Wesky Gillo, 21, had a child rape charge added to his docket on Tuesday while he was already behind bars, having been picked up while out on bond on Aug. 7 for driving on a suspended license.

According to the North Miami Police Department, the assault happened on Sept. 3, 2025 at the girl’s apartment. That’s one day after they said Gillo approached her after school.

Authorities said Gillo had texted with the victim and told her he was 17 and the two arranged a meeting at the girl’s apartment while her mother was at work.

Police said Gillo had the girl perform oral sex on him and then asked her to have intercourse. They said “the victim repeatedly told him no, but eventually complied out of fear.”

Authorities said Gillo left after “the victim began to cry” during the five-minute assault.

According to another arrest report, the KFC incident happened nearly a year before the rape.

North Miami police said on Oct. 7, 2024, Gillo, then 20 and working at the KFC at 701 NW 119th St., had unlocked a restroom door for a girl who had asked to use it.

According to NMPD, after the girl went in and locked the door, Gillo used the key to unlock it again and go in, asking the girl if he could “wash his hands.”

Police said the girl ― also under 16 ― told him “no,” but he stayed inside “and asked her if she keep(s) secrets.”

“The victim stated that (Gillo) told her to ‘keep this secret’ and started to unbuckle his belt and unzipped his pants,” the report states. “The victim stated that (he) told her to touch his penis.”

Authorities said surveillance video showed the girl bolting out of the bathroom after Gillo made the lewd request.

Police said they took him into custody two days later and he claimed he was outside sending text messages while the girl was inside the bathroom.

They said Gillo let officers search his phone to back up his alibi.

“A check of (Gillo’s) phone revealed that he was not sending any text messages or making any phone calls during the time the victim was using the bathroom,” the NMPD report states. “While going through (his) phone, it was observed that he had a saved pornographic video of a child engaging in sex.”

He was arrested on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 16 and a charge related to the transmission of child sexual abuse material. While the case remained active as of Wednesday morning, court records show prosecutors did not pursue the latter charge.

As of Wednesday morning, Gillo remained jailed without bond at the Metrowest Detention Center.

“Yo dije, ‘wow’”, dijo Jones. “Esto ya es el colmo”.

El mensaje ataca a Jones, un candidato abiertamente gay al Congreso, al afirmar falsamente que tiene VIH.

“Primero, el mensaje es falso”, dijo Jones. “No soy VIH positivo, pero quiero tener mucho cuidado con la forma en que respondo a eso, porque me niego a defenderme de una manera que estigmatice a otra persona”.

El mensaje afirma que a Jones se le negó la oportunidad de donar sangre a un sobreviviente de COVID porque tenía VIH y enlaza a una noticia real de 2020, pero esa historia no menciona el VIH.

En realidad, a Jones se le negó la oportunidad de donar bajo una política federal de donación de sangre vigente en ese momento, que restringía las donaciones de hombres homosexuales y bisexuales.

Esa política cambió desde entonces.

“El VIH no es algo de lo que haya que avergonzarse y ser gay no significa que alguien tenga VIH”, dijo Jones. “Alguien tomó un viejo estereotipo peligroso sobre las personas gay y el VIH y lo utilizó con fines políticos”.

El mensaje también afirma que fue “pagado por Equality Florida”, un grupo de defensa de los derechos LGBTQ que ha respaldado a Jones, pero el grupo dice que no envió ni pagó el mensaje de texto y que ahora intenta determinar quién lo hizo.

Dos de los principales oponentes de Jones también condenaron el mensaje.

El comisionado de Miami-Dade Oliver Gilbert lo calificó de “mentira” y dijo que el mensaje era “retórica llena de odio, homofóbica y vil”.

Kendrick Meek Jr. también se pronunció en contra del mensaje de texto, calificándolo de “difamación fraudulenta y homofóbica” y diciendo que el sur de Florida “merece algo mejor”.

Con las primarias del 18 de agosto a solo una semana, Jones dice que no sabe quién es responsable del mensaje de texto falso, pero quiere que rindan cuentas.

“La gente merece saber realmente quién pagó por él y quién lo envió”, dijo. “Es peligroso, no tiene justificación y no debemos permitir que las personas se salgan con la suya con ese tipo de comportamiento”.

Local 10 News habló con una votante, quien se identificó como Cathy, y dijo estar disgustada por los ataques personales.

“Es algo bajo y despreciable que alguien decida hacer eso”, dijo.

Local 10 News también llamó al número del que provenía el mensaje de texto falso: la línea estaba desconectada.

“Maybe I never loved you / But anyway, I thought I did / I married you, we had a kid,” she sings in a ballad you could imagine Simon addressing to her ex-husband, James Taylor. “And maybe you never loved me / Although God knows you said you did.”

Simon announced last month that she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease while recording “Comes in Waves,” and that she also had surgery to remove a cancerous skin growth. But this album feels less like an ending than a continuation of themes and events that have inspired and defined her from early in her career — yearning, discontent, desire, uncertainty, her marriage to Taylor and the loss of her father, the publisher Richard Simon, who died when Carly was in her teens.

“Howl” is the album's lead track, first single and table setter — a midtempo rocker addressed to a heartbroken friend (or to herself?) whom Simon urges to “Get it out of your system / Bang your fists and beat your brow.”

The other songs unfold as if to dramatize the album's title, as Simon's mood shifts from defiance to regret to melancholy to resolve and a willingness to try again, a cycle cushioned (to a fault) by the literal-minded production and arrangements of David Spencer, Frank Filipetti and son Ben Taylor among others.

“Comes in Waves” includes a remaster of Simon's decades-old political song “Share the End,” and elsewhere echoes moments from her previous records. “Maybe I Never Loved You,” inspired by the late playwright Tim Mayer, feels like Simon's version of “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes),” the Hoagy Carmichael standard she covered on her 1981 “Torch” album. “The Father-Daughter Dance” suggests the pain of a ballad about her father from the early 1970s, “Embrace Me, You Child.”

Simon also teases courtship (“Peaches”); celebrates parenthood (“Mother of Pearl,” a tribute to daughter and “child of divorce” Sally Taylor); and savors life's “wild ride” (“Love the Way I Do”).

The catchiest song is by a departed friend, the late Judy Belushi, widow of comedian John Belushi: “Four in the Morning” has a close-up, tiptoeing pace fitting for lyrics about an unhappy wife who slips away from her snoring husband.

Simon, who turned 83 this year, doesn't hit all the notes of her best known records, but she has lost none of her gifts for taking hold of a melody, and putting her whole self into the words. Her musical journey has always been personal, and longtime Simon fans are the most likely to enjoy catching up with her. Others may feel like they had to be there.

___

“Comes in Waves,” by Carly Simon

Three stars out of five

On repeat: “Love the Way I Do,” “Four in the Morning”

Skip it: “Share the End”

For fans of: Carly Simon, most of all, and of pop torch singers in general.

The series released the locations and dates for the first eight races of the upcoming season. This will be the 17th time IndyCar has started a season at St. Petersburg.

“The start to this year’s 2026 season was action-packed, and it’s gratifying to know the stage is set for a return to that frantic pace in 2027,” IndyCar President J. Douglas Boles said. “St. Pete has become an ideal host to begin our season."

IndyCar will open 2027 racing three straight weekends with the series going to Phoenix Raceway on March 13 and the streets of Arlington in Texas on March 21. This will be the second straight year and only the fifth time in the IndyCar series' 118 years that a season starts with races on three consecutive weekends.

The series takes a break before two races in April at Barber Motorsports Park on April 4 and Long Beach on April 18. Then it's off to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the road course race May 15 and the 111th Indianapolis 500. The final race announced will be June 6 on the streets of Detroit.

Mark Miles, president and chief executive officer of Penske Entertainment, said it’s been another year of growth with 2026 being "proof of concept that our sport is fueled by an expanding presence across marquee events and destinations, and we look forward to carrying that momentum into 2027.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing

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“I was like, ‘wow,’” Jones said. “Now that’s low.”

The message targets Jones, an openly gay candidate for Congress, by falsely claiming he has HIV.

“First, the message is false,” said Jones. “I am not HIV positive, but I want to be very careful about how I respond to that, because I refuse to defend myself in a way that stigmatizes somebody else.”

The text claims Jones was denied the chance to donate blood to a COVID survivor because he had HIV and links to a real news story from 2020, but that story makes no mention of HIV.

Jones was actually turned away under a federal blood-donation policy in place at the time, restricting donations from gay and bisexual men.

That policy has since changed.

“HIV is not something to be ashamed of and being gay does not mean someone has HIV,” said Jones. “What somebody did was take an old dangerous stereotype about gay people and HIV and weaponize it for political purposes.”

The message also claims it was “paid for by Equality Florida” which is an LGBTQ advocacy group that has endorsed Jones, but the group says it did not send or pay for the text and is now trying to determine who did.

Two of Jones’ major opponents are also condemning the message.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert called it a “lie” and said the message was “hateful, homophobic and vile rhetoric.”

Kendrick Meek Jr. also spoke out against the text, calling it a “fraudulent, homophobic smear” and saying South Florida “deserves better.”

With the Aug. 18 primary now just one week away, Jones says he doesn’t know who is responsible for the false text, but wants them held accountable.

“People deserve to know actually who paid for it and who sent it,” he said. “It’s dangerous, it’s uncalled for and we should not allow people to get away with that type of behavior.”

Local 10 News spoke to a voter, who gave her name as Cathy, who said she was disgusted by the mudslinging.

“It’s low down and despicable why anyone would choose to do that,” she said.

Local 10 News also called the number the bogus text came from: It came back disconnected.

The earthquake’s epicenter was in San José del Palmar, a municipality in a rainforest in Chocó, an impoverished region that is home to the highest population of Black Colombians.

Nubia Córdoba, the governor of Chocó, was in Quibdó to meet with Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella on Monday. Her office also reported that there were at least 14 people dead, 139 injured, 468 homes destroyed, about 3,200 homes damaged, and 38 schools affected.

Córdoba’s administration designated a fund for public donations to help the victims and asked for donations of bottled water, nonperishable food, hygiene kits, pet food, and construction materials.

Related social media post

Desde hace 12 hrs se han presentado 4 nuevos eventos sísmicos de baja magnitud en San José del Palmar
Esta actividad nos da cuenta de la necesidad de que el riesgo aún no pasado. Nos mantenemos en máxima alerta de respuesta. La prioridad hoy además de las actividades de búsqueda… https://t.co/Q5PlEmSuoM

— Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi (@NubiaCarolinaCC) August 11, 2026

#EmergenciaSismoChocó
REPORTE 1 del 11/08/26 pic.twitter.com/YvWQgJ9sUn

— Nubia Carolina Córdoba-Curi (@NubiaCarolinaCC) August 11, 2026

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Jencarlos Gamez was initially arrested on July 21, two days after Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies said he opened fire during a fracas at The Berry Farms, located at 13720 SW 216th St., but he was set to appear in court on new adult charges on Wednesday morning.

Before the Berry Farms incident, Gamez, who lives in the unincorporated South Miami Heights area, is accused of joining others in group armed robberies on Dec. 13, 2025 at a McDonald’s at 12185 SW 26th St. and on July 8 at Eureka Park, located at 18320 SW 119th Ave.

According to arrest reports, in both cases, a co-defendant asked an unsuspecting victim to hang out and then lured them into the bathroom, where the group robbed them of their belongings.

Deputies said the Berry Farms shots incident happened at around 11:30 p.m. on July 19.

They said one group attacked another and Gamez eventually opened fire during the melee.

Video clips from the incident, according to an arrest report, showed Gamez “running towards the group of victims while holding a firearm pointed at them,” then “being struck by an individual and falling onto the ground” and then “getting up from the ground, picking (up) an object from the (ground), which is immediately followed by the sound of a gunshot.”

Besides the attempted murder charges, court records show Gamez is facing felony counts of armed robbery and aggravated battery, as well as misdemeanor charges of discharging a firearm in public and minor in possession of a firearm.

As of Wednesday morning, he was being held at the Metrowest Detention Center, where records show he was booked on Tuesday evening.

The chance for McCarthy to lead his hometown team brought the first-year Pittsburgh Steelers coach to tears when he was hired in January. The image last April of Heidenreich walking onto the draft stage in full Naval dress uniform outside Acrisure Stadium — just a few miles from the Mount Lebanon neighborhood where he grew up — felt like something out of a movie.

Their respective homecomings have provided plenty of “fairy tale” narratives during an eventful offseason for the typically low-key Steelers. And while there will be a little bit of “hey, is this really happening?” on Thursday night when they walk onto the field for the first time as the Steelers host Green Bay in the preseason opener, they're both aware of the reality check that awaits under the lights.

“Naturally, there’s some people that might assume that it was like you said, like a hometown pick or whatever, whatever someone wants to say,” Heidenreich said. “But I’m here to play football, and that’s it.”

Good thing, because evolving from a seventh-round flyer following a record-setting career at Navy — where he set program marks for career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns — into an NFL roster spot will take some doing. Nobody knows that more than the 6-foot, 206-pound Heidenreich, who politely dismissed comparisons between himself and San Francisco 49ers running back and 2023 NFL Offense Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.

Both are on the smaller side, sure. And yes, both are shifty. But one came to the league as a Heisman Trophy finalist and a first-round pick. And it wasn't Heidenreich.

“He’s a fantastic player and one of the best to ever do it,” he said. “And he’s just someone that I look up to and really try to do my best to model him in certain ways. But yeah, I do see the (comparisons) and I know people get pretty fired up one way or the other about them.”

Heidenreich wants no part of that discussion. He's too focused on trying to carve out a niche in Pittsburgh, where his best chance to avoid getting cut for the first time in his life will be as a contributor on special teams.

While the chance for reps at running back might be difficult to come by — though Heidenreich has basically attached himself to backfield coach Ramon Chinyoung since camp started — his elusiveness could make him an intriguing option as a kick returner.

Whether Heidenreich gets any opportunities against the Packers in front of dozens of friends and family members who will make the short drive to Acrisure Stadium is uncertain. He tweaked his hamstring recently, which limited him for a stretch, though his No. 29 was noticeable during a walkthrough on Tuesday.

Either way, it figures to be a “pinch-me” type of moment when he jogs onto the field and looks up, a point of view that will be markedly different from the one he enjoyed as a fan.

“It’s an honor to just get out there and play in that stadium," he said. “I think that’s the best way for me to put it. It’s something that I have dreamed of for a long time."

How long the dream lasts now that he's exchanged his fandom for a uniform with his name across the back is up to him.

“Preseason is really important,” he said. “So I've got to put my best foot forward and be locked in when I get there.”

The same goes for McCarthy, though perhaps for different reasons. He's walked onto the turf a handful of times during his career, but has never stood on the home sideline. He figures the significance will start to hit as he makes the drive in.

The fact that he gets to begin what is likely the final chapter of his head coaching career against the team where it all began makes it just a little sweeter.

“Obviously, having a personal and professional connection to Green Bay, that’s part of my life,” he said.

Of course, all the nostalgia will wear off once the ball is kicked. Then the more pressing needs of the moment — like figuring out how much progress his group has made during his first camp and seeing what he has to work with in young quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar — will take over.

And in a way, it will be a relief. While he has embraced all the trappings of being the hometown boy made good, the Steelers didn't hire him to curry favor with the fanbase but to win games. The process starts in earnest on Thursday.

“I just want to see these young guys play," he said. "I want to see how they play connected to each other. The pre-snap of the operation, having an understanding of what’s in front of them ... This is what these games are for."

___

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

Jencarlos Gamez fue detenido inicialmente el 21 de julio, dos días después de que agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade afirmaran que había abierto fuego durante un altercado en The Berry Farms, situado en el 13720 de la calle SW 216th St., pero estaba previsto que compareciera ante el tribunal el miércoles por la mañana para responder a nuevos cargos como adulto.

Antes del incidente de The Berry Farms, Gamez, que vive en la zona no incorporada de South Miami Heights, está acusado de participar junto con otras personas en robos a mano armada en grupo el 13 de diciembre de 2025 en un McDonald’s situado en el 12185 de la SW 26th St. y el 8 de julio en Eureka Park, situado en el 18320 de la SW 119th Ave.

Según los informes de detención, en ambos casos, un coacusado invitó a una víctima desprevenida a pasar un rato con él y luego la atrajo al baño, donde el grupo le robó sus pertenencias.

Los agentes indicaron que el tiroteo de Berry Farms tuvo lugar alrededor de las 23:30 horas del 19 de julio.

Afirmaron que un grupo atacó a otro y que Gamez acabó abriendo fuego durante la refriega.

Las grabaciones de vídeo del incidente, según el atestado de detención, mostraban a Gamez «corriendo hacia el grupo de víctimas mientras apuntaba con un arma de fuego hacia ellas», tras lo cual «recibió un golpe de una persona y cayó al suelo» y, a continuación, «se levantó del suelo, recogió un objeto del suelo, lo que fue seguido inmediatamente por el sonido de un disparo».

Además de los cargos por intento de asesinato, los expedientes judiciales indican que Gamez se enfrenta a delitos graves de robo a mano armada y agresión con agravantes, así como a delitos menores por disparar un arma de fuego en público y por posesión de un arma de fuego por parte de un menor.

Hasta el miércoles por la mañana, permanecía detenido en el Centro de Detención de Metrowest, donde, según los registros, fue ingresado el martes por la noche.

The Hillstone Restaurant Group announced on Tuesday that it had closed the location at Bal Harbour Shops.

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In a statement, a spokesperson for the privately-held company founded in 1977 said the location had been open for a decade.

Aba, a Mediterranean restaurant, and Le Zoo, a French restaurant, closed their locations at Bal Harbour Shops.

The owner of Carpaccio released a statement about his restaurant, which you can read here:

“Carpaccio has proudly served the Bal Harbour community for more than 30 years and remains open and fully operational at Bal Harbour Shops. We look forward to continuing to welcome our loyal guests and the community for many years to come.”

Related story: Workforce housing could rise at unexpected place: Bal Harbour Shops

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

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

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

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

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

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

AI models quickly latch on to the next wave

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hawai’i on alert for tropical impacts this weekend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Los modelos de IA rápidamente se enfocan en la próxima onda

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More of the same is expected in the next few days with higher-than-average levels of humidity. A few showers and thunderstorms each afternoon are expected, but no organized storm systems will move in anytime soon.

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Since Monday morning, search-and-rescue teams have been pulling out victims from the rubble in Quibdó, Cali, Pereira, Manizales, and other hard-hit areas.

As of Wednesday, there were at least 254 dead, including 95 in Cali and 79 in Pereira, according to Colombian officials.

Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella, who took office on Friday after a ceremony in Cali, visited Quibdó on Monday and Pereira on Tuesday, when he estimated there were about 2,595 injured and more than 1,000 homes were destroyed.

BOXR Gym is also accepting donations. The event is at 6:30 p.m. at the gym at 1310 NE First Avenue, just north of Interstate 395. For more information, call 305-417-3607.

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

Jorge Messi — who played a fundamental role in the soccer star's career, serving as his agent and managing his business affairs — died Saturday. He was 68.

Lionel Messi led Argentina to a runner-up finish in this summer's World Cup. In the team’s first match, against Algeria, he was visibly emotional after scoring the first of his three goals. He said later that he wept for “a reason unrelated to sports.”

“You asked me to play in this last World Cup so many times and just before it started was when you took a turn for the worse," the post said. “It was the first time you weren't going to be at the tournament. But mom kept telling me that you were going to get better and that you'd be well enough to travel. I kept telling you that we were going to make it to the final so you could travel.”

The post added that Messi “wanted to win it” for his father.

“I couldn't,” the post continued. “My legs had nothing left. This time I tried to push beyond what my body could handle, but I couldn't. I never managed to feel right.”

Messages of support for the Messi family have poured in over recent days. Messi had returned to his native Argentina and missed his MLS club Inter Miami's recent Leagues Cup match against Monterrey.

Inter Miami concludes the group phase of the tournament Wednesday night against León, though coach Guillermo Hoyos said Tuesday there is no timetable for Messi's return.

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

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

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

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

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

Progressives are ascendant, but Wisconsin shows their limits

Democratic socialist Francesca Hong hoped to ride the wave of recent progressive victories, including Abdul El-Sayed’s upset in neighboring Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary a week earlier, to the Democratic nomination for governor in Wisconsin.

Instead, she narrowly lost to Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a more moderate Democrat who had dropped out of the race only to reenter in its final weeks and win the backing of outgoing Gov. Tony Evers.

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

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

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

“I voted for someone who I think has a better chance” to beat Tiffany, said Atkins Hoggatt, who sells construction materials and drainage systems. She voted for Crowley.

“I didn’t vote my heart,” she said.

Progressives scored a much clearer victory in Minnesota, where Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan resoundingly defeated centrist Rep. Angie Craig. Craig had the backing of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several senators from battleground states.

Flanagan had her own powerful allies, including Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and outgoing Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, who rallied with her in the campaign’s final weeks. But she also sought to turn Craig’s advantages against her, highlighting her support from wealthy donors and attacking her vote for a Trump-backed immigration bill that became a liability after immigration agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

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

“For months now, I have been telling you that this campaign was about the many versus the money,” Flanagan said as she celebrated her victory in Minneapolis. “Well guess what? The many just won.”

The contrasting results in Minnesota and Wisconsin underscore why November will provide a more consequential test of the progressive movement’s gains. El-Sayed and Flanagan must now prove that the messages that powered their primary victories can resonate with a broader voting pool in the general election.

Democrats are hungry for change

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

Bronin, 47, defeated the 78-year-old Larson. A central theme of Bronin’s campaign was the need for a new generation of leadership in Washington, an argument that helped him win the state Democratic Party’s endorsement months before his decisive primary victory.

“The goal is to shake things up in Washington D.C., and we are just getting started,” Bronin said after his victory. He was a sophomore at Yale when Larson was first elected to Congress in 1998.

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

The push for generational turnover has taken on greater urgency since Democrats’ defeats in 2024, when concerns about President Joe Biden’s age ultimately ended his reelection campaign and forced the party into an uncomfortable reckoning over a generation of leaders who had remained in power for decades.

Bronin himself has connected his challenge to that experience. Earlier this year, he argued that Democrats needed “new members of Congress, new Democratic leaders who have the energy and courage and clarity of mission that this moment demands.”

That sentiment was evident among voters in Larson’s district as well. Dan Schnaidt, a 73-year-old Democrat, told The Associated Press months before the primary that he appreciated Larson’s service but believed it was time to move on.

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

The generational divide extends to the electorate

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

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

Jesse Heer, a 32-year-old Madison business owner, also backed Hong, citing her focus on affordability as the top reason for his vote.

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

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

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

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

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

Crowley overcame Francesca Hong in dramatic fashion in Tuesday's primary, stunning pundits and pollsters who had long placed Hong as the frontrunner. That means Crowley's challenger, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, must pivot to face a Democrat known for working across the aisle with Republicans as the county executive in Milwaukee, the state’s largest source of Democratic voters.

Crowley immediately leans into Tiffany's ties with Trump

In his first comments Wednesday after his win, Crowley linked Tiffany to Trump and called him a “MAGA extremist,” referring to the president's Make America Great Again movement. Crowley promised to build a broad coalition to defeat Tiffany, who he accused of being in “lockstep” with Trump.

“The biggest difference between me and the congressman is I'm loyal to the people of Wisconsin, I'm not loyal to MAGA,” Crowley said.

It will be easier for Tiffany to pivot away from his ties with Trump and unpopular federal policies because he’s running for governor and not Congress, said former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, a Trump supporter.

“He’s got to be on point, on message every time that comes up and say, ‘That’s not what’s on the ballot,’” Walker told The Associated Press. “What’s on the ballot is who’s going to be governor the next four years.”

Tiffany represents a broad swath of Wisconsin’s rural, conservative north woods. Trump won the state in 2024 and 2016, but lost in 2020. All three elections were decided by less than a percentage point. Crowley’s win on Tuesday was even more narrow — less than half a point, further cementing Wisconsin’s well-earned place as one of the most purple states in the country.

Democrats look for a trifecta in Wisconsin

Democrats have been savoring the shift in focus from their chaotic primary to the general election against Tiffany, an opponent they’ve long seen as vulnerable. They hope to capitalize on Trump’s low approval ratings to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010.

Just as Crowley highlighted his Republican opponent's ties to Trump, Tiffany began the general election campaign with a message connecting Crowley to Hong.

“I’ve said all along that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between these Democrat candidates,” Tiffany said in a statement Wednesday. “His record in Milwaukee County shows exactly what Wisconsin would get: mismanage the government, run up the bill, and raise your taxes to pay for it.”

Walker said Tiffany's messaging was on point. “High taxes, high costs, failing schools — make that the definition of David Crowley,” Walker said.

Crowley's surprise win came after he had dropped out of the race

Crowley has been the head of Wisconsin's largest county since 2020. Prior to that, he served just over three years in the state Assembly. In 2023, as county executive, Crowley helped spearhead a bipartisan deal in the Legislature that sent more state aid to Milwaukee and local communities.

Crowley dropped out of the governor’s race on July 8, saying he didn’t see a path to victory. He rejoined it on July 18, less than a month before Tuesday’s primary. With the backing of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, a fellow moderate who crisscrossed the state with him in the final week, Crowley pulled out the narrow win on the argument that he was the better matchup against Tiffany.

“Obviously Hong was the never-ending gift in terms of one gaffe after another, wasn’t really ready for prime time,” Walker said. “But Crowley didn’t get any real scrutiny either.”

Crowley planned to appear at a unity event later Wednesday with Democratic leaders, including U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, before launching a statewide tour. Evers is not seeking a third term as governor.

Crowley, 40, became the first Black person to win a major party nomination for Wisconsin governor. Now he's vying to become the first Black governor of the state.

“This historic moment is not lost on me. But I'm not even thinking about that because we've still got work to do,” Crowley said. “The job is not done. The job is not finished. My job is not to become the first, and if I do become the first, my job is to make sure I'm not the last."

“At its current pace, it's on track to eclipse the West African Ebola outbreak of 2014 to 2016,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. That outbreak horrified the world and jolted efforts to develop a vaccine.

The outbreak in eastern Congo, considered the fastest-growing in history, has killed over 2,000 people out of more than 4,300 cases. The outbreak was declared on May 15, but health authorities now say sequencing showed it began months earlier, in February.

It is unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks because the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments, though efforts to address that are underway.

Experts say this outbreak is moving faster than efforts to track and manage it in a remote part of eastern Congo facing ongoing conflict, near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda.

Most of the new cases and deaths are still being reported in communities outside the reach of health workers in a region of poor infrastructure and ill-equipped health centers. Some health workers have gone on strike over lack of pay. Misinformation about the virus continues to circulate in communities where some are wary of outsiders, keeping some people from clinics.

“The outbreak had a big head start, still way ahead of us. and we’re playing catch-up,” Tedros said.

Dr. Abdirahman Mahamud, WHO's director for health emergency alert and response operations, said the agency expects the peak of the outbreak to be reached in six months.

“But ... that’s the moderate scenario,” Mahamud added. “There is a one-case scenario where this outbreak may last nine months to 12 months."

This sale agreement is $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because neither side revealed specific details of the latest stunning development with one of North America's marquee sports teams.

ESPN first reported that Kushner and Iger are buying the NBA's most valuable franchise. The Lakers were valued last year at $10 billion — a record for a pro sports team — when Mark Walter purchased a controlling stake from the Buss family, which had owned the team since 1979.

Kushner, a venture capitalist, and former Walt Disney Company CEO Iger had been working together on landing a possible NBA expansion team for Las Vegas. By buying the Lakers, they don't have to wait until the possibility of expansion in the 2028-29 season at the earliest.

The sale still will need approval from the NBA’s board of governors, and that process can take several weeks. The next board meeting is set for September in New York.

The $12.5 billion price tag is not only a record for U.S. pro sports but a new summit in skyrocketing NBA franchise values. Only three years ago, Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for a $3 billion valuation, while the Boston Celtics were sold last year to private equity mogul Bill Chisholm at a valuation of just over $6 billion.

Walter’s agreement to purchase a controlling stake in the Lakers at the $10 billion valuation last summer obliterated that mark, and now Iger and Kushner have pushed the bar even higher.

The 66-year-old Walter’s shocking decision to sell the Lakers after just 10 months of official ownership is reverberating throughout the team’s massive fan base, which appeared to be uniformly excited about the purchase last year. Walter has stewarded the Los Angeles Dodgers into the most successful stretch in franchise history, with three World Series championships in the past six seasons as the most aggressive spenders in baseball.

Multiple media outlets last month reported that Walter’s business empire is under scrutiny from both federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission in tax fraud investigations.

