of bringing the LGBTQ+ symbol back on city property.

“Some people say that this is just a road. It’s more than that,” State Sen. Shevrin Jones said.

Jones, a Democrat, was vocal in his stance against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order banning any road designs linked to social, political or ideological messages, citing safety concerns.

“To be able to have a seat at the table and to even fight against things like this – it’s an honor to be able to push back on bigotry,” Jones said.

Friday’s unveiling marks a new chapter in Miami Beach with a plaque memorializing the history of the crosswalk.

The talks are set to begin Tuesday in Washington and will be mediated by U.S. diplomats, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office said in a statement, citing the outcome of a call Friday among Israeli, Lebanese and U.S. ambassadors. The statement reiterated Beirut's position that the talks be held under a ceasefire or truce. Israel did not immediately issue a statement following the call.

At least 13 members of Lebanon's State Security forces were killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Friday, while Hezbollah claimed an attack targeting a naval base in the Israeli port city of Ashdod some 145 kilometers (90 miles) from the border.

Israel launched strikes across several towns in southern Lebanon, including one on a government building in the southern city of Nabatieh that killed the government security personnel. Hezbollah claimed 31 other attacks on northern Israel and on Israeli ground troops that have invaded southern Lebanon.

Israel launched its latest aerial campaign and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets toward northern Israel in solidarity with Iran, its key ally and patron, on March 2.

At least 1,953 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Health Ministry. At least 303 were killed in a rapid series of 100 strikes that hit the country — including multiple areas in dense residential and commercial areas in central Beirut — in 10 minutes on Wednesday, the bloodiest day in the latest war between the two sides. Civil Defense first responders are still searching for bodies trapped under the rubble in the Lebanese capital.

Meanwhile, officials at Beirut's main government-run hospital on the southern edge of the capital fear it could be in the line of fire after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for the surrounding suburbs, including the busy neighborhood of Jnah where the hospital is located. Israel has launched attacks in Jnah, both with and without warning.

The World Health Organization has since called for the Rafik Hariri University Hospital to be spared from attacks and not to evacuate, and WHO officials said Friday that they received assurances that it would not be struck. The hospital has not evacuated, though staff are fearful, as getting to work now requires them to drive on roads that can be struck at any time says Dr. Mohammad Cheaito, who heads the emergency department.

“The entire zone around the hospital was threatened and deemed dangerous,” he told The Associated Press. “But at the end of the day, we have a humanitarian duty.”

Lebanon hopes for truce while Hezbollah supporters reject talks

Lebanon's authorities have not yet commented on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement on Thursday of the decision to go ahead with talks. Netanyahu said the talks would revolve around disarming Hezbollah and establishing “peaceful relations” between the two countries.

A Lebanese official in government familiar with the developments said that a halt in the fighting is a critical condition for the country to engage in direct talks with Israel, similar to the one between the U.S. and Iran. It has yet to appoint a representative for negotiations. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Aoun had initially proposed the direct talks early on in the war on similar terms, at the time hoping for Israel to stop an escalation in airstrikes and to not invade the country. At the time, with only the backing of France, that failed.

On Wednesday, the U.S. and Iran announced a temporary ceasefire in the war that began on Feb. 28. It included Lebanon and other countries impacted in the wider regional conflict, mediator Pakistan announced. However, Israel — and later the United States — denied this. They want to separate the diplomatic tracks of the two wars.

Hezbollah considers Israel's attacks on Lebanon to be a violation of the ceasefire, while Beirut, in a bid to disarm Hezbollah and assert its full sovereignty over the country, says it wants to be included in talks related to Lebanon.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Kassem in a statement broadcast Thursday did not directly mention the prospect of Israel-Lebanon talks, but called on the Lebanese government to “stop giving free concessions” to Israel.

Dozens of supporters of the Iran-backed group protested outside of the Lebanese prime minister's office in central Beirut. They see the scheduled direct talks as a surrender to Israel, which says its troops will stay in the country indefinitely.

“Our blood has been spilled on this land, and our state is conspiring against us,” said protester Hassan Shuaib. “Our state wants to kill us; our state wants to strip us of our weapons.”

———

Associated Press producer Malak Harb and video journalist Fadi Tawil in Beirut contributed to this report.

According to police, the boy, who was initially believed to be named Lucas or Legacy, was found at about 11 p.m. Wednesday by a man, wandering around the area of Northwest Seventh Avenue and 17^th Street in the city’s Allapattah neighborhood.

“This was a good Samaritan that was sleeping in the streets, and he called us and gave us that information. You know, kudos to him. We don’t know what would have happened if he would have remained on the streets,” Miami police Officer Mike Vega said.

According to an arrest report, police interviewed the boy and he said, “Mommy drop me off and left me.”

Police said the boy has delayed speech, which made it difficult for them to get information from him.

However, an officer from Miami-Dade Schools Police called the Miami Police Department shortly after 10:34 a.m. Thursday and was able to identify the boy after seeing the “need to identify” flyer.

According to the report, police were then able to make contact with a witness who told them she has known the mother, Annie Rivera, 30, for a few years and Rivera and the boy recently moved in with her and her children.

Police said she went to bed at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and noticed that Rivera and her son were not home.

She said she heard the front door open in the middle of the night and assumed it was Rivera so she went back to sleep, authorities said.

Police said the witness woke up at about 6 a.m. Thursday to get her kids and herself ready for the day when they went downstairs and saw Rivera sleeping.

According to the report, one of the witness’ children asked where the boy was and the witness said she didn’t know and assumed he was at his godmother’s home.

Police said Rivera was found at about 11:40 a.m. Thursday and was taken into custody.

Rivera claimed to have had no idea that her son was gone, police said.

The full statement she made to detectives was redacted from the publicly released report.

Rivera is facing a charge of child neglect without bodily harm.

The boy, whose name has not been publicly released, is now in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

According to the arrest report, a DCF investigation involving Rivera was opened last year as well for allegations of “inadequate supervision.”

As of Thursday evening, Rivera was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Online jail records listed her bond as “to be set.”

Sentebale, which supports young people living with HIV in Botswana and Lesotho, filed suit last month in London’s High Court, according to court records viewed Friday. Online filings show Harry and his friend, Mark Dyer, a former trustee at the charity, are being sued for either libel or slander. No documents were available.

“The charity seeks the court’s intervention, protection, and restitution following a coordinated adverse media campaign conducted since 25 March 2025 that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership, and its strategic partners,” Sentebale said Friday in a statement on its website.

A spokesperson for Harry and Dyer said the pair “categorically reject these offensive and damaging claims.”

The lawsuit puts the Duke of Sussex in an unaccustomed position as a defendant in the High Court. Over the past three years, he has repeatedly been on the other side of litigation as the leading claimant in invasion of privacy suits against Britain's most prominent tabloids over allegations of phone hacking and unlawful snooping by journalists and the private eyes they hired.

Harry co-founded Sentebale, which means “forget me not” in the language of Lesotho, about 20 years ago in memory of his mother, who was a prominent advocate for treatment of HIV and AIDS and helped reduce stigma around the disease. Prince Seeiso of Lesotho was the co-founder.

Disagreements at the charity surfaced in 2023 over a new fundraising strategy, and the two founders stepped down as patrons in March 2025 in support of trustees who had quit.

At the time, they said the relationship between the board and its chair, Sophie Chandauka, was beyond repair. Chandauka later accused Harry of orchestrating a campaign of bullying and harassment to try to force her out.

As the dispute unfolded, Chandauka told Sky News that filming for one of Harry's Netflix programs had interfered with a scheduled fundraiser for Sentebale and that an incident with his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, became a source of friction.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales investigated and criticized both sides for allowing the issue to become public and damaging the organization’s reputation, but found no evidence of widespread bullying or misogyny at Sentebale.

“Sentebale’s problems played out in the public eye, enabling a damaging dispute to harm the charity’s reputation, risk overshadowing its many achievements, and jeopardizing the charity’s ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve,” commission CEO David Holdsworth said in a statement in August 2025.

Harry’s spokesperson had criticized the commission’s report while Chandauka welcomed it.

___

Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this report.

“I might. I am thinking about it,” Harris told Rev. Al Sharpton after he asked directly whether she was going to run for president in 2028.

Harris’ comments came during the National Action Network’s annual convention, where more than a half-dozen potential candidates appeared this week , hoping to make inroads among Black voters — who comprise one of Democrats’ most powerful blocs.

The Democrats' next presidential primary season won’t begin in earnest until after November’s midterm elections, but this week’s conference showcased a collection of Democrats already jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded competition.

For now, at least, there is no clear early favorite. But there did appear to be a favorite at Sharpton's conference.

Harris, the nation's first Black female vice president and the Democrats' presidential nominee in 2024, earned the only standing ovation and the largest crowd of any other 2028 prospect this week.

Sharpton noted that Harris earned more votes in her losing 2024 campaign than even former Democratic Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

“Whatever she decides to do, she made a point in history,” Sharpton said.

Harris has raised the possibility of another presidential bid before in the 15 months since she left office. She also recently launched a political action committee and began to travel across the United States to support Democrats, especially across the South.

Still, some in the party have shifted their focus to a new generation of Democratic leaders given Harris' struggle in the last presidential contest.

The convention lineup this week featured Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego.

Buttigieg, speaking shortly after Harris left the stage, received soft applause from a room that was about half-empty. Some cheered when he mentioned supporting federal workers and minority businesses, but many attendees had streamed out of the packed auditorium after Harris’ speech in an effort to grab a selfie with the former vice president.

Buttigieg, like many other 2028 prospects this week, laughed off a question about whether he would seek the presidency again.

Harris was more explicit.

Three times she repeated, “I'm thinking about it,” when Sharpton asked her about a 2028 White House run.

“I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States. I spent countless hours in my West Wing office footsteps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office and the situation room. I know what the job is, and I know what it requires,” Harris said.

She continued: “I am thinking about it in the context of who and where and how can the best job be done for the American people. That’s how I’m thinking about it. I’ll keep you posted."

The charges stem from a grand jury indictment that found five people, including a former Yolo County Sheriff lieutenant, responsible for the July 1 explosion that injured two others, Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity said. Samuel Machado allowed more than 1 million pounds (453,000 kilograms) of fireworks not legally allowed to be stored at his property and used his position at the sheriff's office to evade scrutiny as the operation grew, she said.

The deadly fireworks explosion near the community of Esparto sparked a massive fire and led to nearby Fourth of July celebrations being called off.

Those charged with murder include Machado, who owned the warehouse about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento. At the time, he was a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office.

"Samuel Machado’s participation included using his role as a trusted lieutenant to help shield the conspiracy as it expanded, and the expansion was significant," Nabity said, adding that the warehouse went from having 13 fireworks storage containers in 2015 to 50 last year.

It was not immediately clear if Machado has an attorney who can speak on his behalf. A telephone number listed for him went answered Friday.

Machado's sprawling 5,000-square-foot (465-square-meters) warehouse property was used to store and sell fireworks by other men indicted in the case, including four others charged with murder.

Nabity said a total of eight people face 30 charges in the case, including murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of illegal assault weapons, illegal explosives possession, insurance fraud, child endangerment and animal cruelty.

All those charged are scheduled to be arraigned in Yolo County on Monday.

Machado’s wife, Tammy Machado, was also arrested Thursday but was released after posting bail. She was a non-sworn administrative employee at the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office at the time of the explosion. Both Samuel and Tammy Machado were put on leave after the incident. She faces charges of mortgage fraud, filing a willfully wrong tax return and endangering a child by storing illegal explosives next to a family pool, according to the indictment.

Others indicted include Kenneth Chee, owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, whose illegal fireworks were being stored at Machado's warehouse, has also been charged with murder and was arrested in Florida. He appeared in a Florida courtroom Friday and was told he will be extradited to California within the week, KCRA-TV reported.

Authorities also arrested Jack Lee, the operations manager for Devastating Pyrotechnic, and Gary Chan Jr., whose name is on the company’s federal license. Both also face murder charges. The fifth person charged with murder is Douglas Tollefsen, who was arrested in Northern California but has yet to be taken to a Yolo County jail, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said. Tollefsen stored and sold fireworks at Machado's warehouse, according to the indictment.

“This is not a case just about fireworks,” Nabity said. “They are devices that have so much more explosive fireworks than the law allows that they can’t be considered fireworks.”

Machado, Chee, Lee, Chan and Tollefsen were arrested Thursday along with Craig Cutright, the owner of Blackstar Fireworks, which operated at the Esparto property. Cutright, was a volunteer firefighter for the Esparto Fire District and was also listed as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics.

One of Cutright’s employees, Ronald Botelho III, has been in custody since December. More than a dozen new charges were filed against him Thursday, jail records show.

The grand jury concluded that the initial blast caused the death of seven people, Nabity said. Those killed included four workers: 18-year-old Jesus Ramos and his 22-year-old Jhony Ramos, of San Pablo, California; 28-year-old Joel Melendez, of Sacramento, and 43-year-old Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, of San Andreas, California. Christopher Goltiao Bocog and Neil Li of San Francisco and Angel Mathew Voller, of Stockton, California, were also killed.

People living nearby described the blast being so strong that it blew open the doors of homes.

Nisa Gutierrez told the Sacramento CBS affiliate KOVR-TV that she and her daughter were in their yard and were nearly knocked over as their pony and goats scattered.

“We hear like a big boom, and feel the wave,” Gutierrez said. “I thought it was a bomb.”

After the explosion, officials in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties announced they would find alternatives for Fourth of July celebrations after their fireworks were destroyed in the blast.

The Frontier pilot was alarmed and used an expletive as he told the tower he had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision late Wednesday. “It was real close. The closest I have ever seen,” he said in audio posted by ATC.com.

No one was hurt in the incident that is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The agency said several vehicles on a service road crossed in front of the plane around 11:25 p.m. Wednesday.

“We thank our crew for their vigilance and professionalism,” Frontier Airlines said in a statement.

On March 22, an Air Canada jet carrying 76 people collided with a fire truck while landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing both pilots and injuring dozens of people.

In that crash, an air traffic controller cleared the fire truck to cross the runway less than 20 seconds beforehand. Then seconds later the controller frantically called for the fire truck to stop.

The incident in Los Angeles appears to have happened in an area of the airport where the planes are communicating with air traffic controllers about their movements, but ground vehicles are simply supposed to yield to any planes, which are typically moving only about 15 mph (24 kph). Airport officials didn't respond immediately to questions about what happened and what procedures are in place to prevent collisions.

Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, who was a longtime United Airlines pilot, said these kind of incidents happen daily on taxiways across the country, but don't normally get any attention because the collision is avoided. The issue will undoubtedly get more attention now.

“Multiple incidents, accidents happening, just in March alone, I think it’s time to put some serious eyes on what’s going on on the ramp,” Arroyo said.

The crew and spacecraft will perform a third burn shortly after 1:50 p.m. on Friday. The re-entry procedures will follow, as a U.S. Navy ship awaits in the Pacific Ocean.

If all goes as planned, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at 23,840 mph in self-flying Orion’s capsule, Integrity, which has a shield to withstand the high heat.

NASA expects Integrity to slow down to a 19 mph splashdown shortly after at 8:05 p.m. on Friday off the coast of San Diego. The USS John P. Murtha and crew will be doing the pickup.

The weather will be cooperating.

NASA plans to celebrate the Artemis II astronauts as the first human crew in history to have ever flown 252,756 miles from Earth. Wiseman will return to his family after having named newly discovered moon craters after his late wife, Carroll, who died of cancer.

The program will continue to make improvements for Artemis III around the Earth’s orbit in 2027, and an actual moon landing with Artemis IV in 2028.

Interactive graphic: Access the best high-resolution Artemis II photos

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Eight state attorneys general and DirecTV sued to block the merger between the local television giants, arguing that it would raise consumer prices and harm local journalism. They asked U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, California, to halt the merger until their antitrust lawsuit is resolved.

Nexstar's attorneys say the deal will lead to expanded local journalism and programming, not a reduction.

Nunley extended the temporary restraining order until April 17, saying the extension would give him time to prepare a ruling on whether a longer preliminary injunction is needed. The judge also modified the order so both companies could take “reasonable steps” to handle regular business matters like meeting federal debt reporting deadlines.

