Officials say an unknown problem caused a diver to panic.

That woman went underwater, and when she didn’t resurface, she was pulled back onto the boat unconscious and rushed to shore.

The woman was taken to a local hospital, where she later died.

Foul play is not suspected.

Daniel Lomas was out on the water that day and saw the emergency response from a distance.

“Whether you’re free diving or if you’re scuba, they all come with their pros and cons,” he said. “They all come with different levels of risk for different things.”

As an experienced diver and shark safety guide, Lomas said every dive requires careful planning and an honest assessment of a person’s health.

“As you get deeper and deeper, certain things change about the dive, especially gas laws and how your body is dealing with those gases,” he said. “And that’s when you have to really make sure that that person is physically fit to do that dive.”

He added that equipment must be thoroughly checked before entering the water.

“Assembling the equipment, making sure that your regulators work, making sure that there’s no sticking or corrosion or anything that might be affecting those systems,” said Lomas.

He says, like with any sport, diving carries risks but proper training and safety procedures can reduce them.

“If you do everything by the book, I don’t think there’s anything that can really go wrong, especially when you’re down there with over divers, other educated divers,” said Lomas.

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The request was the focus of a Broward County budget workshop Thursday.

Sheriff Gregory Tony was absent from the meeting but was watching via livestream.

“I think Sheriff Tony is watching, I think we should pull the plug and drive him crazy,” Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen joked during the workshop.

Undersheriff Steve Robson addressed commissioners about the department’s need for additional funding.

“Of course the elephant is our unresolved issue, money of this current year rolled into next year’s budget,” Robson said.

Robson also highlighted deputy starting salaries, saying they are the lowest among Broward law enforcement agencies and that deputies are leaving in large numbers.

BSO is requesting 50 additional positions, with much of the proposed budget tied to employee costs and staffing.

“Here’s a pie chart showing within the agency the different categories where the funds flow to. Personnel is 80%,” Robson said.

The budget discussion comes amid an ongoing dispute between BSO and Deerfield Beach as the city moves toward operating its own police department.

“October is when October 1 takes over, they have their own force. What happens to the 150 officers? So we plan to absorb them through our transition plan that we’ve given to the city, and the city has refuted the plan that we put forward, so we’re kind of in that position right now,” Robson said. “Before October 1 of ’27, I plan to absorb all of those officers into the BSO.”

Commissioners raised concerns about the size of the budget request, including Commissioner Steven Geller.

“Tony asks us for more money than is available,” Geller said.

Geller said public safety remains a top priority but noted that other county services also require funding.

“It is a top priority, but it is not our only priority,” Geller said.

“Currently, out of our general revenue budget, we’re spending approximately 54% on public safety. But there’s a lot of other things we have to pay for,” he added.

Mayor Bogen agreed that the request may be difficult to accommodate.

“Based on our budget constraints right now, it isn’t realistic,” Bogen said.

The final county budget is scheduled to be approved in September.

BSO declined a request for an interview with the undersheriff and referred questions to remarks made during the meeting.

La solicitud fue el tema central de un taller presupuestario del condado Broward realizado el jueves.

El sheriff Gregory Tony estuvo ausente de la reunión, pero la siguió por transmisión en vivo.

“Creo que el sheriff Tony está viendo esto, creo que deberíamos desconectar la transmisión y volverlo loco”, bromeó el alcalde del condado Broward, Mark Bogen, durante el taller.

El subjefe Steve Robson se dirigió a los comisionados para explicar la necesidad de fondos adicionales para el departamento.

“Por supuesto, el gran problema es nuestro asunto no resuelto: el dinero de este año que se trasladará al presupuesto del próximo año”, dijo Robson.

Robson también destacó los salarios iniciales de los agentes, señalando que son los más bajos entre las agencias policiales de Broward y que muchos agentes están abandonando la institución.

La BSO está solicitando 50 puestos adicionales, y gran parte del presupuesto propuesto está relacionado con costos de personal y contratación.

“Aquí hay un gráfico circular que muestra las diferentes categorías dentro de la agencia a las que se destinan los fondos. El personal representa el 80%”, dijo Robson.

La discusión presupuestaria ocurre en medio de una disputa en curso entre la BSO y Deerfield Beach, mientras la ciudad avanza hacia la creación de su propio departamento de policía.

“Octubre es cuando entra en vigor el 1 de octubre, y ellos tendrán su propia fuerza policial. ¿Qué pasará con los 150 agentes? Planeamos absorberlos mediante nuestro plan de transición que presentamos a la ciudad, y la ciudad ha rechazado el plan que propusimos, así que estamos en esa situación en este momento”, dijo Robson. “Antes del 1 de octubre de 2027, planeo incorporar a todos esos agentes a la BSO”.

Los comisionados expresaron preocupación por el tamaño de la solicitud presupuestaria, incluido el comisionado Steven Geller.

“Tony nos está pidiendo más dinero del que está disponible”, dijo Geller.

Geller afirmó que la seguridad pública sigue siendo una prioridad principal, pero señaló que otros servicios del condado también requieren financiamiento.

“Es una prioridad principal, pero no es nuestra única prioridad”, dijo Geller.

“Actualmente, de nuestro presupuesto de ingresos generales, estamos destinando aproximadamente el 54% a la seguridad pública. Pero hay muchas otras cosas que también tenemos que financiar”, agregó.

El alcalde Bogen coincidió en que la solicitud podría ser difícil de atender.

“Con las limitaciones presupuestarias que tenemos en este momento, no es realista”, dijo Bogen.

Está previsto que el presupuesto final del condado sea aprobado en septiembre.

La BSO rechazó una solicitud de entrevista con el subjefe y remitió las preguntas a los comentarios realizados durante la reunión.

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Traffic homicide detectives with the Hialeah Police Department confirmed the arrest of Leonel Alejandro Laferte following an investigation into the crash.

According to police, the collision occurred around 4:11 a.m. near Southeast Fourth Avenue and East Okeechobee Road.

Investigators said Laferte was driving a dark-colored vehicle when he allegedly struck 37-year-old Kenneth Wembley, who was riding a bicycle, and then continued southeast on East Okeechobee Road without stopping.

Wembley died from his injuries, authorities said.

Police previously confirmed that Laferte’s vehicle was believed to have noticeable front-end damage and was missing its passenger-side mirror.

Lt. Eddie Rodriguez, a HPD spokesman, said Laferte is facing one count each of leaving the scene of a crash involving death and driving while his license was suspended.

Police said no additional information was being released as the case moves forward for prosecution.

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According to an arrest warrant, a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detective reported surveillance videos show Julian Jimenez at the crime scene and his getaway car after the shooting on Aug. 27, 2019, in Kendale Lakes.

A surveillance video shows Jimenez wearing a mask and gloves and holding a .40 caliber gun, after Alex Vega pulled into his home’s driveway along Southwest 118 Avenue, near Killian Parkway, according to the warrant.

Jimenez, then 23, fired, and deputies found Vega, then 50, suffering from wounds to his back, according to the arrest warrant. Fire rescue personnel took Vega to the Kendall Regional Medical Center, which now operates as HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, records show.

More than 15 years ago, Vega and Rolando Ramirez had a conflict over debt, according to federal prosecutors who worked in a related case.

Related story: ‘They are going away forever’: Victim of would-be murder-for-hire plot speaks after guilty verdicts

In 2012, Ramirez, the owner of the Doral Collision Center, took over Vega’s Exclusive Motoring Worldwide in Doral as part of a settlement, according to prosecutors.

Ramirez’s friend Rasheed Ali, a former University of Miami football player, helped to arrange the murder for hire plot in 2018, according to prosecutors.

Ali, also known as “Fresh,” and his friend, Tamrat Mason, better known as reggae artist “Shifta,” recruited Jaime Serrano, a “marijuana distributor” with an outstanding debt, according to prosecutors.

On Aug. 21, 2019, Serrano flew with Jimenez from New York to Miami and rented a 2018 Nissan Rogue from Enterprise Rental Car, according to deputies.

A few minutes after Vega was wounded on Aug. 27, 2019, surveillance video shows Jimenez walking southbound on Southwest 117 Avenue and “towards a bus stop that contained a garbage can where the firearm was later located,” according to the warrant.

Another surveillance video shows the Nissan Rogue, “about five minutes later, at the Bird Road toll plaza on the northbound Florida Turnpike,” according to the warrant, which didn’t mention how much Jimenez was allegedly paid.

Related story: FBI agents raid Doral auto shop in connection with plot to kill celebrity car designer

“Law enforcement located a mask and a pair of gloves,” a deputy wrote, according to the warrant.

Jimenez, who is from the Bronx, complied with a warrant to provide his DNA to detectives on June 26, 2022, and the MDSO Forensic Services Bureau laboratory analyzed it, according to the warrant.

Miami-Dade County corrections booked Jimenez shortly before 11:40 p.m. on Wednesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to inmate records.

Jimenez had two warrant cases: One was for attempted murder with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit murder with a deadly weapon, and the other was a hold for another agency, records show.

Read a segment from the warrant

Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report.

Según una orden de arresto, un detective de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade informó que los videos de vigilancia muestran a Julian Jimenez en la escena del crimen y su automóvil de huida después del tiroteo ocurrido el 27 de agosto de 2019 en Kendale Lakes.

Según la orden judicial, un video de vigilancia muestra a Jiménez con una máscara y guantes, y sosteniendo una pistola calibre .40, después de que Alex Vega llegara en su auto al camino de entrada de su casa en Southwest 118 Avenue, cerca de Killian Parkway.

Jiménez, que entonces tenía 23 años, disparó, y los agentes encontraron a Vega, que entonces tenía 50 años, con heridas en la espalda, según la orden de arresto. Los bomberos trasladaron a Vega al Centro Médico Regional de Kendall, que ahora funciona como Hospital HCA Florida Kendall, según consta en los registros.

Hace más de 15 años, Vega y Rolando Ramírez tuvieron un conflicto por deudas, según fiscales federales que trabajaron en un caso relacionado.

Noticia relacionada : «Se van para siempre»: La víctima de un intento de asesinato por encargo habla tras los veredictos de culpabilidad.

En 2012, según los fiscales, Ramírez, propietario del Doral Collision Center, se hizo cargo de Vega’s Exclusive Motoring Worldwide en Doral como parte de un acuerdo.

Según los fiscales, Rasheed Ali, amigo de Ramírez y exjugador de fútbol americano de la Universidad de Miami, ayudó a organizar el complot para cometer un asesinato por encargo en 2018.

Según los fiscales, Ali, también conocido como “Fresh”, y su amigo Tamrat Mason, más conocido como el artista de reggae “Shifta”, reclutaron a Jaime Serrano, un “distribuidor de marihuana” con una deuda pendiente.

Según los agentes, el 21 de agosto de 2019, Serrano voló con Jiménez de Nueva York a Miami y alquiló un Nissan Rogue de 2018 en Enterprise Rental Car.

Pocos minutos después de que Vega resultara herido el 27 de agosto de 2019, un video de vigilancia muestra a Jiménez caminando hacia el sur por la Avenida 117 Suroeste y “hacia una parada de autobús que contenía un bote de basura donde posteriormente se encontró el arma de fuego”, según la orden judicial.

Otro video de vigilancia muestra el Nissan Rogue, “unos cinco minutos después, en la plaza de peaje de Bird Road en la autopista Florida Turnpike en dirección norte”, según la orden judicial, que no menciona cuánto se le pagó supuestamente a Jiménez.

Noticia relacionada : Agentes del FBI allanan un taller mecánico en Doral en relación con un complot para asesinar a un famoso diseñador de automóviles.

“Las fuerzas del orden encontraron una máscara y un par de guantes”, escribió un agente, según la orden judicial.

Jiménez, originario del Bronx, accedió a una orden judicial para proporcionar su ADN a los detectives el 26 de junio de 2022, y el laboratorio de la Oficina de Servicios Forenses del MDSO lo analizó, según consta en la orden.

Según los registros de reclusos, el departamento penitenciario del condado de Miami-Dade ingresó en el centro penitenciario Turner Guilford Knight poco antes de las 23:40 del miércoles.

Jiménez tenía dos órdenes de arresto pendientes: una por intento de asesinato con arma mortal y conspiración para cometer asesinato con arma mortal, y la otra por una orden de detención emitida por otra agencia, según consta en los registros.

Lea un fragmento de la orden judicial.

La editora de la mesa de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Mercedes Cevallos, contribuyó a este reportaje.

Debbie Cohran, who lives about 500 feet (152 meters) from the aerospace facility in Garden Grove, wasn’t told to evacuate until several hours after the leak started, according to her complaint. Her suit said she experienced nausea and headaches for several days afterward.

Melanie Rose Burciaga of nearby Westminster had just given birth to her first child and had to leave the hospital when the evacuation orders came in, her lawyer said in a lawsuit.

And Juan Diego Orozco was part of a street repair crew working in Garden Grove on the day the overheating started. He said he suffered a headache and went to the hospital due to difficulty breathing and vomiting, his lawyer said.

More than 100 individuals — including some families with pets — as well as local businesses are suing GKN Aerospace, saying the U.K.-based company was negligent in maintaining a safe facility, especially since it’s located in a large population center.

Ten of the cases were filed as class actions in federal court, while 21 are in state court and cover one to 31 plaintiffs. The suits seek compensatory and punitive damages.

Sarah Hasse Blodgett, a spokesperson for GKN Aerospace, did not immediately respond Thursday to questions seeking comment about the lawsuits and their claims.

Adam Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law who is not involved in the litigation, said the federal cases will likely be consolidated and the state cases will likely be moved under one judge, to ensure they are handled efficiently. Some of those state lawsuits may be moved to federal court, he said.

Pressure on the company increased on Wednesday when FBI agents served a search warrant at the facility to collect documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank.

The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it had joined the FBI to “search for and seize evidence of potential federal environmental crimes." The agency declined to provide more information, saying it doesn't comment on criminal investigations.

GKN Aerospace makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields. The tank that overheated starting on May 21 contained 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. The liquid is used in the manufacturing of plastics and coatings, such as Plexiglas.

Health officials said no contamination or fumes were released, and they plan to monitor the air for several months. Exposure to the chemical can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological issues and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the EPA.

Although the tank did not explode, tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from the area for three to five days until crews were able to stabilize the tank.

Blodgett said that the company was cooperating with federal authorities.

GKN Aerospace senior vice president Steve Carlin spoke at a community meeting Tuesday, saying he was sorry that the event occurred, and that it was especially unsettling because the company has a long history with the community.

Many of the lawsuits say the company had a duty to maintain the tank, cooling system, valves and monitoring systems to keep the community safe.

The complaints say the residents were forced to leave their homes and had to pay for hotels, food and other daily needs, which created a financial burden. They also said they experienced anxiety during the evacuation process and continue to be concerned about exposure to chemicals.

Businesses in the area also suffered. The emergency happened over Memorial Day weekend -– a time when many restaurants and food service companies bring in some of their best revenue of the year.

“Our data shows approximately 3,000 businesses were forced to shut down because of the evacuation, and at least another 3,000 businesses right outside the evacuation zone while not forced to close, but had their revenue dropped considerably because of the tank failure and evacuation,” said lawyer Richard McCune, who has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of Big Rob’s Pizzeria and Fruit Caboose Concessions.

Lawyers say the FBI investigation will help their legal cases.

“We trust that the search will uncover important information and materials related to this crisis,” said lawyer Sean Litteral, who represents Jonathan Sanchez, a father of two children, including an infant born just days before the crisis.

The Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights in Thursday night's Game 5, with the best-of-seven series even at 2-2. The Hurricanes won Game 4 on the road to retake home-ice advantage, which would include next Wednesday's Game 7 if the series goes the distance.

Game 6 is Sunday in Las Vegas and will provide the first opportunity for a Cup-clinching win.

‘We're excited to be at home," Hall said. "I think our game has been trending in the right direction all series long, doing a lot of really good things. We feel like we're an in-shape team. We can go as long as this needs to go. The fact we had three short series to start with, we’re confident in where we’re at."

Home ice hasn't mattered much in a series in which the only reliable element is its unpredictability. It’s made for an epic finale with nightly blown multi-goal leads, wild swings and close finishes — perfect for fans packed into buzzing arenas and TV viewers but leading to what Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour has described as intensely stressful nights behind the bench.

As Vegas coach John Tortorella said Wednesday: “I don't think anybody expected this.”

It's come in a series that was expected to be a defense-first battle but has instead seen 33 goals through four games (8.3 per game), making life tricky for each team's goaltenders.

Carolina started veteran Frederik Andersen after he had led them in a 12-1 run through the Eastern Conference playoffs, but pulled him in the third period of Game 3 with the Hurricanes down 4-0 before rallying in what ended as a double-overtime loss. Brandon Bussi played well in relief, then got the start in Game 4 with Brind'Amour saying Andersen — who didn't dress out — needed a break.

Brind’Amour wouldn’t specify a Game 5 starter beyond saying everyone is available.

As for Vegas, Carter Hart has become the first goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to give up at least four goals in each of the first four games yet two of them were wins. Tortorella said he had no concerns about Hart's play “at all.”