The 41-year-old Kushner’s capital holding company, Thrive Eternal, was set to be the “anchor investor” in FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits. Infantino abandoned the idea on July 31. Kushner’s brother is Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Josh Kushner currently owns a minority stake in the Miami Heat, and he previously owned a stake in the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 75-year-old Iger became one of Hollywood’s most well-known executives while he ran Disney for two lengthy stints between 2005 and last March, when he stepped aside. Iger and his wife, former sports journalist Willow Bay, are the controlling owners of NWSL team Angel City FC.

Walter’s purchase of the Lakers was approved by NBA owners last October. He originally bought a 27% minority stake in the team in 2021 before purchasing control of the team last year.

Walter and his partners also have ownership interests in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, English Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the new Cadillac Formula 1 racing team.

When Walter bought his controlling interest in the Lakers, the deal specified that Jeanie Buss would stay on as the team's governor. With new ownership, it's unclear whether Buss will have a continuing role in the team she inherited along with her siblings from her father, Jerry Buss, who died in 2013.

The Lakers have won 17 championships going back to the franchise’s origin in Minneapolis, the second-most in NBA history behind Boston’s 18. It is a global brand, always at or near the top of the league’s merchandise-sales rankings.

This record sale price comes just weeks after LeBron James, the league’s all-time leading scorer, left the Lakers after eight seasons to become a free agent. James ultimately decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Lakers won their most recent title in 2020, and they have made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons. Their current roster is built around NBA scoring champion Luka Doncic, who is signed through the 2028-29 season.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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

En un comunicado, un portavoz de la empresa privada fundada en 1977 dijo que la ubicación había estado abierta durante una década.

Aba, un restaurante mediterráneo; Le Zoo, un restaurante francés; también cerraron sus ubicaciones en Bal Harbour Shops.

Historia relacionada: La vivienda para trabajadores podría construirse en un lugar inesperado: Bal Harbour Shops

Desde el lunes por la mañana, los equipos de búsqueda y rescate han estado rescatando a las víctimas de entre los escombros en Quibdó, Cali, Pereira, Manizales y otras zonas gravemente afectadas.

Hasta el miércoles, se habían registrado al menos 254 fallecidos, entre ellos 95 en Cali y 79 en Pereira, según las autoridades.

El presidente colombiano Abelardo De La Espriella, que tomó posesión del cargo el viernes tras una ceremonia celebrada en Cali, visitó Quibdó el lunes y Pereira el martes, donde estimó que había unos 2.595 heridos y más de 1.000 viviendas destruidas.

El gimnasio BOXR Gym también está aceptando donaciones. El evento tendrá lugar a las 18:30 h en el gimnasio situado en el 1310 NE First Avenue, justo al norte de la Interestatal 395. Para más información, llama al 305-417-3607.

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Cadillac said the move was part of a “planned leadership transition as the organization evolves from its initial build phase into the next stage of racing performance," though it hadn't previously signaled it intended to move on from Lowdon, who played a key role setting up the General Motors-backed team.

It comes a week before the F1 season resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix after the mid-season break.

Cadillac has yet to score a point in F1, with a best finish of 13th, and had been expected to struggle as a new team. The cars' brakes have repeatedly overheated in recent races, forcing retirements.

“We’re grateful to Graeme Lowdon for his leadership and the role he played in forming the Cadillac Formula 1 Team from the ground up,” chief executive Dan Towriss said. “His contributions helped establish a strong foundation in our build-up phase, and we thank him for his commitment and wish him well.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

También el martes, la oficina del forense del país informó de que había recibido 160 cadáveres de víctimas del terremoto procedentes de las zonas de Chocó, Caldas, Risaralda y Valle del Cauca.

Poco después de las 10:40 de la mañana del martes se produjo un terremoto de magnitud 3.8. El epicentro se situó en San José del Palmar, un municipio del Chocó, según el Servicio Geológico de Colombia.

Las autoridades declararon alerta roja en las ciudades de Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales y Armenia, donde se registraron la mayor parte de los daños.

De La Espriella, que tomó posesión del cargo el viernes tras una ceremonia celebrada en Cali, se encontraba de visita en Pereira el martes, tras haber visitado Quibdó el lunes.

De La Espriella informó de que se habían derrumbado 66 edificios. También se registraron daños en 807 centros educativos, 377 centros comunitarios, 85 centros de salud, 74 carreteras, 16 acueductos y 14 puentes.

Las autoridades han dado a conocer los nombres de 22 de los 160 cadáveres identificados: González Fernando Alonso, Arango Sandoval Catalina, Henao Marín Oscar De Jesús, Rodas Cuadros Lina María, Mejía Moreno Julián Andrés, Chica Montoya Sandra Patricia, Giraldo López Gilberto De Jesús, Cni-Jiménez Toquica Pilar, Moncada Aguirre Sergiña, González Gutiérrez María Araenzola, Franco Paola Andrea, González Guerrero Dargui, Acosta González Angela María, Toro Sánchez Juan Manuel, Largo Trejos Wilson, Ossa Hernández Luis Fernando, Díaz Díaz Pedro Nel, Daza Valencia Aracely, Ramirez Quiroz Roger David, Carvajal Posada Mabel Cristina, Correa Grueso Martha Patricia, and Rosero Pretel Carlos Alberto.

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What prompted the tears, however, has become a source of scrutiny and concern.

The Domingo family recorded the tense moments when the U.S. Border Patrol pulled them over Sunday afternoon.

Their 18-year-old daughter, who they said is a U.S. citizen, was behind the wheel and was told by the officer she didn’t do anything wrong, but the family says the officer scanned their license plate which showed the car was registered to a non-citizen.

Maria and Abraham Domingo stepped out of the car, complying with the officer’s orders.

The footage captured the couple hugging their family members during an emotional goodbye when they were separated from their five children and detained.

According to law enforcement sources, Leiva Perez and Domingo were arrested by Border Patrol agents Sunday, Aug. 9.

Records show Leiva Perez had a final order of removal. Records also show Domingo did not have any legal immigration status, with nothing pending, including an asylum application or visa, according to a source familiar with the records.

The same source said records show Domingo was arrested in January 2018 on a child neglect charge and again in December 2024 on a domestic battery charge. The source said both arrests were felony cases. It was not immediately clear what the dispositions were in either case.

The Guatemalan Maya Center in Lake Worth Beach posted the video. Mariana Blanco is the director of operations for the nonprofit.

The organization has based in South Florida for more than thirty years and passionate about advocating for families like the Domingos.

“They were just making one last stop to buy some new shoes for the beginning of the school year, when they were racially profiled and detained,” she said. “I know that they’ve been on the legal process for years. They migrated here because of the Guatemalan genocide in the 80s and they’ve been here for over 20 years. They’ve established a family here.”

Blanco says emotional scenes like this one have become familiar, especially as the immigration crackdown ramps up.

“There’s no real way to win,” said Blanco. “I think it’s always the children that end up losing.”

A GoFundMe page was created to help the family financially.

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According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded on Friday to the 200 block of S. Dixie Highway in Pompano Beach in reference to a fight between two men.

Investigators said the fight was between the suspect, identified as Isra‘el Wal’quer, and another man, allegedly over sexual abuse of a 15-year-old girl.

According to an arrest form, the victim said the fight was due to Wal’quer trying to protect the girl from the other man, but during the course of their investigation, deputies discovered that Wal’quer and the teenage girl had been involved in a sexual relationship for several months.

The victim told deputies that she and Wal’quer had sex “on at least five separate occasions inside Wal’quer’s vehicle,” according to the arrest form.

Authorities said the victim disclosed that she told Wal’quer she was 18 years old and that he had claimed to be 20 years old.

Wal’quer is facing five charges of sex offense with a victim between the ages of 12 and 15. As of Tuesday evening, he was being held at the Paul Rein Detention Facility on a bond of $250,000.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward, los agentes respondieron el viernes a la cuadra 200 de S. Dixie Highway, en Pompano Beach, en referencia a una pelea entre dos hombres.

Los investigadores dijeron que la pelea fue entre el sospechoso, identificado como Isra‘el Wal’quer, y otro hombre, presuntamente por el abuso sexual de una adolescente de 15 años.

Según un informe de arresto, la víctima dijo que la pelea ocurrió porque Wal’quer intentaba proteger a la menor del otro hombre y durante el curso de su investigación, los agentes descubrieron que Wal’quer y la adolescente habían mantenido una relación sexual durante varios meses.

La víctima dijo a los agentes que ella y Wal’quer tuvieron relaciones sexuales “en al menos cinco ocasiones distintas dentro del vehículo de Wal’quer”, según el informe de arresto.

Las autoridades dijeron que la víctima reveló que le dijo a Wal’quer que tenía 18 años y que él afirmó tener 20 años.

Wal’quer enfrenta cinco cargos de delito sexual con una víctima de entre 12 y 15 años. Hasta la noche del martes, permanecía detenido en el Paul Rein Detention Facility con una fianza de $250,000 USD.

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At Key Largo School, staff members were preparing to welcome nearly 800 students to the elementary and middle school campus.

Principal Darren Pais said parents should pay close attention to changes affecting students as they return to school, including updated bus routes and bus names.

“We want to make sure that you get to the bus stop a little bit early,” Pais said. “We do have some changes in our bus routes and we have changes to our bus names.”

Pais also reminded parents that free and reduced-price meal forms must be completed again this year, even if a student qualified for the program last year.

“If you have signed your free and reduced lunch forms from last year, you have to do it again this year,” Pais said. “Please make sure you get that in.”

With students transitioning from summer break back to a school routine, Pais said getting enough sleep will be important.

“It’s been summertime, so you’ve got to get back in that routine,” he said. “So phones have to go away, you know, a couple of hours before bedtime, but you gotta get your rest.”

Pais said Key Largo School, now in its 56th year, will continue its focus on academics while giving students opportunities to participate in activities and family events.

The school’s annual Spooktacular Halloween celebration is expected to return, along with other family nights planned throughout the year. Pais said the school also has a new PTA board that is working on additional activities.

The school’s drama program is preparing for two major productions: “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Beetlejuice.” Students from second and third grade through eighth grade are expected to participate, with high school students sometimes helping with props.

“We do try to get everybody involved,” Pais said. “So yeah, we’re excited, very exciting.”

The excitement was already evident during Tuesday’s Meet the Teacher event, when Pais said about 90% of families attended.

“Everybody was super excited and I know they’re going to be excited today, and I just can’t wait for that energy,” he said.

Pais encouraged students to embrace the new school year, calling it a special day for the Key Largo School community.

“It’s a great day to be a tornado and let’s go. Let’s get this year done,” he said.

But he also offered a reminder that the first-day excitement could come with some fatigue.

“There’ll be some zombies tomorrow, but that’s OK,” Pais said. “That’s why they got to get to bed early.”

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

En Key Largo School, los miembros del personal se preparaban para recibir a casi 800 estudiantes en el plantel de primaria y secundaria.

El director Darren Pais dijo que los padres deben prestar mucha atención a los cambios que afectan a los estudiantes al regresar a clases, incluidas las rutas y los nombres de los autobuses.

“Queremos asegurarnos de que lleguen a la parada del autobús un poco temprano”, dijo Pais. “Tenemos algunos cambios en nuestras rutas de autobús y tenemos cambios en los nombres de nuestros autobuses”.

Pais también recordó a los padres que los formularios para comidas gratuitas y a precio reducido deben completarse nuevamente este año, incluso si un estudiante calificó para el programa el año pasado.

“Si firmaron los formularios para comidas gratuitas y a precio reducido del año pasado, tienen que hacerlo nuevamente este año”, dijo Pais. “Por favor, asegúrense de entregarlo”.

Con los estudiantes pasando de las vacaciones de verano nuevamente a una rutina escolar, Pais dijo que dormir lo suficiente será importante.

“Ha sido verano, así que tienen que volver a esa rutina”, dijo. “Así que los teléfonos tienen que guardarse, ya saben, un par de horas antes de acostarse, pero tienen que descansar”.

Pais dijo que Key Largo School, ahora en su año 56, continuará enfocándose en lo académico mientras brinda a los estudiantes oportunidades para participar en actividades y eventos familiares.

Se espera que regrese la celebración anual de Halloween Spooktacular de la escuela, junto con otras noches familiares programadas durante todo el año. Pais dijo que la escuela también tiene una nueva junta de la PTA que está trabajando en actividades adicionales.

El programa de teatro de la escuela se está preparando para dos grandes producciones: “The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever” y “Beetlejuice”. Se espera que participen estudiantes de segundo y tercer grado hasta octavo grado, y que estudiantes de secundaria ayuden ocasionalmente con la utilería.

“Sí tratamos de involucrar a todos”, dijo Pais. “Así que sí, estamos emocionados, muy emocionados”.

La emoción ya era evidente durante el evento Meet the Teacher del martes, cuando Pais dijo que asistió alrededor del 90% de las familias.

“Todos estaban muy emocionados y sé que estarán emocionados hoy, y simplemente no puedo esperar a ver esa energía”, dijo.

Pais animó a los estudiantes a aceptar el nuevo año escolar, calificándolo como un día especial para la comunidad de Key Largo School.

“Es un gran día para ser un tornado y vamos. Terminemos este año”, dijo.

Pero también recordó que la emoción del primer día podría venir acompañada de algo de cansancio.

“Mañana habrá algunos zombis, pero está bien”, dijo Pais. “Por eso tienen que acostarse temprano”.

Mientras los estudiantes comienzan a regresar a clases en todo el sur de Florida, Local 10 quiere ayudar a celebrar este momento compartiendo sus fotos favoritas del regreso a clases.

At City Park in Sunrise, it’s the main event.

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The beat sets the pace. The weights add resistance. And Paige Romans brings the energy — turning a monthly community workout into a celebration of rhythm.

“It is the soul of calypso music. Anything high and positive vibration is soca music,” said Paige Romans, owner of Soca Fitness.

Romans is a certified fitness instructor, personal trainer and owner of Soca Fitness in North Lauderdale. Her workouts built a following that caught the attention of the city of Sunrise, which recruited Romans to bring that same energy — free of charge — to the community on the last Friday of every month.

“You can’t run away or shy away from positive vibrations. You really can’t. Even if you try, at some little point you’re going to smile and feel good about that moment,” she said.

Romans may lead the workout, but the energy quickly becomes a group effort.

City leaders say the groups have grown every single month, with more people bringing friends.

“The way this program resonates with people — they come out, they release those endorphins through moving and they get happy, and they meet the person next to them. Smile. Have a good time. You’re going to see it,” said Khya Cummings, recreation supervisor for the city of Sunrise.

Romans wants Soca Fitness to celebrate the culture behind the music, build community through movement and inspire more people to simply show up.

“That’s what I’m hoping. For this community get bigger. More people to understand that movement is literally a gift and they should take on that in their day to day,” Romans said. “All the time, just show up. You’re never going to know how you are within a certain class until you actually do it. So, just show up.”

For those who want more Soca, Romans encourages them to stop by her studio. She also runs classes and fitness training virtually to keep everyone in step, so they never miss a beat.

Click here for more information on Soca Fitness.

En City Park, en Sunrise, es el evento principal.

El ritmo marca el paso, las pesas agregan resistencia y Paige Romans, aporta la energía para convertir el entrenamiento comunitario mensual en una celebración del ritmo.

“Es el alma de la música calipso. Cualquier cosa con una vibración alta y positiva es música soca”, dijo Paige Romans, propietaria de Soca Fitness.

Romans es instructora de acondicionamiento físico certificada, entrenadora personal y propietaria de Soca Fitness en North Lauderdale. Sus entrenamientos lograron reunir a un grupo de seguidores que llamó la atención de la ciudad de Sunrise, que reclutó a Romans para llevar esa misma energía, de forma gratuita, a la comunidad el último viernes de cada mes.

“No puedes huir ni alejarte de las vibraciones positivas. Realmente no puedes. Incluso si lo intentas, en algún momento vas a sonreír y sentirte bien con ese momento”, dijo.

Romans puede dirigir el entrenamiento, pero la energía rápidamente se convierte en un esfuerzo grupal.

Los líderes de la ciudad dicen que los grupos han crecido cada mes, con más personas llevando a sus amigos.

“La manera en que este programa conecta con la gente, salen, liberan esas endorfinas al moverse y se ponen felices, y conocen a la persona que está a su lado. Sonríen. Se divierten. Lo van a ver”, dijo Khya Cummings, supervisora de recreación de la ciudad de Sunrise.

Romans quiere que Soca Fitness celebre la cultura detrás de la música, cree comunidad a través del movimiento e inspire a más personas a simplemente presentarse.

“Eso es lo que espero. Que esta comunidad crezca. Que más personas entiendan que el movimiento es literalmente un regalo y que deberían incorporarlo a su día a día”, dijo Romans. “Todo el tiempo, simplemente preséntense. Nunca van a saber cómo se sienten dentro de una determinada clase hasta que realmente la hagan. Así que, simplemente preséntense”.

Para quienes quieran más soca, Romans los anima a visitar su estudio. También ofrece clases y entrenamiento físico de manera virtual para mantener a todos al mismo ritmo, para que nunca pierdan el ritmo.

Haga clic aquí para obtener más información sobre Soca Fitness.

The Mozarteum Foundation on July 15 unveiled 320 statuettes, barely 50 centimeters (less than 20 inches) high, showing Mozart with his dog. They were designed by German conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl.

Within two weeks, more than 80 of the polymer figures had disappeared. By Wednesday, a total of 210 were missing.

“The worst thing for an artist is when his work dissolves,” Hörl told the German news agency dpa. He said he did not believe visitors stole the works but rather that it was an “organized theft.”

Hörl intended to sell the statues for about 100 euros ($114) once the exhibition was over, meaning whoever ran away with 210 mini-Mozarts has not become an overnight millionaire.

The mini-Mozarts populated not only the garden of the composer's former house, but also his living quarters as well as several pavilions.

While the organizers put aside some spare statuettes in case of theft, there were too few to compensate for the actual losses. And in a further stroke of bad luck, the manufacturer of the statues was away on holidays, so there was no quick fix.

The exhibition of statuettes, now more widely spaced, is scheduled to remain on display until Aug. 30.

For Hörl, who is known from his sculptures made from polymer, the theft of his artworks is nothing new. At an installation in Bayreuth, Germany, a complete array of statues of Richard Wagner was stolen within 10 days.

“That’s just the nature of public space. That means when you work as an artist in a public space, you mustn’t complain about what is happening there,” Hörl said. “It ranges from destruction to theft. That’s just how it is.”

Mozart was born on Jan. 27, 1756, in Salzburg, where the Mozarteum Foundation offers concerts, maintains Mozart museums and supports research on him.

“I didn’t want to do a monument of Mozart. There are already enough of these. But I wanted to show his human side, that he was a normal human being despite his genius,” Hörl told The Associated Press.

To give the statues a human touch, Hörl depicted the composer with his favorite dog, Pimperl. Mozart and his family were known to take long walks with their dogs in the Mirabell Garden, next to where they lived.

Melissa Redway es una ex maestra de Westminster Academy, la escuela privada de la iglesia ubicada en 5601 North Federal Highway, según la policía.

“Después de sufrir una presunta lesión cerebral y no poder cumplir con sus funciones docentes, fue despedida”, escribió un agente de policía, según el informe de arresto.

Redway, de Coconut Creek, también es una ex miembro del coro de la Iglesia Presbiteriana Coral Ridge, ubicada en 5555 North Federal Highway, según la policía.

“Durante su ausencia y con el cambio de personal, perdió su puesto. Redway no tomó bien la noticia e intentó reincorporarse al coro de la iglesia”, escribió un agente de policía, según el informe.

Un líder de la iglesia informó que Redway utilizó Gmail para enviar un correo electrónico amenazante alrededor de las 11 a.m. del 8 de febrero que generó preocupación por la seguridad de un concierto programado para el 20 de febrero en la iglesia, según el informe.

Los registros judiciales muestran que el director ejecutivo de la iglesia había acusado a Redway de violencia relacionada con acoso después del servicio del 19 de febrero, y el caso fue cerrado. Un juez emitió una orden de arresto el 20 de abril por la presunta amenaza.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward arrestaron a Redway el lunes y el martes permanecía detenida en el North Broward Bureau, según los registros de reclusos.

Redway enfrentaba cargos de amenazar con lanzar, proyectar, colocar o detonar un artefacto destructivo, un delito grave de segundo grado, y de escribir y enviar una amenaza de matar o herir a alguien, también un delito grave de segundo grado. Su fianza era de $7,500 USD.

“Who is on first, what is on second, I Don’t Know is on third.”

The famous comedy routine by Abbott and Costello can be compared to the Trump administration’s foreign policy strategies these days. Diplomatic negotiations are complex and complicated, especially when dealing with countries, governments, and individuals with whom the United States has not had good relationships.

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Reliable sources tell me there are tremendous differences between the staffs at the White House and the Department of State over how to handle negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia, Israel-Gaza, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba. It does not help when those negotiating on behalf of the United States have limited to no diplomatic experience.

For now, let’s stay within the area of expertise: Cuba. While President Trump thinks Cuba can be resolved in two months, Secretary of State Marco Rubio knows very well, as does his senior staff, that negotiating with Cuba is not easy.

The Cuban government is willing to continue introducing cosmetic changes to its moribund economy without relinquishing political control. The United States can continue to sanction everyone on the island, and the Cuban government could not care less. All the while, the people of Cuba continue to suffer tremendous hardships. Yet the people are unlikely to turn against the government. The consequence of doing so can mean spending years in jail.

Meanwhile, in Miami, the guessing game continues over who will replace Raúl Castro when he dies, along with preparations for possible transition plans for Cuba. A transition to a democratic system of government in Cuba will take time. A civil society cannot be built overnight. It is also important to remember that Cuba did not have a democratic government before 1959.

For Rubio, expectations from the Cuban American community are high. Yet most in the community understand that it will not be easy to get the Cuban government to make political changes short of a U.S. military invasion. However, Rubio needs a win, especially if he is considering another presidential run. The failures of the Trump administration’s foreign policies around the world could affect Rubio’s future presidential campaign.

So, what will be Rubio’s next step on Cuba? The clock is ticking.

Aug. 10: Will the cat catch the mouse this time?

While U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio continues to put pressure on the Cuban government to change, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel went on Cuban television this past weekend and announced to the Cuban people that the government was making major “transformational changes” to the economy.

Díaz-Canel also told the Cuban people that it would take time and patience -- two things the Cuban people do not have anymore. Díaz-Canel went on to say that the benefits of these changes will begin to show by 2029.

Sources in Washington, D.C. have told me that the Trump administration is looking to see if there is someone in the Cuban government, like Delcy Rodriguez in Venezuela, to hand over Raul Castro or even take over the current government and be willing to negotiate with the U.S.

The Miami Herald reported this weekend that General Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas, currently the Cuban Minister of the Interior, may be acceptable to the U.S. General Casas is considered a hardliner and therefore unlikely to break with the Cuban leadership.

As I have said before, the case of Venezuela is quite different than Cuba. While Raul Castro is alive, I believe the Cuban government will continue in power and make promises to the Cuban people they cannot keep.

Aug. 8: Cuban opposition leader says Cuba’s transformation must include those on the island

According to Cuban opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer, any plans to transform Cuba must include Cubans on the island.

But do Cubans on the island have the capacity and capabilities to participate in such a process? After living for almost 68 years under a totalitarian system that has shaped the population’s personal values and attitudes, it could take time not only to change it but, more importantly, to sustain those changes.

Democracies are not built in one day. It will take time and patience. Let’s also remember that before the Cuban Revolution, Cuba had a dictatorship under Batista.

Aug 6: US announces new set of economic sanctions against Cuba; 2 of Cuba’s top generals also sanctioned

The U.S. State Department announced a new set of economic sanctions against Cuba on Thursday. At the same time, two of Cuba’s top generals were also sanctioned, Alvaro Lopez Miera, Minister of Defense; and General Roberto Sotolongo, head of the armed forces.

Aug. 5: CIA Task Force on Cuba created, per report

The New York Times has reported the creation of a CIA Task Force on Cuba with the purpose of putting additional pressure on the Cuban government to make political and economic changes to their system.

This news will probably be received by Cuba as an additional threat by the U.S.

Aug. 5: Cuban president confirms ongoing conservations between Havana, US

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed today that there are ongoing conversations between Havana and DC for the purpose of avoiding a military confrontation and trying to find solutions to the issues between both nations.

The Cuban government understands that they are running out of options and most likely will need to reach an agreement with the U.S. Will it include regime change?

Aug. 3 update: Rubio speaks about Cuba’s ongoing espionage activities in the US

This past weekend, in an interview with Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio spoke about Cuba’s ongoing espionage activities in the U.S.

Rubio went on to say that Cuban spies continue to infiltrate the U.S. government, financial institutions, organizations, and academic institutions. Rubio claimed that Cuba continues to be a national security threat to the U.S.

Dr. Andy S. Gomez is Local 10’s Cuba Analyst. Gomez is considered one of the leading scholars on Cuba. He worked in higher education for 32 years before retiring from the University of Miami in 2012.

“Quién va primero, quién va segundo, No Sé va tercero”.

La famosa rutina cómica de Abbott y Costello puede compararse con las estrategias de política exterior de la administración Trump en estos días. Las negociaciones diplomáticas son complejas y complicadas, especialmente cuando se trata de países, gobiernos e individuos con los que Estados Unidos no ha tenido buenas relaciones.

Fuentes confiables me dicen que existen enormes diferencias entre los equipos de la Casa Blanca y el Departamento de Estado sobre cómo manejar las negociaciones relacionadas con Ucrania, Rusia, Israel-Gaza, Irán, Venezuela y Cuba. No ayuda que quienes negocian en nombre de Estados Unidos tengan poca o ninguna experiencia diplomática.

Por ahora, mantengámonos dentro del área de experiencia: Cuba. Mientras el presidente Trump piensa que Cuba puede resolverse en dos meses, el secretario de Estado Marco Rubio sabe muy bien, al igual que su equipo de alto nivel, que negociar con Cuba no es fácil.

El gobierno cubano está dispuesto a continuar introduciendo cambios cosméticos en su moribunda economía sin renunciar al control político. Estados Unidos puede continuar sancionando a todos en la isla, y al gobierno cubano no podría importarle menos. Mientras tanto, el pueblo de Cuba continúa sufriendo enormes dificultades. Sin embargo, es poco probable que el pueblo se vuelva contra el gobierno. La consecuencia de hacerlo puede significar pasar años en prisión.

Mientras tanto, en Miami, continúa el juego de adivinanzas sobre quién reemplazará a Raúl Castro cuando muera, junto con los preparativos para posibles planes de transición para Cuba. Una transición hacia un sistema democrático de gobierno en Cuba tomará tiempo. Una sociedad civil no puede construirse de la noche a la mañana. También es importante recordar que Cuba no tenía un gobierno democrático antes de 1959.

Para Rubio, las expectativas de la comunidad cubanoamericana son altas. Sin embargo, la mayoría de la comunidad entiende que no será fácil lograr que el gobierno cubano realice cambios políticos, salvo mediante una invasión militar estadounidense. Sin embargo, Rubio necesita una victoria, especialmente si está considerando otra candidatura presidencial. Los fracasos de las políticas exteriores de la administración Trump en todo el mundo podrían afectar la futura campaña presidencial de Rubio.

Entonces, ¿cuál será el próximo paso de Rubio sobre Cuba? El reloj está corriendo.

10 de agosto: ¿Atrapará el gato al ratón esta vez?

Mientras el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, continúa presionando al gobierno cubano para que cambie, el presidente cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel apareció en la televisión cubana este pasado fin de semana y anunció al pueblo cubano que el gobierno estaba realizando importantes “cambios transformadores” en la economía.

Díaz-Canel también dijo al pueblo cubano que se necesitarían tiempo y paciencia, dos cosas que el pueblo cubano ya no tiene. Díaz-Canel continuó diciendo que los beneficios de estos cambios comenzarán a verse para 2029.

Fuentes en Washington, D.C., me han dicho que la administración del presidente Trump está buscando determinar si hay alguien en el gobierno cubano, como Delcy Rodríguez en Venezuela, que entregue a Raúl Castro o incluso asuma el control del actual gobierno y esté dispuesto a negociar con Estados Unidos.

El Miami Herald reportó este fin de semana que el general Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, actual ministro del Interior de Cuba, podría ser aceptable para Estados Unidos. El general Casas es considerado de línea dura y, por lo tanto, es poco probable que rompa con el liderazgo cubano.

Como he dicho antes, el caso de Venezuela es bastante diferente al de Cuba. Mientras Raúl Castro esté vivo, creo que el gobierno cubano continuará en el poder y hará promesas al pueblo cubano que no puede cumplir.

8 de agosto: Líder opositor cubano dice que la transformación de Cuba debe incluir a quienes están en la isla

Según el líder opositor cubano José Daniel Ferrer, cualquier plan para transformar Cuba debe incluir a los cubanos que están en la isla.