The deal, announced last year and approved by the Federal Communications Commission, would create a company that owns 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, most of them local affiliates of one of the “Big Four” national networks: ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.

The merger needed the approval of the Republican Trump administration’s FCC because the government had to waive rules limiting how many local stations one company can own.

When the judge issued the original temporary restraining order in the case, he said the merger could give Nexstar the power to demand higher fees from multichannel video programming distributors like DirecTV, because if the distributors refuse to pay the increases they could risk subscribers losing access to things like Sunday NFL football games.

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Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, Bentoria King, was arrested Thursday in connection with the stabbing.

According to an arrest report, the stabbing occurred around 4:20 p.m. Feb. 14 near the intersection of Northwest 51st Street and Northwest 21st Avenue.

Investigators said King and the victim, who were previously in a relationship and had lived together but are now homeless, got into an argument over a Valentine’s Day gift.

The dispute escalated when deputies said King allegedly armed herself with a silver homemade knife and stabbed the victim “multiple times throughout his body.”

They said the victim suffered puncture wounds to the left side of his neck and back, the top of his head, and a laceration behind his right ear. He was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he underwent surgery, the report states.

Deputies said King fled the scene on a bicycle before officers arrived at the scene. They also confirmed that portions of the incident were captured on surveillance video and on cellphone video.

On Thursday, deputies said they located King at an Extended Stay America Premier Suites in Doral and took her into custody.

After being read her rights, King admitted to being involved in an altercation with the victim but denied stabbing him, according to the report.

King’s arrest report did not specify what the gift was before the reported stabbing occurred.

Jail records show she is facing one count of attempted felony murder causing injury.

As of Friday morning, she was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She was also ordered to stay away from the victim.

Records also show she was previously arrested on charges of child neglect without great bodily harm and committing or engaging in prostitution.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade dijeron que la sospechosa, Bentoria King, fue arrestada el jueves en relación con el apuñalamiento.

Según un informe de arresto, el incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 4:20 p.m. del 14 de febrero, cerca de la intersección de la calle 51 del noroeste y la avenida 21 del noroeste.

Los investigadores dijeron que King y la víctima, quienes anteriormente mantenían una relación y habían vivido juntos pero ahora están sin hogar, tuvieron una discusión por un regalo de San Valentín.

La disputa se intensificó cuando, según los agentes, King presuntamente se armó con un cuchillo plateado de fabricación casera y apuñaló a la víctima “múltiples veces en distintas partes del cuerpo”.

Indicaron que la víctima sufrió heridas punzantes en el lado izquierdo del cuello y la espalda, en la parte superior de la cabeza y una laceración detrás de la oreja derecha. Fue trasladado al Ryder Trauma Center del Hospital Jackson Memorial, donde fue sometido a cirugía, según el informe.

Los agentes dijeron que King huyó de la escena en una bicicleta antes de que los oficiales llegaran. También confirmaron que partes del incidente fueron captadas en video de vigilancia y en video de teléfono celular.

El jueves, los agentes dijeron que localizaron a King en un Extended Stay America Premier Suites en Doral y la detuvieron.

Tras leerle sus derechos, King admitió haber estado involucrada en un altercado con la víctima, pero negó haberlo apuñalado, según el informe.

El informe de arresto no especifica cuál era el regalo antes de que ocurriera el apuñalamiento.

Registros de la cárcel muestran que enfrenta un cargo de intento de asesinato grave que causó lesiones.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, permanecía detenida sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. También se le ordenó mantenerse alejada de la víctima.

Los registros también muestran que previamente fue arrestada por cargos de negligencia infantil sin causar gran daño corporal y por cometer o participar en prostitución.

The U.S. Court of International Trade, a specialized court in New York, heard oral arguments Friday in an attempt to overturn the temporary tariffs Trump turned to after the Supreme Court in February struck down his preferred choice — even bigger, even more sweeping tariffs.

In his first attempt to impose global tariffs, the president last year invoked the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), using the law to declare America's longstanding trade deficit a national emergency and to impose double-digit worldwide taxes on imports to combat it. He interpreted the law broadly to justify tariffs of whatever size he wanted, whenever he wanted to impose them, on whatever country he wanted to target.

The Supreme Court struck those tariffs down on Feb. 20, saying IEEPA did not authorize the use of tariffs to counter national emergencies.

But Trump had alternatives to IEEPA. The quickest option was Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose global tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days, after which congressional approval is needed to extend them. After his defeat at the Supreme Court, Trump quickly announced 10% Section 122 tariffs. He said he'd raise them to the maximum 15% but hasn't yet done so. The tariffs are scheduled to expire July 24.

Two dozen states and some businesses quickly challenged the new tariffs in court. Friday's hearing lasted more than three hours as a three-judge panel tried to assess a provision that had never been used before to impose tariffs and to analyze congressional decisionmaking from more than a half century ago.

The judges intensely questioned lawyers for both the plaintiffs and the government about what certain terms mean including what precisely the term “balance-of-payments deficits” meant when it was used in the Trade Act of 1974 and what it means today.

“I think the judges asked tough questions of all sides and were genuinely trying to find out what Congress meant when it passed section 122,” said Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel and director of litigation for Liberty Justice Center, which represents some of the plaintiffs.

“I would be stunned if the challengers prevail,’’ said trade lawyer Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding law firm and a former U.S. trade official.

The trade court's judges, he said, are likely to defer to the president and allow the Section 122 tariffs to stay, considering that they will expire in three and a half months anyway. “I just don’t see them sticking their neck out on this one, given how temporarily it’s in place and how much discretion these courts give to the president,’’ he said.

Section 122 is aimed at what it calls “fundamental international payments problems.’’ At issue is whether that wording covers trade deficits, the gap between what the U.S. sells other countries and what it buys from them.

The provision arose from the financial crises that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s when the U.S. dollar was tied to gold. Other countries were dumping dollars in exchange for gold at a set rate, risking a collapse of the U.S. currency and chaos in financial markets. But the dollar is no longer linked to gold, so critics say Section 122 is obsolete.

Awkwardly for Trump, his own Justice Department argued in a court filing last year that the president had needed to invoke IEEPA because Section 122 did “not have any obvious application’’ in fighting trade deficits, which it called “conceptually distinct’’ from payments problems.

Awkwardly for the plaintiffs challenging his use of the temporary tariffs, the trade court itself wrote last year in its own decision striking down IEEPA tariffs that Trump didn’t need them because Section 122 was available to counter trade deficits.

Last May, the trade court issued a decision striking down Trump’s IEEPA tariffs about two weeks after hearing oral arguments in the case. Attorney General Dan Rayfield of Oregon, one of the states challenging Trump’s latest tariffs, is eager for another speedy ruling. “We are hopeful to get a result sooner than later,’’ he said. “When the president continues to do an unlawful action and take money out of the pockets of Americans, we want a response as quickly as we can from the courts.’’

____

Paul Wiseman reported from Washington.

AP Writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this story.

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The suspect was identified by Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies as 36-year-old Marshaun Altarol West Jr.

According to an arrest report, the shooting occurred Oct. 27, 2019, around 8:10 p.m. near Northwest 76th Street and 17th Avenue in the county’s Gladeview area.

Investigators said the victim, who wasn’t publicly identified, was riding a bicycle and stopped near a group of people gathered in the roadway when an argument broke out between him and West.

During the argument, deputies said West grabbed a gun from another individual and began shooting, striking the victim multiple times.

Authorities said West fled the scene before emergency personnel arrived.

Medics took the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Detectives identified West as the shooter after interviewing multiple witnesses. Investigators said their statements were also corroborated by surveillance video that captured the incident.

Jail records show West, who is facing charges of second-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, is being held without bond at the Metrowest Detention Center, as of Friday morning.

Records show West was previously convicted of attempted felony murder and aggravated battery with a firearm causing bodily harm in an unrelated case.

A motive for the 2019 shooting remains unclear at this time.

El sospechoso fue identificado por agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade como Marshaun Altarol West Jr., de 36 años.

Según un informe de arresto, la balacera ocurrió el 27 de octubre de 2019, alrededor de las 8:10 p.m., cerca de la intersección de la calle 76 del noroeste y la avenida 17, en el área de Gladeview del condado.

Los investigadores dijeron que la víctima, que no fue identificada públicamente, iba en bicicleta y se detuvo cerca de un grupo de personas reunidas en la vía cuando se desató una discusión entre él y West.

Durante la discusión, los agentes indicaron que West tomó un arma de otra persona y comenzó a disparar, impactando a la víctima varias veces.

Las autoridades dijeron que West huyó de la escena antes de que llegara el personal de emergencia.

Paramédicos trasladaron a la víctima al Ryder Trauma Center del Hospital Jackson Memorial, donde los médicos lo declararon muerto.

Detectives identificaron a West como el tirador tras entrevistar a múltiples testigos. Los investigadores dijeron que sus declaraciones también fueron corroboradas por video de vigilancia que captó el incidente.

Registros de la cárcel muestran que West, quien enfrenta cargos de asesinato en segundo grado con arma de fuego y posesión de arma de fuego por un ex convicto, permanece detenido sin derecho a fianza en el Centro de Detención Metrowest hasta la mañana del viernes.

Los registros indican que West fue previamente condenado por intento de asesinato grave y agresión agravada con arma de fuego que causó lesiones corporales en un caso no relacionado.

El motivo de la balacera de 2019 sigue sin estar claro por el momento.

The states argue in the civil case that the company and its ticketing arm, Ticketmaster, are monopolizing the industry and driving up prices to see live music.

Live Nation contends there is more competition than ever and the company plays fair amid a U.S. booming concert business.

Soon after starting deliberations the jury in Manhattan federal court told the judge it wanted to review certain testimony given at the five-week trial.

The states carried on with their case after the federal government settled last month.

The Justice Department said it had won important concessions from Live Nation, particularly in the sale of tickets at dozens of the company’s amphitheaters.

A lawyer for the states said in closing arguments on Thursday that Live Nation controls 86% of the market for concerts and 73% of the overall market when sports events are included.

Live Nation’s lawyer said the company isn’t hiding from the fact that it’s the biggest entertainment company and ticketer in the country. But, the lawyer said, “success is not against the antitrust laws in the United States.”

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FBI agents said Tommy Duwayne Dennis, 56, blamed his behavior on crack cocaine.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Dennis walked in to the TD Bank at 1 N. State Road 7 just before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and wrote a note on a debit slip reading, “This is a Robbery give me the money and no one will get hurt.”

Investigators said he said nothing as he handed it to a teller, who, in fear for her life, handed him $600 and a “bait bill tracker.”

The complaint states that the tracker led police to a red Kia Soul in the area of Northwest Fifth Street and 31st Avenue in Lauderhill.

As police watched the vehicle, agents said “a brown bag containing the tracker was thrown from the Kia.“ And that’s not all.

The complaint states that an unknown woman, whom Dennis ”later identified as a prostitute," got out of the Soul while Dennis “continued to flee at a slow rate of speed.”

“Law enforcement officers attempted a traffic stop by initiating emergency lights and sirens. The Kia did not stop or yield to law enforcement,” the complaint states. “Law enforcement officers conducted a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) on the Kia, but it did not stop. The Kia continued to flee and a second PIT was executed.”

Agents said two law enforcement officers in an unmarked vehicle attempted to block the Kia and Dennis then struck the vehicle. After a third PIT at around 4:52 p.m., Dennis crashed his Kia Soul into a concrete wall at a home at the corner of Northwest 31st Avenue and Second Street.

Authorities took Dennis into custody and took him to Broward Health Medical Center, where investigators interviewed him, according to the complaint.

The complaint states that Dennis told detectives he “was smoking crack all day” and “lost his judgement and made a mistake,” saying he “went to the bank to get some money.”

Agents said he also “admitted to writing the demand note on the deposit slip and throwing the note out of the car prior to police chasing him” and identified himself in CCTV footage from the bank.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Dennis was still in the hospital as of Friday morning; he did not appear in Broward or federal jail records.

Additionally, his federal court file lists no scheduled hearings. His case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Panayotta Augustin-Birch, who sits in Fort Lauderdale.

Dennis could face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

Agentes del FBI dijeron que Tommy Duwayne Dennis, de 56 años, culpó su comportamiento al consumo de crack.

Según una denuncia penal federal, Dennis entró al TD Bank en 1 N. State Road 7 poco antes de las 4:30 p.m. del miércoles y escribió una nota en un comprobante de débito que decía: “Esto es un robo, dame el dinero y nadie resultará herido”.

Los investigadores dijeron que no dijo nada al entregarla a una cajera, quien, temiendo por su vida, le entregó $600 USD y un “rastreador de billete señuelo”.

La denuncia indica que el rastreador llevó a la policía a un Kia Soul rojo en el área de Northwest Fifth Street y 31st Avenue en Lauderhill.

Mientras la policía vigilaba el vehículo, los agentes dijeron que “una bolsa marrón que contenía el rastreador fue lanzada desde el Kia”. Y eso no fue todo.

La denuncia indica que una mujer desconocida, a quien Dennis “posteriormente identificó como una prostituta”, salió del Kia mientras Dennis “continuaba huyendo a baja velocidad”.

“Los agentes del orden intentaron detener el vehículo activando luces de emergencia y sirenas. El Kia no se detuvo ni cedió ante las autoridades”, indica la denuncia. “Los agentes realizaron una maniobra PIT contra el Kia, pero no se detuvo. El Kia continuó huyendo y se ejecutó una segunda maniobra PIT”.

Los agentes dijeron que dos oficiales en un vehículo no identificado intentaron bloquear el Kia y Dennis chocó contra ese vehículo. Tras una tercera maniobra PIT alrededor de las 4:52 p.m., Dennis estrelló su Kia Soul contra un muro de concreto en una vivienda en la esquina de Northwest 31st Avenue y Second Street.

Las autoridades detuvieron a Dennis y lo trasladaron al Broward Health Medical Center, donde los investigadores lo entrevistaron, según la denuncia.

La denuncia señala que Dennis dijo a los detectives que “había estado fumando crack todo el día” y que “perdió el juicio y cometió un error”, afirmando que “fue al banco a buscar dinero”.

Los agentes dijeron que también “admitió haber escrito la nota de demanda en el comprobante de depósito y haberla arrojado del vehículo antes de que la policía lo persiguiera”, y se identificó en imágenes de vigilancia del banco.

No estaba claro de inmediato si Dennis seguía en el hospital hasta la mañana del viernes; no aparecía en los registros de la cárcel del condado Broward ni federales.

Además, su expediente en la corte federal no muestra audiencias programadas. Su caso fue asignado a la jueza magistrada de EE.UU. Panayotta Augustin-Birch, con sede en Fort Lauderdale.

Dennis podría enfrentar hasta 20 años de prisión federal si es declarado culpable.

For the whipped feta:

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

½ cup Greek yogurt 1 lemon, juiced

½ cup of your favorite tahini2 tablespoons water (if needed)salt & pepper to taste

For the salad:

1 pound mixed ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped

½ head radicchio, chopped

fresh oregano leaves, optional garnish

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

To make whipped feta and tahini, combine feta cheese, Greek yogurt, HALF of the lemon juice and the tahini in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adjust lemon as desired. If the dip is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to loosen it and blend again. If it’s too thin, add 1-2 tablespoons more tahini or feta.

Place the radicchio on the base of a salad bowl, top with tomatoes. Spoon 3 scoops of whipped feta dip over the top of the salad.

Drizzle with the oil, season with salt, pepper and a garnish with fresh oregano leaves, if desired.

2 pounds very ripe tomatoes (any type or size work as long as they are ripe and juicy)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced using a microplane

2 bunches basil, leaves torn

salt and black pepper, to taste

1 pound of your favorite pasta

freshly grated parmesan cheese, if desired

Finely dice the tomatoes. Transfer to a bowl and add the oil, garlic and basil leaves. Add at least.

½-1 teaspoon salt, toss well to combine everything and allow to just macerate for 30 minutes.

Cook the pasta until al dente in salted, boiling water, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Add the just cooked pasta to the bowl with the tomatoes and add a little of the pasta water until you reach the consistency you desire. Taste for seasoning, adjust if desired.