This Stanley Cup Final has offered a perfect companion to what's going in the other major American pro sports championship series taking place. On Wednesday night, the New York Knicks rallied from 29 down to stun the San Antonio Spurs in the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history to take a 3-1 series lead.

“I wanted to go to bed,” Tortorella said of watching the comeback. “But when they got it down to 15, you knew something stupid was going to happen. I'm just basically saying the same stupid stuff's happened in our series.”

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

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According to the Hollywood Police Department, the May 20 crash happened at around 12:25 a.m. on North Ocean Drive near Hollywood Boulevard.

Police said the driver of a BMW, who has since been identified as Artiom Echiusciu, was going more than 100 mph when he crossed over the center median and struck the officer’s vehicle before getting out and running away.

Officer Luis Diaz suffered injuries considered serious but not life-threatening and was hospitalized, but is currently recovering, according to HPD.

Police said Echiusciu ordered a Lyft to help flee the scene, and eventually traveled all the way to Illinois where he was taken into custody on Wednesday by the U.S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force in Chicago.

Echiusciu, a Russian national who police said was in the country illegally, is facing charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injuries, reckless driving causing serious bodily injury, reckless driving causing property damage, driving with a suspended license, leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage and failure to register a motor vehicle.

He is in the process of being extradited to Broward County, authorities said.

Golf Digest cited multiple sources as saying Mickelson is no longer welcome at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where the six-time major champion has played and practiced for decades. The unwanted contact was said to have happened earlier this spring.

Mickelson, the chief recruiter in the launching of LIV Golf, has only played once this year because of a serious family health matter that has not been disclosed. He did not play the Masters and PGA Championship, and is no longer exempt for the U.S. Open.

Golf Digest said it verified the identity of The Farms employee and was withholding her name to protect her privacy. It said she declined to participate in the reporting of the story.

A spokesperson for Mickelson told Golf Digest, “Any misunderstanding has been cleared up. Phil continues to attend to a family health matter and is uncertain when he will be able to return to professional golf.”

Golf Digest cited sources in reporting Mickelson approached the woman in the clubhouse and made nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with her. The woman rejected his advances and reported it to her supervisors.

Officials at The Farms reviewed and investigated, Golf Digest reported, and then confronted Mickelson on the course. Mickelson, 55, was told to leave the premises.

The Farms said in a statement to Golf Digest, “Following a staff member report of member misconduct, the club provided immediate and ongoing support to the staff member, conducted a thorough independent investigation of the incident and took decisive action. This individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club.”

“To protect the safety and privacy of our staff and member, we are unable to speak further on the matter.”

Golf Digest cited multiple sources in confirming the member was Mickelson.

The Farms, located about 10 miles from Torrey Pines, is a private club where several top players are members such as Annika Sorenstam and Xander Schauffele, both of whom have primary residences in Florida.

The development adds to what has become a dark chapter for Mickelson, who is married with three children and was once one of the most beloved public figures in golf for his bold and creative game, and for the time he spent after rounds signing autographs.

Mickelson was a relief defendant in an insider trading scheme in 2016 in which he was not criminally charged but agreed to repay nearly $1 million he made in a single trade. Noted gambler Billy Walters was involved in that case and sentenced to five years in prison.

Walters wrote an autobiography in 2023 in which he claims Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion over the last 30 years, including one day in 2011 in which Mickelson was said to have placed 43 bets on Major League Baseball that resulted in $143,500 in losses.

Mickelson became the oldest major champion in golf history when he won the 2021 PGA Championship. A year later, he was a central figure in helping to launch Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He lost major sponsorships when he was quoted in early 2022 as calling the Saudis “scary mother (expletives)” and that he was only thinking of joining the league to gain leverage over the PGA Tour.

The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is ending its financial support of LIV after this year.

___

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

Pino, de 55 años, enfrenta cargos de homicidio involuntario y homicidio por embarcación por la muerte de Lucy Fernandez, de 17 años.

Los fiscales acusan a Pino, entonces de 52 años, de actuar de manera imprudente cuando perdió el control de una embarcación Robalo de 29 pies durante las primeras horas de la noche del 4 de septiembre de 2022 y chocó contra una baliza de canal cerca de Boca Chita Key, causando la muerte de Fernandez. Otras dos jóvenes resultaron gravemente heridas, incluida Katerina Puig, de 17 años.

Su equipo de defensa sostiene que el accidente fue simplemente un hecho fortuito.

El jueves, los miembros del jurado que visitaron la instalación de la FWC, escoltados por agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, pudieron observar detalladamente la embarcación en cuestión e incluso abordarla para comprender mejor las posiciones que ocupaban las jóvenes el día del accidente y el lugar donde se encontraba Pino.

Los miembros del jurado pudieron ver la ubicación exacta y la magnitud de los daños, lo que les brindó una perspectiva diferente a la obtenida a través de los videos y fotografías presentados en la corte.

La visita duró aproximadamente 40 minutos. Luego regresaron al tribunal después de una pausa para almorzar, con los procedimientos programados para reanudarse más tarde en la tarde.

La congresista Gloria Arizabaleta, del oficialista Pacto Histórico, firmó un documento que fue conocido la víspera por la prensa en el que reclamó que Petro sea suspendido hasta el 21 de junio, día en que se celebrará la segunda vuelta presidencial entre el oficialista Iván Cepeda y el conservador Abelardo de la Espriella.

El abogado Alejandro Carranza, quien representa a Petro, aseguró a medios de prensa que la congresista “abusó de su autoridad” como presidenta de la Comisión de Investigación y Acusación de la Cámara de Representantes con funciones judiciales y encargada de tratar las denuncias contra el presidente y otros aforados.

La Corte Suprema, donde el abogado presentará la denuncia, es la encargada de investigar penalmente a los congresistas.

Arizabaleta indicó en el documento que se trataba de una medida provisional mientras se adelanta la investigación contra Petro en la Comisión por presunta participación indebida en política, luego de que el presidente hiciera declaraciones sobre los candidatos.

La investigación se refiere especialmente a publicaciones en X en las que Petro hizo referencia a los aspirantes a la presidencia o usa expresiones como “el gato/tigre seguirá cazando ratones”, en lo que parece una alusión a De la Espriella, quien se apoda “El Tigre”.

Petro dijo que la congresista le hace oposición —pese a ser de su mismo partido— y negó haber intervenido en política. Al respecto indicó que sus menciones a De la Espriella fueron para defender su “buen nombre”, porque el candidato quiere acusarlo frente a la justicia estadounidense.

El mandatario continúa en funciones, mientras que Arizabaleta fue suspendida de su cargo por la Procuraduría, encargada de investigar disciplinariamente a los funcionarios públicos, mientras investiga su actuación. El procurador, Gregorio Eljach, dijo a la prensa que recogieron múltiples quejas y actuaron.

La solicitud de la congresista generó una discusión jurídica sobre su alcance y el procedimiento que se debe seguir. Según las normas colombianas, en la Comisión de Investigación y Acusación los congresistas que la integran deben decidir si archivan las causas o si presentan un proyecto de acusación contra el presidente ante el pleno de la Cámara de Representantes, donde de ser aprobada se traslada al Senado, que se encarga de enjuiciarlo.

Carranza tildó la solicitud de Arizabaleta de “inconstitucional”. Aseguró que la tomó como un “mensaje” luego de que presuntamente la congresista ejerciera sobre el gobierno una “presión indebida” para obtener “prebendas” bajo la supuesta amenaza de que la Comisión avance en otra investigación sobre posibles irregularidades en la financiación de la campaña electoral con la que Petro llegó al poder en 2022.

En declaraciones en X cuestionando a la legisladora, el mandatario dijo que es lamentable que "la codicia lleve a los seres humanos a destruir incluso su propia vida”. Afirmó además que “estamos ante un posible prevaricato”, en referencia al delito en el que un servidor público actúa a sabiendas que su decisión es contraria a la ley.

En tanto, la oposición política interpretó la solicitud de la congresista como un truco para “victimizar” al presidente y dar impulso a la campaña de Cepeda, su aliado político.

De la Espriella advirtió en un comunicado, sin enseñar pruebas, que se trata de una maniobra de Petro para “robar las elecciones”.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the notice came shortly before the start of the league's executive board meeting to discuss its options in the Sorsby situation.

The temporary injunction issued Monday by a Texas district court prevents the NCAA from enforcing its permanent ban of Sorsby, a decision that sent shock waves across college sports. The transfer QB had been ruled ineligible after he acknowledged years of gambling that included at least 40 bets on his own team while he was a freshman at Indiana. Texas Tech said he has completed a month-long inpatient treatment program and will continue to receive treatment and support while being monitored.

The letter from the Texas AG's office was addressed to Yormark and Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod, the chairman of the Big 12 board of directors. It specifically references a conference bylaw that, with a supermajority vote, could result in sanctioning a school that has "engaged in any action or a course of conduct materially adverse to the best interests of the conference taken as a whole.”

The AG's office said any sanctions against Texas Tech for “acting consistent" with the district court injunction “would be a per se violation of federal and state antitrust laws — a naked horizontal agreement among competitors to disadvantage Texas Tech by cutting off access to the resources it needs to compete.”

Beyond any antitrust exposure, the letter said, the Big 12 would also face liability for “breach of contract and tortious interference" for any sanction that results in the alteration of Texas Tech's scheduled games.

The letterwas signed by Thomas York, chief of the antitrust division, and Kimberly Gdula, chief of the litigation division. The attorney general, Ken Paxton, is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate race in Texas this fall.

Yormark said the conference is taking time with its legal counsel to understand the concerns of the state.

Since NCAA rules call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team, the judge’s decision sent shockwaves through college sports, including in Texas Tech’s own league. The executive board met as planned Thursday in preparation for a meeting Monday of the Big 12's full board of directors, which is made up of presidents and chancellors from the league's 16 schools.

“We had a good and informative discussion. Sentiment among the executive board was no different from what we heard from the ADs earlier this week,” Yormark said. "Our discussion with the full board will determine our course of action, and all options remain on the table.”

The board meeting came two days after a conference call among Big 12 athletic directors, who expressed strong opposition to Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders for what will be his final college season. Some of those ADs even suggested maybe not playing Texas Tech if he does.

Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech in January for a reported multimillion-dollar deal after playing the past two seasons at Cincinnati, another Big 12 school. The Texas native first spent two seasons at Indiana.

___

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

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Pino, 55, is facing manslaughter and vessel homicide charges in the death of 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez.

Prosecutors accuse Pino, then 52, of being reckless when he lost control of a 29-foot Robalo boat in the early evening hours of Sept. 4, 2022 and slammed it into a channel marker near Boca Chita Key, killing Fernandez. Two other girls were seriously hurt, including 17-year-old Katerina Puig.

NOON REPORT:

His defense team counters that the crash was merely an accident.

On Thursday, jurors visiting the FWC facility, escorted by deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, got a detailed look at the boat in question and could even board it to better understand the passenger positions of the girls on the day of the accident and where Pino was standing.

The jury members were able to see the exact location and the extent of the damage, giving them a different perspective from the videos and pictures they had seen in court court.

The field trip took about 40 minutes. They then went back to the courthouse after a lunch break with proceedings set to resume later in the afternoon.

El secretario de Estado Marco Rubio sostuvo que activos clave de la compañía, conocida como Cupet, fueron “expropiados ilegalmente a propietarios estadounidenses hace años”.

También acusó al gobierno de Cuba de convertir la energía en un arma.

“Mientras el pueblo cubano ha sufrido escasez de combustible y apagones debido a décadas de falta de inversión en infraestructura crítica, los líderes comunistas de Cuba han desviado recursos energéticos para llenarse los bolsillos”, afirmó Rubio en un comunicado.

Además, señaló, sin aportar pruebas, que funcionarios cubanos “revenden incontables barriles de la escasa energía en el mercado secundario, acaparan suministros energéticos para sus fuerzas militares, de inteligencia y represivas, y racionan la energía como herramienta de control social”.

Hasta el momento, el gobierno cubano no ha respondido a un mensaje en el que se solicitaban comentarios. Anteriormente ha dicho que las sanciones castigan a todos los cubanos y buscan estrangular la economía para desestabilizar tanto al gobierno como a su pueblo.

Las ventas de combustible de Cupet al público son casi inexistentes y actualmente están racionadas.

Ricardo Herrero, un economista cubano radicado en Estados Unidos y director ejecutivo del Cuba Study Group, una organización no partidista con sede en Washington, D.C., dijo que estaba “realmente desconcertado” por la medida.

“¿Cómo se supone que los importadores privados almacenen diésel y lo introduzcan en los vehículos sin usar las instalaciones de CUPET?”, escribió en X. “Esto socava lo que, hasta esta mañana, había sido una prioridad humanitaria para Estados Unidos. O algo mucho más grande está en marcha, o hemos entrado en la fase de ‘crueldad indiscriminada’ de esta política”.

El anuncio del jueves se produce casi una semana después de que el gobierno de Estados Unidos sancionara al presidente cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel y a otros funcionarios, así como a varias instituciones.

Rubio indicó en un comunicado que quedan bloqueadas todas las propiedades o participaciones de Cupet ubicadas en Estados Unidos o en posesión o bajo el control de personas de Estados Unidos.

“El presidente Trump quiere un nuevo futuro para el pueblo cubano con mayor libertad y oportunidades económicas y políticas”, escribió Rubio en X . “Hasta entonces, seguiremos apuntando a la capacidad del régimen comunista de aprovechar su comercio energético para impulsar su agenda corrupta y reprimir violentamente al pueblo cubano”.

Cuba ya enfrenta dificultades bajo un embargo de décadas y la falta de petróleo, mientras Estados Unidos sigue presionando para que cambie su modelo económico y político.

Los cortes de electricidad —ya habituales dada la crisis económica y energética que afecta a la isla desde hace cinco años— no han hecho más que intensificarse desde que el presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, amenazó, a finales de enero, con imponer aranceles a cualquier país que venda o suministre petróleo a Cuba.

Ambos países han reconocido que han mantenido conversaciones, pero se desconoce su alcance.

Mientras tanto, Trump ha amenazado con una acción militar en Cuba desde que el ejército de estadounidense invadió Venezuela y arrestó al expresidente Nicolás Maduro.

Trump dijo el jueves pasado que Cuba “se ha derrumbado, más o menos” y afirmó: “vamos a encargarnos de eso en cuanto hayamos terminado” las operaciones militares en Irán.

__________________________________

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

Ruggs, a former first-round draft pick and Raiders wide receiver, drove his sports car at speeds up to 156 mph (251 kph) in the city on Nov. 2, 2021, slamming into a vehicle that killed driver Tina Tintor and her dog, Max. Tintor was 23.

Prosecutors at the time said his blood-alcohol level taken within the required two hours after the crash was 0.16%, which is twice the legal limit for drivers in Nevada. Before the crash, he was at TopGolf, a sports entertainment venue in Las Vegas, according to prosecutors.

Ruggs pleaded guilty in May 2023 to felony DUI causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. He was sentenced in August 2023 to a three- to 10-year prison sentence. The earliest he was eligible for parole was August 2026.

Ruggs will go before the parole board again three months before Aug. 24, 2027, his mandatory parole release date, according to Kathi Baker, executive director of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners.

“Mr. Ruggs, and our office, continue to feel the grief and loss suffered by Ms. Tintor’s family,” Ruggs’ attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a Thursday statement, adding that they were disappointed by the parole board’s decision to deny parole.

The attorneys said there is “overwhelming evidence” of Ruggs’ accepting responsibility for his conduct and engaging in community outreach efforts related to DUI prevention, including completing educational programs while in custody.

—

This story has been updated to correct the day that Henry Ruggs' parole was denied. It was on Thursday, not Friday.

Job Listing – News Producer

Responsibilities:

Oversee the complete preparation of newscast including writing stories and coordinating with: reporters, executive producers, assignment desk staff and production department. The producer will also coordinate the program in the control room. Must be able to use knowledge of current events to participate in editorial process and write scripts.

Qualifications:

• Knowledge of television news
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills required
• Ability to work flexible hours including nights, weekends and holidays
• Ability to work in a fast-paced high-energy environment with daily deadlines and changing priorities
• 3-5 years’ experience as a writer or producer in a commercial news operation required
• College degree in journalism or broadcasting preferred
• News computer knowledge necessary

***All of the essential functions of this position are not necessarily described in this posting.

***We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age gender, marital status, disability, matriculation or political affiliation. Any offer of employment is conditioned on successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications, and reference checks. A Valid driver’s license is required.

Please follow link below to apply for Producer Position:

https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/wplg/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/8960

Chris Schenk

Executive Producer

WPLG/TV

3401 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd.

Pembroke Park, FL 33023

cschenk@wplg.com

No phone calls please.

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According to an arrest report from the Miami Police Department, officers responded to the scene at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and found the suspect, Alfrada Barbara Garcia, being looked at by paramedics due to several scratches on her face.

Police said Garcia claimed that she was assaulted by the victim after seeing the victim take a package from the mailbox that didn’t belong to her.

Police said Garcia and a witness, who the package belonged to, confronted the victim, but the victim returned the package and said she only had it because it was delivered to the wrong address.