Pero, ¿tienen los cubanos en la isla la capacidad y las herramientas para participar en un proceso de este tipo? Después de vivir durante casi 68 años bajo un sistema totalitario que ha moldeado los valores y las actitudes personales de la población, podría tomar tiempo no solo cambiarlo sino, más importante aún, mantener esos cambios.

Las democracias no se construyen en un día. Se necesitará tiempo y paciencia. Recordemos también que antes de la Revolución Cubana, Cuba tuvo una dictadura bajo Batista.

6 de agosto: Estados Unidos anuncia un nuevo paquete de sanciones económicas contra Cuba; también sanciona a dos de los principales generales cubanos

El Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos anunció el jueves un nuevo paquete de sanciones económicas contra Cuba. Al mismo tiempo, también fueron sancionados dos de los principales generales de Cuba: Álvaro López Miera, ministro de Defensa, y el general Roberto Sotolongo, jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas.

5 de agosto: Según informe, la CIA crea grupo de trabajo sobre Cuba

The New York Times informó sobre la creación de un grupo de trabajo de la CIA sobre Cuba con el propósito de ejercer mayor presión sobre el gobierno cubano para que implemente cambios políticos y económicos en su sistema.

Esta noticia probablemente será recibida por Cuba como una amenaza adicional por parte de Estados Unidos.

5 de agosto: Presidente cubano confirma conversaciones en curso entre La Habana y Estados Unidos

El presidente de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, confirmó hoy que existen conversaciones en curso entre La Habana y Washington con el propósito de evitar una confrontación militar y tratar de encontrar soluciones a los problemas entre ambas naciones.

El gobierno cubano entiende que se está quedando sin opciones y que, muy probablemente, necesitará llegar a un acuerdo con Estados Unidos. ¿Incluirá un cambio de régimen?

Actualización del 3 de agosto: Rubio habla sobre las actividades de espionaje de Cuba en Estados Unidos

El pasado fin de semana, en una entrevista con Fox News, el secretario de Estado y asesor de Seguridad Nacional de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, habló sobre las actividades de espionaje que Cuba continúa realizando en Estados Unidos.

Rubio afirmó que espías cubanos continúan infiltrándose en el gobierno de Estados Unidos, instituciones financieras, organizaciones e instituciones académicas. También sostuvo que Cuba sigue representando una amenaza para la seguridad nacional de Estados Unidos.

El Dr. Andy S. Gómez es el analista de Cuba de Local 10. Gómez es considerado uno de los principales especialistas sobre Cuba. Trabajó durante 32 años en el ámbito de la educación superior antes de retirarse de la Universidad de Miami en 2012.

Michael Capponi, fundador y presidente de GEM, dijo que las donaciones en efectivo eran más eficientes y permitían a su equipo comprar alimentos en Colombia.

Los voluntarios de GEM recibieron nuevos equipos para acampar, artículos de higiene no vencidos y kits de primeros auxilios de 9 a.m. a 5 p.m. en 1850 NW 84 Ave., en Doral.

Para obtener más información sobre cómo donar a los esfuerzos de GEM en Colombia, visite esta página. Para obtener más información sobre cómo ser voluntario de GEM, visite esta página.

Historias relacionadas

• Colombia busca a más de 3.000 desaparecidos tras un potente terremoto que se ha cobrado más de 100 vidas
• La nueva primera dama de Colombia incluye a la GEM de Miami-Dade en su campaña para ayudar a las víctimas del terremoto

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The meteors were spotted in Miami during Local 10’s morning coverage and caught the attention of reporter Saira Anwer during her traffic report. Newscast director Darby Patton first noticed the activity and alerted the newsroom, allowing the station’s cameras and editors to capture the streaks live.

The display came as the region was already dealing with another hot and humid August morning. Temperatures across South Florida were in the low to mid-80s before sunrise, with heat indices already reaching the 90s.

Highs were expected to climb into the low 90s Wednesday, with feels-like temperatures reaching the triple digits. A heat advisory was in effect for Miami-Dade and Broward counties from noon until 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Local 10 meteorologist Julie Durda said calmer winds were expected to keep the day’s storm activity focused mainly over inland areas of Broward and Miami-Dade counties, particularly west of the Florida’s Turnpike. Areas closer to the coast, including locations near and east of Interstate 95, were expected to remain mostly dry.

The meteor activity was visible before dawn, when skies are dark enough for brighter meteors to stand out. About 30 to 40 meteors per hour can be seen during the peak of a strong meteor shower under favorable viewing conditions, though actual visibility depends on weather, light pollution and location.

For South Florida residents heading out for the day, however, the more immediate concern remained the heat.

Durda urged residents to take precautions as temperatures and humidity rise, particularly during the afternoon when the combination can produce dangerous heat conditions.

Click here to receive the latest updates from Local 10’s Weather Authority team.

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Leading the effort is Broward County District 4 Commissioner Lamar fisher.

“The sheriff’s done nothing wrong,” said Fisher. “I want to make that clear, nothing wrong at all. It’s just that, how do we look at public safety in its total?”

In 2003, Broward County Fire Rescue merged with the sheriff’s office and they’ve been together ever since.

The latest five-year contract between the two is coming up soon.

“Times have changed, cost has changed, and also control has changed,” said Fisher.

Local control is what Fisher says it’s all about, but also there is the financial impact.

The county would get all the say when it’s time to negotiate contracts with cities, including how much it’s going to cost to rely on their firefighters and paramedics.

“Right now, unfortunately, we can’t dictate to the sheriff how to spend his money,” said Fisher. “We can give him money and make suggestions, but this brings it back to where we have full accounting of how the department is run.”

After 35 years, Deerfield Beach voted to split from BSO and start its own police and fire departments, while just weeks ago, Pompano Beach ultimately decided to renew with BSO after months of debating.

Pembroke Park ended its police contract with BSO in 2022.

Next Thursday, the county commission will talk about the process for how this would work.

The meeting to watch will take place in late September, as that’s when Fisher plans to call for a vote to end the contract with BSO.

Local 10 News reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment, but they did not respond as of the time of this story’s publication.

Los meteoros fueron vistos en Miami durante la cobertura matutina de Local 10 y llamaron la atención de la reportera Saira Anwer durante su reporte de tráfico. El director del noticiero, Darby Patton, fue el primero en notar la actividad y alertó a la sala de redacción, lo que permitió que las cámaras y editores de la estación captaran las estelas en vivo.

El espectáculo ocurrió mientras la región ya enfrentaba otra mañana de agosto calurosa y húmeda. Las temperaturas en el sur de Florida estaban entre los 80 y 80 y tantos grados antes del amanecer, mientras que los índices de calor ya alcanzaban los 90.

Se esperaba que las temperaturas máximas subieran a los bajos 90 el miércoles, con temperaturas que se sentirían por encima de los 100 grados. Había un aviso de calor vigente para los condados Miami-Dade y Broward desde el mediodía hasta las 7 p.m., según el Servicio Nacional de Meteorología.

La meteoróloga de Local 10 Julie Durda dijo que se esperaba que los vientos más calmados mantuvieran la actividad de tormentas del día concentrada principalmente sobre las zonas del interior de los condados Broward y Miami-Dade, particularmente al oeste de Florida’s Turnpike. Se esperaba que las áreas más cercanas a la costa, incluidas las ubicaciones cercanas y al este de la Interestatal 95, permanecieran mayormente secas.

La actividad de meteoros fue visible antes del amanecer, cuando el cielo está lo suficientemente oscuro para que los meteoros más brillantes se destaquen. Durante el punto máximo de una fuerte lluvia de meteoros, se pueden observar entre 30 y 40 meteoros por hora bajo condiciones favorables, aunque la visibilidad real depende del clima, la contaminación lumínica y la ubicación.

Sin embargo, para los residentes del sur de Florida que salían para comenzar el día, la preocupación más inmediata seguía siendo el calor.

Durda instó a los residentes a tomar precauciones a medida que aumenten las temperaturas y la humedad, particularmente durante la tarde, cuando la combinación puede producir condiciones peligrosas de calor.

Haga clic aquí para recibir las últimas actualizaciones del equipo de Weather Authority de Local 10.

El comisionado del Distrito 4 del condado Broward, Lamar Fisher, encabeza el esfuerzo.

“El sheriff no ha hecho nada malo”, dijo Fisher. “Quiero dejar eso claro, nada malo en absoluto. Es solo que, ¿cómo analizamos la seguridad pública en su totalidad?”

En 2003, Broward County Fire Rescue se fusionó con la oficina del sheriff y han permanecido juntos desde entonces.

El más reciente contrato de cinco años entre ambos está por vencer.

“Los tiempos han cambiado, los costos han cambiado y también el control ha cambiado”, dijo Fisher.

Fisher dice que se trata del control local, pero también está el impacto financiero.

El condado tendría toda la autoridad cuando llegue el momento de negociar contratos con las ciudades, incluido cuánto costará depender de sus bomberos y paramédicos.

“En este momento, desafortunadamente, no podemos decirle al sheriff cómo gastar su dinero”, dijo Fisher. “Podemos darle dinero y hacer sugerencias, pero esto lo devuelve a donde tenemos una contabilidad completa de cómo se administra el departamento”.

Después de 35 años, Deerfield Beach votó para separarse de BSO y comenzar sus propios departamentos de policía y bomberos, mientras que hace apenas unas semanas, Pompano Beach finalmente decidió renovar con BSO después de meses de debate.

Pembroke Park terminó su contrato policial con BSO en 2022.

El próximo jueves, la comisión del condado hablará sobre el proceso y cómo funcionaría esto.

La reunión que habrá que observar se llevará a cabo a finales de septiembre, ya que es cuando Fisher planea solicitar una votación para poner fin al contrato con BSO.

Local 10 News se comunicó con la oficina del sheriff para solicitar comentarios, pero no habían respondido al momento de la publicación de esta nota.

El próximo nombre en la lista es Cristóbal.

El sistema, del que hablamos por primera vez en este boletín hace casi dos semanas, ahora tiene una alta probabilidad de desarrollo, probablemente de jueves al fin de semana, mientras avanza hacia el oeste-noroeste en dirección general a las islas más orientales del Caribe.

Los modelos están divididos sobre si el sistema se mantiene débil y avanza hacia el Caribe o sobre partes de las Antillas Menores, Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes entre el domingo y el lunes, o si logra pasar entre las islas, desviándose hacia el norte de estas y entrando al Atlántico central abierto mientras se fortalece a principios de la próxima semana.

La mayoría de los modelos favorece por ahora la trayectoria más débil y hacia el sur, cerca de las islas más orientales del Caribe o a través de ellas entre finales de este fin de semana y principios de la próxima semana, y dada la intensa cizalladura del viento sobre el Caribe, es poco probable que el sistema sobreviva mucho durante la próxima semana si llegara a desarrollarse.

Aun así, los intereses en el Caribe oriental, principalmente desde Martinica y Dominica hacia el norte hasta las Islas Vírgenes y Puerto Rico, deben mantenerse atentos al pronóstico esta semana, principalmente por las fuertes lluvias locales que podría traer el sistema.

Aunque todavía no contamos con pronósticos específicos de intensidad para el sistema, ninguno de nuestros modelos globales sugiere un riesgo de fortalecimiento significativo esta semana y, si acaso, este sistema tendrá dificultades para convertirse en un sistema tropical y mantenerse como tal.

Curiosamente, Google DeepMind, el sistema de modelado basado en inteligencia artificial líder en su categoría que detectó por primera vez este sistema hace unas semanas, ha reducido notablemente las probabilidades de desarrollo, con la ejecución más reciente sugiriendo solo entre un 20% y un 30% de probabilidades de que el sistema supere el umbral de formación al este de las islas esta semana.

No hace falta decir que esto no representa una preocupación para el territorio continental de Estados Unidos y hay numerosos obstáculos que deberían debilitarlo si siquiera logra atravesar las islas intacto.

Hay que mantener la mirada puesta en las islas de Hawái durante el fin de semana

Se espera que una perturbación ubicada a unas 1,000 millas al sureste de las islas de Hawái, sobre el Pacífico central, designada como Invest 93C por el Centro Nacional de Huracanes, se convierta en una tormenta con nombre en los próximos días y se dirija hacia la cadena de islas durante el fin de semana.

El primer nombre de la temporada de huracanes del Pacífico central es Lala.

Los modelos sugieren que Lala podría ser una tormenta tropical fuerte o incluso un huracán en el límite mientras se aproxima a Hawái entre el sábado por la noche y el domingo, hora local, con la posibilidad de que afecte a varias islas.

No se necesita una tormenta con vientos tan fuertes para causar problemas en todo el estado como en el territorio continental, por lo que residentes y visitantes querrán monitorear de cerca los pronósticos durante los próximos días.

With the improvements, the search giant hopes to give users a reason to buy new models and expand the number of people using its AI tools.

“Google continues to tout new software features, primarily around AI, as the reason to upgrade," said Forrester senior analyst Andrew Cornwall. He noted the company has added a way to extract photos from videos, a teleprompter, video stabilization, and an improved speech-to-text feature.

While the Pixel phones are not as popular as Apple's iPhone, Google has been steadily increasing the amount of AI on its Pixel phones since 2023.

Apple, meanwhile, has been lagging behind. It announced new AI advances in June, focusing on how the technology can help with people's day-to-day lives, with a focus on privacy and security — using Google's Gemini AI model to do so.

Google said in a presentation to reporters last week that the new phones will double the previous storage size, starting at 256 gigabytes, and feature 30 hours of battery life and faster wireless charging. The company has eliminated the 128 gigabyte Pixel 11, which had been its lowest-priced option at $800.

Beginning Wednesday, U.S. customers can order the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, starting at $900, $1,100 and $1,300, respectively. The Pixel Pro Fold, meanwhile, starts at $1,900. That's a $100 increase for each phone from last year's prices.

New features include live translation for videos, podcasts and voice messages. In the Pro models, a tool called HiLight lets you assign a color to your favorite contacts and have the phone light up in that color when they call and your phone is placed face down. It complements Pixel's “Flip to Shhh” feature that puts the phone in “do not disturb” mode when it is placed face down.

Google is also offering a free six-month subscription to its AI Pro plan to anyone who buys the more expensive Pixel 11 Pro or Pixel 11 Pro XL models. The company is hoping to hook more people on the AI Gemini tool kit, which it assembled to compete against OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Camera upgrades include a new mode called Magic Capture, which automatically takes a series of photos and video with a single tap of the shutter button. Google said the cameras also feature improved light sensitivity and, for Pro models, Instant Night Sight captures shots in dark environments faster, so you don't have to hold your phone still while waiting for exposure.

Google also introduced a tracking device for the first time. Called Pixel Tag, it will cost $30 for one or $100 for a four-pack and is compatible with phones running Android 9 or higher.

Un niño de 4 años murió cuando un árbol cayó sobre una vivienda en Geneva, Indiana, durante las tormentas del martes, informó la policía del condado Jennings. En Ohio, el gobernador Mike DeWine señaló que un residente de Roseville murió durante una emergencia de salud cuando los socorristas, ante carreteras inundadas, no pudieron llegar. Las autoridades de Portage, Indiana, investigaban si el mal tiempo influyó en una explosión reportada en una casa que mató a una persona.

Un rayo impactó el martes en un complejo penitenciario al suroeste de Cleveland e hirió a 16 personas encarceladas que fueron hospitalizadas, según el Departamento de Correccionales de Ohio. Hasta el momento se desconoce su estado.

Las tormentas causaron daños en una amplia franja desde el área de Chicago hasta el oeste de Pensilvania, y el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional indicó que el riesgo de tormentas eléctricas severas y lluvias intensas continuará durante los próximos días la región centro-norte del país, el valle de Ohio y los Apalaches centrales.

Más de 700.000 clientes seguían sin electricidad la mañana del miércoles en Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky y Virginia Occidental, según poweroutage.us.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional confirmó tres tornados en condados al sur de Chicago. Se reportaron rescates acuáticos durante las lluvias intensas en varios estados, incluyendo Ohio, donde DeWine envió a 40 miembros de la Guardia Nacional del Ejército de Ohio para ayudar en dos condados al este de Columbus.

Las sirenas de alerta por tornado sonaron el martes cuando el cielo se oscurecía en el área de Chicago. Todos los vuelos se detuvieron temporalmente en los dos principales aeropuertos de Chicago, y las autoridades advirtieron sobre demoras al tiempo que se despejaba el cúmulo de vuelos pendientes.

Fotos publicadas en redes sociales desde el área de Chicago y al otro lado de la frontera estatal en Indiana mostraban carreteras inundadas, árboles enredados en líneas eléctricas y viviendas con grandes agujeros en sus techos.

“No hay electricidad. Fue muy aterrador. Estábamos abajo en el sótano”, contó Javid Jenkins, de Homewood, un suburbio de Chicago. “Estamos hechos para la nieve. Estamos hechos para el frío. No estamos hechos para esto”.

Jenkins, de 54 años, comentó que estaba conduciendo para buscar gasolina y encender un generador para conservar la comida en su refrigerador.

Los meteorólogos indicaron que en Gary, Indiana, se registró una ráfaga de viento de 159 km/h (99 mph). En otros lugares hubo numerosos reportes de ráfagas de 128 km/h (80 mph) o más en estaciones meteorológicas personales.

La información preliminar indicó que el intenso sistema que avanzó desde Iowa hacia Indiana durante varias horas calificó como un derecho, publicó el martes por la noche el Centro de Predicción de Tormentas del servicio meteorológico. Los derechos son eventos prolongados de vientos en línea recta que desatan lluvias intensas y recorren grandes distancias. Los daños que provocan a veces son comparables a las fuerzas destructivas de tornados o huracanes.

“Devastación total. No hay tejado”, expresó Kerry Hourigan, de pie ante la casa donde vivió durante 25 años en Tinley Park, otro suburbio de Chicago. “Es una tontería, pero lo que pensaba es que acabo de comprar una parrilla nueva, y no tengo idea de dónde está. Desapareció”.

El meteorólogo Scott Baker explicó que el centro-norte de Estados Unidos estaba en el borde exterior de un “anillo de fuego”, que traía oleadas de humedad excesiva, inestabilidad y tormentas.

Dayton, Ohio, estableció un récord diario de precipitaciones con 5,25 centímetros (2,07 pulgadas), destrozando una marca de 1915, informó el servicio meteorológico. Los meteorólogos señalaron que varias rondas de lluvia provocarían riesgos de inundación en el valle de Ohio hasta primeras horas del viernes.

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White reportó desde Detroit. Los periodistas de The Associated Press Dave Collins en Hartford, Connecticut; Jennifer Garske en Washington; Sudhin Thanawala en Atlanta, y Christopher Weber en Los Ángeles contribuyeron a este despacho.

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

Trump downplayed the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge involved in his flight, which saw him stow away in an airport catering container to sneak onto another plane while Air Force One was sent into the sky, essentially as a decoy.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary Tuesday in the latest victory for an insurgent progressive over the party’s establishment. Flanagan defeated centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig with a pledge to fight the influence of corporations and confront Trump.

Here's the latest:

US resumes leadership role in anti-abortion group abandoned during Biden administration

The Trump administration says it will resume a leadership role in an international bloc opposed to abortion that had been established in Trump’s first term but then abandoned by President Joe Biden.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday the U.S. would serve as the “secretariat” for the Geneva Consensus Declaration. The Geneva consensus was created in 2020 with great fanfare from then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “to secure meaningful health and development gains for women; to protect life at all stages; to defend the family as the fundamental unit of society.”

Critics, however, saw it as a way for the U.S. to further push Trump administration goals to limit family planning initiatives and ban abortion.

Participation in Geneva Consensus was one of the first Trump administration actions rescinded by Biden when he took office in early 2021.

Wisconsin gubernatorial primary winner David Crowley ties opponent to Trump

The winner of Wisconsin’s Democratic primary race for governor immediately tied his Republican opponent to President Trump in his first public comments since his razor-thin victory.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley told supporters Wednesday he intends to build a broad coalition to defeat Republican Tom Tiffany, who’s voted 100% in line with Trump.

“The biggest difference between me and the congressman is I’m loyal to the people of Wisconsin. I’m not loyal to MAGA,” Crowley said referring to Trump’s Make America Great Again movement.

Tiffany began the general election campaign with a message connecting Crowley to Francesca Hong, a the democratic socialist Crowley narrowly defeated.

“I’ve said all along that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between these Democrat candidates,” Tiffany said in a statement.

Sen. Tim Scott says he voted for Sen. Darline Graham and endorses her in runoff

Scott, who also serves as chair of the chamber’s political arm, said on social media Wednesday morning that he’d voted for Darline Graham in Tuesday’s special Republican Senate primary.

Graham has been serving in an interim role since her brother Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death last month. Scott called his fellow South Carolinian “a conservative stalwart” who “represents our beloved state with class, humility, and dignity.”

Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman will go head to head in an Aug. 25 GOP runoff. The winner of that contest faces Democrat Annie Andrews in November.

Rubio sets up task force to combat ‘birth tourism’ as Trump fights birthright citizenship

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced the creation of a State Department task force to combat “birth tourism,” a Trump administration phrase for foreign women coming to the United States with the intention of giving birth to a child on U.S. soil in order to secure their child’s American citizenship.

Trump and his administration have fought unsuccessfully in courts to end “birthright citizenship,” which gives U.S. citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Despite those legal setbacks, Trump has continued the fight to end the practice.

In a social media post Wednesday, Rubio said the new task force would “review the activity of visa holders, dismantle illegal birth tourism networks, and put an end to this heinous abuse of our nation’s laws.”

He said that since the task force was created last month, it had already taken action to revoke the visas of more than 600 people suspected of being involved in birth tourism schemes.

Many details about what happened remain unknown

Presidents have regularly tested the confines of their office, pushing their security advisers to visit war zones as a show of American presence and their own leadership. Usually, this happens in the form of trips that aren’t announced until the president is deemed to be out of harm’s way.

What’s different this time is that Trump was covertly separated from the rest of his travelers — including the press pool meant to provide independent coverage of the president — and, instead of informing the public about what occurred once the risk had passed, the White House still hasn’t fully revealed what took place.

Presidents often take secret trips — but not like this

Commanders in chief have sometimes kept overseas trips covert for security reasons, with schedules and logistics kept classified until after for safety reasons. But the fact that Trump’s whereabouts were concealed at the time and for weeks afterward is believed to be unprecedented.

“We have absolutely seen the president fly on unmarked or decoy planes before, into Iraq, Afghanistan, other war-zone-like places,” said Garrett M. Graff, author of “Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself — While the Rest of Us Die.”

“But this was an ongoing secret that I don’t think we’ve ever seen before.”

After hiding in the catering vehicle and being moved to the other plane, Trump stopped in Britain, sneaked back aboard the presidential plane undetected, and even later scoffed when asked about potential danger.

“If I go, you go. Right?” he told reporters then — gliding past the fact that if the plane had been shot down, the president wouldn’t have been aboard.

Inflation paused, but higher costs remain an issue for Americans

U.S. inflation slowed last month and a measure of underlying price pressures also cooled, suggesting higher oil and gas prices from the Iran war are only having a limited impact on broader costs in the economy.

Consumer prices rose 3.4% in July from a year ago, down slightly from 3.5% in June, the Labor Department said Wednesday. But inflation is still higher than before the Iran war began in February, when it was 2.4%. On a monthly basis, prices rose just 0.1% from June to July.

Inflation has been pushed higher by a series of shocks to the economy, including President Trump’s tariffs imposed last spring, higher gas prices stemming from the Iran war, and a surge in investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure that has boosted computer chip prices. The key question for the inflation-fighters at the Fed — not to mention for consumers struggling with high gas and grocery prices — is how quickly those one-time effects will fade.

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Trump’s vaccine order hands some MAHA voters a win. It also gives Democrats an attack line

President Trump pivoted the nation’s attention back to vaccines this week with an executive order that aims to scale back the childhood immunization schedule and space out shots into separate visits.

After acting to overhaul the nation’s vaccine policy and guidance, the Trump administration had recently largely stepped back from additional changes to focus on less controversial subjects, raising questions over the political impetus behind and implications of the Republican president’s renewed focus on vaccines.

For well over a decade, Trump has expressed his view — against medical groups’ guidance — that childhood vaccines should be administered in smaller doses over a long period of time. The executive order sought to bear out that discredited theory.

While the move could endear Trump to some “Make America Healthy Again” voters who want more flexibility on immunizations, it’s also already attracting attacks designed to hurt Trump’s aligned candidates in November’s midterm elections.

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Progressive Democrats get another win in Minnesota US Senate primary

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan won the Minnesota Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday in the latest victory for an insurgent progressive over the party’s establishment.

Flanagan defeated centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig with a pledge to fight the influence of corporations and confront Trump.

“For months now, I have been telling you that this campaign was about the many versus the money,” Flanagan said as she celebrated her victory in Minneapolis. “Well guess what? The many just won.”

The outcome was another sign of progressive energy among Democratic primary voters. It comes a week after Abdul El-Sayed won a bitter and divisive primary in Michigan that fired up the left and fueled anxiety among party leaders that Democrats will alienate moderate swing voters.

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Trump says Secret Service and the military wanted him off Air Force One in Turkey due to threat

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he slipped away from Air Force One after a trip last month in Turkey because the Secret Service and military wanted him on a “different plane” due to a threat he insisted didn’t scare him.

Trump downplayed the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge involved in his flight, which saw him stow away in an airport catering container to sneak onto another plane while Air Force One was sent into the sky, essentially as a decoy.

He also downplayed the risk to the people — White House officials, security and support staff, and reporters — he left on the plane.

“They wanted me to go on a different flight, different plane,” Trump told reporters after returning from an event in Ohio, saying he had little choice in the matter.

“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it,” he said. “I get a lot of threats.”

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The 30-foot (9-meter) model of a Dutch Kitchenette opened to the public last month as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of Coppes Napanee, one of two companies still in existence that manufactured the popular Hoosier cabinets more than a century ago. The cabinet name was coined after its largest producer, the Hoosier Manufacturing Co.

Dubbed the world’s largest Hoosier cabinet, the replica built against a brick background is equipped with stairs leading to a loft that visitors to the town of Nappanee can look out from. It overlooks Coppes Commons, the site of the original Coppes Napanee factory that has been converted to an indoor marketplace, artisan hub and museum. The company still produces custom cabinets next door.

Wesley Mast, owner and president of Coppes Napanee, said he typically hears two types of responses when visitors first see the giant cabinet.

“There’s the one extreme where people are like, ‘Why? Why such a big cabinet?’” Mast said. “And my response is always like, ‘Why not?’

“The other response we get is like, ‘That’s so cool. Where did you get this idea? I love it.’”

Mast said the cabinet “brings us another level of attention and branding and makes this place more of a destination than just a pass-through.”

The Hoosier cabinet is a freestanding kitchen workstation and storage area that centralized and sped up food preparation. The cabinets were popular from the 1890s through the 1930s but waned after World War II as built-in, wall-to-wall cabinetry became the norm in new home construction.

A century ago, “this was the kitchen,” Mast said. “This was kind of the first piece of furniture that went into the house as a kitchen and was considered all-in-one, the kitchen itself in just one piece.”

There were 5,000 dealers of Hoosier cabinets across the country, said Mary Figueroa, curator of History at the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, which has four Hoosier cabinets in its collection.

Prior to the Hoosier cabinet, a kitchen area would have some shelves, a separate work table and a corner cupboard. “But this was a piece of furniture that kind of consolidated all of that, allowed women to save their steps and have everything that they could possibly need to make a meal right at their fingertips,” Figueroa said.

The Hoosier cabinet had space for storing items such as flour, sugar, spices, loaves of bread and other pantry supplies. They were nicknamed “kitchen pianos” because everything that was needed was within close range. They had built-in flour sifters and came with small cookbooks with recipes involving meats, soups, breads or desserts, among other things. Advertising for the cabinets even made the promise to “strengthen your marriage” and “make you more beautiful” because of the time and steps that it saved for women, Figueroa said.

Nappanee is located in Elkhart County, a region known as a top U.S. hub for recreational vehicle manufacturing, wood products production and home to the third-largest Amish settlement in the nation. It is about 150 miles (241 kilometers) north of Indianapolis.

And now, add Nappanee as a potential tourist attraction for the colossal cabinet.

“It’s bringing awareness,” Figueroa said. “I mean, you can’t miss it.”

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Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia.

The number of people on board Tuesday was unclear as estimates reached as high as 153 people on a government agency-operated ferry whose capacity, authorities said, was just 90.

“Some of us survived by standing on top of the capsized hull,” one of the two crew members who survived, Anyway Chambati, told state broadcaster ZBC News. “Before it went down, passengers were screaming at us that the boat was flooding, water was pouring into the engine room and goods were spilling out.”