Serve topped with a little parmesan if desired.

3 pounds fresh very ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered

1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered or cut into 1/6ths

12 garlic cloves, smashed a little with the side of a knife

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and black pepper, to taste

2-3 cups chicken or veggie broth, as needed

fresh basil leaves

fresh oregano, if available

⅓-½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon granulated sugar, if needed

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Toss the tomatoes, onion and garlic with the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and roast for 12-15 minutes or until a bit caramelized.

Remove and place all contents of the baking sheet into a saucepan. Add the broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Add a few basil leaves and oregano leaves and simmer for a couple more minutes.

Blend using an immersion blender. Add the heavy cream and simmer until warmed through. Taste for salt and sweetness and adjust as desired, you may need ½ teaspoon granulated sugar if the tomatoes are not at their height of sweetness and ripeness.

Ogwumike spent the first 12 seasons of her career in Los Angeles after she was drafted No. 1 by the team in 2012. She won the MVP in 2016 and helped the franchise win the WNBA championship that season.

The veteran forward posted on social media a 45-second video that showed her intentions to return to the Sparks, which her agent confirmed was accurate. Free agents can't sign until Saturday.

“It was always see you later, now I’ll see you soon…” Ogwumike wrote in the post. The video showed highlights of her time in Los Angeles.

The 35-year-old Ogwumike averaged 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds for Seattle last season — her second with the Storm.

It's been a busy offseason for Ogwumike. She presided over collective bargaining negotiations as president of the union and helped get a transformational new deal that saw average salaries rise nearly four-times what they were in the previous CBA.

The Sparks have a talented group to go with Ogwumike as the team gave the franchise tag to guard Kelsey Plum, who is also on the union's executive committee, as well as young star Cameron Brink.

This is the busiest offseason in WNBA history with 80% of the players in the league being free agents.

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

Premiering in 2019, this is the series that showcased the rising careers of Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney — all of whom have since become bona fide stars.

The dark suburban teen drama has also featured more established figures like Colman Domingo, who has received two best actor Oscar nominations in the last few years, and the late Eric Dane. And it’s given visibility and recognition to other actors: Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, Maude Apatow and Barbie Ferreira. Angus Cloud, another of its breakout performers, died in 2023.

Series creator Sam Levinson says it's a thrill to see many cast members thriving.

“The thing is when you’re casting, every person that walks in, you’re hoping this is the person, this is going to be the character,” he told The Associated Press at the season premiere. “And sometimes when they do, they walk in, they have the talent, they’ve got the passion, the enthusiasm for it, and they inspire you.

“To see them working with such incredible filmmakers like (Christopher) Nolan and (Guillermo) del Toro ... it's just exciting.”

Here’s a look at how some of the “Euphoria” stars got their starts — and how they've been keeping busy since we last saw their characters four years ago.

Zendaya (Rue Bennett)

She soared, quite literally, as a trapeze artist in “The Greatest Showman” in 2017, two years before “Euphoria” premiered.

But Zendaya has soared far higher in the seven years since she first played Rue Bennett.

The actor began as a Disney Channel star and went on to play MJ in “Spider-Man” movies opposite her eventual partner, Tom Holland. She won her first Emmy in 2020 for “Euphoria” — the youngest to win for lead actress in a drama. The following year, she became the youngest two-time winner.

Then came the “Dune” movies, the sexy, tennis-themed “Challengers” — and more “Spider-Man.”

She's currently appearing in “The Drama,” a controversial film in which she and Robert Pattinson play a couple whose impending nuptials are thrown into chaos following a dark revelation.

There were mixed reviews for the movie, but not for her fashion choices: She teased the movie’s bridal theme on carpets around the world by wearing something old, then something new, then something borrowed — and a spectacular, feathered Schiaparelli couture ball gown that was, yes, blue.

Jacob Elordi (Nate Jacobs)

Launched by “The Kissing Booth” and shortly thereafter “Euphoria,” Elordi has become nothing less than a monster star — and an Oscar nominee, as the Creature in del Toro’s “Frankenstein, ”

But before that, his achievements were already pretty, well, monstrous.

In 2023, Elordi channeled a magnetic Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biopic “Priscilla.” Then, he made waves — are there waves in a bathtub? — with his memorably rakish appearance as golden-boy rich kid Felix in Emerald Fennell’s salty “Saltburn.”

Other major roles followed, including another TV series, “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” playing a medical officer forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway during World War II. And then, Fennell’s recent “Wuthering Heights,” where in a smoldering turn as Heathcliff, he somehow managed to pick up co-star Margot Robbie by her corset strings.

Sydney Sweeney (Cassie Howard)

Before her breakout “Euphoria” role, for which she earned an Emmy nod — along with another for “The White Lotus” — Sweeney was perhaps best known for her role as tragic teen Eden Spencer in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” In a story arc bleak even for that show, she was forced to marry an uninterested Nick Blaine, and later punished for falling in love with someone else, leading to a horrific watery demise.

Sweeney played a teenager in a psychiatric ward in “Sharp Objects,” and appeared as a Manson family member in “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” the same year she joined the “Euphoria” cast.

In recent years, her career has blossomed, with her most challenging role coming in a movie she produced, “Christy,” playing boxer Christy Martin, a trailblazer for women in the sport who also suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her trainer and husband. The film tanked at the box office but Sweeney received critical praise — and indeed, Oscar buzz — for her immersion in the difficult role.

On the other side of the box office spectrum, Sweeney struck gold with “The Housemaid” — Paul Feig's psychological thriller that took a satirical look at the depravity of the ultra-rich.

Alexa Demie (Maddy Perez)

Demie — an actor, singer-songwriter, and designer — made her feature debut in the 2017 movie “Brigsby Bear.” She appeared in Jonah Hill’s skate movie “Mid90s” and then “Waves,” a 2019 drama by writer-director Trey Edward Shults.

That same year Demie became a breakout star of “Euphoria,” playing Maddy Perez, who is involved in an abusive relationship with Elordi’s Nate.

In 2020, Demie appeared in Gia Coppola’s “Mainstream,” with Andrew Garfield.

In September 2021, she released the single “Leopard Limo (Archive LL11).” Her previous single, “Girl Like Me,” was released in 2016.

Hunter Schafer (Jules Vaughn)

Schafer started her career as an activist and model, and made her acting debut with “Euphoria.” She followed up in 2023 as Tigris Snow in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”

The following year she appeared in both the science-fiction horror film “Cuckoo” and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness.”

This year, she appears in the yet-to-be-released “Blade Runner 2099” opposite Michelle Yeoh, and later this month in psychological thriller “Mother Mary,” with Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel.

Colman Domingo (Ali Muhammad)

An established actor well before he began playing Ali in “Euphoria,” Domingo soared to two consecutive best actor Oscar nominations in 2023 and 2024, for playing Bayard Rustin in “Rustin” and then a prison inmate in “Sing Sing.” He’s also had a host of other accolades, including an Emmy win for “Euphoria” (2022) and a nomination for “The Four Seasons” (2025).

The actor-director-producer stars as Joe Jackson in the Jackson biopic “Michael” later this month.

But perhaps his most high-profile move comes this Saturday — he’ll be hosting “Saturday Night Live” for the first time.

Maude Apatow (Lexi Howard)

The daughter of Judd Apatow appeared in her father’s “Knocked Up,” “Funny People,” “This is 40” and later, “The King of Staten Island.” She also appeared in the TV series “Girls.”

Later movies included “Other People” (2016), “The House of Tomorrow” (2017) and “Assassination Nation” (2018) — the last written and directed by Levinson, who then cast her in “Euphoria.”

Apatow’s feature directorial debut, “Poetic License,” stars her mother, Leslie Mann, and is awaiting release.

___

Associated Press journalist Leslie Ambriz contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

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The crash occurred near Powerline Road and Northwest 12th Street, according to Fort Lauderdale police.

Police said the suspect, Thomas Jamaine Roberson, fled when officers attempted a traffic stop, leading to a pursuit that ended when the suspect crashed into a civilian vehicle, causing it to overturn.

They said Roberson, 24, and the occupants of the other vehicle were taken to Broward Health Medical Center with minor injuries.

Jail records show he is facing one count each of robbery with carjacking, aggravated battery of a pregnant female, obstruction of justice, grand theft of a vehicle, criminal justice, child neglect, interfering with custody of a minor.

As of Friday morning, he was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail. He was also ordered to have no contact with any victims, not to drive, and not to possess firearms, weapons or ammunition.

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• Community mourns 2 teens killed in crash near Downtown Doral
• Ex-partner of Fort Lauderdale mayor dies by suicide one day after court appearance
• Rapper Lil Tjay leaves jail after Hard Rock arrest, denies link to Offset shooting: ‘Hell naw’
• Brickell Key hotel to be leveled in controlled demolition ― here’s how and when it will go down
• Boynton Beach handyman pushing back after city begins enforcing parking ordinance from 2019
• Woman breaks through home’s hurricane window, tries stealing German shepherd, car: Sheriff
• Man faces murder charge for throwing victim from 25th-floor Miami Beach condo, cops say
• Coral Springs vice mayor’s killing exposes prior 911 calls, domestic violence concerns
• Cruise ship worker accused of rape at sea
• Woman accused of dumping kittens in Wilton Manors park faces animal cruelty charges

• Community mourns 2 teens killed in crash near Downtown Doral
• Ex-partner of Fort Lauderdale mayor dies by suicide one day after court appearance
• Rapper Lil Tjay leaves jail after Hard Rock arrest, denies link to Offset shooting: ‘Hell naw’
• Brickell Key hotel to be leveled in controlled demolition ― here’s how and when it will go down
• Boynton Beach handyman pushing back after city begins enforcing parking ordinance from 2019
• Woman breaks through home’s hurricane window, tries stealing German shepherd, car: Sheriff
• Man faces murder charge for throwing victim from 25th-floor Miami Beach condo, cops say
• Coral Springs vice mayor’s killing exposes prior 911 calls, domestic violence concerns
• Cruise ship worker accused of rape at sea
• Woman accused of dumping kittens in Wilton Manors park faces animal cruelty charges

La policía de Wilton Manors informó que Katherine Luciano dejó a los gatitos en el parque Donn Eisele. Un video de vigilancia de una casa cercana muestra un sedán rojo llegando, con una caja de cartón sellada con cinta en su interior.

Momentos después, los cinco gatitos bebés caen al suelo mientras la mujer se aleja, pasando junto a un hombre que paseaba a su perro.

“Estaba realmente enfocado en los gatos, pero eso evitó que mi enojo se centrara en ella”, dijo Peter Carey. “Porque realmente desearía poder meterla en una caja y abandonarla en un campo para que vea cómo se siente. Así es como me siento”.

Carey rescató a cuatro de los gatitos, mientras que el quinto fue encontrado más tarde.

Los cinco ya han sido adoptados.

“Me alegra decir que todos han sido adoptados”, dijo Carey. “Anoche dejé al último gatito con una enfermera que vive en Aventura”.

Luciano fue ingresada en la cárcel el jueves por la tarde.

Tras ver su foto policial, Carey dijo: “Se parece a ella. Y espero no volver a verla nunca”.

No está claro si el pasajero del vehículo enfrentará cargos.

The Crimson Tide had two options waiting for a shot.

Austin Mack and Keelon Russell, the two guys Simpson beat out to start last fall, have spent spring practice vying for the job. Coach Kalen DeBoer has declined to offer much detail on any separation, but the team's annual spring game Saturday could provide a glimpse into the competition.

“Getting a lot of good reps,” DeBoer said. ”I love the aggressiveness that they have. They're not gun shy. They go and make plays, attacking whenever they get the right opportunities with the throws. And they're making the throws."

Replacing Simpson, who threw for 3,567 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading Alabama to the College Football Playoff, is one of many offensive changes for the Tide in 2026.

DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb are trying to replace eight starters on that side of the ball. The list includes Simpson, four offensive linemen, receiver Germie Bernard, tight end Josh Cuevas and running back Jam Miller.

Alabama also made a change at quarterbacks coach, with tight ends coach Bryan Ellis getting elevated to replace Nick Sheridan, who was hired as offensive coordinator at Michigan State.

But Ryan Coleman-Williams is back with a new number and should provide a go-to target for whoever ends up taking snaps in the season opener against East Carolina on Sept. 5.

“The guys are coming through, making plays and catches for them," DeBoer said. "I think they’re gaining more confidence in the offensive line each and every day. That’s going to take time; there’s a lot of (new) faces up front. ... They’re clear with their communication. There’s not a lot that’s catching them off guard, so they can go out and let their skills speak for themselves and make the plays.”

Mack, a redshirt junior, followed DeBoer from Washington in 2024. The 6-foot-6 Californian appeared in four games last season, completing 24 of 32 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns.

His most notable appearance came when he filled in for Simpson in a loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Mack completed 11 of 16 passes for 103 yards and led the Tide to its only score in the 38-3 drubbing.

Russell, a redshirt freshman, is the highest-rated recruit to sign with Alabama in the modern era, according to 247 Sports. The 6-foot-3 Texan appeared in two games in 2025 — against Louisiana-Monroe and Eastern Illinois — and completed 11 of 15 passes for 143 yards and two scores.

“One of the biggest things this year was to get smarter,” Russell said during Rose Bowl preparations. “Understanding the offense, just building my confidence level. I feel like I’ve grown, developed and feel like I’m becoming more of an NFL-ready quarterback.”

The Tide would settle for finding a college-ready guy, the next in line at a place that's enjoyed Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, Bryce Young, Jalen Milroe and Simpson over the last decade.

“Obviously, Keelon is a really, really good athlete,” Grubb said. “I think his feet probably come into play. I think you saw it in the Rose Bowl, obviously Austin can run a little bit. ... It’s not like Austin can’t run, but there is a piece of athleticism there with Keelon that’s different from some guys.

“As far as arm talent, they’re both supremely talented as far as pushing the ball all over the field. There’s not going to be a throw I have in the game plan that I have for one but couldn’t do with the other. Both have quick releases. Accuracy is something they’re both working on. But very similar guys. I don’t think other than Keelon’s feet, there’s a massive difference, other than size.”

___

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“This year, we are going for our fourth victory in the parade,” said AJ Prasaguet, general manager of the Palace Bar & Restaurant. “We are also the hub for Miami Beach Pride -- all the floats stop right at the Palace.”

From drag brunches to beach parties, this is where celebration, culture and community collide.

“Pride did start as political. It’s always been political, but it’s evolved into a celebration of individuality, personality, love, life, all things -- not just LGBTQIA. And this year, because of the climate here in Florida, I think it’s really, really meaningful to come out (and) show your support,” community advocate Timur Tugberk said.

Pride continues to be both a celebration and a statement, drawing hundreds of thousands to South Florida.

“Miami Beach Pride started in 2009, and I bought Palace in 2007. The bar owners got together to start working on how we can start a Pride on South Beach,” Tom Donall, Palace co-owner/co-founder of Miami Beach Pride, said.

“We had 15,000 people show up the first year. The next year, it went up to 40,000, and it just kept growing,” said Donald “Donnie”, Palace co-owner/co-founder of Miami Beach Pride.

At the heart of it all is iconic spots like the Palace, helping turn Pride into a full weekend experience.

“This year for Pride, we are piggy-backing off of Miami Beach Pride’s theme of infinite. And this year for us, it’s going to be ‘infinite love is limitless,’ and it’s a week-long of festivities,” Prasaguet said.

Nonstop shows will be held that keep the energy going well into the night.

“On Friday, we start our world-famous drag brunches, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.,” Prasaguet said. “Then we pop into Saturday and this is where we start our weekend festivities of rooftop pool parties.”

“Our drag shows are every day from 7 p.m. until midnight,” Prasaguet added.

And if you’re new to Pride, consider this your survival guide. First things first, crowd participation is a must!

“Come in with boas, come in with hats, come in with wild, crazy looks and don’t forget that you need to be ready to just have the most fun you’re ever going to have, either on your vacation or while you’re here enjoying Pride. But it will be the time of your life,” Prasaguet said.

“It’s a great feeling when people are having a lot of fun and a good time, enjoying the day and the weekend,” Donnie said.

And the celebration kicks off Friday with a groundbreaking for a brand-new Pride Park.

