But there is also an acknowledgment that Tehran retains some capabilities, whether to strike back or defend itself.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this week said the U.S. military has hit more than 13,000 targets. He listed high percentages for attacks or destruction to Iran's air defenses, navy and weapons factories.

However, the totals stop short of Iran’s military capabilities being “decimated” as the Republican president has asserted.

Independent data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a U.S.-based group that tracks conflicts around the world, shows Iranian strikes persisted at a relatively steady and uninterrupted pace since the war began Feb. 28 through Wednesday.

Here's a look at what the U.S. says has been targeted, has been degraded or remains from Iran, by the numbers:

About 80% of Iran’s air defense systems 'destroyed'

Caine told reporters Wednesday at the Pentagon that the U.S. has struck more than 1,500 air defense targets, more than 450 ballistic missile storage facilities and 800 one-way attack drone storage facilities. He said, “All of these systems are gone.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth similarly claimed that “Iran no longer has an air defense” and that “we own their skies” before conceding soon afterward that Iran “can still shoot — we know that.”

Hegseth later elaborated, saying that while the Iranians may “have a system here or there,” they no longer had an air defense “system that’s capable of defending their skies.”

Neither Caine nor Hegseth said what the remaining 20% of Iran’s air defenses looked like or which parts of the country have the ability to carry out the sporadic fire they described.

Caine offered no new details about what kind of weapon the Iranians used to shoot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle last week. It was the first time an American military jet was shot down during the war, showing Tehran’s continued ability to hit back despite assertions from the Trump administration.

Trump described it on Monday as a “handheld shoulder missile, heat-seeking missile.”

More than 90% of Iran's regular Navy fleet 'sunk'

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that the Iranian navy was “completely annihilated.”

While 150 Iranian ships “are at the bottom of the ocean,” Caine said, only half the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s small attack boats — ships the government used to swarm and harass warships and merchants in the Strait of Hormuz — have been sunk.

Caine also said that after more than 700 strikes, the military believed it has destroyed more than 95% of Iran's naval mines.

Since the U.S. has not said how large Iran's stockpile was before the war, it's unknown how many naval mines make up the remaining 5%. Semiofficial news agencies in Iran published a chart Thursday suggesting the Revolutionary Guard put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route for oil, during the war.

The message is likely designed to be a pressure tactic as Iran, Israel and the United States head into negotiations this weekend in Pakistan. Independent analysts say they have seen no change in merchant traffic through the strait since the tenuous ceasefire began this week.

About 90% of Iran's weapons factories ‘attacked’

Caine said Wednesday that the military “destroyed Iran’s defense industrial base” while pointing to the fact that the U.S. and allies attacked “approximately 90% of their weapons factories.”

He also said, “nearly 80% of Iran’s nuclear industrial base was hit, further degrading their attempts to attain a nuclear weapon.”

While he noted that Iran was no longer able to produce certain components like solid rocket motors, he stopped short of saying that Iran could not eventually rebuild or get weapons in other ways or that the factories attacked had actually been destroyed or rendered unusable.

Trump acknowledged this possibility when he warned countries against arming Iran.

“A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately,” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday.

More than 90% interception rate in Israel

Meanwhile, Israel’s military pointed to how many drones or missiles it has been able to stop from landing. It said it had an interception rate of more than 90% through its aerial defense systems.

Over the decades, Israel has developed a sophisticated system capable of detecting incoming fire and deploying only if a projectile is headed toward a population center or sensitive military or civilian infrastructure.

Israeli leaders say the system isn’t 100% guaranteed but credit it with preventing serious damage and countless casualties.

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Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

Crowds of supporters show up to his news conferences. Basic municipal services have been infused with newfound excitement. Celebrities help him promote his agenda.

In the process, he's been able to notch a few notable early wins. And he's reached a detente — at least for now — with President Donald Trump, a mercurial leader with an affinity for celebrities.

But as Mamdani, a Democrat, marks an early milestone in his mayoralty, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to leverage his fame into achieving the progressive policy proposals that propelled him to office.

Though he’s not without staunch critics, many of whom still view his past criticisms of the police department and Israel as major problems, the mayor has been able to ease concerns among at least some skeptics.

“It's early but so far, so good,” said Jay Jacobs, chair of the state's Democratic Party, who made waves for not endorsing Mamdani during the election. “We may not agree on everything philosophically, but he is getting the job done.”

‘Work as hard and as fast as New Yorkers’

As the mayor approached his 100th day — long a benchmark for judging an administration's opening vision — his team has moved to highlight the administration's commitment to the everyday responsibilities of the job.

While much of those duties are typical for his local office — picking up trash, plowing snow and filling potholes — the 34-year-old mayor has leaned on his knack for viral content creation to drive interest and awareness of government programs.

As a storm bore down on the city this winter, Mamdani's calls on social media for more snow shovelers helped recruit thousands of new shovelers. Another social media video announcement from the mayor this winter, this time about the city's emergency alert system, brought more than 50,000 new subscribers to the program in a week, his office said.

Alongside New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud of the WNBA, Mamdani announced a bracket-style competition where people could vote on small repairs they want the mayor to come and personally fix in their neighborhoods. In a few weeks, more than 21,000 votes were cast.

And to hype up his child care program for 2-year-olds, Mamdani recruited Cardi B to help judge a jingle contest that will determine the program's theme song.

“The challenge that we set out for ourselves was to work as hard and as fast as New Yorkers do,” Mamdani told reporters on his 99th day in office this week.

The celebrity status, though, can also prompt backlash. During a bitter cold snap, his surprise appearance on the “Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” was seen by some as insensitive at a moment when the death toll of homeless New Yorkers was rapidly rising.

“Too much styling and profiling,” said Curtis Sliwa, a Republican who ran against Mamdani during last year's election, noting longstanding problems with street homelessness, public housing and infrastructure.

Still, Sliwa, who hammered Mamdani during the campaign but recently appeared in a comedy skit with the mayor during the City Hall press corps' annual roast, appeared to give Mamdani some credit, even if it came with a caveat.

“We just had Eric Adams, swagger man who'd party to the break of dawn, and now we have a guy who seems like he’s got a normal working schedule,” said Sliwa, referencing the city's previous mayor. “So having Zohran as the alternative, I think for a lot of people even if they disagree with him, there’s some stability.”

Budget woes

Mamdani has also trained his outsized audience on another routine reality of city governance: budgeting.

Earlier this year, Mamdani held an unusually dour press conference at City Hall about a massive gap in the city budget, saying either the state would have to raise taxes on the wealthy or he would have to increase local property taxes to balance the budget.

The public play from the mayor was widely seen as a strategy to pressure New York Gov. Kathy Hochul into approving a millionaires tax, a key priority for Mamdani and his base. Hochul, a moderate Democrat who is up for reelection this year, has strongly opposed such a measure.

After the City Council released a separate budget proposal that found different ways to close the gap, Mamdani slammed the plan and released a video calling out Council Speaker Julie Menin, resulting in some of his supporters attacking the speaker online.

The city's budget woes, still unsolved, could prove a major hurdle for Mamdani as he pursues his agenda.

Andrew Rein, president of the fiscally conservative Citizens Budget Commission, said Mamdani has an “extra challenging” budget process ahead of him, but that the mayor's communications savvy could help him navigate the rough terrain.

“What we've seen is him bringing his newer strategies and tools to communications but in a very practical, old-school problem,” Rein said. “When he uses his communications skills to get people more invested and to improve the functioning of government and to help New Yorkers the trade offs that have to be made, that is going to be a great win.”

Still a star among supporters

On the night of Mamdani’s election party, hundreds packed the streets, some spontaneously, waiting for a glimpse of the mayor-elect leaving the venue. Departing campaign aides were cheered, by name, well after midnight. One attendee likened the street party to Beatlemania.

“I feel like I’m at a presidential inauguration,” said Medhavie Agnihotri, a 25-year-old tech consultant. “This is the first time in a while I’ve felt this hope.”

His star power has not appeared to wane since then among some factions.

Outside City Hall, New Yorkers and tourists frequently stop for selfies, peering through the iron gates in search of the mayor.

This week, on the mayor’s 97th day in office, a massive crowd gathered in the lobby of the busy Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, watching as Mamdani announced the city would start sending some people with serious medical illnesses to the hospital from the city’s notorious Riker’s Island jail.

He entered to woos and applause from the large group, many appearing to be hospital staffers who held up cellphones to record videos of the mayor speaking. Dozens more watched along from a set of elevated walkways.

One man, Ricardo Granados, a 67-year-old retiree, was on his way to take his son to a medical appointment but stopped to see what all the hubbub was about. He appeared delighted to learn Mamdani was going to show up, saying he met Mamdani previously when Mamdani was campaigning in Granados’ neighborhood.

“I’m extremely fond of him. I think he’s going to make a real difference,” Granados said. “He wants to find out who needs what and he wants to help.”

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AP writer Jake Offenhartz contributed to this story

“Welcome to Japan... Oh I can’t believe Deep Purple are here," Takaichi said as she walked into a guest room at the Prime Minister's Office with open arms and all smiles to welcome the band members. “I have always admired Deep Purple.”

“You’re my god,” Takaichi told drummer Ian Paice, presenting him with a set of Japanese-made TAMA drumsticks she had signed. “You're a drummer, we are friends,” Paice told her.

Takaichi is a hard rock and heavy metal music fan and was an avid drummer in her college days.

The prime minister explained her history as a Deep Purple superfan for more than half a century. At elementary school, she was already listening to “Machine Head," the band's 1972 album featuring top hits like “Highway Star” and “Smoke on the Water.”

In junior high school, she played the keyboard in a Deep Purple cover band, then as a university student she switched to drums, she said.

“Nowadays, when I have a fight with my husband, I play drums on ‘Burn’ and put a curse on him,” Takaichi joked. She has previously noted “Burn” as one of her favorite songs, saying it “clears my mind.”

The band's courtesy visit was a pleasant break for Japan's first female leader, known for her long working hours and now struggling with strained diplomatic ties with China, the fallouts from the war in the Middle East as well as rising prices at home.

“I express my deepest respect for you for making rock history and continuing to take on new challenges and producing even more compelling music today,” Takaichi said, wishing them a successful tour beginning Saturday in Tokyo.

She did not forget to do her work as prime minister and stressed that promotion of cultural content is one of the key areas of her growth strategy of her government.

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Associated Press journalist Ayaka McGill contributed.

The tension in Mission Control mounted as the miles melted away between the four returning astronauts and Earth.

All eyes were on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the only other test flight of the spacecraft — in 2022, with no one on board — the shield’s charred exterior came back looking as pockmarked as the moon.

Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were on track to hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 32 — or 32 times the speed of sound — a blistering blur not seen since NASA’s Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s.

They didn’t plan on taking manual control except in an emergency. Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, is completely self-flying.

Like so many others, lead flight director Jeff Radigan anticipated feeling some of that “irrational fear that is human nature,” especially during the six minutes of communication blackout preceding the opening of the parachutes. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha awaited the crew's arrival, along with a squadron of military planes and helicopters.

The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crew's reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II was projected to come screaming back at 34,965 feet (10,657 meters) per second — or 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) — not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast before slowing to a 19 mph (30 kph) splashdown.

Artemis II's record flyby and lunar views

Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA’s long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.

Artemis II didn't land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13's distance record, making Wiseman and his crew the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when they reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then in the mission's most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman's late wife, Carroll.

During the record-breaking flyby, they documented scenes of the lunar far side never seen before by the naked eye and savored a total solar eclipse courtesy of the cosmos thanks to their launch date. The eclipse, in particular, “just blew all of us away,” Glover said.

Their sense of wonder and love awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth. The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8's first lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our blue marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968.

“It just makes you want to continue to go back," Radigan said on the eve of splashdown. “It's the first of many trips and we just need to continue on because there’s so much” more to learn about the moon.

Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britain's King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick “Project Hail Mary;” Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TV’s original “Star Trek.”

Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions

Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule’s drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, toilet trouble prevented the crew from using it for No. 1 most of the trip, forcing them to resort to old-time bags and funnels.

The astronauts shrugged it all off.

“We can’t explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,” Koch said, “unless we’re making a few sacrifices, unless we’re taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.”

Added Hansen: “You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space and it’s a doozy.”

Under the revamped Artemis program, next year’s Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moon’s south pole in 2028.

The Artemis II crew’s allegiance was to those next Artemis crews, Wiseman said.

“But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,” he said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Gabbana’s resignation from oversight roles was effective Jan. 1. The company called it “a natural evolution of its organizational structure and governance.’’

Gabbana, 63, will continue in his creative role at the company, the statement said.

Gabbana was present at the last runway show in February, with their longtime muse Madonna as a front-row guest. Both he and Dolce greeted Madonna personally at her seat after the show and brought her backstage.

Dolce & Gabbana made its Milan runway debut in 1985, with a focus on Sicilian craftsmanship that has been a touchstone throughout the years for the designers.

The brand grew in popularity in the 1990s with cone bras, corset looks and perfectly tailored black dresses. The designers have often drawn on Dolce's Sicilian roots, with sexy sheer materials and netting for menswear, along with bright floral and fruit prints and jewelry with oversized crosses.

Over the years, they have expanded into fragrance, home goods and watches, among other fashion-adjacent categories.

Passenger car exports jumped 82.4% year-on-year last month to around 748,000 vehicles, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, up from the 586,000 vehicles exported in February.

Exports of new energy passenger vehicles — including battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids — surged more than 140% in March from a year ago to 363,000 units. That’s also up 31% from the about 276,000 units of such vehicles exported in February.

The biggest Chinese automakers, including BYD and Geely Auto, have been increasing their efforts in boosting sales abroad, including expanding production facilities outside China. There have also been growing expectations that the global energy shock and higher fuel prices due to the Iran war could prompt more drivers to want to switch to EVs.

Chinese car brands have made inroads over the past months in regions such as Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

“The impact of the Iran conflict hasn’t fully shown up in March data yet, but it can act as a trigger,” said Chris Liu, a Shanghai-based senior analyst at advisory group Omdia.

“In many markets that are structurally well suited for EVs, adoption has been slow simply because consumers lacked urgency," he said. “A sharp rise in fuel prices changes that.”

The Chinese carmakers’ strong overseas push also came at a time when domestic vehicle sales in China have come under pressure from scaled-back government support this year to encourage drivers to switch to new energy vehicles.

Fierce competition in China among car brands and a prolonged property sector slump that has weighed on consumers' desire for big purchases also impacted Chinese automakers.

Domestic passenger car sales fell 19.2% last month from a year earlier to nearly 1.7 million units. It was the fifth consecutive month of year-on-year declines for passenger car sales at home, based on data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

UBS auto analyst Paul Gong believes that the domestic sales weakness will not be too long lasting and that the surge in overseas sales among Chinese carmakers could help with the weaker demand at home.

“For the overall industry, the overseas market’s sales volume growth is more than enough to offset domestic decline on a full-year basis,” said Gong, head of China autos research at UBS investment bank.

Overseas passenger car sales by units for Chinese automakers might grow by 20% or more this year compared with last year, he predicted.

The Irish government is set to meet with farmers, truckers and agricultural contractors on Friday to discuss the crisis, triggered by rising gasoline and diesel costs as the conflict in the Middle East restricts oil exports from the region. While organizers have said they will call off the coordinated protests if the government agrees to talk with them, it is unclear whether they will be included in the talks.

Protests began on Tuesday as slow-moving convoys restricted access to some of the busiest streets in Dublin, the capital, and blocked fuel depots that supply half the country. Some protesters slept in their vehicles overnight, demanding that the government speak with them.

Over 100 service stations have now run out of fuel and the number could be five times as many by Friday evening if fuel supplies remain disrupted, national broadcaster RTE reported, citing the industry organization Fuels for Ireland.

The government on Thursday asked the army to remove vehicles from blocked roads amid concern that the protests could impede police, firefighters and ambulances responding to emergencies.

The disruption grew out of separate protests around Ireland’s major cities over demands for further cuts to soaring fuel costs.

The government previously approved a range of measures to cut fuel prices, including a temporary reduction in excise taxes on motor fuels, expansion of a rebate for truckers and bus operators that use diesel fuel, and extension of a program that helps low-income people with their heating costs.

The ravaged Palestinian territory of 2 million people has seen the most intense fighting stop between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants. But most of the ceasefire work remains to be done, from disarming Hamas and ending its two-decade rule to deploying an international stabilization force and beginning vast reconstruction. Gaza residents are in limbo, with limited aid entering through a single, Israeli-controlled border post.

Such challenges could represent what’s to come in the latest war, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to peacemaking appears to be stopping bombardment and leaving the bigger picture for others to work out.

Whether Trump can force through that kind of deal on Iran, with more actors in play and global markets quivering at every statement, is yet to be seen.

The Board of Peace goes quiet

Focusing on a deal's details is crucial. Already the Iran war's two-week ceasefire has created deadly confusion over Lebanon as Israel insists the deal doesn’t apply there and continues to attack the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, while Iran insists it does and threatens to upend the agreement. Israel made a surprise announcement Thursday authorizing direct negotiations with Lebanon, despite the lack of diplomatic ties.

Not long ago, the U.S.-created and Trump-led Board of Peace kicked off with $7 billion in pledges and sweeping intentions of resolving not only Gaza but other conflicts that emerge around the world.

Nine days after the board's initial meeting, the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.

The Board of Peace has not met again, and it's still waiting for Hamas to respond to its proposal on disarming, a major concession and perhaps the hardest step. Hamas’ founding charter calls for armed resistance against Israel.

A U.S. official said Hamas has not been given a definite deadline to respond to the proposal but added that “patience is not unlimited.” The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The lack of a deadline can weaken pressure to act. Meanwhile, diplomacy is busy putting out different flames.

Board of Peace director Nickolay Mladenov told the U.N. Security Council last month that the world should not lose sight of Gaza as a new war flared. The choice in Gaza is between “a renewed war, or a new beginning; the status quo, or a better future,” he added. “There is no third option.”

‘It’s as if there’s no ceasefire at all’

Palestinians might suggest a third option: neglect.

Six months into the Gaza ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10, little beyond the largely silenced explosions has changed.

Vast tent camps house most of the territory’s population. Other residents shelter in damaged apartment buildings. Health workers and other humanitarian workers say there has been little progress in the expected surge of medical supplies and other aid.

The U.S. 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza is largely failing on the humanitarian front, five international aid groups said in a scorecard released Thursday. They said conditions have deteriorated further in Gaza since the Iran war began.

“During the first two weeks of March 2026, trucks entering Gaza declined by 80%, and the price of basic goods increased dramatically,” they said. Medical evacuations have stalled.

Palestinians expressed fading hopes for any immediate improvement in their lives.

"There is pollution and disease. It’s as if there’s no ceasefire at all,” said Maysa Abu Jedian, a displaced woman from Beit Lahiya.

“The war is still ongoing and life is still terrible as it is,” said Eyad Abu Dagga, also sheltering in a camp in Khan Younis.

Tents rippled in the breeze, and children played on the sand against a backdrop of shattered buildings.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided, Israeli forces have carried out airstrikes and fired on Palestinians near military-held zones. Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel has said its strikes are in response to that and other ceasefire violations.

As of Thursday, Israeli attacks have killed 738 people in the six months since the ceasefire, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

Overall, the ministry says 72,317 Palestinians had been killed since the war in Gaza began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.

‘Sustained diplomatic pressure at the highest levels’

Unwavering focus on Gaza, once at the heart of a passionate international outcry, has been lost with the rise of a new regional war. That, too, has decreased pressure for progress on the ceasefire.

The humanitarian groups' scorecard notes that any forward movement on aid issues in the Palestinian territory has “generally required sustained diplomatic pressure at the highest levels, particularly from the United States. That pressure, however, has not been applied consistently or at the scale needed to secure full implementation.”

The Trump administration is not the only player to be distracted. The entire Middle East, including key Gaza mediators Egypt and Qatar, now focuses on Iran and that war’s effects on their economies.

With the added uncertainty over Israel’s renewed war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, there could be even less interest from countries to contribute troops to a Gaza stabilization force. One of the few confirmed troop contributors, Indonesia, already has seen three of its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon killed in recent days.

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Anna reported from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.

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Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Using unusually strong language for a senior South Korean official, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said the country’s past adoptions amounted to “forced child trafficking” and that the government will largely refrain from appealing rulings in cases brought by victims seeking compensation for government wrongdoing. Jung spoke Thursday in a roundtable interview with selected journalists.

Hundreds of Korean adoptees in the West have already requested that their cases be investigated by a fact-finding commission reviewing past human rights violations. The body was relaunched in February after its previous mandate ended in November. That earlier Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded that the government bore responsibility for an adoption program riddled with fraud and malfeasance, driven by efforts to cut welfare costs and carried out by state-authorized private agencies that systematically manipulated children’s origins.

Some adoptees hope the commission’s findings will provide legal grounds for damages lawsuits against the government or their adoption agencies. But victims of other government abuses recognized by the commission have often been locked in lengthy legal battles after state prosecutors appealed rulings in their favor, citing expired statutes of limitations or deeming the commission’s findings inconclusive.

President Lee Jae Myung in October issued an apology over South Korea's past adoption problems.

Jung, a close ally of Lee, said the government is willing to expand legal redress and speed compensation for victims of government abuses whose cases have been verified by the truth commission.

Under a new law that took effect in February giving those victims a three-year window to sue for damages even after statutes of limitations had expired, Jung’s ministry, which represents the government in lawsuits, said last week it plans to withdraw time-limit appeals in more than 800 cases.

Jung said the ministry plans to extend a similar approach to lawsuits by adoptees in the future.

“Once the truth commission firmly establishes the basic facts (regarding the abuses), we intend to cooperate to ensure the process moves swiftly,” Jung said.

Some adoptees, including Yooree Kim, who was sent to a French family in 1984 without her biological parents’ consent and says she was abused by her adopters, have sought compensation under the state compensation act, which in theory allows victims to pursue claims without lengthy court battles. But while the Justice Ministry technically has four weeks to decide on the requests, it has failed to do so for more than six months, according to the adoptees’ lawyer, Choi Jung Kyu.

Jung said he would instruct officials to address the delays but does not see a need for a separate new process to expedite compensation, as called for by some advocates.

South Korea sent thousands of children annually to the United States, Europe and Australia from the 1970s to the early 2000s, peaking at an average of more than 6,000 a year in the 1980s. The country was then ruled by a military government that saw population growth as a major threat to its economic goals and treated adoptions as a way to reduce the number of mouths to feed.

The previous truth commission’s findings broadly aligned with prior reporting by The Associated Press. The AP investigations, in collaboration with Frontline (PBS), drew on thousands of documents and dozens of interviews to show how South Korea’s government, Western nations and adoption agencies worked in tandem to send about 200,000 Korean children overseas, despite years of evidence that many were procured through corrupt or illegal means.

Jung also discussed efforts to combat trafficking and forced labor at salt farms and other sites and the widespread abuse of migrant workers, which has fueled long-standing criticism of South Korea’s exploitation of some of Asia’s most vulnerable people.

These issues have gained urgency after the Trump administration last month launched investigations into dozens of countries it accused of failing to curb forced labor.

The move was part of an effort to impose new tariffs and other trade restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s earlier tariffs based on emergency powers. The United States last year also blocked imports from a major South Korean salt farm accused of using slave labor, becoming the first trade partner to take punitive action against a decadeslong problem on salt farms in islands off the country’s southwest coast.

Jung vowed to step up efforts to “uproot” trafficking and labor abuses, including instructing prosecutors to seek tougher penalties for violations and strengthening oversight of companies employing foreign workers.

“We cannot monitor every corner of the private sector, but I think we are capable of supervising these matters more thoroughly than almost any other country,” Jung said.

She’s also one of the most successful participants, as the award-winning Australian singer-songwriter has sold over nine million albums and topped charts in eight countries.

Goodrem is representing her home country in the world’s largest live music event, which takes place this year in Vienna. Even though it’s way outside of Europe, Australia has been invited to compete since 2015.

In the 1990s Goodrem, who was a former star of Australian soap “Neighbours,” wrote a track called “Eyes on Me” for Dion, who won Eurovision representing Switzerland in 1988.

She was also mentored by the late Newton-John, another global superstar who took part in the song contest on behalf of the United Kingdom in 1974, although not as successfully.

“Growing up, Olivia Newton-John and Celine Dion were two of my greatest loves in music," she said. “I don’t think I would be the musician I am today without my influence from the two of them. And they have both been a part of that stage from different countries.”

Goodrem also has a link to the entry representing the tiny country of San Marino. Boy George, who appears on SENHIT's entry “Superstar,” used to be a judge and rival alongside Goodrem on Australia's hit TV talent show “The Voice.”

“I’ve got my eyes on him. I’m watching him,” Goodrem joked. “I was so excited and couldn’t stop laughing ... it’s so playful that Boy George was like, ‘I’m coming to Eurovision!’”

The Associated Press spoke to Goodrem in London about competing with her power ballad “Eclipse” in the Eurovision Song Contest.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: When was the first time you ever heard about Eurovision?

GOODREM: It’s been a bit omnipresent where you sort of heard it in the air. And I guess obviously Australia’s been in for 11 years. So we became a lot more actively like Team Australia. But growing up, you always were, you know, enamored with this incredible iconic stage and it’d always find its way to us.

AP: I feel like you’ve been representing Australia your whole life.

GOODREM: I feel that as well and I’ve always been very patriotic and very true to the love I have for Australia and it feels like they’re all celebrating, we’re all sort of there together on this journey.

AP: How competitive are you?

GOODREM: Oh you know, I’m definitely here to give it my absolute all, yes.

AP: Did you watch last year?

GOODREM: So (last year) I was doing my couple of shows here (in London) and I had sort of got to experience the energy of Eurovision on the ground and I just thought it was palpable, it was incredible and I was watching all the programs and it was really exciting and somebody had asked me, ‘would you do Eurovision?’ And I said, ‘I’m always open’ … You never know where your path’s leading, just if it feels right.

AP: While Eurovision tries to keep out politics, it’s always crept in. What do you think about the boycott this year?

GOODREM: I really am a true believer that throughout my career, coming to my show, I’m about unifying — music for me is a moment where we’re all singing the same song. And I believe in that, and I have my whole life, that it’s very healing, music has a real power.

So I sort of focus on the power of music being a unifying space and a place that can wrap around people’s lives and their soundtrack and that’s where it sits for me.

AP: What did you think about the news that they’re doing Eurovision in Asia?

GOODREM: The more music the better. I think that’s so exciting. That means I get to immerse myself in the music in September for Eurovision Asia.

AP: I need to ask you about staging. I see the video for this involves a lot of sand.

GOODREM: Yes, you’re thinking I should bring Australian sand, you know, that’s very patriotic. I start a little beach on stage, look up at the moon for “Eclipse.” I definitely am really excited to bring it to life.

AP: If you win, can Eurovision go to Australia?

GOODREM: Sure. Yeah, yeah!

AP: Is it more likely that it’d be a co-host?

GOODREM: Look, I don’t know those logistics yet but I’m open to the conversation … If you would like to vote for me then I’m happy to talk about if we could like have it here or if, you know, I’m happy to do a deal.

There remain many issues that could derail the truce — as well as negotiations for broader deal to permanently end the war.

Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency, close to the Revolutionary Guard, claimed that talks set for Saturday wouldn’t happen unless Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon. And U.S. President Donald Trump complained that Iran was “doing a very poor job” by not allowing the free flow of ships through the strait, through which 20% of the world’s traded oil once passed.

Kuwait, meanwhile, said it faced a drone attack Thursday night that it blamed on Iran and its militia allies in the region. Though Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching any assault, it has carried out attacks across the Mideast in the past that it did not claim.

And yet, preparations for the talks between Iran and the U.S. in Pakistan appeared to move forward, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance set to take off from Washington. Negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, meanwhile, are expected to begin next week in Washington, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the matter.

Israel and Lebanon will have direct negotiations

Israel’s insistence that the ceasefire in Iran does not include a pause in its fighting with Hezbollah, which joined the war in support of its backer, Iran, has threatened to scupper the deal.

The day the truce was announced, Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, killing more than 300 people, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. It was the deadliest day in the country since the war began Feb. 28.

Trump said Thursday that he has asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to dial back the strikes. Early Friday, Israel’s military said it hit approximately 10 launchers in Lebanon that had fired rockets toward northern Israel a day earlier.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned Thursday that continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah would bring “explicit costs and STRONG responses.”

Netanyahu, meanwhile, said that he authorized the negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbors, which have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948.

The Lebanese government had not responded as of early afternoon Friday. The timing and location of the talks was first reported by Axios.

Two days after Israel's intense barrage, people sifted through the wreckage of their homes, trying to salvage whatever furniture and personal mementos they could find in the rubble. Some expressed gratitude that they lost only their homes and belongings, not their loved ones, as others had.

“There is no substitute for family,” said Wissam Tabila, 35. “Everything else can be replaced.”

The Strait of Hormuz remains a sticking point

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil prices skyrocketing, driven stocks down and roiled the world economy. Tehran's control over the waterway has proved its biggest strategic advantage in the war.

The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was around $97 Friday, up more than 30% since the war started.

Before the conflict, over 100 ships passed through the strait each day — many carrying oil to Asia. With the ceasefire in place, only 12 have been recorded passing through.

Underscoring the precarious situation, a Botswana-flagged liquefied natural gas tanker attempted to travel out of the Persian Gulf via a route ordered by the Revolutionary Guard, but suddenly turned around early Friday, ship-tracking data showed.

The head of the United Arab Emirates’ major oil company, Sultan al-Jaber, said some 230 ships loaded with oil were waiting to get through the strait and must be allowed “to navigate this corridor without condition.”

U.S. President Donald Trump complained about that situation, writing on his social media platform: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“That is not the agreement we have!” Trump wrote of the trickle of ships Iran has allowed to pass.

The ceasefire deal is still fragile

Questions also remain over the fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs — which the U.S. and Israel sought to eliminate in going to war.

The U.S. insists Iran must never be able to build nuclear weapons and wants to remove Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could be used to make them. Iran insists its program is peaceful.

Trump has said that the U.S. would work with Iran to remove the uranium, though Tehran has not confirmed that.

The chief of Iran’s nuclear agency, Mohammad Eslami, said Thursday that protecting Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is “necessary” for any ceasefire talks.

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Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong, Zeke Miller, Matthew Lee and Will Weissert in Washington, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Kareem Chehayeb and Hussein Malla in Beirut contributed to this report.

Zelenskyy made his first public acknowledgment of the operations Wednesday in remarks to reporters that were embargoed until Friday. He said Ukrainian forces took part in active operations abroad using domestically produced interceptor drones proven in countering Iranian-designed Shahed drones used by Russia in Ukraine.

“This was not about a training mission or exercises, but about support in building a modern air defense system that can actually work,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine took part in the defensive operations before the tentative ceasefire in the Middle East was reached among Iran, the United States and Israel this week.

Zelenskyy did not identify the countries involved but said Ukrainian personnel operated across several nations, helping strengthen their air defense systems. He previously said that 228 Ukrainian experts were deployed in the region.

In exchange, Ukraine is receiving weapons to protect its energy infrastructure, along with oil, diesel and, in some cases, financial arrangements, he said.

The Ukrainian leader said the agreements would bolster Ukraine’s energy stability and described the partnerships as something that would “be marketed” as Kyiv seeks to formalize and expand its defense export role.

“We are helping strengthen their security in exchange for contributions to our country’s resilience,” he said. “This is far more than simply receiving money.”