Chambati said he was in charge of ticketing and that he counted 153 people on board, including crew and infants, before the disaster.

Multiple witnesses told ZBC that passengers urged the captain to turn back as waves grew perilous, only to be dismissed. When water surged into the vessel, chaos erupted as frantic travelers scrambled for life jackets beneath their seats.

"We argued with him right at the harbor. We told him the waves were too dangerous," one woman said. “A bag fell overboard before we had even left, and we pointed it out, but he refused to listen.”

Passengers told the broadcaster that bags, dishes and beer bottles began toppling overboard within minutes of setting off.

“About 30 minutes in, we begged again to abort and return, more goods were falling, the wave was getting worse and water was gushing into one side of the boat, but (the captain) just said, ‘My boat has never sunk anyone.’ He even refused to call for help,” another survivor told the broadcaster.

The woman described some people floating in the water and clutching sacks of goods while help did not arrive for nearly an hour.

The captain was among the dead, the state-run Herald newspaper reported.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the incident a state of disaster to enable the government to mobilize “extraordinary measures and resources” to assist victims.

Police on X said bodies had been retrieved from the lake that forms part of the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, but they did not update how many people were injured or missing.

Zimbabwe’s disaster management agency has said the ferry was carrying at least 114 adult passengers and five crew members, and that 77 people had been rescued.

But the real number was not clear because the figures only included those who bought tickets, and children below ticketing age could have been on board. The state broadcaster reported that children were among the dead.

The ferry is used to take people from rural communities around the lake to the town of Kariba on the shore.

Mutsa Murombedzi, a local member of Parliament, posted a video Tuesday of what she said were people on shore waving at the ferry when it set off. Some of the people expressed concern whether the aging ferry could handle strong waves, according to the video.

Kariba is the largest man-made lake in the world by volume and was created in the late 1950s and early 1960s by building a dam on the Zambezi River. The huge lake is now more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) long and up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide in places.

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

A 4-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a home in Geneva, Indiana, during Tuesday's storms, the Jennings County Sheriff's Office said. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said a resident of Roseville died during a health emergency when first responders, faced with flooded roads, couldn’t reach them. Officials in Portage, Indiana, were investigating whether the severe weather played a role in a reported house explosion that killed a person.

Lightning struck a prison complex southwest of Cleveland on Tuesday, injuring 16 incarcerated people who were hospitalized, according to the Ohio Department of Corrections. Their conditions weren't immediately known.

The storms inflicted a wide swath of damage from the Chicago area to western Pennsylvania, and the National Weather Service said threats of severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall will continue over the next few days in the Midwest, Ohio Valley and central Appalachians.

More than 700,000 customers were without power Wednesday morning in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia, according to poweroutage.us.

The National Weather Service said it confirmed three tornadoes in counties south of Chicago. Water rescues were reported during heavy rains in several states including Ohio, where DeWine sent 40 Ohio Army National Guard members to help in two counties east of Columbus.

Tornado warning sirens howled Tuesday as the skies darkened in the Chicago area. All flights were temporarily stopped at Chicago’s two major airports, and officials warned of delays as the backlog was cleared.

Photos posted on social media from the Chicago area and across the state line in Indiana showed flooded roads, trees tangled in power lines and homes with gashes in their roofs.

“No power. It was very scary. We were down in the basement,” said Javid Jenkins of Homewood, a Chicago suburb. “We’re built for snow. We’re built for cold. We’re not built for this.”

Jenkins, 54, said he was driving around for gas to fire up a generator to preserve food in his refrigerator.

Forecasters said a wind gust of 99 mph (159 kph) was recorded in Gary, Indiana. Elsewhere there were numerous reports of gusts of 80 mph (128 kph) or more at personal weather stations.

Preliminary information indicated that the intense system that swept from Iowa into Indiana over several hours qualified as a derecho, the weather service's Storm Prediction Center said Tuesday evening. Derechos are prolonged straight-line wind events that unleash heavy rainfall and travel far distances. The damage they cause is sometimes comparable to the destructive forces of tornadoes or hurricanes.

“Total devastation. No roof,” said Kerry Hourigan, standing outside her home of 25 years in Tinley Park, another Chicago suburb. “Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It’s disappeared.”

Meteorologist Scott Baker said the Midwest was on the outer edge of a “ring of fire,” bringing waves of excessive moisture, instability and storms.

Dayton, Ohio, set a daily rainfall record with 2.07 inches (5.25 cm), shattering a mark set in 1915, the weather service said. Forecasters said multiple rounds of rain would cause flood hazards in the Ohio Valley through early Friday.

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White reported from Detroit. Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, Jennifer Garske in Washington, Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed.

After acting to overhaul the nation’s vaccine policy and guidance, the Trump administration had recently largely stepped back from additional changes to focus on less controversial subjects, raising questions over the political impetus behind and implications of the Republican president’s renewed focus on vaccines.

For well over a decade, Trump has expressed his view — against medical groups’ guidance — that childhood vaccines should be administered in smaller doses over a long period of time. The executive order sought to bear out that discredited theory.

While the move could endear Trump to some “Make America Healthy Again” voters who want more flexibility on immunizations, it’s also already attracting attacks designed to hurt Trump’s aligned candidates in November’s midterm elections.

Jayme Franklin, a 28-year-old conservative activist who appeared with the president to promote his executive order on Monday, said she thinks the action is “going to go a long way” for MAHA mom voters like herself.

But Shaughnessy Naughton, president of the left-leaning political action committee 314 Action, which aims to elect doctors to office, said she sees the order as “one more data point” in support of Democrats’ cause.

“Our organization and our candidates are certainly going to hammer that message home — that if you want healthcare that’s accessible and affordable, if you want medical advice that is science-based, we need to have accountability in Washington,” she said.

Trump has long called for shots spread out in separate visits

Trump’s doubt in the number and cadence of vaccines dates back at least to 2014, when he posted to social media the disproven claim that combination shots can cause autism and said if he were president he would spread them out.

While he’s since shown pride in his first-term Operation Warp Speed effort to disseminate COVID-19 vaccines quickly and praised certain other shots like the polio vaccine, he also has repeatedly called for reforming the childhood vaccine schedule. While his administration released an assessment comparing U.S. childhood vaccine schedules to peer nations', several of his suggestions have come without any new scientific evidence.

“This is based on what I feel,” Trump said last September when he called for splitting the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine into three single-disease vaccines.

On Monday, he again pushed for separating the MMR shot into three, ordering the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to work on developing that option for children, since it doesn’t currently exist in the United States. Public health experts have warned that spacing out shots could increase the risk of infection with a vaccine-preventable disease before a child returns for the next visit.

Most Americans don’t see reevaluating vaccine safety as a top issue

Trump’s views have aligned him with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist before he entered politics.

The president credits Kennedy’s diverse coalition of MAHA followers — whose priorities range from regulating pesticides to ending vaccine mandates — with helping him win back the White House in 2024.

Even as the Trump administration has handed several wins to the MAHA coalition, including changing the federal dietary guidelines and loosening restrictions on peptides, some in the movement have grown impatient as their other priorities remain unfinished. It’s unclear whether Trump’s action to loosen vaccine recommendations, an issue some MAHA supporters are passionate about, will be enough to shore up those voters ahead of the midterms.

Franklin, who runs a conservative magazine, said she had talked with Trump about making vaccine recommendations more flexible at a MAHA roundtable earlier this year. She was pleased when the administration informed her that her requests were coming true.

“I think it just really shows he loves to hear from everyday Americans on how his policies and his administration affect the lives of people who are raising kids in this country,” she said.

But political strategists and Trump’s own pollster Tony Fabrizio have warned that efforts to shave down vaccine recommendations may not matter much to most voters this fall.

Polls show most Americans believe children should be vaccinated to attend school, though Republicans are less likely to see vaccines as important. And as rising prices on things like groceries, gas and healthcare tighten Americans’ budgets, many view the economy as a top issue they care about.

“Nothing in America matters more than affordability,” pollster Frank Luntz said. “And anytime the administration or Republicans goes off affordability, they’re not talking about what Americans really care about.”

Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, said with most Americans viewing vaccines positively, Trump’s announcement “does not strike me as the most persuasive political message.”

Recent polling from the healthcare research nonprofit KFF suggests that even among MAHA supporters, only 10% rank reevaluating vaccine safety as their top priority for the federal government. Higher-ranking priorities included lowering health costs (42%) and restricting chemical additives in the food supply (21%).

Democrats are seizing on Trump’s message

Asked about the timing of the order with the midterms approaching, a White House official who insisted on anonymity to brief reporters said that the move was a longstanding presidential priority and that other health issues voters care about were still being addressed.

To that effect, on the day Trump signed the order, the Food and Drug Administration announced an effort to require more transparency from food manufacturers about new ingredients or additives in foods — something many in the MAHA movement had been calling for.

The administration has also touted its efforts to lower drug prices and crack down on federal health program fraud, which it argues will save taxpayers money.

Still, Democratic candidates, including doctors linked to Naughton’s group 314 Action, seized on Trump’s order in messages to voters this week.

Dr. Richard Pan, a physician running as a Democrat for the U.S. House in Northern California, reposted the American Medical Association's condemnation of Trump's vaccine falsehoods, among other fact checks. He told The Associated Press he thinks voters are deciding between electing people who choose not to hold the administration accountable and those who “stand for the science.”

Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician and Democrat running for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina, pleaded with voters not to take health information from Trump in a video posted on Instagram in collaboration with the left-leaning Courier Newsroom.

“Do whatever you can to help elect scientists up and down the ballot in November, including sending me to the U.S. Senate,” she said to the camera. “I cannot think of a more urgent time for us to have a pediatrician in the room where these conversations are happening.”

There’s a good chance dealers will be looking to offload their remaining inventory of a discontinued vehicle, which can present an opportunity for you to negotiate on price. It’s also possible that a discounted vehicle might become a high-value classic many years from now. Edmunds’ auto experts have highlighted five of the most notable models that won’t be around after 2026. All of the following prices include destination fees.

Ford Escape

After 25 years and four generations, the Escape is departing dealership showrooms. Ford’s small SUV doesn’t fully measure up to top rivals like the Hyundai Tucson and Toyota RAV4, but there are enough positive attributes to make it worth considering, especially if you can get one at a discounted price.

The Escape has comfortable seating, a smooth ride quality and easy-to-use controls. It’s also available with two powertrains to help you save on gas: a hybrid that delivers an EPA-estimated 39 mpg combined or a plug-in hybrid that can go up to 37 miles on all-electric power before switching over to its gas engine.

2026 Escape starting price: $31,845

Volkswagen ID.4

The ID.4 was one of the first electric SUVs to challenge the Tesla Model Y when it was released in 2021. Its ample driving range and long list of standard features made it a viable choice for an EV, but over time, the ID.4 has been outclassed by competitors such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or undercut on price by less expensive options such as the Chevrolet Equinox EV.

However, picking up a 2026 ID.4 makes a lot of sense. Based on Edmunds’ analysis of transaction data, you’ll likely be able to get about $10,000 off the sticker price. For the best value of a 2026 ID.4, check out the Pro trim with standard rear-wheel drive. It comes generously equipped with heated front seats, wireless charging, a 12.9-inch touchscreen and several driver assist features.

2026 ID.4 starting price: $46,570

Jaguar F-Pace

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a new Jaguar, then the 2026 F-Pace is your last chance at a gas-powered version because the company is transitioning to an all-electric ultra-luxury brand. The F-Pace is the last surviving model from Jaguar’s internal-combustion-engine past, and it won’t be replaced.

Although the F-Pace has soldiered on for 10 years without a redesign, it still boasts an attractive design, potent optional engines and sharp handling. The Jag can’t fully compete with newer small luxury SUVs, but scoring a good deal might be enough to tempt you. As a potential future classic, check out the performance-oriented SVR 575 Edition that comes with a muscular 567-horsepower V8 engine.

2026 F-Pace starting price: $58,375

Toyota GR Supra

The GR Supra is Toyota’s flagship sports car and the modern successor to the iconic Supra from the 1990s. After a seven-year run, 2026 will be its final year. Like its predecessor, the GR Supra boasts a powerful 382-horsepower engine, an engaging driving experience and an available manual transmission. The car’s swoopy styling remains one of the more distinctive shapes on the road too.

The GR Supra’s end isn’t necessarily because of slow sales. Toyota built it as part of a manufacturing partnership with BMW, which sold the related Z4 roadster. With Z4 production ending, there wasn’t a way to keep the Supra going. While it’s possible that a Supra successor is in the works, this GR Supra could easily qualify as a future classic.

Starting price: $59,595

Tesla Model S

The Model S will forever hold a place in automotive history as one of the earliest mass-produced electric vehicles. The 2026 model year is its last, however. The Model S’ longevity has rendered it a bit of an afterthought for a luxury EV, but it is a roomy electric sedan that’s ideal for daily driving and long road trips.

A base Model S has all-wheel drive, an EPA-estimated range of 410 miles, and enough power to get you from zero to 60 mph in a Tesla-cited 3.1 seconds. Another reason to buy the Model S over the competition is Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature, which enables automated driving on most roads as long as the driver is ready to take control if needed. Tesla is no longer selling new Model S sedans from its website, but used versions are available.

Used 2026 Model S pricing: starting around $110,000

Edmunds says

If you’re in the market for one of these vehicles, act fast because the remaining inventory will likely be limited.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Michael Cantu is a contributor at Edmunds.

Zhu died in Beijing at around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the official news agency Xinhua reported.

Once sent into rural exile to do manual labor for praising reforms in other communist countries, Zhu pushed through a dizzying array of changes as premier, China’s top economic post, from 1998 to 2003 under former President Jiang Zemin.

Zhu clashed with Communist Party conservatives and state industry bosses as he pushed state-owned companies to become efficient and profitable. That cost millions of layoffs, but helped propel China to overtake Japan as the second-largest economy behind the United States in 2010.

Building on former leader Deng Xiaoping’s 1979 reforms, Zhu is credited with supplying the resourcefulness and tenacity to push through history-making changes such as China’s WTO membership, which helped to transform China into the world’s biggest exporter.

Those changes helped to keep economic growth above 8% a year from 2000 to 2010, peaking at 14.2% in 2007.

A spiky personality who fought corruption and conservatives

Named premier in 1998 at age 69, Zhu became a popular figure by criticizing official bungling and graft and accepting blame when the government fell short. His demanding style earned him the nicknames Boss and Zhu Fengzi, or Madman Zhu.

“I have prepared 100 coffins here — 99 for corrupt officials and one for myself,” Zhu said in 1998, according to the party newspaper People’s Daily.

Zhu ranked No. 3 in the party hierarchy behind Jiang and Li Peng, chairman of the ceremonial legislature, the National People’s Congress. But he was a technician without his own power base. Zhu complained that allowed officials to ignore his orders.

Zhu made his name as a deputy premier in the 1990s by crushing inflation. He enforced price controls and cut off loans to money-losing state companies, rebuffing resistance by local leaders — a pattern Zhu would repeat as he fought conservatives over the pace of reform.

Zhu led efforts to secure WTO membership following marathon negotiations that began in the 1980s. That status would enshrine free trade as a national commitment, giving Zhu a tool to force local officials to stop protecting favored companies.

Zhu’s campaign was nearly derailed when he went to Washington in 1999 with market-opening concessions to win U.S. endorsement of the WTO bid. The Clinton administration rejected the offer as inadequate, while his political enemies at home accused him of offering too much, but Zhu survived and China went on to join the body in December 2001.

Zhu launched China’s home ownership boom in 1998 with an initiative to sell apartments owned by state companies. Families rushed to buy, and within a decade the majority of urban housing was privately owned.

Still, Zhu was less an advocate of free enterprise than a skilled bureaucrat who carried out party orders to whip state industry into shape.

Zhu showed no interest in privatizing the economy. He played a key role in drafting plans in the 1990s to turn banks, airlines, oil companies and other enterprises into profit-oriented corporations but to retain government ownership.

Zhu stood out for admitting official failings

Born Oct. 23, 1928, in Mao Zedong’s home province of Hunan, Zhu paid an early price for his willingness to take risks and speak out.

After a start as an economic planner, his career went into a 22-year eclipse when he was labelled a “rightist” in 1957 for praising reforms in Hungary and Yugoslavia. He was banished to the countryside during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution to do manual labor.

Rehabilitated in 1979, Zhu rose swiftly, becoming deputy Shanghai party secretary in 1987 and mayor the next year.

As mayor in 1989, Zhu gained a reputation for moderation when he placated protesters and pledged not to call in the military.

“He managed to defuse, with considerable subtlety, a tense political situation that could have developed into localized violence or worse if the military had felt it necessary to intervene,” wrote Australian diplomat Shelley Warner in the 1991 book “The Pro-Democracy Protests in China: Reports from the Provinces.”

Zhu’s boss, Jiang, would soon be called to Beijing by Deng and made party leader. Zhu was named deputy premier in 1991 and joined the party’s ruling Standing Committee in 1993.

Zhu broke with the leadership’s stance of infallibility by admitting and taking blame for official failings.

In 1998, after summer floods killed 4,150 people and officials were accused of embezzling money meant for anti-flood dikes, Zhu complained some barriers were no stronger than bean curd.

Three years later, he apologized on national television for his Cabinet’s failure to protect the public after an explosion in a schoolhouse in southern China killed at least 42 people, most of them children.

Zhu enlivened the party’s bland image by cracking jokes in public, sometimes at his own expense. Laughter erupted at a 1999 news conference when he said a recent photo “made me look like a dead man.”

One of Zhu’s proudest triumphs as deputy premier was to craft a tax system that required local officials to hand more revenue to Beijing. He said in 1996 that he deserved a Nobel Prize in economics for that.

Zhu rarely appeared in public after leaving office as premier.

Zhu was married to Lao An, a fellow Hunan native. Their son, Yunlai, also known as Levin Zhu, is a former CEO of China International Capital Corp., a government-owned investment bank.

Their daughter, Yanlai, led a charity organization supporting schoolchildren that was backed by Zhu Rongji.

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A previous version of this report incorrectly stated that Zhu died at 98. He was 97 years old.

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McDonald is a former Associated Press journalist. AP writer Kanis Leung contributed to this report from Hong Kong.

Speaking on a visit to a Russian warship that was taking part in a naval exercise in the Pacific, Putin described the Western moves to detain vessels linked to Russia as a breach of international maritime law.

“It’s nothing but piracy and robbery,” Putin said. “If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind.”

He added that the Russian response wouldn't necessarily come in the waters where the Russian ships were seized, noting that Moscow could retaliate “in any area where we see it as necessary and appropriate,” including in the Pacific.

The Pacific Fleet chief, Adm. Viktor Liina, reported to Putin that the navy was ready to start inspections of the commercial ships serving the “unfriendly nations.” He noted that many of the ships operated by British, French and other European carriers fly the flags of other nations, effectively making them a “shadow fleet.”

“We have enough assets for inspection and detention of vessels of the unfriendly nations and their shadow fleet,” Liina told Putin. “We are ready to start performing the task.”

Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade international sanctions imposed after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

France and the U.K. have detained tankers suspected of being of Russia's “shadow fleet” shipping oil in violation of international sanctions. The EU has sanctioned hundreds of “shadow fleet” ships.

Russia has recently started deploying warships to escort its commercial vessels.

Dmitry Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president in 2008-2012 to let Putin observe term limits and is now deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, noted that many ships belonging to European carriers fly the so-called “flags of convenience” just like Russian carriers do.

“It means that by applying a symmetrical approach, which is only fair, Russia has the right to attack any merchant vessel belonging to hostile nations, whether in our waters or in neutral waters, provided there are reasonable grounds to suspect it is carrying cargo in the enemy’s interest, and that applies to any cargo,” Medvedev said. “There are a great many such vessels, and our military is capable of dramatically expanding operations well beyond the Black Sea basin.”

British actor Will Poulter, Ohio-born and Brooklyn-based writer-director Adam Meeks and Annette Deao, the program director of an adult recovery court in west-central Ohio, were close enough before, having made the indie film “Union County” just last year. But nothing is quite so bonding as spending hours upon hours together packed inside a Chevrolet Traverse as they bring their film, a raw but hopeful portrait of addiction and recovery, out nationwide Friday, to independent movie theaters across the state.

A very Ohio road trip

In a lengthy interview with The Associated Press at the Cleveland Cinematheque, it becomes immediately clear that nothing is even remotely “Hollywood” about this tour.

There are no publicists, studio representatives or glam squads. One day, they all showed up to a regional news station wearing essentially the same thing (white T-shirts). Their “driver” is one of the film’s producers. They’ve made stops at family homes, including Deao’s 185-year-old renovated barn, Meeks’ uncle’s garage where he’d been storing various props and costumes from the movie “just in case.” And they're serious about finding Ohio’s best cuisine, counting Hoyo’s Kitchen, a Somali food stall inside Columbus’ North Market, as a particular highlight.

In the car, chosen primarily to accommodate two men who are over 6 feet tall, Deao supplied the snacks, a healthy smorgasbord of mandarin oranges, mangoes and coconut chocolate covered almonds. Meeks helped with the playlist (including Ohio’s own Afroman). And Poulter brought the sugar-free energy drinks, which Deao did not approve of.

“Will’s a bad influence,” laughed Meeks.

Seated together, the three seem more like relatives than temporary colleagues — they are light and jovial and excited by the response to the film from their screenings at the Gateway Film Center in Columbus and The Nightlight in Akron. The regional pride, Poulter said, has been palpable, not just for the fact that it was made locally but for how it represents the human element of the opioid crisis.

The real drug court behind ‘Union County’

“When it comes to this subject matter, sometimes there’s a tendency to sort of pair the subject of devastation and tragedy with visuals that match. You look for bleak winters and depressed landscapes,” Poulter said. “This film really celebrates the beauty of both the people in the community and the natural beauty of the place.”

“Union County” was made with the help of the recovery community: Many of the faces you see on screen are not even actors — they’re participants in the program, telling authentic stories of progress, setbacks and everything in between in real court sessions (participation was voluntary). Deao and Logan County Common Pleas Judge Kevin P. Braig play versions of themselves too. The main narrative is fictionalized, about foster brothers Cody (Poulter) and Jack ( Noah Centineo ) and their trials through recovery, but it’s also based on real stories from people Meeks met through Deao.

Poulter, who played a pharmaceutical sales representative in the acclaimed miniseries “Dopesick” just a few years prior, was interested in exploring the crisis from another vantage point, one in which recovery is achievable. He was moved by this program that, he said, was “characterized by so much humanity and dignity and celebration and positivity and hope and all of these things that cut against the grain of the stigma that still exists.”

By emphasizing successful recovery, Poulter said the film offers “something of a counternarrative to how addiction is often made the subject matter in TV shows and films.”

The story of the film began in the summer of 2017, when Meeks had gone back to the place he was born for a stay with his extended family; his family had moved away when he was 6. Upon returning, he was struck by how addiction had touched nearly everyone in some way.

“I was kind of like falling in love with this place while also kind of seeing the sort of circumstances at the time for what they were,” Meeks said.

The counselor turned breakout movie star

In a quest to learn more about regional recovery efforts, his uncle introduced him to a judge at the adult recovery court; Meeks was moved by the session he sat in on, but the story for the short and feature films really opened up after he met and got to know Deao, who has been working with addicts through the drug court program for over 20 years.

“People want to know about what it was like to try to earn the trust of the participants and convince people to be a part of it or something and so much of it was this kind of baseline trust that people had in Annette and the decisions that she made and the space that she created,” Meeks said. “There was a lot of like, ‘If you’re a friend of Annette’s, you’re a friend of ours.’”

Deao was also, it turns out, a good actor.

“At the end of filming on the short, Adam came to me and says, ‘You know, I thought you’d be good, but I really didn’t think you’d be that good,’” Deao said. “And then I said, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that I studied theater and music.’ He just about fell over.”

At several screenings, it’s been Deao who received the most applause, which was only a surprise to her. It also, Meeks said, makes her turn “bright red” every time.

“Annette is the heart and soul of the community with whom we made this film, but she’s also the heart and the soul of our film,” Poulter said. “It’s amazing to see her get the response that she gets and couldn’t be more deserving … There’s really no overstating what an amazing contribution she makes, not just to our film but daily to the community she works in.”

Mostly, Deao is just happy that they seem to have gotten it right.

“Everyone has been so generous and so kind and so encouraging that we got it right,” she said. “I just haven’t had one feeling at all that we missed something, that it wasn’t presented right.”

And they’re all already getting a little wistful about the end of the road trip.

“I have not laughed this much in years,” Deao said. “This has been so healing for me.”

After a brief stop in the projector booth, the group was off again — not to go back to their hotel rooms to spend time alone before another Q&A — but to have dinner, together, again.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Three Pakistanis among the dead in Houthi attack on ship

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday condemned the attack by Houthi rebels on the ship in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying three Pakistanis had been killed in the attack and another wounded. A total of six people were killed in the attack on Tuesday.

“Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” Dar said in a post on X.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran and a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.

The attack came as part of a growing number of Houthi strikes against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

Fears are growing that the renewed violence could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.

Trump insists blockade gives US control of Strait of Hormuz

Claiming the U.S. has “total control” of the Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump said Wednesday: “I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!”

Trump’s social media post referred to the U.S. blockade of Iran’s ports. A vital route for one-fifth of the world's traded oil before the war, the strait has been largely closed to other traffic since the start of the war because of Iran’s attacks on shipping.

Those attacks have continued despite the blockade and U.S. strikes.

Iran has said the strait will only reopen if the U.S. meets a list of demands, including lifting the blockade, ending sanctions and compensating Iran for damage inflicted by the war, which began with a surprise U.S. and Israeli attack on Feb. 28.

Pakistan presses to defuse tensions between US and Iran

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam in Islamabad on Wednesday as Pakistan seeks to resume peace negotiations between Iran and the U.S.

Their meeting came a day after Pakistan sent Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Tehran for talks with Iran’s top leaders.

An interim deal to end the fighting reached in mid-June is set to expire Monday. The ceasefire collapsed last month as the U.S. and Iran exchanged strikes over more than two weeks before pausing.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters Wednesday the June deal remains valid and the deadline could be extended.

“We are not closing the chapter,” Andrabi said.

Turkey condemns Colombia's recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights

Turkey condemned the decision by Colombia's new government to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, calling it a move to “legitimize Israel’s occupation” of the territory.

Colombia, shortly after the swearing-in of conservative Abelardo de la Espriella as president on Friday, became just the second country to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the territory, which Israel captured during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed in 1981.

The United States was the first during Trump's first term, reversing more than a half-century of U.S. policy.

The United Nations recognizes the territory as part of Syria. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Colombia’s move constitutes “a grave violation of international law.”

Israeli troops accused of destroying a Lebanese school building

Israeli forces occupying the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah in southern Lebanon blew up a four-story public school building on Wednesday as well as a municipal building and a children’s nursery, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

The village’s municipal council called the destruction a “heinous crime.” There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Zawtar al-Sharqiyah is adjacent to a newly implemented “pilot zone” from which Israeli forces are supposed to gradually withdraw and hand control to the Lebanese army in exchange for disarmament of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Lebanese officials have objected to the Israeli military’s ongoing detonation of homes and other buildings in southern Lebanon amid negotiations to expand the pilot zones.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

Kuwaiti authorities thwart plot against unnamed facility

Kuwait's Interior Ministry said a “terrorist plot” against an unspecified facility was thwarted Wednesday when a Kuwaiti citizen affiliated with the Islamic State group was detained shortly before carrying out his plan.

The ministry said the man had received training on making explosives and activating drones to be used in the planned attack.

The ministry said a vital facility had been targeted but gave no further details.

• ‘Now that’s low’: Congressional candidate Shevrin Jones responds to false text message sent to voters
• Global Empowerment Mission asks for new camping gear donations for quake victims in Colombia
• Monroe County students head back to the classroom today for first day of school

You can watch a live feed of our news broadcast at Local10.com/Live.

There are six pieces of silverware up for grabs for PSG this season, with the No. 1 priority being a third straight Champions League title to cement its status as one of the greatest club teams in soccer history.

The first trophy could be lifted inside Red Bull Arena in Salzburg, Austria, in the annual match between the most recent winners of the Champions League and Europa League. It starts at 9 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).

PSG is bidding for a second straight Super Cup win after beating Tottenham in a penalty shootout last year.

Villa won the Super Cup in 1983 after beating Barcelona over two legs. The manager, Unai Emery, has experienced three straight losses in the Super Cup — the first two with Sevilla and the third with Villarreal.

Referee is Somali official barred from World Cup

The game will be refereed by Omar Artan, the Somali who was barred by the United States from officiating at the World Cup days before the start of FIFA's tournament because of vetting concerns. U.S. officials claimed Artan had connections to terror organizations, though without providing proof.