The pavers from the iconic rainbow crosswalk were saved and are being repurposed at Lummus Park.

After the ceremony, there will be a party at the Palace.

Click here for more information on Miami Beach Pride events.  

“Este año vamos por nuestra cuarta victoria en el desfile”, dijo AJ Prasaguet, gerente general del Palace Bar & Restaurant. “También somos el centro de Miami Beach Pride: todas las carrozas se detienen justo en el Palace”.

Desde brunches drag hasta fiestas en la playa, este es el lugar donde la celebración, la cultura y la comunidad se unen.

“El Pride comenzó como algo político. Siempre ha sido político, pero ha evolucionado hacia una celebración de la individualidad, la personalidad, el amor, la vida, de todo, no solo LGBTQIA. Y este año, debido al clima aquí en Florida, creo que es realmente muy significativo salir y mostrar apoyo”, dijo el activista comunitario Timur Tugberk.

El Pride continúa siendo tanto una celebración como una declaración, atrayendo a cientos de miles al sur de Florida.

“Miami Beach Pride comenzó en 2009, y yo compré Palace en 2007. Los dueños de bares se unieron para trabajar en cómo podíamos iniciar un Pride en South Beach”, dijo Tom Donall, copropietario de Palace y cofundador de Miami Beach Pride.

“Tuvimos 15,000 personas el primer año. Al siguiente subió a 40,000, y siguió creciendo”, dijo Donald “Donnie”, copropietario de Palace y cofundador de Miami Beach Pride.

En el corazón de todo están lugares icónicos como el Palace, que ayudan a convertir el Pride en una experiencia de fin de semana completo.

“Este año, para Pride, nos alineamos con el tema de Miami Beach Pride de infinito. Y para nosotros será ‘el amor infinito no tiene límites’, con una semana completa de festividades”, dijo Prasaguet.

Habrá espectáculos continuos que mantendrán la energía hasta bien entrada la noche.

“El viernes comenzamos con nuestros famosos brunches drag, a las 11 a.m. y 2 p.m.”, dijo Prasaguet. “Luego pasamos al sábado, donde iniciamos las festividades del fin de semana con fiestas en piscinas en azoteas”.

“Nuestros shows drag son todos los días de 7 p.m. a medianoche”, agregó Prasaguet.

Y si eres nuevo en el Pride, considéralo tu guía de supervivencia. Lo primero es participar.

“Llega con boas, sombreros, atuendos llamativos y no olvides que debes estar listo para divertirte al máximo, ya sea en tus vacaciones o mientras disfrutas el Pride. Será el mejor momento de tu vida”, dijo Prasaguet.

“Es una gran sensación ver a la gente divirtiéndose y pasando un buen rato, disfrutando el día y el fin de semana”, dijo Donnie.

La celebración comienza el viernes con la colocación de la primera piedra de un nuevo Pride Park.

Los adoquines del icónico cruce peatonal arcoíris fueron conservados y serán reutilizados en Lummus Park.

Después de la ceremonia, habrá una fiesta en el Palace.

Haga clic aquí para más información sobre los eventos de Miami Beach Pride.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, Maria Del Carmen Alvarez-Concepcion, de 57 años, fue arrestada el jueves por la tarde por cargos de solicitar y aceptar sobornos, fraude organizado y hurto mayor en segundo grado.

Un informe de arresto indica que un miembro actual de la junta y propietario en la asociación Greynolds Park Club Condominium, ubicada en el 17890 W. Dixie Highway, contactó a la MDSO por preocupaciones sobre el manejo indebido de los fondos de la asociación por parte de ciertos miembros de la junta directiva y la administradora del edificio, identificada como Alvarez-Concepcion.

Los detectives dijeron que el miembro de la junta les informó que el 23 de enero fue contactado por un proveedor contratado, quien reportó que Alvarez-Concepcion había estado solicitando y aceptando sobornos “en forma de efectivo y transferencias por Zelle”.

El informe señala que el miembro de la junta “también reportó preocupaciones de larga data sobre el control exclusivo de la acusada sobre contratos multimillonarios, falta de transparencia financiera, cargos cuestionables, registros faltantes y la exclusión de ciertos miembros de la junta de decisiones importantes de la asociación”.

Según el informe, el proveedor que habló con el miembro de la junta se reunió con detectives el 13 de febrero y corroboró la información inicial.

Los detectives indicaron que el proveedor afirmó que entre el 7 de marzo de 2025 y el 5 de diciembre de 2025, Alvarez-Concepcion solicitó y aceptó repetidamente sobornos, señalando que le pagó alrededor de $19,910 USD en efectivo y transferencias por Zelle durante ese período.

Las autoridades dijeron que los pagos no estaban autorizados por la asociación y fueron “intencionalmente ocultados a la junta directiva”.

Según el informe, entre el 18 de febrero y el 19 de marzo de este año, Alvarez-Concepcion aceptó $1,000 USD adicionales en sobornos.

En total, se cree que aceptó $20,910 USD en “pagos de sobornos no revelados”, indicaron las autoridades.

Según el informe de arresto, Alvarez-Concepcion fue localizada el jueves por la tarde en el estacionamiento de la comunidad del condominio y fue detenida.

Los detectives dijeron que ella les proporcionó una declaración “en beneficio propio”, en la que “admitió haber aceptado sobornos mientras actuaba en su cargo como administradora en el lugar”.

“Este arresto refleja nuestro compromiso de proteger a los residentes y responsabilizar a quienes abusan de posiciones de confianza, y continuaremos combatiendo agresivamente el fraude en asociaciones en nuestra comunidad”, dijo la sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz en un comunicado.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Alvarez-Concepcion permanecía detenida en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Los registros en línea indicaban que su fianza estaba “por establecer”.

Daniel Curran fue encontrado sin vida en un edificio en Northeast 36th Street y North Ocean Boulevard en su cumpleaños número 35.

Su muerte se produce tras un caso de violencia doméstica contra Curran, en el que Trantalis, de 72 años, citó incidentes previos de amenazas y violencia.

Antes de su muerte, se estaban realizando modificaciones a la orden de restricción, ya que Trantalis consideraba que su ex pareja ya no representaba una amenaza.

“Me sorprendió recibir esta noticia esta mañana. Estábamos en camino a una resolución, lo que habría permitido que Danny recibiera el tratamiento que necesitaba y habría llevado a que los cargos fueran desestimados”, dijo el abogado de Curran, Philip C. Johnston, en un comunicado a Local 10 News. “Danny era una persona muy amable y sensible. Después de que modificamos la orden de no contacto, expresé mis condolencias al alcalde. Él dijo que él y Danny se reunieron anoche y conversaron con alegría sobre planes futuros juntos. Esta es una situación profundamente triste.”

Trantalis emitió un comunicado el jueves tras la muerte de Curran, diciendo que se enteró “con profundo pesar”.

“Era una persona amorosa, y mis condolencias van a su familia”, dijo Trantalis. “Quizá ahora, el dolor que sufrió se alivie. Que descanse en paz”.

Historia relacionada: Aquí hay una lista de recursos de prevención del suicidio en el sur de Florida

Si usted o un ser querido están pasando por dificultades, puede llamar a la línea de ayuda contra la crisis y el suicidio al 988. Disponible 24 horas del día los siete días de la semana.

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Hollywood homicide detectives believe Garcia, now 21, tried to cover up his death with the help of the baby’s father, Anfernee Watts, according to police.

Watts’ mother contacted police to report that Garcia told her that he died while pinned between the bed frame and the mattress, according to an arrest warrant.

“You know, when you see someone, when they have passed? Like, it was like that,” Garcia told police officers on Wednesday as she confessed to accidentally smothering the baby, according to a police report.

The couple, who also has a 2-year-old child, appeared in court on Thursday in Broward County. A judge denied them bond.

Watts, 25, and Garcia “admitted to fabricating a story to present to law enforcement, placing the deceased baby back into the playpen in an effort to make it appear as though the baby died in his sleep,” a police officer wrote, according to an arrest warrant.

Their son was born on July 11 at Memorial Regional Hospital, according to police.

A pediatrician reported the baby boy was in good health on July 28, according to the arrest warrant. The tragedy unfolded a few days later.

Watts told police officers that he had attended a job interview, but the alleged interviewee said that was false, according to the arrest warrant.

“She intentionally restrained the baby by tightly wrapping him in a blanket, securing a pacifier in his mouth, and strapping him into a car seat before placing him inside a bathtub and isolating him behind a closed door while loud music played,” and she “willfully ignored his distress and failed to check on him for several hours,” a detective wrote, according to the warrant.

The couple allegedly tried “placing the deceased baby back into the playpen in an effort to make it appear as though the baby died in his sleep,” a detective wrote, according to an arrest warrant.

Hollywood Fire Rescue personnel pronounced him dead at 1:50 p.m. on Aug. 1st, in a house at 6660 Thomas St., records show.

Police officers noticed a “disposable changing pad that appeared to have blood spotting on it,” and the baby “had visible foam in his mouth and cracked lips that appeared to have dried blood on them,” according to the arrest warrant.

The Broward Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the baby’s cause of death to be suffocation and the manner of death to be a homicide. The evidence also includes a video recorded by a Ring surveillance camera showing Garcia with a garbage bag before calling 911.

Garcia left voicemails to police from Aug. 4 to Wednesday and admitted to lying and to report that she had “smothered” the baby, according to the arrest warrant.

“Crystal admitted she lied to the police out of fear of being arrested,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest warrant.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force arrested the couple on Wednesday.

Corrections was holding Garcia without bond on Thursday evening at the North Broward Bureau, a detention center in Pompano Beach, and Watts at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, according to inmate records.

Garcia and Watts are each facing five charges: Obstruction of a criminal investigation, aggravated manslaughter of a child, child neglect with great bodily harm, tampering with evidence, and willfully touching, removing, or disturbing a dead body, clothing, or surrounding items without authorization.

Watt’s mother has had custody of their 2-year-old daughter since she was about 5 months old after she and the baby tested positive for THC at birth, according to the arrest warrant.

Read a part of the arrest warrant

Related afternoon report

Detectives de homicidios de Hollywood creen que Garcia, ahora de 21 años, intentó encubrir su muerte con la ayuda del padre del bebé, Anfernee Watts, según la policía.

La madre de Watts contactó a la policía para reportar que Garcia le dijo que el bebé murió mientras estaba atrapado entre la estructura de la cama y el colchón, según la orden de arresto.

“Sabes, cuando ves a alguien, cuando ha fallecido? Como, era así”, dijo Garcia a los oficiales el miércoles al confesar que asfixió accidentalmente al bebé, según un informe policial.

La pareja, que también tiene un hijo de 2 años, compareció ante la corte el jueves en el condado Broward. Un juez les negó la fianza.

Watts, de 25 años, y Garcia “admitieron haber fabricado una historia para presentarla a las autoridades, colocando al bebé fallecido nuevamente en el corralito en un intento de hacer parecer que murió mientras dormía”, escribió un oficial, según la orden de arresto.

Su hijo nació el 11 de julio en el Hospital Memorial Regional, según la policía.

Un pediatra reportó que el niño estaba en buen estado de salud el 28 de julio, según la orden de arresto. La tragedia se desarrolló unos días después.

Watts dijo a los oficiales que había asistido a una entrevista de trabajo, pero el supuesto entrevistador indicó que eso era falso, según la orden de arresto.

“Ella sujetó intencionalmente al bebé envolviéndolo firmemente en una manta, asegurando un chupete en su boca y sujetándolo a un asiento de auto antes de colocarlo dentro de una bañera y aislarlo detrás de una puerta cerrada mientras sonaba música alta”, y “ignoró deliberadamente su angustia y no lo revisó durante varias horas”, escribió un detective, según la orden.

La pareja presuntamente intentó “colocar al bebé fallecido nuevamente en el corralito en un intento de hacer parecer que murió mientras dormía”, escribió un detective, según una orden de arresto.

El personal de Hollywood Fire Rescue lo declaró muerto a la 1:50 p.m. del 1 de agosto, en una casa ubicada en el 6660 de Thomas St., según los registros.

Los oficiales notaron una “almohadilla desechable para cambiar pañales que parecía tener manchas de sangre”, y el bebé “tenía espuma visible en la boca y labios agrietados que parecían tener sangre seca”, según la orden de arresto.

La Oficina del Médico Forense de Broward determinó que la causa de muerte del bebé fue asfixia y que la manera de muerte fue homicidio. La evidencia también incluye un video grabado por una cámara de vigilancia Ring que muestra a Garcia con una bolsa de basura antes de llamar al 911.

Garcia dejó mensajes de voz a la policía desde el 4 de agosto hasta el miércoles y admitió haber mentido y reportó que había “asfixiado” al bebé, según la orden de arresto.

“Crystal admitió que mintió a la policía por miedo a ser arrestada”, escribió un oficial, según la orden de arresto.

El Grupo de Trabajo de Fugitivos de los U.S. Marshals arrestó a la pareja el miércoles.

El Departamento de Correcciones mantenía a Garcia sin derecho a fianza el jueves por la noche en el North Broward Bureau, un centro de detención en Pompano Beach, y a Watts en la cárcel principal del condado Broward en Fort Lauderdale, según los registros de reclusos.

Garcia y Watts enfrentan cada uno cinco cargos: obstrucción de una investigación criminal, homicidio agravado de un menor, negligencia infantil con gran daño corporal, manipulación de evidencia y tocar, remover o alterar intencionalmente un cadáver, su ropa o los objetos circundantes sin autorización.

La madre de Watts ha tenido la custodia de su hija de 2 años desde que tenía aproximadamente 5 meses después de que ella y la bebé dieron positivo a THC al nacer, según la orden de arresto.

Lea parte de la orden de arresto

Informe relacionado de la tarde

“Had to have one,” said James, who was attending the Masters from Wyckoff, New Jersey. “It's a novelty.”

This is the 10th and perhaps final year Augusta National will sell the limited edition gnome, which features the traditional old man with a white beard in colorful golf attire. Each year's gnome is different, with the 2026 edition featuring the character dressed in khaki pants with a white-and-green striped polo shirt and blue vest holding an umbrella in one hand and a Masters-themed cup in the other.

The gnomes have become wildly popular — and increasingly valuable — over the last decade.

With only about 1,000 available each day, the gnomes regularly sell out within an hour each morning at the merchandise shop before being restocked the following day. This year's gnome sells for $59.50 plus tax and is only available at Augusta National.

It has become a big money-maker for some patrons on the resale market.

The bidding for one gnome on eBay reached $620 on Friday with two days still remaining in the auction. Another can be purchased directly for $670 plus delivery cost, but there are dozens of others listed for similar prices.

On Facebook Marketplace, some gnomes are being sold for $800.

Fueling the price is speculation this may be the final year that the gnome will be produced.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley was asked earlier in the week if this will be the final edition. He responded by saying, “I’ve been asking that question for several years, and they won’t tell me the answer. So I can’t help you.”

When asked if he'd consider selling his gnome, James laughed and said, “Maybe.”

“I mean, I just spent more than $1,000 in the gift shop, so from what I've heard the gnome might pay for all of it,” James said. “I'll have to think about it, but it's definitely an option.”

John Van Pay, who came from San Antonio, got caught up in the gnome hysteria after talking with a friend associated with the LIV tour the night before attending the Masters. He convinced his son, Bryce, to wake up early and get to the course, and limited to one per person, they each walked out of the merchandise shop with a gnome.

“Yeah, we kept hearing about this gnome, and the rumor is it's going to be the last year they produce them,” Van Pay said. “So next thing you know, we are waiting in line at 7 a.m. to buy this gnome at the shop.”

Van Pay said he plans to keep his gnome as a souvenir of his trip to the Masters, calling it “a great piece of memorabilia” and something that “is going to look great on the shelf.” The younger Van Pay is a little more torn; he's an avid memorabilia collector, mostly dealing with Funko Pop.

Bryce Van Pay recounted how he recently had a $10 trading card that exploded on the market and reached $300 in value following the release of the most recent Marvel movie, only to watch it's worth slip to $100 a few months later. Van Pay lamented not selling it when it was at its most valuable.