Ukraine will face more pressure

The disclosure comes amid concerns that conflict in the Middle East could divert Western military support from Ukraine, particularly air defense supplies.

But Zelenskyy said that partners were continuing to supply missiles for Patriot systems, adding that a new batch had arrived in recent days and that Ukraine was working with all partners to ensure its air defense remained in place.

He warned that the coming spring and summer would be difficult for Ukraine, with growing political and battlefield pressure as the United States turns to domestic politics and elections.

Zelenskyy said he had urged U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv and proposed a trilateral format with Moscow. It remains unclear whether they will come or if talks will instead take place in a third country.

U.S.-led talks have made no progress on key issues, as Washington’s attention shifts to the Middle East conflict while Russian and Ukrainian forces remain locked in fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (800-mile) front line.

Separately, Zelenskyy said he expects Western allies to restore full sanctions on Russian oil, warning that any easing could allow Moscow to sustain its war effort and offload key energy assets. Russia has been profiting from a surge in global energy prices, brought on by damage to oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf and Iran’s blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital sea route for global oil supplies.

Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian energy sites to cut oil revenues as prices rose and U.S. sanctions eased. Zelenskyy said partners had urged Kyiv to scale back attacks during Iran’s disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, but he argued Russian oil has a limited impact on global markets.

“I won’t say who asked us to do this. But partners did ask — it’s a fact. They asked at different levels, from political to military leadership.”

Putin declares Easter truce and Ukraine ready to reciprocate

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to mirror any ceasefire steps after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary Easter truce.

“We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holidays this year and will act accordingly”, Zelenskyy said Friday on X. “People need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well”.

Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4 p.m. Saturday until the end of Sunday.

Previous ceasefire attempts have had little impact, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Both Xi and Cheng Li-wun, the head of the Beijing-friendly Kuomingtang Party, reiterated they wanted to move toward a peaceful reunification of Taiwan and the mainland, though it remains unclear how they would achieve it. China hasn't ruled out the use of force and has stepped up its military exercises around Taiwan, sending warships and fighter jets closer toward the island and steadily poaching Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies.

Xi welcomed Cheng and her party's representatives in the Great Hall of the People, where he usually meets world leaders, to a round of applause from both sides. “The larger trend of compatriots on both sides of the strait walking nearer, closer, and together will not change. This is a historical necessity. We have full confidence in this,” he said.

"Although people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait live under different systems, we will respect each other and move towards each other,” Cheng said, adding: “We will seek systemic solutions to prevent and avoid war.”

She arrived in Beijing on Tuesday after visiting Shanghai and Nanjing.

Cheng has previously described herself as a promoter of peace between Taiwan and China. She has opposed large increases in Taiwan's defense spending and her party continues to block President Lai Ching-te's special defense budget for arms purchases, including building an air defense system with interception capabilities called the Taiwan Dome.

Taiwan has been governed separately from China since 1949, when a civil war brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing. Defeated Kuomingtang forces fled to Taiwan, where they set up their own government.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te did not directly address Cheng’s China visit, but issued a statement Friday morning urging for the KMT to approve his special defense budget. He said that “history tells us that compromising with authoritarian regimes only comes at the cost of sovereignty and democracy, and will not bring freedom or peace.”

Cheng had said she would push for a “framework for peace" between China and Taiwan, but did not offer any specifics when asked by reporters in Beijing after her meeting with Xi. She said she raised the issue of increasing Taiwan's international profile, such as participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement, and that Xi responded “positively."

Cheng said both parties will work to make sure “the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a flash point with the possibility of conflict, and will not become a chess piece played by the outside world.”

“Her speech is not like that of a Taiwanese politician,” said Weihao Huang, a professor of political science at National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, saying she didn't mention the public. “You can't see the public's mindset from her words. It's either her words are being restricted by China or that she was willing for China to restrict it.”

Both Xi and Cheng said they would uphold the 1992 Consensus and opposed Taiwan's independence.

The 1992 Consensus is a tacit agreement, never formally enshrined as a document, that Taiwan and China all belong to one China. However, while the KMT said the 1992 Consensus means they belong to “One China” with separate interpretations of what China means, the Communist Party has never acknowledged that.

“This visit is more significant to Xi than to Cheng," said Ma Chun-wei, an expert in China-Taiwan relations at Taiwan's Tamkang University. ”At the local level, the KMT's grassroots members didn't really want Cheng to visit China at this time" ahead of local elections later this year.

But for Xi, this visit is a chance to have a grip on China-Taiwan relations with Cheng, Ma said, as there's been no official contact between the governments since the Democratic Progressive Party came into power. Further, Xi can tell the U.S. to not interfere as “he has a channel and the ability to deal with the Taiwan issue.”

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Wu reported from Bangkok.

In early European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was up 0.2% to 10,627.69. France's CAC 40 also gained 0.2% to 8,265.80, while Germany's DAX rose 0.2% to 23,844.89.

Asian stocks ended mostly higher Friday. South Korea’s Kospi climbed 1.4% to 5,858.87. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.8% to 56,924.11. Shares of Fast Retailing, parent of Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo, surged 12% after the group raised profit expectations for the year.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.6% to 25,893.54, while the Shanghai Composite index was 0.5% higher at 3,986.22. China on Friday reported that its consumer price index — a main inflation gauge — was up 1% in March compared with a year ago, lower than what analysts had expected and down from the 1.3% increase in February.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.1%, while Taiwan’s Taiex rose 1.6%.

Talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, for a possible permanent ceasefire agreement in the Iran war are expected to take place starting Saturday, with U.S. Vice President JD Vance leading the delegation for the United States.

But ahead of the talks, deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday raised questions whether the two-week ceasefire in the Iran war is still intact, while the Islamic Republic maintained control over the Strait of Hormuz, which is largely closed despite demands from the U.S. to reopen the waterway critical for global oil and gas transport.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had authorized talks with Lebanon, with negotiations said to be expected in Washington next week.

Oil was up on Friday. Brent crude, the international standard, was 1.8% higher at $97.68 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude was up 1.9% to $99.76 a barrel.

For oil prices, “$65-70 a barrel is not coming back,” Ajay Rajadhyaksha of Barclays wrote in a recent research note, referring to the pre-Iran war oil price levels. The bank predicts that Brent crude could remain at around $85 per barrel on average for this year.

“A ceasefire is not a refund,” he wrote. “Ceasefires end wars; they don’t undo them.”

On Thursday, Wall Street gained on hopes of the Iran war ceasefire. The S&P 500 added 0.6% to 6,824.66. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6% to 48,185.80, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8% to 22,822.42.

Shares of Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and Corona beers in the U.S., jumped 8.5% following better-than-expected quarterly results. Cloud services provider CoreWeave was 3.5% higher after announcing an expanded deal with Meta Platforms through 2032. Meta was up 2.6%.

In other dealings, gold and silver prices fell. Gold’s price lost 1.1% to $4,765.60 an ounce, while silver prices dropped 1.7% to $75.13 per ounce.

The U.S. dollar rose to 159.31 Japanese yen from 158.96 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1685, down from $1.1699.

Themes Leo is expected to raise include Christian-Muslim coexistence, the over-exploitation of the region's natural and human resources, corruption and migration.

Here’s a country-by-country look at each destination and highlights of the itinerary:

ALGERIA: April 13-15

The Algeria stop clearly carries the most personal importance for Leo, given his ties to St. Augustine, the inspiration of his religious order who lived and died there. Leo will visit Annaba, the modern-day Hippo where the 5th century saint was a bishop.

Migration and Christian-Muslim coexistence are expected to be other top themes in Algeria, a former French colony which is a majority Sunni Muslim nation on North Africa’s Mediterranean coast. Leo will pay homage to migrants killed in shipwrecks trying to reach Europe and will visit the Great Mosque in Algiers.

Last year, Algerian legislators voted to declare France’s colonization of the North African country a crime, approving a law that calls for restitution of property taken by France during its 130-year rule, among other demands seeking to redress historical wrongs.

CAMEROON: April 15-18

One of the highlights of Leo’s visit to Cameroon will be a “peace meeting” he will lead in the north-west city of Bamenda on April 16, featuring testimony of a Mankon traditional chief, a Presbyterian moderator, an imam and a Catholic nun.

Cameroon’s western regions have been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from the French-speaking majority and establishing an independent English-speaking state. The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000 others, according to the International Crisis Group, a think tank.

The country is also plagued by fighting involving Boko Haram militants in the north, as the Islamic extremist group’s insurgency in neighboring Nigeria has spilled over into Cameroon.

Cameroon sits atop significant reserves of oil, natural gas, cobalt, bauxite, iron ore, gold and diamonds. The extractive sector accounts for nearly a third of the country’s exports, according to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

But rights groups and the Catholic Church have raised alarms that revenues from extraction rarely reach the rural and indigenous communities that live closest to mining and drilling operations, while foreign companies and a small national elite capture most of the profits.

While French and English companies have long dominated the extraction industry in Cameroon, Chinese companies have moved heavily into the country in recent years, particularly in the gold mining regions of the east.

Last year, United Nations experts reported severe human rights and environmental harms resulting from mercury use in gold mining operations in eastern Cameroon.

The gold mining rush in eastern Cameroon has also led hundreds of children to abandon school to dig for gold, risking their lives at makeshift mines for a dollar’s worth of ore sold on the local black market, according to UNICEF.

ANGOLA: April 18-21

In Angola, where around 58% of the population is Catholic, Leo will pray at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, a Marian shrine that has become one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in Angola.

The church was first built around the end of the 16th century by the Portuguese after they established a fortress at Muxima. It became a key point in the Portuguese trans-Atlantic human trade as a place where enslaved people were baptized before they were sent on ships to the Americas.

Angola today is the fourth largest oil producer in Africa and among the world’s top 20 producers, according to the International Energy Agency. It’s also the world’s third biggest diamond producer and has significant deposits of gold and highly sought after critical minerals.

But despite its varied natural resources, the World Bank estimated in 2023 that more than 30% of the population lived on less than $2.15 a day.

The country of around 38 million gained independence from Portugal in 1975, but still bears the scars of a devastating civil war that began straight after independence and raged on and off for 27 years before finally ending in 2002. More than half a million people are believed to have been killed.

In Angola, Leo will address young people especially to offer a message of hope and healing, the Vatican said.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: April 21-23

The discovery of offshore oil in the mid-1990s transformed Equatorial Guinea’s economy virtually overnight, with oil now accounting for almost half of its GDP and more than 90% of exports, according to the African Development Bank.

Yet more than half of the authoritarian petrostate’s population still live in poverty, the World Bank reported last year.

The former Spanish colony is run by Africa’s longest-serving president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979 and is accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism.

Several rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have documented how revenues have enriched the ruling Obiang family rather than the broader population, where at least 70% of the country’s nearly 2 million people live in poverty.

The country’s government also faces rampant accusations of harassment, arrest and intimidation of political opponents, critics and journalists.

In addition to the negative impacts of the extraction industries, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Leo would raise issues of corruption and the proper role of governing authorities during the trip.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

As warmer weather comes to Mlochowski Forest, 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Warsaw, thousands of toads and frogs wake up from their winter slumber and begin their meticulous spawning journey to the marshes, a few kilometers away.

The females carry the burden of the journey. Male toads here don't really give off princely vibes but travel on the backs of their much larger female partners, tightly holding on to ensure they are not dumped in favor of a rival upon reaching the waters.

While generations of toads and frogs have traveled to these marshes to mate, a road built in the last decade right across their route made the spring journey much more dangerous.

What followed was sheer amphibian slaughter — when the mating season started and the frogs were on the move, thousands would get run over.

Enter the ‘Frog Patrol’

Łukasz Franczuk, coordinator of the “Frog Patrol” initiative, recounted the sad scenes from four years ago.

“The frogs were being run over in the hundreds or thousands,” he said. “When you were driving on this road, you could see the decomposing corpses of the frogs. People going to collect the surviving ones were crying, they couldn’t stand to watch what was happening.”

Franczuk and his friends responded by helping locals organize, starting three years ago.

Volunteers would meet every wet, rainy evening as soon as spring starts, fan out along the road by the forest and collect frogs from the roadside, then carry them safely across to the marshes. Frogs breathe through their skin, which must stay humid, so they only move and migrate when it rains.

Wearing reflective yellow vests emblazoned with the words “Frog Patrol” and armed with head lamps and buckets, hundreds of volunteers can now be routinely seen out in the evenings during migration season.

Locals, including children, have also started carrying gloves with them during the day, so they can pick up the amphibians if they see them in distress at any time.

“It's really impressive to see whole families with kids walking in the rain, with buckets, in these lovely jackets to make them visible because it's pretty unsafe, this road is narrow, and they carry the frogs from one side of the road to the other,” said Katarzyna Jacniacka, one of the participants.

“When the frogs are migrating, there are a lot of people here,” she added.

For Aleksandra Tkaczyk, another volunteer, this is “the kind of connection with nature about which some of us care deeply.”

Locals say they have saved about 18,000 amphibians since their initiative started.

Helping frogs survive

Biologist Krzysztof Klimaszewski from the Institute of Animal Sciences at the Warsaw SGGW University, who took part in a few of the frog patrols, said that what the locals are doing here is very important because “it actually allows this local population of amphibians to survive.”

Such citizen initiatives to help toads and frogs cross roads built through their natural habitats are not unique to Poland.

In New Hampshire, U.S. volunteers from the Harris Center for Conservation Education save all sorts of amphibians, including salamanders, from being run over by cars. In Bavaria, in southeastern Germany, volunteers from BUND Naturschutz say they rescue up to 700,000 frogs, toads, newts and salamanders every year.

Even in France, where frog legs are a culinary delicacy, local volunteers help the suffering amphibians. In the southern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, people have installed nets on the roadside to collect the frogs before they head into the dangerous traffic.

And in the Estonian capital of Tallinn, authorities announced in early April the construction of additional frog fences on Tahetorni Street — right on the frogs' springtime migrating route — to guide the amphibians and other animals safely into underground tunnels and avoid getting them killed by traffic.

Leo’s line, of course, referred to his Augustinian spirituality. But his connection to the Algerian-born St. Augustine, the towering figure of Christianity who is known well to Algeria’s Sunni Muslim majority, served at the very least to favorably introduce Leo to a country that will welcome him Monday for the first-ever papal visit.

Leo’s two-day stay kicks off an ambitious odyssey across four African countries — Algeria, Angola, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea — that is so dizzying in its logistical complexity that it recalls the globe-trotting journeys of St. John Paul II in his early years.

The 70-year-old Leo will cover more than 17,700 kilometers (about 11,000 miles) on 18 flights over 11 days starting Monday and will deliver speeches and homilies in French, Spanish, Portuguese and English. He's prioritizing a part of the world that is crucial for the continued growth of the Catholic Church, but poses unique challenges as well.

With such a variety of cultures and histories, the themes he’ll raise run the gamut, including migration and the exploitation of natural and human resources in a region that produces much of the world’s oil, but where significant proportions of the population live in poverty. The Vatican says Leo will also speak about corruption in oftentimes authoritarian regimes and the role of political leaders in countries where two of the presidents have been in power for decades.

Huge crowds are expected in Cameroon, where 29% of the population is Catholic and 600,000 people are due to attend one of Leo’s Masses. Leo will preside over a “peace meeting” in Cameroon’s north-west city of Bamenda, which has has been plagued by separatist violence.

“To see His Holiness Pope Leo XIV arrive in Cameroon, for us who are Catholic Christians, it further strengthens our faith, it further strengthens our ties with our God,” said Simon Pierre Ngombo, a Catholic Cameroonian. “It is a perfect moment to touch each other’s hearts.”

A message of peaceful coexistence

Algeria will give the American pope a chance to promote peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims, at a time of global tensions over the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. Despite the war, no extra security measures are planned, the Vatican said.

Leo, who has already positioned himself as an American counterweight to U.S. President Donald Trump, will visit the Great Mosque in Algiers, and interfaith dialogue is expected to be raised, said the archbishop of Algiers, Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco.

On Africa’s northern coast, Algeria fought a brutal civil war in the 1990s that is known locally as the “black decade,” when some 250,000 people were killed as the army fought an Islamist insurgency. As recently as last year, Algeria was still addressing the wounds of its colonial legacy, with legislators voting to declare France’s colonization of the North African country a crime and calling for restitution of property taken by France during its 130-year rule.

The visit “acts as a bridge between the Christian and Muslim worlds, while reflecting the richness of the country’s history,” Vesco told the official Algerian news agency, APS.

However, Algerian authorities turned down the Vatican request for Leo to visit to Médéa (50 kilometers/30 miles south of Algiers) to pray at the Tibhirine monastery, where seven French Trappist monks were kidnapped and killed May 21, 1996, by Islamic fighters during the civil war.

“Algeria has no intention of reopening a painful chapter of its history,” the government daily El Moudjahid wrote in support of the government’s decision.

Leo is expected to refer to the sacrifice of the monks, who were among 19 priests, nuns and other Catholics killed during the war. They were beatified in 2018 as martyrs for the faith in what was then the first such beatification ceremony in the Muslim world.

A growing church, with growing challenges

Africa as a whole contributed more than half of the 15.8 million new Catholics who were baptized in 2023, or 8.3 million new African Catholics, according to the latest Vatican statistics.

The continent also contributes thousands of men to the priesthood and women to religious orders each year, turning a continent that was long on the receiving end of Western missionaries into one that exports its priests and nuns abroad.

According to Vatican statistics, Angola and Cameroon consistently produce some of the largest number of seminarians on the continent each year. As of December 2024, for example, Angola had 2,366 priestly candidates in major seminaries and Cameroon had 2,218, just behind the African vocation powerhouses of Nigeria, Congo and Tanzania.

But the exponential growth has brought challenges, as well. When past popes addressed African clergy, they often reminded them of the need to adhere to vows of celibacy. When Pope Benedict XVI visited Angola and Cameroon in 2009, his trip was overshadowed by his comments en route that condoms could make the AIDS crisis worse, drawing condemnation from a host of public health experts.

A big issue confronting the Holy See now is the ethnic rivalries that permeate church life. That is especially true in the nomination of bishops, who oftentimes are responsible for swaths of territory covering various ethnic groups, and find themselves rejected by priests or faithful, said the Rev. Fortunatus Nwachukwu, No. 2 in the Vatican’s missionary evangelization office.

The problem is known as the “son of the soil syndrome,” when the Holy See insists “the church should speak of the ‘son of the church,’” he said.

Another question facing the African church is the practice of polygamy, which has been raised so insistently by African bishops as a critical issue over the years that the Holy See last year published an entire doctrinal document on the value of monogamy and created a special study group on it.

Catholic doctrine holds that marriage is a monogamous, lifelong union between one man and one woman. That position creates tension and incompatibility with cultural norms in parts of Africa, especially in agrarian and nomadic societies where multiple wives who can produce numerous children are considered a necessity for survival.

Leo will have plenty of meetings with Catholic clergy, bishops and ordinary faithful in which he can emphasize the value of the Catholic family, said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.

Extraction industries and corruption

Some of the countries Leo will visit, all former European colonies, are among the world’s biggest producers of oil and minerals, including gold, diamonds and iron, the extraction of which has transformed their economies in recent years.

But Leo is expected to highlight negative effects of exploitation of Africa’s natural and human resources that have benefitted only a few while harming the environment.

That's especially true in Equatorial Guinea, where President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has been in power since 1979 and, along with his family, is accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism.

It’s an issue that Pope Francis prioritized during his pontificate and articulated in his 2015 environmental encyclical, “Praised Be,” which Leo has strongly endorsed and promoted.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard denied launching attacks Thursday night on Persian Gulf states.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a potential boost to ceasefire efforts in the region when he said he had approved direct talks with Lebanon. The Lebanese government has not responded as of Friday morning.

The announcement came after Israel’s pounding of Beirut Wednesday killed more than 300 people. The negotiations are expected next week in Washington, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Questions remained over what will happen to Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium at the heart of tensions, how and when normal traffic will resume through the Strait of Hormuz, and what happens to Iran’s ability to launch future missile attacks and support armed proxies in the region.

Talks between the United States and Iran on a resolution to the conflict are expected to start Saturday in Islamabad, with the White House saying Vice President JD Vance would lead the U.S. delegation.

Here is the latest:

Beirut residents sift through the wreckage of their homes

In the Ain al-Mraisseh neighborhood along Beirut’s coastal corniche, where an Israeli strike on Thursday wiped out the bottom floors of a multi-story building, causing a partial collapse, stunned residents tried to salvage whatever furniture and personal mementos they could find in the rubble.

Although now homeless, some men at the scene expressed gratitude that they lost only their apartments, not their loved ones. The strikes killed more than 300 people and wounded over 1,800, authorities said.

“There is no substitute for family,” said Wissam Tabila, 35. “Everything else can be replaced. The house and other things can be replaced, but parents, children, or a wife, this is the most important.”

WHO: Israel pledges not to attack 2 key Lebanese hospitals

The World Health Organization said Israel forces had previously issued an evacuation order for Beirut’s Jnah area, which includes the Rafik Hariri — the main public hospital in the city — and Al Zahraa Hospital.

WHO’s top representative in Lebanon said Friday that Israel provided “assurance” after late night talks with U.N. officials that Israeli forces would not attack the hospitals as they continue military action against Hezbollah.

Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar, speaking to reporters in Geneva, said U.N. officials “got some assurance back saying that these two hospitals will not be attacked.”

Separately, Abubakar said Israeli forces warned that “ambulances will be attacked.” An Israeli army spokesman wrote on X that Hezbollah is “deliberately using ambulances for terror purposes.” Abubakar said WHO was not able to independently confirm those claims.

Iran official says over 3,000 people killed in the war

A top medical official in Iran has put the death toll in the war with Israel and the United States at over 3,000 people.

The state-run IRAN daily newspaper quoted Abbas Masjedi, head of the Legal Medicine Organization, as saying “more than 3,000 people were killed in enemy attacks.” Masjedi did not elaborate on the breakdown in civilian versus military casualties. Iran’s government has not provided any definitive death toll from the weekslong war.

South Korean president shares 2024 video of Israeli soldiers dropping body off roof

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung shared on his X account what appeared to be a 2024 video showing Israeli soldiers throwing a body from a rooftop in the occupied West Bank, and wrote: “humanitarian law must be observed under any circumstances.”

Lee in his posts Friday did not make a direct comment on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East or Israel’s current war operations, but said “lessons marked on the painful wounds of the past must not be repeated as recurring tragedies.”

Lee said the video, which he reposted from another account, was from a “shocking” incident in September 2024 that was also investigated by Israeli authorities. Lee’s office did not immediately provide an explanation why he posted those messages. Lee’s government earlier on Friday said it was sending senior diplomat Chung Byung-ha as a special envoy to Iran to discuss the safety of its citizens and Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Singapore rules out restrictions on fuel exports

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the island state will not restrict fuel exports from its refineries due to Iran war disruptions. Singapore was Australia’s largest supplier of refined petroleum products.

“We do not plan to restrict exports. We didn’t have to do so even in the darkest days of COVID and we will not do so during this energy crisis,” Wong said at a news conference with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. “It’s hypothetical. It won’t happen,” Wong added.

Albanese said Wong had given the same assurance in their bilateral meeting. “The prime minister’s just as confident in private as he is in public,” Albanese said.

Ukrainian forces shot down Shahed drones during Iran war, Zelenskyy says

Ukrainian military personnel shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, describing the operations as part of a broader effort to help partners counter the same weapons used by Russia in Ukraine.

Zelenskyy made his first public acknowledgment of the operations Wednesday in remarks to reporters that were embargoed until Friday.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces took part in active operations abroad using domestically produced, battle-tested interceptor drones.

Oil gains and Asian stocks are mostly higher ahead of planned U.S.-Iran talks

Asian stocks were mostly up Friday while oil prices also rose on the fragile Iran war ceasefire and ahead of Iran-U.S. negotiations in Pakistan over the weekend.

South Korea’s Kospi was up 1.5% to 5,862.58. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 climbed 1.9% to 56,952.60.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.8% to 25,954.15, while the Shanghai Composite index was also 0.8% higher at 3,996.34.

Brent crude, the international standard, was 1% higher at $96.92 per barrel. Benchmark U.S. crude was up 0.8% to $98.62 a barrel.

For oil prices, “$65-70 a barrel is not coming back,” Ajay Rajadhyaksha of Barclays wrote in a recent research note, referring to the pre-Iran war oil price levels. The bank predicts that Brent crude could remain at around $85 per barrel on average for this year.

“A ceasefire is not a refund,” he wrote. “Ceasefires end wars; they don’t undo them.”

Islamabad locked down ahead of US-Iran talks

Pakistan’s capital fell unusually quiet Friday as authorities locked down Islamabad ahead of high-stakes talks between the United States and Iran aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire after weeks of war.

Roads lay nearly empty, checkpoints were set up at major arteries, and a two-day public holiday kept residents indoors.

Behind the calm, diplomatic activity intensified.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is set to leave for Pakistan Friday, while an Iranian delegation was also expected there.

Security was tightened, with additional troops and police deployed across Islamabad.

Talks are set to begin Saturday, drawing global attention and placing Islamabad at the center of efforts to bring an end to the war.

Air defense fire and explosions heard in Iran

Multiple times overnight into Friday morning, people around Iran’s capital, Tehran, and other parts of the country said they heard what sounded like air defense fire and explosions.

However, Iran’s government did not acknowledge any attack during that period.

After past exchanges of fire with Israel, similar incidents happened as troops remained on edge.

Japan releases more oil reserves

Japan said it will release an additional 20 days’ worth of oil reserves in May, in a second round address supply uncertainty over the war in the Middle East.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the planned release of the government reserves will start in early May, after an earlier release last month.

Japan started releasing about 50 days’ worth of oil reserves in March, including from those held by the state, the private sector and oil-producing Gulf nations.

As of April 6, Japan had 230 days’ worth oil reserves, including 143 days’ worth in government stockpiles, according to the Natural Resources and Energy Agency.

Takaichi said her government is working to secure oil imports via routes that do not include the Strait of Hormuz, while Japan seeks to diversify suppliers.

Pakistan to issue visas on arrival ahead of talks

Pakistan said Friday it would issue visas on arrival for those traveling to Islamabad for the Iran-U.S. talks, signaling the interest in the world’s media in the event.

In the decade since Trump's “America First” movement rose to power by rejecting military intervention, his coalition has rarely been tested the way it is now. Trump's exit efforts — first through threats of annihilation, then with a ceasefire that is proving precarious — are doing little to paper over tensions that have festered since the war began six weeks ago.

Laura Loomer, a conservative activist close to the president and often one of his top boosters, rejected the notion of brokering a deal with Iran. In an interview, she knocked Vice President JD Vance for being “in charge” of talks expected to start Saturday in Pakistan, as he takes on a larger diplomatic role ahead of a potential 2028 White House run.

“I support President Trump,” Loomer said in an interview. “I just don’t believe in negotiating with Islamic terrorists.”

Vance's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a Trump supporter-turned-critic, called for the president to be removed from office through the Constitution's 25th Amendment after he said earlier this week that a “whole civilization will die tonight” unless Iran made a deal. Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News anchor who now hosts a podcast, unloaded on Trump with a profane critique and asked, “Can’t he just behave like a normal human?”

During a recent taping of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” the host wondered what would end first, their episode or the ceasefire deal.

Despite the growing criticism, Republican leaders in Congress were largely silent. Many were privately uncomfortable with Trump's threats on social media and were concerned about how the war would play out, especially in an election year. But with Congress on recess for the opening two weeks of April, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., have offered little public reaction to Trump's moves.

Some said the developments were simply unfolding too quickly.

“How do you go up and give a presentation or speech in a situation where every 12 hours, the baseline story has a new gradient?" Rep. Dave Schweikert, an Arizona Republican who is running for governor, said in an interview. “In many ways, it is the sin of arrogance thinking you can go out and talk about something when the story is still unfolding.”

A factor in the midterms?

That leaves Republicans in an uncertain position, much like the state of the war. The party already faces fierce headwinds ahead of the November midterms, and some say its best bet is for voters to forget about Iran by then.

“My hope is that it will be long behind us by the time votes are cast,” said Chris Wilson, a veteran Republican strategist. "Fortunately for the GOP, foreign policy flare-ups rarely decide midterm elections on their own, especially when voters are far more focused on the economy and prices at home."

For now, Trump and his White House are expressing confidence. Trump hailed a “big day for World Peace” after the ceasefire was first announced. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt heralded a “victory for the United States of America that the president and our incredible military made happen.”

In a social media post, Trump dismissed his detractors, including podcasters such as Kelly, as “stupid people” who will “say anything necessary for some 'free' and cheap publicity.”

Some of the president's supporters in Congress are pushing back at the suggestion that Trump has become too entangled overseas at the expense of domestic priorities.

“Part of America First is making sure that the homeland stays safe and Iran is a factor in our safety,” Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., said in an interview. “We are all hopeful that the ceasefire does hold and that Iran lives up to their side of the agreement.

Recent elections are cause for GOP concern

Any president's party typically loses seats in Congress during a midterm election year and races this week offered a fresh reason for concern for Republicans.

Republican Clay Fuller won Greene’s district by about 12 percentage points. She had a 29-percentage-point win two years earlier, and Trump carried the district by almost 37 percentage points. In Wisconsin, the liberal majority on the state Supreme Court grew this week when a Democratic-backed candidate won by a double-digit margin.

That follows strong performances for Democrats in other recent races, including the Florida state legislative district that is home to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

Only about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approved of how Trump was handling his job as president, according to Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research polling last month. That share is largely unchanged since he returned to office in January 2025. But it is also roughly where Trump was at this point in his first term, when Democrats went on to gain 40 House seats in the 2018 midterms.

While Trump still has deep support from Republicans, there are signs that he risks frustrating his supporters if the U.S. becomes involved in a prolonged war. Although 63% of Republicans back airstrikes against Iranian military targets, the March survey found, only 20% back deploying American ground troops. Rising gas prices could pose a problem, with about 6 in 10 Republicans saying they are at least “somewhat” concerned about affording gas in the next few months, though they are less worried than the rest of the country.

‘People are willing to endure some short-term pain’

Republicans who have spent time with voters over the recess say they believe the party has political breathing room to navigate the war.

Kustoff said constituents across his rural northwestern Tennessee district seemed “generally supportive” of Trump's actions in Iran, even when they have been accompanied by higher prices at the pump.

“My takeaway is that people are willing to endure some short-term pain as it relates to gas prices if the situation with Iran is resolved," he said.

But as they return to Washington next week, Republicans face a series of difficult choices.

At the outset of the war, some GOP lawmakers said Trump would need to seek approval from Congress if the conflict lasted longer than 60 days, a deadline that would approach near the end of April if the ceasefire did not hold. The administration is seeking billions of dollars in additional spending for the war, setting up a vote that could put budget-conscious Republicans in a difficult spot before the fall campaigns.

Democrats are also moving to force another vote on a war powers resolution that would curb Trump's options in Iran. A similar effort failed last month, but another vote could add pressure on Republicans, depending on how the ceasefire plays out.

Schweikert described the war powers vote as the “dance of parties.”

“Their job is to try to embarrass us and our job as the majority is to try to make things work,” he said. “It's just the job.”

___

Peoples reported from New York and Kinnard from Columbia, S.C. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

It's an unprecedented situation, with the first American pope directly assailing the American president over the war in Iran, where a fragile ceasefire took hold this week. The announcement came after Pope Leo XIV declared that Trump's belligerence was “truly unacceptable.”