According to the report, video obtained by property management shows Garcia walking on the sidewalk before running over to a small wooden stool chair, picking it up over her head and swinging it several times at the victim in a downward motion.

Police said the victim was able to take the stool away from Garcia and then pulled her to the ground and held her down.

Garcia claimed that the victim had punched her in the back before she picked up the stool, but the witness told police that Garcia was never struck by the victim.

Garcia was arrested on a charge of attempted aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

As of Thursday afternoon, she was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,000 bond.

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Miami, los agentes respondieron a la escena alrededor de la 1:30 p.m. del miércoles y encontraron a la sospechosa, Alfrada Barbara Garcia, siendo atendida por paramédicos debido a varios rasguños en el rostro.

La policía indicó que Garcia afirmó haber sido agredida por la víctima después de verla tomar un paquete del buzón que no le pertenecía.

La policía dijo que Garcia y una testigo, quien era la propietaria del paquete, confrontaron a la víctima, pero la víctima devolvió el paquete y explicó que lo tenía porque había sido entregado en la dirección equivocada.

Según el informe, un video obtenido por la administración de la propiedad muestra a Garcia caminando por la acera antes de correr hacia un pequeño taburete de madera, levantarlo sobre su cabeza y blandirlo varias veces contra la víctima en un movimiento descendente.

La policía indicó que la víctima logró quitarle el taburete a Garcia y luego la derribó al suelo, donde la mantuvo inmovilizada.

Garcia afirmó que la víctima la había golpeado en la espalda antes de que ella tomara el taburete, pero la testigo dijo a la policía que la víctima nunca golpeó a Garcia.

Garcia fue arrestada por un cargo de intento de agresión agravada con un arma mortal.

Hasta la tarde del jueves, permanecía detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza de $5,000 USD.

This is a sign that Cuba’s government has not shown any willingness to negotiate with the U.S.  This action further chokes the regime who is running out of options as the socio-economic problems get worse each day that passes.

June 10 update: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visits Guantanamo Bay for operational briefings

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on Wednesday to receive updates and operational briefings on the base’s mission, according to the Pentagon.

According to Reuters, Hegseth flew into the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, marking the latest visit by a senior American official to the communist-led island as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to increase pressure on the Cuban government.

His trip comes less than two weeks after General Francis Donovan, the top U.S. military commander for Latin America, visited Guantanamo Bay and held discussions with a senior Cuban military official near the base’s perimeter.

Hegseth is the third high-ranking U.S. official to visit Cuba in recent months, highlighting Washington’s continued focus on the island amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.

June 8 update: What will be brought up during any future negotiations?

One of the issues that will certainly come up during any future negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba will be the 5,913 American companies, as well as Cuban-American properties, that were confiscated by the Cuban Revolution in the early 1960’s.

According to Mauricio Tamargo, former chairman of the Foreign Claims Office in the U.S. Department of Justice, the estimated values of these properties are in the billions.

June 3 update: Raúl Castro turns 95

Raúl Castro, the former president of Cuba, turns 95 years old Wednesday under the shadow of a criminal indictment from the U.S. and an uncertain future for Cuba with the legacy of his brother, Fidel Castro, on his shoulders.

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June 1 update: Looking to the future: Should Cuban Americans invest in Cuba?

A few months ago, Cuba’s Vice Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, who is the grand-nephew of Raúl Castro, invited Cuban Americans in exile to invest in Cuba.

In 2019, the Cuban government amended their constitution to allow foreign investment. However, they did not change their laws to protect the investments.

Therefore, the risks to invest in Cuba remain greater than the opportunities.

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

The Justice Department highlighted cases against three Guatemalan nationals that they say underscore the dangers of improper vetting of sponsors in a program that seeks to unite kids with relatives or family friends after they enter the U.S. Officials said they are investigating numerous other so-called super-sponsors — those who gained custody of more than three unrelated children — to determine whether the sponsors took the kids in fraudulently.

“We will not accept half measures when it comes to securing the border, protecting American lives and saving children from exploitation,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters.

Taking custody of multiple unrelated migrant children is not a crime. The sponsors may be caring and well-intentioned, but senior administration officials calling them out suggests that authorities harbor suspicion about them and may subject them to deeper scrutiny.

Under the Biden administration, officials tried to release children to eligible adult sponsors within 30 days, reuniting many families quickly. But the approach also yielded errors, with some children being released to adults who forced them to work illegally, or to people who provided clearly false identification and addresses.

Under Trump, the administration tightened rules aimed at preventing traffickers from illegally bringing children into the country and that has also led to a dramatic increase in federal custody times for kids. As of May, children are held in federal custody for an average of 206 days before they’re released, compared with an average of 37 days when Trump took office. At the same time, the number of total children in custody has steadily dropped.

Striking a balance to release children to vetted sponsors and shielding them from danger has proved a contentious partisan disagreement.

Democrats “want to claim that Republicans, because we’re enforcing the laws, it’s inhumane, somehow,” Blanche said after criticizing the vetting procedures under the Biden administration. "What’s inhumane about taking care of our kids?”

The cases announced Thursday include charges against a woman who, authorities say, was living in the U.S. illegally, schemed with others to smuggle kids across the border, then used fake identities to gain custody of them in exchange for money. Her attorney, Michael J. Goldberg, said “the only comment I can make is that the case will be tried in court and not in a press conference.”

In another case, a woman is accused of falsely claiming that she was siblings with a teen who had entered the U.S. illegally in her application to become the teen’s sponsor.

Critics of the Trump administration have raised concerns over wellness checks carried out by immigration officers at elementary schools, immigration officers showing up and detaining sponsors at reunification meetings with children, and newly required documentation that's created a “paperwork barrier” and led to a recent lawsuit.

Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, which provides legal services for unaccompanied migrant children under contract with the government, said the administration has not acknowledged the harm it has caused to kids by “subjecting them to indefinite detention and eroding nearly every avenue for legal relief.”

Aber added: “If the administration is concerned with the well-being of unaccompanied children, the answer can’t be to take them away from loved ones, try to undermine their representation, and detain them in group facilities with well-documented risks of isolation, abuse, and mental health deterioration.”

Even sponsors willing to undergo the new vetting procedures have been forced to wait through unnecessary delays.

A Chicago father who is a U.S. citizen and had a valid birth certificate for his child was kept waiting for five months before the government could schedule a fingerprinting appointment. During the wait, his toddler daughter was sexually abused in federal custody, a lawsuit claimed. The government did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the case.

_____

Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas.

Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet won the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction with “The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan.”

Both prizes come with a 30,000 pound ($40,000) purse and are open to female English-language writers from any country.

Evans wrote seven unpublished novels before writing “The Correspondent" during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was released quietly in 2025. A story told through years’ worth of letters from retired lawyer Sybil Van Antwerp to friends, family and famous writers, it gradually climbed bestseller lists and became a book club favorite. A film adaptation starring Jane Fonda is in the works.

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who chaired the fiction judging panel, said the novel “captured our hearts.”

“It is no mean feat to write a life in letters, but Evans makes this feel effortless, asking the reader to consider the choices we make, whilst elevating an ordinary life in the most heartfelt of ways,” she said.

Doucet, the BBC’s chief international correspondent, profiles staff and guests of Kabul’s once-glamorous Inter-Continental Hotel – scarred but still standing -- to provide a microcosm of Afghanistan’s turbulent recent history.

Labour Party politician Thangam Debbonaire, head of the nonfiction jury, called it “a perfect work of narrative non-fiction” that is “informed by decades of excellent reporting.”

Previous winners of the fiction prize, founded in 1996, include Zadie Smith, Tayari Jones and Barbara Kingsolver.

The sister prize for nonfiction was founded in 2024 to help redress a gender imbalance in publishing. In 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in Britain’s newspapers were by women, and male writers dominated established nonfiction writing prizes.

Last year’s nonfiction winner was British physician Rachel Clarke’s account of an organ transplant, “The Story of a Heart.”

Trump announced the nomination on social media amid pressure from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who resigned last month. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director. The job oversees the coordination of 18 intelligence agencies.

The situation has led to a standoff in Congress after Democrats said they would refuse to renew foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte’s nomination and named a permanent nominee.

“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”

Later on Thursday, Trump said he still plans to put Pulte in the role “for a little while.” Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump called Clayton an “incredible talent” and said, “nobody has better credentials.”

As the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Clayton oversees the most prestigious of the Justice Department’s prosecution offices, with a vast portfolio ranging from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.

He took over from interim U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon, who resigned in February after refusing to carry out orders from the Justice Department to drop corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams. The case was eventually dropped after prosecutors from Washington submitted a request to a judge.

Republicans hope to move quickly on nomination

Clayton appeared on Monday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” where he raised questions about the integrity of California’s elections. Trump has claimed without evidence that the state’s slow count in its recent primaries meant the vote was rigged.

“The American people are right to question it,” Clayton said, adding that the delay in results increased the opportunity for fraud.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., says the Senate could move “fairly quickly” to confirm Clayton as Director of National Intelligence if the White House submits his paperwork soon.

He praised Clayton after Trump said on social media that he would nominate him for the job, saying he has a “great reputation.”

Democrats are holding up the renewal of a key surveillance law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in protest of Trump’s decision to temporarily tap Pulte. They say they won’t support an extension of the law, which expires at midnight on Friday, until Trump withdraws Pulte’s appointment.

Trump previously said Pulte would take over on June 19. It is unclear whether the Senate could move quickly enough to confirm Clayton before that date.

“I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it,” Thune said.

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said he has “known and respected” Clayton for decades and that had he been tapped as DNI a week ago, “lots of pain might have been avoided.”

“His intelligence, temperament and deep commitment to public service will make him a terrific DNI,” Himes said.

Asked about Clayton’s nomination, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said that “Pulte has to go.”

“He cannot be in the DNI role,” Schumer said. “It’s too important.”

Trump's pick has led SDNY during a tumultuous period

Clayton navigated his way through a 14-month tenure in the Southern District of New York without clashing with the federal judges in the busiest court in the nation, unlike his counterparts in upstate New York and New Jersey. After his interim term expired after 120 days, the judges of the Southern District appointed him as U.S. attorney.

Clayton was sworn in as U.S. attorney in April 2025 on the same day three prosecutors resigned, saying they felt pressured to admit wrongdoing or regret about prosecuting the now-dismissed corruption case against then-New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Then, weeks later, the office had to withstand controversy over the Trump administration’s firing of one of its most respected and successful prosecutors, Maurene Comey. She claims she was fired because of Trump’s dislike of her father, former FBI Director James Comey.

Under Clayton, the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office facilitated the unsealing of thousands of pages of court records from the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — documents that were made public as part of the Justice Department’s release of records related to the late sex offender and his longtime confidant.

Clayton filed documents with the court explaining the process the government followed in releasing the materials.

Clayton has also overseen the prosecution of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.

Clayton has overseen cases involving national security threats

Several recent terrorism cases brought by Clayton’s office touch on the global threats and influences that he’ll be navigating if confirmed as director of national intelligence.

They include the May arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi and Iranian citizen accused of plotting 20 attacks in Europe and Canada and planning to attack a Manhattan synagogue and Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, in retaliation for the U.S. war on Iran.

“There are foreign nations and terrorist organizations that see our success as a threat. A threat that they want eliminated,” Clayton said at a recent press briefing. “That is a stark truth.”

“And don’t take my word for it,” he added. “Take their words and their actions. When your enemies tell you something, and when they act, you should know that they mean it.”

The first Trump administration tried in June 2020 to install Clayton, then the chairman of the SEC, as U.S. attorney in Manhattan, but backed down and instead allowed Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss to serve in the post. The reversal came after then-U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman agreed to step down, following assurances that probes into Trump allies would not be disrupted and that Strauss could lead the office.

At the time, the office was looking into dealings by Rudy Giuliani, who was serving then as Trump’s personal attorney, and was also investigating the actions of a state-owned Turkish bank.

Trump doubled down on naming Pulte as the acting director, even though he emphasized it would be a short-term job. The president said he wanted Pulte to downsize the office, which has already been significantly scaled back in his second term.

Gabbard resigned on May 22, citing her husband's cancer diagnosis.

Trump said last week that he was interviewing five candidates for his pick to lead the agency permanently and that all have national security backgrounds.

___

Neumeister and Sisak reported from New York. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.

The woman, who may have been exposed to the virus while aboard the Dutch MV Hondius cruise liner in April, had gotten off the ship and then flown to San Francisco before traveling to the isolated British territory of Pitcairn Island through Tahiti, according to two U.S. officials and an internal government document obtained by The Associated Press.

The exact amount of the total evacuation payment is still being assessed because the operation is still underway. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a medical case covered by U.S. privacy laws.

The costly effort to pick up the woman has added to the expense of rapid evacuations for diplomats and private U.S. citizens from the Middle East since the start of the Iran war as well as preparations for possible evacuations from Ebola-stricken countries. All have stressed the State Department budget for unforeseen emergencies, known as the “K Fund,” and brought its balance to the lowest level in seven years.

State Department emergency budget strained by multiple evacuations

Another internal document said the State Department is looking at transferring as much as $50 million into that emergency fund from other accounts — $35 million from the budget for embassy security, construction and maintenance and an additional $15 million from an account that pays for broader diplomatic programming. No decision on the transfers has yet been made.

One of the officials said the State Department has another option, to ask Congress to replenish the fund. However, the official said the department is expected to be able to handle payments for both ongoing and “emerging contingency needs.”

The official would not say what the potential shortfall is but insisted that the department is “well positioned" to support diplomats, other U.S. government employees and private Americans who have been forced to leave the Middle East because of the Iran confict, as well as U.S. citizens who may need assistance due to developments such as the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

How the US is evacuating an American exposed to hantavirus from a remote island

The State Department declined to comment on the specifics of the woman’s case on Pitcairn Island but said that “when an American is at risk abroad and unable to access commercial transportation, the Department of State seeks to provide appropriate assistance to get them home to the United States or to another safe location.”

After the woman departed the cruise liner where the hantavirus outbreak occurred, the ship continued to other destinations in the South Atlantic, with some passengers falling ill and at least three dying. The unidentified American woman was stuck on Pitcairn, an island with only about 50 inhabitants, no airport and infrequent maritime options to depart.

Pitcairn is well-known as the island on which Fletcher Christian and other British mutineers from the HMS Bounty took refuge after the 1789 events that toppled Capt. William Bligh, which have entered into the public lexicon with books and films about the “Mutiny on the Bounty.” Their descendants make up most of the island's current population.

Complicating matters, British authorities had sought urgent American assistance in evacuating the woman from the island, which is their territory, according to the government document about the cost of the evacuation and the second U.S. official.

But initial attempts to send her to Tahiti, a French dependency, about 1,350 miles (2,160 kilometers) — or a 30-hour sea journey — from Pitcairn, were rejected by French Polynesian authorities. They did not want to allow her in because she had not disclosed her exposure when she transited the island on her way to Pitcairn.

The U.S. is transporting the woman, who was not symptomatic, from Pitcairn to Easter Island, another remote location in the Pacific about 1,400 miles (2,253 km) away, which is a territory of Chile and has direct flights to Santiago, so she can return to the United States for any necessary treatment.

All of those factors mean the process of getting her moved from Pitcairn to Easter Island took many weeks to arrange, the officials said.

The government document, which was confirmed as accurate by the two officials, said moving the woman from Pitcairn eventually was arranged via the “Titaina Explorer” trimaran yacht owned by a wealthy Frenchman, who uses it for personal exploration in the South Pacific. Pitcairn has no airport and only limited sea access.

The officials said the woman had no political or celebrity connections and they did not know exactly when she will return to the U.S. Maritime tracking sites show that the Titaina Explorer departed Pitcairn Island on June 5. The voyage to Easter Island can take up to 10 days depending on the speed of the boat and the weather.

The government of populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa also lifted a ban on imports from Jewish settlements and ended an embargo on the export and transit of military weapons and equipment to and from Israel, the official STA news agency reported.

Jansa's government took office earlier this month following a parliamentary election in March. Jansa has said he would seek to improve ties with Israel, in a contrast to the policies of his predecessor, Robert Golob.

Under Golob, Slovenia was one of the most vocal critics of Israel in the European Union. The small Alpine nation recognized a Palestinian state in 2024, before imposing the entry bans in 2025 on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Netanyahu.

Ben-Gvir was banned also by France last month. He has sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting the activists from a flotilla to Gaza who were detained by Israeli police.

The new Slovenian government said in its statement that it was scrapping the punitive measures to open political communication, the official STA news agency reported. The Defense Ministry said that weapons trading is already sufficiently regulated by existing national defense laws and the EU arms export criteria, the same report said.

Political dialogue and quiet diplomacy will help “strengthen the role of the Republic of Slovenia in the efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East,” the government said. It cited “active cooperation” over “actions that limit and close off channels for direct communication.”

Last year, Slovenia linked the entry ban for Netanyahu to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

Shortly after taking office, Jansa's government removed a Palestinian flag from the government building, also symbolically marking the policy shift. Slovenia's liberal president, Natasa Pirc Musar, then raised the flag on the presidency building.