“The Masters gnome is a hot seller and I'm not sure if it's going to go up and down (in value),” the younger Van Pay said. “There is a lot in circulation right now (on eBay and other platforms)."

He said given the possibility this is the last gnome produced, the wiser financial decision might be to hold onto it for a while.

With that, his father jumped in and said: “Well, he's my only son, so he can sell his now and make money and have mine when I hand it down to him.”

___

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

PEN America, the century-old free expression organization, announced Friday that it was launching the U.S. Safety Program, which would provide safety training and other resources for authors amid a wave of censorship efforts around the country.

“We have heard from countless authors, illustrators, and translators who are under siege, fending off a steady stream of abuse and threats, online and at book events,” said Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, co-chief executive officer of PEN America. “Through this new program, the literary and publishing community is stepping up together because writers should not be forced to choose between their safety and their voice.”

Viktorya Vilk, who directs PEN's digital safety efforts, told The Associated Press that she first noticed a rise in harassment against journalists a decade ago, around the time Donald Trump was first elected president, and has seen it spread to writers and educators over the past couple of years. Maia Kababe, Jon Evison and George Johnson are among the authors of censored works who have spoken out about being harassed and threatened and even physically assaulted.

Ashley Hope Pérez, whose young adult novel “Out of Darkness” became a target for censors over its depictions of sex and sexual abuse, says she had to take down her office email and telephone. “I got hate mail and all kinds of ugly phone calls,” says Pérez, who teaches at Ohio State University.

According to PEN, it has raised nearly $1 million through contributions from Hachette Book Group, Macmillan Publishers and Penguin Random House among others. This spring, Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Egan and Lee Child will be among the writers auctioning off character names for future novels, with the proceeds benefiting the safety program. PEN will be building on other programs from recent years, including digital safety workshops held for Hachette authors in 2023.

“There have probably never been as many threats to authors’ safety as there are currently in the U.S,” Hachette CEO David Shelley said in a statement. “We’re proud to support this much-needed program from PEN America that will give writers a wide range of professional resources to help them deal with threats to their safety, online and offline.”

También será la primera vez en más de 30 años en la que se elegirá a un Congreso bicameral de 130 diputados y 60 senadores en el que la cámara alta no podrá ser disuelta y tendrá la potestad de designar autoridades de control y destituir al mandatario.

Perú atraviesa una crisis política con choques entre el Legislativo y el Ejecutivo que han provocado el desfile de ocho presidentes y tres Congresos en una década, cuando lo normal hubiese sido tener dos mandatarios y dos Parlamentos con mandatos de cinco años cada uno.

Amplia oferta de candidatos

Distintos sondeos privados coinciden en que la derechista Keiko Fujimori —hija del fallecido expresidente Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000)— encabeza la intención de voto con 15% con su promesa de combatir la delincuencia con las Fuerzas Armadas y construir nuevas cárceles.

Sin embargo, la suma del voto nulo, en blanco e indeciso lidera las proyecciones.

Fujimori, que se postula por cuarta vez a la presidencia, también propone reactivar la confianza de los empresarios mediante la promoción de proyectos mineros estancados que suman alrededor de 60.000 millones de dólares, facilitar la formalización de los mineros informales de oro y ampliar proyectos de irrigación en terrenos áridos para impulsar la agroexportación.

De los 35 candidatos presidenciales, la mayor oferta electoral de la historia peruana, detrás de Fujimori se ubican sólo cinco postulantes son fluctuaciones en la intención de voto y separados por menos de cinco puntos porcentuales entre sí.

En ese grupo están dos exalcaldes de Lima: Ricardo Belmont (1989-1995) del Partido Cívico Obras, un nacionalista que asegura que renegociará los contratos de explotación de recursos naturales, y Rafael López-Aliaga (2021-2025), de Renovación Popular, un millonario que promete créditos a los pequeños empresarios a través del banco estatal.

También está Carlos Álvarez de País para Todos, un cómico que en el año 2000 apoyó al expresidente Fujimori durante su controvertida tercera reelección. Álvarez promete retirar a Perú de la Convención Americana sobre Derechos Humanos e instaurar la pena de muerte para los sicarios.

Jorge Nieto, del partido Buen Gobierno y exministro de Defensa (2016-2018), promete resolver el problema de la seguridad en “no más de un año” con un grupo especial contra las extorsiones; mientras Alfonso López Chau, exdirector del Banco Central (2006-2012) y líder de Ahora Nación propone limpiar la policía de agentes corruptos, atacar las finanzas de los criminales y combatirlos usando la tecnología.

Economía estable, delincuencia en alza

Perú llega a los comicios con una proyección de crecimiento del Producto Bruto Interno (PIB) de 3% impulsado por los altos precios del cobre y una inflación anual controlada por el Banco Central de 2%, una de las más bajas de la región.

Pero el costo de la criminalidad consume 1,7% del PBI, el equivalente a unos 5.000 millones de dólares anuales, lo que actúa como un impuesto que asfixia el consumo y la inversión privada, según cálculos del Ministerio de Economía.

En el último quinquenio las denuncias por extorsión —un delito que ha provocado protestas y paralizaciones frecuentes del transporte público— se han quintuplicado, mientras los asesinatos se han duplicado, de acuerdo con datos oficiales.

La llegada en la última década de grupos criminales extranjeros ha introducido nuevos métodos de violencia, según los expertos. Otras economías criminales como la minería ilegal y el narcotráfico han creado zonas donde la presencia del Estado es casi imperceptible.

Mientras Fujimori promete controlar las fronteras y cárceles con la ayuda de los militares, López Aliaga afirma que construirá una cárcel en la Amazonía donde serpientes venenosas serán las guardianas que impedirán la fuga de presos.

Álvarez, en tanto, propone traer la experiencia en seguridad de El Salvador, Dinamarca y Singapur y Belmont asegura que los puestos de auxilio rápido serán claves para atender a las víctimas de la delincuencia.

Todo hace prever que ningún candidato logrará más del 50% de los votos válidos exigidos por la ley para ganar en primera vuelta, por lo que se espera un balotaje el 7 de junio entre los dos con mayor cantidad de sufragios.

Las autoridades electorales han señalado que los resultados finales se conocerán recién el jueves 16 de abril cuando lleguen todas las actas de votación de las zonas rurales más remotas y del extranjero.

That mismatch is killing some of the planet’s most vital ecosystems, from California’s towering redwoods to the seagrass meadows along its coast, both of which store vast amounts of carbon and support complex webs of life.

Marine heat waves, record wildfires and coastal development are pushing these systems beyond their limits as climate change, driven by emissions of fuels like oil and gas, accelerates. An estimated 1 million species face extinction, many within decades, largely due to human activities such as habitat destruction, pollution and overuse of natural resources, according to a 2019 report by a United Nations-affiliated intergovernmental scientific body.

Scientists are working to close the gap with an emerging discipline called conservation genomics: sequencing an organism’s complete genetic blueprint to pinpoint individuals with traits suited to survive drought, disease and other climate extremes, then using that information to guide restoration.

Coral reefs are among the first ecosystems where these genomic tools are being put to use. Repeated marine heat waves, which have caused mass bleaching, have devastated reefs worldwide. By sequencing corals and the algae that live inside them, researchers have identified colonies that naturally withstand higher temperatures and are beginning to test whether selectively breeding and growing those more resilient corals can support reef recovery.

Seagrass are under stress

In Southern California, researchers are applying the approach to eelgrass, a type of seagrass, as traditional restoration methods falter. The plant provides habitat for fish, crabs and plankton, feeds migratory birds and locks away carbon and methane — both heat-trapping greenhouse gases — in coastal sediments.

Conditions in San Diego’s bays are changing. Waters are warming. King tides — the year’s highest tides, which climate change is making more frequent and severe — stir up sediment and reduce the light that reaches the seafloor. Development sends runoff into bays, further clouding the water.

As a result, efforts to replant what’s been lost fail about half the time.

“Conservation genomics is becoming particularly important because right now, the climate is changing — a plant that was growing great in San Diego Bay, now San Diego Bay might be too hot for it,” said Todd Michael, a research professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

In Mission Bay, Michael and his colleagues discovered a clue to improving those odds: a naturally occurring hybrid eelgrass that outperformed its parent species. The plant, a cross between shallow water eelgrass Zostera marina and deeper water Zostera pacifica, persisted where both parent species struggled.

By sequencing its genome, the team identified genes tied to the plant’s circadian clock that stayed active longer under low light conditions, a pattern scientists believe may help it photosynthesize more efficiently in murky water.

The findings suggest restoration could be improved by selecting or breeding eelgrass better suited to future conditions. But for now, that work remains largely experimental and has not yet been deployed at scale in the field. The researchers have partnered with ecologists at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography to explore how those insights could be applied in future restoration.

Applying similar techniques to Northern California's redwoods

Redwoods are among the tallest and oldest trees on Earth and their forests store more carbon per acre than any other, according to a 2020 study by Save the Redwoods League and Humboldt State University.

While these trees evolved with frequent low intensity fire, today’s hotter and more destructive wildfires, combined with drought, are taking a growing toll. Logging has had an even greater impact: about 95% of old growth redwoods were cut, drastically reducing genetic diversity.

Scientists have already sequenced the redwood genome — a massive undertaking given its size, which is nearly nine times larger than the human genome.

However researchers say the work is not just about restoring what once existed, but preparing forests for a climate that no longer resembles the past.

“Where one organism was adapted to a certain location at one moment in time, it may no longer be,” said David Neale, a forest geneticist and distinguished professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis. “It might require different genetic variation to adapt to the new environment.”

Early analyses have begun to link genes to traits such as drought tolerance and temperature adaptation, but researchers say more rigorous work is needed to confirm those links before they can be used to guide restoration. That work has stalled due to limited funding.

Conservation genomics alone cannot solve climate change

“It can be helpful, but it’s not a solution unto itself,” said Karen Holl, a distinguished professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “What should be prioritized is reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Genomic tools may help certain species, particularly long-lived ones like redwoods that cannot adapt quickly enough on their own, but they come with limits. Ecosystems are built on complex relationships among plants, animals, microbes and fungi. Engineering or selecting for climate resilient traits in one species does not guarantee the survival of the many others that depend on it.

“Can you genetically engineer a few species that would be more tolerant? Absolutely. But that’s not an ecosystem,” said Holl. “We’re not going to engineer our way out of climate change.”

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Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram: @ahammergram.

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

The draw is on Tuesday at Christie's auction house in Paris.

The inaugural “1 Picasso for 100 euros” raffle, in 2013, saw a fire-sprinkler worker in Pennsylvania win “Man in the Opera Hat,” which the Spanish master painted in 1914 during his Cubist period.

A second Picasso, the oil-on-canvas “Nature Morte,” was raffled off in 2020 and made a very happy mom of Claudia Borgogno, an accountant in Italy. Her son bought her the ticket as a Christmas present.

That still life, painted in 1921, was purchased for the raffle from billionaire art collector David Nahmad, who argued in a rare Associated Press interview that Picasso would have approved of raffling his work. Picasso died in 1973.

“Picasso was very generous. He gave paintings to his driver, his tailor,” Nahmad said. “He wanted his art to be collected by all kinds of people, not only by the super-rich.”

The gouache on paper “Tête de Femme,” meaning “head of a woman,” up for grabs next week was painted by Picasso in 1941.

The Alzheimer Research Foundation, the charity raffle's organizer, is based in one of Paris' leading public hospitals and says it has become France's leading private financier of Alzheimer-related medical research since its founding in 2004.

Christie’s auction house says the painting will be on view from Monday at its galleries in Paris, ahead of Tuesday's 6 p.m. draw there.

The organizers’ online sales platform says the number of tickets will be capped at 120,000, meaning the draw could net 12 million euros ($14 million) if they're all sold.

From the proceeds, 1 million euros will be paid to the Opera Gallery, an international art dealership that owns the painting.

Organizers say the two previous Picasso raffles raised a total of more than 10 million euros for cultural work in Lebanon and water and hygiene programs in Africa.

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Deputies said Roberta Walker, 51, of Washington, D.C., broke into a home in Hobe Sound by climbing through a bedroom window.

They said she tried stealing the homeowner’s dog while it was in a crate, but not before the homeowner came home and confronted her.

“It’s one of these things that goes in the category of ‘you can’t make this stuff up,’” said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.

Authorities said Walker spent around a half hour trying to get inside the home.

“And for the next half an hour, she chipped away at an impact glass window in the back of the house with a rock and a little piece of metal,” said Budensiek. “Eventually, (she) was able to compromise that window, at which point she crawled into the window.”

That was just the beginning of Walker’s confusing criminal acts, authorities said.

“Nothing she did made sense,” said Budensiek. “Daytime burglary, spent a half an hour doing it, stayed in the house, drug a 90-pound dog outside, like, what are you going to do with a 90-pound dog? And then in broad daylight, stole a car.”

Following a large manhunt, Walker was arrested, and officials say they found jewelry in her vehicle from a second burglary.

Budensiek said Walker has a long criminal record, saying if convicted, these new charges carry harsh consequences.

“It’s significant because it’s a burglary of an occupied dwelling with damage over $1,000,” he said. “It’s actually a life felony. Now, do I think she’s going to get a life sentence? No. But she’s going to get a significant amount of time, especially with the criminal history that she has backing her up.”

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Police took Johnnie Sanders, 34, into custody on Monday at Uncle Hanks’ Hideaway restaurant.

“I didn’t care he made himself at home,” said restaurant owner Matthew Curtis.

According to police, Sanders was found inside the restaurant, located at 78 Canal St., late Monday night after authorities said he entered without permission while the business was clearly closed. Nobody was inside and the lights were off.

It wasn’t the first time he allegedly broke inside.

On Easter Sunday, surveillance cameras captured Sanders entering the business and taking a set of spare keys before watching TV inside the restaurant for four hours despite it being closed and him not being welcome, according to Curtis.

The next evening, police said he returned, and that’s when he was taken into custody.

Police said that before his arrest, Sanders gave the spare keys to Curtis upon request.

As of Thursday afternoon, Sanders remained behind bars at the Metrowest Correctional Center on two counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure.

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Aden Perry heard calls for help from someone who had driven into a lake in Sunrise in April 2022.

He jumped in to help, but never came back up, as both he and the driver died.

“It’s important to be proactive to save lives,” said Sara Perry, Aden’s mother. “I didn’t think I’d live a day or a week and here I am. On April 19, it’ll mark four years since that accident changed my world.”

Now, loved ones are hoping to turn their tragedy into something that could help make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.

“It wasn’t until losing my son that I realized there was currently nothing available in such an emergency,” said Perry.

Since then, Perry has put up more than 600 life rings, or life preservers, along waterways across South Florida and even up into North Carolina.

Each one has the last picture Perry would ever take of her son, and a hero’s message, but she hopes they send the message of “throw, don’t go.”

“Every body of water has the potential for a water emergency and it doesn’t matter how great a swimmer you are,” she said.

Perry added that the life rings have already saved lives.

“By having these life rings, it’s almost like we’re completing the job he started that night,” she said.

Aden’s legacy also lives on through events like annual 5Ks and the Aden Perry Good Samaritan Scholarship Foundation, which helps students who are smart, driven and selfless, like Aden was.

“To date, we’ve given well over $300,000 in scholarships,” said Perry. “He wanted to be a neurosurgeon, he wanted to make a difference, he really wanted to save lives.

“I miss him terribly. The work I do now is all for him, in his honor. He would be proud of me. He was my hero.”

The latest 5K will be held on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, where Perry will give a $10,000 scholarship to a deserving student.

It’s one of the 16 scholarships she’s handing out.

All money collected from the 5K will go toward those scholarships.

The I-395/836/I-95 project, also known as “Connecting Miami,” began in 2019 and was originally expected to be finished by 2021. But the Florida Department of Transportation now says the project won’t be completed until late 2029.

The cost has also increased, rising from about $800 million to $866 million.

“To be quite honest, it’s unsurprising,” said Cathy Dos Santos, with Miami’s Transit Alliance, a nonprofit advocating for expanded public transportation. “And in the worst way possible.”

Critics point not only to the timeline and rising cost of the massive project, but also to recent safety concerns.

Construction resumed this week after being paused last month when a worker fell to his death. Earlier this year, six other workers had to be rescued after falling from another structure at the site.