Never before has the relationship between Washington and the Vatican revolved around two Americans — specifically, a 79-year-old politician from Queens and a 70-year-old pontiff from Chicago. They come from the same generation and share some common cultural roots yet bring jarringly distinct approaches to their positions of vast power. And the relationship comes with risks for both sides.

“They’re two white guy boomers but they could not be any more different in their life experiences, in their values, in the way they have chosen to live those values,” said theology professor Natalia Imperatori-Lee of Fordham University. “This is a very stark contrast, and I think an inflection point for American Christianity.”

Polar positions on Iran among U.S. Christians

Experts on the Catholic Church emphasized that Leo’s opposition to the war reflects established church teachings, not the reflexive politics of the moment.

“For the last five centuries, the church has been involved in a project of helping develop strong international norms,” including the Geneva Conventions in recent centuries, said Catholic University professor William Barbieri. “It is a very long-standing tradition rooted in Scripture and theology and philosophy.”

Yet the U.S. administration, which has close ties to conservative evangelical Protestant leaders, has claimed heavenly endorsement for Trump’s war on Iran.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray for victory “in the name of Jesus Christ.” When Trump was asked whether he thought God approved of the war, he said, “I do, because God is good — because God is good and God wants to see people taken care of.”

The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of iconic Baptist evangelist Billy Graham, said of Trump that God “raised him up for such a time as this.” And Graham prayed for victory so Iranians can “be set free from these Islamic lunatics.”

Leo countered in his Palm Sunday message that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them.” He referenced an Old Testament passage from Isaiah, saying that “even though you make many prayers, I will not listen — your hands are full of blood.”

While it's not unusual for popes and presidents to be at cross purposes, it's exceedingly rare for the leader of the Catholic Church to directly criticize a U.S. leader, and Leo later named Trump directly and expressed optimism that the president would seek “an off-ramp” in Iran.

An even stronger condemnation came after Trump warned of mass strikes against Iranian power plants and infrastructure, writing on social media that “an entire civilization will die tonight.” Leo described that as a “threat against the entire people of Iran" and said it was "truly unacceptable.”

Experts: Leo doesn’t see himself as a Trump rival

Imperatori-Lee said Leo’s direct criticism stands out from the church's more general critiques of political and social systems. For example, Pope Francis urged U.S. bishops to defend migrants without specifically mentioning Trump or his deportation agenda. Leo also previously called for humane treatment of migrants.

“Popes have critiqued unfettered capitalism before, very robustly. The popes have critiqued the Industrial Revolution, right? Things that the U.S. has been at the forefront of,” Imperatori-Lee said, “but it’s never been this specific and localized.”

She said Leo’s commentary resonates in the U.S. — with Catholics and non-Catholics — because he is a native English speaker.

“There’s no question about his inflection and meaning,” she said. "It removes any ambiguities.”

Trump welcomed Leo’s election last May as a “great honor” for the country, and he hasn't responded to the latest criticisms. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

“What Pope Leo and Donald Trump have in common is they both lived through the post-war polarization,” including the political upheaval of the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War, said Steven Millies, a professor at Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union, one of the pope’s alma maters.

He noted that Leo is a subscriber to The New York Times, plays the “Wordle” game, keeps up with U.S. sports and talks regularly with his brothers, including an avowed Trump supporter.

“In some ways he’s just like us,” Millies said, someone “who understands where our domestic political crisis came from,” unlike the Argentinian Francis, “who did not fully understand the peculiarities of the United States” even as he offered implicit criticism.

Barbieri said Leo’s American savvy still does not change an underappreciated reality of Catholicism and the papacy. “The Catholic Church doesn’t neatly fit into either right or left boxes as they’re understood in U.S. politics,” he said.

Leo’s global focus vs. Trump’s ‘transactional’ politics

Leo spent much of his pre-papal ministry, including all his time as a bishop and cardinal, outside the U.S.

He was educated in Rome as a canon lawyer within the church. He was a bishop in poor, rural swaths of Peru. He led the Augustinian order and served as Francis’ prefect for recommending bishop appointees around the world.

Imperatori-Lee said that global reach gave him a first-hand perspective on how Washington's economic and military policies — including backing dictators in Latin America — have negatively affected less powerful nations and their citizens.

His varied experiences made then-Cardinal Robert Prevost uniquely suited to be elected pope despite the College of Cardinals’ traditional skepticism toward the U.S. and its superpower status. Millies argued that Trump and his advisers, even Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, may not appreciate those distinctions.

“This is an administration that seems to think only in terms of transactional politics — who’s for us and who’s against us,” he said.

Polarization poses risks for Leo and Trump

Relations between Washington and the Vatican have become so strained that a report of an allegedly contentious meeting involving Pentagon and Catholic Church officials sent shockwaves through both cities.

According to the report in The Free Press, a member of Trump's administration warned the church in January not to stand in the way of U.S. military might.

The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See rejected the report, writing on social media that “deliberate misrepresentation of these routine meetings sows unfounded division and misunderstanding.”

Millies, meanwhile, questioned whether anything the pope or U.S. bishops say can sway individual Catholics. Trump is likely to lose support among Catholics as he loses support across the broader electorate, Millies said, but that's not necessarily because members of Leo's flock are applying church doctrine.

“Partisan preferences always trump the religious commitments,” Millies said, describing a “disconnect” between church leaders and many parishioners who look to other sources, politicians included, when shaping their views of faith and politics.

“The icon of Catholicism in American politics now is JD Vance, and it’s more about winning an argument," he said. "It’s a very different emphasis, but it’s one that may suit the Trump administration very well.”

—-

Associated Press reporters Nicole Winfield in Rome and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Vice President JD Vance, who has long been skeptical of foreign military interventions and outspoken about the prospect of sending troops into open-ended conflicts, sets off Friday to lead mediated talks with Iran in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

It comes as a tenuous, temporary ceasefire appears to be on the precipice of collapsing. The chasm between Iran’s public demands and those from the U.S. and its partner Israel seem irreconcilable. And in the U.S., where Vance might ask voters in two years’ time to make him the next president, there is growing political and economic pressure to wrap it up.

Vance is joined by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who took part in three rounds of indirect talks with Iranian negotiators aimed at settling U.S. concerns about Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic weapons programs and its support for armed proxy groups in the Middle East before Trump and Israel launched the Feb. 28 war against Iran.

The White House has provided scant detail about the format of the talks — whether they will be direct or indirect — and has not provided specific expectations for the meeting.

But the arrival of Vance for negotiations marks a rare moment of high-level U.S. government engagement with the Iranian government. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the most direct contact had been when President Barack Obama in September 2013 called newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.

The two sides face a steep climb in making headway

Almost immediately after the White House and Iran announced a temporary ceasefire Tuesday evening, the sides found themselves at odds over terms of the truce.

Iran insisted that an end to the Israeli war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump said the truce did not cover Lebanon and the Israeli operations there continued.

The U.S., meanwhile, demanded that Iran make good on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Republic had closed the critical shipping waterway in response to Israel’s intensifying attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

Trump on Thursday night said Iran was “doing a very poor job” of allowing oil tankers to pass through, writing on social media, “That is not the agreement we have!”

White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Vance, Witkoff, Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio “have always been collaborating on these discussions” and said Trump was optimistic that a lasting deal can be reached during the two-week ceasefire. “President Trump has a proven track record of achieving good deals on behalf of the United States and the American people, and he will only accept one that puts America first,” Kelly said.

High stakes for peace — and for politics

It’s the highest-stakes moment thus far for Vance, who spent much of last year as more of a background player in the Trump White House, especially as others like Elon Musk and Rubio took turns as ever-present advisers for the president.

But Vance’s portfolio is fattening fast, first with a mission to root out fraud in government programs at home and now to help solve a U.S. war in the Middle East, where complicated doesn’t even begin to describe things.

Vance, who served in the Iraq War while in the Marines, spent two years as a U.S. senator and a little more than one as vice president, has little diplomatic experience.

On Wednesday, he dismissed speculation that the Iranians requested that he join the talks, telling reporters: “I don’t know that. I would be surprised if that was true. But, you know, I wanted to be involved because I thought I could make a difference.”

Jonathan Schanzer, a former Treasury Department official who is now executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank, said Vance, with little experience on Iran policy, is an interesting choice to lead the delegation.

Trump has noted his vice president was “less enthusiastic” than other top senior officials in the Republican administration, making Vance an intriguing interlocutor for the Iranian side, Schanzer said.

“I think they probably prefer him knowing that his perspective on foreign intervention is one of skepticism,” Schanzer said of the Iranians. “I do think that he’s going to need some help. I don’t think he’s ever been engaged in negotiations with this kind of weight, this kind of seriousness. This is as serious as it gets.”

The White House has not detailed who will be in the negotiations besides Vance, Witkoff and Kushner, but Kelly said officials from the National Security Council, State Department and Pentagon “will also play a supportive role.”

During early rounds of indirect nuclear talks with the Iranians before the war, Democrats and some nuclear experts questioned whether Kushner and Witkoff had enough technical knowledge. The White House has not said whether the pair, whom Trump has entrusted with some of his most difficult negotiations since returning to office, had a nuclear expert with them for those talks.

Negotiating peace is a tall order for any vice president

It’s not unusual for vice presidents to take on important negotiating roles for the president, said Joel Goldstein, a professor of law at Saint Louis University who is an expert on the history of the vice presidency.

But, he said, “I don’t recall a situation where a vice president has been sent to negotiate a ceasefire or peace in connection with a war the United States was involved with.”

Vance and Rubio are seen as the Republican Party’s strongest potential 2028 presidential contenders, though neither has given a clear answer about whether he intends to run.

The vice president's team is not thinking about the negotiations with an eye to future political considerations, according to a person familiar with discussions who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

As vice president, Vance inherently would carry any baggage of the administration if he eventually does run for president, Goldstein said. But stepping in to lead negotiations even further identifies him with the conflict.

“The fact that he’s involved in the negotiations in a very visible way, that means that, if things go south, that people will be pointing fingers at him,” Goldstein said.

At the same time, Goldstein said, “If things go well, then it will be something that he could point to.”

It’s Peking One on North Kendall Drive.

Inspectors documented everything from rodent droppings and roach activity to unsafe food handling and filthy conditions, a combination that is simply unacceptable for any establishment serving the public.

What’s even more troubling, when inspectors returned the very next day, many of those same violations were still there, showing a failure to fix serious problems immediately.

Below is a list of places ordered shut last week and their violations.

No restaurants in Broward County or the Florida Keys were ordered shut down last week.

All of the places mentioned were allowed to re-open following an ordered cleanup and re-inspection.

**PEKING ONE

KENDALL PARK PLAZA

16229 SW 88TH STREET (NORTH KENDALL DRIVE)

WEST KENDALL

ORDERED SHUT 3/30

70 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found. Observed approximately 40 rodent droppings inside an empty walk in cooler used as single services items storage inside kitchen area. Observed approximately 15 rodent droppings behind water heater in back storage area. Observed approximately 8 rodent droppings on dry storage shelf in back dry storage area.”

“Roach excrement and/or droppings present. Observed approximately 30 roach droppings on top of a plastic container inside the empty walk in cooler.”

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed one flying insect in the air inside personal employee restroom.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed dead roach on the floor inside employee restroom.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed raw chicken stored over cooked noodles inside walk in cooler.”

“Raw animal foods not properly separated from each other in holding unit based upon minimum required cooking temperature. Observed raw chicken stored over raw beef inside walk in cooler.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed sprouts (57F - Cold Holding) chicken (45F - Cold Holding); breaded chicken (44F - Cold Holding) raw chicken (43F - Cold Holding) at the reach in cooler located across the cook line.”

“Shell eggs not stored at an ambient air temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Observed several raw shelled eggs on top of prep table at ambient air temperature.”

“Nonfood-grade bags used in direct contact with food. Observed non food grade bags used to store frozen shrimp and pork inside white chest freezer near front counter.”

“Employee coughed, sneezed, used a handkerchief or disposable tissue then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Observed male employee coughing and immediately touching clean utensils at the cook line.”

“Container of medicine improperly stored. Observed prescription medicine bottles stored on shelf above prep table in kitchen.”

“Toxic substance/chemical improperly stored. Observed sanitizing solution stored next to single service articles.”

“Wiping cloth sanitizer solution exceeds the maximum concentration allowed. Observed chlorine sanitizer solution at 200+PPM in sanitizer bucket. Operator add more water. Finale reading: Sanitizer Bucket (Chlorine 100ppm) Corrected On-Site.”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed reach in cooler in disrepair across from cook line.” Repeat Violation

“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Observed heavy grease accumulation on all reach-in freezer gaskets and soiled shelving throughout the walk-in cooler.” Repeat Violation

“Employee experiencing persistent sneezing, coughing, runny nose, or discharge from eyes working with food, clean equipment or utensils, and/or unwrapped single-service items. Observed male employee working at cook line with persistent coughing preparing food.”

“Employee with no hair restraint while engaging in food preparation.”

“Employee personal items stored in or above a food preparation area, food, clean equipment and utensils, or single-service items.”

“Food stored on floor. Observed bag of sugar stored on floor.”

“Stored food not covered. Observed container with wontons not covered inside chest freezer at kitchen entrance.”

“Working containers of food removed from original container not identified by common name. Observed several working containers with oils and seasonings with no labels.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed hood filters at the cook line soiled. Observed reach in cooler gaskets located across the cook line soiled.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed several food containers at the prep station soiled.”

“Cutting board has cut marks and is no longer cleanable. Observed white cutting board at prep table with cut marks and no longer cleanable.”

“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. Observed heavy accumulation of grease and grime on floors throughout the kitchen, including underneath the fryer, behind the chest reach in freezer, and along floor surfaces throughout the cooking area.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed wall behind cook line soiled. Observed wall next to cook line soiled.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. Observed several ceiling vents soiled in kitchen and back prep area.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Observed kitchen ceiling tiles with water damage.”

“Ceiling tile missing. Observed ceiling tile on top of hand wash sink at kitchen entrance.”

“Ceiling not smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable in food preparation, food storage, or ware washing areas.”

“Building components, attachments or fixtures in poor repair. Observed hood system at the cook line in disrepair.”

“Plumbing system in disrepair. Observed hand sink pipe is broken in dish area. Observed pipes underneath three compartment sink in disrepair.”

“Water leaking from pipe and/or faucet/handle. Observed pipe inside walk in cooler ventilation system leaking water.”

“Light not functioning. Observed lights in kitchen area not working properly.”

“Fifty (50) foot-candles of light not provided at a food working surface or where safety is a factor. Observed lack of adequate lighting in the kitchen area, inoperative/ burned-out light bulbs in the hood.”

“Bathroom facility not clean. Observed soiled employees bathroom inside kitchen area. Observed public bathroom not clean.”

“Bathroom facility in disrepair. Observed personal employee restroom in complete disrepair.”

“Bathroom door left open other than during cleaning or maintenance. Observed public restroom door left open.”

“Bathroom located inside establishment not completely enclosed with tight-fitting, self-closing doors. Observed personal employee restroom not self closing.”

“Bathroom waste receptacle not constructed of easily cleanable material. Observed public unisex bathroom waste receptacle unclean able.”

“Covered waste receptacle not provided in women’s bathroom. Observed public unisex restroom with uncovered waste receptacle.”

“Toilet/urinal not flushing/functioning properly. Observed employee restroom in back kitchen area not functioning properly.”

“Objectionable odors in bathroom or other areas of the establishment. Observed personal employee restroom with strong objectionable odor.”

“No soap provided at handwash sink. Observed no soap at hand wash station next to three compartment sink.”

“No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink. Observed no paper towels at hand wash sink near three compartment sink.”

“No chemical test kit provided when using sanitizer at three-compartment ware washing machine or wiping cloths. Observed no chlorine test kit for three compartment sink.”

“Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing. Observed aluminum scrunch inside hand wash sink.”

“Lack of toilet tissue at each toilet. Observed no toilet paper in employee restroom.”

“Establishment has no written procedures for employees to follow in response to a vomiting or diarrheal event where the vomit or diarrhea is discharged onto surfaces in the establishment.”

“Cleaned and sanitized equipment or utensils not properly stored. Observed clean utensils stored next to soiled utensils in back storage area.”

“Cloth used as a food-contact surface. Observed cloth used to cover food at the cook line.”

“Bowl or other container with no handle used to dispense food. Observed plastic bowl with no handle inside bin of salt.”

“Reuse of single-service or single-use articles. Observed single use cans being reused to store other sauces.”

“Single-service articles improperly stored. Observed single service articles store next to chemicals near dry storage area.”

“In-use knife/knives stored in cracks between pieces of equipment. Observed knifes stored between two reach in coolers.”

“In-use tongs stored on equipment door handle between uses. Observed a set of tongs stored on oven door handle.”

“Ice buildup in reach-in freezer and/or walk-in freezer. Observed ice buildup at both chest reach in freezer in establishment.”

“Reach-in cooler shelves with rust that has pitted the surface. Observed reach-in cooler shelves with rust across wok stations.”

“Walk-in cooler/freezer shelves with rust that has pitted the surface. Observed shelves with rust located inside walk in cooler.”

“Exterior door has a gap at the threshold that opens to the outside. Observed aluminum scrunch gap at screen exit door.”

“Screen in door torn/in poor repair. Observed back door screen in disrepair.”

“Hole in or other damage to wall. Observed damage to wall near back hand wash sink.”

“Cove molding at floor/wall juncture broken/missing. Observed missing cove molding at hand wash sink located at kitchen entrance.”

“Cardboard used on floor as anti-slip measure not replaced every day or when heavily soiled, whichever comes first. Observed soiled cardboard inside walk in cooler.”

“Current Hotel and Restaurant license not displayed. Observed current license not displayed. Observed license from October 1, 2025 posted on wall.”

“No waste receptacle installed at handwash sink provided with disposable towels located at right kitchen entrance.”

“No container installed for catching grease from hood drip tray. Observed no hood drip container at the cook line.”

“No Heimlich maneuver/choking sign posted.”

FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION 3/21

66 VIOLATIONS STILL EXISTED:

“Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found. Approximately 6 rodent droppings on the floor under cook line, 5 rodent droppings on the floor inside walk in cooler used as dry food storage, 6 rodent droppings on shelves above and behind food preparation counter and steam table.”

“Roach excrement and/or droppings present. Approximately 10 or more roach excrement on shelves behind steam table.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed raw chicken stored over cooked noodles inside walk in cooler.”

“Raw animal foods not properly separated from each other in holding unit based upon minimum required cooking temperature. Observed raw chicken stored over raw beef inside walk in cooler.”

“Nonfood-grade bags used in direct contact with food. Observed nonfood grade bags used to store frozen shrimp and pork inside white chest freezer near front counter.”

“Employee coughed, sneezed, used a handkerchief or disposable tissue then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Observed male employee coughing and immediately touching clean utensils at the cook line.”

“Container of medicine improperly stored. Observed prescription medicine bottles stored on shelf above prep table in kitchen.”

“Toxic substance/chemical improperly stored. Observed sanitizing solution stored next to single service articles.”

“Wiping cloth sanitizer solution exceeds the maximum concentration allowed. Observed chlorine sanitizer solution at 200+PPM in sanitizer bucket. Operator add more water. Finale reading: Sanitizer Bucket (Chlorine 100ppm).”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed reach in cooler in disrepair across from cook line.” Repeat Violation

“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Observed heavy grease accumulation on all reach-in freezer gaskets and soiled shelving throughout the walk-in cooler.” Repeat Violation

“Employee experiencing persistent sneezing, coughing, runny nose, or discharge from eyes working with food, clean equipment or utensils, and/or unwrapped single-service items. Observed male employee working at cook line with persistent coughing preparing food.”

“Employee personal items stored in or above a food preparation area, food, clean equipment and utensils, or single-service items.”

“Employee with no hair restraint while engaging in food preparation.”

“Food stored on floor. Observed bag of sugar stored on floor.”

“Stored food not covered. Observed container with wontons not covered inside chest freezer at kitchen entrance.”

“Working containers of food removed from original container not identified by common name. Observed several working containers with oils and seasonings with no labels.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed hood filters at the cook line soiled. Observed reach in cooler gaskets located across the cook line soiled.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed several food containers at the prep station soiled.”

“Cutting board has cut marks and is no longer cleanable. Observed white cutting board at prep table with cut marks and no longer cleanable.”

“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. Observed heavy accumulation of grease and grime on floors throughout the kitchen, including underneath the fryer, behind the chest reach in freezer, and along floor surfaces throughout the cooking area.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed wall behind cook line soiled. Observed wall next to cook line soiled.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. Observed several ceiling vents soiled in kitchen and back prep area.”

“Plumbing system in disrepair. Observed pipes underneath three compartment sink in disrepair.”

“Water leaking from pipe and/or faucet/handle. Observed pipe inside walk in cooler ventilation system leaking water.”

“Light not functioning. Observed lights in kitchen area not working properly.”

“Fifty (50) foot-candles of light not provided at a food working surface or where safety is a factor. Observed lack of adequate lighting in the kitchen area, inoperative/ burned-out light bulbs in the hood.”

“Bathroom facility not clean. Observed soiled employees bathroom inside kitchen area. Observed public bathroom not clean.”

“Bathroom facility in disrepair. Observed personal employee restroom in complete disrepair.”

“Bathroom door left open other than during cleaning or maintenance. Observed public restroom door left open.”

“Bathroom located inside establishment not completely enclosed with tight-fitting, self-closing doors. Observed personal employee restroom not self-closing.”

“Bathroom waste receptacle not constructed of easily cleanable material. Observed public unisex bathroom waste receptacle unclean able.”

“Covered waste receptacle not provided in women’s bathroom. Observed public unisex restroom with uncovered waste receptacle.”

“Toilet/urinal not flushing/functioning properly. Observed employee restroom in back kitchen area not functioning properly.”

“Objectionable odors in bathroom or other areas of the establishment. Observed personal employee restroom with strong objectionable odor.”

“No soap provided at handwash sink. Observed no soap at hand wash station next to three compartment sink.”

“No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink. Observed no paper towels at hand wash sink near three compartment sink.”

“No chemical test kit provided when using sanitizer at three-compartment ware washing machine or wiping cloths. Observed no chlorine test kit for three compartment sink.”

“Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing. Observed aluminum scrunch inside hand wash sink.”

“Lack of toilet tissue at each toilet. Observed no toilet paper in employee restroom.”

“Establishment has no written procedures for employees to follow in response to a vomiting or diarrheal event where the vomit or diarrhea is discharged onto surfaces in the establishment.”

**LA VITA E BELLA

9485 HARDING AVE.

SURFSIDE

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

ORDERED SHUT 3/30

7 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed 2 live roaches on crawling on the floor in restroom near back storage area, observed 2 live roaches crawling under coffee machine at front counter inside the kitchen area, observed 1 live roach crawling on hand wash sink at front counter inside the kitchen.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed 1 dead roach on the floor in front of restroom near dry storage area, 2 dead roaches on the floor in restroom behind garbage can.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food thawed in an improper manner. Observed 2 packs of salmon thawing submerged in water.”

“Employee with no hair restraint while engaging in food preparation. Observed employees engaged in food preparation with no hair restraint.”

“No currently certified food service manager on duty with four or more employees engaged in food preparation/handling.”

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

“No proof of required state approved employee training provided for any employees.”

FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION 3/31

“Observed 1 live roach crawling on wall above hand wash sink in kitchen, 1 live roach crawling on coffee station counter inside kitchen, 2 live roaches crawling near register at front counter of kitchen, 1 live roach crawling on wall near fire extinguisher at entrance of kitchen, 1 live roach crawling on ceiling vent in storage room near restroom, 1 live roach crawling on the floor in front of restroom near storage room, 1 live roach crawling on floor near 3 compartment sink on cook line, 1 live roach crawling on prep table at cook line.”

“Observed 4 dead roaches in hand wash sink in kitchen, 3 dead roaches on coffee station in kitchen.”

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

Moments later, the five baby kittens spill out onto the ground as the woman walks away -- passing right by a man who was out walking his dog.

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

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

All five have since been adopted.

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

Luciano was booked into jail Thursday afternoon.

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

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

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

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

According to the arrest form, police interviewed the boy and he said “mommy drop me off and left me.”

Police say the boy has delayed speech, making it difficult for them to get information from him.

Police were able to locate the boy’s home, and arrested the mother after she said she didn’t know he was gone.

She was identified as 30-year-old Annie Rivera.

Rivera is facing a child neglect with no bodily harm charge.

Police say the boy’s school saw the flier and told police his name and where he lives.

The boy is now in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

According to police, no one was found injured at the scene.

However, about six minutes away, near Northwest 21st Avenue and 69th Street, Miami-Dade deputies say they responded to reports of a man in his late 40s who had been shot.

Police say the man was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s trauma center.

His injuries are currently unknown.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Hollywood homicide detectives believe Garcia, now 21, tried to cover up his death with the help of the baby’s father, Anfernee Watts, according to police.

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

“You know, when you see someone, when they have passed? Like, it was like that,” Garcia told police officers on Wednesday as she confessed to accidentally smothering the baby, according to a police report.

The couple, who also has a 2-year-old child, appeared in court on Thursday in Broward County. A judge denied them bond.

Watts, 25, and Garcia “admitted to fabricating a story to present to law enforcement, placing the deceased baby back into the playpen in an effort to make it appear as though the baby died in his sleep,” a police officer wrote, according to an arrest warrant.

Their son was born on July 11 at Memorial Regional Hospital, according to police.

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

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

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

The couple allegedly tried “placing the deceased baby back into the playpen in an effort to make it appear as though the baby died in his sleep,” a detective wrote, according to an arrest warrant.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corrections was holding Garcia without bond on Thursday evening at the North Broward Bureau, a detention center in Pompano Beach, and Watts at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, according to inmate records.

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

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

Read a part of the arrest warrant

Related afternoon report

The Penguins clinched a playoff spot Thursday night by beating New Jersey, ending their postseason drought that lasted three seasons. They had made 16 postseason appearances in a row before that, last missing in Sidney Crosby's rookie year in 2005-06, with that stretch including three Stanley Cup titles.

"That’s why you play — that’s the best time of year," Crosby said. “I know how hard it is. I think I understand that. We had some tough ones where it came down to the last day and didn’t get in, and you don’t ever know. But I thought right from camp, we’ve had those intentions and had that belief."

It was an up-and-down season that included an eight-game skid in December and a pair of six-game winning streaks later in the winter. Far from assured a place in the field in late March when the Eastern Conference race was a crowded mess, they've won five of six games since March 30 to get in.

“A couple weeks ago (we realized) it’s really in our hands (because we) play a lot of the teams in it,” defenseman Connor Clifton said. “We figured it was going to work itself out, and first and foremost it’s about us and getting points and we’ve done that, so it’s been good.”

It has also been a surprise. Pittsburgh was a 6-1 long shot to qualify before the puck dropped on opening night, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. This looked like one last kick at it together for an aging core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, who at 20 seasons together are the longest-tenured trio of teammates in North American professional sports.

Instead, new coach Dan Muse has made general manager Kyle Dubas look brilliant for hiring him from relative anonymity: five years as an assistant under Peter Laviolette with Nashville and the New York Rangers. Succeeding two-time Cup-winner Mike Sullivan was not an easy task, but Muse aced the test in his first chance to run an NHL bench.

“He’s been great: Calm there behind the bench, and he’s just a really personable guy, easy to talk to away from the rink,” forward Justin Brazeau said. "Any time you create that atmosphere in here, it’s not too tense or anything like that. I think guys are just willing to go out there and play free.”

Center Ben Kindel, picked 11th in the draft last year, made the team at 18. Defenseman Erik Karlsson thrived at 35. Crosby was a point-a-game player for a 21st consecutive season, even if it was interrupted by the injury that knocked him out of the Olympics.

“It takes everybody,” Crosby said. "Everybody has had a part in this. Obviously it’s a team game, but especially with this group: With the injuries and all the different guys in and out, everybody’s contributed to us getting there.”

Muse, like Crosby, saw evidence in training camp that this was a playoff-caliber team.

“I just saw the competitive nature of the group,” Muse said. "There’s ebbs and flows in every season, but I think this group has just continued to grow. Enjoy it for a little bit, a minute, and then it’s just continuing that preparation. It’s a big step for the group. I’m really proud of these guys, happy for these guys, the staff, everybody involved. The players have done a great job with it throughout the year. We talked about earning things at the beginning of the year. This group earned it.”

___

AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The Board of Immigration Appeals issued the final order of removal on Thursday, according to Khalil's lawyers. The board’s rulings are not public, and an inquiry to the U.S. Department of Justice was not immediately returned.

Khalil said he was not surprised by the ruling, which he called “biased and politically motivated.” His attorneys said he cannot be lawfully detained or deported as he pursues a separate case in the federal court system.

“The only thing I am guilty of is speaking out against the genocide in Palestine — and this administration has weaponized the immigration system to punish me for it,” Khalil said in a statement.

The Board of Immigration Appeals sets precedent in the byzantine immigration court system, which is controlled by the Department of Justice — and increasingly under the influence of the Trump administration.

Khalil, a 31-year-old legal permanent resident, was the first person whose arrest became publicly known during the federal crackdown on noncitizens who publicly criticized Israel and its actions in Gaza.

The government has claimed that Khalil's efforts as a leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia were “aligned to Hamas.” They have not presented evidence of any connection to the terrorist group, and Khalil has adamantly denied allegations of antisemitism.

After his arrest last March, Khalil spent 104 days in an immigration jail, missing the birth of his first child, before he was ordered released by a federal judge in New Jersey.

Khalil suffered a significant setback in his federal case earlier this year, with a U.S. appeals panel ruling the judge in New Jersey overstepped his authority by releasing him. In a 2-1 decision, the panel found that law requires the case to fully move through the immigration courts before Khalil can challenge the decision in federal court.

Khalil’s lawyers are requesting the full appeals panel reconsider the decision. Earlier this month, they asked one of the appellate panel’s judges to step aside because of his previous role as a top Justice Department official involved in investigating student protesters.

Khalil was born in Syria to a Palestinian family and holds Algerian citizenship through a distant relative. He has said that he could be targeted, and even killed, if he is deported.

The omission of one of the group's biggest fan bases comes as no surprise. In fact, just the opposite would have been huge news. China has blocked most South Korean entertainment since 2016 under an unofficial ban that also restricts movies and the country's popular TV dramas. For some Chinese, that means flying to Seoul to see their favorite groups perform — as many were expected to do for three shows opening the tour this week and weekend.

China has long used trade restrictions in geopolitical disputes. The trigger for the entertainment ban was a South Korean decision to allow the United States to deploy an anti-missile system on its soil. What sets the ban apart is how long it has lasted, something analysts attribute to government concern about the massive popularity of Korean music and videos. China is a robust defender of its own cultural products.

Rumblings that the ban could be eased — an expectation South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has publicly voiced as he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping seek to improve ties — have thrust it back into the news.

China’s use of economic pressure signals the government’s resolve, clarifies what it considers unacceptable and reinforces nationalism at home, said Seung-Youn Oh, a Bryn Mawr College professor who is writing a book on China’s use of informal economic sanctions.

“From China’s perspective, these actions go beyond symbolism,” she said in a written response to questions. “They are strategic tools to shape the international environment.”