Also this month, Israel announced that it would open an embassy in Slovenia. The country's embassy in Austrian capital Vienna has previously covered Israel's diplomatic interests in neighboring Slovenia.

Jansa is serving his fourth term in office. The political veteran is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election in April.

The March 22 election was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The population of around 2 million in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

“Siempre se había afirmado, presumido, que De la Espriella era financiador o cómplice de la organización paramilitar, pero a raíz de los documentos que hemos venido consultando y reuniendo podría eventualmente esclarecerse si perteneció y actuó como parte de las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia” (AUC), aseguró Cepeda en una declaración a la prensa.

Cepeda aseguró que las demandas son por los presuntos delitos de concierto para delinquir agravado, financiación del terrorismo y enriquecimiento ilícito “relacionados con crímenes de lesa humanidad cometidos por estructuras paramilitares”.

A su vez pidió a la fiscalía que revise la presunta participación de De la Espriella en un presunto soborno a un exparamilitar que estaba recluido en una cárcel.

En tanto, a la Corte Penal Internacional le solicitó investigar porque considera que Colombia no ha indagado al conservador “debidamente” por crímenes que “son parte del Estatuto de Roma”.

De la Espriella, quien recibió el apoyo político del presidente Donald Trump, respondió en la red social X que la denuncia de Cepeda es una “cortina de humo” para cubrir otra denuncia que él presentó en Estados Unidos sobre lo que llamó “la alianza de Cepeda con los criminales que le pusieron votaciones atípicas en Cauca, Chocó y Nariño”, sugiriendo que grupos armados ilegales habrían presionado a los votantes de esos departamentos colombianos.

“Su reacción: denunciarme por lo único que sale de su boca ‘paraco’ (paramilitar)”, aseguró De la Espriella.

Cepeda, aliado político del presidente Gustavo Petro, argumentó que su denuncia se basa en versiones de exparamilitares, un informe de la Comisión de la Verdad —un órgano extrajudicial que investigó el conflicto armado— y decisiones judiciales.

Señaló que De la Espriella habría creado y liderado una fundación que “múltiples jefes paramilitares indican como organización creada por las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia con fines políticos”.

Las AUC, dedicadas a combatir ilegalmente a las guerrillas izquierdistas, se desmovilizaron entre los años 2003 y 2005 durante el gobierno del expresidente Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) y dejaron las armas a cambio de beneficios judiciales que incluyeron pocos años de cárcel a cambio de someterse a un tribunal especial.

De la Espriella rechazó haber apoyado ilegalmente a los paramilitares y defendió su participación en la fundación en una entrevista en 2008. “Hice parte de la comisión civil acompañante del proceso de paz con las autodefensas”, acotó.

De la Espriella, de 47 años, se hizo un nombre como abogado defendiendo clientes de alto perfil como el expresidente Uribe, y también a polémicos como Alex Saab, un aliado cercano del derrocado presidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro que enfrenta problemas con la justicia estadounidense y a quien dejó de representar hace aproximadamente siete años.

En su primera aspiración electoral ha dicho que su campaña se financió con el dinero que ha acumulado en su carrera de abogado y luego como empresario con marcas propias de vino, ron y ropa. Se inscribió por el movimiento Defensores de la Patria tras reunir millones de firmas de ciudadanos que apoyaron su campaña.

Amid escalating protests and social tensions in Mexico’s capital, more than 80,000 fans made their way to Mexico City Stadium — better known as Azteca Stadium. It got a much-needed facelift ahead of the 48-team tournament that Mexico is co-hosting alongside the United States and Canada.

The iconic venue will be the first stadium to host three World Cup openers — after doing so at the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.

It is the eighth opening match of a World Cup for the Mexicans, who had previously lost five and drawn the last two, including against South Africa in the 2010 World Cup.

South Africa is playing in its first World Cup since hosting the 2010 tournament. Bafana Bafana also played in the 1998 and 2002 editions.

Mexico arrived with an eight-match unbeaten streak and has not lost since last November, when Paraguay beat them in a friendly.

The Mexican team is led by the 67-year-old coach Javier Aguirre, who is in his third stint with the national team.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

La deforestación en la Amazonía fue 61,4% menor en mayo que en el mismo mes de 2025, según funcionarios del Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Espaciales (INPE, por sus siglas en portugués) y del Ministerio de Medio Ambiente.

Aun así, se talaron 370 kilómetros cuadrados (casi 143 millas cuadradas) de selva tropical. La deforestación en el mismo periodo cayó 12% en el Cerrado, una sabana del centro de Brasil que desde hace tiempo está bajo presión del poderoso sector del agronegocio.

El ministro de Medio Ambiente, João Paulo Capobianco, señaló que la cifra es la más baja jamás registrada para mayo, y que Brasil va camino de alcanzar sus niveles anuales más bajos una vez que los datos se consoliden el próximo semestre.

Explicó que el mes suele registrar una mayor deforestación porque marca el inicio de la estación seca en la Amazonía. En los 10 meses de agosto de 2025 a mayo de 2026, la deforestación en la Amazonía ya cayó 37,5% en comparación con el mismo periodo anterior.

El gobierno de Trump propuso aranceles de 25% a las importaciones procedentes de Brasil el 2 de junio, al afirmar que la 10ma economía más grande del mundo incurre en prácticas comerciales “irrazonables” y que “cargan o restringen el comercio de Estados Unidos”. El anuncio se produjo tras una investigación de la Oficina del Representante Comercial de Estados Unidos (USTR, por sus siglas en inglés) que acusó a Brasil de deforestación ilegal y de aplicar aranceles injustos propios, entre otras cosas.

Capobianco afirmó que las cifras de deforestación “desmienten la acusación injusta e infundada de Estados Unidos, que citó la deforestación para justificar la imposición de aranceles”. El presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asintió al tiempo que escuchaba las declaraciones.

Lula sostuvo que el gobierno de Trump mintió cuando impuso por primera vez aranceles adicionales a Brasil el año pasado, al decir que Estados Unidos tenía un déficit comercial.

“Y ahora cuestionaron la deforestación. No entienden el trabajo que estamos haciendo para llevar la deforestación a cero para 2030. Esta no es una decisión de ninguna COP ni de Naciones Unidas. Es una decisión de nuestro gobierno”, expresó el presidente brasileño, usando el acrónimo de las conferencias climáticas de la ONU.

“Es una cuestión de justicia, de la contribución de Brasil al planeta, cumpliendo nuestra obligación de evitar la deforestación tanto como sea posible. Evitar la deforestación beneficia a Brasil, beneficia a la Amazonía y beneficia al mundo”, manifestó.

La deforestación es el principal motor de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de Brasil, que contribuyen al calentamiento global.

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

Tras alcanzar niveles récord en las décadas de 1990 y 2000, la deforestación disminuyó hasta el mandato 2019-2022 del entonces presidente Jair Bolsonaro, cuyo gobierno fue ampliamente criticado por debilitar las protecciones ambientales. En el gobierno de Lula, la deforestación volvió a caer, y el año pasado alcanzó su nivel más bajo en una década.

Sin embargo, pese a los avances para mantener el bosque en pie, muchas otras amenazas —desde el cambio climático hasta una posible legislación en el horizonte— están poniendo al bosque en riesgo.

La degradación forestal, impulsada por incendios forestales, tala y sequía, afecta a alrededor de 40% de la Amazonía y en los últimos años ha superado a la tala rasa. Todo esto podría agravarse este año con un fuerte El Niño, un calentamiento cíclico del Pacífico ecuatorial, que provoca temperaturas más altas y un clima más seco en la selva tropical, condiciones que empeoran los incendios forestales.

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

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

El accidente ocurrió cerca de la intersección de Southeast Eighth Avenue y Okeechobee Road.

Según la Policía de Hialeah, un hombre de 37 años que viajaba en bicicleta fue atropellado por el conductor de un vehículo negro de cuatro puertas. La policía indicó que el conductor huyó de la escena después del accidente.

Según los investigadores, el ciclista murió a causa de sus heridas.

La policía no ha divulgado información adicional sobre el vehículo, la víctima ni el conductor involucrado.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el caso debe comunicarse con el Departamento de Policía de Hialeah al 305-687-2525.

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Sunrise police said officers responded around 12:18 a.m. to reports of gunfire on Sunrise Lakes Boulevard near Pine Island Road and Oakland Park Boulevard.

Police said that when officers arrived, they found 70-year-old Winston Murphy dead at the scene.

Investigators later revealed Murphy was an amputee who used a wheelchair.

Police said the suspect, who they identified on Thursday as Kanhai Wilson, was apprehended in Dania Beach with assistance from the Broward Sheriff’s Office after fleeing the area following the shooting.

Authorities said Wilson is facing one count each of murder with a dangerous, depraved mind without premeditation, fleeing and eluding, and resisting arrest.

On Wednesday morning, a Local 10 News crew observed Sunrise police detaining a man who was allegedly arguing with officers. That man identified himself as the caretaker of the victim, though it was not immediately clear whether he faces charges.

About 13 miles away in Dania Beach, a Local 10 News crew spotted Sunrise police surrounding a purple Chevrolet sedan. Police sources told Local 10 News the vehicle was connected to the shooting as investigators tracked down the Wilson and took him into custody.

Police said the incident appears to be isolated and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

No other details about the shooting were immediately released.

A video shared online showed at least one egg tossed in the direction of the San Antonio Spurs superstar as he entered his hotel, flanked by security, following the team's game 4 loss to the Knicks.

It was not clear who threw the egg. The video showed taunting fans swarming the hotel, a few blocks south of Madison Square Garden.

A few seconds after the egg cracks on a street sign, Wembanyama turns around and confronts a person standing near the hotel's entrance, before continuing inside.

The Spurs did not immediately respond to a request seeking clarity on whether the object struck Wembanyama.

The confrontation followed a historic collapse by the Spurs, who now find themselves on the brink of elimination after blowing a 29-point lead to the Knicks. Wembanyama missed two key free throws in the game's final minutes.

The Knicks victory prompted scenes of bedlam and jubilation across New York City, as ecstatic fans packed the streets, set off fireworks, scaled lampposts and at times clashed with police.

According to the New York Police Department, 56 people were taken into custody for charges that ranged from assault to disorderly conduct.

“Once again, there were large crowds of people who engaged in incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior last night both during and after the game,” the police department said in a statement.

An NYPD spokesperson said they had nothing on file about the egg incident.

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According to North Miami police, officers responded to an area near the 500 block of Northeast 132nd Terrace regarding a reported stabbing involving two men.

Police said after arriving at the scene, they found one of the men suffering from “injuries consistent with a stabbing.”

They said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics transported the victim to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital for treatment.

Sky 10 flew over the scene around 11:45 a.m., where crime scene tape could be seen surrounding the area as North Miami police officers investigated.

Police said the person involved in the incident has been identified, but no arrests have been announced at this time.

They also confirmed that no additional information was immediately available regarding witnesses.

Detectives said the investigation “remains active and ongoing,” and a motive for the stabbing remains unclear at this time.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Según la Policía de North Miami, los agentes respondieron a un área cercana a la cuadra 500 de Northeast 132nd Terrace por el reporte de un apuñalamiento que involucraba a dos hombres.

La policía informó que, al llegar a la escena, encontraron a uno de los hombres con “lesiones consistentes con un apuñalamiento”.

Indicaron que paramédicos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladaron a la víctima al Hospital HCA Florida Aventura para recibir tratamiento.

Sky 10 sobrevoló la escena alrededor de las 11:45 a.m., donde se podía observar cinta de la escena del crimen rodeando el área mientras agentes de la Policía de North Miami realizaban la investigación.

La policía dijo que la persona involucrada en el incidente ya fue identificada, pero hasta el momento no se han anunciado arrestos.

También confirmaron que no había información inmediata disponible sobre posibles testigos.

Los detectives dijeron que la investigación “permanece activa y en curso”, y que el motivo del apuñalamiento sigue sin estar claro por ahora.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el caso debe comunicarse con Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

Los registros de la cárcel en línea muestran que Ashley Marie Hosendove, de 32 años, enfrenta un cargo de alteración del orden público/quebrantamiento de la paz.

Según documentos judiciales, una orden de arresto judicial fue emitida el 1 de junio contra Hosendove por un incidente ocurrido el 12 de marzo.

Un informe de arresto indica que Hosendove fue víctima de una agresión presuntamente cometida por su novio ese día.

Pero mientras su novio era puesto bajo custodia por la policía, Hosendove comenzó a “gritar y proferir obscenidades” contra los agentes presentes en la escena y se negó a proporcionar una identificación, señala el informe.

La policía dijo que las acciones de Hosendove, que fueron captadas por cámaras corporales, provocaron que vecinos se reunieran afuera.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), la balacera fue reportada alrededor de las 2 a.m. del miércoles en una vivienda ubicada en Northwest First Court cerca de la calle 16.

Las autoridades dijeron que la niña, identificada por un familiar como Janova Park, sufrió heridas de bala en el estómago y el torso y fue trasladada de emergencia al HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, donde posteriormente murió.

“Sabemos que al momento de la balacera había tres adultos y dos niños: la víctima, que tenía 5 años, y su hermano de 4 años”, dijo el detective de la MDSO Angel Rodriguez el miércoles.

Los detectives confirmaron que Hosendove estaba entre los adultos que se encontraban dentro de la vivienda al momento de la balacera.

Los detectives dijeron que todavía intentan determinar cómo Janova recibió el disparo, incluyendo si pudo haber tenido acceso al arma por sí misma o si otra persona le disparó.

Hannah Yechivi, de Local 10, habló el miércoles con Laticha Ellison, abuela de Janova, quien dijo que la balacera pudo haberse evitado.

“Mi nietecita tiene 5 años”, dijo Ellison entre lágrimas. “Solo tiene 5 años. Me da rabia porque algo así no debería poder ocurrir, especialmente en tu propia casa, por descuido”.

Ellison describió a su nieta como “inteligente y atrevida”.

Los investigadores dijeron que recuperaron un arma dentro de la vivienda y que “no están buscando a ninguna persona que pueda representar una amenaza para la comunidad”.

The anticipation builds as the public address announcer begins to reveal the second starter, a 6-foot-7 forward from Indiana. When he finally reaches the player's name, the fans scream it right along with him.

“O! ... G! ... AN-UN-OBY!!!!”

Early Thursday morning, fans again chanted Anunoby's name, this time in a bar outside the arena as they celebrated one of the most memorable moments in New York Knicks history.

Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining in Game 4 put the Knicks on the verge of a title and moved him into the discussion for NBA Finals MVP.

Anunoby is not the kind of player who usually wins awards, and he might be the least-known of the Knicks' starters. But his teammates understand Anunoby's value far exceeds his reputation.

“So regardless of what the outside world thinks of him, we know what we have in our locker room, and we have a superstar in that locker room,” guard Jalen Brunson said.

Anunoby is the only player on the Knicks' postseason roster who has won a ring, but he was injured and didn't play for Toronto in the 2019 NBA Finals. But there's no way New York would have a chance at its first championship since 1973 if he wasn't front and center now.

From scoring to stopping, Anunoby might to be asked to do more than any Knicks player. He not only finished with 33 points in Game 4 but also made the biggest defensive play of the game when he chased down De'Aaron Fox to block his shot with 11 seconds left and the Spurs leading 106-105.

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said that's what he expects from a player who seems to save his best for the biggest moments.

“Every time I talk to him, I say, I already know what OG Anunoby is going to do in the fourth quarter, and he did exactly what I thought he would do,” Towns said. “He gave us a chance to win, and that’s all you could ask for from the best two-way player in the NBA.”

The Knicks couldn't believe Anunoby was only voted to the All-Defensive second team, certain there aren't five better defenders in the NBA. It was those defensive skills that made him most attractive when the Knicks acquired him from the Raptors in 2023, giving up two of their most promising players on a developing team in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

Anunoby was also known as a reliable 3-point shooter from the corners, and he made one as time expired to give the Raptors a victory over Boston in the 2020 playoffs. He hardly celebrated after the shot went through, just as he was one of the few people inside Madison Square Garden who appeared completely calm after his basket in Game 4.

“Just, the game wasn’t over,” Anunoby explained. “I looked up to see the time. If it would have been 0:00, I would have been more excited, but it was just 1.2 left. So just knowing, get a stop now, just stay with it, staying present, not getting too happy because the game is not over yet.”

Anunoby is averaging 23.8 points in the series, shooting 58% from the field and 55.6% from 3-point range. He finished 10 for 15 in Game 4, including 7 for 9 behind the arc.

When Anunoby limped off the court with a hamstring injury late in the Knicks' victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 of the second round, there was concern this run could be in jeopardy just as it was picking up steam. When Anunoby was hurt at the same time in the 2024 playoffs, the Knicks blew a 2-0 lead against Indiana and ultimately lost the series in Game 7, when Anunoby gamely tried to return after missing four games but it was clear he could hardly move and was yanked after five minutes.

This injury was not as bad. Helped by extended time off when the Knicks swept the 76ers, Anunoby was able to return in time for the start of the Eastern Conference finals.