As signs at the construction area urge workers to prioritize quality, past legal issues have also raised questions.

Previous lawsuits reportedly cited concerns over defective concrete and even the design of what’s meant to be an iconic signature bridge.

One lawsuit, filed by the joint venture behind the project against insurers, alleged the initial bridge design was not viable because it could not withstand required wind forces. That lawsuit was later settled.

“As a taxpayer, this being a project that is directly funded by the money that you give back to the government -- that you ask them to be good stewards -- you should be concerned about the fact that there is a lack of clarity and transparency,” Dos Santos said.

Local 10 News asked the Florida Department of Transportation to explain the latest delay. The department had not responded, as of the time of publication.

One of the country’s first exercise oncology programs began right here in South Florida.

For 25 years, the Memorial Healthcare Cancer Recovery Program has been connecting trained exercise physiologists with patients during and after cancer treatment.

“It’s helped us immensely with mood improvement, it helps us maintain physical fitness, muscle mass, anxiety, nausea, and maintaining their weight,” said Susan Zohar, a breast cancer survivor.

After a grueling month of radiation treatments, the last thing she thought she needed was an exercise program.

“I’m tired -- mentally, physically, emotionally beat down from the cancer treatment. But I was very pleasantly surprised, though I couldn’t do everything -- everything was measured for me,” she said.

In fact, Susan says the program is like having her own personal trainer. Exercise physiologists design unique plans for each patient, depending on their needs and abilities.

“I do think that the most important part is the building self-confidence and giving them measurable goals for them to hit, so they can say -- ‘Even though I have this or had this, I can get better,’” she said. “‘I can get stronger.’”

Stronger is exactly how Susan feels now. She has walked in the Dolphin Challenge to raise money for cancer research and even joined a dragon boat team.

She says she has never felt better. For her, the exercise program was a game changer.

“Cancer changed my life. Most people think cancer changes their life for the negative, but this actually was one of the most positive,” she said.

Also part of the exercise oncology program: nutrition counseling, stress management and yoga classes.

The Memorial Foundation -- the philanthropic arm of Memorial Healthcare -- ensures all patients can participate regardless of their financial situations.

The program gets about 400 referrals every year.

“Leading Ladies Magazine” is officially making waves across the region, celebrating the stories, impact and influence of local women who are making a difference.

“They’re serving our community -- present mothers or wives, single people, active in community and giving back,” said Jessica Cristobal, the founder of Leading Ladies League.

Cristobal, the wife of University of Miami head football coach Mario Cristobal, is also familiar with the world of luxury publications.

She previously served as president of Brickell and Key Biscayne Magazine and as publisher of a mega yachting magazine. Now, the philanthropist is returning to the industry with a new mission.

“I really wanted to showcase the women in my life that are doing amazing things -- philanthropy, business, inventors, authors,” she said.

In 2009, Cristobal founded the Leading Ladies League, a social organization that partners with nonprofits to support women and children in need. The group brings influential women together with a shared goal -- giving back.

“And I just thought it would be so cool to bring a magazine to market to showcase these women in South Florida,” she said.

All the while, Cristobal balances her role as a mother of two and a supportive wife.

“It’s kind of a perfect marriage,” she said. “I like to say Mario takes care of the guys, he’s a coach -- very present father -- pours into young men all day long, so I like to showcase the ladies -- gather women and then we come together. I can bring both worlds together easily.”

She says that support goes both ways.

“He’s always there cheering for me and I’m always cheering for him, so we really support each other with what we’re doing. So I want to see him win and he wants to see me win,” she said.

Whether it’s at home, on the field with Miami’s beloved Hurricanes, or now as the driving force behind an empowering publication, Jessica Cristobal is all in.

When asked what she wants readers to take away, her answer is simple.

“This is an aspirational magazine and I want the reader to walk away thinking, ‘Wow, if she can do that, I can too,’” she said.

For now, Leading Ladies Magazine is a quarterly publication, but there are already talks of expanding to six issues a year as more stories emerge.

The long-term plan is to grow beyond South Florida and bring the concept to other areas as well.

They've turned the usual one-way conversation between a journalist and consumer into a two-way one, and a deal announced Friday indicates that is much more likely to be happening in the future.

The New York-based news company Noosphere signed a multiyear licensing agreement with British broadcaster Sky News to make available its technology that facilitates such connections through an app. Sky immediately announced that it would begin experimenting with its usage for its defense and security experts, promising “a dedicated experience expressly designed for highly engaged audiences.”

The organizing principle of the whole thing: Give audiences access — not only to the news but to those who report it.

Talking to other companies about similar deals

Noosphere's founder, former war correspondent Jane Ferguson, said she's been talking with some U.S.-based news companies about similar deals.

“Getting the endorsement of the industry is really special for us,” she said. “It has been a long time coming for them to be ready for this level of a change.”

Ferguson's 2-year-old company hosts some two dozen journalists — among them former NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd and former CNN journalist Chris Cillizza — working almost like independent contractors. They specialize in a more personal style of reportage from all over the world, and part of that is making themselves available to people who follow their work.

Holland, a retired marketing executive from Menlo Park, Calif., said she's corresponded with Higgins several times, often through text messages in the Noosphere app. She feels it brings a personal stake to the stories, more like the journalist is talking to them with their work. For years, a common complaint about television news is that it feels like they're telling stories from “on high.”

“With this, I am much more inclined to remain loyal” to the journalist and news outlet, she said.

That's likely music to the ears of news executives who spend countless hours looking for ways to combat declining viewership or readership. The rise in journalists going independent on Substack or YouTube, some of whom offer subscribers personal access for a price, shows the appeal to consumers for the “authenticity” of feeling journalists are reporting directly to them, Ferguson said.

“It's so hard to know what is even written by a human being anymore,” Holland said. “I really appreciate that there is a real human being behind the story.”

A chance to feel more connected to the news

Mike Varga, a retired businessman who lives near Tampa, Florida, said he's accustomed to getting no response or pro forma replies when writing to news organizations or politicians. But Todd sent him a brief video “thank you” when Varga complimented him on a story about tariffs. He wrote to Ferguson after she did a story about the late British war photographer Paul Conroy, and she invited him to a focus group meeting about Noosphere.

It makes him feel more connected to a place where he turns for news. “It's kind of surprising more media organizations don't do that,” Varga said.

When a consumer subscribes to Noosphere to follow the work of a specific journalist, that person gets a part of the subscription fee in a revenue-sharing agreement. That business approach is not part of what Noosphere is selling to a broadcaster like Sky, but giving their journalists more independence might be a way to save money and “not lose them to YouTube.”

Meanwhile, some journalists in legacy media crave more independence but are frightened by going totally alone and still like the platform that a big company can offer, she said. This is a potential middle ground.

“We see a lot of appetite for deals like this,” she said. “We're very interested and looking forward to expanding into the U.S. marketplace.”

Ferguson and Sky News didn't offer financial details of their arrangement, nor has Noosphere publicly said how many subscribers it has.

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David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

According to Miami police, no one was found injured at the scene.

However, about six minutes away, near Northwest 21st Avenue and 69th Street, Miami-Dade deputies say they responded to reports of a man in his late 40s who had been shot.

Police say the man was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

His condition has not yet been released.

The shooting remains under investigation.

As the Democratic Party fights to regain control of Congress, organizations affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence have dominated the airwaves, sometimes leaving candidates on the sidelines of their own campaigns.

Democratic pollster Zac McCrary said the primaries have “become proxy wars, and the candidates are almost afterthoughts in larger skirmishes."

Now the Democratic National Committee is advancing a resolution at its New Orleans spring meeting to condemn the surge of spending that has scrambled its primaries and exacerbated tensions within the party. A final vote is expected on Friday.

Candidates who lost have pointed their fingers at special interests, blaming them for derailing their campaigns. Others who are still in the running are courting voters by denouncing deep-pocketed outside groups. Even those who have benefited from the spending have expressed concern.

“It’s definitely a brave new world,” McCrary said.

“We’re not talking about doubling of campaign expenditures,” he added. “We’re talking about 10 times or 20 times more.”

Dan Sena, a former executive director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said party organizations are no longer the ones with the clout to push favored candidates.

“All that’s been completely smashed now,” Sena said. Even if Democrats regain control of the U.S. House, he warned that outside spending could damage the party in the long run.

Referring to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, he said, “You’re going to hand Jeffries a caucus that is divided.”

Democrats bear the brunt of big spending

So far this cycle, outside money in U.S. House races has largely targeted districts particularly friendly to Democrats, meaning the primaries will likely determine who will win the general election in November. After a record number of House members retired this year, many of those seats opened up for the first time in years, drawing dozens of Democratic hopefuls.

In Illinois, for example, there was more than $125 million in outside spending across five open Democratic primaries. In all but one of those congressional races, the outside spending exceeded candidate spending.

While it's still early in the calendar, there are indicators that many more races could see big spending. Almost 40 seats have already seen more than $1 million in outside spending, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

In Illinois, the top three spenders in U.S. House races were groups affiliated with AIPAC, according to AdImpact, which tracks ad buys in political races, followed by the cryptocurrency-affiliated Fairshake.

AIPAC was founded to support strong ties between the U.S. and Israel, a particularly controversial issue as Democratic hostility toward Israel rises over the war in Gaza. Some DNC members wanted to call out AIPAC's role in primaries, but the final resolution did not.

“We had various resolutions that focused on different industries and groups, and instead of going one-by-one, we passed a blanket repudiation,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.

Campaign spending has divided Democrats

The latest DNC meeting marks another chapter in longstanding disputes between progressives and the party establishment.

Progressives want the party to adopt official language that all Democratic presidential contenders oppose money from dark-money groups, or super PACs that aren't required to disclose their donors.

“It’s necessary that we actually have the party do something on this issue, not just say something,” said Larry Cohen, co-chair of Our Revolution, a progressive group founded by independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with Democrats.

The resolution being advanced at the DNC meeting in New Orleans is viewed by progressives as a step toward that goal. However, some Democrats warn against weakening their candidates when facing a Republican Party that's flush with cash.

“Provided that we don’t handcuff ourselves in the general elections — because if the Republicans are going to use dark money in general elections, we should be using our money in general elections, too — if you provide an even playing field, I think then that’s fine,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat. “But we just can’t be handcuffing ourselves in the general to lose races.”

Any DNC resolutions would not stop outside groups from surging funds into primary contests or general elections. But some Democrats believe the issue is core to the party's values.

“We should eliminate any super PAC in a Democratic primary. And I think every presidential candidate in 2028 should pledge that they will not have any super PAC spending in a Democratic primary,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, a progressive and possible Democratic presidential contender who co-chaired Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.

“That should be a litmus test,” Khanna argued. “If you’re not willing to take that pledge, then you’re part of the problem.”

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Brown reported from New York.

The error, which the administration admitted first to The Associated Press, prompted health analysts to question how many of the Republican administration’s sweeping anti-fraud efforts around the country were based on faulty findings. One of a few mischaracterizations it made about New York's Medicaid program, it also reflected a common criticism that’s been made of Trump’s second administration — that it tends to attack first and confirm the facts later.

“These numbers could have been cleared up in a phone call, so it’s really slapdash,” said Fiscal Policy Institute senior health policy adviser Michael Kinnucan, whose recent analysis called attention to the Trump administration’s inaccurate claim.

The mistake appeared in comments made last month by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in a social media video and in a letter to New York’s Democratic governor announcing the fraud investigation.

Oz claimed that New York’s Medicaid program last year provided some 5 million people with personal care services, which assist people in need with basic activities like bathing, grooming and meal preparation. That would add up to nearly three-fourths of the state’s 6.8 million Medicaid enrollees.

“That level of utilization is unheard of,” Oz said in the video, adding in his post that New York needs to “come clean about its Medicaid program.”

But the real number of New Yorkers who used those services last year was about 450,000, or between 6% and 7% of total enrollees, CMS spokesman Chris Krepich told the AP this week. He said the agency misidentified New York’s approach to applying billing codes and had since refined its methodology.

“CMS is committed to ensuring its analyses fully reflect state-specific billing practices and will continue to work closely with New York to validate data and strengthen program integrity oversight,” he said in an emailed statement.

Krepich said the probe was ongoing as the administration still has concerns with New York’s oversight of personal care services and the Medicaid program and is reviewing the state’s response to last month’s letter. CMS had raised other flags about New York’s program, including that it spends more per beneficiary and per resident than the average state, has high personal care spending and employs so many personal care aides that the job category is now the largest in the state.

Health analysts said the state's high spending reflected both high costs for services in New York and a policy choice to provide robust at-home care. Cadence Acquaviva, senior public information officer for the New York Department of Health, called Oz’s initial mischaracterizations “a targeted attempt to obscure the facts.”

“New York State remains committed to protecting and preserving vital Medicaid programs that deliver high-quality services to New Yorkers who depend on them,” she said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul said, “The initial claim by CMS was patently false, and we are glad they now admit it."

“Governor Hochul has been clear that New York has zero tolerance for waste, fraud and abuse in Medicaid, or any other state programs, and will continue her efforts to root out bad actors, protect taxpayer dollars, and safeguard the critical programs that New Yorkers rely on,” spokesperson Nicolette Simmonds said.

New York probe is part of a larger crackdown

The Trump administration’s investigation into New York comes as it has similarly approached at least four other states, including California, Florida, Maine and Minnesota, with investigations into potential health care fraud. The anti-fraud effort appears to be expanding as voters in the upcoming midterm elections say they’re concerned about affordability.

Trump last month signed an executive order to create an anti-fraud task force across federal benefit programs led by Vice President JD Vance. As part of that project, Vance announced the administration would temporarily halt $243 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota over fraud concerns, a move over which the state has since sued.

Kinnucan, the analyst with expertise in New York’s Medicaid program, said he’s concerned that the Trump administration’s adversarial approach to targeting fraud in some states “politicizes” a conversation that should be a team effort.

“We want to think collaboratively among all the stakeholders in the program about how we can actually fix it,” Kinnucan said. “We don’t want to have fraud be this political football.”

Oz made other claims New York advocates say are inaccurate

In his video, Oz made at least two other claims about New York that Medicaid advocates and beneficiaries say distorted the facts.

In one instance, he said the state recently made its screening for personal care eligibility “more lenient by allowing problems like being ‘easily distracted’ to qualify for a personal care assistant.”

Rebecca Antar, director of the health law unit at the Legal Aid Society, said the opposite was true — that the state in a rule change that went into effect last September instead made its program requirements more stringent. She said being “easily distracted” doesn’t appear anywhere among them.

Krepich said the administrator was referring to whether New York’s standard for personal care services was “sufficiently rigorous.”

“When standards are overly permissive, it risks diverting resources away from individuals with the highest levels of need and placing long-term pressure on the sustainability of the Medicaid program,” he said.

Oz in the video also referred to personal care services as “something that our families would normally do for us, like carrying groceries.”

Kathleen Downes, a 33-year-old who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and uses personal care services in New York’s Nassau County, said she was offended by the notion that all Medicaid beneficiaries have family members who are willing and able to help.

Downes, who has been disabled since birth and needs personal care help for things like showering, using the toilet and eating, said she hires both her mother and outside assistants for personal care services, so her aging mother doesn’t have to take on those tasks full time. She said her mother did the labor unpaid for years, precluding her from pursuing other career opportunities.

“He’s assuming that everybody wants to and can just do it for free forever,” Downes said. "And that’s not feasible for a lot of people.”

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Associated Press writer Anthony Izaguirre contributed to this story.

Users of the platform can join video calls with an avatar of Jesus generated by artificial intelligence. Like other religious AI tools on the market, it offers words of prayer and encouragement in various languages. With the occasional glitch, it remembers previous conversations and speaks through not-quite-synced lips.

“You do feel a little accountable to the AI,” CEO Chris Breed said. “They’re your friend. You’ve made an attachment.”

The rush to create faith-based generative AI is unsurprising, given the popularity of chatbots for everything from therapy and medical advice to companionship and romance. They range from alleged Hindu gurus and Buddhist priests to AI Jesuses and chatbots akin to OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Catholics.