The ban is not total

Many K-pop groups have non-Korean members, and they have been allowed to perform in China. Pop-up stores selling K-pop merchandise attract lines of fans and require advance reservations during peak hours.

For video, the growth of streaming means dramas are accessible to an extent — though the latest ones may be pirated versions. A check of four major Chinese platforms found a limited selection of about 50 dramas, and all at least four years old.

The ban does not apply in Macao and Hong Kong — where the BTS tour lands in 2027 — because both are special regions in China with their own governments and laws.

“I’m already really grateful that they can perform in places like Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan,” said Tian Xin, who was in Seoul last month for a free comeback concert ahead of the tour. “The rest is a matter of national policy. Of course, I still hope they can come closer to us — fans always want that.”

The missile defense system, known by the acronym THAAD, is aimed at the North Korean threat, but China said its radar could be reconfigured to peer into its territory. Though the U.S. operates the system, it was South Korea's decision to allow the deployment that angered China.

Besides the entertainment ban, China also drove out a South Korean supermarket chain. The THAAD system remains — though recent security camera footage and other images have sparked speculation that the U.S. may have shipped some of the interceptor missiles to the Mideast for the war against Iran.

China's concerns about K-pop fandom

At first, China welcomed the “Korean Wave” as a cultural import compatible with its political system and a substitute for Western pop culture, the Korea Creative Content Agency, a government group, said in a report earlier this year. But the surging popularity of Korean music and dramas in the 2010s turned it into something that, the report said, needed to be controlled.

“The Chinese government had never experienced anything like that before,” said Dong-ha Kim, a professor at the Busan University of Foreign Studies.

“While the dispute over THAAD happened to coincide with that period, Beijing’s fundamental concern goes deeper,” he said. “It cannot allow foreign culture to shape the thinking of its young people, especially when its government has no control over the content.”

The government banned effeminate-looking men from TV in 2021, a look that Chinese pop stars likely picked up from South Korean and Japanese performers.

China also wants to develop its own pop culture as a form of soft power. Think the Labubu doll craze and the food and drinks chains.

“China wants cultural governance — to grow its own music industry," said Hyunji Lee, a financial analyst who covers the entertainment sector. "If K-pop floods back in, there’s a direct conflict.”

China is mum on the ban

China, though, has never acknowledged that a prohibition exists.

“China has never imposed any so-called bans on the Republic of Korea,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in 2022. Another spokesperson, Lin Jian, said last September that China has no objection to “healthy and beneficial” cultural exchange with South Korea.

Hopes for lifting the ban rose after Lee and Xi met twice. During Lee's visit to China in January, the two governments signed an agreement to expand cultural and content exchange — but only gradually, and starting with just soccer and the traditional board game called go.

Xi quoted two Chinese idioms, according to the South Korean side: “Three feet of ice does not form in a single day" and "Fruit falls only when it ripens.” They suggest that any opening will take time and happen when the conditions are right.

On Chinese social media, some people said that K-pop — with its suggestive dance moves — is not appropriate for children. Others warned that Korean entertainment could overwhelm the domestic industry. Fans looked forward to performances in China that would save them from red-eye flights and the cost of hotel stays abroad.

Yu Sang, a fan and event organizer, flew to Seoul five times last year for K-pop events and organized one for “KPop Demon Hunters” at a shopping mall in Beijing on New Year's Eve.

“The fans in China are incredibly devoted,” she said. “If you go to the Arctic, I’ll go to the Arctic with you.”

South Korea looks beyond China

The ban has reshaped how South Korean entertainment companies see the Chinese market.

Drama producers have felt the loss most acutely and have more to gain from an opening-up than the K-pop industry, said Lee, the financial analyst.

Pirated versions don't generate income for the producers. The dramas are on small apps and sometimes disappear after a few days, according to reports posted by individuals on social media. Some of the apps themselves disappear, then reappear with slightly altered names.

Netflix and Disney+, which distribute most South Korean dramas globally, are blocked in China. They can be accessed using a virtual private network, which is illegal to do (though enforcement is spotty).

The K-pop industry has restructured so that China is no longer critical. Japan has become the anchor market, while North America has emerged as the primary growth frontier.

“China matters,” Lee said, “but it’s not something companies are desperately waiting on anymore.”

___

Park reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Fu Ting in Washington and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed.

Schaefer's record-tying goal came at 9:39 of the second period and gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs as New York went on to win 5-3. Schaefer beat goaltender Artur Akhtyamov through the legs following a pass from Tony DeAngelo.

“It’s crazy. You don’t really think about that stuff,” Schaefer said when asked how it feels to be mentioned alongside Leetch. “But obviously when it gets brought up it’s crazy to think. It’s definitely an honor to see some of those guys and what they’ve done.”

Schaefer, 18, continues to deliver one of the most remarkable rookie seasons by a player at his position in league history. He ranks second on the Islanders with 59 points, showcasing elite offensive ability from the blue line.

The goal was his first since March 21 against Montreal, ending a brief drought while adding another milestone to his growing resume.

“Watching him from the bench, live, it’s just, wow, what a player,” Peter DeBoer said of Schaefer after his first game as the Islanders' coach. “I watched him a lot on video as we were scouting for the Olympics. To see him live like that, at the age he’s at, and how dynamic he is, both ends of the rink, defensively, in particular. I know the offensive stuff, but for a young player how defensively aware he is and how much he works at the defensive piece of the game too. He’s a really, really special player.”

Selected first in the draft last year, Schaefer entered the league following an injury-shortened junior season but quickly made an impact. He became the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record a point in his debut and has since set multiple age-based records.

He's now one away from passing Leetch, who set the record in 1988-89 and won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Schaefer is the front-runner for the same honor.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Last week, FIFA had asked for a top price of $2,735 for category 1 tickets for the match but added new “front category” pricing.

FIFA also added a front category 2 tier to its ticket sales website without public announcement, asking $1,940 to $2,330 for those tickets for the U.S. opener. The new categories were first reported Thursday by The Athletic.

The World Cup will be held from June 11 to July 19 in 16 cities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Soccer’s governing body had in its Sept. 9 “ticket products and categories” information called category 1 “the highest-priced seats, located primarily in the lower tier” but appears to have withheld some seats from that category. It had labeled category 2 as “positioned outside of category 1 areas, available in both lower and upper tiers.”

FIFA did not respond to an email sent to its media office seeking comment.

FIFA added seats at up to $3,360 in front category 1 for Canada’s opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto.

For round of 16 games, it added $905 seats in Philadelphia.

FIFA last week raised its top ticket price for the World Cup final to $10,990 during the glitch-hampered reopening of sales. The price had been $8,680 when FIFA sold tickets after the tournament draw in December.

FIFA’s category 2 tickets for the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were $7,380, up from $5,575, and category 3 cost $5,785, an increase from $4,185.

No tickets appeared to be available for the final on Thursday on FIFA's ticket site.

___

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

Might be better off that he's not back in the lead, too.

Rose has held at least a share of the first-round lead a record five times at Augusta National, including last year, but he's never been able to carry it through the finish. So, Rose's bogey-bogey conclusion to his opening round Thursday, which left the three-time runner-up with a 70 and three shots back of McIlroy and early leader Sam Burns, might not be the worst thing in the world.

Only trouble is there are a whole lot of big names in the same pack giving chase.

Former Masters champion Patrick Reed was joined by Jason Day and Kurt Kitayama at 3 under, while Rose was in the group another shot back, along with Scottie Scheffler, Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele — all of them major champions.

“Every hole you're just being patient through experience,” Rose said, “knowing that grinding out the pars is a good thing. Just eating up the holes is a good thing. You know, getting through Amen Corner is a good thing. All of these things — you just know how the golf course can play at times, yeah, so every little mini-victory you had out there was worth celebrating.”

Most of the best scores Thursday were posted by those with early tee times, who took advantage of a little less wind and much softer greens. By the afternoon, the breeze was swirling, the sun had baked the putting surfaces and many of them felt like concrete.

“Every player would say they would like it firm and fast,” Rose said, “but I think there’s, like, a boundary to that.”

The tough conditions left Schauffele pondering a slightly different approach to his second round Friday.

“Potentially attack less, to be honest,” he said. “You know, less attack and a little more conservative. I mean, there are some nice scores up there early from what I can see. ... You just have to be driving it really far to have a shorter club in, or got to be hitting your spots.”

Rose and Scheffler were both able to hit their spots early in their rounds.

By the end of them, the course was at its toughest.

Rose started off with back-to-back birdies at the second and third, added another at the eighth and twice reached 4 under on the second nine before finishing with consecutive bogeys. Scheffler got off to a similarly hot start with an eagle at the par-5 second and a birdie after driving the green at the par-4 third, only to play a birdieless final 15 holes in 2 over.

That also ended Scheffler's streak of four consecutive sub-70 opening rounds at the Masters.

But it left him very much in contention with 54 holes to play.

“I feel like I played really solid,” Scheffler said. “There were a few putts I felt like I made that lipped out or stayed right on the edge. But other than that, really, really a lot of good stuff. I hit it nice. Drove it well today. Hit some good iron shots.

“But you know, like you said, it got so firm late in the day. It was pretty challenging.”

___

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

After prodding China, which is more reliant on Persian Gulf oil than the U.S., to get involved in reopening the choked-off Strait of Hormuz, President Donald Trump told the French news outlet Agence France-Presse this week that he believed China played a part in encouraging Iran to agree to this week’s temporary truce.

Three diplomats who were familiar with China’s behind-the-scenes efforts also confirmed that Beijing, the biggest purchaser of Iranian oil, used its leverage to urge the Iranians back to the negotiating table.

It was a major moment for Beijing, which had decried the U.S. and Israel’s war against its economic partner Iran as misguided before getting directly involved in the push to call off the fighting, including discouraging strikes by Iran. Talks between the sides are expected to begin in Pakistan this weekend.

With the precarious truce hanging in the balance, China will now need to make a careful calculation about whether it will tread deeper into the waters of diplomacy as its weighs the impact that a long-lasting war could have on the global economy. Middle East turmoil goes against Beijing’s interests, while its efforts may boost its global standing and strengthen its hand in negotiating thorny trade issues during Trump’s visit to China next month.

“Beijing is not in the business of expending its leverage as a favor to others or for the greater good,” said Danny Russel, a former senior diplomat in President Barack Obama’s administration.

Iran war puts pressure on China’s economy

Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, told reporters this week that China “has worked actively to help bring about an end to the conflict.”

The Chinese economy is already feeling pressure from Iran’s effective shuttering of the Strait of Hormuz, where about 20% of the world’s crude normally flows. The blockade is having an enormous impact on Asia, a factor that seems to have informed the Chinese government’s efforts to consult with Pakistan to help mediate a two-week ceasefire.

China does not appear interested in providing guarantees for Iran’s long-term security as part of a deal to end hostilities, something Tehran has hoped for and sees as critical to deterring the U.S and Israel from carrying out strikes in the future.

Iran’s ambassador to China suggested this week that its two closest allies — China and Russia — as well as the United Nations ensure the guarantee, which Tehran has sought before without success. Asked about that possibility, Mao would only say that “we hope that all parties will resolve their disputes through dialogue and negotiation.”

Still, Chinese officials are cognizant that a lasting war threatens to have real impact on Beijing’s bottom line. Premier Li Qiang announced last month that the government was projecting relatively modest 4.5% to 5% economic growth this year during a property slump and growing uncertainty around the globe. It’s the lowest growth target since 1991.

Ultimately, China’s foremost goal is “growth and development,” according to one of the diplomats familiar with Chinese deliberations on the war.

The diplomat, who like the others was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, added that a continued closure of the strait ran counter to that interest. It not only limits the flow of a significant supply of crude to China but also cuts off an important shipping lane for Chinese exports to the Mideast.

How Iran diplomacy could play into the Trump-Xi meeting

Trump will likely underscore that argument to Chinese President Xi Jinping during their much-anticipated Beijing summit next month. The talks, which were originally slated for this month, were pushed back so Trump could oversee the U.S. bombardment of Iran.

“That the United States and Iran have at least temporarily edged away from the precipice of a catastrophic escalation owes in part to China’s support for the ceasefire that Pakistan brokered,” said Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy adviser for U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group. “Even if short-lived, that breakthrough affords Beijing another opportunity to present itself as a stabilizing force and Washington as a reckless one.”

To be certain, China’s view is shaped by a heavy measure of skepticism.

Some in Beijing see Trump’s decision to launch the Iran war, as well as the military operation in January to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, as being at least partially motivated by his strategy at containing China, diplomats say. Beijing was a major customer and investor in the South American country’s oil industry.

Privately, the Chinese have made clear that the U.S. and Iran would have to show compromise for a deal to coalesce. Beijing also is looking to press Trump to remove sanctions on Chinese companies doing business with Iran as part of a potential settlement, diplomats say.

The moment provides Xi some leverage at next month’s summit.

“Trump was in a crisis, and China helped,” said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center. “The optics of that alone helps to lighten the mood and sweeten the pot.”

Russel, the former State Department official, says there are signs that Beijing sees Trump as weakened after the president didn’t follow through on his threat to obliterate Iranian power plants and other critical infrastructure if Iran didn’t end its blockade of Hormuz.

The hashtag #HeChickenedOut was trending on Chinese social media in posts about Trump, and China’s state media was promoting the message that he blinked in the face of Iranian resistance, Russel said.

Xi, for his part, appears to be approaching the moment carefully.

“Beijing’s calculation is wait-and-see, safeguard Chinese energy and commercial interests, avoid direct confrontation with the United States, stay on good terms with its important Gulf partners like Saudi Arabia and UAE, and work with whoever ends up running Iran when the dust settles,” Russel said.

Steve Bannon, who served as a senior adviser to Trump during his first term, said Trump will need to press Xi to buy in if he hopes to seal an enduring peace agreement with Iran.

“Who can actually make a deal and enforce a deal? I know one group of people who can do it, and they live in Beijing,” Bannon said on his “War Room” podcast this week. He added, “Let’s just go to Beijing and sit down with a guy who can actually make a deal — Xi — and enforce a deal.”

___

Amiri reported from the United Nations.

Bambaataa’s sudden death was met with an outpouring of condolences from friends, family and fans across the world, who paid tribute to his profound and unmistakable impact on one of the world’s most popular and politically influential music genres. But others have said that his impact was overshadowed in recent years after numerous men who knew Bambaataa when they were boys accused him of sexual abuse.

The rapper and producer is best known for breakthrough tracks like 1982’s “Planet Rock” and for founding the Universal Zulu Nation art collective.

“Hip Hop will never be the same without him -- but everything hip hop is today, it is because of him. His spirit lives in every beat, every cypher and every corner of this globe he touched,” his talent agency, Naf Management Entertainment, wrote in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

The birthplace of hip hop

Bambaataa was Lance Taylor born in 1957 in the South Bronx, and he came of age at a time when the New York City neighborhood was rapidly deteriorating after intensifying segregation and years of economic neglect. By the 1970s and 1980s, landlords were burning apartment buildings to collect insurance money instead of investing in repairs, leaving low-income mostly Puerto Rican and Black families without socioeconomic opportunity.

Bambaataa had Jamaican and Barbadian heritage, and he was raised in a low-income public housing complex by his mother, according to an interview he gave Frank Broughton in 1998. He was exposed to music at an early age through his mother's vinyl record collection.

The ability to repurpose and mix old hits became one of his signatures at the parties he began to throw in community centers across the neighborhood in the early 1970s, Bambaataa said in the interview. He was deeply inspired by the work of Kool Herc, who is often deemed the father of hip-hop.

Bambaataa and the parties where he DJ’ed swelled in popularity throughout the decade and well into the 1980s, when he released a series of electro tracks that helped shaped the burgeoning hip-hop and electro-funk music movements. He also was one of the first DJs to use beat breaks, incorporating the iconic Roland TR-808 drum machine.

"We was playin’ everything, everything that was funky," he said. He later added that what set his parties apart was that “other DJs would play they great records for fifteen, twenty minutes. We was changing ours every minute or two. I couldn’t have no breakbeat go longer than a minute or two.”

At that time, Bambaataa said in previous interviews that he was able to leverage his affiliation with the local street gang the Black Spades in order to form a group he called the Zulu Nation, a nod to a South African ethnic group that he drew inspiration from. His slogan eventually became known as “peace, love, unity and having fun," and he said that he sought to use hip-hops' ballooning popularity to resolve local gang conflicts.

Later, Bambaataa changed the name to the Universal Zulu Nation to signal the inclusion of “all people from the planet earth.”

“At the core our music made people feel like they belong to a movement and not a moment, our music offered Hope something positive to believe in, it gave people identity, unity, and a way out,” Ellis Williams, a producer known as Mr. Biggs, wrote in an email to the AP. Mr. Biggs was a member of the group Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force that included Bambaataa.

Accused of sexual abuse

In recent years, numerous people have accused Bambaataa of sexual abuse.

In 2016, Bronx political activist and former music industry executive Ronald Savage accused Bambaataa of abusing him in 1980, when he was Savage was a young teen.

“I was scared, but at the same time I was like, ’This is Afrika Bambaataa,' ” Savage told the AP in 2016. At the time he recalled, in detail, that encounter and four others that he said followed.

Bambaataa has vehemently denied those allegations.

After Savage went public with his claims, numerous other men came forward to share similar experiences about Bambaataa. In June 2016, the Universal Zulu Nation released a public letter apologizing to “the survivors of apparent sexual molestation by Bambaataa" saying that some members of the group knew about the abuse but “chose not to disclose” it.

"We extend our deepest and most sincere apologies to the many people who have been hurt,” organization wrote.

___

Associated Press writer Maria Sherman contributed reporting from New York City.

La medida, que entrará en vigor desde el 1 de mayo, se anunció un día después del llamado a consultas del embajador ecuatoriano en Bogotá, Félix Wong, y en medio de la creciente tensión en la relación binacional.

Un comunicado del Ministerio de Producción argumentó que se dispone el incremento “tras constatar la falta de implementación de medidas concretas y efectivas en materia de seguridad fronteriza por parte de Colombia”.

“Ecuador se ve en la obligación de adoptar acciones soberanas”, basado en criterios de seguridad que buscan “reforzar la corresponsabilidad en una tarea que debe asumirse de manera conjunta para enfrentar la presencia del narcotráfico en la frontera”, añadió el reporte oficial.

Esa secretaría de Estado dijo que la seguridad y la lucha contra la corrupción y el narcotráfico “es una prioridad innegociable” y justificó la decisión que aseguró tiene como fin “proteger a sus ciudadanos y resguardar la integridad de su territorio”.

Poco después del anuncio, el presidente ecuatoriano Daniel Noboa escribió en redes sociales que “no se puede llegar a acuerdos con quien no tiene el mismo compromiso para luchar contra el narcoterrorismo”, sin mencionar a su homólogo colombiano Gustavo Petro.

Señaló que conversará en el futuro “con un gobierno que sí esté comprometido” con ese objetivo. Colombia elegirá a su nuevo mandatario en comicios programados para fines de mayo.

Petro rechazó a través de X el alza de los aranceles y lo calificó de una “monstruosidad” que significa “el fin del Pacto Andino para Colombia”. Ordenó a la canciller, Rosa Villavicencio, iniciar el paso en el Mercosur “a ser socios plenos y dirigirnos hacia el Caribe y Centroamérica con más fuerza”. Actualmente, Colombia es un Estado asociado de Mercosur.

Los sectores productivos reaccionaron con preocupación.

“Las diferencias políticas no pueden poner en riesgo la integración entre Ecuador y Colombia”, señaló la presidenta de la Cámara de la Producción en la misma red social, María Paz Jervis, agregando que sería un "retroceso imperdonable” destruir la integración que ha llevado décadas construir.

La guerra comercial entre ambos países se desató a inicios de año luego de que Ecuador impusiera aranceles del 30% que luego se incrementaron al 50% a las importaciones procedentes de Colombia, señalada de no custodiar la zona limítrofe y de vender a precio excesivo la energía eléctrica. En respuesta, Colombia impuso tasas recíprocas a los bienes ecuatorianos.

Pero la tensión rebasó el ámbito comercial y se acrecentó en el plano político días atrás con el roce entre los presidentes Petro y ecuatoriano Daniel Noboa que derivó la víspera en una protesta enérgica de Ecuador y el llamado a consultas de su embajador en Bogotá.

Horas antes, la canciller ecuatoriana Gabriela Sommerfeld declaró a la prensa que el retiro del embajador Wong “no es definitivo” y durará “hasta que puedan nuevamente iniciar diálogos a través del respeto”. Añadió que las mesas de diálogo para resolver la situación comercial están suspendidas.

La medida fue una respuesta a las declaraciones de Petro quien aseveró días atrás en su cuenta de X que el exvicepresidente Jorge Glas, preso por casos de corrupción y a quien se concedió ciudadanía colombiana, es un “perseguido político” solicitando a organismos internacionales que velen por su seguridad.

El mensaje fue asumido en Ecuador como una “provocación” y pidió respeto a las decisiones adoptadas por la justicia de Ecuador.

Glas cumple tres sentencias en una prisión de Guayaquil por asociación ilícita en el caso Odebrecht, por cohecho en un caso de sobornos y por apropiación de fondos públicos para la reconstrucción de Manabí, destruida por un potente terremoto en 2016.

———————

Suárez reportó desde Bogotá.

The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin marks at least the fifth time a judge has rejected similar attempts by the Justice Department. Sorokin, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said the U.S. attorney general's office did not take the necessary steps required to access voter rolls, as outlined in federal law.

“Put simply, the statute requires a statement of why the Attorney General demands production of the requested records,” Sorokin wrote. That statement has to be factual, “not just a conceivable or possible basis.”

In an emailed response, the Justice Department said it “does not comment on ongoing litigation.”

It has said it's seeking the voter data as part of an effort to ensure election security, but Democratic and Republican officials in several states have refused, saying the demand violates state and federal privacy laws. Some have raised concerns that federal officials will use the sensitive data for other purposes, such as searching for potential noncitizens.

During a hearing last month in Rhode Island, a DOJ attorney told a federal judge that the department was seeking unredacted voter roll information so it could be shared with the Department of Homeland Security to check citizenship status. DHS over the past year has beefed up the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, program, for just this purpose.

“Our intention is to run this against the DHS SAVE database,” DOJ attorney Eric Neff told U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy during a March 26 hearing challenging the federal government’s authority to access the voter data.

The Justice Department has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force release of the data, which includes dates of birth, addresses, driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers.

At least 12 states have either provided or promised to provide their detailed voter registration lists to the department, according to the Brennan Center: Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

In the Massachusetts case, the the judge found that the Justice Department failed to follow the requirements for demanding the voter rolls set by a 1960 civil rights law.

That law, enacted as part of an effort to end racial discrimination in elections, says state voter records must be made available for inspection by the U.S. attorney general if the office includes a statement outlining why the information is being demanded and how it will be used.

The department's letter demanding Massachusetts’ voter data made no reference to the Civil Rights Act and didn’t cite any concerns about the way Massachusetts complied with federal voting laws, the judge said. Most importantly, it didn’t include any factual basis for the demand, Sorokin wrote.

In court documents, the Justice Department said it was demanding the data to check for “Massachusetts’ possible lack of compliance” with federal voter registration list requirements. It also said the Civil Rights Act was designed to be an investigatory tool to identify federal election law violations and argued that the U.S. attorney general can’t be required to prove a violation before seeking evidence of one.

“These arguments miss the point,” Sorokin wrote.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell called the ruling a decisive win for voters and the rule of law.

“The privacy of our voters is not up for negotiation, and I will continue to defend the integrity and security of our elections from the Trump Administration's cruel and harmful agenda,” she said in a news release.

Four federal judges in other states have dismissed similar lawsuits from the Department of Justice.

A federal judge in Michigan found the laws cited by the Justice Department do not require the disclosure of the voter records sought by the federal government. A federal judge in California said the administration “may not unilaterally usurp the authority over elections,” which the Constitution gives to the states and Congress. A federal judge in Oregon said the federal government was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists containing sensitive data.

A federal judge in Georgia dismissed a DOJ lawsuit because he found it had been filed in the wrong city. The federal government then refiled the lawsuit in the city specified by the judge; that case is ongoing.

The Justice Department has appealed the Oregon, California and Michigan dismissals.

___ Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

Río no tiene gobernador desde el 23 de marzo, cuando Cláudio Castro renunció para postularse al Senado en las elecciones de octubre, como exige la ley. Otras personas que podrían ocupar su cargo no están disponibles para asumirlo.

El juez Flávio Dino pidió una revisión en un caso que determinará si el sucesor de Castro hasta enero será elegido por los votantes en una elección anticipada o por los miembros de la legislatura estatal. Tiene hasta 90 días para volver al tribunal con su fallo.

Hasta ahora, la votación va 4-1 en el STF, integrado por 10 miembros, a favor de una elección en la legislatura estatal.

Thiago Pampolha podría ocupar el puesto de Castro si no hubiera renunciado como vicegobernador en 2025 para asumir un asiento en un organismo estatal de supervisión del gobierno. El siguiente en la línea era Rodrigo Bacellar, presidente de la legislatura del estado de Río, pero recientemente fue encarcelado y destituido.

El jefe del poder judicial del estado de Río, Ricardo Couto de Castro, se desempeña ahora como gobernador. Pero como no se esperaba que permaneciera mucho tiempo, enfrenta obstáculos para lograr que otros funcionarios ejecutivos trabajen con él, según han informado medios locales.

Un nuevo gobernador electo podría asumir el cargo hasta enero del próximo año, ya que los ciudadanos de Río ya tenían previsto elegir a uno en las elecciones generales de octubre.

Thomas Traumann, consultor político y exministro del gobierno, sostiene que la prolongación del caos político en Río no sólo es vergonzosa, sino también peligrosa.

"El gobierno de Brasil acaba de ofrecer un acuerdo para reducir los precios del diésel, que están altos por el conflicto en Oriente Medio. Río es uno de los pocos que no aceptaron porque no hay nadie que lo autorice. Ahora tendremos el diésel más caro de Brasil”, señaló Traumann. “¿Y si mañana por la mañana hay violencia de bandas criminales? ¿Quién va a decirle a la policía que reaccione?”.

Los medios locales también han informado que miembros del poder judicial de Río temen que pronto puedan enfrentar dificultades para proceder con algunos casos, ya que su jefe tiene que gestionar el gobierno del estado sin que se vislumbre un final.

El senador Flávio Bolsonaro, uno de los hijos del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro y probable rival del actual mandatario Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva en las elecciones de octubre, ha impulsado que el legislador estatal Douglas Ruas sea elegido gobernador a través de la legislatura estatal.

Partidarios de Lula y de su candidato a gobernador de Río, Eduardo Paes, han argumentado que los votantes deberían acudir a las urnas.

___

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

One of the country’s first exercise oncology programs began right here in South Florida.

For 25 years, the Memorial Healthcare Cancer Recovery Program has been connecting trained exercise physiologists with patients during and after cancer treatment.

“It’s helped us immensely with mood improvement, it helps us maintain physical fitness, muscle mass, anxiety, nausea, and maintaining their weight,” said Susan Zohar, a breast cancer survivor.

After a grueling month of radiation treatments, the last thing she thought she needed was an exercise program.

“I’m tired, mentally, physically, emotionally beat down from the cancer treatment. But I was very pleasantly surprised, though I couldn’t do everything -- everything was measured for me.”

In fact, Susan says the program is like having her own personal trainer. Exercise physiologists design unique plans for each patient, depending on their needs and abilities.

“I do think that the most important part is the building self-confidence and giving them measurable goals for them to hit, so they can say -- even though I have this or had this, I can get better,” she said. “I can get stronger.”

Stronger is exactly how Susan feels now. She has walked in the Dolphin Challenge to raise money for cancer research and even joined a dragon boat team.

She says she has never felt better. For her, the exercise program was a game changer.

“Cancer changed my life. Most people think cancer changes their life for the negative, but this actually was one of the most positive.”

Also part of the exercise oncology program: nutrition counseling, stress management and yoga classes.

The Memorial Foundation -- the philanthropic arm of Memorial Healthcare -- ensures all patients can participate regardless of their financial situations.

The program gets about 400 referrals every year.

“Leading Ladies Magazine” is officially making waves across the region, celebrating the stories, impact and influence of local women who are making a difference.

“They’re serving our community, present mothers or wives, single people, active in community and giving back,” said Jessica Cristobal, the founder of Leading Ladies League.

Cristobal, the wife of University of Miami head football coach Mario Cristobal, is also familiar with the world of luxury publications.

She previously served as president of Brickell and Key Biscayne Magazine and as publisher of a mega yachting magazine. Now, the philanthropist is returning to the industry with a new mission.

“I really wanted to showcase the women in my life that are doing amazing things -- philanthropy, business, inventors, authors,” she said.

In 2009, Cristobal founded the Leading Ladies League, a social organization that partners with nonprofits to support women and children in need. The group brings influential women together with a shared goal -- giving back.

“And I just thought it would be so cool to bring a magazine to market to showcase these women in South Florida.”

All the while, Cristobal balances her role as a mother of two and a supportive wife.

“It’s kind of a perfect marriage,” she said. “I like to say Mario takes care of the guys, he’s a coach -- very present father -- pours into young men all day long, so I like to showcase the ladies -- gather women and then we come together. I can bring both worlds together easily.”

She says that support goes both ways.

“He’s always there cheering for me and I’m always cheering for him, so we really support each other with what we’re doing. So I want to see him win and he wants to see me win.”

Whether it’s at home, on the field with Miami’s beloved Hurricanes, or now as the driving force behind an empowering publication, Cristobal is all in.

When asked what she wants readers to take away, her answer is simple.

“This is an aspirational magazine and I want the reader to walk away thinking wow, if she can do that -- I can too.”

For now, Leading Ladies Magazine is a quarterly publication, but there are already talks of expanding to six issues a year as more stories emerge.

The long-term plan is to grow beyond South Florida and bring the concept to other areas as well.

As the tax season kicked off in January, the White House had boasted that average returns were projected to rise by at least $1,000. But currently, the average refund amount is $3,521, according to the latest IRS data, which is an 11% increase from last tax year’s $3,170 average refund payment.

A Trump administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide a preview of the data analysis said the increase in refunds is due to tax breaks and spending cuts that impact taxpayers across income brackets, including no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, deductions for car loan interest and certain deductions for seniors.

The official declined to specify which tax deduction had provided the greatest savings for taxpayers. The analysis was based on daily Treasury statements over the 2021-2026 period.

Asked whether the Trump administration is concerned that any potential economic benefit from higher tax refunds could be offset by higher gas prices brought on by the war in Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the official said money is going into people's pockets through the increased refunds.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Republican tax and spending law will add $4.2 trillion to the national debt through fiscal year 2034, according to the latest Budget and Economic Outlook.

The tax season began in January and with the clock ticking, taxpayers have until April 15 to file their taxes or request an extension.

Tulare County deputies were serving the notice to a 60-year-old man in Porterville when he opened fire on them, the sheriff's department said. Porterville is about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles in the state’s Central Valley.

The man barricaded himself inside the home with a rifle for several hours. At one point, authorities deployed gas into the home as the man continued to fire at law enforcement. The standoff ended around 6 p.m. when the man left the home and moved through the yards of nearby homes, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said at an evening news conference.

Boudreaux said a Kern County SWAT team drove an armored car into the yard where the man was laying on the ground and he started firing at them. The team drove the car over the man, killing him.

Boudreaux said the man had failed to pay rent for 35 days and had been expecting law enforcement to arrive to serve a final notice for eviction. Boudreaux said he “laid in wait” and immediately shot at officers when they arrived.