UEFA responded by picking Artan — a referee judged the best in Africa last season — to take charge of the Super Cup in a powerplay by European soccer's governing body amid its increasing disconnect with FIFA.

That disharmony has increased since, with UEFA leading the campaign to oust Gianni Infantino from the FIFA presidency over his recent — aborted — plan to sell an interest in the World Cup.

Team news

Villa will be without new signing Johan Manzambi, with the Swiss World Cup star out due to a knee injury, while key players Emi Martinez, Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa won't play as they haven’t returned to full training after the World Cup.

PSG coach Luis Enrique must decide whether to include France internationals Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola and Spain’s World Cup-winning midfielder Fabián Ruiz, as they only returned to training on Monday.

PSG could pick left back Lucas Digne, who recently joined from Villa.

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

Cutting-edge drones developed by Kyiv since Moscow's full-scale invasion over four years ago have repeatedly targeted Russian ships in the Black Sea, including warships and oil tankers.

Ukraine's air and sea drones have succeeded in limiting the movements of Russia’s once-dominant Black Sea navy, Kyiv officials say, in one of the country’s biggest accomplishments of the war.

But Ukrainian officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is bent on pressing ahead with the war, despite his bigger army’s slow and costly progress on the battlefield and U.S. diplomatic efforts to find a settlement.

Putin is planning “an additional rapid mobilization of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year,” Zelenskyy said Tuesday night on social media, citing Ukrainian intelligence reports.

Those reports have said recently that Russia is expanding production of ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones, both of which are hard for Ukrainian air defenses to counter.

Ukraine also is trying to scale up its weapons manufacturing through agreements with partner countries.

Russia shows no sign of a new mobilization

Neither Putin nor other senior Russian officials have hinted at a possible major call-up of forces to fight in Ukraine. Some officials have accused Kyiv of trying to rattle the Russian public with talk of a mobilization.

Russian lawmaker Andrei Gurulyov brushed off reports of a possible autumn mobilization. “It is the enemy deliberately spreading rumors about mobilization in order to destabilize the situation inside Russia,” he was quoted as saying by pro-Kremlin online outlet Tsargrad in comments published Monday.

After the widely unpopular partial mobilization of some 300,000 men four years ago, Russia has relied on volunteers attracted by relatively high pay. However, the decree declaring the partial mobilization that Putin signed in September 2022 is open-ended, allowing authorities to resume it if needed.

Ukraine says it hit Black Sea port infrastructure

The Ukrainian military “carried out a unique operation targeting the naval base in Novorossiysk — the last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post Wednesday. The attack struck air defenses, piers and other port infrastructure, he added.

Russia relocated most of its naval ships to Novorossiysk after Ukrainian strikes on the main Black Sea base at Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula earlier in the war.

Hundreds of Ukrainian drones attacked Novorossiysk, Anapa and Gelendzhik and the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar region overnight, said Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev.

An 8-year-old child was one of three people killed in the attack on the region, Kondratyev said. He added that 24 others in the region were wounded. Dozens of residential buildings were damaged, Kondratyev said, and debris from downed drones fell on the grounds of four industrial plants.

The strikes damaged two of Novorossiysk’s three grain terminals, with one of them halting operations, the Russian business daily Vedomosti reported.

Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed more than 500 Ukrainian drones.

Struck Russian port is also a key oil hub

Novorossiysk also is home to the Grushovaya oil terminal, one of largest international hubs in southern Russia for petroleum products. No reports indicated it had been hit.

In February, the U.S. State Department expressed its displeasure about Ukraine’s attacks on Novorossiysk, saying they affected U.S. oil interests in ⁠Kazakhstan.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium operates a pipeline from the Caspian coast in northwestern Kazakhstan to Novorossiysk. The pipeline handles much of the crude exports from three major Kazakh fields in which major U.S. energy companies, Chevron and ExxonMobil, have stakes.

With the militaries of European countries boarding and detaining sanctioned Russian oil tankers at sea, hurting the country’s trade and heaping economic pressure on Moscow, Putin on Wednesday threatened retaliation for what he termed “piracy.”

Speaking on a visit to a Russian warship taking part in a naval exercise in the Pacific, Putin said Western countries are breaking international maritime law by seizing ships they say are part of Moscow’s “ shadow fleet ” of sanctions-dodging merchant vessels.

“It’s nothing but piracy and robbery,” Putin said. “If this is done, we will be forced to respond in kind.”

On the Crimean Peninsula, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, air defenses downed 115 Ukrainian drones over Sevastopol overnight, said Mikhail Razvozhayev, the city’s Russian-installed head. He added that 10 apartment buildings and 25 private houses were damaged.

Russian drones kill 2 and destroy a shopping mall in Ukraine

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired 138 long-range drones as well as an unspecified number of missiles during the night, with damage recorded at 16 locations.

In the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, a large-scale Russian drone attack overnight killed two people and wounded two others, said regional head Oleksandr Prokudin.

The attacks also destroyed a shopping mall in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, according to authorities.

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The state-run General Electricity Company said in a statement that a power substation in the city of Zawiya that links power plants to homes and businesses was completely burned down.

The city of about 250,000 people has been rattled by a series of drone strikes that hit oil and power facilities. Zawiya is home to critical energy infrastructure, including Libya’s largest oil refinery, an export terminal and a power plant.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the drone strikes.

The power company said the attack resulted in outages across southern parts of the city, which is located about 47 kilometers (about 30 miles) west of the capital Tripoli. Footage shared by the company showed massive flames and fireballs erupting from the facility.

Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the prime minister of one of Libya’s two rival governments, denounced the attacks on energy and power installations as “a serious crime and an escalation that will not go unanswered.”

“We will reach those responsible for this attack, and the accountability will be firm. No one will be protected by their position, status, or influence,” he said in a statement.

On Monday, a drone strike hit a fuel-laden tank at Zawiya's refinery, igniting a massive blaze which firefighters battled for over 15 hours. The refinery was repeatedly attacked over the weekend and on Tuesday, according to the state-run National Oil Corporation.

The power plant was hit by two drones on Tuesday, with one damaging its firefighting system while the second landed close to the facility’s main fuel storage, setting it on fire, the electricity company said.

The attacks come as tensions are rising between the government of western Libya and warlord Mohamed Bahroun, who controls the city of Zawiya. Much of western Libya is ruled by local militias loosely allied to Dbeibah’s government in Tripoli.

The country has been divided for years between rival administrations, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. Dbeibah governs western Libya and the administration of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad governs the eastern part of the country.

After Tuesday’s attack on the power plant, the U.S. company General Electric withdrew its teams from the facility “until security conditions and a suitable and safe work environment are ensured,” the electricity company said. GE performs maintenance and upgrading services for the plant.

GE previously withdrew its staff from the plant over security concerns, prolonging the loss of more than 700 megawatts of the station’s production capacity, estimated at 1300 megawatts, the electricity company said.

The violence came as Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was in Tripoli to meet with Dbeibah and Mohammad Younes Menfi, chairman of the Presidential Council.

Turkey is the main foreign backer of Dbeibah's government, but in recent years has also reached out to the rival authorities in eastern Libya in an attempt to mend ties, and as part of regional efforts to unify the North African country.

Libya, an oil-rich country on the Mediterranean, has been wracked by conflict since a NATO-backed uprising-turned-civil war toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Across a swath of northern and central Spain, millions of people will have some of mainland Europe's best views of the celestial spectacle. A sliver of Greenland and Iceland, too, will witness the spectacle, when the sun, moon and Earth align, briefly bringing parts of the planet into darkness.

Totality — when the moon completely covers the sun’s light — is expected to last less than 2 1/2 minutes, reaching its maximum duration off Iceland’s west coast. By the time it gets to a small patch of Portugal and then to Spain just before sunset, totality will have dwindled to a minute or so. The spectacle will then end over the Mediterranean.

Against the backdrop of scorching summer temperatures and wildfires, Spanish officials have rolled out a large public safety campaign.

The eclipse could draw at least an additional half a million visitors, authorities say. Demand for hotel rooms along the path of totality, including in the northern cities of A Coruña, Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela, has soared.

In Medinaceli, a Roman-era hilltop town in northeast Spain, sky watchers secured grassy viewing points several hours early.

“It must be thrilling to see the darkness come suddenly and the image of the sun disappearing,” said Agatha Bak, a 40-year-old philosophy professor who left Madrid for the town at sunrise with a group of friends.

Rural areas prepare for an influx of visitors

Spain’s Interior Ministry said 350 official viewing sites have been set up across the sparsely populated interior, often referred to as “Empty Spain.” Authorities have limited or restricted access to another 123 sites because of environmental conditions or obstacles that could hinder an evacuation in the event of a wildfire.

Only weeks ago, the most destructive wildfire in Spanish history devoured 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Ávila, in central Spain. Several smaller wildfires remain active elsewhere in southern and central parts of the country.

More than 33,500 law enforcement officers will be deployed to observation areas and access points, the ministry said.

“High temperatures, the accumulated dryness of vegetation, and the intense pressure on natural areas due to projected travel necessitate extreme preventive measures,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said.

Much of Spain was on alert Wednesday as temperatures climbed above 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) in many areas where the total eclipse will be observed.

Authorities' top priority is to prevent even a single spark that could lead to a fire, as happened in Ávila in late July. They are urging visitors not to light fires, litter or park in areas with dry vegetation.

Eclipse glasses are going fast

Special eclipse glasses are essential for safe viewing, even if only a sliver of the sun remains visible.

“To look at the sun, you must always use proper protection, and the most suitable protection is eclipse glasses,” said Telmo Fernández Castro, director of the Madrid Planetarium. The glasses are made with special filters that block solar radiation that can damage the eyes.

For months, supermarkets, department stores, museums and planetariums across Spain have sold or distributed the glasses, with many pharmacies running out of stock ahead of Wednesday.

On Tuesday evening in downtown Madrid, a long line formed outside a photo shop where a sign read, “We carry eclipse glasses.”

One woman emerged triumphantly and reassured those waiting: “He has boxes and boxes of them!”

A ship circles waters near Greenland hoping to catch a glimpse

For sky watchers hoping to peek at the solar eclipse, spare a thought for Sverre Rud.

Rud, captain of the MS Spitsbergen, is circling the waters of Rypefjord in eastern Greenland trying to make sure he is perfectly positioned for his 126 passengers to view the spectacle. All day, people have been coming up to Rud to ask if he has nailed the right spot — no clouds will do if they are to see it.

“I will do my best,’’ Rud said. “I will pull out my superman powers.’’

The eclipse may be startling for the passengers, who have been experiencing 24 hours of daylight on a 17-day cruise in locations mostly north of the Arctic Circle.

Suddenly, for two minutes it will be dark.

Even so, the mood on the ice-strengthened polar ship is pure anticipation.

“Everyone is very enthusiastic,” Rud said. “When we were down for breakfast earlier, it was almost like a little bit of a Christmas Eve feeling here."

Hotel costs skyrocket in Spain and Iceland

Rooms in Reykjavík, Iceland's capital, were averaging more than $1,000 for Wednesday night as Icelanders prepared for their first total solar eclipse since 1954 and the first visible from the capital since 1433.

Prices were roughly double 2025 rates, according to data group Lighthouse Intelligence. But tourists, many of whom made bookings years in advance at exorbitant prices, may be disappointed as cloudy skies are forecast across most of the island when the eclipse peaks.

Authorities expect up to 20,000 additional overseas visitors during an already busy peak tourist period. Iceland is home to fewer than 400,000 people.

The 70-room Hotel Keflavík in the Reykjanesbaer municipality was fully booked, with guests hoping to see around one minute and 45 seconds of totality.

“Eclipse time, of course, has been very demanding, and many people came to us early, like last year,” said hotel owner and manager Steinþór Jónsson.

Jónsson said he had seen nothing like it since 1986, the year the hotel opened and U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev held their summit in Reykjavík.

“When I opened the hotel, we had Reagan and Gorbachev meeting. It was very hectic here,” he said with a smile. “Besides Reagan and Gorbachev, the eclipse is the biggest.”

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Associated Press journalists Danica Kirka and Brian Melley in London and James Brooks in Snæfellsnes, Iceland, contributed.

The report, “Powering India’s Secondary Steel Transition,” found renewable electricity could reduce annual power costs by about 22 million to 24 million rupees ($250,000 to $275,000) per unit, or up to 34%.

The report was jointly produced by a consortium of environmental groups and industry bodies including the Confederation of Indian Industry, WWF-India, the nonprofit group Climate Catalyst and the think tank JMK Research.

Electricity accounts for up to 40% of operating costs for many small steel producers, making it one of the industry’s largest expenses. Profit margins at many of India’s smaller steel companies have been affected by rising fuel costs resulting from the Iran war.

India, the world’s most populous nation, is among the largest emitters of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.

The steel sector accounts for as much as 12% of India’s annual emissions. Decarbonizing the sector is essential to meet the country's goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.

Shifting to clean power also could help shield Indian steel companies from European carbon taxes that took effect at the start of this year.

“With rising pressure on all industries to reduce their carbon emissions, a high-emitting sector like steel has to look at ways to reduce emissions at the least cost possible,” said Prabhakar of JMK Research, one of the report’s authors, who uses only one name. “With the huge growth in renewables in India, shifting to renewable electricity is low-hanging fruit for reducing carbon pollution.”

Steel firms can save with joint clean power investments

The report found the most practical option for small steel producers is to jointly invest in and own a renewable energy project from which they can draw electricity based on their investment and electricity needs.

This approach lowers the upfront financial burden for individual companies and creates projects large enough to be commercially viable, the report said.

“A cluster-based approach can fundamentally change how small steelmakers access renewable energy,” Prabhakar said. “Aggregating demand through industrial associations makes projects more bankable, enables optimal plant sizing and reduces the investment risk borne by any single unit.”

Renewable energy adoption remains limited among India’s smaller and medium-sized steel companies despite the country’s clean power capacity tripling over the past decade. The report estimated only about 11% of smaller steelmakers use renewable power, compared with roughly 22% of India’s overall electricity mix.

Helping small and medium steelmakers access clean energy is essential to India's ambitious climate goals, said Vinoth Balakumar of the Confederation of Indian Industry.

“The companies are ready to change and have realized that, to maintain profits, they could try to shift to renewable electricity,” he said.

Low awareness, red tape and high costs slow clean power shift

Owners of small steel companies said they are willing to shift to clean power because many of their domestic and international customers prefer steel with a lower carbon footprint. But high costs, government regulations and, in some regions, a lack of awareness about the benefits of renewable electricity are slowing the transition.

“When capital costs are really high, it makes it less viable for smaller companies,” said Sanjay Tripathi, a steel company owner in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

In the western state of Gujarat, the country’s second-largest generator of renewable energy, steelmakers said inadequate transmission and grid infrastructure prevent them from using all the solar power they have invested in.

“We are being asked to reduce our solar power production by up to 80% at times by state government authorities,” said Dhirubai Patel, who owns a steel company in Rajkot, home to one of India’s largest steelmaking clusters in Gujarat.

Patel and several other steel manufacturers in the city invested in a solar power plant that began operating in 2021.

“Our request is for the government to invest in infrastructure and make it easier for us to do business. We have a lot of good policies, but there is a lack of cooperation from officials in many government departments,” Patel said. “They are still living in the old era and need a change in their mindset.”

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Follow Sibi Arasu on X at @sibi123. Reach him at sarasu@ap.org. ___

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

The country has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Asia despite its fairly restrictive gun laws. The two recent shootings, both in Nonthaburi province northwest of the capital Bangkok, have intensified calls for tighter controls on firearms.

A student opened fire at his high school and family home on Friday, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 20 before apparently taking his own life, according to police. Three days later, a former lawmaker was arrested after a shooting at a government office that killed one person and injured another.

Government spokesperson Lalida Persvivatana said the government is working to strengthen gun regulations and crack down on illegal firearms.

The ultimate goal is “to find ways to remove guns from people’s daily lives as much as possible and make Thai society safer,” she said in a statement.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered an urgent review of gun regulations, including a suspension of new permits to purchase firearms and a review of existing permits, according to a statement from the Government House.

He also instructed the Interior Ministry to propose amendments to Thailand's gun control laws within 60 days. The changes are expected to bolster the collection of firearms data, tighten controls on the gun trade and increase penalties for offenders.

Penalties for unlawful possession of firearms in Thailand include prison terms of one to 10 years and fines of up to 20,000 baht ($600). While the licensing laws are strict, critics say there are weaknesses in enforcement.

The measures announced Tuesday include the immediate suspension of welfare gun programs, which allowed public officials, including civil servants, police and soldiers, local officials and lawmakers, to buy guns at a discount through government subsidies. Gun control experts say the poorly regulated resale of the guns contributed to their proliferation.

Thailand’s high rate of gun ownership is second only to Pakistan in Asia, and far surpasses its Southeast Asian neighbors.

Data collected in 2017 by the groups Small Arms Survey and GunPolicy.org found that Thai civilians owned about 15 guns per 100 people, compared with less than one per 100 people in neighboring Malaysia.

Thailand had 3.49 deaths by firearms per 100,000 people, according to 2023 statistics published by World Population Review. That puts it well behind parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, but it is relatively high in Asia. Only the Philippines is higher in Southeast Asia.

While mass shootings are still rare in Thailand, the country has seen an uptick in high-profile attacks in recent years.

Michael E. Picard, a security analyst who researches arms trafficking in Southeast Asia, told The Associated Press that he hasn't seen much evidence of the effectiveness of gun control measures enacted after previous mass killings in 2020 and 2022 that each left more than two dozen people dead.

In reaction to last week's school shootings, in which the gun used was reported to be legally registered to the shooter's grandfather, he said increasing safe storage requirements for gun licenses would be an important step.

More broadly, if bribes are paid to get a gun permit, corruption in the government agency that administers licenses needs to be rooted out, he said.

The welfare gun programs also need to be scrapped, Picard suggested, adding that "the government should buy back, safely store, or organize an amnesty for the millions of welfare guns out there."

La esperanza volvió a Pereira, una de las ciudades más afectadas, con el rescate de Daniela Largo la noche del martes tras más de 12 horas de labores. Los rescatistas lograron liberar uno de sus brazos, que había quedado atrapado, al abrir un pequeño orificio entre los escombros. Una vez establecieron contacto con Largo, un médico la canalizó y, tras estabilizarla, fue trasladada en camilla para recibir atención médica.

La devastación ha puesto a prueba al nuevo presidente colombiano Abelardo de la Espriella, quien se apresuró a responder a la emergencia declarando tres días de duelo nacional y una “situación de desastre” nacional por un año, lo que busca agilizar la logística y la asistencia económica.

De la Espriella manifestó el martes que el temblor de magnitud 7,4 se había cobrado la vida de al menos 181 personas. Sin embargo, el Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal confirmó el miércoles la recepción de 202 cuerpos. El mandatario detalló que otras 2.595 personas resultaron heridas en el oeste del país y que al menos 195 seguían desaparecidas, aunque las bases de datos gestionadas por la sociedad civil situaban esa cifra más cerca de 4.000.

Los equipos continuaron revisando los escombros durante la noche en Cali, Pereira, Manizales y Quibdó, las ciudades más golpeadas, mientras se agota el tiempo para encontrar —y rescatar— a víctimas con vida.

Horas clave para el rescate

Las agencias de ayuda consideran que las primeras 48 a 72 horas son cruciales para sacar a los sobrevivientes, aunque ese umbral puede ampliarse si tienen acceso a comida y agua.

Ha habido escenas de alegría en medio de la devastación: rescatistas sacando a un bebé cubierto de polvo a través de una grieta en un muro de concreto y espectadores aplaudiendo mientras los equipos subían a una mujer a una camilla.

En muchas zonas la respuesta oficial a la tragedia se ha visto complicada por las crisis persistentes de pobreza y la actividad de grupos armados ilegales, que lleva décadas provocando desplazamientos forzosos.

“Este terremoto agrava una situación humanitaria ya grave y se necesita un mayor apoyo para la respuesta humanitaria”, afirmó Giovanni Rizzo, director del Consejo Noruego para Refugiados en Colombia.

Un acuerdo de paz de 2016 entre los rebeldes y el gobierno, además de un conflicto armado en curso, podría permitir que las organizaciones de ayuda distribuyan alimentos y otros materiales de emergencia con mayor rapidez, señaló María José Torres, coordinadora residente de Naciones Unidas en Colombia. Las organizaciones humanitarias ya están presentes en algunos lugares azotados por el conflicto debido al proceso de paz como en Chocó, el epicentro del sismo.

“Tenemos presencia sobre el terreno. Por lo tanto, nuestra capacidad de estar allí, presentes con la gente, creo que ha aumentado exponencialmente”, indicó Torres en un comunicado el martes.

Afectados se resguardan en albergues

En toda la región cafetera, duramente golpeada por los terremotos, las autoridades han convertido varios estadios deportivos, escuelas y otros edificios públicos en refugios temporales para miles afectados.

Edith Penagos, de 48 años, se resguarda con su hijo adolescente en uno de los albergues de Pereira ubicado en un parque cubierto con carpas blancas luego de que su apartamento resultara dañado. Cree que es “imposible” volver a habitarlo y teme el derrumbe de su vivienda y más réplicas, dado que el Servicio Geológico Colombiano ha registrado al menos 130 de menor magnitud.

“Tenemos lo más importante que es un techo, alimento, agua y en mi caso atención (médica), porque llevo un proceso de salud un poco complejo y me han apoyado”, aseguró a la AP.

Rodrigo León Loya, sismólogo y profesor del Departamento de Geociencias de la Universidad de los Andes, explicó a AP que estadísticamente la probabilidad de que vuelva a ocurrir un evento de una magnitud similar en el mismo punto disminuyó porque se libró “esa energía acumulada”. Sin embargo, indicó que Colombia está lleno de fallas activas, por lo que puede darse otro evento en otro punto, aunque no se puede predecir cuándo.

Al mismo tiempo, la ayuda de otros países y de organizaciones sin fines de lucro extranjeras sigue llegando. Cali reportó el arribo de ayuda enviada por El Salvador en aviones y la Cancillería indicó que el miércoles llegará un primer envío de México.

Estados Unidos ofreció más de 15 millones de dólares en ayuda y la presidenta de México, Claudia Sheinbaum, afirmó que su país está listo para enviar a cientos de rescatistas y sanitarios, toneladas de suministros médicos y otros equipos.

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Suarez informó desde Bogotá y Janetsky desde la Ciudad de México. Los periodistas de The Associated Press Edith M. Lederer en Naciones Unidas y Manuel Rueda en Bogotá contribuyeron a este despacho.

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

The S&P 500 added 0.2% and was on track for its first gain since setting its all-time high on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2 points, or less than 0.1%, as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.

Stocks in the artificial-intelligence technology business helped lead the way after strong profit reports bolstered hopes they can continue to deliver big-enough growth to justify the huge gains their prices have made.

Super Micro Computer, which sells servers and other equipment, jumped 13.3% after reporting earnings per share for the latest quarter that were 84% higher than analysts expected. It also gave forecasts for upcoming profit and revenue that topped analysts’ expectations.

CoreWeave, which offers AI computing power to customers over the cloud, leaped 17.9% after reporting better revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, along with a milder loss. CEO Michael Intrator said demand is accelerating from customers as big businesses adopt AI.

CoreWeave gives its customers access to AI chips from Nvidia, and Nvidia climbed 2.9%. It was the single strongest force lifting the S&P 500.

It’s a return to strength for AI stocks, which have been veering on a roller-coaster ride. After surging to records, AI stocks came under pressure on worries that they shot too high. Investors wanted to see big spenders on AI prove that their investments are yielding enough in profits and productivity to make them worth it. That in turn could lead to continued demand for chips and other AI infrastructure.

Wall Street also got some support from easing yields in the bond market. Treasury yields fell after a report showed that U.S. consumers paid prices for gasoline, groceries and other costs of living last month that were 3.4% higher than a year earlier.

That’s higher than anyone would like, but it’s not as bad as June's 3.5% inflation rate.

The deceleration could give the Federal Reserve more leeway to hold off on hikes to interest rates. Higher rates would help keep a lid on inflation, but it would do so by making it more expensive for U.S. households and companies to borrow and forcing a slowdown in the economy. Higher interest rates also would undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

The Fed’s members have been notably split about whether they should have already begun hiking interest rates. But Wednesday’s update on inflation pushed traders to pull back on bets the Fed will hike its main interest rate at its next meeting in September.

Traders are betting on just a 38% chance of it, down from the coin flip’s chance seen the day before, according to data from CME Group.

That helped pull the yield on the 10-year Treasury down to 4.66% from 4.70% late Tuesday. It, though, still remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran, which sent oil prices and worries about inflation spiking.

Oil prices swung between modest gains and losses Wednesday, and the price for a barrel of Brent crude slipped 0.1% to $88.84.

Higher yields have already pulled long-term mortgage rates to their highest levels in a year. That's hurting the housing industry, and losses for homebuilders on Wednesday helped keep the market in check. D.R. Horton fell 2.9%, and PulteGroup lost 2.2%. Builders FirstSource, which sells countertops and other building materials, dropped 3.8%.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia.

South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.7% for one of the world’s bigger gains. It’s been at the center of the jarring swings for AI stocks because it’s dominated by two tech giants, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

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AP Business Writers Michelle Chapman and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Walls also accomplished the feat on April 18, 2023, at Cincinnati.

The 30-year-old shortstop hit his first homer Tuesday left-handed in the fourth inning off Athletics starter Mason Barnett. Walls went deep as a right-handed hitter off reliever Brady Basso in the sixth, helping Tampa Bay win its eighth straight game.

Walls is the fifth player this season to homer from both sides of the plate, joining the Chicago White Sox’s Drew Romo, Colorado’s Willi Castro, Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds, and Minnesota’s Josh Bell.

Hitting his first long ball of the season, Walls ended his personal home run drought at 105 regular-season games, dating to July 27, 2025.

Walls only has 24 home runs in 581 games in the majors, counting the playoffs.

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

The 30-year-old Walls, whose homers were his first of the season, went 4 for 5 in his second two-homer game. He last went deep as a righty and lefty on April 18, 2023, against the Cincinnati Reds.

Walls hit his first homer of the season, a two-run shot to right-center, in the fourth. He added a solo shot in the sixth inning. The homers ended a 105-game regular-season drought dating to July 27, 2025.

Walls is the fifth player this season to homer from both sides of the plate, joining the White Sox’s Drew Romo, Colorado’s Willi Castro, Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds, and Minnesota’s Josh Bell.

Martinez (12-3) struck out five, and allowed four runs on eight hits with a 101-pitch effort for his second career complete game. He previously worked an eight-inning complete-game with the Reds in 2024, but took the loss.

The AL East-leading Rays jumped out to an early lead off Junior Caminero’s 412-foot, two-run shot to center field in the first inning.

Caminero also scored in the third on Chandler Simpson’s sac-fly, but Liam Hicks was thrown out attempting to tag from first for a double play that ended the inning.

Yandy Diaz had a solo homer, Carson Williams had a three-run blast and Victor Mesa Jr. has a two-run shot for Tampa Bay, which banged out 11 hits in the win.

Lawrence Butler had a two-run homer for the Athletics in the fifth inning. Mason Barnett (1-3) took the loss, allowing six runs on five hits in four innings.

The Athletics' Jacob Wilson had his MLB-record 112-game errorless streak come to an end in the eighth on a throwing error.

Up next

RHP Drew Rasmussen (11-5, 2.75 ERA) goes for Tampa Bay in the finale of the three-game series Wednesday. The A's have not announced a starter.

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

Ademi was just 9 when he last saw his father, Adem Ademi, a prominent surgeon who disappeared along with 22 other intellectuals in April 1999, just months before the end of the war. Some 1,600 people are still missing from the conflict, believed scattered in unmarked mass graves, and Ademi's family had endured years of anguish and disappointments at failed efforts to find his father's remains.

They are now cautiously optimistic because the newly found graves are near to where Ademi was last seen. Excavations near the village of Kalluder e Vogel in the northern municipality of Zubin Potok, started in late July after the discovery of human remains there. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said that the authorities believe the victims could be the missing intellectuals, who allegedly were caught as they were trying to flee Kosovo to avoid being rounded up by Serb troops.

“Always, when we hear about the beginning of the excavations, there is a mixed feeling, a feeling of hope and a feeling of pain,” Ademi said. “No matter how many years pass, the feeling of pain will always exist … but at the same time there has always been hope, a feeling that finally the truth will be revealed.”

Kosovo’s missing include roughly 1,200 ethnic Albanians, around 400 ethnic Serbs and dozens of Roma, according to the Humanitarian Law Center rights group.

Some 13,000 people died in Kosovo's war, which saw ethnic Albanians launch a rebellion to gain independence from Serbia. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which Belgrade still does not recognize.