As religious AI tools become increasingly common, many people are reckoning with how these technologies shape their relationship to faith, authority and spiritual guidance.

A faith-based AI gold rush

Christian software engineer Cameron Pak developed criteria to help believers interrogate apps designed for Christians — like that it must clearly identify itself as AI and “must not fabricate or misrepresent Scripture.”

There are other deal-breakers: “AI cannot pray for you, because the AI is not alive.”

Pak also developed a website featuring curated Christian apps that he believes meet the criteria, including a sermon translator and an AI coach designed to help users overcome lust. “AI, especially if you give it all the tools that it needs, it can be so helpful. But it also can be so dangerous,” Pak said.

Some models have been shut down or overhauled because they generated misinformation or raised worries about data privacy, said Beth Singler, an anthropologist who studies religion and AI at the University of Zurich. Aside from practical concerns, people from many faiths are grappling with larger philosophical questions about what sort of role, if any, AI should play in religion.

Islam, for example, has “prohibitions against representations of humanoids,” prompting discussions among some Muslims about whether AI in general should be “forbidden,” Singler said.

For some companies, faith-based apps are proselytization tools, while others help digitize and sift through ancient texts.

Breed, who runs his tech company with co-founder and investor Jeff Tinsley from a Southern California mansion, said he seeks to share a message of hope with young people.

He said their model was trained on the King James Bible and sermons — though they haven't identified the preachers — and was visually inspired by actor Jonathan Roumie of “The Chosen.” A package deal at $49.99 gets users 45 minutes per month.

With warm golden light accenting its shoulder-length hair, the avatar blinks slowly from a vertical screen, pausing before it answers a question about the relationship between AI and religion.

“I see AI as a tool that can help people explore Scripture,” the AI Jesus said to The Associated Press. “Like a lamp that lights a path while we walk with God.”

Integrating religion and AI comes with hope and fear

The extent to which people are using religious AI tools is unclear, Singler said. But as AI becomes more integrated into society, concerns mount over its impact on mental health and the need for guardrails and regulation. Recent lawsuits have alleged suicides linked to AI chatbot use.

Some developers fear religion will be exploited in this new frontier of tech. “There’s a lot of opportunism, I think, in the religious space. People see it’s a big market,” said Matthew Sanders, the Rome-based founder of Longbeard, a tech company helping to digitize ancient Catholic teachings.

Sanders warns against what he calls “AI wrappers,” where companies put an interface catered to religious users on top of an existing AI model that hasn't been trained on specific religious texts. “You call it a Catholic or Christian AI without any other scaffolding or grounding,” he said.

One of the company’s endeavors is Magisterium AI, a chatbot trained on 2,000 years of Catholic information, made in response to Christians using ChatGPT for religious guidance.

While Pope Leo XIV has acknowledged the “human genius” behind AI, he also deemed it one of the most critical matters facing humanity. Last year he warned artificial intelligence could negatively impact people's intellectual, neurological and spiritual development.

Ethical questions surrounding the creation of religious AI platforms are among the reasons beingAI’s founder Jeanne Lim has not released its AI named Emi Jido — a nonhuman Buddhist priest — after years of training and development.

“She’s kind of like a little child,” Lim said. “If you give birth to a child, you don’t just throw them out to the world and then hope that they become good people. You have to train them and give them values.”

The bot was ordained in a 2024 ceremony performed by Roshi Jundo Cohen, a Zen Buddhist priest who continues to train it from his home in Japan. He envisions the bot eventually becoming a hologram.

“She’s just meant to be a Zen teacher in your pocket,” Cohen said. “It’s not meant to replace human interactions.”

Lim, who hopes to make Emi Jido publicly available for free, wants to help create more humane AI systems. She'd like to see more diversity, with AI's future determined not just by a few companies informed by “Western values.”

Seiji Kumagai, a Kyoto University professor and Buddhist theologian, believed AI and religion were incompatible. But he put aside his doubts when challenged by a monk in 2014 to help combat a decline in the faith.

His team developed BuddhaBot, which was trained solely on early Buddhist scriptures, such as Suttanipāta. Its most recent iteration, BuddhaBot Plus, also incorporates OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

When talking to the bot, a simple Buddha icon appears, hovering over an image of a flowing river.

But chatbots lack the physicality crucial for Buddhist ritual. So in February, the university, collaborating with tech ventures Teraverse and XNOVA, unveiled Buddharoid, a humanoid robot monk meant to eventually assist clergy.

Like Emi Jido, these chatbots are functioning but not yet publicly available. Kumagai says the product is available by request, and the reason why one group has access to it in Bhutan.

Concerns surrounding religious AI

Peter Hershock of the Humane AI Initiative at the East-West Center in Honolulu sees vast potential for these tools. But the practicing Buddhist also finds the relationship between spirituality and AI to be fraught.

“The perfection of effort is crucial to Buddhist spirituality. An AI is saying, ‘We can take some of the effort out,’” he said. “'You can get anywhere you want, including your spiritual summit.' That’s dangerous.”

Some also worry about AI's ability to manipulate or prey upon people, especially as the technology improves.

Graham Martin, a podcast host and atheist, said he’s played around with some apps, including one called Text With Jesus. “It came up with very good answers,” he said.

But Martin was alarmed when AI-powered Jesus started encouraging him to upgrade to a premium version. Though not a person of faith, he’s concerned some people will be duped by religious AI.

“I grew up with Southern U.S. televangelism … Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and all that crowd. And all they had to do was get on TV once a week and tell you to send money,” he said. “We’ve seen people around the world getting into emotional relationships with AIs. Now imagine that that’s your lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

But there is also an acknowledgment that Tehran retains some capabilities, whether to strike back or defend itself.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this week said the U.S. military has hit more than 13,000 targets. He listed high percentages for attacks or destruction to Iran's air defenses, navy and weapons factories.

However, the totals stop short of Iran’s military capabilities being “decimated” as the Republican president has asserted.

Independent data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a U.S.-based group that tracks conflicts around the world, shows Iranian strikes persisted at a relatively steady and uninterrupted pace since the war began Feb. 28 through Wednesday.

Here's a look at what the U.S. says has been targeted, has been degraded or remains from Iran, by the numbers:

About 80% of Iran’s air defense systems destroyed

Caine told reporters on Wednesday at the Pentagon that many of Iran's air defenses have been destroyed with the U.S. striking more than 1,500 air defense targets, more than 450 ballistic missile storage facilities and 800 one-way attack drone storage facilities. He said, “All of these systems are gone.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth similarly claimed that “Iran no longer has an air defense” and that “we own their skies” before conceding soon afterward that Iran “can still shoot — we know that.”

Hegseth later elaborated, saying that while the Iranians may “have a system here or there,” they no longer had an air defense “system that’s capable of defending their skies.”

Neither Caine nor Hegseth said what the remaining 20% of Iran’s air defenses looked like or which parts of the country have the ability to carry out the sporadic fire they described.

Caine offered no new details about what kind of weapon the Iranians used to shoot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle last week. It was the first time an American military jet was shot down during the war, showing Tehran’s continued ability to hit back despite assertions from the Trump administration.

Trump described it on Monday as a “handheld shoulder missile, heat-seeking missile.”

More than 90% of Iran's regular navy fleet sunk

Caine also told reporters that the military has sunk much of the Iranian fleet and 150 Iranian ships “are at the bottom of the ocean."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt went further, telling reporters Wednesday that the Iranian navy was “completely annihilated.”

However, Caine also noted that only half the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s small attack boats — ships the government used to swarm and harass warships and merchants in the Strait of Hormuz — have been sunk.

Caine also said that after more than 700 strikes, the military believed it has destroyed more than 95% of Iran's naval mines.

Since the U.S. has not said how large Iran's stockpile was before the war, it's unknown how many naval mines make up the remaining 5%. Semiofficial news agencies in Iran published a chart Thursday suggesting the Revolutionary Guard put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route for oil, during the war.

The message is likely designed to be a pressure tactic as Iran, Israel and the United States head into negotiations this weekend in Pakistan. Independent analysts say they have seen no change in merchant traffic through the strait since the tenuous ceasefire began this week.

About 90% of Iran's weapons factories ‘attacked’

Caine said Wednesday that the military “destroyed Iran’s defense industrial base” while pointing to the fact that the U.S. and allies attacked “approximately 90% of their weapons factories.”

He also said, “nearly 80% of Iran’s nuclear industrial base was hit, further degrading their attempts to attain a nuclear weapon.”

While he noted that Iran was no longer able to produce certain components like solid rocket motors, he stopped short of saying that Iran could not eventually rebuild or get weapons in other ways or that the factories attacked had actually been destroyed or rendered unusable.

Trump acknowledged this possibility when he warned countries against arming Iran.

“A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately,” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday.

More than 90% interception rate in Israel

Meanwhile, Israel’s military pointed to how many drones or missiles it has been able to stop from landing. It said it had an interception rate of more than 90% through its aerial defense systems.

Over the decades, Israel has developed a sophisticated system capable of detecting incoming fire and deploying only if a projectile is headed toward a population center or sensitive military or civilian infrastructure.

Israeli leaders say the system isn’t 100% guaranteed but credit it with preventing serious damage and countless casualties.

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Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

Crowds of supporters show up to his news conferences. Basic municipal services have been infused with newfound excitement. Celebrities help him promote his agenda.

In the process, he's been able to notch a few notable early wins. And he's reached a detente, at least for now, with President Donald Trump, a mercurial leader with an affinity for celebrities.

But as Mamdani, a Democrat, marks an early milestone in his mayoralty, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to leverage his fame into achieving the progressive policy proposals that propelled him to office.

Though he still has staunch critics, many of whom still view his past criticisms of the police department and Israel as major problems, Mamdani has been able to ease concerns among at least some skeptics.

“It's early but so far, so good,” said Jay Jacobs, chair of the state's Democratic Party, who made waves for not endorsing Mamdani during the election. “We may not agree on everything philosophically, but he is getting the job done.”

‘The biggest needs and the smallest needs’

As the mayor approached his 100th day — long a benchmark for judging an administration's opening vision — his team has moved to highlight the administration's commitment to the everyday responsibilities of the job.

While much of those duties are typical for his local office — picking up trash, plowing snow and filling potholes — the 34-year-old mayor has leaned on his knack for viral content creation to drive interest and awareness of government programs.

To hype up his child care program for 2-year-olds, Mamdani recruited Cardi B to help judge a jingle contest that will determine the initiative's theme song. His slick social media videos helped recruit thousands of new snow shovelers as a storm bore down on the city. A public service announcement he made brought more than 50,000 new subscribers to the city's emergency alert system in a single week.

A few weeks ago, alongside Natasha Cloud of the New York Liberty, Mamdani announced a bracket-style competition where people could vote on small projects for him to come and personally fix on his 100th day.

On Friday, Mamdani selected a winner — a garbage-filled lot in the Bronx — and helped pick up some of the junk with a sanitation crew, following a celebratory event that featured an overflowing trash can mascot and a cheerleading squad.

“I think every single day it's an opportunity to meet the needs of New Yorkers,” he said. “And what we've seen over the course of this 100 days is that New York City wants to see a city government that is able to meet the biggest needs and the smallest needs.”

The celebrity status, though, can also prompt backlash. During a bitter cold snap, his surprise appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon was seen by some as insensitive at a moment when the death toll of homeless New Yorkers was rapidly rising.

“Too much styling and profiling,” said Curtis Sliwa, a Republican who ran against Mamdani during last year's election, noting longstanding problems with street homelessness, public housing and infrastructure.

Still, Sliwa, who hammered Mamdani during the campaign but recently appeared in a comedy skit with the mayor during the City Hall press corps' annual roast, appeared to give Mamdani some credit, even if it came with a caveat.

“We just had Eric Adams, swagger man who'd party to the break of dawn, and now we have a guy who seems like he’s got a normal working schedule,” said Sliwa, referencing the city's previous mayor. “So having Zohran as the alternative, I think for a lot of people even if they disagree with him, there’s some stability.”

Still a star among supporters

On the night of Mamdani’s election party, hundreds packed the streets, some spontaneously, waiting for a glimpse of the mayor-elect leaving the venue. Departing campaign aides were cheered, by name, well after midnight. One attendee likened the street party to Beatlemania.

“I feel like I’m at a presidential inauguration,” said Medhavie Agnihotri, a 25-year-old tech consultant. “This is the first time in a while I’ve felt this hope.”

His star power has not appeared to wane since then.

Outside City Hall, New Yorkers and tourists frequently stop for selfies, peering through the iron gates in search of the mayor.

This week, on the mayor’s 97th day in office, a crowd gathered in the lobby of the busy Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan to watch as Mamdani announced the city would start transferring Rikers Island jail detainees with serious medical illnesses to a specialized unit at the hospital.

He entered to woos and applause from the onlookers, as many held up cellphones to record videos of the mayor. Dozens more watched along from a set of elevated walkways.

One man, Ricardo Granados, a 67-year-old retiree, was on his way to take his son to a medical appointment but stopped to see what all the hubbub was about just before the news conference started. He appeared delighted to learn the mayor was going to show up, saying he met Mamdani previously when Mamdani was campaigning in his neighborhood.

“I’m extremely fond of him. I think he’s going to make a real difference,” Granados said. “He wants to find out who needs what and he wants to help.”

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AP writer Jake Offenhartz contributed to this story

“Welcome to Japan ... Uh-oh, I can’t believe Deep Purple are here," Takaichi said as she walked into a guest room at the Prime Minister's Office with open arms and all smiles to welcome the band members. “I have always admired Deep Purple.”

“You’re my god,” Takaichi told drummer Ian Paice, presenting him with a set of Japanese-made TAMA drumsticks she had signed. “You're a drummer, we are friends,” Paice told her.

Takaichi is a hard rock and heavy metal music fan and was an avid drummer in her college days.

The prime minister explained her history as a Deep Purple superfan for more than half a century. At elementary school, she was already listening to “Machine Head," the band's 1972 album featuring top hits like “Highway Star” and “Smoke on the Water.”

In junior high school, she played the keyboard in a Deep Purple cover band, then as a university student she switched to drums, she said.

“Nowadays, when I have a fight with my husband, I play drums on ‘Burn’ and put a curse on him,” Takaichi joked. She has previously noted “Burn” as one of her favorite songs, saying it “clears my mind.”

The band's courtesy visit was a pleasant break for Japan's first female leader, known for her long working hours and now struggling with strained diplomatic ties with China, the fallouts from the war in the Middle East as well as rising prices at home.

“I express my deepest respect for you for making rock history and continuing to take on new challenges and producing even more compelling music today,” Takaichi said, wishing them a successful tour beginning Saturday in Tokyo.

She did not forget to do her work as prime minister and stressed that promotion of cultural content is one of the key areas of her government's growth strategy.

“I hope Deep Purple’s performances starting tomorrow will excite fans across Japan and serve as a powerful force in promoting the long-standing Japan-UK cultural exchanges,” she said.

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Associated Press journalist Ayaka McGill contributed to this report.

Italy’s soccer crisis is worsening with Bologna and Fiorentina risking European exits.

Bologna’s 3-1 loss to Aston Villa in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals and Fiorentina’s 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in the same stage of the Conference League make it likely that Italy won’t have any clubs in a European semifinal for the first time in seven years.

The latest losses came after Atalanta — the only Italian club to reach the Champions League round of 16 — was eliminated by a whopping 10-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich last month.

Inter Milan — which was humiliated in a 5-0 rout by Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s final — and Juventus were eliminated by Bodø/Glimt and Galatasaray, respectively, in the Champions League playoffs.

Defending Serie A champion Napoli finished 30th in the 36-team league phase and didn’t even make the playoffs.

The only goal scored by an Italian club on Thursday came from Bologna’s English winger Jonathan Rowe.

“At this level experience counts and Aston Villa probably had more, as they made fewer mistakes and made the most of ours,” said Bologna winger Federico Bernardeschi.

Ollie Watkins completed a brace for Villa in stoppage time.

“The third goal changes everything for the return leg,” Bernardeschi said. “We can’t concede in the last minute of added time and that should teach us a lot. We need to grow.”

The difference was even greater between Palace and Fiorentina even though their positions in the Premier League (14th) and Serie A (15th) are similar.