The man's family was in contact with him and urged him to come out peacefully, but he refused, Boudreaux said.

The deputy who was killed was part of a group of officers that arrived to help after gunfire began, Boudreaux said. Bystander video shot from a driveway and posted by the Visalia Times-Delta showed several armed deputies crouched on the road in a residential neighborhood when a series of shots rang out. Some of the deputies began running away. The gunman cannot be seen from the video. Additional video showed someone being carried into an emergency medical vehicle.

Boudreaux later identified the slain deputy as Detective Randy Hoppert, a veteran of the U.S. Navy who joined the sheriff's department in 2020.

“This is senseless,” Boudreaux said.

Residents in the neighborhood were evacuated by SWAT teams or urged to shelter in place for several hours, and nearby schools were on lockdown.

Miguel Ibarra, whose 82-year-old mother lives across the street from the gunman, said it was surreal to see his parents' house on TV in what is normally a quiet, boring neighborhood.

“The police did a really good job keeping us informed and keeping us in the know of what’s going on,” he said.

En un clip de casi cinco minutos que forma parte de una entrevista más extensa a transmitirse el domingo, la periodista Kristen Welker le preguntó a Díaz-Canel si estaría “dispuesto a renunciar si eso significara salvar a Cuba”.

Antes de responder, Díaz-Canel le preguntó si ella alguna vez había planteado esa pregunta a algún otro presidente del mundo, y si esa era una pregunta original suya o provino del Departamento de Estado estadounidense.

El mandatario añadió: “En Cuba las personas que están al frente, en una responsabilidad de gobierno, no las elige el gobierno de los Estados Unidos... nosotros somos un Estado soberano, nosotros tenemos autodeterminación, nosotros tenemos independencia, nosotros no nos sometemos”.

Manifestó que llegó a la presidencia no “porque representamos a una élite de poder” ni “por una ambición personal”, sino por un mandato del pueblo.

“Si el pueblo cubano entiende que soy incapaz... que no los represento, ése es el que tiene que decidir si yo debo seguir en la dirección”, agregó.

El mandatario concedió la entrevista en un momento en que las tensiones entre Cuba y Estados Unidos siguen siendo altas, pese a que ambas partes reconocen sostener conversaciones, aunque no se han compartido detalles.

Díaz-Canel acusó a Washington de aplicar una política hostil contra la isla, y sostuvo que “no tiene moral para exigir nada a Cuba”.

Señaló que Estados Unidos debería reconocer cuánto han costado esas políticas al pueblo cubano y cuánto han privado al pueblo estadounidense de una relación normal con los cubanos.

Díaz-Canel indicó que Cuba está interesada en entablar un diálogo y debatir cualquier tema sin condiciones, sin que se exijan cambios en el sistema político cubano, de la misma forma en que La Habana no exige cambios en el sistema estadounidense.

Cuba culpa a un bloqueo energético de Estados Unidos por el agravamiento de sus dificultades, ya que la falta de petróleo afecta el sistema de salud de la isla, el transporte público y la producción de bienes y servicios.

A finales de marzo, un buque ruso que transportaba 730.000 barriles de crudo llegó a Cuba, el primer envío de petróleo a la isla en tres meses. Rusia ha prometido enviar un segundo petrolero.

Pese a amenazar en enero con imponer aranceles a los países que vendan o suministren petróleo a Cuba, el gobierno del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump permitió que el navío ruso llegara a la isla.

“Cuba está acabada”, declaró Trump en ese momento. “Tienen un mal régimen. Tienen un liderazgo muy malo y corrupto y, consigan o no un barco de petróleo, no va a importar”.

La isla sólo produce el 40% del combustible que consume, y dejó de recibir envíos clave de petróleo desde Venezuela después de que Estados Unidos invadiera al país sudamericano en enero y capturara al entonces presidente Nicolás Maduro.

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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.

Petro, primer izquierdista en la presidencia del país, rechazó la decisión de la Corte y la calificó como una institución que no recoge la voluntad del gobierno actual. “Deciden decir: ‘no más ingresos al gobierno’. Nos quieren ahorcar, porque somos un gobierno diferente”, aseguró durante un discurso en Quibdó, en el Pacífico colombiano.

Se trata de una decisión de fondo en la que el alto tribunal declaró el decreto inexequible, es decir, opuesto a la Constitución, por lo que no puede regir. No obstante, aún no ha divulgado la sentencia en la que explicará todos los fundamentos de su decisión.

“El decreto vulneró los principios democráticos y de separación de poderes, en la medida en que el gobierno nacional se apropió de la competencia de otras ramas del poder público sin cumplir con los requisitos constitucionales que habilitan un estado de excepción", dijo a la prensa el magistrado Carlos Camargo.

El decreto se encontraba suspendido desde enero como una medida provisional ordenada por la Corte.

Petro decretó el “estado de emergencia económica”, una medida excepcional que le permite dictar decretos con fuerza de ley sin pasar por el Congreso, argumentando que el país enfrentaba una “coyuntura fiscal excepcional” que no le permitiría garantizar la prestación de servicios públicos esenciales y garantizar derechos.

El gobierno alegó una mala situación fiscal luego de que el Congreso hundiera una reforma tributaria que necesitaba para la financiación del Estado en 2026, dejando desfinanciado el presupuesto de la nación. Han defendido la medida asegurando que pretendían recaudar dinero con impuestos a los más adinerados.

Mientras estuvo vigente, el decreto aumentó los impuestos al patrimonio de los más adinerados y al sector financiero, así como a los licores y a los juegos de azar y por internet.

Petro también anunció esta semana que contempla declarar una nueva declaratoria de emergencia económica para solventar los gastos estatales en caso de que el Congreso niegue nuevamente una reforma fiscal que planea presentar.

Ante la posibilidad de que el Congreso vuelva a negar una reforma fiscal, Petro ordenó a Hacienda que recorte el gasto estatal en lo que corresponda a la trasferencia de dinero “a los ricos más ricos de Colombia”, aunque eso significase que “nos intenten coger presos o matar... esta crisis no la puede pagar ni un solo trabajador ni pobre".

La medida excepcional fue usada una segunda vez en los últimos meses por el gobierno en febrero para atender miles de afectados por las inundaciones causadas por el ingreso de frentes fríos al Caribe en ocho departamentos. Dicho decreto aún se mantiene en pie.

Windy conditions will carry into Friday with sustained winds expected around 15 mph, gusts 25 to 30 mph. The day will offer a sun/cloud mix. A few showers could speed across the area. Near seasonable temperatures are forecast, lows around 70°F and highs close to 80°F.

The increase in emergency appeals by the Trump administration is “unprecedented in the court’s history,” she said in a speech at the University of Alabama School of Law.

The high court sided with the Trump administration in about two dozen decisions last year, often lifting the orders of lower court judges who found their policies were likely illegal on everything from immigration to steep federal funding cuts.

While designed to be short-term, those orders have largely allowed Trump to move ahead for now with key parts of his sweeping agenda.

The emergency docket, which is made up of appeals seeking quick intervention from the justices in cases that are still playing out in lower courts, is itself a source of disagreement among the justices. That spilled into public view when two other justices, liberal Ketanji Brown Jackson and conservative Brett Kavanaugh, publicly sparred over the emergency docket in an unusual exchange last month.

Sotomayor has disagreed with many of the decisions in Trump’s favor, but the conservatives who form the court's majority often reason that blocking those policies — or laws passed by Congress — causes legal harm that can’t be easily fixed, she said. It’s a bar that’s tough for the other side to overcome, even for plaintiffs like immigrants who could be newly exposed to deportation or states where schools are losing teacher-training funding.

“If you start with the presumption that there is irreparable harm to one side, then you’re going to have more grants of emergency relief. Because the other side is going to have a much harder time,” she said. “It has changed the paradigm on the court.”

Her comments provided a window into the Supreme Court decisions that are often released with little explanation. While many emergency docket orders have gone Trump's way, the court also struck down his sweeping tariffs, a central plank of his economic platform, after a longer process of full briefing and oral arguments.

The I-395/836/I-95 project, also known as “Connecting Miami,” began in 2019 and was originally expected to be finished by 2021. But the Florida Department of Transportation now says the project won’t be completed until late 2029.

The cost has also increased, rising from about $800 million to $866 million.

“To be quite honest, it’s unsurprising,” said Cathy Dos Santos with Miami’s Transit Alliance, a nonprofit advocating for expanded public transportation. “And in the worst way possible.”

Critics point not only to the timeline and rising cost of the massive project, but also to recent safety concerns.

Construction resumed this week after being paused last month when a worker fell to his death. Earlier this year, six other workers had to be rescued after falling from another structure at the site.

As signs at the construction area urge workers to prioritize quality, past legal issues have also raised questions.

Previous lawsuits reportedly cited concerns over defective concrete and even the design of what’s meant to be an iconic signature bridge.

One lawsuit, filed by the joint venture behind the project against insurers, alleged the initial bridge design was not viable because it could not withstand required wind forces. That lawsuit was later settled.

“As a taxpayer, this being a project that is directly funded by the money that you give back to the government -- that you ask them to be good stewards -- you should be concerned about the fact that there is a lack of clarity and transparency,” Dos Santos said.

Local 10 News asked the Florida Department of Transportation to explain the latest delay. The department did not respond.

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Daniel Curran was found dead at a building at Northeast 36th Street and North Ocean Boulevard on his 35th birthday.

His death comes after a domestic violence case against Curran where Trantalis, 72, cited previous incidents of threats and violence.

Prior to his death, modifications were being made to the injunction, as Trantalis felt his former partner was no longer a threat.

“I was shocked to receive this news this morning. We were on the path to a resolution, which would have gotten Danny the treatment he needed and led to the charges being dismissed,” Curran’s attorney, Philip C. Johnston, said in a statement to Local 10 News. “Danny was a very kind, sensitive person. After we modified the no contact order, I expressed my condolences to the mayor. He said he and Danny met last night and happily discussed future plans together. This is a profoundly sad situation.”

Trantalis issued a statement on Thursday following Curran’s death saying that he learned of it “with profound sorrow.”

“He was a loving individual, and my sympathies go out to his family,” Trantalis said. “Perhaps now, the pain he endured will subside. May he rest in peace.”

Related story: Here is a list of suicide prevention resources in South Florida

If you or a loved one are struggling, you can call the Suicide & Crisis lifeline at 988. It’s available 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Attorney Patrick Kolasinski said federal prosecutors have told him that Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez is not under arrest, raising questions about why he was the target of an enforcement action. No one under that name from El Salvador is in ICE detention, according to the agency’s online detainee locator. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has not responded to inquiries about Kolasinki's statements.

Tuesday’s encounter was among a string of shootings during the Trump administration’s aggressive push to detain and deport immigrants in the country illegally, about which questions have been raised with federal immigration officials.

DHS has said ICE agents fired defensive shots at Mendoza when he tried to drive into them after he was pulled over on Tuesday. Officials said they were conducting an enforcement stop targeting Mendoza, 36, in Patterson, a city about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco. They described him as a suspected gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder.

Kolasinski told reporters that Mendoza was having difficulty speaking because he was shot in the jaw, but that he said he was never a member of a gang. Kolasinski said previously that his client has been stopped for minor traffic infractions but has no criminal record in the U.S. and is not the subject of an arrest warrant in El Salvador, where he was acquitted of murder.

Kolasinski said that the FBI was leading the investigation of the shooting and that ICE was not currently involved in Mendoza's case. The Department of Justice referred inquiries to the FBI, which said it couldn't comment on an active investigation.

Kolasinski said that agents fired on Mendoza while the car was stopped and he drove away to flee the gunfire. “He fled in a panic because he was being fired on," Kolasinski said. “He was not trying to hurt anyone ... he was just scared he was going to die.”

According to a Oct. 25, 2019 court document from a judge in El Salvador, Mendoza, who was 29 at the time, was acquitted after being accused of murder and ordered immediately released. The document lists 10 others who were convicted of various crimes from aggravated robbery to murder, and mentions at least one of them was a member of the 18th Street Gang. But there is no mention of Mendoza belonging to a gang or being accused of carrying out gang activity in the document.

In the California ICE shooting, dashcam footage obtained by KCRA-TV shows three officers standing around a vehicle stopped on the side of a road. One of the officers appears to be touching the driver-side window when the car begins to back up and turn, hitting a vehicle behind it. At least two of the agents have weapons drawn, pointing at the car. The driver then pulls forward toward where the men are standing and turns sharply, driving over the roadway median.

The video has no sound and it's unclear when the shots were fired or if words were said.

Mendoza’s fiancée was able to speak with him Wednesday before a surgery and again Thursday morning, Kolasinski said.

Kolasinski said Mendoza, a dual citizen of El Salvador and Mexico, came to the U.S. in 2019 but he said he did not know his legal status nor how he arrived to the country.

The attorney said his client works as a laborer to repair fire damage. He has a 2-year-old daughter and is engaged to a U.S. citizen, he said.

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Recordings of the call capture the urgency as a caller pleaded with dispatchers to force entry into the home.

“Tell them to break down the door by whatever means,” the caller said.

A dispatcher responded, “Ma’am, I understand. We’re worried about her. We’re trying to find her but we can’t just break down the door. We have to have a reason.”

Moments later, a man identified as the suspect’s uncle told the dispatcher, “I’m going to give you a reason. OK, my nephew — her husband — came to my house this morning and told me that he did something to her.”

“OK, her husband?” the dispatcher asked.

“I asked, is she alive? He said no,” the uncle replied.

Authorities say Metayer Bowen’s husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, faces charges of premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence in her killing.

Police found Metayer Bowen, 38, shot to death, her body wrapped in a comforter and a garbage bag, according to investigators.

The 911 call that prompted officers to the home was the sixth call for service at the residence since the couple moved there in August 2023, records show.

Previous calls included a disturbance, a theft, animal bites and another investigation, though details of those incidents have not been made public.

It remains unclear whether Metayer Bowen, who had been preparing to launch a congressional campaign, had confided in anyone about a potentially abusive relationship.

Advocates and lawmakers say the case underscores the dangers of escalating domestic violence and the importance of early intervention.

“What we see is that escalation happens between rounds of these different incidents of abuse. So the quicker we can get law enforcement to the scene to understand what the issue is, the more seriously we can deal with the perpetrator and the abuser,” said state Rep. Alexis Calatayud, a Miami Republican.

South Florida lawmakers have advanced bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening protections for victims of domestic violence, including proposals to study a dedicated emergency number designed to discreetly summon help.

“You call that number — nobody picks up — if someone grabs the phone from you, there is no one on the other end for them to talk to,” said state Sen. Lori Berman, the Senate Democratic leader. “Then the police geolocate you like it’s an emergency panic button and then they come to your house.”

Las grabaciones de la llamada captan la urgencia del momento, mientras una persona suplicaba a los despachadores que forzaran la entrada a la vivienda.

“Dígales que tumben la puerta por cualquier medio”, dijo la persona que llamó.

Una operadora respondió: “Señora, entiendo… tratando de encontrarla — tenemos que tener una razón”.

Momentos después, un hombre identificado como el tío del sospechoso le dijo a la operadora: “Voy a darles una razón. OK, mi sobrino — el esposo de ella — vino a mi casa esta mañana y me dijo que hizo algo con ella”.

“OK, ¿su esposo?”, preguntó la operadora.

“Le pregunté si estaba viva. Él dijo que no”, respondió el tío.

Las autoridades dicen que Metayer Bowen, de 38 años, fue encontrada muerta a tiros, con su cuerpo envuelto en un edredón y una bolsa de basura, según los investigadores.

El esposo de Metayer Bowen, Stephen Bowen, de 40 años, enfrenta cargos de asesinato premeditado y de manipulación o fabricación de evidencia física en relación con su muerte.

La llamada al 911 que llevó a los agentes a la vivienda fue la sexta llamada de servicio en la residencia desde que la pareja se mudó allí en agosto de 2023, según los registros.

Las llamadas previas incluyeron una disputa, un robo, mordeduras de animales y otra investigación, aunque los detalles de esos incidentes no han sido hechos públicos.

Aún no está claro si Metayer Bowen, quien se preparaba para lanzar una campaña al Congreso, había confiado a alguien la existencia de una posible relación abusiva.

Defensores y legisladores dicen que el caso subraya los peligros de la escalada de la violencia doméstica y la importancia de la intervención temprana.

“Lo que vemos es que la escalada ocurre entre rondas de estos diferentes incidentes de abuso. Así que cuanto más rápido podamos lograr que la policía llegue a la escena para entender cuál es el problema, más seriamente podemos tratar al agresor”, dijo la representante estatal Alexis Calatayud, republicana de Miami.

Legisladores del sur de Florida han impulsado una legislación bipartidista destinada a fortalecer las protecciones para víctimas de violencia doméstica, incluyendo propuestas para estudiar un número de emergencia dedicado diseñado para solicitar ayuda de forma discreta.

“Llamas a ese número — nadie responde — si alguien te quita el teléfono, no hay nadie al otro lado para hablar con esa persona”, dijo la senadora estatal Lori Berman, líder demócrata del Senado. “Luego la policía te localiza como si fuera un botón de pánico de emergencia y entonces llegan a tu casa”.

Inflation probably rose to 3.4% in March compared with a year ago, economists estimate, which would be a sharp increase from February's 2.4% increase. On a monthly basis, prices are forecast to have risen 0.9% in March from the previous month, according to a survey of economists by data provider FactSet. That would be largest monthly increase since 2022.

Until now there had been a slight moderating trend in inflation since last fall. A reading of 3.4% would be the highest in nearly two years, and is far above the Fed's 2% target.

“There is going to be a headline sticker shock here,” said Michael Metcalfe, head of macro strategy at State Street, which produces PriceStats, a measure of inflation culled from millions of online prices. Their data suggests inflation could leap by 1.5% just in March from February.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices are projected to have risen 2.7% in March from a year earlier, up from 2.5% in February. From February to March, core prices are expected to have risen 0.3%, a faster pace than is consistent with the Fed's target.

Gas prices soared about 20% in March, a move that saps consumers' ability to spend on other goods and services and as a result could also slow economic growth. At least in the short run, many Americans can only make limited changes to their daily driving habits, which are largely determined by where they live, shop, and work. As a result, most people will pay higher prices for gas, and potentially cut back elsewhere.

Gas prices averaged $4.17 a gallon nationwide Thursday, up 69 cents from a month ago.

The big question for consumers and the economy is whether the surge in oil and gas prices will create a sustained, broader inflation shock, similar to what occurred in the aftermath of the pandemic in 2021-2022. Inflation reached a peak of 9.1% in June 2022, as COVID-19 snarled supply chains and several rounds of stimulus checks pushed up consumer demand. Prices soared for groceries, furniture, restaurant meals and many other goods and services.

This time, economists say the job market and consumer spending are weaker, and there are no large government stimulus checks being issued to spur demand. The unemployment rate is low, at 4.3%, but companies aren't scrambling to hire the way they were when the economy emerged from the pandemic, which led many firms to offer sharp pay increases to attract and keep workers.

Rapid pay increases and solid income growth helped consumers weather the higher prices that resulted from the pandemic's supply chain disruptions, and fueled spikes in demand that led many companies to raise prices further.

“That’s where this really differs, is that we aren’t seeing anywhere near the strength of demand,” Alan Detmeister, an economist at UBS, said. In 2021 and 2022, income growth “was increasing really strongly. We aren't seeing that now,” he added.

Detmeister thinks the better comparison will likely be to 1990-91, when higher oil and gas prices stemming from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait contributed to a recession, but didn't lead to a jump in inflation, in part because of weaker consumer spending.

The gas price spike's impact on inflation is, in some ways, similar to President Donald Trump's tariffs, in that their effect will depend largely on the size and duration of the increase.

For now, economists expect that in March and April the impact will largely be confined to energy-intensive industries, such as airlines, package delivery services and public transportation. Overall, the U.S. economy is much less dependent on oil and gas than it was in previous decades.

Still, the large jump in inflation — which is almost certain to continue for several months — has already shifted the debate at the Federal Reserve, which began the year expecting to cut its key interest rate at least a couple of times. But a growing number of Fed officials are now willing to consider hiking rates instead if core inflation doesn't cool noticeably.

Most officials are almost certain to support keeping the Fed's key interest rate unchanged in the coming months, at about 3.6%, as they evaluate how the economy evolves. Investors now don't expect the Fed to cut rates until late 2027.

Higher gas prices are tricky for the Fed because they can also slow growth by weighing on consumer spending, potentially causing layoffs. The Fed would typically cut its rate to encourage more spending if unemployment rises, while it raises rates to combat inflation.

More expensive oil and gas will also likely lift grocery prices, creating more pain for consumers who have already absorbed a roughly 25% jump in food costs since the pandemic. Nearly all groceries are shipped by diesel-fueled trucks, and diesel fuel prices have risen even more than those for regular gas. Still, analysts don't expect food prices to accelerate for another month or two.

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Police took Johnnie Sanders, 34, into custody on Monday at Uncle Hanks’ Hideaway restaurant.

“I didn’t care he made himself at home,” said restaurant owner Matthew Curtis.

According to police, Sanders was found inside the restaurant, located at 78 Canal St., late Monday night after authorities said he entered without permission while the business was clearly closed. Nobody was inside and the lights were off.

It wasn’t the first time he allegedly broke into it.

That was on Easter Sunday, when surveillance cameras captured Sanders entering the business and taking a set of spare keys before watching TV inside the restaurant for four hours despite it being closed and him not being welcome, according to Curtis.

The next evening, police said he returned, and that’s when he was taken into custody.

Police said that before his arrest, Sanders gave the spare keys to Curtis upon request.

As of Thursday afternoon, Sanders remained behind bars at the Metro West Correctional Center with bond listed as “to be set” on two counts of burglary on an unoccupied structure.

La policía puso bajo custodia a Johnnie Sanders, de 34 años, el lunes en el restaurante Uncle Hanks’ Hideaway.

“Me daba igual, se sintió como en su casa”, dijo el propietario del restaurante, Matthew Curtis.

Según la policía, Sanders fue encontrado dentro del restaurante, ubicado en 78 Canal St., la noche del lunes, luego de que las autoridades señalaran que ingresó sin permiso mientras el negocio estaba claramente cerrado. No había nadie dentro y las luces estaban apagadas.

No era la primera vez que supuestamente irrumpía en el lugar.

Eso ocurrió el Domingo de Pascua, cuando cámaras de vigilancia captaron a Sanders entrando al negocio y tomando un juego de llaves de repuesto antes de ver televisión dentro del restaurante durante cuatro horas, a pesar de que estaba cerrado y de que no se le había autorizado el ingreso, según Curtis.

La noche siguiente, la policía dijo que regresó, y fue entonces cuando fue detenido.

La policía señaló que, antes de su arresto, Sanders entregó las llaves de repuesto a Curtis a solicitud del propietario.

Hasta la tarde del jueves, Sanders permanecía recluido en el centro correccional Metro West con una fianza “por fijar”, por dos cargos de robo a una estructura desocupada.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked two historic moments: Chappelle's restoration of the Union Schoolhouse and WYSO's relocation of its new broadcast facility inside it, bringing together distinct efforts to keep the station rooted in Yellow Springs at a time when local media outlets face mounting challenges.

“It’s like our lifeblood in the community,” Chappelle told The Associated Press about the station, recalling how its possible departure to nearby Dayton would have been “a crushing blow” for Yellow Springs.

More than 200 people gathered outside the former Union Schoolhouse, where Chappelle attended along with his wife, mother, station leaders and village officials, including Yellow Springs Mayor Steve McQueen and Dayton Mayor Shenise Turner-Sloss, to celebrate the opening the schoolhouse and the 68-year-old station into its next chapter.

The Union Schoolhouse was originally built in 1872 and once served as one of the village’s earliest integrated schools before later housing municipal offices and small businesses. After sitting vacant for years, it was purchased in 2020 by Chappelle’s real estate company, Iron Table Holdings.

The property has since been transformed into a modern, multiuse space, with WYSO occupying the lower floors, while Chappelle’s offices will be based on the top floor.

For Chappelle, the investment was as much about preservation as development.

“If you have the opportunity like I did, to invest in your community, then it’s one of the greatest investments I’ve ever made,” he said. “In some ways it feels dutiful. Other times I feel proud. ... but ultimately, I'm doing it because I want to, not because I have to.”

The move comes at a time when local media outlets across the country face shrinking resources, shifting audiences and increased competition from digital platforms.

Chappelle said stations like WYSO serve as a stabilizing force. He described it as “a beacon for sanity,” offering “a solid baseline of truth in context” in an increasingly fragmented information landscape.

“I grew up listening to WYSO since high school, and they’ve always been here connecting to the people,” said Mark Willis, a Yellow Springs resident. “They’re not out of a big city. They’re not subject to censorship by a sponsor. They tell the truth, they tell the stories, and it’s rare these days. To see them growing instead of shrinking is beautiful.”

Rather than simply donate funds, Chappelle financed the redevelopment of the building itself, allowing the station to remain locally rooted while maintaining editorial independence.

“Dave has never made a suggestion about our programming,” said Luke Dennis, general manager at WYSO. He said the new facility transforms how the station connects with the public, offering performance space, gathering areas and expanded capacity for programming.

“We belong to the community,” Dennis said.

Public radio stations in smaller markets have faced mounting pressure in recent years, from funding challenges to audience fragmentation.

Dennis said the investment positions WYSO differently. “We’re in a place of strength,” he said.

Yellow Springs has long been central to Chappelle’s life. Though he grew up in Maryland, he spent summers in the village, where his late father worked as the dean of students at Antioch College.

Now living on a 39-acre farm with his wife and their three children, Chappelle has become deeply embedded in the town. He has invested in local properties, opened a comedy club in the downtown area and hosted events that draw national attention, including performances in a nearby cornfield during the pandemic.

Chappelle has also taken an active role in local affairs, speaking at town meetings and supporting community initiatives.

As residents gathered and later filtered through the restored building, the moment marked more than a ribbon-cutting.

“I'm more determined and inspired that these institutions flourish and stay of the people,” Chappelle said after the ceremony. “The only way they can do that is the people supporting them. I'm hopeful more than worried."

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sided with The New York Times for the second time in a month. He had earlier said the Pentagon's new credential policy violated journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. On Thursday, he said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's team had tried to evade his March 20 ruling by putting in new rules that expel all reporters from the building unless guided by escorts.

“The department simply cannot reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking ‘new’ action and expect the court to look the other way,” Friedman wrote.

Friedman had ordered Pentagon officials to reinstate the press credentials of seven Times reporters and stressed that his decision applies to “all regulated parties.” The Pentagon building serves as the headquarters for U.S. military operations.

Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said it disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal. Parnell said in a social media post that the department has “at all times” complied with judge's orders, reinstating journalists' credentials and issuing "a materially revised policy that addressed every concern" identified by the judge.

“The Department remains committed to press access at the Pentagon while fulfilling its statutory obligation to ensure the safe and secure operation of the Pentagon Reservation,” he wrote.

Times attorney Theodore Boutrous said Thursday’s ruling “powerfully vindicates both the Court’s authority and the First Amendment’s protections of independent journalism.”

A dispute brewing since October

In October, reporters from mainstream news outlets walked out of the building rather than agree to the new rules. The Times sued the Pentagon and Hegseth in December to challenge the policy.

President Donald Trump has fought against the press on several levels since returning to his second term, suing The Times and Wall Street Journal, and cutting funding for public radio and television because he did not like their coverage. At the same time, he frequently talks to the media and responds to reporters who call him on his cell phone.

In a series of briefings on the Iran War, Hegseth has frequently ignored or insulted legacy media reporters let in to cover the events, while concentrating on questions from friendly conservative media.

Times attorneys accused the Pentagon of violating the judge’s March 20 order, “both in letter and spirit” with its revised policy. The newspaper said that Pentagon was also trying to impose unprecedented rules dictating when reporters can offer anonymity to sources.

Friedman said that the access the Pentagon made available to permit holders “is not even close to as meaningful as the broad access” they previously had.

Government lawyers said the Pentagon’s revised policy fully complies with the judge’s directives. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell has said the administration would appeal Friedman’s March 20 decision.

The Pentagon Press Association, which includes Associated Press reporters, said the Pentagon’s interim policy preserves provisions that Friedman deemed to be unconstitutional while also adding new restrictions on credential holders.

“In effect," Justice Department attorneys wrote, “Plaintiffs ask this Court to expand the Order to prohibit the Department from ever addressing the security of the Pentagon through a press credentialing policy with conditions that may address similar topics or concerns as the enjoined conditions. The Order does not say that, and this Court should not read it to say that.”

Current Pentagon press corps agreed to policy

The current Pentagon press corps is comprised mostly of conservative outlets that agreed to the policy. Journalists from outlets that refused to consent to the new rules, including from the AP, have continued reporting on the military from outside the Pentagon.

Friedman, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Bill Clinton, said recent U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran underscore the need for public access to information about government activities.

“Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation’s security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech. That principle has preserved the nation’s security for almost 250 years. It must not be abandoned now,” the judge wrote last month.

Friedman said the challenged policy is clearly designed to weed out “disfavored journalists” and replace them with those who are “on board and willing to serve” the administration.

“That," he wrote, “is viewpoint discrimination, full stop.”

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Deputies said Roberta Walker, 51, of Washington, D.C., broke into a home in Hobe Sound by climbing through a bedroom window. They said she tried stealing the homeowner’s dog while it was in a crate, but not before the homeowner came home and confronted her.

“This is going to be, it’s one of these things that goes in the category of you can’t make this stuff up,” said Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek.

Authorities said Walker spent around a half hour trying to get inside the home.

“And for the next half an hour, she chipped away at an impact glass window in the back of the house with a rock and a little piece of metal,” said Budensiek. “Eventually (she) was able to compromise that window, at which point she crawled into the window.”

That was just the beginning of Walker’s confusing criminal acts.

“Nothing she did made sense,” said Budensiek. “Daytime burglary, spent a half an hour doing it, stayed in the house, drug a 90-pound dog outside, like, what are you going to do with a 90-pound dog? And then in broad daylight, stole a car.”

Following a large manhunt, Walker was arrested, and officials say they found jewelry in her vehicle from a second burglary.

Budensiek said Walker has a long criminal record, saying if convicted, these new charges carry harsh consequences.

“It’s significant because it’s a burglary of an occupied dwelling with damage over $1,000,” he said. “It’s actually a life felony. Now, do I think she’s going to get a life sentence? No. But she’s going to get a significant amount of time, especially with the criminal history that she has backing her up.”

In a nearly five-minute clip that is part of a longer interview scheduled to air on Sunday, journalist Kristen Welker asked Díaz-Canel if he would be “willing to step down if it meant saving Cuba. ”

Before answering, Díaz-Canel asked if she had ever posed that question to any other president in the world: “Is that a question from you, or is that coming from the State Department of the U.S. government?”

Díaz-Canel added: “In Cuba, the people who are in leadership position are not elected by the U.S. government, and they don’t have a mandate from the U.S. government. We have a free sovereign state.”

He said he became president not out of a “personal ambition or corporate ambition or even a party ambition,” but because of a mandate by the people.

“If the Cuban people understand that I am not fit for office, that I have no reason to be here, then I should not be holding this position of president, I will respond to them,” he said.

The interview comes as tensions between Cuba and the U.S. remain high despite both sides acknowledging talks, although no details have been shared.