Having him on the floor now — and soaring through the air in the final seconds of Game 4 — could be what it takes to end a 53-year title drought.

“OG, he’s been amazing since he’s got here,” fellow forward Josh Hart said. “This whole playoff run, he’s been amazing on both ends of the ball. He’s a winning player and he made a winning play.”

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This story has been corrected to show that Anunoby returned from injury at the start of the Eastern Conference finals, not semifinals.

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

Building on her work helping foster children, Trump said the new federal guidance will give child welfare agencies the ability to act as a guardian for children in foster care for the purposes of opening an account.

The first lady, speaking at a news conference at the Treasury Department, said the move “gives foster children the same chance at asset ownership and long-term wealth as every other child.”

The accounts will be open for contributions on July 4. To qualify for an account, a child must also be a U.S. citizen born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates that a Trump Account balance for a baby born in 2026 will be $5,800 by age 18 and $18,100 by age 28 if no other contributions are made.

The first lady said 23 governors, all Republicans, have pledged to allow state agencies to begin the process of enrolling children in the program. “I urge every governor and business leader to help fund these accounts," she said.

There are roughly 330,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, according to the National Council for Adoption. One in 5 of them is at risk of homelessness after aging out of foster care, and only half gain employment by the time they are 24, the National Foster Youth Institute says.

“Those outcomes are unsettling, but we refuse to accept them as inevitable,” Bessent told the news conference. “We are affirming that the American dream belongs to every child.”

A provision of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation that he signed into law last summer created Trump Accounts. Under them, the Treasury Department gives $1,000 to babies so long as their parents open an account. That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the children can access the money when they turn 18.

Employers and billionaires across the country have pledged to make matching Trump Account contributions for employee benefits. Among them are Michael and Susan Dell, who announced a $6.25 billion donation, and hedge fund founder Ray Dalio and his wife, Barbara, who pledged $75 million for kids under 10 in Connecticut, where the Dalios live.

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Online jail records show Ashley Marie Hosendove, 32, faces a charge of disorderly conduct/breach of the peace.

According to court documents, a bench warrant was issued June 1 for Hosendove for an incident that occurred on March 12.

An arrest report states that Hosendove was the victim of a battery allegedly committed by her boyfriend that day.

But as her boyfriend was being taken into custody by police, Hosendove began to “shout and scream profanities” towards officers at the scene and refused to provide them with a form of ID, the report stated.

Police said Hosendove’s actions, which were captured on bodycam video, caused neighbors to gather outside.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday’s shooting was reported at about 2 a.m. at a home off Northwest First Court near 16^th Street.

Authorities said the girl, who was identified by a family member as Janova Park, suffered gunshot wounds to her stomach and torso and was rushed to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where she later died.

“We know that at the time of the shooting, there were three adults and two children -- the victim who’s 5 years old and her 4-year-old brother,” MDSO Detective Angel Rodriguez said Wednesday.

Detectives confirmed that Hosendove was among the adults inside the home at the time of the shooting.

Detectives said they’re still trying to determine how Janova was shot, including whether she may have accessed the gun herself or whether someone else shot her.

Local 10’s Hannah Yechivi spoke to Laticha Ellison, Janova’s grandmother, on Wednesday, who said the shooting could’ve been prevented.

“My grandbaby is 5 years old,” Ellison said through tears. “She’s only 5. It makes me angry because nothing like this should be able to happen, especially in your home — carelessness.”

Ellison described her granddaughter as “smart and sassy.”

Investigators said a gun was recovered inside the home and that they “are not looking for any individuals that may pose a threat to the community.”

Hosendove appeared in court Thursday morning and was ordered held on a $1,500 bond.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Hollywood, el accidente ocurrió el 20 de mayo alrededor de las 12:25 a.m. en North Ocean Drive, cerca de Hollywood Boulevard.

La policía informó que el conductor de un BMW, identificado posteriormente como Artiom Echiusciu, circulaba a más de 100 mph cuando cruzó el separador central y chocó contra el vehículo del agente antes de salir del automóvil y huir corriendo.

Según la Policía de Hollywood, el agente Luis Díaz sufrió heridas consideradas graves, pero no mortales, y fue hospitalizado. Actualmente se encuentra en recuperación.

La policía indicó que Echiusciu solicitó un Lyft para ayudarlo a escapar de la escena y finalmente viajó hasta Illinois, donde fue arrestado el miércoles por la Fuerza Regional de Tareas de Fugitivos de los Grandes Lagos del Servicio de Alguaciles de Estados Unidos en Chicago.

Echiusciu, ciudadano ruso que, según la policía, se encontraba ilegalmente en el país, enfrenta cargos por abandonar la escena de un accidente con lesiones corporales graves, conducción temeraria causando lesiones corporales graves, conducción temeraria causando daños a la propiedad, conducir con una licencia suspendida, abandonar la escena de un accidente con daños a la propiedad y no registrar un vehículo de motor.

Las autoridades informaron que actualmente se encuentra en proceso de extradición al condado Broward.

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The fire started in the unit of Tavaras Calvin. Fortunately, neither Calvin, his wife nor their children were home at the time.

“Thankfully we weren’t home,” Calvin said. “Obviously the material things (we’re) not concerned about. Everything can be replaced, but it’s just a disheartening feeling to see what you do call home just go up in flames.”

Calvin said fire marshals believe the battery from his son’s Power Wheels toy car may have sparked the fire.

“The fire inspector said because we don’t have anything else electronic out here -- that was literally the only thing, and it wasn’t even connected to the actual toy,” Calvin said. “But the Power Wheels battery -- they’ve been known to be faulty and just catch fire and trigger something. He said it possibly could have been the heat -- we don’t know.”

According to Calvin, the fire shattered the patio window before spreading quickly through the inside of the two-bedroom unit, burning everything in its path.

“The television shattered,” he added. “It literally got into every room in the house, made it to the front door, the bathrooms, closet, everywhere.”

Calvin, his wife and their four children -- ages 9, 6, 5 and 3 -- recently booked a hotel room so they could reunite as a family after spending the last week living apart to stay close to work.

“I’m just thankful we weren’t home and no one got hurt and we’re all safe,” Calvin said. “That’s the most important thing.”

The American Red Cross’ Broward County chapter has been helping the family. Calvin said the organization has provided financial assistance.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A GoFundMe page has been created to assist the family during their time of need.

Though her body has never been found, police believe Harmony Montgomery was killed in 2019, nearly two years before she was reported missing. Her father, Adam Montgomery, was sentenced to a minimum of 56 years in prison in 2024 after being convicted of second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, falsifying evidence, witness tampering and assault.

The Supreme Court, however, reversed the most serious charge, agreeing with Montgomery that the lesser assault charge should have been prosecuted separately. It sent the second-degree murder charge back to the lower court while letting the other convictions stand.

In their unanimous ruling, justices said combining the cases jeopardized Montgomery’s right to a fair trial because jurors may have used the stronger evidence about the assault to conclude, based on weaker evidence, that he killed her months later.

“There was a significant risk that the jury would draw the impermissible inference that because the defendant assaulted the victim before by striking her in the head, he must be the one who fatally assaulted her in December by again striking her in the head,” the justices said.

The second-degree murder conviction accounts for 45 years of Montgomery’s 56-years-to-life sentence, which was imposed on top of an earlier 32 ½-year sentence he already was serving on unrelated gun charges.

The attorney general’s office said Thursday it will pursue a retrial on the second-degree murder charge.

“We remain confident in the facts of this case, the evidence presented, and the exceptional work of our prosecutors, investigators, and law enforcement partners,” said spokesperson Michael Garrity. “We will continue our efforts to seek justice for Harmony Montgomery and all those who knew and loved her.”

Montgomery's attorneys did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Last year, the state agreed to pay $2.25 million to Harmony Montgomery's mother to settle a lawsuit accusing social workers of ignoring signs that the girl was being abused by her father after he was awarded custody in early 2019. Crystal Sorey went to police in 2021, and in 2022 authorities announced that they believed Harmony was dead.

Adam Montgomery did not attend his trial in February 2022, and his lawyers called no defense witnesses. His attorneys acknowledged he was guilty of falsifying evidence and abusing a corpse, but they said he did not kill Harmony and instead suggested the girl actually died while alone with her stepmother, Kayla Montgomery.

Kayla Montgomery, who served an 18-month prison sentence for lying to a grand jury about where she was when Harmony was last seen, was the star witness for the prosecution. She testified that her husband killed Harmony on Dec. 7, 2019, while the family lived in their car. Montgomery was driving to a fast-food restaurant when he turned around and repeatedly punched Harmony in the face and head because he was angry that she was having bathroom accidents in the car, she said. He then hid the body in the trunk of a car, in a ceiling vent of a homeless shelter and in the walk-in freezer at his workplace before disposing of it in March 2020, she said.

Kayla Montgomery said she tried to stop her husband from hitting the girl but was scared of him and that he beat her as well as he grew paranoid that she would go to police.

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That’s because they say his older sister ― his guardian ― was forcing him to kneel on rice inside of a shed for hours.

According to the Florida City Police Department, the brother of Nataly Francelia Cruz, 26, went to the neighbor just before 4:45 p.m. and said he had been kneeling on the rice since around 11 a.m., saying “this is not the first time he has been punished this way when he misbehaves.”

“I observed minor injuries on his knees consistent with kneeling for a long time on a surface with rice,” an FCPD officer wrote in the report. “He also reported that while kneeling, he attempted to use the restroom inside the house but his sister refused to let him inside the house.”

Cruz, police said, has been taking care of the boy since their mother was deported.

A statement she made to authorities was redacted from the publicly-released report.

Police arrested Cruz on a child abuse charge and took her to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where she was being held on a $2,500 bond as of Thursday morning.

The Honduran national also faces an immigration hold.

Esto se debe a que, según las autoridades, su hermana mayor —quien es su tutora— lo obligaba a arrodillarse sobre arroz dentro de un cobertizo durante horas.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Florida City, el hermano de Nataly Francelia Cruz, de 26 años, acudió al vecino poco antes de las 4:45 p.m. y dijo que había estado arrodillado sobre arroz desde aproximadamente las 11 a.m., agregando que “esta no es la primera vez que lo castigan de esta manera cuando se porta mal”.

“Observé lesiones menores en sus rodillas consistentes con haber permanecido arrodillado durante mucho tiempo sobre una superficie con arroz”, escribió un agente de la FCPD en el informe. “También informó que mientras estaba arrodillado intentó usar el baño dentro de la casa, pero su hermana se negó a permitirle entrar”.

La policía indicó que Cruz ha estado cuidando al menor desde que su madre fue deportada.

Una declaración que Cruz hizo a las autoridades fue censurada en el informe divulgado públicamente.

La policía arrestó a Cruz por un cargo de abuso infantil y la trasladó al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde permanecía detenida con una fianza de $2,500 USD hasta la mañana del jueves.

La ciudadana hondureña también enfrenta una retención migratoria.

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The pioneering forecast team – the first group to issue seasonal hurricane outlooks, starting in 1984 – predicts 11 named storms and 5 hurricanes across the Atlantic in 2026, with 2 hurricanes reaching “major” Category 3, 4, or 5 status.

This is below the 30-year average of 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 Category 3 or stronger hurricanes. Most noticeably, CSU’s predictions for Accumulated Cyclone Energy or ACE, a seasonal scorecard that considers storm intensity and duration, is reduced by about 40% compared to the 30-year average. The team also predicts the odds of a Category 3 or stronger hurricane hitting the U.S. in 2026 to be nearly cut in half from 43% (1880-2020 average) to 23%.

Though the pre-season predictions are heartening after a decade of mostly above-average or hyperactive Atlantic hurricane seasons, devastating hurricanes can strike even during down years. Hurricane Andrew was the only Category 3 or stronger hurricane to form in 1992 – a very inactive season with a meager 7 named storms – but its catastrophic impact on South Florida made it one of the costliest U.S. disasters on record.

El Niño officially arrives

Earlier today, NOAA and the National Weather Service officially declared El Niño conditions present in the eastern tropical Pacific.

The abnormal warmth across the main El Niño monitoring region used by NOAA (termed the Nino 3.4 region) is at record warmth for the time of year and so far the warmup is outpacing other strong El Niños that began in 2023, 2015, 1997, and 1982. El Niño conditions typically peak in the late fall or winter months.

Seasonal forecast models used to predict El Niño continue to suggest a historic and potentially record-setting El Niño in the works.

This rapid transition to El Niño is the primary reason we expect much lower-than-average activity this Atlantic hurricane season. Abnormally warm waters in the tropical eastern Pacific – especially during strong El Niños – increase wind shear (the difference in wind strength and direction with altitude) over the Caribbean and main development region of the Atlantic. Wind shear is a deterrent to organized tropical activity as it works to topple would-be storms.

Not surprisingly, seasonal forecast models are predicting the highest wind shear on record (back to 1981) for the Atlantic main development region this fall due to the strong El Niño conditions.

While El Niño can take on different flavors – such as El Niño Modoki (Japanese for “similar but different), where warming is concentrated in the central Pacific and Atlantic, hurricane activity is less affected like during the busy 2004 hurricane season – the current El Niño is as textbook as it gets and is considered a canonical or classical El Niño, with major impacts expected globally.

Chances for Gulf development remain low

As we’ve covered in this newsletter since last week, the now remnants of once Tropical Storm Cristina in the eastern Pacific are crossing over Central America and expected to merge with a tropical disturbance approaching from the west over the southern reaches of the Gulf and Bay of Campeche on Friday.

Forecast models continue to show only a narrow window for development tomorrow and Saturday before the system moves inland over northeastern Mexico by early Sunday.

It’s worth noting that a small handful of members from Google’s DeepMind machine learning-based hurricane model suggest residual spin could hang off the Texas coast into early next week and develop over the northern Gulf before being deflected eastward by an approaching cold front in about a week.

For now, these are outliers and not shown in the physics-based models. Even DeepMind’s newest 1,000-member hurricane ensemble indicates about a 10% chance of this scenario playing out.

Nevertheless, given DeepMind’s impressive performance last season, we’ll keep an eye on the trends in the days ahead.

El equipo pionero de pronósticos, el primer grupo en emitir previsiones estacionales de huracanes, a partir de 1984, predice 11 tormentas con nombre y 5 huracanes en el Atlántico en 2026, con 2 huracanes que alcanzarán la categoría “importante” de 3, 4 o 5.

Esto está por debajo del promedio de 30 años de 14 tormentas con nombre, 7 huracanes y 3 huracanes de categoría 3 o superior. Lo más destacable es que las predicciones de la CSU para la Energía Ciclónica Acumulada (ACE), un indicador estacional que considera la intensidad y la duración de las tormentas, se reducen en aproximadamente un 40 % en comparación con el promedio de 30 años. El equipo también predice que la probabilidad de que un huracán de categoría 3 o superior azote Estados Unidos en 2026 se reducirá casi a la mitad, del 43 % (promedio de 1880-2020) al 23 %.

Si bien las predicciones previas a la temporada son alentadoras tras una década de temporadas de huracanes en el Atlántico mayormente por encima del promedio o hiperactivas, los huracanes devastadores pueden azotar incluso en años de baja actividad. El huracán Andrew fue el único huracán de categoría 3 o superior que se formó en 1992, una temporada muy inactiva con apenas 7 tormentas con nombre, pero su impacto catastrófico en el sur de Florida lo convirtió en uno de los desastres más costosos registrados en Estados Unidos.

El Niño llega oficialmente

Esta mañana, la NOAA y el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional declararon oficialmente la presencia de condiciones de El Niño en el Pacífico tropical oriental.

El calor anormal en la principal región de monitoreo de El Niño utilizada por la NOAA (denominada región Niño 3.4) está alcanzando niveles récord para esta época del año y, hasta el momento, el calentamiento está superando a otros fuertes fenómenos de El Niño que comenzaron en 2023, 2015, 1997 y 1982. Las condiciones de El Niño suelen alcanzar su punto máximo a finales de otoño o en los meses de invierno.

Los modelos de pronóstico estacional utilizados para predecir El Niño siguen sugiriendo que se avecina un fenómeno de El Niño histórico y potencialmente sin precedentes.

Esta rápida transición a El Niño es la razón principal por la que prevemos una actividad mucho menor a la media durante esta temporada de huracanes en el Atlántico. Las aguas anormalmente cálidas en el Pacífico oriental tropical, especialmente durante los episodios intensos de El Niño, aumentan la cizalladura del viento (la diferencia en la fuerza y ​​dirección del viento con la altitud) sobre el Caribe y la principal región de desarrollo de huracanes en el Atlántico. La cizalladura del viento dificulta la actividad tropical organizada, ya que contribuye a disipar las tormentas potenciales.

Como era de esperar, los modelos de pronóstico estacional predicen la mayor cizalladura del viento registrada hasta la fecha (desde 1981) para la principal región de desarrollo del Atlántico este otoño debido a las fuertes condiciones de El Niño.