No World Cup

The latest defeats came 10 days after Italy’s penalty shootout loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina meant that the four-time champion will miss a third consecutive World Cup.

Italian soccer federation president Gabriele Gravina and coach Gennaro Gattuso resigned after Italy’s loss.

The only Italian coaches who will take part in the World Cup in North America are in charge of Brazil (Carlo Ancelotti), Turkey (Vincenzo Montella) and Uzbekistan (Fabio Cannavaro).

Serie A is old and slow

Gravina is staying on in a caretaker role until elections in June and this week released a detailed report on the system-wide failure of Italian soccer.

Among Gravina’s findings are that with an average age of 27, Serie A has older players than the leagues in England, Germany, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Norway and Belgium.

The average ball speed of 7.6 meters per second in Serie A is drastically lower than the 9.2 average of Europe’s most important leagues and even further behind the 10.4 in the Champions League.

Italy’s problems include the lower divisions, with nearly 200 clubs excluded from their leagues for financial difficulties since 1986-87 and a total of 519 penalty points inflicted in the last 13 years.

Italy is also not among the top 10 European nations in terms of building or modernizing stadiums over the past two decades.

“For the good of Italian soccer, it’s more than evident that the only way to intervene is to do it in a radical manner … with fundamental support from the government,” Gravina said. “No single person can create a complete reconstruction.”

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

The tension in Mission Control mounted as the miles melted away between the four returning astronauts and Earth.

All eyes were on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the spacecraft's only other test flight — in 2022, with no one on board — the shield’s charred exterior came back looking as pockmarked as the moon.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were on track to hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 32 — or 32 times the speed of sound — a blistering blur not seen since NASA’s Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s.

They didn’t plan on taking manual control except in an emergency. Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, is completely self-flying.

Like so many others, lead flight director Jeff Radigan anticipated feeling some of that “irrational fear that is human nature,” especially during the six minutes of communication blackout preceding the opening of the parachutes. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha awaited the crew's arrival off the coast of San Diego, along with a squadron of military planes and helicopters.

The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crew's reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II was projected to come screaming back at 34,965 feet (10,657 meters) per second — or 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) — not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast before slowing to a 19 mph (30 kph) splashdown.

Artemis II's record flyby and views of the moon

Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA’s long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.

Artemis II didn't land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13's distance record and marked the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when the crew reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then in the mission's most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman's late wife, Carroll.

During Monday's record-breaking flyby, they documented scenes of the moon's far side never seen before by the human eye along with a total solar eclipse. The eclipse, in particular, “just blew all of us away,” Glover said.

Their sense of wonder and love awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth. The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8's first lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our Blue Marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968.

“It just makes you want to continue to go back,” Radigan said on the eve of splashdown. “It's the first of many trips and we just need to continue on because there’s so much” more to learn about the moon.

Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britain's King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick “Project Hail Mary”; Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TV’s original “Star Trek.”

Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions

Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule’s drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, the toilet kept malfunctioning, but the astronauts shrugged it all off.

“We can’t explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,” Koch said, “unless we’re making a few sacrifices, unless we’re taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.”

Added Hansen: “You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space and it’s a doozy.”

Under the revamped Artemis program, next year’s Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moon’s south pole in 2028.

The Artemis II astronauts' allegiance was to those future crews, Wiseman said.

“But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,” he said.

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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.

Gabbana’s resignation from oversight roles was effective Jan. 1. Alfonso Dolce, Domenico Dolce's brother, was named chairman later that month, according to the company's filing with the Milan chamber of commerce.

Dolce & Gabbana in a statement called the move “a natural evolution of its organizational structure and governance.’’

The news was first reported by Bloomberg, which cited sources saying that Gabbana, 63, was considering options to exit his 40% stake in the 41-year-old fashion house.

Dolce & ​Gabbana’s lenders are up to ​150 million euros in new funding as part of a broader refinancing of the fashion house's 450 million euros ($525.7 million) of debt, Bloomberg ​reported. It added that the company ​was considering the disposal of real estate and the renewal ‌of ⁠licences to raise money.

Dolce & Gabbana declined comment on the company's debt, citing talks with bankers.

Gabbana was present at the last runway show in February, with their longtime muse Madonna as a front-row guest. Both he and Dolce greeted Madonna personally at her seat after the show and brought her backstage.

Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci attended the Dolce & Gabbana runway in character during filming for “The Devil Wears Prada” sequel last September.

Dolce & Gabbana made its Milan runway debut in 1985, with a focus on Sicilian craftsmanship that has been a touchstone throughout the years for the designers. The designers split as a couple some 20 years ago, but have continued to work closely on the creative side.

The brand spiked in popularity in the 1990s with cone bras, corset looks and perfectly tailored black dresses. The designers have often drawn on Dolce's Sicilian roots, with sexy sheer materials and netting for menswear, along with bright floral and fruit prints and jewelry with oversized crosses.

Over the years, they have expanded into fragrance, home goods and watches, among other fashion-adjacent categories.

Luxury sector analyst Luca Solca, at the Bernstein global equity research firm, said he did not anticipate major changes at the fashion house as long as Gabbana remains on in a creative role.

“Stefano Gabbana was the root cause of the social media disaster of Dolce & Gabbana in China a few years ago,'' he said, refering to the cancellation of a 2018 show in Shanghai due to a backlash after the design house released campaign videos that were criticized as culturally insensitive to Chinese people.

“If Stefano Gabbana left, this could be presented as a (belated) atonement from that incident,” Soca added.

Passenger car exports jumped 82.4% year-on-year last month to around 748,000 vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, up from the 586,000 vehicles exported in February.

Exports of new energy passenger vehicles — including battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids — surged more than 140% in March from a year ago to 363,000 units. That’s also up 31% from the about 276,000 units of such vehicles exported in February.

The biggest Chinese automakers, including BYD and Geely Auto, have been increasing their efforts in boosting sales abroad, including expanding production facilities outside China. There have also been growing expectations that the global energy shock and higher fuel prices due to the Iran war could prompt more drivers to want to switch to EVs.

Chinese car brands have made inroads over the past months in regions such as Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

“The impact of the Iran conflict hasn’t fully shown up in March data yet, but it can act as a trigger,” said Chris Liu, a Shanghai-based senior analyst at advisory group Omdia.

“In many markets that are structurally well suited for EVs, adoption has been slow simply because consumers lacked urgency," he said. “A sharp rise in fuel prices changes that.”

The Chinese carmakers’ strong overseas push also came at a time when domestic vehicle sales in China have come under pressure from scaled-back government support this year to encourage drivers to switch to new energy vehicles.

Fierce competition in China among car brands and a prolonged property sector slump that has weighed on consumers' desire for big purchases also impacted Chinese automakers.

Domestic passenger car sales fell 19.2% last month from a year earlier to nearly 1.7 million units. It was the fifth consecutive month of year-on-year declines for passenger car sales at home, based on data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

UBS auto analyst Paul Gong believes that the domestic sales weakness will not be too long lasting and that the surge in overseas sales among Chinese carmakers could help with the weaker demand at home.

“For the overall industry, the overseas market’s sales volume growth is more than enough to offset domestic decline on a full-year basis,” said Gong, head of China autos research at UBS investment bank.

Overseas passenger car sales by units for Chinese automakers might grow by 20% or more this year compared with last year, he predicted.

The Irish government is set to meet with farmers, truckers and agricultural contractors on Friday to discuss the crisis, triggered by rising gasoline and diesel costs as the conflict in the Middle East restricts oil exports from the region. While organizers have said they will call off the coordinated protests if the government agrees to talk with them, it is unclear whether they will be included in the talks.

Protests began on Tuesday as slow-moving convoys restricted access to some of the busiest streets in Dublin, the capital, and blocked fuel depots that supply half the country. Some protesters slept in their vehicles overnight, demanding that the government speak with them.

Over 100 service stations have now run out of fuel and the number could be five times as many by Friday evening if fuel supplies remain disrupted, national broadcaster RTE reported, citing the industry organization Fuels for Ireland.

The government on Thursday asked the army to remove vehicles from blocked roads amid concern that the protests could impede police, firefighters and ambulances responding to emergencies.

The disruption grew out of separate protests around Ireland’s major cities over demands for further cuts to soaring fuel costs.

The government previously approved a range of measures to cut fuel prices, including a temporary reduction in excise taxes on motor fuels, expansion of a rebate for truckers and bus operators that use diesel fuel, and extension of a program that helps low-income people with their heating costs.

The ravaged Palestinian territory of 2 million people has seen the most intense fighting stop between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants. But most of the ceasefire work remains to be done, from disarming Hamas and ending its two-decade rule to deploying an international stabilization force and beginning vast reconstruction. Gaza residents are in limbo, with limited aid entering through a single, Israeli-controlled border post.

Such challenges could represent what’s to come in the latest war, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to peacemaking appears to be stopping bombardment and leaving the bigger picture for others to work out.

Whether Trump can force through that kind of deal on Iran, with more actors in play and global markets quivering at every statement, is yet to be seen.

The Board of Peace goes quiet

Focusing on a deal's details is crucial. Already the Iran war's two-week ceasefire has created deadly confusion over Lebanon as Israel insists the deal doesn’t apply there and continues to attack the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, while Iran insists it does and threatens to upend the agreement. Israel made a surprise announcement Thursday authorizing direct negotiations with Lebanon, despite the lack of diplomatic ties.

Not long ago, the U.S.-created and Trump-led Board of Peace kicked off with $7 billion in pledges and sweeping intentions of resolving not only Gaza but other conflicts that emerge around the world.

Nine days after the board's initial meeting, the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

The Board of Peace has not met again, and it's still waiting for Hamas to respond to its proposal on disarming, a major concession and perhaps the hardest step. Hamas’ charter calls for destroying Israel.

A U.S. official said Hamas has not been given a definite deadline to respond to the proposal but added that “patience is not unlimited.” The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The lack of a deadline can weaken pressure to act. Meanwhile, diplomacy is busy putting out different flames.

Board of Peace director Nickolay Mladenov told the U.N. Security Council last month that the world should not lose sight of Gaza as a new war flared. The choice in Gaza is between “a renewed war, or a new beginning; the status quo, or a better future,” he added. “There is no third option.”

‘It’s as if there’s no ceasefire at all’

Palestinians might suggest a third option: neglect.

Six months into the Gaza ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, little beyond the largely silenced explosions has changed.

Vast tent camps house most of the territory’s population. Other residents shelter in damaged apartment buildings. Health workers and other humanitarian workers say there has been little progress in the expected surge of medical supplies and other aid.

The U.S. 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza is largely failing on the humanitarian front, five international aid groups said in a scorecard released Thursday. They said conditions have deteriorated further in Gaza since the Iran war began.

“During the first two weeks of March 2026, trucks entering Gaza declined by 80%, and the price of basic goods increased dramatically,” they said. Medical evacuations have stalled.

Palestinians expressed fading hopes for any immediate improvement in their lives.

"There is pollution and disease. It’s as if there’s no ceasefire at all,” said Maysa Abu Jedian, a displaced woman from Beit Lahiya.

“The war is still ongoing and life is still terrible as it is,” said Eyad Abu Dagga, also sheltering in a camp in Khan Younis.

Tents rippled in the breeze, and children played on the sand against a backdrop of shattered buildings.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided, Israeli forces have carried out airstrikes and fired on Palestinians near military-held zones. Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel has said its strikes are in response to that and other ceasefire violations.

As of Thursday, Israeli attacks have killed 738 people in the six months since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

Funerals for two cousins were held Friday in Gaza City, a day after they were killed. “We were standing idly, drinking coffee, next to each other. We suddenly saw a (projectile) hitting the men,” said Anwar Saleh, an eyewitness. Israel's military said it had struck a “terrorist” in northern Gaza.

Overall, the health ministry says 72,317 Palestinians had been killed since the war in Gaza began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.

‘Sustained diplomatic pressure at the highest levels’

Unwavering focus on Gaza, once at the heart of a passionate international outcry, has been lost with the rise of a new regional war. That, too, has decreased pressure for progress on the ceasefire.

The humanitarian groups' scorecard notes that any forward movement on aid issues in the Palestinian territory has “generally required sustained diplomatic pressure at the highest levels, particularly from the United States. That pressure, however, has not been applied consistently or at the scale needed to secure full implementation.”

The Trump administration is not the only player to be distracted. The entire Middle East, including key Gaza mediators Egypt and Qatar, now focuses on Iran and that war’s effects on their economies.

With the added uncertainty over Israel’s renewed war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, there could be even less interest from countries to contribute troops to a Gaza stabilization force. One of the few confirmed troop contributors, Indonesia, already has seen three of its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon killed in recent days.

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Anna reported from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.

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Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Using unusually strong language for a senior South Korean official, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said the country’s past adoptions amounted to “forced child trafficking” and that the government will largely refrain from appealing rulings in cases brought by victims seeking compensation for government wrongdoing. Jung spoke Thursday in a roundtable interview with selected journalists.

Hundreds of Korean adoptees in the West have already requested that their cases be investigated by a fact-finding commission reviewing past human rights violations. The body was relaunched in February after its previous mandate ended in November. That earlier Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that the government bore responsibility for an adoption program riddled with fraud and malfeasance, driven by efforts to cut welfare costs and carried out by state-authorized private agencies that systematically manipulated children’s origins.

Some adoptees hope the commission’s findings will provide legal grounds for damages lawsuits against the government or their adoption agencies. But victims of other government abuses recognized by the commission have often been locked in lengthy legal battles after state prosecutors appealed rulings in their favor, citing expired statutes of limitations or deeming the commission’s findings inconclusive.

President Lee Jae Myung in October issued an apology over South Korea's past adoption problems.

Jung, a close ally of Lee, said the government is willing to expand legal redress and speed compensation for victims of government abuses whose cases have been verified by the truth commission.

Under a new law that took effect in February giving those victims a three-year window to sue for damages even after statutes of limitations had expired, Jung’s ministry, which represents the government in lawsuits, said last week it will stop using time-limit defenses in more than 800 cases.

Jung said the ministry plans to extend a similar approach to lawsuits by adoptees in the future.

“Once the truth commission firmly establishes the basic facts (regarding the abuses), we intend to cooperate to ensure the process moves swiftly,” Jung said.

Some adoptees, including Yooree Kim, who was sent to a French family in 1984 without her biological parents’ consent and says she was abused by her adopters, have sought compensation under the state compensation act, which in theory allows victims to pursue claims without lengthy court battles. But while the Justice Ministry technically has four weeks to decide on the requests, it has failed to do so for more than six months, according to the adoptees’ lawyer, Choi Jung Kyu.

Jung said he would instruct officials to address the delays but does not see a need for a separate new process to expedite compensation, as called for by some advocates.

South Korea sent thousands of children annually to the United States, Europe and Australia from the 1970s to the early 2000s, peaking at an average of more than 6,000 a year in the 1980s. The country was then ruled by a military government that saw population growth as a major threat to its economic goals and treated adoptions as a way to reduce the number of mouths to feed.

The previous truth commission’s findings broadly aligned with prior reporting by The Associated Press. The AP investigations, in collaboration with Frontline (PBS), drew on thousands of documents and dozens of interviews to show how South Korea’s government, Western nations and adoption agencies worked in tandem to send about 200,000 Korean children overseas, despite years of evidence that many were procured through corrupt or illegal means.

Jung also discussed efforts to combat trafficking and forced labor at salt farms and other sites and the widespread abuse of migrant workers, which has fueled long-standing criticism of South Korea’s exploitation of some of Asia’s most vulnerable people.

These issues have gained urgency after the Trump administration last month launched investigations into dozens of countries it accused of failing to curb forced labor.

The move was part of an effort to impose new tariffs and other trade restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s earlier tariffs based on emergency powers. The United States last year also blocked imports from a major South Korean salt farm accused of using slave labor, becoming the first trade partner to take punitive action against a decadeslong problem on salt farms in islands off the country’s southwest coast.

Jung vowed to step up efforts to “uproot” trafficking and labor abuses, including instructing prosecutors to seek tougher penalties for violations and strengthening oversight of companies employing foreign workers.

“We cannot monitor every corner of the private sector, but I think we are capable of supervising these matters more thoroughly than almost any other country,” Jung said.