Díaz-Canel accused the U.S. government of implementing a “hostile policy” against Cuba and said it has “no moral to demand anything from Cuba.”

He said the U.S. should recognize how much the policies have cost the Cuban people “and how much they have deprived the American people from a normal relationship with the Cuban people.”

Díaz-Canel noted that Cuba is interested in engaging in dialogue and discussing any topic without conditions, “not demanding changes from our political system as we are not demanding change from the American system, about which we have a number of doubts.”

Cuba blames a U.S. energy blockade for its deepening woes, with a lack of petroleum affecting the island’s health system, public transportation and the production of goods and services.

In late March, a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil arrived in Cuba, marking the island’s first oil shipment in three months. Russia has promised to send a second tanker.

Despite threatening tariffs in early January on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump allowed the tanker to proceed.

“Cuba’s finished,” Trump said at the time. “They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter.”

Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it consumes, and it stopped receiving key oil shipments from Venezuela after the U.S. attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its then leader.

Los agentes dijeron que Roberta Walker, de 51 años, de Washington, D.C., irrumpió en una casa en Hobe Sound al entrar por una ventana del dormitorio. Indicaron que intentó robar el perro del propietario mientras estaba en una jaula, pero el dueño llegó a su casa y la confrontó.

“Esto va a ser, es una de esas cosas que entran en la categoría de no te lo puedes inventar”, dijo el sheriff del condado de Martin, John Budensiek.

Las autoridades señalaron que Walker pasó alrededor de media hora intentando entrar a la vivienda.

“Y durante los siguientes 30 minutos, fue rompiendo una ventana de vidrio de impacto en la parte trasera de la casa con una piedra y un pequeño trozo de metal”, dijo Budensiek. “Eventualmente fue capaz de dañar esa ventana, momento en el cual se arrastró hacia el interior”.

Eso fue solo el comienzo de los confusos actos criminales de Walker.

“Nada de lo que hizo tenía sentido”, dijo Budensiek. “Un robo en pleno día, pasó media hora haciéndolo, se quedó dentro de la casa, sacó a rastras a un perro de 90 libras afuera, como, ¿qué vas a hacer con un perro de 90 libras? Y luego, a plena luz del día, robó un auto”.

Tras una gran persecución, Walker fue arrestada, y las autoridades dijeron que encontraron joyas en su vehículo provenientes de un segundo robo.

Budensiek dijo que Walker tiene un largo historial criminal y señaló que, si es condenada, estos nuevos cargos conllevan consecuencias severas.

“Es significativo porque es un robo a una vivienda ocupada con daños de más de 1,000 dólares”, dijo. “En realidad es un delito grave de cadena perpetua. Ahora, ¿creo que va a recibir cadena perpetua? No. Pero va a recibir una cantidad significativa de tiempo, especialmente con el historial criminal que tiene detrás”.

In a decision Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Michael Liburdi also denied Kalshi’s request for a ruling saying federal law trumps Arizona’s gambling laws. Liburdi said it's too early in the case for him to rule on that issue.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office has charged Kalshi with 20 misdemeanor counts of wagering, alleging that the company accepted bets on political outcomes, college sports and individual player performance.

Arizona, the first state to file criminal charges against Kalshi, prohibits operating an unlicensed wagering business and betting on elections. The criminal charges mark a new front in a high-stakes legal battle over whether prediction markets should be subject to the same rules as gambling operations.

The Associated Press emailed Kalshi seeking comment on the decision. Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office declined to comment on Thursday.

An arraignment is scheduled Monday for Kalshi in Maricopa County Superior Court. The criminal case is being heard in county court because the company is charged with state criminal violations.

Kalshi, which maintains it’s a financial marketplace rather than a gambling operation, is pressing its civil claims in federal court, arguing that it should only have to answer to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, not the state of Arizona.

Kalshi operates by allowing customers to buy and sell “Yes” or “No” contracts tied to the probable outcome of an event. It has said its product is different from gambling operations because Kalshi’s customers engage in “swaps” between one another instead of betting against the “house.”

In a lawsuit filed by Kalshi just days before prosecutors leveled the criminal charges, the company argued federal law trumps Arizona’s efforts to subject it to state statute. It also contends that shutting down its ability to offer event contracts would threaten its viability, undermine confidence in the integrity of its platform and cause other problems for the business.

The company said Arizona filed the charges to interfere with its lawsuit.

Lawyers for the state contend Kalshi has marketed itself as a platform for sports and election betting and Arizona should be able to enforce its gambling laws to hold Kalshi accountable for flouting state law.

Kalshi sued Arizona, Utah and Iowa in attempts to stop anticipated state actions against the platform. Other states have taken some form of legal action against Kalshi.

So far, the outcomes have been mixed. Federal and state judges in Nevada and Massachusetts, respectively, issued early rulings in favor of states looking to ban Kalshi and its competitor Polymarket from offering sports betting in their states. Elsewhere, federal judges in New Jersey and Tennessee have ruled in favor of Kalshi.

Earlier this month, the federal government filed lawsuits against Connecticut, Arizona and Illinois challenging the states' efforts to regulate prediction market operators.

The Trump administration has so far backed the platforms.

President Donald Trump’s eldest son is an adviser for both Kalshi and Polymarket and an investor in the latter. Trump’s social media platform Truth Social also is launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict.

Advardo Dames, of the ​Royal Bahamas Police, spoke to Reuters Wednesday night and identified Brian Hooker, 59, as a suspect in the case, saying he was arrested at about 7:30 p.m. in Abaco, but is not formally charged at this time.

“He’s been taken into custody as a suspect. He’s been arrested,” Dames said.

Dames said Hooker is being questioned about what happened to his wife.

A Coast Guard spokesperson told The Associated Press late Wednesday that they have opened a criminal investigation into the case.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Hooker had an attorney.

Officials have said Lynette Hooker, 55, was traveling in an 8-foot motorboat from Hope Town to Elbow Cay on Saturday night, and that her husband, Brian Hooker, told authorities she fell overboard with the boat keys, causing the engine to turn off.

Authorities said Brian Hooker then paddled to shore and alerted someone about her disappearance early Sunday.

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

Lynette Hooker’s mother, Darlene Hamlett, told The Associated Press late Wednesday that she was “glad to hear” about the arrest, but declined further comment, saying she was seeking more information.

Earlier on Wednesday, she said she wants to hear more from her son-in-law about how her daughter disappeared. The couple had been married for more than two decades and lived in Onsted, Michigan. Online records gave Brian Hooker’s age as 58, and the reason for the discrepancy wasn’t immediately clear.

“I’m going to be interested in what he says, because I haven’t heard from him in almost two days,” Hamlett said while on a six-hour drive back home from the Bahamian Consulate in Miami, where she secured a passport so she can fly to the Caribbean nation soon.

“Our family grew up on water and so Lynette her whole life has been near lakes, on boats, sailing and swimming,” Hamlett said. “It would be a miracle if (she’s rescued), but I’m still counting on one.”

Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told NBC News that it is unlikely her mother would “just fall” off the boat, saying she was an experienced sailor. The couple had been sailing for years and documented their voyages on social media under the moniker, “The Sailing Hookers.”

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

She told WXYZ-TV she doubted her mother survived and was able to tread water that long, but hoped to find her to get closure.

On Wednesday morning, Brian Hooker wrote on Facebook that he is “heartbroken over the recent boat accident in unpredictable seas and high winds that caused my beloved Lynette to fall from our small dinghy near Elbow Cay in the Bahamas.”

“Despite desperate attempts to reach her, the winds and currents drove us further apart,” he wrote. “We continue to search for her and that is my sole focus.”

The U.S. Coast Guard has also joined the investigation and interviewed Aylesworth on Wednesday, according to her attorney, Ron Marienfeld.

“We are pleased to see it is being investigated, and hopefully more answers will come to give the family some closure,” Marienfeld said via email.

Bahamian police said search operations and investigative efforts remain active.

Local 10 News digital executive producer Amanda Batchelor contributed to this report.

Aden Perry escuchó llamados de ayuda de alguien que había conducido hacia un lago en Sunrise en abril de 2022.

Saltó para ayudar, pero nunca volvió a salir a la superficie, ya que tanto él como el conductor murieron.

“Es importante ser proactivos para salvar vidas”, dijo Sara Perry, madre de Aden Perry. “No pensé que viviría un día o una semana y aquí estoy. El 19 de abril se cumplirán cuatro años desde que ese accidente cambió mi mundo”.

Ahora, los seres queridos esperan convertir su tragedia en algo que pueda ayudar a garantizar que algo así no vuelva a ocurrir.

“No fue hasta perder a mi hijo que me di cuenta de que actualmente no había nada disponible en una emergencia de este tipo”, dijo Perry.

Desde entonces, Perry ha instalado más de 600 aros salvavidas, o salvavidas, a lo largo de vías fluviales en todo el sur de Florida e incluso hasta Carolina del Norte.

Cada uno tiene la última foto que Perry tomaría de su hijo y un mensaje de héroe, pero ella espera que transmitan el mensaje de “lanza, no te lances”.

“Cada cuerpo de agua tiene el potencial de una emergencia acuática y no importa lo buen nadador que seas”, dijo ella.

Perry agregó que los aros salvavidas ya han salvado vidas.

“Al tener estos aros salvavidas, es casi como si estuviéramos completando el trabajo que él comenzó esa noche”, dijo ella.

El legado de Aden también sigue vivo a través de eventos como carreras anuales de 5 kilómetros y la Fundación de Becas del Buen Samaritano Aden Perry, que ayuda a estudiantes que son inteligentes, motivados y desinteresados, como lo era Aden.

It was not immediately clear what was targeted. The Israeli military later claimed that Iran-backed Hezbollah had repositioned to residential and commercial areas far from the Shiite militia's usual sphere of influence on the city's southern outskirts, where the group's yellow flags appear on lampposts and Israeli evacuation orders have been in place for weeks.

The bombardment killed more than 300 people and wounded over 1,800 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, with most of the casualties in Beirut and its southern suburbs. It marked the deadliest day in the past five weeks of the Israel-Hezbollah war.

The areas targeted in this wave of Israeli strikes included busy commercial strips, crowded residential neighborhoods and upscale districts along the city’s seafront — places that had felt somewhat removed from the violence of the war, save for the incessant buzz of Israeli drones and thunder of occasional explosions.

One deadly strike hit along Corniche al-Mazraa, a main artery of the city, razing an apartment building near a popular shop selling nuts and dried fruit and setting parked cars ablaze, some with drivers inside.

Another crashed into the hilly residential district of Tallet El Khayat, flattening a multi-story building near an upscale mall — among those killed, residents said, was an award-winning Arabic poet and her husband.

Yet another struck the seaside district of Ain el Tineh, pulverizing an apartment building also home to an exotic plant shop right near the speaker of parliament’s residence and overlooking the city’s only public beach.

Further strikes blew up apartments near a well-known chocolate shop in the mixed commercial and residential area of Mar Elias, wiped out part of a building that housed a snack shop and hair salon in the Caracas district, destroyed the lower floors of a building along Beirut’s coastal corniche and left smoldering ruins in the densely populated neighborhood of Basta near a school sheltering displaced people in an attack that killed, among others, a young mother and her two sons.

La Ley de Minas --que deroga otras dos normas de 1999 y 2015— establece amplias garantías jurídicas, incluida la posibilidad que “las dudas y controversias de cualquier naturaleza”, que no puedan ser resueltas amigablemente por las partes, podrán ser decididas por tribunales competentes de Venezuela o mediante mecanismos alternativos, incluyendo la “mediación y el arbitraje”.

El gobierno de la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez espera que los cambios sirvan de garantía para las principales firmas mineras internacionales que han dudado en regresar al país.

Varias compañías, entre ellas la empresa minera canadiense Crystallex International Corporation, perdieron inversiones cuando el gobierno del ahora fallecido presidente Hugo Chávez cambió abruptamente las condiciones de sus operaciones en el país y posteriormente revocó su permiso de explotación. Varias otras empresas internacionales aún buscan compensación por proyectos expropiados y paralizados por el gobierno en las últimas dos décadas.

La nueva legislación, que entrará en vigor cuando el Tribunal Supremo se pronuncie acerca de la constitucionalidad de su carácter orgánico, sea promulgada por el Poder Ejecutivo y publicada en la Gaceta Oficial, se aprobó después de una operación militar estadounidense en Caracas que depuso y capturó al entonces presidente Nicolás Maduro el 3 de enero.

Rodríguez fue juramentada presidenta en funciones el 5 de enero. La entonces vicepresidenta era, de acuerdo con la Constitución, la primera en la línea de sucesión.

La ley deja en claro que los yacimientos mineros seguirán siendo propiedad del Estado venezolano, resalta insistentemente el oficialismo, en momentos que la administración del presidente Donald Trump abiertamente manifiesta su intención de ejercer un mayor control sobre los recursos naturales del país sudamericano.

El debate del proyecto de ley comenzó apenas cuatro días después de la visita del secretario de Interior estadounidense, Doug Burgum, con el propósito de ampliar los acuerdos en materia de energía y minería de ambos países.

Al final de la visita, el 5 de marzo, Rodríguez pidió a los legisladores “actuar con celeridad” para aprobar la ley. Burgum estuvo acompañado por representantes de más de dos docenas de empresas mineras y de minerales de Estados Unidos.

En febrero, el gobierno de Trump anunció su intención de crear un bloque comercial de minerales estratégicos con sus aliados y socios para defenderse del control de China en la cadena de suministro de estos minerales y tierras raras, esenciales para la industria electrónica, la fabricación de motores eléctricos, aviones militares, entre otros.

El 6 de marzo, Estados Unidos emitió una licencia que autoriza realizar transacciones con Minerven, la compañía estatal de extracción de oro. Según la licencia, las personas y empresas de Rusia, Irán, Corea del Norte y Cuba no están autorizadas a celebrar contratos con Minerven.

Además del petróleo, Venezuela es rica en oro, cobre, diamantes, coltán y otros metales preciosos, pero su explotación se concentra en zonas inseguras.

En ese sentido, Burgum manifestó que el gobierno de Venezuela dio garantías de seguridad a las compañías mineras interesadas en invertir en el país donde las zonas ricas en minerales han estado controladas por guerrilleros colombianos y otros grupos ilegales locales durante mucho tiempo.

La ley busca reproducir el modelo de la recién aprobada Ley de Hidrocarburos, que redujo drásticamente el rígido control estatal sobre las operaciones petroleras vigente en las últimas dos décadas y que abrió ampliamente el sector a la inversión extranjera.

En sintonía, el Departamento del Tesoro comenzó a flexibilizar las sanciones a los hidrocarburos venezolanos y amplió la capacidad de las compañías energéticas estadounidenses para operar en Venezuela.

Los gobiernos de Washington y Caracas también acordaron restablecer relaciones diplomáticas, rotas en 2019. Esas y otras medidas han sido adoptadas después del traslado de Maduro y su esposa a Nueva York para enfrentar cargos federales de tráfico de droga.

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Authorities say Corey Hutterli, 37, of Parkland, is accused of killing a man by throwing him off the balcony of a 25th floor apartment.

The incident occurred on Feb. 15 at the Akoya Condominium located at 6365 Collins Ave. on Mid-Beach.

According to an arrest report, the victim, who has been identified as Justin Zelin, called 911 at 10:22 p.m. and could be heard by dispatchers repeatedly saying “get away from me Sasha,” which police said was Hutterli’s nickname.

During the call, police said Zelin suddenly stopped communicating but the line remained open, where a struggle could be heard, as could Hutterli.

At 10:31 p.m., responding officers arrived to the building and went to the unit regarding the 911 call just as Hutterli was attempting to leave “in what appears to be an excited state” and was only wearing socks while “seen physically sweating and out of breath,” the report states.

Police said at first, Hutterli spontaneously began making statements to police, including, “What’s going on? Somebody, he freaked out, attacked me” and then later when officers asked where the victim was, Hutterli stated, “He went to the elevator man, what the f---, I’m all beat up” and then inquired “What is the situation? Did he jump?”

According to an arrest report, officers allowed Hutterli to call his mother, a conversation that was captured on body camera footage, and during the call police said Hutterli could be heard saying that he was leaving the apartment because Zelin told him to leave, but police noted that around nine minutes had passed from when Zelin was demanding Hutterli to leave during the 911 call to the moment officers arrived and Hutterli was still there, indicating he had time to leave.

Police said when officers reviewed surveillance footage, it showed Zelin striking the pavement outside the building at 10:30 p.m., meaning only one minute had passed from that moment to when officers arrived and Hutterli was seen trying to leave the apartment, despite the 911 call being made and the demand to leave being heard nine minutes prior.

After obtaining a search warrant, police said they found signs of a struggle inside the unit that led to the balcony, and that the balcony doors were left open. Police said they also found Hutterli’s sandals on the balcony and blood on the balcony railing, which officers said coincides with where Zelin’s body fell from.

During their search, police said they located Zelin’s cellphone that placed the 911 call on the bathroom floor, as well as pieces of Hutterli’s beard that were seen “scattered throughout the living room.”

When searching Hutterli’s personal items, police said they found more pieces of his beard hair inside his backpack “as if he was attempting to both retrieve and conceal evidence from the scene,” according to an arrest form, as well as a bag of Ketamine inside the pocket of a jacket that was also inside the backpack.

Ultimately, investigators said a combination of the 911 call, the evidence of a struggle that included the beard hair, a cut to Hutterli’s right thumb, scratches on his arm and the statements he made to police, they arrested him for second degree murder.

Hutterli’s attorney calls the case purely circumstantial.

“There is no eyewitness (to) any alleged act that causes the deceased death,” said attorney David Sobel. “No statements or admission for Mr. Hutterli acknowledging any criminal conduct, no direct evidence establishing how or by whom the fatal injuries were inflicted.”

Authorities said Hutterli was already out on felony bond. He is also facing charges of burglary with assault or battery, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

As of Thursday morning, Hutterli was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as “to be set.”

El accidente ocurrió cerca de Powerline Road y la calle 12 del noroeste, según la policía de Fort Lauderdale.

La policía indicó que el sospechoso huyó cuando los oficiales intentaron detenerlo, lo que provocó una persecución que terminó cuando el sospechoso chocó contra un vehículo civil, causando que se volcara.

Dicen que Roberson, de 24 años, y los ocupantes del otro vehículo fueron trasladados al Broward Health Medical Center con lesiones menores.

La policía de Sunrise dijo que enfrenta un cargo por cada uno de los siguientes: robo con carjacking, agresión agravada a una mujer embarazada, obstrucción de la justicia, gran hurto de un vehículo, justicia penal, negligencia infantil, interferencia con la custodia de un menor.

La foto de registro de Robertson no estaba disponible de inmediato.

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The crash occurred near Powerline Road and Northwest 12th Street, according to Fort Lauderdale police.

Police said the suspect, Thomas Jamaine Roberson, fled when officers attempted a traffic stop, leading to a pursuit that ended when the suspect crashed into a civilian vehicle, causing it to overturn.

They said Roberson, 24, and the occupants of the other vehicle were taken to Broward Health Medical Center with minor injuries.

Sunrise police said he is facing one count each of robbery with carjacking, aggravated battery of a pregnant female, obstruction of justice, grand theft of a vehicle, criminal justice, child neglect, interfering with custody of a minor.

Robertson’s mugshot wasn’t immediately available.

Aden Perry heard calls for help from someone who had driven into a lake in Sunrise in April 2022.

He jumped in to help, but never came back up, as both he and the driver died.

“It’s important to be proactive to save lives,” said Sara Perry, Aden’s mother. “I didn’t think I’d live a day or a week and here I am. On April 19, it’ll mark four years since that accident changed my world.”

Now, loved ones are hoping to turn their tragedy into something that could help make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.

“It wasn’t until losing my son that I realized there was currently nothing available in such an emergency,” said Perry.

Since then, Perry has put up more than 600 life rings, or life preservers, along waterways across South Florida and even up into North Carolina.

Each one has the last picture Perry would ever take of her son, and a hero’s message but she hopes they send the message of “throw, don’t go.”

“Every body of water has the potential for a water emergency and it doesn’t matter how great a swimmer you are,” she said.

Perry added that the life rings have already saved lives.

“By having these life rings, it’s almost like we’re completing the job he started that night,” she said.

Aden’s legacy also lives on through events like annual 5Ks and the Aden Perry Good Samaritan Scholarship Foundation, which helps students who are smart, driven and selfless, like Aden was.

“To date, we’ve given well over $300,000 in scholarships,” said Perry. “He wanted to be a neurosurgeon, he wanted to make a difference, he really wanted to save lives.

“I miss him terribly. The work I do now is all for him, in his honor. He would be proud of me. He was my hero.”

The latest 5K will be held on Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, where Perry will give a $10,000 scholarship to a deserving student.

It’s one of the 16 scholarships she’s handing out.

All money collected from the 5K will go toward those scholarships.

It is the latest legislative initiative by acting President Delcy Rodríguez since the self-proclaimed socialist government that has ruled Venezuela for 26 years came under pressure from the Trump administration in January, when the U.S. military deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro.

The lengthy bill will now undergo a review by the country’s high court to determine if it is constitutional.

The bill regulates mineral rights, establishes small, medium and large-scale mining categories, and allows for independent arbitration of disputes, which foreign investors view as key to guard against the government seizing their assets. It also bans the president, vice president, ministers, governors and others from holding mining titles.

The bill is a “vehicle for the construction of future prosperity” and an “instrument that protects” mining workers across the country, National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez told lawmakers after the measure was approved.

The approval came a day after the acting president asked public and private sector workers, whose wages have long not allowed them to afford basic necessities, for patience as her government works to improve the country’s economy. She promised them a wage increase on May 1 but did not disclose the amount.

On Thursday, as workers protested for better wages in the capital, Caracas, Delcy Rodríguez arrived in Grenada on her first official international trip as acting president.

Two decades ago, many foreign firms in the mining and oil sectors saw their assets seized by the Venezuelan government. However, as crucial oil revenues plummeted, Maduro’s government in 2016 designated more than 10% of Venezuela’s territory as a mining development zone stretching across the central area of the country.

Since then, mining operations for gold, diamonds, copper and other minerals have proliferated. Many of these sites are informal, unlicensed mines operating under brutal conditions and the presence of criminal groups.

Homicides, human trafficking, fuel smuggling and other crimes are commonplace in mining areas, but ordinary Venezuelans continue to flock there in hopes of getting rich quick and escaping poverty.

Officials and members of the military take cuts from the illegal mining revenue in exchange for allowing the operation of mines.

“The mining and subsequent sale of gold has proven to be a lucrative financial scheme for some well-connected Venezuelans and senior officers within the National Bolivarian Armed Forces, which profits from charging criminal organizations for access and inputs, such as fuel,” the U.S. State Department reported to Congress last year.

“The estimated market value of gold mined in Venezuela is difficult to confirm, but well-respected sources estimate that it averaged $2.2 billion annually over the past five years.”

The newly approved bill sets royalties and taxes and caps mining concessions at 30 years, with the possibility of renewal. It also establishes prison penalties for those who participate in illegal activities and those who cause environmental damages, and allows for the seizure of illegally obtained minerals.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A su ingreso a la Sala de Vistas de la Corte Suprema de Justicia a donde fue su entrevista, decenas de activistas de la sociedad civil y particulares presentes se levantaron y le dieron la espalda durante los más de 20 minutos que duró su intervención. Su participación pública podría ser una de las últimas en lo que le queda de su mandato, que vence el mes próximo.

Al finalizar y ante preguntas de periodistas sobre por qué debería se reelegida con el aval del presidente Bernardo Arévalo, que por ley es a quién le corresponde elegir fiscal general y con quien mantiene diferencias, Porras dijo que cree en el estado de derecho guatemalteco, y que "cada autoridad debe de cumplir con su competencia sobre la base que le corresponde”.

En 2023, Porras intentó bloquear la llegada al poder de Arévalo, que ganó las elecciones en dos vueltas electorales. La fiscalía lo acusó de presunto fraude electoral, entre otros supuestos delitos, incluso llegó a secuestrar boletas electorales y le solicitó a un juez cancelar al partido político que llevó al poder.

Porras también fue cuestionada sobre la falta de resultados de algunas denuncias presentadas, incluyendo varias contra el anterior presidente Alejandro Giammattei, quién la nombró en el cargo y quien la reconocía como su amiga.

La fiscal defendió que ya había varios resultados en las investigaciones como extinción del dominio de propiedades, sin embargo, la fiscalía no ha accionado contra Giammattei ni allegados para que puedan rendir cuentas ante los tribunales respecto a las acusaciones.

“El Ministerio Público con mucha solvencia, ética, legalidad ha hecho su trabajo”, aseguró.

Sobre qué haría después de terminar su mandato en la fiscalía, Porras dijo que “mi plan es seguir trabajando por mi país”.

Se tiene previsto que la próxima semana la comisión que selecciona a los candidatos entregue un listado de seis al presidente Arévalo, para que decida quién será el próximo fiscal general por los próximos cuatro años.

Este año por lo menos c inco organismos del Estado guatemalteco renuevan liderazgos, entre ellos los diez magistrados —titulares y suplentes— de la Corte de Constitucionalidad; cinco jueces titulares y cinco suplentes del Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE); el jefe de la Contraloría General de Cuentas y el rector de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC).

El martes, la USAC reeligió a Walter Mazariegos como rector en medio de cuestionamientos de presunto fraude, mientras que estudiantes universitarios mantienen tomado el campus de la universidad, la única de carácter público en el país, para rechazar la reelección de Mazariegos. El jueves, la fiscalía realizaba diligencias judiciales en esa casa de estudios a raíz de la toma del campus por parte de los estudiantes.

Porras no descartó una investigación a Mazariegos por los señalamientos de supuesto fraude.

“Everybody talks about Detroit, we owe our stuff to Detroit — first city that appreciated the band that I’m in,” Simmons said before cutting the ribbon at the new Rock & Brews in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Since opening their first location in Southern California in 2010, Simmons and Stanley have opened Rock & Brews in states from Washington to Florida.

“Our CEO is here, because he wants to go back in the kitchen and even bring it up a notch,” Simmons said in an interview. “You don’t want to keep the same old, same old. We got to kick it up, because people deserve the best. You wanted the best, you got the best — the hottest food in town.”

Simmons, 76, is the longtime bassist for Kiss. The face-painting rockers were inducted in 2014 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and were Kennedy Center honorees last year.

The New Yorkers long have had a soft spot for the Motor City. Not only is “Detroit Rock City” one of their best-known tunes, Kiss recorded part of their seminal live album “Alive!” at Cobo Arena.

Simmons, singer Stanley, the late guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss put out a few studio albums in the early 1970s without a lot of success. It wasn’t until 1975’s “Alive!” hit record stores that Kiss became, well, Kiss.

The band retired a few years ago from touring.

But Simmons was happy to be back on the road and in the Great Lakes State.

Indeed, Simmons said Thursday’s visit was a homecoming of sorts.

“Kiss really broke our rock-and-roll teeth in Detroit. Detroit accepted us way before New York and any other city,” he said, before doing a little impromptu singing: “You gotta lose your mind in Detroit Rock City.”

The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said that they had reached an agreement with the Justice Department that will allow the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences to continue awarding grants and operating programs that support libraries and museums.

The White House referred questions to the Justice Department. The Civil Division of the Justice Department, which agreed to the settlement, did not immediately comment.

The two organizations filed a lawsuit last May, spearheaded by the group Democracy Forward, to stop the administration from gutting the IMLS after President Donald Trump signed a March 14 executive order that referred to it and several other federal agencies as “unnecessary.”

The measures that set in motion were part of a broader attempt by the administration to save money by slashing staff, grants and programs in the federal government.

Staff was subsequently placed on administrative leave with many receiving termination notices. The agency’s then acting director also began canceling grants and contracts and fired the members of the National Museum and Library Services Board.

“When the administration began shuttering IMLS last year, it set off a chain reaction. Libraries across the country started cutting hours, staff and services people rely on – after-school programs, support for job seekers and connection for older adults,” said American Library Association president Sam Helmick in a press statement.

The settlement said all reductions in force to the staff in 2025 have been rescinded and all employees who received them are authorized to return to work. IMLS will not issue any more RIFs in order “to effectuate” the purpose of the executive order, the settlement said.

Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, called the settlement a victory for every community that depends on libraries and museums.

The plaintiffs will file a joint stipulation of dismissal of the case without prejudice in seven days if the government adheres to terms of the agreement.

The settlement announcement comes three days after a federal judge in Rhode Island approved an administration request to withdraw its appeal of a federal district court opinion in a separate lawsuit filed by 21 attorneys general.

IMLS is the only federal agency tasked with providing funding for the nation’s libraries. It was established in 1996 by a Republican-led Congress and has a mission to “advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development.”

The institute combined the services of previous government agencies, including the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the Institute of Museum Services.

It distributes thousands of grants nationwide, totaling in recent years to more than $200 million annually.

Shortly ahead of a fragile ceasefire agreement earlier this week, a new group of accounts on prediction market platform Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed trades betting there'd be an announcement about a halt in fighting for April 7. Some quickly pocketed awards, which amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits combined. Others are still awaiting payouts as an end to the deadly conflict still seems uncertain.

Regardless, the trades once again put the spotlight on a murky — and growing — world of speculative, 24/7 transactions now filling the internet. And some have raised questions about suspicious activity, including an anonymous Polymarket trader pocketing more than $400,000 following the U.S. military's capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

The timing and subjects of such trades have fueled concerns about potential insider trading — with calls increasing among lawmakers for investigations. Popular platforms, including Polymarket, have rolled out added guardrails in efforts to combat insider trading recently, but critics say it isn't enough.

Meanwhile, because prediction market wagers are categorized differently than traditional forms of gambling, tensions about government oversight have erupted. President Donald Trump's administration has already thrown its support behind company operators — and sued three states over their efforts to regulate them further.

Here's what we know:

How prediction markets work

The scope of topics involved in prediction markets can range immensely. Recently, there’s been a surge of wages on elections and sports games. But some users have also bet millions on things like a rumored — and ultimately unrealized — “secret finale” for the Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” whether the U.S. government will confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life and how much billionaire Elon Musk might post on social media this month.

In industry-speak, what someone buys or sells in a prediction market is called an “event contract.” They're typically advertised as “yes” or “no” wagers. And the price of one fluctuates between $0 and $1, reflecting what traders are collectively willing to pay based on a 0% to 100% chance of whether they think an event will occur.

The more likely traders think an event will occur, the more expensive that contract will become. And as those odds change over time, users can cash out early to make incremental profits, or try to avoid higher losses on what they’ve already invested.

Proponents of prediction markets argue putting money on the line leads to better forecasts and allow you to gauge public opinion as an alternative to polling. And some think there's value in monitoring prediction markets for potential news, particularly elections.

Still, prediction markets can also be wrong. People investing their money may be closely following certain events, but others could just be randomly guessing.

Who is behind all of the trading is also pretty unclear.

The companies running today's biggest platforms know who their customers are — as they collect personal information to verify identities and payments. But most users can trade under anonymous pseudonyms on public-facing websites, making it difficult for the world to tell who is profiting off many event contracts.

Critics also stress that the ease and speed of joining these 24/7 wagers leads to financial losses everyday, particularly harming users who may already struggle with gambling.

The major players

Polymarket is one of the largest prediction markets in the world. Users can fund event contracts through cryptocurrency, debit or credit cards and bank transfers.

Restrictions vary by country, but in the U.S., the reach of these markets has expanded rapidly over recent years, coinciding with shifting policies out of Washington.