Si bien El Niño puede adoptar diferentes características, como El Niño Modoki (que en japonés significa “similar pero diferente”), donde el calentamiento se concentra en el Pacífico y el Atlántico centrales y la actividad de los huracanes se ve menos afectada, como durante la ajetreada temporada de huracanes de 2004, el El Niño actual es un ejemplo típico y se considera un El Niño canónico o clásico, con importantes repercusiones previstas a nivel mundial.

Las probabilidades de desarrollo en el Golfo siguen siendo bajas

Como hemos informado en este boletín desde la semana pasada, los restos de la antigua tormenta tropical Cristina, en el Pacífico oriental, están cruzando Centroamérica y se espera que se fusionen con una perturbación tropical que se aproxima desde el oeste sobre el extremo sur del Golfo y la Bahía de Campeche el viernes.

Los modelos de pronóstico siguen mostrando solo una ventana de tiempo muy estrecha para su desarrollo mañana y el sábado, antes de que el sistema se desplace tierra adentro sobre el noreste de México a primera hora del domingo.

Cabe destacar que un pequeño grupo de miembros del modelo de huracanes basado en aprendizaje automático DeepMind de Google sugiere que el giro residual podría permanecer frente a la costa de Texas hasta principios de la próxima semana y desarrollarse sobre el norte del Golfo antes de ser desviado hacia el este por un frente frío que se aproxima en aproximadamente una semana.

Por ahora, estos son casos atípicos que no se muestran en los modelos basados ​​en la física. Incluso el conjunto de modelos de huracanes más reciente de DeepMind, compuesto por 1000 miembros, indica una probabilidad de aproximadamente el 10 % de que se produzca este escenario.

No obstante, teniendo en cuenta el impresionante desempeño de DeepMind la temporada pasada, estaremos atentos a las tendencias en los próximos días.

In May, Amazon deforestation was 61.4% lower than in the same month in 2025, according to officials from the National Institute for Space Research, or INPE, and the Ministry of Environment.

Still, 370 square kilometers (nearly 143 square miles) of the rainforest were cleared. Deforestation over the same period fell 12% in the Cerrado, a savanna in central Brazil that has long been under pressure from the powerful agribusiness sector.

Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco said that the figure is the lowest ever recorded for May, and that Brazil is on track to reach its lowest annual levels once the data is consolidated next semester.

He said that the month typically sees higher deforestation, because it marks the start of the Amazon’s dry season. In the 10 months from August 2025 to May 2026, deforestation in the Amazon already fell by 37.5%, compared with the same previous period.

On June 2, the Trump administration proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Brazil, saying that the world’s 10th-biggest economy engages in trade practices that are “unreasonable” and that “burden or restrict U.S. commerce.” The announcement came after an investigation by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that accused Brazil of illegal deforestation and unfair tariffs of its own, among other things.

Capobianco said that the deforestation figures “debunk the unfair and unfounded accusation by the United States, which cited deforestation to justify imposing tariffs.” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva nodded as he listened to the remarks.

Lula said that the Trump administration lied when they first imposed additional tariffs on Brazil last year, saying that the U.S. had a trade deficit.

“And now they raised questions about deforestation. They don’t understand the work we are doing to bring deforestation down to zero by 2030. This is not a decision by any COP or by the United Nations. It is a decision of our government,” the Brazilian president said, using the acronym for U.N. climate conferences.

“It’s a matter of justice, of Brazil’s contribution to the planet, fulfilling our obligation to avoid deforestation as much as possible. Preventing deforestation benefits Brazil, benefits the Amazon and benefits the world,” he said.

Deforestation is the leading driver of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming.

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

After reaching record levels in the 1990s and 2000s, deforestation declined until the 2019-2022 term of then President Jair Bolsonaro, whose government was widely criticized for weakening environmental protections. Under Lula’s administration, deforestation has fallen again, reaching its lowest level in a decade last year.

Despite gains in keeping forest standing, however, many other threats, ranging from climate change to potential legislation on the horizon, are putting the forest at risk.

Forest degradation, driven by wildfires, logging and drought, affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years. All of this could be exacerbated this year with a strong El Niño, a cyclic warming of the equatorial Pacific, which causes higher temperatures and drier weather in the rainforest, conditions that worsen wildfires.

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

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.52% from 6.48% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Despite the increase, the average rate remains below 6.84%, where it was a year ago.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate climbed to 5.84% from 5.79% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.97%, Freddie Mac said.

When mortgage rates rise they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, reducing their purchasing power.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Rates have been mostly trending higher since the conflict between the U.S. and Iran began in late February, disrupting the flow of crude oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. That’s sent oil prices sharply higher, helping drive up inflation.

Expectations of higher oil prices as the war drags on have kept long-term bond yields elevated, causing mortgage rates to mostly trend higher.

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note was at 4.53% in midday trading Thursday on the bond market, up from 4.47% a week ago. It was just 3.97% in late February, before the war broke out.

As recently as late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage had slipped just under 6% for the first time since late 2022. It’s hasn’t fallen below that threshold since. Two weeks ago, it climbed to 6.53%, its highest level since August 28.

While average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this time last year, their mostly upward trajectory and uncertainty over how much higher they may go has kept many would-be homebuyers on the sideline.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes declined in the first three months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales were essentially flat in April, but accelerated in May to their fastest pace since December.

Still, sales of existing U.S. homes continue to hovering close to a 4-million annual pace, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

The latest mortgage applications data suggest home shoppers who can afford to buy at current rates are not holding out for them to move lower.

After declining in recent weeks, mortgage applications, which include loans to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage, jumped 10.8% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Applications for both home purchase and refinancing loans rebounded.

The increase in mortgage applications is an encouraging sign for the housing market heading into the second half of the year after a lackluster spring homebuying season.

“However, if inflation continues to outpace wage growth, eroding purchasing power alongside still-elevated mortgage rates, household budgets will come under increasing pressure, posing a meaningful drag on housing demand heading into the summer,” said Jiayi Xu, an economist at Realtor.com.

Maybe it's the kind of contraption that has carried space aliens to the White House to force a meeting with America's leader.

But come closer and you'll see the contours of the eight-sided cage, 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter and shaped, with careful precision, like the MMA league's signature Octagon.

That is, a STOP! sign flipped on its edge, with wire-mesh sides and padded corners fitted with different sponsors' logos: Morgan & Morgan, Bud Light, Dodge Ram, Corona Extra and Polymarket, which identifies itself as the world’s largest prediction market.

Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet (27 meters) into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the cage fighting below.

Think more of the four-sided, metal grabby thing that tries to grasp stuffed animals at a video arcade rather than what house cats have — hence the extraterrestrial vibes.

And surrounding all that are risers filled with gray folding chairs forming a temporary arena expected to seat 4,000-plus people for the seven UFC fights being staged on Sunday to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

‘Quite attractive to a lot of people’

For non-UFC fans, all of this might be disorienting under any circumstances. But the temporary arena is covering nearly the entirety of the White House's South Lawn, where Marine One usually lands to ferry the president to out-of-town trips and gobs of kids scramble in the grass during the Easter Egg Roll every spring.

More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn and is contesting a lawsuit meant to block the event.

The White House says the UFC is covering the costs, though the filing states that seven agencies — including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration — have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”

Fighters, their entourages and assorted support staffers are expected to take over the driveway and part of the West Wing when they're not fighting. But they'll enter the arena via curtained-off walkways with access to the Octagon.

They, as well as ordinary attendees of Sunday's spectacle, will have picturesque views of the White House's Executive Residence and its storied Truman Balcony on one side and the Washington Monument towering in the distance on the other. All of it will be accentuated by swirling spotlights, and perhaps even sweat and blood pouring off the fighters pummeling each other.

A packed pre-event schedule includes a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial with UFC chief Dana White and the fighters on Friday night.

There's also a ceremonial weigh-in for combatants on Saturday at the Ellipse, a park near the White House where organizers expect 120,000-plus visitors to watch Sunday night's proceedings on large screens after winning free tickets in a lottery.

Stunt athlete Travis Pastrana is also set to do a potentially death-defying backflip on a dirt bike on the White House lawn as part of the preshow extravaganza.

Trump has called the Octagon and its Claw “quite attractive to a lot of people.” He's even suggested that maybe the temporary structure could become permanent, like the Eiffel Tower, which he notes was originally built as part of the 1889 World's Fair but then was never taken back down.

Only the president knows how serious that suggestion really is.

The fights will go on rain or shine — despite a lack of covering

Work on the arena began May 20 and has continued for weeks. During a walk-through for reporters on Thursday, construction noises — particularly sanding and hammering — could be heard. Giant cranes were carrying materials around overhead, though that was for the $400 million ballroom that Trump is building nearby, not the UFC fight.

The remaining grassy lawn around the arena, on the other sides of the White House, has been fitted with supplemental spotlights. But the grass that normally grows between the White House and the start of the risers for the arena is now gone, with nothing but dusty dirt that will need to be resodded when this is all over — unless the president really does decide to leave the arena up permanently.

There's also a large Freedom 250 logo standing between the White House and the arena. Nearby, crews removed the tables and yellow patio umbrellas from Trump’s refurbished Rose Garden and were power-washing that space, as well as the colonnade to the Oval Office, in preparation for the fights.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a cooperation agreement with UFC that will pair the two to provide fight training and health and diet regimens, while promoting teamwork and leadership among youth around the world.

“We are so polarized,” Rubio said. “There are only a handful of things that bring people together in one place at one time, united by their interest in one thing. We need more of those.”

Later Thursday, crews began testing the sound system, unleashing a deep rumbling — and sometimes unsettling bass notes — throughout the West Wing. During a subsequent Oval Office event, the music from the lawn was loud enough that the 1970s hit "Boys are Back in Town” rollicked in the background as Trump spoke.

Sunday's event starts at 8 p.m. ET. As darkness falls, crews will illuminate The Claw in red, white and blue, and the mass of lights will offer projections that make it seem as though the entire structure has been enveloped in a twirling stars and stripes pattern.

The weather forecast calls for hot and muggy conditions with thunderstorms possible. The underside of The Claw's tower features an overhead cover that should keep the fighters reasonably dry should it rain — and Trump is also likely to watch from a protected, covered area.

But everyone else would almost certainly get wet.

White has vowed that even heavy lightning — when The Claw might make a conspicuous target for bolts — wouldn't stop the show.

“I don’t care if it snows," White said.

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According to Miami-Dade Animal Services, Louie arrived at the shelter in February along with several other dogs that had been living together in overcrowded conditions.

Staff members describe the 2 to 3-year-old mixed-breed dog as sweet, affectionate and easygoing around both people and other animals.

Shelter workers say Louie enjoys attention — especially belly and back scratches — and has earned positive reviews for his calm demeanor while waiting for adoption.

Those interested in adopting Louie or another pet can attend the Florida Mega Pet Adoption Event on Saturday at TY Park in Broward County.

Miami-Dade Animal Services, Broward County Animal Care, the Humane Society of Broward County and the Humane Society of Greater Miami will participate in the event, where adoption fees are expected to be waived.

More information about Louie and other adoptable pets is available by clicking here.

Según Servicios de Animales de Miami-Dade, Louie llegó al refugio en febrero junto con varios otros perros que vivían en condiciones de hacinamiento.

Los miembros del personal describen al perro mestizo, de entre 2 y 3 años, como dulce, cariñoso y tranquilo tanto con las personas como con otros animales.

Los trabajadores del refugio dicen que a Louie le encanta recibir atención, especialmente que le rasquen la barriga y la espalda, y que ha recibido comentarios positivos por su comportamiento calmado mientras espera ser adoptado.

Quienes estén interesados en adoptar a Louie o a otra mascota pueden asistir al Evento Mega de Adopción de Mascotas de Florida el sábado en TY Park, en el condado Broward.

Servicios de Animales de Miami-Dade, Broward County Animal Care, la Sociedad Humanitaria del Condado Broward y la Sociedad Humanitaria del Gran Miami participarán en el evento, donde se espera que las tarifas de adopción sean exoneradas.

Más información sobre Louie y otras mascotas disponibles para adopción está disponible haciendo clic aquí.

Los agentes de policía arrestaron a Anthony Gordon después de que detectives, con una orden de registro, encontraran $1.4 millones USD en efectivo y aproximadamente $5 millones USD en narcóticos en su vivienda, según el Departamento de Policía de Miami Gardens.

Correccionales de Miami-Dade registró el ingreso de Gordon, un delincuente convicto en Florida, poco después de las 7 a.m. del miércoles en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según registros de reclusos.

Gordon, también conocido como “Peanut”, fue liberado por última vez de prisión el 2 de diciembre de 2020, después de siete condenas en Miami-Dade y una en Broward, todas relacionadas con tráfico de drogas en 2013 y 2014, según el Departamento de Correcciones de Florida.

Gordon enfrenta 16 cargos: tráfico de propiedad robada, tráfico de cocaína, tráfico de fentanilo, tráfico de anfetaminas, tráfico de oxicodona, tráfico de drogas ilegales mientras estaba armado, 10 cargos de posesión de arma de fuego o municiones por un delincuente convicto y posesión de drogas sin receta médica.

Esta es una noticia en desarrollo.

Los organizadores indicaron que hay espacio suficiente para que unos 30.000 aficionados disfruten de las proyecciones en cuatro pantallas gigantes en el parque ubicado en 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

“Todos son bienvenidos, de todas las edades... podrán ver los partidos gratis, mientras disfrutan de la música, el baile y la comida”, dijo el miércoles la alcaldesa de Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava.

Por motivos de seguridad, habrá detectores de metales y solo se permitirán bolsos transparentes. No se permiten bolsos de más de 30 cm x 15 cm.

También está prohibido vapear y fumar. Sillas, mantas, tiendas de campaña, patinetes, bocinas de aire comprimido, punteros láser e hinchables están incluidos en la lista de artículos prohibidos .

Excepto la comida para bebés, no se permite la entrada de alimentos ni bebidas del exterior. Los organizadores instalaron una larga fila de puestos de comida y bebida. El festival estará abierto todos los días hasta el 5 de julio.

Programa del festival

13 de junio : El festival para aficionados abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 24:00. Los partidos del Grupo A se juegan a las 15:00 (México contra Sudáfrica) y a las 23:00 (Corea del Sur contra la República Checa).

14 de junio : El festival de aficionados abre de 12:00 a 22:00. El partido del Grupo B , Canadá vs. Bosnia, es a las 15:00 y el partido del Grupo D , EE. UU. vs. Paraguay, es a las 21:00.

15 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 11:00 a 21:00.

16 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 24:00.

17 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 12:00 a 22:00.

18 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 11:00 a 21:00.

19 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 24:00.

20 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 12:00 a 23:00.

21 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 11:00 a 21:00.

22 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 12:00 a 20:00.

23 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 12:00 a 13:00.

24 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 21:00.

25 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 15:00 a 01:00.

26 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 23:00.

27 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 16:00 a 01:00.

28 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 13:00 a 22:00.

29 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas desde el mediodía hasta la medianoche.

30 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas desde el mediodía hasta la medianoche.

1 de julio: El festival de fans abre de 11:00 a 23:00.

2 de julio: El festival de fans abre de 14:00 a 22:00.

3 de julio: El festival de fans abre de 13:00 a 21:00.

4 de julio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas desde el mediodía hasta la medianoche.

5 de julio: El festival de fans abre de 15:00 a 23:00.

Para obtener más información sobre el festival, visite esta página.

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• Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026, Grupo A: México jugará su partido inaugural el 11 de junio.

Seguimiento de los grupos de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA

• Grupo A
• Grupo B
• Grupo C
• Grupo D
• Grupo E
• Grupo F
• Grupo G
• Grupo H
• Grupo I
• Grupo J
• Grupo K
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La Oficina del Sheriff del Condado Monroe informó que arrestó a Aaron Tipsford, de Marathon, el miércoles.

Según los agentes, tuvieron contacto con Tipsford varias veces la noche del martes “debido a su comportamiento errático”, pero indicaron que no cumplía con los criterios para ser internado bajo la Ley Baker.

Después de que un familiar solicitara posteriormente una verificación de bienestar de Tipsford, los agentes dijeron que lo observaron conduciendo una SUV Honda alrededor de las 5:30 a.m. del miércoles cerca del marcador de milla 30 en Big Pine Key.

Las autoridades dijeron que durante una parada de tráfico, el “patrón de habla era anormal” y que “tenía dificultades para completar oraciones y llevaba una chaqueta pesada y guantes a pesar de las altas temperaturas”.

La temperatura máxima en Big Pine Key la mañana del miércoles fue de 84 grados.

Cuando los agentes le pidieron a Tipsford que mostrara su licencia de conducir, dijeron que huyó y comenzó a rebasar varios vehículos a velocidades de hasta 120 mph en la autopista U.S. 1.

Las autoridades dijeron que utilizaron ponchallantas varias veces contra el vehículo de Tipsford antes de que finalmente girara hacia la calle 39 en Marathon y chocara contra una roca antes de ser puesto bajo custodia.

La oficina del sheriff informó que una agente sufrió una lesión en la mano mientras desplegaba los ponchallantas y fue atendida el miércoles en el Hospital Jackson Memorial de Miami.