Tensions still simmer. In May 2023, Serbia and Kosovo reached an agreement which included commitments by both sides to clarify the fate of the missing, but Kosovo and Serbia have accused each other of stalling efforts to work together.

“It is obvious that authorities are not willing to cooperate,” said Bekim Blakaj, from the Humanitarian Law Center.

The European Union wants Kosovo and Serbia to normalize ties in order to move forward in their plans to join the bloc.

Police in Kosovo said last month they arrested two ethnic Serbs on suspicion of war crimes in connection with the mass graves, several days before the latest excavations started. The two men remain in custody.

Several top Serbian political and military officials have been tried and convicted of war crimes in Kosovo at a U.N. tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.

Erblin Ademi clutched the photo of his father holding him as a little boy.

“Every human being has the right to have a grave where they can be visited, where they can be honored, where they can be remembered,” Ademi said. “We are very hopeful that this will be the end, no matter how long the whole process will take, we will wait until we can honor them as they deserve.”

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This story has been updated to correct the name of the village to Kalluder e Vogel, not Upper and Lower Kalluder.

The devastation has tested Colombia’s new President Abelardo de la Espriella and his government as it scrambles to respond to the natural disaster and civil society as it pushes to provide aid to the vulnerable communities most affected by the quake.

By Tuesday, de la Espriella said the 7.4 magnitude earthquake had killed at least 181 people and left 2,595 more injured in the west of the country. He said at least 195 remained missing, but civilian-run databases put that number at more than 4,000 Wednesday morning.

Teams continued to pick through the rubble overnight in the hardest-hit cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, as time ticked away for victims to be found — and rescued — alive.

Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for retrieving survivors, though that threshold can be extended if those trapped have access to food and water.

Survival takes many forms in hard-hit areas

There have been fleeting moments of hope amid the devastation.

In hard-hit Pereira, rescuers pulled Daniela Largo alive from the rubble late Tuesday, capping a complex 12-hour rescue in which crews carved a small opening through the debris to free her pinned arm and a doctor administered IV fluids to stabilize her. Wrapped in a blue blanket, the young woman was carried to a waiting ambulance as firefighters embraced and onlookers erupted in cheers.

Across the coffee-growing region, among the areas worst affected by the quake, authorities have converted sports arenas, schools and other public buildings into temporary shelters for thousands of displaced Colombians. In Pereira and Cali, families have been sleeping in parks — some fearing aftershocks or the collapse of their damaged homes, others without homes to return to.

“We have the most important things: a roof over our heads, food, water and, in my case, medical care,” said Edith Penagos, 48, who was staying with her teenage son in one of the white tents set up in a Pereira park after the earthquake forced them from their apartment.

Regional partners promise help and aid groups already on the ground dig in

In many areas, the official response to the disaster has been complicated by the ongoing crises of deep poverty and civil warfare that has created waves of forced displacement for decades.

“This earthquake compounds an already severe humanitarian situation, and there is a need for increased support for the humanitarian response,” said Giovanni Rizzo, Colombia director for the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Many aid organizations were already on the ground at the epicenter of the quake in Colombia, supporting a 2016 peace accord between the government and leftist rebels, and responding to violence involving other armed groups that has persisted since then, particularly in Choco.

That presence allowed humanitarian workers to quickly pivot to disaster relief, said María José Torres, the U.N. resident coordinator in Colombia.

“We have a presence on the ground. Therefore, our ability to be there, present with the people, I think, has increased exponentially,” Torres said in a statement Tuesday.

At the same time, aid from other countries and nonprofits abroad continued to roll in.

On Wednesday, the State Department said it would send two search and rescue teams to Colombia that helped with rescue efforts in Venezuela just weeks before. The U.S. has also offered over $15 million in aid.

Mexico’s president has said she is prepared to send hundreds of search and health workers, tons of health supplies and other equipment.

On Tuesday afternoon, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his country would send two planes loaded with 100 tons of aid.

“Our prayers are with the families of the victims, the wounded and all the Colombian people,” Bukele wrote on X.

___

Suarez reported from Bogota, Colombia, and Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Gabriela Aoun in San Diego contributed.

Drought conditions had forced Mohamed and her family to leave Saakoow, a town in the Middle Jubba region more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) away. They moved from village to village before arriving in Baidoa, now a major hub for people fleeing drought, insecurity and food shortages, on Aug. 3.

“We are very hungry and in a desperate situation,” Mohamed said. “We have nothing to eat and can only place our hope in God, as He is the one who sustains us through this ordeal that culminated in our trip.”

The family's journey is one example of a deepening humanitarian emergency in Somalia, where years of drought, conflict and economic pressures are pushing more families from rural communities into displacement camps as hunger rises and humanitarian funding shrinks.

About 2 million people are facing emergency levels of food insecurity, more than double the number recorded last year, according to Plan International, which has provided assistance to more than 200,000 people in Somalia this year. The humanitarian group and Somalia’s Disaster Management Agency are calling for increased international assistance, with concern that the crisis could be compounded by another climate shock later this year.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has projected a greater than 90% probability of El Nino conditions developing from mid-2026 and intensifying during Somalia’s October-to-December rainy season, bringing the severe risk of flooding.

Somalia is highly vulnerable to extreme weather and has experienced repeated cycles of prolonged drought followed by destructive flooding. The shocks have eroded livelihoods, displaced communities, contributed to disease outbreaks and worsened food insecurity.

In Baidoa, hundreds of thousands of people fleeing prolonged drought have gathered in sprawling displacement settlements on the outskirts of the city.

One of them, Habiba Adan, fled her settlement in Awdiinle in the Bay region after four consecutive years of drought destroyed crops and killed livestock. She eventually moved to Baidoa with her two older daughters and now lives in a displacement camp.

Adan would like to return home, but she said continuing drought and failed harvests there have left families with little prospect of rebuilding their lives.

“The drought we are experiencing has stretched for four consecutive years, and this year, most crops have again been decimated,” Adan said. “Farmers were only able to harvest enough to sow their fields for the next season, leaving our future bleak. Here in these camps, we lack food and essential support. We have no food, water, or money, and we sit idly.”

According to Plan International, the city is hosting about 1.6 million people, nearly half of them displaced. It says one in five families lacks reliable access to water, among the most immediate challenges facing displaced families. They are increasingly forced to buy trucked water at steep prices that many simply cannot afford.

Families have nothing left after years of drought

Reena Ghelani, the global CEO of Plan International, visited Baidoa last week, meeting drought-displaced families and visiting a malnutrition ward in the Bay region.

Ghelani said many of the families she met had tried to remain in their communities through successive years of drought, leaving only when their resources were exhausted.

Many fled “after waiting and waiting year after year of drought and just surviving,” Ghelani said. “And now they say there’s nothing left. They have no water. They have no stocks. The animals have died. There is literally nothing left anymore.”

She said rising prices are placing additional pressure on families already struggling to find enough food.

Children are suffering from malnutrition

Data released in May by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitoring system, showed that about half of children under 5 in Somalia were facing acute malnutrition.

Plan International, citing Save the Children, said the number of children receiving treatment for the most dangerous form of malnutrition in Baidoa had nearly tripled over six months.

Dr. Omar Abdikarin, a nutritionist in Baidoa, said patients are arriving for treatment from the Bay as well as the neighboring Bakool and Gedo regions.

“Malnutrition is prevalent in this region, and the majority of patients treated at this hospital suffer from malnourishment,” Abdikarin said.

The health risks extend beyond malnutrition. Ghelani said she encountered children affected by outbreaks of diphtheria, measles, malaria, cholera and acute diarrhea.

The prospect of heavy rainfall later this year presents a new threat to communities facing multiple crises. Intense rainfall and flooding could wash away homes and farmland, contaminate drinking water and force families to move again. Aid agencies warn that the expected El Nino conditions will compound the crisis for countless families before they have had time to recover from prolonged drought conditions.

For families arriving in Baidoa such as Mohamed's, the most urgent question is where to find clean water and food.

Mohamed said her husband had left for farms on the outskirts of the city, in search of work or something for their children to eat. A day after arriving in the city, she was still waiting to find out whether her husband would return with good news.

___ Faruk reported from Mogadishu, Somalia.

___

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

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The Putri Yasmin ferry was traveling from Bali to the neighboring island of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara province when the fire broke out at about 4:15 a.m. The ferry was also transporting 44 vehicles and 53 motorcycles.

The Search and Rescue Office in Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara province, received an emergency report almost half an hour later and immediately deployed personnel and rescue vessels.

“Our top priority is the safety of all passengers and crew members,” said Muhammad Hariyadi, who heads the Mataram Search and Rescue Office.

Videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed people wearing life jackets crowding an inflatable life raft in choppy waters during a rescue operation at sea, as thick black smoke billows from the ferry.

The rescue agency said that as of Wednesday afternoon, rescuers evacuated 211 people from the burned vessel, including 2 Australian tourists, and recovered the body of a 19-year-old Indonesian woman.

Initial reports had said the ferry was carrying 131 people, including 17 crew members, based on the ship’s manifest.

However, hours after the incident, officials said more people were aboard than listed. It is common in Indonesia for the number of passengers on a boat or ferry to differ from the manifest.

Authorities have not yet explained why the number of people evacuated exceeded the total listed on the initial passenger manifest. Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said officials will look into the discrepancy.

“The findings will be thoroughly reviewed as part of the ministry’s evaluation,” Purwagandhi said. “This is a serious issue that will be thoroughly investigated.”

He said investigators were determining the cause of the fire.

Syamsurizal, head of the Lembar Port Authority in Lombok, said that survivors told authorities the blaze appeared to have started in a cargo truck before quickly spreading through the ferry. The heat forced some passengers to jump into the sea, he said.

“The response operation is ongoing, and authorities are continuing to account for all victims,” said Syamsurizal, who like many Indonesians uses a single name. He said at least two injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital.

Hariyadi said the rescue effort was supported by six vessels, a helicopter, two inflatable boats and two private yachts. He said rough seas with waves reported as high as 4 meters (13 feet) complicated rescue efforts.

Wednesday's incident happened less than two weeks after another Indonesian ferry, the Mutiara Sentosa 2, caught fire in waters off the main island of Java, leaving at least five people dead.

Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands where ferries are a common method of travel. Disasters occur regularly, with weak safety enforcement often blamed.

___

Associated Press journalists Edna Tarigan and Andi Jatmiko in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

“There’s a part of me which says, ‘you didn’t write that,’” he recalls of composing his debut album, “Life Is a Dream.” “What’s it called? Impostor syndrome.”

Thankfully, it did not stop him from finishing the collection of 12 compositions he crafted over six decades.

Conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and recorded at London's Alexandra Palace in April, it will be released by Decca Records on Aug. 21.

“My first love, or vocation really, is music,” said the 88-year-old actor. “That sounds very official, but I was raised with a lot of music (of the) postwar years, and it influenced me. And I started playing the piano when I was quite young.”

He picked up the instrument at 4 and began composing years later, writing his first piece, a waltz, in 1960. He was 22 at the time.

“I find more freedom with music,” he says, compared to acting, which he labels “a discipline, you have to know your stuff. But music for me is a freewheeling kind of art form.”

And he's had his fair share of experience. Prior to the release of “Life Is a Dream,” Hopkins had composed scores for a number of films.

“The opening of ‘Shadowlands’ is my first adventure in composing music,” he said, referring to the 1993 film he starred in as “The Chronicles of Narnia” author C.S. Lewis. Then he composed for a few other movies, including 1996’s “August,” 2007’s “Slipstream” and 2020’s “Elyse.”

Hopkins' childhood informed ‘Life Is A Dream’

“It's about my childhood,” he says of the album, which shares its title with the Pedro Calderón de la Barca play. “It's basically the memories of my childhood and growing up in Wales, and my developments in life, my adolescent years,” and so on.

But he says “there’s a great sadness in it all because — don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a wonderful life — but underneath it all, there is the knowledge that life is one long goodbye. From the moment we’re born, we begin to die,” he starts to laugh. “Sounds so cheerful!”

That tension — or better put, wisdom — carries throughout the release. Take the first single as an example. “1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra: II. Bracken Road” is the middle composition in a three-part suite about a particular summer in South Wales. He says it contains a “melancholy and sadness,” a sense that arises with its cello.

“It’s the welcomed sound of nostalgia, of the strange, whimsical pain of life,” he describes the song. “All music is actually based in pain. Sounds pretty preposterous, but it is. It’s about the yearning.”

The same can be said about the song “Stella Aria” — named after his wife, director and actor Stella Hopkins — that deals with “the loneliness in all of us,” he says, but is part of a path to “sheer happiness.”

Hopkins has been reflecting for quite some time now — both in his memoir, “We Did OK, Kid,” released last fall — and on this album. “I look at my own life now, and especially this year; I’m going to be 89 at the end of the year. And I look back and I’m thinking, ‘good God, I couldn’t have planned any of this.’ From the moment I decided to become an actor, 70 years ago, I thought … ‘Why did I do that?’ I didn’t know, because I was pretty useless in school? I didn’t know what else to do. So I tried for a scholarship, became an actor instead of a musician. And suddenly I’m given a huge plate of success by some force of nature.”

“I'm without fear of mortality,” he adds. “I'm just so grateful I’ve lived this long.”

How Bradley Cooper was instrumental in the album

In a surprising turn of events, actor Bradley Cooper “passed me on to Dudamel,” says Hopkins, after witnessing Hopkins' composition a few years before with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Seal. Dudamel was on board.

But when it came time to record at Alexandra Palace earlier this year, “I’m sitting there thinking, ‘How the hell did I write this?' I have no idea,” said Hopkins. “And Dudamel said, ‘This is wonderful.’ … He is one of the most astonishing people I’ve met. He’s so full of life and so full of energy and love, and it’s quite extraordinary.”

It's a shared affection.

“The same depth of imagination, humanity and emotional truth that has defined his extraordinary work on stage and screen is present in his music,” Dudamel said in a statement. “Anthony approaches music with the heart of a storyteller and the instincts of a poet, creating sound worlds that are both deeply personal and universally resonant.”

Live performance may be on the horizon

After his debut album, live performances may be next. Top of Hopkins' list is Carnegie Hall.

“That’s where I want to go. That’s what I want,” he says.

The 1947 film “Carnegie Hall” was a formative film for him, and he has the distinct memory of his mother saying, “You play at Carnegie Hall one day.”

It is yet another dream in a life full of them.

“Many families are finishing up that back-to-school checklist, and among those things is the medical checkup and assuring that their kids have their vaccines,” Michigan pediatrician Dr. Molly O’Shea said. “To put into question the safety or efficacy of these vaccines right now is really unfortunate and ill-conceived.”

The order, signed Monday, advocates separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different single-disease shots and giving all childhood immunizations at separate appointments when possible. It also includes several changes to the childhood vaccine schedule already attempted by Trump’s health department but blocked by a federal judge. The department is run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who helped lead the anti-vaccine movement for years.

Trump repeatedly suggested the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder, even though decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link. He also strongly suggested that the MMR vaccine could be harmful or even deadly.

Dr. Paul Offit, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia vaccine researcher and former government adviser, said the recommendations by Trump and Kennedy “are just not science based,” and it’s irresponsible to cast doubt on a vaccine that protects against measles when the nation is facing its biggest epidemic in more than 30 years.

“The harm that it will cause is … to induce chaos and confusion into the system, so people aren’t sure what they’re supposed to do,” he said.

Trump’s order evokes fears

At one point before signing his executive order, Trump used the word “lethal” when talking about the current MMR vaccine, saying: “Together there could be a possibility they are quite lethal and separately, it looks like they are not at all lethal but just very effective.”

Doctors strongly rejected this characterization, saying the current combination vaccine has gone through rigorous studies and years of safety tracking — like other childhood vaccines — and has been shown to be very safe. The diseases they protect against are the far bigger risk, they said.

“The suggestion that separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccines one from another has value is incorrect in both science and in immune response,” O’Shea said. “You actually get a better immune response giving them together. There’s no value in separating them.”

There are currently no separate vaccines for children against these diseases in the U.S., but Trump's order directs the health department to present a plan to offer them. Trump spokesperson Kush Desai has said that would give parents more options on timing and frequency, ultimately increasing vaccine uptake.

Doctors lamented that Trump revived debunked theories about vaccines and autism. Autism diagnoses have been rising for decades, with a recent count finding that an estimated 1 in 31 children in the U.S. have autism spectrum disorder. Scientists say that’s in part because the definition has broadened with expanded understanding of its wide range of traits and symptoms. There’s no single cause, they say, and genetic and environmental factors can play a role.

Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the potential link between childhood vaccines and autism has been studied in dozens of well-designed studies around the globe and there is “unequivocally” no link.

The fact Trump raised the issue, O’Shea said, “is really misguided and unfair to families.”

Competing vaccine schedules raise confusion

Trump’s comments and his order also cause confusion about which vaccines to give children and when, doctors said.

In the first year of Trump’s term, Kennedy set out to overhaul immunization guidance, firing a 17-member vaccine advisory committee and installing replacements who made the restrictive recommendations halted by a federal judge. Those recommendations call for injections against 11 diseases, with additional vaccines separately categorized for at-risk children or as available through “shared decision-making” with a doctor.

The pediatrics academy, meanwhile, continued to recommend vaccines to protect against 18 diseases in its 2026 immunization schedule. O’Shea said that schedule “has been very well designed, carefully constructed and thoughtfully put together to provide safety and protection just as the baby or young child’s immune system is ready to accept it.”

Doctors said insurance coverage shouldn’t be an issue. Medicaid and CHIP continue to cover the vaccines recommended before the current Trump administration took office. Through 2027, private health insurance plans generally will too, said Chris Regal of AHIP, the national health insurers’ trade association.

Doctors say vaccine hesitancy, and dangers to kids, could grow

With confusion and fear rising, Racine said pediatricians expect to answer more questions from parents.

But many doctors fear vaccine hesitancy may still keep increasing. Federal data shows U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have been dropping, with the share of children with exemptions hitting an all-time high in the 2024-25 school year.

Experts said they worry about families skipping necessary vaccines for their children or spacing out shots, since a vaccine-preventable disease could strike between doctor visits.

“Parents deserve clear, evidence-based guidance about how to protect their children, not competing recommendations issued through political processes,” said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases. “When families receive conflicting messages, confidence in vaccination suffers, and children ultimately bear the consequences.”

___

Medical writer Mike Stobbe and video journalist Mary Conlon contributed.

___

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.

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Melissa Redway is a former teacher at Westminster Academy, the church’s private school at 5601 North Federal Highway, according to police.

“After sustaining an alleged brain injury, and not able to conduct her teaching duties, she was laid off,” a police officer wrote, according to the arrest report.

Redway, of Coconut Creek, is also a former member of the choir at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church at 5555 North Federal Highway, according to police.

“During her time away and changing personnel, she lost her position. Redway did not accept the news well and attempted to rejoin the church choir,” a police officer wrote, according to the report.

A leader at the church reported Redway used Gmail to send a threatening e-mail at about 11 a.m. on Feb. 8 that raised concerns about the safety of a concert on Feb. 20 at the church, according to the report.

Court records show the church’s executive director had accused Redway of stalking violence after service on Feb. 19, and the case closed. A judge issued an arrest warrant on April 20 over the alleged threat.

Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Redway on Monday, and corrections held her on Tuesday at the North Broward Bureau, according to inmate records.

Redway faced charges of threatening to throw, project, place, or discharge a destructive device, a second-degree felony, and writing and sending a threat to kill or injure someone, also a second-degree felony. Her bond was $7,500.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

The Reds rallied from three runs down in the eighth inning after White Sox starter Sean Burke allowed only one run on three hits in seven innings.

Sean Newcomb (1-3) took the loss. Brock Burke (5-4) picked up the win and Emilio Pagan recorded his 14th save with a perfect 10th.

Bryan Hudson gave up an RBI single to De La Cruz in the eighth and Tyler Stephenson drove in two runs with a basesloaded single off Grant Taylor to tie the score.

The White Sox drew 38,113, their ninth sellout, for a unique giveaway: team-branded papal-style hats in honor of Pope Leo XIV, a lifelong White Sox fan who attended Game 1 of the 2005 World Series as Father Robert Prevost. Sister Mary Jo Sobieck threw out the first pitch.

Brenton Doyle hit Nick Lodolo's first pitch 415 feet to deep center, his fourth career leadoff home run and the sixth for the White Sox this season. Edgar Quero and Miguel Vargas also hit solo home runs for the White Sox.

Burke scattered three hits over seven innings, allowing one run on Eugenio Suarez’s third homer in four games, his 17th. Burke, who has allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his last nine starts, struck out eight Tuesday, walking none.

Muneteka Murakami extended his on-base streak to 26 games with a double in the eighth.

Lodolo was activated off the injured list (blister) to make his first start since July 11. He gave up four runs on five hits in four innings.

Up next

Reds RHP Rhett Lowder (4-7, 5.26 ERA) faces White Sox RHP Luis Castillo (3-9, 5.30) on Wednesday.

___

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

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Mayor Bryan Calvo said he wants an expert to conduct a “comprehensive, independent review” of the facilities’ conditions and the city’s aquatics operations.

“When information came to my attention that raised additional questions about our aquatics operations, I made the decision to act immediately,” Calvo, 28, said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Before reopening, Calvo plans to correct the findings of the review and make renovations, according to the city’s statement’

“The condition of many of Hialeah’s aquatic and park facilities reflects years of deferred maintenance and neglect that this administration is now confronting head-on,” Calvo said, adding that he asked the commission “to help find us $5 million to renovate and modernize these facilities.”

The Miami Herald reported the closures followed the Florida Department of Health shutting down a newly reopened water park after finding violations that included a pool without chlorine.

Here is the list of the city’s pools:

• Babcock Pool at 430 East Seventh St.
• Bright Pool, at 760 East 35 St., has been closed and inoperable for the last 7 years, according to Julio Ligorria, a city official.
• Bucky Dent Water Park, at 2240 West 60 St., recently closed over permit issues after renovations.
• McDonald Water Park at 7505 West 12 Ave.
• Milander Aquatic Center at 4820 Palm Ave.
• Reid Pool, at 2245 West Seventh Court, has been closed and inoperable for the last 7 years, according to Ligorria.
• Walker Pool, at 880 West 29 St., has been closed and inoperable for the last 7 years, according to Ligorria.

Esta iniciativa fue solicitada por varios sectores productivos como una medida estructural para cambiar la imagen del país tras casi 20 años de gobiernos de izquierda.

El ministro de Economía y Finanzas Públicas, José Gabriel Espinoza, señaló que la propuesta busca generar seguridad y previsibilidad para los inversionistas, así como ordenar los incentivos y normas jurídicas dispersas.

La propuesta tiene tres pilares con los que se busca trazar el camino para los próximos 20 años, en los que se priorizarán “sectores como la logística, la inteligencia artificial, la economía digital, la innovación y energías alternativas, como es el caso del hidrógeno y la energía solar, además de los sectores donde nosotros ya tenemos desarrolladas nuestras capacidades productivas”, dijo el ministro.

De esta forma se busca dejar atrás el modelo económico de los gobiernos de izquierda anteriores que priorizaban la inversión estatal y que nacionalizaron el sector de hidrocarburos, la empresa de telecomunicaciones y empresas de electricidad, según los expertos.

Espinoza aseguró que desde hace casi 20 años se han venido “violentando los derechos de propiedad y los derechos que están preservados en la Constitución, sin asumir prácticamente ningún costo”.

Además, mencionó que se creará un “sistema de incentivos y de regulación que permita dar previsibilidad, seguridad, estabilidad y confianza al inversionista, sea nacional o extranjero” y que respete la Constitución Política del Estado.

Asimismo, anunció la creación de la Agencia Nacional de Inversiones, la cual coordinará con las instituciones y con los diferentes alcaldes y gobernadores para que “la regulación, la promoción y la estrategia de atracción de inversiones tengan un orden institucional lógico”, explicó el ministro.

El presidente de la Cámara Nacional de Industrias, Gonzalo Morales, dijo a la televisora Red Uno que para que Bolivia pueda “recuperar la confianza de los inversionistas, es fundamental garantizar seguridad jurídica y previsibilidad normativa”.

Según la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), la nación andina recibió 620 millones de dólares en inversión extranjera directa en 2025, un 0,3% del total regional.

Paz tiene el desafío de negociar con la Asamblea Legislativa, la cual está fragmentada. El mandatario recientemente se alejó de su principal aliado, el empresario Samuel Doria Medina, quien lidera la Alianza Unidad, pero varios parlamentarios no lo siguieron, aunque sí adelantaron que fiscalizarán las medidas.

Medina criticó el retraso para atender la crisis económica que golpea al país, que se profundizó con los bloqueos y protestas antigubernamentales de más de 50 días entre mayo y junio. La crisis se refleja en el persistente problema de abastecimiento de combustible, principalmente de diésel.

Paz ha logrado apoyo internacional y créditos de organismos internacionales por más de 5.000 millones de dólares.

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Also on Tuesday, the country’s medical examiner’s office reported receiving 160 bodies of earthquake victims from the areas of Chocó, Caldas, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca.

Shortly after 10:40 a.m. on Tuesday, there was a 3.8-magnitude earthquake. The epicenter was at San José del Palmar, a municipality in Chocó, according to the Colombian Geological Service.

Officials placed the cities of Pereira, Cali, Quibdó, Manizales, and Armenia, where most of the damage happened, on a red alert.

De La Espriella, who took office on Friday after a ceremony in Cali, was visiting Pereira on Tuesday after visiting Quibdó on Monday.

De La Espriella reported 66 buildings had collapsed. There was also damage at 807 educational centers, 377 community centers, 85 health centers, 74 roads, 16 aqueducts, and 14 bridges.

Officials released the names of 22 out of the 160 victims’ bodies identified: González Fernando Alonso, Arango Sandoval Catalina, Henao Marín Oscar De Jesús, Rodas Cuadros Lina María, Mejía Moreno Julián Andrés, Chica Montoya Sandra Patricia, Giraldo López Gilberto De Jesús, Cni-Jiménez Toquica Pilar, Moncada Aguirre Sergiña, González Gutiérrez María Araenzola, Franco Paola Andrea, González Guerrero Dargui, Acosta González Angela María, Toro Sánchez Juan Manuel, Largo Trejos Wilson, Ossa Hernández Luis Fernando, Díaz Díaz Pedro Nel, Daza Valencia Aracely, Ramirez Quiroz Roger David, Carvajal Posada Mabel Cristina, Correa Grueso Martha Patricia, and Rosero Pretel Carlos Alberto.

Related stories

• Global Empowerment Mission asks for new camping gear donations for quake victims in Colombia
• Colombia searches for over 3,000 missing after a powerful earthquake kills more than 100
• Colombia’s new first lady includes Miami-Dade’s GEM in campaign to help earthquake’s victims

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Michael Capponi, GEM’s founder and president, said cash donations were more cost-efficient and allowed his team to buy food in Colombia.

GEM volunteers welcomed new camping gear, non-expired hygiene supplies, and first-aid kits from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1850 NW 84 Ave., in Doral.

For more information about how to donate to GEM’s efforts in Colombia, visit this page. For more information about volunteering for GEM, visit this page.

Related stories

• Colombia searches for over 3,000 missing after a powerful earthquake kills more than 100
• Colombia’s new first lady includes Miami-Dade’s GEM in campaign to help earthquake’s victims

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The next name on the list is Cristobal.

The system, which we first discussed in this newsletter almost 2 weeks ago, now has a high chance of development, most likely from Thursday into the weekend as it tracks west-northwestward in the general direction of the easternmost Caribbean islands.

Models are split on whether the system stays weak and tracks into the Caribbean or over parts of the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands by Sunday into Monday, or manages to thread a needle, curving north of the islands into the open central Atlantic while strengthening into early next week.

The majority of model solutions favor the weaker and southern track for now (near or through the easternmost Caribbean islands late this weekend into early next week), and given the blistering firehose of wind shear over the Caribbean, it’s unlikely the system would survive much into next week if it did develop.

Still, interests in the easternmost Caribbean – mainly from Martinique and Dominica northward to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico – should keep tabs on the forecast this week, primarily for locally heavy rains the system could bring.

While we don’t have intensity-specific guidance just yet on the system, none of our global models suggests a risk of significant strengthening this week and, if anything, this one has an uphill climb to becoming and staying a tropical system.

Interestingly, Google DeepMind – the best-in-class, AI-based modeling system that first sniffed this one out a few weeks ago – has backed off noticeably on development odds, with the latest run suggesting only 20% to 30% odds of the system clearing the formation hurdle east of the islands this week.

Needless to say, this isn’t a mainland U.S. concern, and there are plenty impediments that should knock it down if it even makes it past the islands in one piece.