While prediction markets have found backing from the Trump-controlled Commodity Futures Trading Commission, former President Joe Biden was more aggressive in cracking down. Following a 2022 settlement with the CFTC, Polymarket was barred from operating in the country. That changed under Trump late last year, when Polymarket announced it would be returning to the U.S. after receiving clearance from the commission. American-based users can now join a “waitlist” to access the platform.

Meanwhile, Polymarket’s top competitor, Kalshi, has been a federally-regulated exchange since 2020. The platform offers similar ways to buy and sell event contracts as Polymarket — and it currently allows event contracts on elections and sports nationwide. Kalshi won court approval just weeks before the 2024 election to let Americans put money on upcoming political races and began to host sports trading last year.

The space is now crowded with other big names. Major League Baseball inked a deal with Polymarket last month, following other partnerships in professional hockey and soccer. Meanwhile, sports betting giants DraftKings and FanDuel have launched their own prediction platforms. Trump’s social media site Truth Social has also promised to offer an in-platform prediction market through a partnership with Crypto.com — and one of the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr., holds advisory roles at both Polymarket and Kalshi.

Last month, The Associated Press agreed to sell its U.S. elections data to Kalshi.

Loose regulation and calls for reform

Because they’re positioned as selling event contracts, prediction markets are regulated by the CFTC. That means they can avoid state-level restrictions or bans in place for traditional gambling and sports betting today.

“It’s a huge loophole,” said Karl Lockhart, an assistant professor of law at DePaul University who has studied this space. “You just have to comply with one set of regulations, rather than (rules from) each state around the country.”

Sports betting is taking center stage. There are a handful of big states — like California and Texas, for example — where sports betting is still illegal, but people can now wager on games, athlete trades and more through event contracts.

A growing number of states and tribes are trying to stop this. But the Trump administration has already pushed back, maintaining that the CFTC has the sole authority to regulate prediction markets. Many lawyers expect litigation to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

Despite overseeing trillions of dollars for the overall U.S. derivatives market, the CFTC is much smaller than the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates the securities industry. And at the same time event contracts are growing rapidly on prediction market platforms, there have been sizeable workforce cuts and leadership departures. CFTC chairman Michael Selig is the sole member filling just one of five commissioner slots.

Meanwhile, Congress members from both sides of the aisle have introduced broad legislation for more guardrails in recent months. Soon after, Kalshi — which has maintained that it's always banned insider trading — quickly moved to bar political candidates from trading on their own campaigns, and preemptively block anyone involved in college or professional sports from contracts related to the sports they play or are employed by. Polymarket rewrote its rules to clearly say users cannot trade on contracts where they might possess confidential information, or could influence the outcome of an event.

The CFTC can also bar event contracts related to war, terrorism and assassinations, which experts say could put some prediction market trades — including those related to the Iran war — on added shaky ground, at least in the U.S. Lawmakers like Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff are seeking an outright ban of these kinds of trades.

Still, users might find ways to buy certain contracts while traveling abroad, or through connecting to different VPNs.

Daniel Curran fue encontrado sin vida en un edificio en Northeast 36th Street y North Ocean Boulevard en su cumpleaños número 35.

Su muerte se produce tras un caso de violencia doméstica contra Curran, en el que Trantalis, de 72 años, citó incidentes previos de amenazas y violencia.

Antes de su muerte, se estaban realizando modificaciones a la orden de restricción, ya que Trantalis consideraba que su ex pareja ya no representaba una amenaza.

“Me sorprendió recibir esta noticia esta mañana. Estábamos en camino a una resolución, lo que habría permitido que Danny recibiera el tratamiento que necesitaba y habría llevado a que los cargos fueran desestimados”, dijo el abogado de Curran, Philip C. Johnston, en un comunicado a Local 10 News. “Danny era una persona muy amable y sensible. Después de que modificamos la orden de no contacto, expresé mis condolencias al alcalde. Él dijo que él y Danny se reunieron anoche y conversaron con alegría sobre planes futuros juntos. Esta es una situación profundamente triste.”

Trantalis emitió un comunicado el jueves tras la muerte de Curran, diciendo que se enteró “con profundo pesar”.

“Era una persona amorosa, y mis condolencias van a su familia”, dijo Trantalis. “Quizá ahora, el dolor que sufrió se alivie. Que descanse en paz”.

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Greene made the catch, and Meadows landed on his back in a daze, barely moving with his hands pointed up and blood appearing on his face. After a few minutes, Meadows was able to sit up. Medical personnel slowly helped him stand and move toward a cart that was waiting to take him away.

“It's a terrible feeling. I still feel terrible,” Greene said after the game against Minnesota at Target Field. “He hit my head. I don't know where I hit him, to be honest, but I just really hope he's OK."

Meadows had a concussion, manager A.J. Hinch said after the Tigers lost 3-1 to the Twins and were swept in the four-game series. The collision caused Meadows to bite the inside of his mouth, which led to the bleeding.

“We’re going to get him checked out for everything, but this one worries me,” Hinch said.

Josh Bell led off the eighth inning for Minnesota with a shallow fly to left-center that Greene appeared to be calling for as he and Meadows ran toward the ball. Meadows tried slowing up and backing off at the last second. But his face appeared to slam against Greene's head, sending both players tumbling to the grass.

“It’s a perfect tweener, and you have two guys who like to go and get it,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “It’s a scary thing.”

Meadows has started 11 of 13 games in center field for the Tigers this season. Matt Vierling made the other two starts. Meadows went 0 for 3 on Thursday and is batting .250 with two extra-base hits.

The 26-year-old Meadows, who was a second-round draft pick by the Tigers in 2018, made his major league debut in 2023. He missed the first two months of last season with a nerve problem in his upper right arm. Then he missed more than a month with a shoulder injury and finished with a .215 average and a .621 OPS.

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

Within seconds, plumes of smoke were rising across Beirut’s skyline, from the coastal corniche, down to the city’s busiest intersection, up from one of its wealthiest neighborhoods and one of its poorest. Boom. Boom. Boom. We stopped counting. One staffer ran into the office from downstairs, her face white and lips trembling.

During the 10 years that Beirut has been my home, the Lebanese capital has lived through rounds of Israeli bombing, Israel’s detonation of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members and a devastating port explosion in 2020. But Wednesday was the first time it felt like the city had been left breathless.

In a span of 10 minutes, Israel says it hit 100 targets in Lebanon. Most were in Beirut. Over 300 people were killed, including more than 100 women, children and elderly. Late night TV shows said it rivaled one of the worst days during Israel’s 1982 invasion of Beirut — in August of that year, when roughly 300 people were killed over some 10 hours of bombardment.

Acrid smoke, frantic calls and looks of horror

Before Wednesday's bombardment, many Lebanese had hoped that a ceasefire announced hours earlier in the Iran war would bring a pause in the more than a month of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

It is still not clear what the targets were. Israel said it hit Hezbollah command and control centers, but the only Hezbollah official it reported killing was an aide to the group’s secretary general.

As bombs fell, panicked commuters got stuck in traffic while trying to rush home to move their families, unsure where Israel may hit next. Others made frantic calls on an overwhelmed communication network, looking for loved ones or yelling at relatives to pack up and leave. Confused drivers stared at the acrid black and white smoke billowing over the city, trying to determine which road to take.

In the stricken areas, the mayhem was on another level. People’s faces were covered in black soot. At one of Beirut’s busiest intersections, on Corniche al-Mazraa, an Associated Press photographer saw charred cars piled on top of each other. A body was crushed inside one.

In Mar Elias, one of Beirut’s main commercial streets, a blast raised dust and debris that hid the view of the entire block. Across the street, Sahar Charara was huddled in her apartment.

Ever since the 2020 port explosion, in which her two children suffered minor injuries, Charara has tried to protect herself from seeing the victims of violence — a sign of how years of accumulated heartbreaks have marked Lebanese. But when the dust cleared, she looked outside and saw the despair of an entire city on the face of an elderly woman frozen in place and screaming for minutes.

“There were so much horror and fear in her screaming,” said Charara.

When Charara left her apartment an hour later, she exchanged a few words with her neighbor whose shop was destroyed. The expression on her face was a “blank look of horror,” Charara said.

She learned later from her building’s doorman that another neighbor had fallen from the balcony and died from the impact.

Buildings crumble to the ground

A strike hit near the home of Nahida Khalil, close to the corniche. Then she saw smoke also coming from the direction of her brother’s building further up the street.

The next 15 minutes felt like an eternity as she tried to call her brother, with no answer. Finally, his wife responded, screaming that their building was hit. They had searched through the black smoke filling their apartment to find their three children. When they finally made it to the street, they saw half of their building had been leveled, and the other half was slowly tumbling down as rescuers searched for the missing.

“I lived through all the wars since 1975. I never felt this fear,” said Khalil, who has lived in the same building for decades. "These strikes are meant to terrorize ... and to spoil the ceasefire and cause division” between Lebanese.

A few hundred meters to the west of Charara’s building later in the day, motorists swerved and crossed paths, as they tried to evacuate Tallet al-Khayyat, one of the highest points in Beirut and home to some of the city’s classiest apartment buildings. One building crumbled to dust in seconds after being struck by an Israeli bomb; a resident described hearing the building’s stones grind before it collapsed.

By nightfall, people were still assessing the losses and damages – and trying to figure out where was safe. Some families spent the night sleeping in different rooms, figuring if overnight strikes hit, some would survive.

Rescue efforts went on through the night.

At Khalil’s family building in the Ain Mreisseh neighborhood, rescue workers' hopes were boosted after finding a 92-year-old man alive. But by daylight Thursday, they were still searching for four or five more bodies, they told the AP. A man whose 23-year-old daughter was among the missing stood on a mound of rubble and helped search.

The 101st strike

At hospitals, staff were still trying to identify dozens of bodies.

The last strike came shortly after midnight, hitting the southern suburbs of Beirut, which have been regularly hit during the war. Mohammed Mehdi’s barbershop, in operation for 30 years, was destroyed.

During the current war, he and his family fled their home in the neighborhood, Chiyah, and now sleep in a dentist clinic, near Khalil’s family building. But he made it a point to keep his barber shop open, going to it every day to meet friends, have coffee and give the occasional haircut. He shut down Wednesday as bombs starting falling across the city.

“They carried out 100 strikes. Ours was the 101st,” he said Thursday. He is mourning Lebanon’s dead from the day. “I am still in shock, and I don’t know where things are going. I lost my job and this loss may last for a while.”

___

AP correspondent Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

But a lawyer for Live Nation insisted in Manhattan federal court that there is more competition than ever and the company plays fair amid a booming concert business across America.

The attorney, David Marriott, said the states failed to prove that Live Nation had acted as a monopolist.

“They can’t, and they didn’t,” he said.

The federal government led the civil claims case until it settled the lawsuit it brought in 2024 several weeks ago, saying it had won important concessions from Live Nation, particularly in the sale of tickets at dozens of the company's amphitheaters. The settlement delayed the trial for a week while states conducted mostly unsuccessful negotiations with Live Nation.

After closing arguments concluded, jurors were instructed on the law by Judge Arun Subramanian. They were expected to start deliberations Friday.

In his closing, attorney Jeffrey Kessler argued on behalf of the states that evidence has shown that the companies “violated antitrust laws and it is time to hold them accountable.”

He reminded jurors that since it was a civil trial, they only needed to find that the states had proven by a preponderance of the evidence — more than 50% — that Live Nation and Ticketmaster illegally wielded monopoly power.

Kessler labeled the company a “monopolistic bully” and said it had employed practices that “kept digging the moat around the monopoly castle in order to protect their market position.”

Live Nation's control of 86% of the market for concerts and 73% of the overall market when sports events are included, showed it had monopoly power, he said.

Marriott countered that Live Nation and Ticketmaster were merely reaping the fruits of decades of hard work that created the best products in the industry.

“We are the biggest entertainment company and ticketer in the country. We’re not hiding from that fact,” he said. “We are big. That is not against the laws in the United States. Success is not against the antitrust laws in the United States.”

Marriott also said the company tries to “outflank and outcompete” its competitors and the jury should not punish the company because the states had shown some communications in which employees who are “fierce competitors” talk about crushing the competition.

He defended the company decision not to immediately fire an employee who acknowledged from the witness stand that he had written a series of messages from late 2021 through early 2023 in which he mocked customers as “so stupid” and said the company was “robbing them blind, baby.”

“People say, sometimes, stupid stuff,” Marriott said, noting the comments were made about the price of lawn chairs and parking. “We don't condone that. But we also don't just ax somebody because they made a mistake years in the past.”

Meanwhile, he said, venues and artists are doing better than ever and fans are benefiting from a robust and thriving entertainment industry.

“Our job is to help venues and artists make money. We don’t make excuses for that,” Marriott said.

The team announced that the surgery had been completed as the 76ers were playing the Houston Rockets Thursday night. Coach Nick Nurse said Embiid felt fine in practice on Wednesday before he learned of the situation Thursday morning.

“They had said that he had in the middle of the night, like 3, 3:30 (a.m.) or something, contacted them to say he was not feeling well,” Nurse said. “And so I think that’s kind of when this particular incident started.”

Nurse said the team learned of Embiid's diagnosis while preparing for the game.

“They finally got him to the doctor and they had the scan and then decided they needed to do the surgery here in Houston,” Nurse said.

The coach did not give a timetable for Embiid's return, but it seems unlikely that the former MVP would be able to return for the play-in tournament or the first round of the playoffs.

“It is a tough blow,” Nurse said.

The 76ers entered Thursday in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and on track for a spot in the play-in tournament, though they were only one game behind sixth-place Toronto.

Embiid has been limited to 38 games this season, sitting out primarily to manage injuries to his knees.

“They’ve played different stretches of the year without him,” Nurse said. “As far as what we do personnel-wise, we’ve got (Adem) Bona, we got (Andre) Drummond and we’ll use them both. And then hopefully we can use (Thursday) and (Friday) and Sunday get back to getting used to that scenario again.”

Embiid was held out against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. He has not played in both games of a back-to-back all season.

After missing Saturday's game, Embiid had 34 points and 12 rebounds in Philadelphia's 115-102 loss at San Antonio on Monday night.

Embiid, 32, is averaging 26.9 points and 7.7 rebounds this season after playing in only 19 games in 2024-25. He hasn't appeared in as many as 40 games in a regular season since 2022-23, when he averaged a career-best 33.1 points and earned MVP honors.

Embiid expressed his frustrations with Daryl Morey, the 76ers' president of basketball operations, on Friday night for not allowing him to play at Washington last week.

“I was (ticked) off. I wanted to play basketball,” Embiid said. “I wasn’t allowed to play basketball, so I think this is more of a question of Daryl Morey or whoever makes the decisions.”

Nurse said it's on him to keep the team upbeat with the postseason approaching.

“We’ve got to pick ourselves up,” he said. “I’m the leader of the team, I’ve got to pick the guys up and they’ll understand the situation and we’ve got to be professional and we’ve got to go try to figure it out the best we can.”

___

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

Preston Henry Tolth, 26, now will face trial on charges of carjacking and assault in relation to the 2021 disappearance of Ella Mae Begay. A trial date hasn't been set.

Under the agreement, Tolth would have been released on a sentence of three years of time served in exchange for acknowledging his role in the crime and pleading guilty to a single count of robbery.

Known as a gifted weaver of pictorial rugs, Ella Mae Begay was 62 years-old when she vanished from Sweetwater, Arizona, the small community on the northern part of the Navajo Nation where she was raised and later brought up her own three children.

Begay’s disappearance received national media attention and helped highlight the broader crisis of Indigenous people who go missing or are killed at disproportionate rates. Nearly five years after she disappeared, Begay has not been found.

The rare decision to reject a plea agreement followed anguished testimony from Begay's family members who told the court Tolth should not walk free without revealing Begay's location.

Seraphine Warren described her aunt as a warm and sweet person who opted for “hugs instead of handshakes," and implored the judge not to "give up on her" by accepting a plea agreement that Warren said offered no justice to the grieving family.

“Accountability is not time served,” Warren told the judge tearfully. “It’s about truth, and we still don’t have the truth.”

Gerald Begay, Ella Mae’s son, said, “I feel like the justice system has failed me.”

Tolth, whose father was dating Begay's sister, was identified as a person of interest within days of Begay's disappearance. He initially denied involvement but in a later interrogation, confessed to stealing Begay's truck with her in it, punching her repeatedly and leaving her on the side of the road.

Tolth was set to face trial in 2024, but a federal judge dealt prosecutors a major blow by ruling his confession inadmissible, saying Tolth had been unlawfully coerced by an FBI agent who lied about evidence that law enforcement had against him after Tolth had invoked his right to remain silent.

The U.S. Attorney's office for Arizona and Tolth's public defenders declined to comment on the judge's rejection of the plea agreement.

Tolth did not speak at Thursday's hearing. His attorney asked the judge to consider his unstable childhood and history of homelessness and substance abuse, calling his three years in federal custody a reasonable sentence.

A federal prosecutor said the suppression of Tolth's confession weakened the government's case and that the plea agreement would provide Begay's family with more certainty and finality than a trial with sparse evidence. Begay's family members disagree.

“We want to see this go to trial because we have nothing to lose,” Warren said. “If we lose, at least we fought.”

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Deputies said the bales appeared waterlogged and may have been in the area for some time.

They said the packages were turned over to MCSO’s narcotics division.

No other details were immediately released.

Los agentes dijeron que los paquetes parecían estar empapados y podrían haber estado en el área durante algún tiempo.

Dijeron que los paquetes fueron entregados a la división de narcóticos de la MCSO.

No se dieron a conocer otros detalles de inmediato.

In his Wednesday decision, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy from Massachusetts said the Trump administration terminated the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) “without regard for the process delineated by Congress.”

The decision came at a time when hundreds of thousands of TPS holders from different nationalities are challenging the termination of their status at the federal courts. It represents the latest legal setback for the Trump's administration efforts to put an end to TPS as part of his hard-line immigration policy.

More than 1 million migrants from 17 countries were protected by TPS during President Joe Biden's administration. But the Department of Homeland Security has terminated the designation for 13 of those countries since President Donald Trump came to office for his second term in January 2025.

Venezuelans comprised the largest group of beneficiaries, followed by Haitians and Salvadorans.

On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on the administration efforts to terminate TPS for 6,100 people from Syria and 350,000 from Haiti.

TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife, giving people authorization to work in increments of up to 18 months.

The Biden administration granted TPS to Ethiopians living in the U.S. in 2022, noting ​the need to protect them from armed conflict ⁠and humanitarian suffering. In April 2024, it was extended.

Under Trump’s administration, the Department of Homeland Security terminated TPS for Ethiopia in December 2025, saying that the country no longer met the conditions for its designation.

The judge said DHS disregarded the statutory procedures Congress enacted that govern TPS.

“Fundamental to this case — and indeed to our constitutional system — is the principle that the will of the President does not supersede that of Congress,” Murphy, who was appointed by Biden, said in his decision. “Presidential whims do not and cannot supplant agencies’ statutory obligations.”

After Murphy's decision, DHS reiterated that TPS is a temporary status.

DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis said the ruling "is just the latest example of judicial activists trying to prevent President Trump from restoring integrity to America’s legal immigration system.”

Conine appeared to be hobbling after getting up, as manager Clayton McCullough and a member of the Marlins’ training staff came onto the field to check on him before all three walked off together.

Conine was replaced by Heriberto Hernández.

The team announced Conine’s injury as left knee discomfort.

After the win, McCullough met with reporters and announced that Conine has left hamstring discomfort.

McCullough didn’t say whether Conine will go on the injured list, which would require a corresponding roster move.

Conine was 0-for-2 Thursday, as his averaged dipped down to .273.

He had two hits Wednesday, including a towering two-run home run in the Marlins’ 7-4 win.

Last season, Conine dislocated his left shoulder against the Philadelphia Phillies, an injury that required surgery.

He missed most of the season before making a late return in September.

The Marlins (8-5) open a six-game road trip Friday at 6:40 p.m. ET against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Los oficiales indicaron que respondieron alrededor de las 5:30 a.m. a un reporte de un posible suicidio en una vivienda cerca de la cuadra 900 de Northwest 11th Place, donde encontraron a una mujer muerta en el lugar tras sufrir una herida de bala en la cabeza.

Los hallazgos iniciales indicaban que no se sospechaba de un acto delictivo, pero la policía informó que el caso ha sido reclasificado como un “posible homicidio” a medida que se revisa más información.

No se han divulgado de inmediato más detalles sobre la víctima ni sobre posibles sospechosos.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el caso debe comunicarse con Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

The Trump administration proposed easing standards for monitoring and protecting groundwater near some coal ash sites, and rolling back rules that require the cleanup of entire coal properties rather than just the sites where ash was dumped. The revisions would also make it easier to reuse coal ash for other purposes.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the proposal reflects the agency's "commitment to restoring American energy dominance, strengthening cooperative federalism, and accommodating unique circumstances at certain (coal) facilities.”

Burning coal produces tremendous amounts of ash, a waste product that contains heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cobalt. If not stored properly, coal ash can contaminate groundwater. Coal plants are often situated on the banks of rivers or other waterways, with waste ash sitting nearby.

Opponents say the proposal, which grants states and other regulators the ability to grant exemptions from national standards, may open the door for companies to leave coal ash sitting in groundwater.

The Biden-era EPA in 2022, for example, rebuffed the Gen. James Gavin Power Plant in southern Ohio for trying to close a coal ash disposal site that the agency said was in contact with groundwater. In January 2025, with Trump back in the White House, coal industry entities asked Zeldin to revise the agency's stance on the issue.

“Opening the door to leaving ash in groundwater undermines one of the central protections of this rule, and that's essentially what this does,” said Nick Torrey, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, a nonprofit.

The agency’s proposal does state that an owner would be required to ensure that the ash “poses no reasonable probability of adverse effects on human health and the environment.”

The Biden-era coal ash protections also required the cleanup of places like the Michigan City Generating Station in Indiana, by Lake Michigan. Local activists are worried about the land created at the site, which is composed in part of coal ash. The 2024 rules set deadlines for cleanup.

At Michigan City and many other sites, standards to clean up the coal ash used to make land would be eliminated under the agency's proposal.

The proposed rule also seeks to lift restrictions on the use of coal ash — called “beneficial use” by the EPA — in secondary materials such as cement and as structural fill.

The agency also said that industry and others have said the health risks from coal ash were overstated in previous EPA assessments. Federal officials said the estimated cost savings were more than enough to justify the proposed changes.

The owners of Gavin Power Plant declined to comment. The owners of Michigan City Generating Station did not immediately comment.

The Utility Solid Waste Activities Group “appreciates EPA’s efforts to address the significant challenges our members are facing in implementing” the existing regulations, John Mavretich, executive director of the industry association, said in a statement.

He added the group “supports changes that move away from the existing ‘one-size-fits-all’ framework and incorporate site-specific flexibility, an approach that is common in other environmental programs.”

The genesis of these rules and current context

The EPA first set standards for coal ash during the Obama administration. They included requirements for companies to line new storage sites, monitor water and close leaky ponds, often requiring the material to be moved elsewhere. In 2024, then-President Joe Biden’s administration eliminated exemptions that had been granted to some older coal ash sites.

The move is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to weaken clean air and water standards as part of regulatory relief for the fossil fuel industry. It's also in line with Republican President Donald Trump's efforts to boost U.S. coal and suppress cleaner alternatives, all the while declaring a “national energy emergency.”

The coal industry has argued that a host of stringent rules that raise the cost of operating a coal plant prematurely push them into retirement.

A coalition of coal and energy associations wrote last year: “EPA's recent unprecedented expansion of the federal (coal ash) regulations has needlessly diverted funds from the power sector's efforts to meet the Nation's growing energy needs; increased costs for power companies and consumers without corresponding benefits to public health or the environment."

Disasters first prompted the EPA to regulate coal ash. The agency started looking into the problem after a dike failed in Tennessee in 2008, spreading coal ash over 300 acres or 120 hectares and forcing a massive cleanup. Workers involved in that effort said the ash exposure caused cancers. In 2014, tens of thousands of tons spilled in North Carolina.

“The Trump administration just took a sledgehammer to the health protections in place for toxic coal pollution," said Lisa Evans, senior counsel at environmental group Earthjustice. "This is yet another handout to the coal power industry at the expense of our health, water, and wallets."

In other moves, the EPA earlier this year weakened limits on mercury and other toxic emissions from coal-fired power plants. The Trump administration has also halted the planned shutdown of several coal plants, citing the need for consistent power during major storms or periods of high demand, and arguing that without it, the grid would be less reliable.

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Officers said they responded around 5:30 a.m. to a report of a possible suicide at an apartment near the 900 block of Northwest 11th Place, where they found a woman dead at the scene after suffering a gunshot wound to the head.

Initial findings indicated no foul play was suspected, but police said the case has since been reclassified as a “possible homicide” as more information is reviewed.

No other details about the victim or possible suspect or suspects were immediately released.

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers 954-493-8477.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday, said the investigation is “about affordability for consumers and creating an even playing field for providers.”

The investigation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The NFL has not received a notification that the league is being investigated, according to two other people with knowledge of the situation. Those people spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on possible legal matters.

The investigation comes amid increasing federal scrutiny of the amount of money fans are paying to watch sports on television. The Federal Communications Commission, for example, is seeking public comments on the ongoing shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services.

The NFL said in a statement Thursday that over 87% of its games are available on broadcast television, including all that are played in a team's local market.

“The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entire sports and entertainment industry. The 2025 season was our most viewed since 1989 and reflects the strength of the NFL distribution model and its wide availability to all fans,” the league said in its statement.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, chair of the Senate judiciary subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy, and consumer rights, wrote a letter to the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission on March 3 urging them to review whether the NFL’s distribution methods are in line with the Sports Broadcasting Act, which grants limited antitrust immunity to allow teams to collectively license game broadcasts to national networks.

“The modern distribution environment differs substantially from the conditions that precipitated this exemption. Instead of a small number of free broadcast networks, the NFL now licenses games simultaneously to subscription streaming platforms, premium cable networks, and technology companies operating under different business models,” the Republican senator wrote. “To the extent collectively licensed game packages are placed behind subscription paywalls, these arrangements may no longer align with the statutory concept of sponsored telecasting or the consumer-access rationale underlying the antitrust exemption.”

Lee said in his letter that football fans spent almost $1,000 on cable and streaming subscriptions. Forbes estimated the cost of watching every NFL game via streaming last season at $765.

The NFL aired games last season on CBS, NBC, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+, Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and YouTube TV.

The league averages nearly $11 billion per season in revenue from its media deals. That could increase since the sale of Paramount to Skydance Media allows the league to renegotiate its deal with CBS.

The rights deals go through 2033 with most outlets and 2034 with ESPN. The league has an opt-out clause after the 2029 season, which it is likely to exercise since 83 of the top 100 broadcasts last year were NFL games, according to Nielsen.

The Sports Broadcasting Act exemption passed in 1961 applies only to broadcast television. Courts have ruled in the past that it does not apply to other media, including cable, satellite and streaming.

The law includes a rule allowing blackouts of local games, which still applies to out-of-market packages sold by the league. The NFL ended local TV blackouts, which applied to games within 75 miles of a team’s market if they did not sell out 72 hours before kickoff, after the 2014 season.

Last year, the House Judiciary Committee requested briefings from the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB on whether antitrust exemptions should still be granted for coordinating their broadcast television rights.

All four of the major North American professional sports leagues have deals with streaming platforms.

In 2024, a jury in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles ruled the NFL violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on a premium subscription service and awarded $4.7 billion in damages.

A federal judge overturned the verdict in the class-action lawsuit because the testimony of two witnesses for the subscribers had flawed methodologies and should have been excluded.

The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States who paid for the “Sunday Ticket” package on DirecTV of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons.

Because damages can be tripled under federal antitrust laws, the NFL could have been liable for $14,121,779,833.92.

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

Springs walked Giancarlo Stanton after catcher Austin Wynns lost an ABS challenge on the previous pitch that was called a ball. On his 84th pitch, Rice hit an 83 mph slider for a clean single to right field.

The A's held a 1-0 lead when Springs allowed Rice's hit.

Springs allowed two baserunners in the third and ended the inning by getting a called third strike on Aaron Judge with his changeup. He ended the fifth by getting José Caballero on a flyball to deep left field.

In the sixth, Springs won an ABS challenge that resulted in a called third strike to Ryan McMahon. He ended the sixth at 73 pitches after Judge softly grounded out to third.

The A’s have thrown 13 no-hitters in franchise history. The last was achieved by Mike Fiers on May 7, 2019, in Oakland against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Yankees have been no-hit eight times in team history. The last was a combined no-hitter by Houston’s Cristian Javier, Hector Neris and Ryan Pressly on June 25, 2022, at Yankee Stadium.

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

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Surveillance video shows four masked burglars using a U.S. Postal Service arrow key on Tuesday to steal from mailboxes in a mail room at a gated community in Davie, according to police.

After the burglary at 4901 Shalimar Lane, the four men fled in a gray 2018 BMW X3, drove through a gate, struck a police patrol car, and drove back inside the complex, according to Davie police.

After parking the BMW X3, the four men jumped out and took off running, according to a Davie police officer’s arrest report.

Guston Malheur, Jamsley Jean, and Tyroneian Lee were arrested at 5158 South University Drive, and Emannuel Mondelus was arrested nearby along South University Drive, according to police.

Police officers reported recovering about $10,000 in stolen personal checks.

Malheur, 20, faced seven charges: Wearing a mask while committing a felony, a first-degree felony; resisting arrest with violence, a third-degree felony; grand theft of $10,000 or more, a third-degree felony; unlawful possession of personal identification, a third-degree felony; possession of burglary tools with intent to use, a third-degree felony; criminal mischief, a first-degree misdemeanor; and resisting an officer without violence, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Mondelus, 21, faced eight charges: Resisting arrest with violence, unarmed burglary of an unoccupied structure, grand theft of $10,000 or more, unlawful possession of personal identification, criminal mischief, resisting arrest without violence, possession of burglary tools with intent to use, and wearing a mask while committing a felony.

Jean, 22, faced nine charges: Criminal mischief, unlawful possession of personal identification, possession of burglary tools with intent to use, resisting an officer without violence, grand theft of $10,000 or more, burglary of an unoccupied structure while unarmed, resisting arrest with violence, probation violation, and wearing a mask while committing a felony.

Lee, 31, faced nine charges: Wearing a mask while committing a felony, resisting arrest without violence, resisting arrest with violence, possession of burglary tools with intent to use, burglary of an unoccupied structure, grand theft, criminal mischief, unlawful possession of personal identification, and giving a false identification to a law enforcement officer.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

Un video de vigilancia muestra a cuatro hombres con máscaras usando una llave maestra del Servicio Postal de EE. UU. el martes para robar en buzones en una sala de correo dentro de una comunidad cerrada en Davie, según la policía.

Tras el robo en 4901 Shalimar Lane, los cuatro hombres huyeron en un BMW X3 gris modelo 2018, atravesaron una puerta, impactaron un patrullero y regresaron al interior del complejo, según la policía de Davie.

Después de estacionar el BMW X3, los cuatro hombres salieron corriendo, de acuerdo con el reporte de arresto de un agente.

Guston Malheur, Jamsley Jean y Tyroneian Lee fueron arrestados en 5158 South University Drive, y Emannuel Mondelus fue detenido cerca de South University Drive, según la policía.

Los agentes informaron que recuperaron aproximadamente $10,000 USD en cheques personales robados.