Tipsford enfrenta cargos por conducir bajo la influencia causando lesiones corporales graves, huir y evadir a las autoridades, resistirse al arresto, exceso de velocidad peligroso, daños criminales a la propiedad, posesión de marihuana y posesión de parafernalia de drogas.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en la cárcel de Key West de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado Monroe.

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The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said they took Aaron Tipsford, of Marathon, into custody on Wednesday.

According to deputies, they made contact with Tipsword several times on Tuesday night “due to his erratic behavior” but said that he did not meet the criteria to be Baker Acted.

After a family member later requested a welfare check on Tipsword, deputies said they observed him driving a Honda SUV around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday near Mile Marker 30 on Big Pine Key.

Authorities said during a traffic stop, Tipsword’s “speech pattern was abnormal” and that “he had difficulty completing sentences and was wearing a heavy jacket and gloves despite warm temperatures.”

The high temperature in Big Pine Key on Wednesday morning was 84 degrees.

When deputies asked Tipsword to provide his driver’s license, they said he took off and proceeded to speed past several vehicles, reaching speeds of 120 mph on U.S. 1.

Authorities said they used tire spikes on Tipsword’s vehicle several times before he eventually turned onto 39th Street in Marathon and struck a boulder before being taken into custody.

The sheriff’s department said that a deputy suffered an injury to her hand while deploying the spikes and was treated on Wednesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.

Tipsword is facing charges of DUI causing serious bodily injury, fleeing and eluding, resisting arrest, dangerous/excessive speeding, criminal mischief with property damage, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

As of Thursday morning, he was being held at MCSO’s Key West jail facility on no bond.

“Did you realize that none of the characters look like our children?” he asked his wife, Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth.

Instead of simply pointing out the problem, the couple set out to change it. That observation eventually led to “Gracie’s Corner,” the educational music series inspired by their daughter Graceyn Hollingsworth that has attracted more than 6.3 million YouTube subscribers and nearly 10 billion views.

Now, “Gracie’s Corner” is headed to Disney+.

Disney announced Thursday that it has acquired the global streaming rights to the popular preschool series and will develop new original content with the Hollingsworth family. The deal includes global linear and streaming rights to more than 120 shorts and 18 themed compilations from the existing series.

Graceyn, 13, said she was “really ecstatic” when she learned Disney would become part of the show's next chapter.

“Disney, Disney. The one that makes all the princess movies and everything,” she recalled thinking. “It was really surprising.”

When will ‘Gracie’s Corner' premiere on Disney+?

“Gracie’s Corner” will debut Monday on Disney+ in the United States and select international markets, with 68 shorts and seven compilations available at launch. Additional shorts and compilations will roll out globally through 2026.

The acquisition adds “Gracie’s Corner” to Disney Jr.’s preschool lineup, which includes “Bluey,” “Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends,” “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “SuperKitties” and the recently launched “Sofia the First: Royal Magic.”

“‘Gracie’s Corner’ has made a real connection with families by meeting kids where they are, while still delivering the kind of joyful, enriching experience parents are looking for,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television. “It feels very at home alongside the Disney characters and stories families already love, bringing together music, learning and participation in a way that really resonates with today’s preschoolers.”

The inspiration for ‘Gracie’s Corner'

The journey began in 2020 when the Hollingsworths, both university professors, were juggling virtual work and parenting from home during the early days of COVID-19. Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth, a licensed clinical psychologist, and her husband were teaching classes remotely while helping their children navigate online learning.

Like many parents, they relied on educational videos to keep their children entertained and engaged. But they quickly realized many of the characters their children watched did not reflect their own experiences.

At the time, Graceyn was in elementary school. The couple’s younger children were toddlers.

“We were like every other parent, putting them in front of what we could to entertain them,” Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth said.

The conversation sparked an idea that would eventually become a family business.

Sing-along show blends hip-hop, R&B and learning

The Hollingsworths created “Gracie’s Corner,” an animated sing-along series that reimagines nursery rhymes while blending literacy, math, science and social-emotional lessons with music inspired by hip-hop, R&B and other contemporary sounds. It features animated versions of Graceyn and her family. The show is designed to provide educational content that children can enjoy while also giving parents something they won't mind hearing repeatedly.

Success did not come overnight.

The family’s earliest videos attracted only a few hundred views, mostly from relatives and friends. But a phonics-focused song helped the channel gain traction, eventually transforming the project into one of YouTube’s most successful educational brands.

“It didn't always look like it would be successful in the beginning,” Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth said. “What we set out to do, we’re seeing it’s important for other families too.”

The channel’s growth eventually attracted attention from across the entertainment industry including Disney.

Javoris Hollingsworth recalled receiving a LinkedIn message several years ago from a Disney executive expressing interest in the series.

“I thought it was a prank,” he said. “There’s no way Disney is reaching out to us.”

The partnership marks another milestone for a family-built brand that has won four NAACP Image Awards, landed a book deal with HarperCollins and expanded into live entertainment through its sold-out national tour.

Why ‘Gracie’s Corner' appealed to Disney

For Disney, the deal also reflects the growing influence of creator-led programming in children’s entertainment and the ways young audiences increasingly discover content outside traditional television channels.

“Disney has always created stories and characters that families trust, and kids genuinely connect with,” Davis said. “As the ways preschool audiences engage with content continue to evolve, we see an opportunity to work with creators who understand the kinds of music-driven, participatory experiences kids return to again and again, and bring those voices into the Disney ecosystem in a way that is thoughtful, curated and true to our brand.”

Unlike many traditional acquisitions, “Gracie’s Corner” will continue to live on YouTube while expanding to Disney’s platforms.

Javoris Hollingsworth said maintaining ownership of the brand and ensuring its accessibility were important considerations as discussions moved forward. The arrangement also includes a development agreement that will allow Disney and the Hollingsworth family to create new original content together.

“We always wanted to make sure that our content is accessible and available to those who may not have access to some of the things that others have,” he said. “Disney respected that.”

— San Antonio wins and extends the series.

— New York wins and becomes NBA champions.

That's it. It's one or the other. After 1,321 games — 1,230 in the regular season, 84 in the playoffs, six more in the play-in tournament and one between the Spurs and Knicks that decided the NBA Cup — it really is that simple. If Wembanyama and the Spurs win in San Antonio, the season lives for at least one more game. If the Knicks win, all that'll be left in this season will be a parade.

The Spurs trail the series 3-1 and Wembanyama understands the reality. Of the previous 38 teams that trailed 3-1 in the NBA Finals, 37 wound up watching the other team celebrate the title. And if that bit of history didn't look daunting enough, the Spurs will try to climb out of this 3-1 hole after the biggest collapse in NBA Finals history — wasting a 29-point lead in a Game 4 loss at New York.

“I think it’s going to go one of two ways,” Wembanyama said shortly after Wednesday's 107-106 loss in Game 4, a game where the Spurs were outscored 55-25 in the final 21 1/2 minutes. “One of two ways. A bad one and a good one. The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. I know this is what we’re going to do.”

Thursday was an off day for the teams, at least in terms of formal practices. Both sides are scheduled to practice in San Antonio on Friday, and then Game 5 is there on Saturday night — with the Knicks one win away from what would be their first championship in 53 years.

New York won Games 1 and 2 of the finals in San Antonio — rallying from double-digit deficits in both games — to take command of the series. The Knicks, with a win Saturday, would become the first team since Houston in 1995 to go 3-0 on the Spurs' floor in a single postseason series.

“Our mentality has to be 0-0, the way it’s been,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said, repeating the mantra he's cited time and time again in this postseason run. “It has to be that way, and I feel like us moving forward with that mindset can really benefit us. There's nothing to celebrate. It’s not over yet, not even close.”

It's common sense for the team with a 3-1 lead to hold off on celebrating. But in this case, there's also some truth to what Brunson is saying.

Yes, the 3-1 deficit has been proven to be virtually insurmountable in NBA history; the only team that successfully escaped its grip in the finals was LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, when they rallied to beat the Golden State Warriors for that title.

This series, however, isn't exactly a statistical runaway.

The Knicks have outscored the Spurs by a total of eight points over the four games. Shooting is basically even; the Knicks are at 44%, the Spurs at 43%. The Knicks have made 52 3-pointers, the Spurs 49. Free-throw percentage, Knicks 79%, Spurs 78%. The Knicks have three more rebounds and both teams have exactly 90 assists through four games.

“Just take this one game at a time,” said Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox, who took heavy criticism for electing to try a layup — which was blocked — in the final seconds of Game 4 instead of taking time off the clock with a one-point lead. “It obviously looks like a steep hill, but this is something that’s happened before. Take this thing one game at a time. We’ve been in a position to win all these games. We’ve been up double digits. We have to figure out what we need to do to be able to put some of these games away.”

It has been a baffling problem for the Spurs.

They led Game 1 by one with 1:51 left, then lost after the Knicks finished on an 11-0 run.

They had the ball in a tie game with 11 seconds left in Game 2, then lost after Wembanyama threw a pass that Stephon Castle never saw and became a turnover that led to Brunson's game-winning free throw.

And now, this — a 29-point lead wasted in Game 4, and they still led by one until Anunoby's tip-in with 2.1 seconds left.

"We have to try to put this behind us," Fox said.

If they don't, the Knicks' 53-year wait for a title could end Saturday night.

___

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

Hegseth estuvo en la Estación Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo, donde se reunió con miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas de Estados Unidos destacados en la base.

Funcionarios informaron que también planea visitar el Comando Central de Estados Unidos en Tampa, que además alberga una gran comunidad cubanoamericana.

La presencia de Hegseth en Cuba se produce mientras Estados Unidos exige cambios drásticos en la isla y tras la acusación contra Raúl Castro en relación con el derribo de las avionetas de Hermanos al Rescate en 1996.

Estados Unidos ha bloqueado el suministro de petróleo hacia Cuba tras las amenazas del presidente Donald Trump de remover por la fuerza al régimen gobernante del país.

El mes pasado, un portaaviones estadounidense y su grupo de ataque, compuesto por aviones de combate y equipos de interferencia de radar, ingresaron al sur del Caribe, y el director de la Agencia Central de Inteligencia (CIA) visitó a funcionarios cubanos en La Habana.

En ese momento, el analista de Cuba de Local 10, Andy Gómez, dijo que sus contactos en la isla confirmaron que tenían acceso a drones con fines “defensivos”.

Eso ocurrió mientras el Comando Sur publicaba en redes sociales que había establecido un nuevo “comando de guerra autónoma”, mostrando un ejercicio militar realizado este año en Key West con sistemas autónomos, semiautónomos y no tripulados que, según indicó, se utilizan para contrarrestar amenazas en la región.

El lunes, el alto comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, Volker Türk, advirtió que la campaña de “máxima presión” de Estados Unidos, que ha incluido bloquear el acceso al petróleo para la isla comunista, está provocando una crisis humanitaria.

Sin embargo, el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, atribuyó el debilitamiento económico y el creciente descontento a lo que describió como el largo legado de codicia, mala gestión y liderazgo corrupto en la isla, destacando además un conglomerado operado por las Fuerzas Armadas cubanas que, según dijo, priva a la población del acceso a los recursos necesarios para enfrentar la escasez de alimentos y el deterioro de la infraestructura.

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Officials recommend arriving at least two hours before kickoff to allow enough time for transportation, security screenings and stadium entry.

Tickets and Stadium Access

Only fans with valid match tickets will be allowed onto stadium property.

Those without tickets will not be permitted inside the stadium grounds or surrounding parking lots. Organizers also say there will be no designated watch parties or gathering areas outside the venue for people without tickets.

Fans should be prepared to pass through multiple security and ticket checkpoints before entering the stadium. A heightened law enforcement and security presence is also expected at every match.

Parking Information

Parking at Miami Stadium will be available only to fans who purchase parking passes in advance through FIFA.

Parking will not be sold at the stadium on match days, and only vehicles displaying valid FIFA-issued parking credentials will be allowed through traffic restrictions surrounding the venue.

Officials encourage fans to make parking arrangements early, as demand is expected to be high throughout the tournament.

Rideshare and Taxi Services

Fans using Uber, Lyft, taxis or similar services should be aware that rideshare vehicles will not be allowed to drop off passengers directly at the stadium.

Instead, rideshare users will be directed to designated transportation hubs away from the venue and will need to take a complimentary shuttle to Miami Stadium.

Organizers also warn that heavy demand after matches could result in longer wait times and increased rideshare fares.

Free Shuttle Service

To help move large crowds efficiently, free shuttle service will be available for ticket holders on match days.

Shuttles will run beginning about 3 1/2 hours before kickoff and continue operating for up to two hours after each match.

Pickup locations include:

• Hard Rock Hotel, 1 Seminole Way in Hollywood
• Golden Glades Park & Ride, 15890 Northwest Seventh Ave. in Miami
• Brightline Aventura Station, 19796 West Dixie Highway
• MLK Station, 6205 Northwest 27th Ave. in Miami

Fans must present a valid ticket for that day’s match before boarding a shuttle bus.

Those planning to park at a shuttle location will also need to secure parking through FIFA in advance.

Road Closures and Traffic Impacts

Drivers should expect significant traffic changes around the stadium on match days.

Several roads near Miami Stadium will be closed to vehicles without valid FIFA parking passes. Additional road closures are scheduled to begin during matches and remain in place until postgame traffic has cleared.

Officials are encouraging fans to leave early, allow extra travel time and review transportation plans before heading to the stadium.

Additional match-day information, transportation details and parking updates are available through FIFA’s official Miami World Cup resources.

Las autoridades recomiendan llegar al menos dos horas antes del inicio del partido para contar con suficiente tiempo para el transporte, los controles de seguridad y el ingreso al estadio.

Entradas y acceso al estadio

Solo los aficionados con entradas válidas para los partidos podrán ingresar a la propiedad del estadio.

Quienes no tengan entradas no podrán acceder a los terrenos del estadio ni a los estacionamientos circundantes. Los organizadores también indicaron que no habrá áreas designadas para ver los partidos ni zonas de reunión fuera del recinto para personas sin entradas.

Los aficionados deben estar preparados para pasar por múltiples controles de seguridad y verificación de boletos antes de ingresar al estadio. También se espera una mayor presencia de las fuerzas del orden y de seguridad en cada partido.

Información sobre estacionamiento

El estacionamiento en el Miami Stadium estará disponible únicamente para los aficionados que compren pases de estacionamiento por adelantado a través de la FIFA.

No se venderán pases de estacionamiento en el estadio los días de partido, y solo los vehículos que exhiban credenciales válidas de estacionamiento emitidas por la FIFA podrán atravesar las restricciones de tráfico alrededor del recinto.

Las autoridades recomiendan hacer los arreglos de estacionamiento con anticipación, ya que se espera una alta demanda durante todo el torneo.

Servicios de transporte compartido y taxis

Los aficionados que utilicen Uber, Lyft, taxis o servicios similares deben saber que estos vehículos no podrán dejar pasajeros directamente en el estadio.

En su lugar, los usuarios serán dirigidos a centros de transporte designados alejados del recinto y deberán tomar un servicio gratuito de transporte hacia el Miami Stadium.

Los organizadores también advierten que la alta demanda después de los partidos podría generar tiempos de espera más largos y tarifas más elevadas en los servicios de transporte compartido.

Servicio gratuito de transporte

Para ayudar a movilizar grandes multitudes de manera eficiente, habrá servicio gratuito de transporte para los poseedores de entradas los días de partido.

Los autobuses comenzarán a operar aproximadamente tres horas y media antes del inicio del partido y continuarán funcionando hasta dos horas después de cada encuentro.

Los puntos de recogida incluyen:

• Hard Rock Hotel, 1 Seminole Way, Hollywood
• Golden Glades Park & Ride, 15890 Northwest Seventh Ave., Miami
• Estación Brightline de Aventura, 19796 West Dixie Highway
• Estación MLK, 6205 Northwest 27th Ave., Miami

Los aficionados deberán presentar una entrada válida para el partido de ese día antes de abordar el autobús.

Quienes planeen estacionar en alguno de los puntos de recogida también deberán obtener estacionamiento a través de la FIFA con anticipación.

Cierres de carreteras e impacto en el tráfico

Los conductores deben esperar cambios significativos en el tráfico alrededor del estadio los días de partido.

Varias carreteras cercanas al Miami Stadium estarán cerradas para vehículos que no cuenten con pases de estacionamiento válidos emitidos por la FIFA. También se prevén cierres adicionales durante los partidos y estos permanecerán vigentes hasta que el tráfico posterior al encuentro se haya despejado.

Las autoridades recomiendan a los aficionados salir temprano, prever tiempo adicional para el traslado y revisar sus planes de transporte antes de dirigirse al estadio.

Información adicional sobre los días de partido, detalles de transporte y actualizaciones sobre estacionamiento está disponible a través de los recursos oficiales de la FIFA para la Copa Mundial en Miami.

The FDA last month gave its first OK to fruit-flavored vapes — essentially endorsing them as a less-harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes. The decision came despite the agency’s longstanding position that such flavors appeal to children and must show extra health benefits to warrant approval for adults.

Health groups and Washington lawmakers quickly condemned the decision and have called for an explanation.