Keeping an eye on the Hawaiian Islands for the weekend

A disturbance about 1,000 miles southeast of the Hawaiian Islands over the central Pacific – designated Invest 93C by the National Hurricane Center – is expected to develop into a named storm in the coming days and head toward the island chain for the weekend.

The first name of the Central Pacific hurricane season is Lala.

Models suggest Lala could be a strong tropical storm or even borderline hurricane as it approaches Hawai’i late Saturday into Sunday local time, with the possibility of it affecting multiple islands.

It doesn’t take as strong of a windstorm to cause problems across the state as it does back here on the mainland, so residents and visitors will want to closely monitor the forecasts in the days ahead.

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit western Colombia on Monday wreaked havoc, collapsing buildings, buckling roads, crushing cars and leaving devastated residents to console each other among the wreckage of their homes. Excavators and heavy machinery cleared heavy chunks of concrete, while buckets of rubble were passed hand-to-hand along a line of volunteers.

Rescue crews and volunteers picked through flattened concrete buildings in affected cities, searching for signs of life. They raised their hands to call for silence when they thought they heard someone beneath the piles of debris. At least one woman was retrieved — alive — from the rubble.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said the earthquake killed at least 181 people and left 2,595 more injured. He said at least 195 remained missing, but civilian-run databases suggest that number could be closer to 4,000.

Crews race to find survivors

Authorities said the deaths were concentrated in the cities of Cali, Pereira, Manizales and Quibdo, but local leaders and families worried about casualties and damage in rural areas, from where very little information has emerged. Aid agencies consider the first 48 to 72 hours crucial for retrieving people alive, though that threshold can be extended if they have access to food and water.

De la Espriella said more than 1,000 homes were destroyed and yet more damaged.

Standing near the remains of his brother’s collapsed apartment building in Pereira, Jairo Vargas said he made the 220-kilometer (135-mile) drive from Medellin, hoping to find him alive.

“I’m absolutely certain he’s here. Absolutely certain,” Vargas said, adding that his brother’s car was still parked outside. But he fears his sibling did not survive.

“The debris surrounding my brother is soft,” he said, as heavy machinery rumbled nearby. “It’s possible that it’s protecting him, but we can’t hear any noises anymore. I don’t know. I have little hope.”

Colombia’s new president faces his first serious challenge

The earthquake presents the first major test for first-time officeholder de la Espriella, who entered office just days before the natural disaster. The leader, who split the country in recent elections, now seeks to unite Colombia in its disaster response.

That challenge was particularly notable in Choco, the region at the quake’s epicenter. It is one of Colombia’s poorest and most neglected regions, often beset by warring armed groups. Much of Choco is accessible only by boat, through the jungle or by airplane.

Sterling Palacios, a religious and environmental leader in the region, said Choco’s capital and smaller communities along the Atrato River were devastated. Homes were reduced to rubble and aftershocks continued to rumble, terrifying residents who slept in the streets overnight.

The Colombian Geological Service said it has documented more than 100 less powerful aftershocks since the initial quake.

“There are towns where people have lost everything, where people have died, where homes have been destroyed,” he said. “We don’t have a full panorama of the damage, but we know it’s been massive.”

De la Espriella traveled to Quibdo in Choco on Monday night where he announced he was mobilizing “the entire military and police apparatus,” as well as deploying engineers, rescue workers and search dogs.

“Choco will never again be the ‘land of the forgotten,’” he said.

Palacios said the government’s response has so far been “concentrated in the capital,” and that authorities were flying the wounded from Quibdo to hospitals in the city of Medellín.

The biggest challenge, he said, remains towns in rural areas only reachable by boat — journeys that can take hours or days. That response is also complicated by a toxic slate of armed groups warring for control who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, blocked healthcare workers from traveling to remote areas.

“It’s a risk and it’s very difficult to predict” what could happen, he said, adding it could take weeks to fully assess the devastation.

Desperate residents seek news of their loved ones

Families posted information about missing loved ones on citizen-run websites.

Dana Carolina Zamora posted an image of her missing 60-year-old uncle, Miguel Ángel Zamora, cradling his dog. The farmer was living in a rural area of El Cairo, not far from the quake’s epicenter in San Jose Del Palmar.

Local authorities said 80% of El Cairo, a town of about 7,000 people, was damaged. Zamora said her uncle lived in a traditional house of sticks and mud.

“We are afraid. We hope that is not the case, that he is all right and that it is only a communication failure. But we haven’t heard anything from him,” Zamora said.

The earthquake left many people unnerved after back-to-back quakes devastated neighboring Venezuela in late June, destroying hundreds of buildings and killing more than 6,300 people.

Mónica Sánchez, who lives in Pereira, one of the worst-hit cities, said when the quake happened a wall collapsed inside her clothing factory. Sánchez and her 12 employees escaped just in time.

“It was shocking — the city fell down around us,” she said.

On Tuesday, rescue workers pulled a woman alive from the rubble. Diana Troncoso lay on a stretcher, dusty and scraped up, with her eyes closed. Observers burst into applause as she emerged, but search teams raised their hand to call for quiet so they could continue their search for survivors.

Pereira and Cali enforced curfews Monday night to prevent looting, and private vehicles were banned from the roads of Pereira so ambulances, police and rescue workers were able to navigate what’s left of the roads.

The U.S. State Department has announced it would provide $15.5 million for emergency shelter, food and other aid. Governments across Latin America have also lined up to help.

“This has been a tragedy for the whole city, for thousands of families,” Pereira Mayor Mauricio Salazar told local media, his voice quavering. “But here we are, and we will continue forward with the hand of God.”

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Suarez reported from Bogota, Colombia, and Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press reporter Manuel Rueda in Bogota contributed.

The vote took place during a hastily convened meeting of Luxon’s center-right National Party lawmakers at Parliament in Wellington, which was held behind closed doors and ran for more than three hours. Luxon then emerged flanked by his lawmakers to give a brief statement and departed without taking any questions from reporters.

“There was a confidence vote in my leadership this morning at our caucus meeting,” he said. “I had the full support of our caucus and our caucus is united and it is determined to win this election.”

Luxon didn’t say how many lawmakers had voted for him to continue in the job, although such ballots are usually a secret.

Hours later, he said in a statement that the vote was prompted by a leadership challenge from his defense minister, Chris Penk, adding that he had removed Penk from his ministerial portfolios. On Wednesday night, Luxon's office distributed a statement from Penk, in which the challenger said he would quit Parliament altogether.

It was Luxon's second confidence vote since April

The vote was the second Luxon had called about his own leadership since April and leaves lingering questions coming so close to the election scheduled for Nov. 7.

The April vote followed drops in polling for National, while this week’s followed recent public remarks Luxon had made on various issues that some in his party saw as gaffes.

On Tuesday, the leader took the rare step of disclosing on social media that he faced renewed rumblings about his leadership, and announcing he would call a meeting of his lawmakers Wednesday to resolve it.

“It is my firm belief that division and disunity are a major distraction only 90 days out from the election,” he wrote on X. “I also believe this distraction is unfair to the New Zealand people, and dedicated National Party candidates, supporters and volunteers, when there is so much at stake.”

National has led a right-wing coalition government since New Zealand’s 2023 election. Luxon, a former airline executive who entered Parliament in 2020, had led the party since 2021.

Defense minister launched showdown

Details of who had prompted the leadership rumblings at first remained a mystery.

Nobody publicly confirmed plans for a leadership bid or expressed intentions to oust their leader, and those whose names were reported speculatively by news outlets denied it.

Several hours after the vote, Luxon named Penk as his challenger and said his now former minister’s position was “untenable.”

Penk, 47, was also the minister for building and construction, and responsible for the security services and space portfolios. A former lawyer who served in Australia’s navy, Penk entered Parliament in 2017.

He didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday, but in the statement Luxon's office attributed to him, Penk said he had “reflected on my political future with my family tonight” and would not seek reelection in November, effectively ending his political career.

“I am proud of the progress I have contributed to as a Minister this term,” Penk's statement said. “However, I have decided it is the time for me to seek other opportunities to serve New Zealand.”

The statement did not criticize Luxon or reference his leadership bid.

Meanwhile, Luxon’s political opponents lambasted him and his party.

“Backstabbing and infighting just means more delay and more distraction for New Zealand,” said Chris Hipkins, the opposition leader and leader of the center-left Labour party. “If National can’t govern itself, how can New Zealanders trust it to govern the country?”

Luxon’s remarks in recent weeks prompted fresh speculation

Among the recent remarks that appeared to prompt renewed leadership murmurings were comments Luxon made to a business audience earlier this month, when he said some business leaders in the country had a “parent-child mentality” and too often looked to the government for direction. Luxon, who was once an executive at Unilever when he lived in the United States, has always sold himself as a business expert and has sometimes pointed out where he sees New Zealand as falling short of global trends.

When elected, he pledged to use his experience to reverse New Zealand’s economic woes of recent years. This month’s remarks were lambasted, including by some in his own party, as being out of touch while the economy remained sluggish.

He later apologized for the comments. In another episode, he was forced to divulge that he had used a military aircraft to return to Wellington after a political party fundraiser.

Luxon also surprised his lawmakers this month when he promised a referendum on New Zealand’s electoral system if reelected – apparently without first telling his caucus. The episodes were seen among some in his party as an unwelcome distraction ahead of the election and revealing of Luxon’s relative political inexperience.

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This version has corrected that Luxon entered Parliament in 2020, not 2000.

Antes de convertirse en una depresión, la tormenta tropical Chan-hom tocó tierra en el sur de la prefectura de Ibaraki a última hora del martes. Se encontraba frente a la costa norte de Kioto a última hora de la mañana del miércoles mientras se alejaba del país, informó la Agencia Meteorológica de Japón.

La tormenta tropical azotó Japón días después de que el tifón Dolphin causara estragos en partes del sur del país, paralizando el tráfico y obligando a cientos de personas a refugiarse.

Después de degradarse a tormenta, Dolphin se cobró la vida de 10 personas en Filipinas y provocó inundaciones en China que desplazaron a cientos de miles de habitantes.

La tormenta tropical Chan-hom dejó siete personas con heridas leves, incluidos dos hombres en la prefectura de Iwate, en el norte del país, cuatro mujeres en la prefectura de Ibaraki y un hombre en la vecina prefectura de Tochigi, según funcionarios.

En Tokio, los comercios, trenes de cercanías y vuelos operaban con normalidad el miércoles, pero la agencia meteorológica advirtió a los residentes del norte y el oeste del país sobre las altas probabilidades de fuertes lluvias y tormentas eléctricas a lo largo del día.

Para la tarde del miércoles, poco más de 1.000 hogares estaban sin electricidad en Ibaraki, Tochigi y la prefectura de Saitama, de acuerdo con TEPCO Power Grid, una disminución desde más de 22.000 a última hora del martes.

La tormenta derribó árboles en varios puntos de Tokio, incluido uno en la exclusiva zona comercial de Omotesando, aunque ninguna persona resultó herida, según la televisora pública NHK.

El meteoro afectó a muchos veraneantes durante la semana del feriado budista de “bon”, en el que se honra a los espíritus ancestrales.

Unos 60 vuelos con salida y llegada al Aeropuerto de Haneda, en Tokio, fueron cancelados el martes. En la prefectura de Ibaraki se cerró la popular playa de Oarai.

Hasta el martes, ninguna tormenta tropical o tifón había tocado tierra en Ibaraki desde que la agencia comenzó a llevar registros en 1951.

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

He struck out the side on 13 pitches in the first inning for the first time as a Dodger. The Dodgers rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 in 10 innings, although Snell didn't figure in the decision.

“He was fantastic,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I just liked the look in his eye and obviously talking about how good he feels physically. I give him a lot of credit for really attacking and not trying to be too fine.”

After striking out Nick Loftin to open the fourth, Snell gave up back-to-back singles to Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone. Witt scored on Salvador Perez's sacrifice fly, tying the game 1-1.

“Everything was free and easy,” Roberts said. “Really electric stuff.”

Snell allowed one more hit — a double to Tyler Tolbert in the fifth — before leaving the game in the sixth with the score still tied. He gave up one run and three hits and struck out 10 while walking one.

“I think the biggest thing was just being aggressive. Be in the zone, attack. I know how good my stuff is, so I didn’t want to just be nibbling and then complaining like, ‘Oh, that’s a strike,’” he said. “To strike out the side was good, but it’s just keeping the pace, keeping the velo where I need it to be, feeling strong, those things matter a lot to me. To be able to do that for six innings and feel like I had more left, I’m excited about that.”

The two-time Cy Young Award winner had made just one start this season, giving up four runs and six hits in three innings against Atlanta on May 9 before going on the injured list four days later.

“Pretty frustrating to have that as my only start and then have to rehab, go through all that, to come back,” Snell said. "Just had a lot of information from that game that helped me with this one on what I wanted to do differently and how I wanted to start. Definitely happy that I was more aggressive, more in the zone and more just in control of my emotions first one back.”

Snell is one of three Dodgers pitchers to have had surgery for loose bodies this season. Closer Edwin Díaz had right elbow surgery in April and fellow two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal had left elbow surgery in May while with the Detroit Tigers. Both are back pitching.

“That’s the Snell that we’re used to seeing and hopefully we have him for the next two, three months for the long run,” said teammate Max Muncy, who had the winning single in the 10th.

For the third consecutive season, Snell is returning from an injury in the second half. The NL West-leading Dodgers are looking for him to quickly get back on track, with the team losing eight of 10 before winning Tuesday.

“When he's going well, he's not really thinking about his mechanics and he's got a rhythm,” Roberts said before the game. “When he's not and he's searching, the game kind of comes to a standstill.”

Roberts can easily tell when Snell is in command on the mound.

“There’s a little swagger," the manager said. "There’s a little kind of standing a little taller.”

Snell made three rehab starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City and another for Single-A Ontario, going 0-0 with a 3.09 ERA. He struck out 19 batters for a 14.7 strikeout-per-inning rate.

“Coming back from rehab and to kind of feel your way into the middle of a season is really difficult,” Roberts said.

The 33-year-old left-hander had a 2.35 ERA last season, his first with Los Angeles after signing a $182 million, five-year deal. He helped the Dodgers win a second straight World Series championship, with three wins and a 3.18 ERA in six postseason games, including eight scoreless innings in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.

In other moves Tuesday, the team transferred reliever Blake Treinen to the 60-day IL. The 38-year-old right-hander has been out since June 20 while recovering from elbow inflammation. Roberts said he has not experienced a setback.

Left-hander Charlie Barnes was sent down a day after he was added, but didn't appear in the series opener against the Royals. Barnes went 0-1 with a 6.30 ERA in four appearances for the Dodgers.

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

On Tuesday, she finally lashed out.

The 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year and one of the original Fever players angrily defended herself after she was criticized for her response to DiJonai Carrington's flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham, and pleaded with people to focus on the sport and not the continual sideshows.

“The hate, the fearmongering, the divisiveness that’s trying to hijack our league will not win. It won’t win,” White said, her voice rising as she pounded the table in front of her. “We are united. We are connected. We will not be divided. Every day these women put their ass on the line. Every day when they go low, we go high. Love will win. Grace will win. Humility will win and kindness will win. I stand by them, I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell.”

White left immediately after her 2 1/2-minute outburst ended without taking questions.

Indiana responded with one of its best halves of the season, shooting 59% from the field and 79% on 3-pointers on its way to a 106-92 victory over the New York Liberty. The Fever have won seven of their last nine despite being the focal point of so many controversies.

Fever All-Star Caitlin Clark wasn't surprised by how the Fever played or White's pregame reaction. She was more upset by the boos she heard during White's pregame introduction.

“I talked to Steph earlier in the day and you know I think we forget a lot of times, like, we're humans and she has feelings and there are moments that are really hard and sometimes that's the job we sign up for," Clark said. “At the same time, it's OK to feel those emotions and I told her I've been through the same thing.”

Clark added: "There was like no way we were losing this game. Like, that’s my head coach. Like, I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick to be honest.”

Carrington hit Cunningham in the head and neck area Saturday, knocking the Fever guard hard to the ground on a breakaway layup. Cunningham got up and charged toward Carrington but was restrained.

Carrington was assessed a Flagrant 2, an automatic ejection. The Chicago Sky player then wrote “WHITE PRIVILEGE” and tagged the Fever on a social media account. On Monday, Carrington said she never claimed the foul call was “white privilege.”

Cunningham has been outspoken about her desire to keep transgender women out of women's sports, a position that has spurred rallies in support of and opposed to her stance.

White initially said she thought the refs got the call right but that she didn't think that action near the head and neck area was intentional. Critics claimed she was defending Carrington.

"OK... The Indiana Fever need to let Stephanie White go,” Indiana Lieutenant Gov. Micah Beckwith wrote Sunday on X. “No solid coach would ever take the side of the opposing team’s player who committed a flagrant foul on one of your own players. Terrible coaching! The Fever need to defend their players.”

White explained Tuesday that she had not seen the replay when she first spoke with reporters Saturday and that she changed her opinion after watching it again. She called the foul “egregious.”

“Our players' success, our players' health and wellness, our players' safety is always a top priority,” she began, her voice rising. “One of the things I pride myself on is my relationships with my players. For those who have anything to say about the play in the last game, I didn’t see the replay. I went straight to a press conference, I thought the play got called right. Thankfully, Sophie is OK. Was it egregious? Absolutely.

"When you get a chance to see that on replay over and over, you see that. I didn’t see that in real time. I personally take any suggestions that I don’t 100% always have my players back. I ride with them 10 toes down all the time, all the time.”

Cunningham received a loud ovation when she entered Tuesday's game. She and White hugged after the game.

“I think there’s just been a lot of outside noise but our locker room is good,” Cunningham said. “We have each other’s backs. Coach loves us. So give her her flowers. She didn’t see the clip and that’s OK. Me and Steph are great, and Steph is great with all of us.”

White faced a similar controversy when Clark also was fouled hard earlier this season, prompting a letter from the U.S. House of Representatives to WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

White and Clark also were involved in a sideline spat in late and there was speculation about White's job status following the incident.

Now White just wants everyone to get back to basketball.

“It's a shame we can't have an opportunity to talk about what great basketball they are playing,” White said with emphasis. “The reality is, with me, I will always lead with love. I will always lead with grace, I will always lead with humility. and I will always lead with integrity. It doesn't mean I'll always get it right. I'm human.”

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

Company spokeswoman Shino Yamada confirmed Wednesday that Okuda had died but said the date and cause of his death were not immediately available. Major Japanese companies are on summer break this week.

Okuda served as president then chairman of Toyota Motor Corp. from 1995 through 2006. In his 45-year career at Toyota, Okuda is especially remembered for having led the development of the gas-electric hybrid Prius, introduced in 1997, a model with the fuel-efficient technology that was ground-breaking at that time.

The Prius became a symbol of the auto industry ’s push for green driving. Okuda was instrumental in helping drive Toyota’s reputation for fuel-efficiency at a time when gas prices were already surging, with models such as its bestseller Camry, as well as the hybrids.

Born in central Japan, the area where Toyota has its headquarters, Okuda graduated in 1955 from the prestigious Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, with a degree in business.

Reputedly outspoken and always ready with a quick laugh, Okuda was unusual in not being from Toyota’s founding Toyoda family, as the leadership at the world’s top automaker tended to be.

He was key in leading Toyota’s global expansion while at the helm, not only in sales, but also production, setting up manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Europe.

Okuda, a black belt in judo, was vocal about his concerns over the possible backlash that Toyota might face, as its growth meant the inevitable dethroning of the American so-called “Big Three,” General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, once synonymous for U.S. manufacturing grandeur.

He liked to emphasize how the auto industry was global and connected, using the term “harmony” to drive home that message.

Toyota and other Japanese automakers like Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. were raking in huge profits, while the Americans were sinking into losses. That helped ring in “Japan-bashing” sentiments starting in the 1980s.

As is still the case today, the cheap yen viewed as giving Toyota and the other Japanese manufacturers an unfair advantage. A cheap yen raises the value of overseas earnings when translated into yen.

Okuda was an adviser on Toyota’s board when Toyota added an American, Jim Press, to its board for the first time, in 2007.

He was also a proponent of promoting younger managers, when that was still relatively rare in Japanese corporate circles, although that usually meant empowering men in their 50s instead of their 60s.

“A company must change when things are going well. There’s no point in trying to change after things start going bad,” he told reporters in 2005.

That emphasis on staying nimble encapsulates Toyota’s basic principle of constantly improving, known as “kaizen,” which, along with just-in-time production, centering on the idea of avoiding huge inventory, is at the core of Toyota’s founding philosophies.

Okuda served as the head of major business lobbies such as the Japan Business Federation, known as Keidanren; the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association; the Prime Minister’s Economic Strategy Council of Japan and the Japan Federation of Employers’ Associations.

Toyota did not immediately have details on surviving family. Funeral arrangements were being made by the family, and plans may be coming later on a more public formal ceremony, according to the company.

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

The 38-year-old Curry is hoping to play at least a couple more years and has said he wants them to be with the Warriors. He is set to complete a $62.6 million extension he signed for the 2026-27 season in August 2024.

Whether a new contract will get done right away remains to be seen. Curry becomes eligible for a two-year extension Aug. 29, and general manager Mike Dunleavy said, “I'm pretty confident Steph will finish his career here.”

"Ultimately it’s his call, his decision, whether that’s allowing his contract to run out and move on,” Dunleavy said during a video call Tuesday. “Look, if he comes to me and wants to be moved, Joe (owner Joe Lacob) and I will talk it through. We wouldn’t love it. But he’s earned the right to do what he wants, do those things. But as far as the messaging or any idea that he would be anywhere else, that’s not a thing we’re looking at or he’s looking at.”

Curry averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds but was limited to 43 games last season for the Warriors, who will host Denver on Christmas night — playing on the holiday for the 14th straight year.

Closely monitoring his playing time will be a top priority as coach Steve Kerr returns for two more seasons after signing a new contract in May. Curry missed more than two months with a nagging right knee injury before he finally came back in early April.

He had initially hoped to return after the All-Star break.

“I think with the knee, other injuries and then his age, it's definitely something we have to manage,” Dunleavy said.

The Warriors (37-45) also dealt with season-ending knee injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody that required surgeries and finish 10th in the Western Conference. After beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the first play-in tournament game, Golden State lost 111-96 at Phoenix.

The Warriors missed out on signing LeBron James this offseason but brought back Draymond Green on a one-year contract for $27.7 million, and also Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Gary Payton II.

Dunleavy hasn't heard any change of thinking from Curry, who is headed into his 18th NBA season still determined to add to his four championships with Golden State. The Warriors last won in 2022.

“That’s always been what he’s discussed. I think that’s tracking quite well,” Dunleavy said of Curry staying put.

“There's two things I’m confident about with Steph. He really, really wants to win and he wants to finish his career as a Warrior. I don’t think that changes tomorrow, Aug. 29th, the start of the season, middle of the season, the end of next season. I think those things are going to be consistent.”

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

He would watch Philadelphia 76ers games in the 1960s, and probably unlike most kids growing up in that area around that time he had no aspirations of becoming the next Wilt Chamberlain or Billy Cunningham.

Crawford was the son of a baseball umpire — Shag Crawford worked in the National League for about 20 years. And that's why, when watching basketball, Joey Crawford was drawn to the referees. It was the family business.

“My father was a pro and he would be pointing out Mendy Rudolph, Richie Powers, Earl Strom," Crawford said, referring to some of the game's most prominent referees of that era. “I’d just be watching them. And my father, he's hitting me with the sledgehammer: ‘You’re not gonna play professional baseball, you're not gonna play professional baseball.' He wasn’t going to let me be that guy. So, I just earmarked refereeing.”

He was 13 years old. His mind was made up. Refereeing would be his path.

Little did he know it would take him to the Hall of Fame.

More than a decade after his final NBA game, Crawford is getting enshrined in this year's Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class. The Hall is reserved for the best of the best, the elite, and for referees the club is especially elite — with fewer than two dozen people getting enshrined because of their work with whistles.

“With Joey, especially if you were away from home, you had a chance to win,” said longtime NBA coach Mike D'Antoni, another member of the Hall's Class of 2026. “He was going to call the game the way it should be called, whether it’s home or away.”

Crawford's numbers are legendary: He officiated more than 2,500 regular-season games, nearly 400 more in the postseason and 50 of those were in the NBA Finals. He was a lightning rod for critics, doesn't deny that he had issues with his temper particularly in his earlier years, and wound up becoming one of the game's most beloved figures.

And he became a bit of a showman along the way, unafraid to put a funny personality on display. Doc Rivers, who is going into the Hall as part of this class as well, loves the story of how he was tasked with guarding a rookie named Michael Jordan in a game that Crawford was officiating.

Rivers argued that Jordan traveled.

“You didn’t give me that call when I was a rookie,” Rivers told him.

Crawford's response: “You were not that good.”

“It shut me up completely. I had nothing else to say," Rivers said. “I thought Joey was fantastic about understanding the room and the person he was dealing with and how to get out of a situation.”

Crawford remembers his final game — Nov. 8, 2015, Cleveland beating Indiana — not because of anything that happened on the court before he limped off in the third quarter, his long-problematic knees leaving him unable to finish, but rather for what happened in the referee locker room afterward.

“It was my last game. I knew it. Blew my leg out. And I knew I wasn’t going to ref again," Crawford said. “Richard Jefferson was on the Cavs. He knocked on the door and asked security if he could come in.

"He looked at me and said, ‘You’re done, aren't you?' I said I was and he says, 'You know, a lot of people hate you. But I tell a lot these players, everybody should have a Joe Crawford experience.' Every time I tell the story, I start to well up, because you come to the realization that everybody doesn’t hate you. And I’ve given people reasons to. I look back on them and I’m not fond of those times.”

Crawford was charged in a 1998 tax scandal involving airline tickets that he and other referees were accused of selling and not reporting the income. He wound up resigning, only to be reinstated by then-Commissioner David Stern. And in 2007, Crawford had a now-infamous incident with San Antonio star Tim Duncan — calling two technicals on the Spurs legend for laughing from the bench. That got him suspended.

Crawford always wondered if those things would keep him out of the hall. He now has his answer.

“The game is about the players," Crawford said. "I don’t care what anybody says, the players are the key to this. And I’m not taking the political line here. But if you’re a ref, which I am — I am a ref through and through — we know it's not about us. Our job is to get the play right. Technology has changed, the money has changed, but the job hasn't. But I hope, in my way, I helped make refereeing better.”

That's exactly what he did. Turns out, no backup plan was required.

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

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The depth chart is not set in stone. Teams are required by the NFL to release one, and the Dolphins have several position battles that will continue throughout the preseason.

Here are some of the biggest takeaways:

Caleb Douglas listed as starting wide receiver

Rookie Caleb Douglas is listed as a starting wide receiver after a strong training camp. Despite having a few drops throughout camp, the late third-round pick has shown explosiveness and toughness across the middle while emerging as a dependable target for quarterback Malik Willis.

Douglas has consistently made plays during camp and is currently listed ahead of veterans Tutu Atwell, Terrace Marshall Jr. and Theo Wease Jr.

Douglas joins Malik Washington as a starting receiver. Washington has also flashed big-play potential and has often been called “WR1″ throughout camp.

Trey Moore earns starting linebacker spot

Rookie Trey Moore, a fourth-round pick out of Texas, is listed as a first-team inside linebacker and the third linebacker in Miami’s base 4-3 defense.

Moore was selected 130th overall and brings versatility after playing as an edge rusher in college. He ran a 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine and has been praised for his explosiveness, leverage and pass-rushing ability.

While Moore is listed as a starter, the depth chart also lists Tyrel Dodson or Jacob Rodriguez at inside linebacker.

Rodriguez, Miami’s second-round pick out of Texas Tech, is competing with Dodson for the starting Mike linebacker role. Rodriguez’s position is different from Moore’s, making this another position battle to monitor during the preseason.

Chris Johnson listed as starting nickel corner

First-round cornerback Chris Johnson is listed as the starting nickel corner, with Jason Marshall Jr. and JuJu Brents listed on the outside.

Johnson’s placement inside is notable as Miami continues to determine how its young secondary will take shape.

Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips battling it out at second defensive tackle spot

The Dolphins also have a notable competition at defensive tackle, with Kenneth Grant listed as the starter alongside Jordan Phillips.

Grant, a first-round pick in 2025, is looking to prove he can live up to his draft status and play next to Zach Sieler.

RB2 battle: Jaylen Wright ahead of Ollie Gordon II

As of Tuesday, Jaylen Wright is listed as the Dolphins’ No. 2 running back ahead of Ollie Gordon II. De’Von Achane is the clear-cut No. 1 running back.

Gordon has shown good power and burst throughout camp but has a tendency to run a little high, opening himself up to fumbling, while Wright has displayed solid pass-catching ability and good vision in-between the tackles.

Wright received praise from center Aaron Brewer during training camp.