Malheur, de 20 años, enfrenta siete cargos: uso de máscara durante la comisión de un delito grave, delito grave de primer grado; resistencia al arresto con violencia, delito grave de tercer grado; robo mayor de $10,000 USD o más, delito grave de tercer grado; posesión ilegal de identificación personal, delito grave de tercer grado; posesión de herramientas de robo con intención de uso, delito grave de tercer grado; daño criminal, delito menor de primer grado; y resistencia a un agente sin violencia, delito menor de primer grado.

Mondelus, de 21 años, enfrenta ocho cargos: resistencia al arresto con violencia, robo con fuerza sin arma en una estructura desocupada, robo mayor de $10,000 USD o más, posesión ilegal de identificación personal, daño criminal, resistencia al arresto sin violencia, posesión de herramientas de robo con intención de uso y uso de máscara durante la comisión de un delito grave.

Jean, de 22 años, enfrentó nueve cargos: daño criminal, posesión ilegal de identificación personal, posesión de herramientas para robo con intención de usarlas, resistencia a un agente sin violencia, gran hurto de $10,000 USD o más, robo de una estructura desocupada sin estar armado, resistencia al arresto con violencia, violación de libertad condicional y uso de una máscara mientras cometía un delito grave.

Lee, de 31 años, enfrentó nueve cargos: uso de una máscara mientras cometía un delito grave, resistencia al arresto sin violencia, resistencia al arresto con violencia, posesión de herramientas para robo con intención de usarlas, robo de una estructura desocupada, gran hurto, daño criminal, posesión ilegal de identificación personal y dar una identificación falsa a un agente de la ley.

Members of the board of regents had said little publicly until Thursday about the surprise dismissal Tuesday of Jay Rothman as head of the 165,000-student university system. Regents voted unanimously with no public discussion to fire Rothman after a closed-door meeting.

Rothman told The Associated Press in an interview on Wednesday that he was kept in the dark about why he was being fired and his dismissal “blindsided” him.

But two regents who testified at a state Senate committee hearing on Thursday said Rothman knew more than he is letting on. They also said there were “substantial” reasons for his being fired, and Rothman was aware of them.

“That decision was not made lightly,” Regent President Amy Bogost said. “It was not political. It was not retaliatory. It was unanimous. ... We made a difficult decision for the right reasons, and I firmly stand by it.”

Republican lawmakers upset over Rothman's surprise firing called the public hearing to question regents about the reasons behind the move.

Rothman lacked urgency to address critical issues like AI, was not fully aligned with the board, tried to limit public board discussions and open records, limited board members’ interactions with lawmakers and took credit for accomplishments that were part of a “massive team effort,” Regent Timothy Nixon said.

Nixon also said he has been pushing for the UW system to justify why it has 579 employees, something he said Rothman did not address.

Rothman “doesn’t want to upset either the Legislature, the governor or the faculty or anybody else,” Nixon testified. “He didn’t want to upset the apple cart and, quite frankly, I think the apple cart needs some upsetting."

Regents also told lawmakers that Rothman could waive his right to confidentiality over personnel decisions if he chose, but he knows that means board members could share more than they can now. Instead, Rothman is using that confidentiality as a shield to craft a narrative “that is deliberately one-sided" and harming he university, Bogost said.

“That is not a search for truth,” she said. “That is strategy. ... To do the media circuit that he’s on denigrates our great universities, and that makes me sad."

Nixon said the way Rothman’s departure was handled, including the rejected offer that he retire or resign, is similar to what is done for CEOs of large corporations.

“This is no different than moving on to a new quarterback, no matter what you thought of the previous quarterback and what they did," Nixon said.

Here is a timeline of some significant events in the hostilities between the two:

1982: Israel invades Lebanon in an offensive against the Palestinian Liberation Organization and allied groups. Hezbollah is formed, with Iranian backing and based on the Iran's Islamic Revolution model, to fight Israel’s ensuing occupation of southern Lebanon. It launches a guerilla war against Israel.

1992: Hezbollah leader Abbas Mousawi is killed by an Israeli helicopter attack. His successor is Hassan Nasrallah, who will lead the group for the next three decades.

1996: Israel launches an offensive aiming to push Hezbollah north of the Litani River, some 30 km (20 miles) from the border. Israeli artillery shelling on a United Nations compound housing hundreds of displaced people in Qana kills at least 100 civilians and wounds scores more.

2000: After a long war of attrition, Israel withdraws its forces from southern Lebanon, which is heralded around the Arab world as a major victory for Hezbollah.

2006: Hezbollah fighters ambush an Israeli patrol, killing three Israeli soldiers and taking two hostage in a cross-border raid, sparking a monthlong war between Hezbollah and Israel that ends in a draw. Israeli bombardment razes villages and residential blocks in southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, a scorched-earth approach that is dubbed the “Dahiyeh Doctrine.”

2008: Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah’s military chief, is killed when a bomb planted in his car exploded in Damascus. The assassination is blamed on Israel.

2012: Hezbollah enters the Syrian civil war in support of then-President Bashar Assad. In the years that follow, Israel begins periodically carrying out airstrikes in Syria targeting Iranian and Hezbollah facilities and officials or weapons shipments that it said were bound for Hezbollah. Israel still avoided carrying out strikes on Hezbollah on Lebanese territory during this period.

OCT. 8, 2023: One day after the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel sparks the war in Gaza, Hezbollah fires missiles across the border. Israel responds with airstrikes and shelling and the two enter into a low-level conflict that initially remains mainly confined to the border area.

SEPT. 17, 2024: Israel launches an attack in Lebanon using remotely-triggered explosive-laden pagers issued to Hezbollah fighters and civilian employees. A day later, a similar attack targets walkie-talkies. The attacks kill dozens of people and maim thousands, most of them Hezbollah members but also including women and children.

SEPT. 27, 2024: Hassan Nasrallah is killed in a series of massive airstrikes in Beirut's southern suburbs.

NOV. 27, 2024: A U.S.-brokered ceasefire nominally ends the Israel-Hezbollah war. Israel continues to carry out regular strikes in Lebanon that it says aim to stop Hezbollah from rebuilding.

MARCH 2, 2025: Two days after Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran, triggering a wide-reaching war in the Middle East, Hezbollah launches missiles toward Israel. It says the salvo is in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and for “repeated Israeli aggressions” in Lebanon.

On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that at least 50 brand new accounts on Polymarket placed substantial bets on a U.S.-Iran ceasefire in the hours, even minutes, before President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire late Tuesday on social media. These were the sole bets made on Polymarket through these accounts.

In January, an anonymous Polymarket user made a $400,000 profit by betting that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro would be out of office, hours before Maduro was captured. In the hours before the start of the Iran war, another account made roughly $550,000 in a series of trades effectively betting that the U.S. would strike Iran and that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be removed from office.

Such prescient wagers have raised eyebrows — and accusations that prediction markets are ripe for insider trading. And the issue goes beyond these three geopolitical events, according to at least one report. Researchers at Harvard University released a paper last month where, using public blockchain data, they estimated that $143 million in profits have been made on Polymarket by individuals who potentially had insider information about events ranging from Taylor Swift's engagement to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize last year.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y who sits on the House Financial Services Committee as well as the subcommittee on digital assets and financial technology, sent a letter Thursday to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission demanding the regulator review and investigate these well-timed trades. The CFTC regulates the derivatives markets, which includes prediction markets.

“This pattern raises serious concerns that certain market participants may have had access to material nonpublic information regarding a market-moving geopolitical event,” Torres wrote. The letter was shared exclusively with The AP.

“What is the statistical likelihood that of anyone other than an insider trader placing a winning bet 12 minutes before a market-moving presidential announcement,” Torres said in an interview with AP. “There are two answers: God, or an insider trader. And something tells me that God it not placing bets around Donald Trump’s posts on Truth Social. "

Prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket allow their users to bet on everything from whether it will rain in Phoenix, Arizona next week to whether the Federal Reserve will raise or lower interest rates.

At this time, U.S. residents have limited access to Polymarket, which was banned from the U.S. in 2022. The company has moved to reenter the country by acquiring a CFTC-licensed exchange and clearinghouse, giving it a legal pathway to start offering contracts domestically. The company has begun a limited rollout in the U.S.

Polymarket also operates a separate, crypto-based platform offshore that remains outside U.S. jurisdiction. That platform accounts for most of its activity.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, sent a letter to Polymarket on Thursday demanding the company explain why it continues to allow trades on war and violence as well as whether the company is making any efforts to keep insiders from trading on the platform.

“Polymarket has become an illicit market to sell and exploit national security secrets unlike any in history, and by extension a potential honeypot for foreign intelligence services watching for those same suspicious bets and wagers,” Blumenthal wrote.

Republicans have also criticized these platforms and called for bans on these sorts of bets. There are at least two bills pending in Congress co-signed by both parties, one in the House and one in the Senate.

“We don’t want to imagine a world where America’s adversaries use prediction markets to anticipate our next move,” said Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, after the release of the AP’s findings on the ceasefire wagers.

Polymarket did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The stakes are high for both Kalshi and Polymarket as they seek approval to operate in the U.S. and nationwide, particularly in the lucrative sports betting market.

Kalshi, which is already regulated in the U.S., and its executives have a goal of making the company the nation's dominant prediction market. Kalshi has also leaned heavily into sports, which critics have said effectively makes it a sports betting platform that dabbles in event-based contracts on the side. Both companies have also announced partnerships with sports teams and even news organizations to broaden their reach as well. The AP has an agreement to sell U.S. elections data to Kalshi.

The competition also carries political overtones. Donald Trump Jr. is an investor in Polymarket through his venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, and separately serves as a paid strategic adviser to Kalshi.

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

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

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

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

Nick Clemens, a spokesperson for the first lady, said the West Wing was aware beforehand that she was making a statement. But he deferred to the West Wing on whether the content of what Melania Trump planned to say was known. The White House press office did not respond to requests for comment.

Calls for a congressional hearing for Epstein victims

The first lady spoke for about five minutes, reading her statement in the Grand Foyer, then walked away without taking questions. She did not go into detail on the accusations against her, but said they came from “individuals and entities looking to cause damage to my good name.”

She added that they were financially and politically motivated.

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

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

Two of Epstein's accusers, Maria and Annie Farmer, said in a subsequent statement: “What we want is accountability, transparency, and justice.”

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and onetime fierce Trump supporter who resigned from Congress after a public falling out with the president, posted on X, “I am grateful to the First Lady for her brave statement today about Epstein and his victims.”

Democrats, meanwhile, jumped on Melania Trump's comments, saying they agreed with her call for a congressional hearing. In a social media post, Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee that is investigating Epstein, called on the Republican chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer, to schedule a public hearing “immediately.”

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who sponsored a bill prompting the release of millions of Epstein documents, turned attention back to the Justice Department, saying it's the attorney general's job to bring in survivors for testimony. Massie, who has pressed for more arrests in the Epstein case, ended a social media post with a call to “PROSECUTE!”

Questions about Epstein's reach have loomed over the administration and divided Republicans, driving a wedge into Trump's MAGA base as some pressed for the government to release more files and prosecute figures linked to the financier.

The issue has dogged Trump and fractured some of his alliances, including the one with Greene. Trump dismissed the issue as a “Democrat hoax” but later signed a bill to release files from Epstein's case.

It was not clear what prompted the first lady to revive the issue. She noted that several individuals and organizations have had to apologize for their “lies about me.” Of the examples she cited, the most recent was in October.

In that case, book publisher HarperCollins UK apologized to the first lady and retracted passages from a book suggesting Epstein played a role in introducing her and Donald Trump.

Melania Trump mentioned her husband several times in her comments. She said Epstein did not introduce her to Trump, and that she met her future husband at a New York City party in 1998.

Email to Maxwell was 'trivial’

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

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

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

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

Among the documents released by the Justice Department was a brief email from 2002 with the sender and recipient blacked out. It begins, “Dear G!” and ends “Love, Melania,” and compliments the recipient on a magazine article about “JE.”

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

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

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

Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves in Washington and Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister in New York contributed to this report.

Noa-Lynn van Leuven of the Netherlands spoke out Thursday when the Darts Regulation Authority's new policy took effect.

"Apparently, I just got retired — not by choice, but because I’m no longer allowed to compete,” Van Leuven said in a video on her Instagram account.

The 29-year-old van Leuven had competed in the Women's Series of the Professional Darts Corporation. In 2024, she became the first transgender woman to play at the PDC World Darts Championship.

“I’ve worked so damn hard for years just to get here. I showed up, I competed. I respected the sport every game, every single day,” van Leuven said. “And now, with just one decision, I’m being told I don’t belong anymore. This isn’t just about me. This is another huge hit for the trans community.”

She will still be eligible for open PDC events.

It's not clear what van Leuven's legal options are, but in a written message with the video she added: “This isn’t the end. I’m just going back to the drawing board. I’m not done fighting.”

The DRA said in a statement Thursday that it began a review of its policies in 2025. It included commissioning a report from “an academic developmental biologist who has published several papers on sex and categories in sport. The DRA has also considered extensive legal advice.”

“As a result of its review, the DRA is satisfied that to achieve fair competition in darts, only biological females should be eligible to compete in women’s tournaments regulated by DRA Rules,” it said.

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

He didn't, but at least this time he walked off the floor on his own, instead of being carried out with a severe injury.

So Tatum looked at the positives after the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 112-106 on Thursday night in his first game at the arena since rupturing his Achilles tendon there in last season's playoffs.

“Today was important for me, especially when I made the decision to come back and when I made the decision to play today,” Tatum said. “I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better.”

He said he was nervous and anxious earlier in the day and had to tell himself to relax after the game began. The star forward turned in a strong effort, finishing with 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, falling just short of his second triple-double since returning last month.

Tatum was hurt last May 12 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals when he fell to the court in the fourth quarter of a Knicks victory. New York went on to win the series, ending the Celtics’ championship reign.

He had surgery the following day in New York and returned to action March 6, playing in his 16th game of the season Thursday.

“There was definitely a sense of gratitude. Last time I was in here I couldn’t walk and now today was the first time it felt like it went by pretty quick,” Tatum said. “Because obviously I remember the incident like it happened yesterday, so today was the first time where I was like, it went by kind of fast.”

Tatum got a nice ovation when he was the last Boston starter announced, with more cheers than boos. He got the Celtics on the board with a steal and layup after the Knicks raced to a 7-0 start.

“Since I’ve returned the reception that I’ve gotten from players, coaches I’ve never even spoken to, GMs, has been great,” Tatum said. “And even today when they announced my name it was kind of loud in there and that means a lot obviously from wearing the Celtics uniform, just showing their respect and obviously because it happened in this building. So I did, I appreciated that.”

Tatum averaged 21.6 points and 9.8 rebounds in his first 15 games. He said after the Celtics' home victory over Charlotte on Tuesday that he wasn't “thrilled to go back and play” at Madison Square Garden.

Tatum drew plenty of spectators as he went through his pregame warmups near the Celtics bench. Coach Joe Mazzulla said before the game he had a chance to talk to his star forward earlier in the day and praised the way he was preparing for the game.

“I think one of his greatest strengths is just his vulnerability and openness and his understanding. It’s an opportunity tonight and obviously another small checkmark in his journey, which he’s done a great job handling those, and expect him to be able to do the same tonight,” Mazzulla said. “There’s both, right? There’s a ton of emotions but also opportunity and I think he’s ready for that.”

Many players around the league love playing at the historic arena, saying it's their favorite road venue. Tatum could have avoided this trip and instead played Friday at home against New Orleans, because he is not playing in both games of back-to-back sets.

But he decided earlier this week that this was the game he needed to play in, especially with fellow star Jaylen Brown sitting out because of left Achilles tendinitis.

“I always enjoyed coming to play here, the environment, the atmosphere. I’ve had some really big games,” Tatum said. “Obviously like the lowest point of my life was here, but in a weird way it’s a part of my story.”

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

In the 17-minute video posted Wednesday, the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets tell how Lt. Col. Brandon Shah lunged at the shooter during the March 12 incident at the Norfolk school, placing himself between the gunman and the class.

Cadet Jah-Ire Urtarte said Shah, who was shot and did not survive, saved lives that day.

“If he didn’t lunge at him, you know, I wouldn’t be here right now,” he said. “There’s a possibility he could’ve turned his gun and I could’ve been next.”

The shooter, Army National Guard veteran Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, also died. He had pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic State and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was on supervised release at the time of the attack.

The students say Jalloh walked into their classroom and nervously asked if it was an ROTC class. When someone confirmed that, they say he pulled a pistol from his waist, shouted 'Allahu akbar,’ and fired toward Shah.

Students dived for cover. As Shah struggled with Jalloh, Cadet Louis Ancheta said he pulled out his pocket knife, moved toward them and was hit in the chest by a round.

“It really didn’t feel like it hit me,” he said, pointing toward his sternum. “It felt like a graze. After that, I’m like, `I can keep on going.' ”

When Shah got the man turned around, Ancheta said he took action with the folding tactical knife that most cadets carry with them.

“So, I just go in there, just start stabbing him,” he said. “As I’m stabbing, other cadets jump in.”

Cadet Jeremy Rawlinson said he took out his knife, too, to help stop the threat.

Despite having several people on top of him, Jalloh still had the gun. Cadet Wesley Myers said he made that his priority, squeezing his fingers between Jalloh's hand and the weapon to pry it away and clear the final round from the chamber.

With the shooter disarmed, the cadets said they turned their attention to the wounded: Cadet Samuel Reineberg found a gunshot wound to Shah’s upper right thigh. Rawlinson handed him his belt for a tourniquet.

“On an instant, we switched over to doing combat care,” Rawlinson said.

Myers went to Ancheta.

“It’s different when it’s not a mannequin and it’s your friend,” Myers said. “So, myself and another cadet pull him to the side and lay him on his back and begin performing first aid.”

Ancheta said he asked them to call his mother.

He received the Purple Heart — one of several cadets awarded medals for their response.

They praised Shah for taking action to protect them and for preparing them for the moment.

“So, he got to see all the training that he and the rest of Cadre had been giving us for the past years. He got to see us instantly do that in action,” Rawlinson said. “He got see right then and there, like, hey, these guys didn’t panic. They immediately switched over."

Shah attended Old Dominion University as an ROTC student, according to his biography on the university’s website, and had returned in 2022 as a leader for the program. In the Army, Shah had flown helicopters over Iraq, Afghanistan and Eastern Europe as a pilot.

Two days before the shooting, Shah had told cadets not to wear their uniforms around campus as a precaution, another cadet previously told The Associated Press.

“Because of all the situation that’s happening with Iran and all of that stuff in the Middle East,” said Cadet Brandon Rebolledo, who was in the nearby ROTC building when the shooting occurred. “To make sure that we did not become a target and to make sure that we were keeping a low profile.”

The students say Shah was the real hero that day.

“So, he has a saying: 'Be bold, be quick, be gone,’ ” Rawlinson said.

Added Cadet Oshea Bego: “Col. Shah really set that example for what it means, not just as a warrior, leader and soldier, but also just as a human being.”

Los agentes de la Policía Nacional se habían apostado desde temprano en calles y avenidas del centro de Caracas para impedir el paso de los manifestantes, quienes en parte de la ruta lograron superar en varias ocasiones las barreras. Pero los bloqueos fueron reforzados y la mayoría de los manifestantes apenas pudo acercarse a unos dos kilómetros de la casa de gobierno de Miraflores.

Los manifestantes exigían un aumento de salarios y pensiones dignas al gobierno de la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez luego de más de cuatro años sin incrementos del salario mínimo.

No hubo de inmediato reportes de heridos o detenidos en los forcejeos entre policías y manifestantes.

La marcha fue convocada por sindicalistas y estudiantes universitarios antes de que en la víspera la presidenta pidiese paciencia a los trabajadores de los sectores público y privado, cuyos salarios durante cerca de tres lustros no les han permitido cubrir sus necesidades básicas, mientras su gobierno trabaja para mejorar la economía del país.

Rodríguez prometió a los trabajadores un aumento salarial el 1 de mayo. No reveló el monto, pero explicó que se implementaría de manera tal que se evite un repunte inflacionario como el que siguió al último incremento del salario mínimo.

“Ese incremento, como lo hemos señalado, será un incremento responsable”, afirmó la mandataria encargada. “Conforme tengamos y Venezuela goce de más recursos que permitan la sostenibilidad de la mejora salarial y del ingreso de los trabajadores, seguiremos avanzando por ese camino”, aseveró. Muchos trabajadores del sector público subsisten con aproximadamente 160 dólares al mes, mientras que el año pasado un empleado promedio del sector privado ganaba alrededor de 237 dólares mensuales, de acuerdo con el Observatorio Venezolano de Finanzas, un organismo independiente.

El salario mínimo mensual de Venezuela de 130 bolívares (menos de un dólar al tipo de cambio oficial) no ha aumentado desde 2022, lo que lo sitúa muy por debajo del umbral de pobreza extrema de tres dólares al día establecido por el Banco Mundial y Naciones Unidas.

Muchos venezolanos tienen dos o más empleos para mejorar sus ingresos, mientras el precio de una canasta básica de alimentos supera los 500 dólares mensuales, según el Observatorio.

Como ha sido habitual en Venezuela en las últimas dos décadas de gobiernos autoproclamados socialistas, el jueves también hubo una marcha organizada por el gobernante Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela que se desarrolló cerca de la protesta de los trabajadores. No se registraron incidentes entre los manifestantes.

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An arrest report describes the dispute between Eugene Janode Witherspoon, 46, and the victim as “verbal” but doesn’t say what it was about. Deputies said it happened Tuesday morning outside Mazie’s Soul Food Restaurant at 7525 NW 22nd Ave. in the county’s Gladeview area.

But investigators with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said it ramped up when Witherspoon went to the victim’s home in the 7300 block of Northwest 20th Court at around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, approached him as he was walking in with his girlfriend and opened fire three times, hitting him in the leg.

Deputies said the victim returned fire and Witherspoon, who lives in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood, fled. Detectives said they found 11 shell casings at the scene.

Medics took the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Police said he told detectives he doesn’t know Witherspoon, but has seen him in the neighborhood “multiple times.”

According to the arrest report, deputies found Witherspoon later that evening walking on Northwest 22nd Avenue. They said he was wearing the same sneakers that he was in CCTV footage depicting the shooting.

Investigators said Witherspoon admitted to shooting the victim and getting rid of the gun, though he wouldn’t say where he dumped it.

A records check revealed Witherspoon’s sex offender status, stemming from a 1999 conviction for lewd and lascivious battery on a child under 16.

Deputies arrested Witherspoon on charges of attempted first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm and took him to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

His bond was listed in Miami-Dade jail records as “to be set” as of Thursday morning.

Irán y Estados Unidos —que hicieron sendas declaraciones de victoria tras el anuncio del alto el fuego— parecieron tratar de presionarse mutuamente. Agencias de noticias semioficiales en Irán sugirieron que las fuerzas iraníes han minado el estrecho de Ormuz, una vía fluvial crucial para el petróleo que Teherán ha cerrado. Por su parte, el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump advirtió que las fuerzas de Estados Unidos golpearán a Irán aún más fuerte que antes si no cumple el acuerdo.

Y hubo desacuerdo sobre si el pacto de alto el fuego incluía una pausa en los combates entre Israel y el grupo político-paramilitar Hezbollah. Israel perpetró ataques aéreos contra Beirut el miércoles, el día más mortífero en Líbano desde que comenzó la guerra el 28 de febrero.

También persistían preguntas sobre qué pasará con la reserva de uranio enriquecido de Irán en el centro de las tensiones, cómo y cuándo se reanudará el tráfico normal a través del estrecho, y qué ocurre con la capacidad de Irán para lanzar ataques con misiles en el futuro y apoyar a aliados armados en la región.

Israel promete seguir atacando a Hezbollah en Líbano

En una publicación en redes sociales, el presidente del Parlamento iraní Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf advirtió el jueves que los continuos ataques de Israel contra Hezbollah, grupo respaldado por Irán, en Líbano traerán “costos explícitos y respuestas FUERTES”.

Se ha hablado de Qalibaf como un posible negociador que podría reunirse con el vicepresidente estadounidense JD Vance el fin de semana en Islamabad. La Casa Blanca anunció que Vance encabezará la delegación para las conversaciones que comienzan el sábado.

Irán subrayó que Israel estaba violando el acuerdo de alto el fuego. El primer ministro israelí Benjamin Netanyahu y Trump han aseverado que no es así.

Netanyahu dijo que Israel seguirá atacando a Hezbollah “con fuerza, precisión y determinación”.

El Ministerio de Salud de Líbano informó que al menos 203 personas murieron y más de 1.000 resultaron heridas el miércoles en ataques israelíes en el centro de Beirut y otras zonas de Líbano que, según Israel, tenían como objetivo a Hezbollah, que se sumó a la guerra en apoyo de Teherán.

Israel aseveró el jueves que mató a Ali Yusuf Harshi, un asistente del líder de Hezbollah, Naim Kassem. Hezbollah no ha respondido a una solicitud de comentarios.

Un centro de estudios con sede en Nueva York advirtió que el alto el fuego “pende al borde del colapso”.

“Incluso si Líbano estaba formalmente fuera del acuerdo, era probable que la magnitud de los ataques de Israel se considerara una escalada de todas formas”, escribió Soufan Center en un análisis. “Los ataques de Israel pueden entenderse tanto como un esfuerzo por abrir una brecha entre Irán y sus aliados como como una respuesta a haber sido presuntamente marginado de las discusiones originales del alto el fuego”.

La Agencia Nacional de Noticias, administrada por el estado libanés, reportó que un ataque israelí durante la noche había matado al menos a siete personas en el sur de Líbano. El ejército israelí negó haber cometido el ataque.

Precios del crudo siguen altos ante incertidumbre sobre el estrecho

Agencias de noticias semioficiales en Irán publicaron el jueves un gráfico que deja entrever que la Guardia Revolucionaria del país colocó minas marinas en el estrecho de Ormuz durante la guerra —un mensaje que quizá pretende presionar a Estados Unidos.

El gráfico, difundido por la agencia de noticias ISNA, así como por Tasnim, mostraba un gran círculo con la etiqueta “zona de peligro” en farsi sobre la ruta que los barcos toman para atravesar el estrecho, por el que antes pasaba el 20% de todo el petróleo y gas natural comercializados.

Pocos barcos se han atrevido a transitar por el estrecho desde que comenzó la guerra luego que varias embarcaciones fueran atacados, e Irán amenazó con ir contra cualquiera que se considere que esté vinculado con Estados Unidos o Israel. Los buques parecían seguir evitando el estrecho incluso después del alto el fuego.

El gráfico sugería que los buques viajan por aguas más cercanas al territorio continental de Irán, cerca de la isla de Larak, una ruta que, según se observó, tomaron algunos navíos durante la guerra. Estaba fechado del 28 de febrero hasta el 9 de abril, y no queda claro si la Guardia Revolucionaria había retirado alguna mina desde entonces.

El viceministro iraní de Relaciones Exteriores, Saeed Khatibzadeh, dijo a la BBC que su país permitirá que los barcos pasen por el estrecho de acuerdo con las “normas internacionales y el derecho internacional” una vez que Estados Unidos ponga fin a su “agresión” en Oriente Medio e Israel deje de atacar Líbano.

El jefe de la principal compañía petrolera de Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Sultan al-Jaber, explicó que unos 230 barcos cargados de petróleo estaban esperando para atravesar el estrecho y se les debe permitir “navegar este corredor sin condiciones”.

El cierre de facto del estrecho ha hecho que los precios del petróleo se disparen —afectando el costo de la gasolina, los alimentos y otros productos básicos mucho más allá de Oriente Medio. Los precios del petróleo cayeron el miércoles con la noticia del alto el fuego, pero comenzaron a subir de nuevo a medida que crecía la incertidumbre sobre el acuerdo.

El precio al contado del crudo Brent, el referente internacional, rondaba los 98 dólares el jueves, un alza de alrededor del 35% desde que comenzó la guerra.

Entre los puntos a abordar en las conversaciones figura si se permitirá a Irán formalizar un sistema de cobro a los barcos por usar el estrecho. Eso trastocará décadas de libre tránsito a través de lo que se ha tratado como una vía fluvial internacional.

Se desconoce el destino que tendrá el uranio enriquecido iraní

El destino de los programas de misiles y nuclear de Irán — cuya eliminación fueron objetivos importantes para Estados Unidos e Israel al ir a la guerra— también seguía sin estar claro. Estados Unidos insiste en que Irán nunca debe poder construir armas nucleares y quiere retirar la reserva de uranio altamente enriquecido de Teherán, que podría usarse para construirlas. Irán insiste en que su programa es pacífico.

Trump dijo el miércoles que Estados Unidos trabajará con Irán para retirar el uranio, que fue enterrado en los ataques de Estados Unidos e Israel del año pasado, aunque Irán no lo confirmó. En una versión del acuerdo de alto el fuego que Irán publicó, afirmó que se le permitirá seguir con el enriquecimiento.

El jefe de la agencia nuclear de Irán, Mohammad Eslami, dijo el jueves que proteger el derecho de Teherán a enriquecer uranio es “necesario” para cualquier conversación de alto el fuego.

Trump advirtió que los buques de guerra y tropas de Estados Unidos permanecerán alrededor de Irán “hasta que el ACUERDO REAL alcanzado se cumpla plenamente”.

Un delincuente sexual registrado le disparó a otro hombre en la pierna horas después de discutir con la víctima afuera de un restaurante en el noroeste de Miami-Dade, provocando un tiroteo, dijeron agentes.

Un reporte de arresto describe la disputa entre Eugene Janode Witherspoon, de 46 años, y la víctima como “verbal”, pero no detalla de qué se trataba. Los agentes dijeron que ocurrió el martes por la mañana afuera de Mazie’s Soul Food Restaurant, ubicado en 7525 NW 22nd Ave. en el área de Gladeview del condado.

Pero investigadores de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade dijeron que la situación se intensificó cuando Witherspoon fue a la casa de la víctima en la cuadra 7300 de Northwest 20th Court alrededor de las 12:45 a.m. del miércoles, se le acercó mientras entraba con su novia y abrió fuego tres veces, hiriéndolo en la pierna.

Los agentes dijeron que la víctima respondió al fuego y que Witherspoon, quien vive en el vecindario Liberty City de Miami, huyó. Detectives dijeron que encontraron 11 casquillos de bala en la escena.

Paramédicos llevaron a la víctima al Hospital Jackson Memorial. La policía dijo que el hombre declaró a los detectives que no conoce a Witherspoon, pero que lo ha visto en el vecindario “varias veces”.

Según el reporte de arresto, los agentes encontraron a Witherspoon más tarde esa noche caminando por Northwest 22nd Avenue. Dijeron que llevaba las mismas zapatillas que aparecían en imágenes de cámaras de seguridad que captaron el tiroteo.

Investigadores dijeron que Witherspoon admitió haber disparado contra la víctima y deshacerse del arma, aunque no dijo dónde la abandonó.

Una verificación de registros reveló el estatus de delincuente sexual de Witherspoon, derivado de una condena en 1999 por conducta lasciva y lasciva agravada contra un menor de 16 años.

Los agentes arrestaron a Witherspoon por cargos de intento de asesinato en primer grado y posesión de arma de fuego por un delincuente, y lo trasladaron al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Su fianza figuraba en los registros de la cárcel de Miami-Dade como “por establecer” hasta la mañana del jueves.