“You can see he’s matured much more,” said Brewer of Wright. “He’s trying to grind. He’s trying to make a name for himself.”

Malik Washington handling return duties

Washington is listed as Miami’s starting kick and punt returner.

That comes after special teams coordinator Chris Tabor indicated he plans to use Washington whenever possible. Washington has already shown his big-play ability as a receiver and now could have an expanded role on special teams.

Again, the depth chart is only a snapshot of where things stand entering the preseason. Miami’s first preseason game Friday against Washington will provide another opportunity for players competing for starting jobs and roster spots to make their case.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Dolphins first (unofficial) depth chart is out:

- Caleb Douglas listed as a starting WR

- Tyrel Dodson OR Jacob Rodriguez listed as starting ILB

- Trey Moore starting at ILB

- Chris Johnson listed as starting NB pic.twitter.com/VtB7WWI5Et

— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) August 11, 2026

Stewart canceled his Tuesday night performance at Rocket Arena in Cleveland shortly after postponing his Sunday concert in Cincinnati at Riverbend Music Center. The latter venue said at the time that it was due “to an unforeseen but minor medical procedure that required prompt attention.”

Stewart also canceled a few dates earlier this year, including two in Las Vegas and one in San Diego.

“Following further medical evaluation, Sir Rod Stewart has successfully undergone a routine coronary stent procedure. Doctors are pleased with his recovery, and Rod is doing very well and has returned to his normal daily activities,” a statement from his publicist read. “On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage. Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates.”

It added that “information regarding affected performances will be communicated by the respective promoters and venues.”

Stewart, 81, was scheduled to appear through Sept. 3 in North America, including his six-night residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and a few dates in Mexico.

“I’m already feeling better and very much on the mend. I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone who has taken such wonderful care of me,” Stewart said in the statement. “I’m deeply disappointed to miss these shows and sorry to let my fans down, but I look forward to getting back on stage and having a good time with you all again soon.”

The Grammy Award-winning Stewart, whose signature rasp made him a rock ‘n’ roll legend, has sold millions of records across his career's many decades. Perhaps best known for hits like “Maggie May” and “Tonight’s the Night,” he has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice.

Tomorrow our rain chances will increase to 30%, especially in the afternoon as inland showers and thunderstorms develop. Temperatures will still reach the low 90s with a heat index of 105°-110°, which will likely spark another round of heat advisories. This pattern is expected to last through the end of the work week.

Romo, the network's lead NFL analyst, is on leave following his arrest last month in Wisconsin on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence.

“It’s an evolving situation, and therefore we’re still assessing,” Berson said during a network event.

Berson also told reporters the decision to place Romo on indefinite leave was intended to shift attention toward the games and away from his legal situation.

“We we had to consider the impact on our image and on our brand. That’s very important to us. Whether the games, marketing, PR, social, the focus should and needs to be on our presentation and not on any other factors,” he said.

Analyst JJ Watt will join play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on CBS Sports’ lead NFL team during Romo’s absence. Their first game will be on Sept. 13, when the Minnesota Vikings host the Green Bay Packers.

Watt joined CBS in 2023. He was an analyst on “The NFL Today” for two seasons before teaming with Ian Eagle on the network’s No. 2 crew beginning last season. Ross Tucker has been moved up to the No. 2 team. He has previously teamed with Eagle on radio broadcasts for Westwood One.

Romo, 46, has been the lead game analyst for CBS’ NFL coverage since 2017 after making four Pro Bowl appearances during a playing career that ran from 2004-16 and was spent entirely with Dallas.

He was arrested July 23 after he was stopped while driving south on Interstate 43 in Wisconsin. According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office, Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests before getting arrested, booked and released.

He has a court date set for Sept. 21.

Romo went to high school about 35 miles southwest of Milwaukee in Burlington, Wisconsin.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The order advocates separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three different single-disease shots and administering all childhood immunizations at separate appointments whenever possible. It also directs the nation’s health department to improve research on vaccines, which are already extensively studied, and present a plan to offer separate measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines for children, since that is not currently an option in the United States.

The renewed focus on vaccines marks a departure from the Trump administration’s recent efforts to emphasize less controversial health policies related to healthy eating, drug price negotiations and medical fraud crackdowns ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Public health experts have raised concerns that spacing out shots as Trump suggests can lead to an increased risk that children become infected with a vaccine-preventable disease before returning for another visit. Childhood vaccines — and how and when to give them in combination — go through rigorous studies, and safety tracking continues for years as the shots are used.

Trump called the announcement a “major victory for parents rights, religious and constitutional rights, and for the gold standard science.”

Speaking about the order at the Oval Office on Monday, Trump repeatedly suggested the number or timing of vaccines could play a role in rising rates of autism spectrum disorder, even as scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link. The order also includes several changes to the childhood vaccine schedule that his health department has already attempted, but that have been blocked by a federal judge. A White House official who insisted on anonymity to brief reporters said Trump was within his right to provide his own recommendation through the executive order and said the lawsuit blocking the health department’s schedule was a separate issue.

Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the announcement spreads uncertainty, fear and confusion where “there doesn’t need to be any of that.” He disputed Trump’s recommendations and said previous ones should stand.

“Science about vaccines and their efficacy has not changed,” he said. “The distribution of viruses and other pathogens in our environment has not changed. Children in this country have not changed in the last 48 hours.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chair of the Senate health committee, slammed the executive order in a social media post, saying vaccines are safe and do not cause autism.

“I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong,” the Louisiana senator wrote. “The President does not have the expertise to make these changes.”

Who is in charge of vaccine policy?

Even as the order calls for revised vaccine recommendations, states, not the federal government, have the authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. The order advises states with school vaccine mandates to consider updating their laws to reflect the administration’s preferred schedule, according to a White House fact sheet.

Last December, Trump ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising U.S. guidance accordingly. The department responded by cutting the number of vaccines it recommends for every child, a move that has since been blocked in court.

Changes to federal childhood vaccine recommendations customarily require approval from the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The newly Senate-confirmed CDC director, Dr. Erica Schwartz, oversaw policies promoting vaccination of service members while in a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard.

However, public health law expert Lawrence Gostin at Georgetown University said the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Trump’s power may allow him to supersede Schwartz if she does not agree to new recommendations.

“This is clearly the first test for Dr. Erica Schwartz,” Gostin said in an email. “The President is placing her in an untenable position.”

Asked on a call with reporters why the president was advocating splitting MMR into three single-disease vaccines, the White House official did not provide any studies supporting the decision. They said that was Trump’s long-held view and that some countries provide individual measles vaccines in certain circumstances.

Kush Desai, a Trump spokesperson, told The Associated Press that the president is “one of countless parents who have voiced questions and concerns about the combined MMR vaccine” and said the plan to develop single-disease vaccines would “give parents more options on timing and frequency for their children,” ultimately increasing vaccine uptake.

Studies of babies and toddlers in the U.S. have shown that the use of combination shots for childhood vaccines, rather than single ones, increased the likelihood of completing all recommended vaccinations by the age of 2.

Announcement follows other Trump administration vaccine actions

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist before he entered politics, set out to overhaul immunization guidance at HHS in the first year of Trump’s term. He fired an entire 17-member vaccine advisory committee, installing replacements who made far more restrictive recommendations that have since been halted by a federal judge. He also personally directed the CDC to abandon its position that vaccines do not cause autism, without supplying any new evidence to support the change.

Throughout his second term, Trump has been fixated on connecting autism to vaccines. He has recently ramped up pressure on Kennedy to identify the cause of autism, something Kennedy had pledged to do with new research unveiled last year. Trump publicly prodded the health secretary for an update on autism research in a Cabinet meeting last month.

“How are you doing on the autism research?” Trump asked.

“We will have an answer for you,” Kennedy said.

Scientific consensus and decades of studies have firmly concluded there is no link between childhood vaccines and autism. Racine reiterated that point on Monday, noting that the potential link had been studied in “over 40 methodologically well-designed studies in over seven countries involving over 5 million children.”

“I’m not sure that there is anything that has been as thoroughly looked at as this question,” he said. “And the answer is unequivocally no.”

In the Oval Office, Kennedy repeated his assertion that he believes an unknown environmental factor is to blame for rising autism diagnoses and said that his department will deliver research findings “as soon as they are ready.”

Monday’s order comes as students are returning to classrooms around the country and the nation contends with a measles outbreak that experts say could result in the U.S. losing its measles elimination status.

Doctors have raised concerns that Trump’s falsehoods on vaccines could stoke vaccine hesitancy. Federal data shows U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates have been dropping, with the share of children with exemptions rising to an all-time high in the 2024-25 school year.

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This story was first published on Aug. 10, 2026. It was published again on Aug. 11, 2026, to correct the name of the agency where Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. set out to overhaul immunization guidance. The agency was HHS, not DHS.

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Associated Press writers Laura Ungar and Mike Stobbe contributed to this report. Swenson reported from New York.

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“When I cook, when I go to bed at night, Geraldine took care of all of it — all of the cooking, paying the bills,” Francis said.

On Aug. 11, 2024, his wife, Geraldine, and his daughter, Lisa Jackson, were in South Florida from Bermuda to drop off his granddaughter, Kumani Jackson, at college when tragedy struck.

They were at the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue and Sixth Street in unincorporated Broward when investigators said a speeding 19-year-old Gavin Dorvil slammed into them, killing Geraldine and Lisa.

Kumani suffered a brain injury and was in a coma for two months. She is still recovering to this day.

“Right now, you talk to her and she can’t remember what she did the prior day,” Francis said. “She’s progressed a lot since the hospital days. She could walk, and she could talk. She goes to therapy every day.”

The family hired Josiah Graham, of Graham Injury Firm in Fort Lauderdale, and filed a lawsuit against Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony.

“We allege that the Broward Sheriff’s Office was negligent in initiating and continuing this pursuit and that its actions contributed to the deaths of Geraldine Francis, Lisa Jackson, and the catastrophic injuries suffered by Kumani,” Graham said.

Graham shared surveillance video from a gas station showing the Tesla speeding and the BSO SUV and cruiser following behind seconds before the crash.

Deputies said Dorvil, of Lauderdale Lakes, was going more than 90 mph and ran a red light before crashing into the victims’ SUV.

Following the deadly crash, the Broward Sheriff’s Office initiated an internal affairs investigation. According to the report, deputies Mark Sugg and Nicholas Marciante saw Dorvil driving a white Tesla recklessly. They tried to get close enough to conduct a traffic stop. Video from the Tesla shows the patrol cruiser behind it.

Following the conclusion of the investigation, both deputies acknowledged they should have stopped after the driver failed to yield to a traffic stop, violating discretion policy.

While the discretion policy was violated, the pursuit policy was not. Both deputies were given disciplinary suspensions without pay.

Dorvil is still facing a slew of charges, including vehicular homicide.

“Cuando cocino, cuando me acuesto por la noche, Geraldine se encargaba de todo: de cocinar, de pagar las facturas”, dijo Francis.

El 11 de agosto de 2024, su esposa, Geraldine, y su hija, Lisa Jackson, se encontraban en el sur de Florida, procedentes de las Bermudas, para dejar a su nieta, Kumani Jackson, en la universidad cuando se produjo la tragedia.

Se encontraban en el cruce de la 27.ª Avenida Noroeste con la 6.ª Calle, en la zona no incorporada de Broward, cuando, según los investigadores, Gavin Dorvil, de 19 años, que circulaba a gran velocidad, se estrelló contra ellas, causando la muerte de Geraldine y Lisa.

Kumani sufrió una lesión cerebral y estuvo en coma durante dos meses. A día de hoy, sigue recuperándose.

“Ahora mismo, si hablas con ella, no recuerda lo que hizo el día anterior”, explicó Francis. “Ha progresado mucho desde que estuvo en el hospital. Ya puede caminar y hablar. Acude a terapia todos los días”.

La familia contrató a Josiah Graham, del bufete Graham Injury Firm de Fort Lauderdale, y presentó una demanda contra el sheriff de Broward, Gregory Tony.

“Alegamos que la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward fue negligente al iniciar y continuar esta persecución y que sus acciones contribuyeron a las muertes de Geraldine Francis y Lisa Jackson, así como a las lesiones catastróficas sufridas por Kumani”, afirmó Graham.

Graham mostró un vídeo de vigilancia de una gasolinera en el que se ve al Tesla circulando a gran velocidad y al todoterreno y al coche patrulla de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward siguiéndole de cerca segundos antes del accidente.

Los agentes afirmaron que Dorvil, de Lauderdale Lakes, circulaba a más de 90 mph y se saltó un semáforo en rojo antes de chocar contra el todoterreno de las víctimas.

Después del accidente mortal, la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward inició una investigación de asuntos internos. Según el informe, los agentes Mark Sugg y Nicholas Marciante vieron a Dorvil conduciendo un Tesla blanco de forma imprudente. Intentaron acercarse lo suficiente para realizar una parada de tráfico. Las imágenes del Tesla muestran el coche patrulla detrás de él.

Tras la conclusión de la investigación, ambos agentes reconocieron que deberían haberse detenido después de que el conductor no se detuviera ante la señal de alto, infringiendo así la política de discrecionalidad.

Aunque se infringió la política de discrecionalidad, no se infringió la política de persecución. Ambos agentes recibieron sanciones disciplinarias de suspensión sin sueldo.

Dorvil sigue enfrentándose a una serie de cargos, entre ellos el de homicidio imprudente con vehículo.

In the largest tent camp in the Venezuelan coastal state of La Guaira, hundreds live day to day, trying to meet their basic needs and sometimes unable to meet them.

Gabriel Colmenares, while holding his 3-month-old son, said the baby needs a cream for a rash on his back which he hasn’t been able to find.

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez announced Monday afternoon that Venezuela would send humanitarian aid to Colombia, but at the sites of collapsed buildings, Venezuelans say they still need help.

Dr. Livys Quintero works at an emergency clinic set up by a collapse site.

She says it’s thanks to international aid that they have medical supplies, but is worried that the aid may slow down.

On the other side of the building, Valeria Alcala showed reporter Cody Weddle the hole where she thinks the bodies of her mother and stepfather are located.

New crews from Mexico were scheduled to arrive there on Wednesday, but they may now be diverted to Colombia.

Alcala said please don’t forget about us, but also please help Colombia.

It was a message repeated by many: please send aid quickly to Colombia, but please remember that Venezuelans continue to struggle as well.

State Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville, is a progressive lawmaker.

“Fighting for working families is not politics for me, it’s personal,” Nixon said in a campaign video.

Alex Vindman is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel.

“In a democracy, you decide who will stand for you — the patriot or the politician,” Vindman said in a campaign video.

Vindman moved to Florida with his wife and daughter three years ago. He was wounded in Iraq and received a Purple Heart. Within 24 hours of announcing his run for Senate in January, he raised a whopping $1.7 million. Since then, he has raised $19 million, even outraising Moody.

If Vindman’s name sounds familiar, in 2019, he appeared before Congress during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, testifying that the president had pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Following that testimony, his more than two-decade military career came to an end. Now he’s looking to serve in a different way.

“I’ve got a neat opportunity to take us in a different direction, to make life more affordable, lower costs and fight corruption,” Vindman said. “That’s such a huge driver of making life hard here in Florida.”

His campaign is promising to rekindle the American dream for Floridians, with a spotlight on affordability — from making sure buying a home is attainable to driving down health care costs.

“We are reversing the direction we’ve gone with health care costs. Critical. We can’t afford to do a trillion dollars in tax cuts to the billionaires and cut Affordable Care Act subsidies, cut Medicaid. That’s a looming cut,” Vindman said.

“I believe that government should work for the people and not against them, and so that’s why I’m running to become the next U.S. senator,” Nixon said.

Nixon is a six-year state lawmaker and a Florida native. She says she will fight to make life more affordable for all Floridians, saying the economy should work for everyone.

“We really need to work toward getting more affordable housing here in the state, as well as doing some rent stabilization, and we need to tackle this insurance crisis,” Nixon said.

Nixon’s campaign cornerstone is putting people over politics and profit.

“I understand how to work across the aisle. I understand how to hold people accountable because right now, there’s a lot of chaos and corruption happening,” Nixon said.

“I’m here to do what I’ve always done for 21 years in service: Be a fighter for Americans and people of Florida now,” Vindman said.

Sin embargo, lo que provocó el llanto se ha convertido en motivo de escrutinio y preocupación.

La familia Domingo grabó los tensos momentos en que la Patrulla Fronteriza de Estados Unidos los detuvo el domingo por la tarde.

Su hija de 18 años, quien según ellos es ciudadana estadounidense, estaba al volante y el agente le dijo que no había hecho nada malo, pero la familia afirma que el agente escaneó la placa del vehículo, que mostró que el automóvil estaba registrado a nombre de una persona que no es ciudadana.

Maria y Abraham Domingo salieron del automóvil, cumpliendo las órdenes del agente.

Las imágenes captaron a la pareja abrazando a sus familiares durante una emotiva despedida cuando fueron separados de sus cinco hijos y detenidos.

El Guatemalan Maya Center en Lake Worth Beach publicó el video. Mariana Blanco es la directora de operaciones de la organización sin fines de lucro.

La organización tiene su sede en el sur de Florida desde hace más de treinta años y se dedica a defender a familias como la de los Domingo.

“Estaban haciendo una última parada para comprar unos zapatos nuevos para el comienzo del año escolar, cuando fueron objeto de perfilamiento racial y detenidos”, dijo. “Sé que han estado en el proceso legal durante años. Migraron aquí debido al genocidio guatemalteco en los años 80 y han estado aquí por más de 20 años. Han establecido una familia aquí”.

Blanco dice que escenas emocionales como esta se han vuelto familiares, especialmente a medida que aumenta la ofensiva contra la inmigración.

“No hay una manera real de ganar”, dijo Blanco. “Creo que siempre son los niños los que terminan perdiendo”.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Tuesday that Carmine Agnello began his 15-month prison term the previous day at the Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in southern New Jersey.

Agnello, who starred on “ Growing Up Gotti ” in the mid-2000s, was originally scheduled to report to prison in July. But U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury agreed to delay that until Sept. 18, saying it would allow enough time to recover from the surgery, presuming that happened by Aug. 10 as Agnello suggested

Agnello’s lawyers have said in court filings that Victoria Gotti, the daughter of the former head of New York’s Gambino crime family, suffers from chronic kidney disease.

On Monday, though, with no operation in sight, Choudhury ordered Agnello to surrender immediately to federal authorities.

“Because there is no concrete evidence that an organ transplant will be scheduled to take place at any time between today and Sept. 18, 2026, the request for another deferral of Mr. Agnello’s self-surrender is unjustified,” the judge said.

Agnello lawyer Robert Beltrani said in a letter that surgeons needed more time to set a date for the operation because Gotti was dealing with infections.

“It is undisputed that Carmine is a great match for Ms. Gotti,” he said. “He is simply asking the Court to allow him to remain available to his mother during this very limited period while her doctors determine whether and when she can proceed with transplant.”

Prosecutors objected, noting that a medical report attached to the defendant’s letter said doctors were working to “identify the etiology and the proper treatment” for Gotti’s recurring infections and no transplant could happen until they are fully treated.

“Clearly, the transplant surgery is not imminent,” said Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

Nocella’s office declined to comment further, and lawyers for Agnello did not immediately respond to email messages. Nor did Gotti, an author and former columnist for the New York Post.

Agnello pleaded guilty in 2024 to wire fraud after prosecutors said he fraudulently obtained $1.1 million in loans from a federal program meant to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A resident of Long Island, he obtained the loans on behalf of his company, Crown Auto Parts & Recycling LLC, but lied about how many people it employed, his criminal record and his plans for the funds, prosecutors said.

The company ceased operations before Agnello applied for the loan, which he ultimately used on other ventures including a $420,000 investment in a cryptocurrency business, prosecutors said.

Agnello, now 40, was a teen when he and his brothers briefly rose to fame sporting gel-spiked hairdos on “Growing up Gotti,” which followed the family's life on Long Island.

His grandfather earned the nicknames “Teflon Don” and “Dapper Don” for his flamboyant style and ability to beat some of the criminal charges he faced over the years. He died in a Missouri federal prison in 2002 at age 61.

The New Jersey lockup where Agnello is now incarcerated has housed some notable inmates over the years.

Most recently disgraced former New York Congressman George Santos served less than three months of a more than seven-year sentence there before President Donald Trump granted him clemency last year.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

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A Broward Sheriff’s Office arrest report states that CCTV footage from Aug. 2 showed Rahul Pandey, 26, of Fort Lauderdale, along with a co-worker identified as a co-defendant, Deanza Hodge, walking out of the convention center with “two white bags contain(ing) New York strip steaks and beef tenderloins” worth $2,083.

The two, who work for an outside company managing the convention center, then loaded the steaks into Hodge’s vehicle, authorities said.

Deputies said a kitchen chef had inventoried the beef the day before the crime and then again on Thursday, noticing the steaks had vanished.

“During a post-Miranda interview, (Pandey) admitted that he knew the bag contained food belonging to his employer, although he claimed he did not know the specific type of food inside,” the report states, in part. “(He) further admitted that he knew removing the bag for Hodge was wrong.”

Pandey was arrested on Monday and is facing a grand theft charge. Hodge did not appear in county court or jail records as of Tuesday.

Trump downplayed the extraordinary nature of the subterfuge involved in his flight, which saw him stow away in an airport catering container to sneak onto another plane while Air Force One was sent into the sky, essentially as a decoy.

He also downplayed the risk to the people — White House officials, security and support staff, and reporters — he left on the plane.

“They wanted me to go on a different flight, different plane," Trump told reporters after returning from an event in Ohio, saying he had little choice in the matter.

“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn't really ask too much about it,” he said. “I get a lot of threats.”

His comments confirmed a report that first appeared in The Washington Post saying that Trump, following a NATO summit last month, was spirited onto a different plane because of a credible threat from Iran. The action was kept secret for weeks, until the newspaper's story.

“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk," Trump said Tuesday, who did not provide many details about the action. But he said the incident did not scare him.

“I don’t worry about anything, to be honest," Trump said. "Whatever it is. You know my attitude? Whatever!”

Presidents often take secret trips — but not like this

Commanders in chief have sometimes kept overseas trips covert for security reasons, with schedules and logistics kept classified until after for safety reasons. But the fact that Trump’s whereabouts were concealed at the time and for weeks afterward is believed to be unprecedented.

“We have absolutely seen the president fly on unmarked or decoy planes before, into Iraq, Afghanistan, other war-zone-like places,” said Garrett M. Graff, author of “Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government’s Secret Plan to Save Itself — While the Rest of Us Die.”

“But this was an ongoing secret that I don’t think we’ve ever seen before.”

After hiding in the catering vehicle and being moved to the other plane, Trump stopped in Britain, sneaked back aboard the presidential plane undetected, and even later scoffed when asked about potential danger.

“If I go, you go. Right?” he told reporters then — gliding past the fact that if the plane had been shot down, the president wouldn't have been aboard.

Many details about what happened remain unknown

The president's flight out of Turkey made headlines at the time because he had arrived aboard a luxury jet gifted by Qatar, which was not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems found on older presidential jets.

Trump ended up traveling in a smaller government aircraft from Turkey to the United Kingdom, only to secretly reboard the decoy jet, then descend from it and climb back aboard the Qatari plane.

Presidents have regularly tested the confines of their office, pushing their security advisers to visit war zones as a show of American presence and their own leadership. Usually, this happens in the form of trips that aren't announced until the president is deemed to be out of harm's way.

What’s different this time is that Trump was covertly separated from the rest of his travelers — including the press pool meant to provide independent coverage of the president and his actions — and, instead of informing the public about what occurred once the risk had passed, the White House still hasn't fully revealed what took place.

Graff said the presence of the White House press corps is as much about protecting “the presidency and democracy” as it is about covering the story.

“This shows that the White House just fundamentally doesn’t understand how important that role is,” he said.

Officials have gone to great lengths to keep presidents safe on covert trips before

In 2023, a motorcade pulled away from the White House around 3:30 a.m. on a Sunday, and President Joe Biden later boarded an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used for domestic trips to smaller airports, and flew to Poland. Biden then took a secret, 10-hour overnight train ride to Kyiv meant to show solidarity with Ukraine after Russia’s invasion.

A press pool at the White House had been expecting a quiet Sunday for Biden in Washington. However, two journalists went to Ukraine with him and documented the trip, capturing images of Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walking together.

In Trump's first term, he made a secret Thanksgiving trip to Afghanistan in 2019, when officials kept a separate press pool and decoy plane in Florida to maintain the illusion that the president was spending the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Instead, Trump and another group of reporters flew to the U.S. military base at Bagram, where the president served turkey to troops, gave a speech and met with Afghanistan's then-president, Ashraf Ghani, while journalists documented what was occurring.

When President George W. Bush made his first trip to Iraq in 2003, news was not released until he was in the air on the way back to the United States. President Barack Obama made a furtive nighttime visit to Afghanistan in 2010, when he was meant to be spending the weekend at Camp David.

Other risky trips featured presidential misdirection

President Bill Clinton went secretly from India to Pakistan in 2000, attempting to calm tensions in the disputed Kashmir region. He was seen talking with officials in front of a military plane that he appeared to board. Instead, Clinton ducked around the front of the aircraft to another jet parked nearby.

Both planes took off for Islamabad, as did a third jet painted with the familiar baby blue markings of Air Force One.

Joe Lockhart, a White House press secretary for Clinton, noted that reporters knew the president was on one of the planes, “but not which one.” He said he and other officials had briefed the press pool ahead of time and “although they didn’t know all the details, it was made clear” that Clinton “was not going to travel on the plane they were on.

“There was no attempt to hide anything, much less lie about it later,” Lockhart wrote on social media.

Bush was visiting an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida, during the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, and, after all commercial air traffic was grounded, officials wanted to move him to an undisclosed location.

The full White House traveling press pool flew with Bush from Florida to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, where officials reduced the number of reporters and staff on the plane. Bush and the smaller traveling party next flew to Nebraska's Offutt Air Force Base before eventually returning to Washington.

Bush's location remained secret throughout the day. However, the White House did not suggest that the president was somewhere he was not — unlike when Trump was whisked out of Turkey.

“You can imagine the different ways that this could have gone wrong, where, for a period of time, no one would have been able to independently corroborate the status of the U.S. president, or who was in charge of the U.S. government,” Graff said. “And that’s an incredibly dangerous moment for the world.”

Un informe de detención de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward indica que las imágenes de las cámaras de seguridad del 2 de agosto mostraban a Rahul Pandey, de 26 años, de Fort Lauderdale, junto con un compañero de trabajo identificado como coacusado, Deanza Hodge, saliendo del centro de convenciones con “dos bolsas blancas que contenían filetes de lomo de Nueva York y solomillos de ternera” por valor de 2,083 dólares.

Los dos, que trabajan para una empresa externa encargada de la gestión del centro de convenciones, cargaron a continuación los filetes en el vehículo de Hodge, según las autoridades.

Los agentes indicaron que un chef de la cocina había hecho inventario de la carne el día anterior al delito y de nuevo el jueves, y se percató de que los filetes habían desaparecido.

“Durante un interrogatorio tras la lectura de sus derechos, (Pandey) admitió que sabía que la bolsa contenía alimentos pertenecientes a su empleador, aunque afirmó que no sabía qué tipo de alimentos había exactamente en su interior”, reza el informe, en parte. “(Él) admitió además que sabía que llevarse la bolsa para Hodge estaba mal”.

Pandey fue detenido el lunes y se enfrenta a un cargo por hurto mayor. Hodge no figuraba en los registros del juzgado del condado ni en los de la cárcel hasta el martes.

Tacoma police said the rescue began during a welfare check Thursday.

They said officers removed about 30 cats from the boat but continued to hear animals moving behind panels and furniture that could not be easily removed.

Animal control officers returned Monday to search below deck for additional cats. By noon, 21 more had been found.

The unusual rescue also drew help from two local joggers who spotted a cat in the water Sunday morning.

Ashton Efforts and his friend Jesse McConaugher were out for their weekly Sunday morning run when they saw the animal struggling in the water.

“All I said was, ‘Are we going to do something about it?’ And I started stripping and jumped down,” Efforts said.

The water was cold, and the cat scratched Efforts during the rescue. He said the scratches were difficult to feel because of the cold water.

“It looks worse than what it is, but the water was so cold you couldn’t feel the scratches,” he said. “And this will heal up. The cat will be alive.”

The cat was taken to an animal hospital after reaching shore.

Tacoma police said they do not recall responding to a similar call involving so many animals on a boat.

“No, 30, 40 cats on a boat — that’s pretty unheard of,” one officer said.

A local humane society will determine when, or whether, the rescued cats can be made available for adoption.

Police said they know who owns the sailboat and plan to begin a criminal investigation once the rescue operation is complete.