A six-page FDA memo released this week provides more details about the agency's rationale. In it, FDA regulators appear to sidestep previous statements about the risks of sweet vaping flavors while acknowledging shortcomings in the data submitted by vape manufacturer Glas Inc.

To meet federal standards, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means demonstrating that their vapes help adult smokers switch or quit cigarettes, while not attracting underage use by teens.

Smokers who tried Glas vapes were much more likely to completely switch from cigarettes over the course of a three-month study, according to the memo.

But the data did not show “statistically significant differences” between adults using the company's mango and blueberry flavors and those using a tobacco-flavored e-cigarette.

That means the new vapes failed to meet the same bar as a handful of other flavored products previously sanctioned by the FDA, including menthol-flavored vapes from Juul and NJOY. Those companies showed that adults who used menthol were significantly more likely to cut down or quit cigarettes compared with those vaping tobacco flavors.

Elsewhere, FDA regulators explained that the Glas flavored vapes “did not have to demonstrate added adult benefit,” because young people were unlikely to use them. Glas requires users to unlock each e-cigarette with an age-verifying cellphone app.

The agency's authorization also runs counter to recent FDA guidelines advising companies that fruit and dessert flavors would have to meet “a high evidentiary burden" for adult use, given their risks to children. Tobacco-flavored products are not popular with teens and generally face lower regulatory hurdles at the FDA.

The FDA document is also unusual in its brevity.

Previous FDA memos on new vaping products typically run dozens of pages. For example, last year’s document authorizing Juul’s menthol e-cigarettes was more than 90 pages and included detailed scientific data from research involving 50,000 people.

The short memo on Glas does not include key details, such as how many smokers the firm studied.

Previously, the FDA almost always posted such memos immediately after announcing an authorization. The document on Glas appeared on the agency's website more than a month after regulators OK’d the products.

The agency has faced questions from members of Congress about the decision. Last month, 10 Democratic senators sent a letter to the agency requesting more information about the authorization, calling it a “shortsighted and reckless decision.”

The application from Glas, which also included menthol and tobacco-flavored vapes, followed a winding path to authorization. The small, Los Angeles-based company submitted a marketing request to the FDA in 2021.

In February, FDA scientists authorized several of the flavors. But that decision was blocked by a senior official reporting to then-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, according to internal memos later released by the agency.

The mango- and blueberry-flavored products were finally OK’d during Makary’s last full week leading the agency. He resigned the post after months of criticisms from industry stakeholders, including tobacco companies that have lobbied President Donald Trump's Republican White House for looser regulations on vaping flavors.

A spokesperson for the company could not immediately provide comment when reached Thursday morning.

___

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

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The burglary happened on June 9 at an undisclosed business in Key West.

According to the Key West Police Department, the man they are seeking was caught on surveillance footage.

Authorities said he stole $420 worth of merchandise from the store.

Anyone with information or who thinks they recognize him is urged to contact Key West police at 305-809-1000.

El robo ocurrió el 9 de junio en un negocio no revelado de Key West.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Key West, el hombre que buscan fue captado por cámaras de vigilancia.

Las autoridades dijeron que robó mercancía valorada en $420 USD de la tienda.

Cualquier persona con información o que crea reconocerlo debe comunicarse con la Policía de Key West al 305-809-1000.

The jersey, by Colombian sportswear manufacturer Saeta, originally included a depiction of the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803 on its front. The image was rejected during FIFA’s approval process.

Saeta said in a statement Wednesday that it would comply with the ban even though the design “was not intended as a political statement,” but rather as a “tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future.”

The jersey featured blue to mirror the sea and red for the nation's “strength and passion,” the sportswear maker said. Players wore the now-banned jersey in a warmup match against Peru last week. The original design was currently marked as sold out on the SaetaUSA online shop.

Similarly, the International Olympic Committee required the removal of an image of Haitian founding father Toussaint Louverture from Haiti’s opening ceremony uniforms for the Milan Cortina Winter Games, ruling that it violated Olympic rules barring political symbolism.

Haiti gained independence in 1804 and is widely regarded as the world’s first independent nation founded by formerly enslaved people after a successful slave revolt.

Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean, who designed the Olympic uniforms, came up with a creative solution: Painting over the figure, leaving just a horse against the background of tropical foliage. The designs were so much in demand that Jean later created a production version featuring the original Louverture image.

“Either way, Haiti has to be setting a record: Two rebukes from the highest international sports authorities in just a few months,” Jean told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Haiti opens World Cup play on Saturday against Scotland in Foxborough, Massachusetts, then plays five-time champion Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia and Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

Hace una semana, un gran incendio que provenía de un apartamento en el primer piso en Coral Springs llamó la atención de los vecinos.

El incendio comenzó en la unidad de Tavaras Calvin. Afortunadamente, ni Calvin, ni su esposa, ni sus hijos estaban en casa en ese momento.

“Gracias a Dios no estábamos en casa”, dijo Calvin. “Obviamente no estamos preocupados por las cosas materiales. Todo se puede reemplazar, pero es desalentador ver cómo lo que llamas hogar queda consumido por las llamas”.

Calvin dijo que los inspectores de incendios creen que la batería del automóvil de juguete Power Wheels de su hijo pudo haber provocado el incendio.

“El inspector de incendios dijo que, como no teníamos ningún otro aparato electrónico aquí afuera, eso era literalmente lo único, y ni siquiera estaba conectado al juguete”, dijo Calvin. “Pero las baterías de Power Wheels tienen antecedentes de presentar fallas y simplemente incendiarse y provocar algo. Dijo que posiblemente pudo haber sido el calor, no lo sabemos”.

Según Calvin, el incendio rompió la ventana del patio antes de propagarse rápidamente por el interior de la unidad de dos habitaciones, quemando todo a su paso.

Calvin, su esposa y sus cuatro hijos, de 9, 6, 5 y 3 años, reservaron recientemente una habitación de hotel para poder reunirse como familia después de pasar la última semana viviendo separados para mantenerse cerca de sus trabajos.

“Solo agradezco que no estábamos en casa, que nadie resultó herido y que todos estamos a salvo”, dijo Calvin. “Eso es lo más importante”.

La Cruz Roja Americana del condado Broward ha estado ayudando a la familia. Calvin dijo que la organización les ha brindado asistencia financiera.

La causa del incendio continúa bajo investigación.

Se ha creado una página de GoFundMe para ayudar a la familia durante este momento de necesidad.

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Bell is expected to become UF’s 14th president, pending ratification by the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees Florida’s public university system. The board is expected to vote on his ratification at its June 25 meeting.

Bell previously served as president of the University of Alabama from 2015 to 2025. Before that, he was provost and professor of engineering at Louisiana State University and dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas.

UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini called the unanimous vote “a resounding and undeniable show of support” for Bell, saying his experience and leadership will be important as UF works to climb higher in national rankings.

Bell was selected from among hundreds of potential candidates, according to Rahul Patel, vice chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of UF’s Presidential Search Committee.

Bell holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from Texas A&M University. He is also known for research on natural gas and combustion engines and was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2023, UF said.

Bell is expected to succeed Interim President Donald Landry. He was announced May 18 as the sole finalist chosen by UF’s 15-member Presidential Search Committee.

Se espera que Bell se convierta en el presidente número 14 de la UF, pendiente de ratificación por parte de la Junta de Gobernadores de Florida, que supervisa el sistema de universidades públicas del estado. Se espera que la junta vote sobre su ratificación en su reunión del 25 de junio.

Bell se desempeñó previamente como presidente de la Universidad de Alabama entre 2015 y 2025. Antes de eso, fue rector y profesor de ingeniería en la Universidad Estatal de Luisiana y decano de la Escuela de Ingeniería de la Universidad de Kansas.

El presidente de la Junta de Fideicomisarios de la UF, Mori Hosseini, calificó la votación unánime como “una demostración contundente e innegable de apoyo” a Bell, afirmando que su experiencia y liderazgo serán importantes mientras la UF busca ascender aún más en las clasificaciones nacionales.

Bell fue seleccionado entre cientos de posibles candidatos, según Rahul Patel, vicepresidente de la Junta de Fideicomisarios y presidente del Comité de Búsqueda Presidencial de la UF.

Bell posee un doctorado en ingeniería mecánica y una licenciatura en ingeniería nuclear de la Universidad Texas A&M. También es conocido por sus investigaciones sobre gas natural y motores de combustión, y fue incorporado al Salón de la Fama de la Ingeniería del Estado de Alabama en 2023, informó la UF.

Se espera que Bell suceda al presidente interino Donald Landry. El 18 de mayo fue anunciado como el único finalista seleccionado por el Comité de Búsqueda Presidencial de la UF, integrado por 15 miembros.

El martes, los miembros del jurado escucharon a múltiples testigos, incluido el padre de la víctima, Andy Fernandez, quien describió haber abrazado a su hija por última vez antes de lo que calificó como una “hermosa tarde” que terminó en tragedia.

Los fiscales alegan que Pino, un desarrollador inmobiliario del sur de Florida, operaba una embarcación de 29 pies cuando chocó contra una baliza de canal cerca de Boca Chita Key durante el fin de semana del Día del Trabajo de 2022, causando la muerte de Lucy Fernandez, de 17 años, y dejando gravemente heridos a otros dos adolescentes.

Los testimonios también incluyeron a un pasajero de la embarcación, quien describió cómo la nave se volcó y el caótico desenlace en el agua, así como a un abogado civil que hizo referencia a declaraciones previas relacionadas con la investigación del accidente.

Los miembros del jurado fueron enviados a casa la tarde del martes y tenían previsto regresar la mañana del miércoles.

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According to the Miami Police Department, the initial investigation began on April 16 after a resident reported that several Amazon packages had been stolen from the front porch of his home. The stolen items were valued at approximately $111.

The victim told police the packages had been delivered earlier that morning. When he discovered they were missing, he reviewed footage from his Ring doorbell camera and saw an unknown man arrive on a black bicycle around 11:44 a.m.

Investigators said the video showed a man entering the property, taking the packages from the porch, placing them into a black backpack and riding away eastbound.

Based on the video evidence, police distributed a “Need-to-Identify” flyer in an effort to identify the suspect.

More than a month later, on May 28, officers located Jeyner Francisco Monzon, who they said matched the description of the package thief.

Authorities said Monzon was taken to Miami Police Headquarters for questioning before being arrested and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

After Monzon’s arrest, more victims came forward regarding package thefts that occurred from March through May, authorities said.

Police said the thefts included packages that contained groceries, speakers worth about $1,000 and dog supplies, among other items.

The Miami Police Department is urging residents who may have experienced similar package thefts in the area to come forward and file a police report as the investigation continues.

Those who believe they were victimized may call the Miami Police Department’s General Investigations Unit at 305-603-6030. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Miami, la investigación inicial comenzó el 16 de abril después de que un residente reportara que varios paquetes de Amazon habían sido robados del porche delantero de su vivienda. Los artículos robados estaban valorados en aproximadamente $111 USD.

La víctima dijo a la policía que los paquetes habían sido entregados más temprano esa mañana. Cuando descubrió que faltaban, revisó las imágenes de la cámara de su timbre Ring y vio a un hombre desconocido llegar en una bicicleta negra alrededor de las 11:44 a.m.

Los investigadores dijeron que el video mostraba a un hombre entrando en la propiedad, tomando los paquetes del porche, colocándolos en una mochila negra y alejándose en dirección este.

Con base en la evidencia en video, la policía distribuyó un volante de “Necesitamos identificar” en un esfuerzo por identificar al sospechoso.

Más de un mes después, el 28 de mayo, agentes localizaron a Jeyner Francisco Monzon, quien, según dijeron, coincidía con la descripción del ladrón de paquetes.

Las autoridades dijeron que Monzon fue llevado a la sede de la Policía de Miami para ser interrogado antes de ser arrestado y trasladado al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Después del arresto de Monzon, más víctimas se presentaron para denunciar robos de paquetes ocurridos entre marzo y mayo, dijeron las autoridades.

La policía indicó que los robos incluyeron paquetes que contenían comestibles, bocinas valoradas en aproximadamente $1,000 USD y suministros para perros, entre otros artículos.

El Departamento de Policía de Miami está instando a los residentes que hayan experimentado robos similares de paquetes en el área a que se presenten y presenten un informe policial mientras la investigación continúa.

Quienes crean haber sido víctimas pueden llamar a la Unidad de Investigaciones Generales del Departamento de Policía de Miami al 305-603-6030. También se pueden proporcionar denuncias anónimas llamando a Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

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According to the report, Miami Beach police arrested Kihmanii McKenziee, of Miami, on Tuesday. She faces charges stemming from an incident reported on May 15.

According to police, the victim walked into the Miami Beach Police Department shortly before 9 a.m. on May 15 to report that he had been robbed at gunpoint and forced to drive against his will earlier that morning.

The victim told investigators he met McKenziee and another individual at Haulover Beach on the evening of May 14. He described both as “African American transgender females,” the report stated.

After meeting, the group agreed to go to an Airbnb located on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, authorities said.

According to the arrest report, the victim told detectives that he and McKenziee spent several hours together at the rental property and attempted to have intercourse before an argument broke out around 6:30 a.m.

“You wasted my night,” McKenziee told the victim, according to the report. “I could’ve been making money. If you don’t give me $200 right now, I’ll shoot you in the face.”

McKenziee allegedly pulled a gun from her purse and pointed it at the victim’s head while demanding money, authorities said.

Police said the victim reported that after initially refusing, he was punched multiple times and eventually surrendered $100 out of fear for his safety.

Investigators said McKenziee then allegedly ordered the victim to drive her home while continuing to point the gun at him. The victim told police he complied because he feared being harmed.

The victim drove onto northbound Interstate 95 during morning rush-hour traffic while McKenziee allegedly continued demanding money from him, according to the report. At one point, the victim said she struck him in the head with the gun, causing a minor laceration.

Police said the ordeal ended when the victim pulled onto the shoulder of the interstate and stopped the vehicle, at which time McKenziee exited the car and fled on foot.

During the investigation, the victim provided detectives with a phone number he said belonged to McKenziee. According to the report, the contact information was saved in his phone under the name “Kihmanii (Money) Miami.” A records check linked the number to McKenziee, police said.

Authorities also reviewed surveillance footage and identified McKenziee through prior law enforcement contacts, according to investigators.

Detectives said McKenziee was located Tuesday, driving in the 500 block of Northwest 95th Street in Miami. Police said a gray pistol was visible inside a purse on the front passenger seat of the vehicle.

After taking McKenziee into custody, detectives reported observing tattoos that matched those seen in surveillance footage connected to the case. Investigators also said she was carrying a cellphone associated with the phone number provided by the victim.

McKenziee was arrested and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She faces charges of armed kidnapping and armed robbery.

A separate arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office shows McKenziee also faces charges in connection with an incident in which she was accused of going to her ex-boyfriend’s home and forcing her way inside.

In that case, detectives said McKenziee arrived at the victim’s home in northeast Miami-Dade and pushed her way inside after the victim’s new girlfriend answered the door.

Deputies said the trio got into an argument before the victims agreed to call an Uber for McKenziee.

At one point, McKenziee grabbed the new girlfriend’s wrist, at which time her ex-boyfriend fired his gun at the ground in an attempt to get McKenziee to leave the area, authorities said.

Detectives said McKenziee fled the scene before deputies arrived.

In that case, she is facing charges of burglary with assault or battery and burglary of an occupied structure.

As of Thursday morning, McKenziee was being held at the Metrowest Detention Center without bond.

The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, the new name for the race held outside Barcelona, won’t be staged in 2027 as it starts being held every two years.

“It is probably going to be my last Barcelona race in Formula 1,” the 44-year-old Alonso told reporters at the track on Thursday.

Alonso quickly added he was not announcing his retirement, but the fact that the next Barcelona race will be in 2028 made it less likely he will take part.

He said in the coming months he will think hard about whether he is willing to keep racing next season while Aston Martin gives him a car that struggles to get him even near the top.

“I don’t have anything in mind, and after the summer I will take the decision to continue or not,” the Spaniard said. “But Barcelona is not happening next year, and if I don’t know what I am doing next year it is near impossible to know what I will doing two years from now.

“Every race I go to could be my last.”

Alonso is an icon of Spanish sports thanks to his world championships in 2005 and 2006, and he has remained one of the series' best drivers, even though he has never had the car to match his skills for several years.

His last F1 victory, No. 32, came in 2013 at this track in Montmelo. Few racing fans would then have imagined that Alonso, who remained sharp behind a wheel, would not stand atop a podium again.

Still, tens of thousands of his fans flock to the Spanish race to cheer him on each year.

This season he has just one point and was 18th out of 22 drivers.

And while Alonso said he was “at peace” with his career, it hurt not to be competitive.

“The hardest thing is to not win races and not be competitive,” he said. “If (this season) is the last, it is not affecting me. I am at peace now with myself and my career. I achieved a lot more than I ever dreamt when I was a kid."

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

Según el informe, la policía de Miami Beach arrestó el martes a Kihmanii McKenziee, de Miami. Enfrenta cargos derivados de un incidente reportado el 15 de mayo.

Según la policía, la víctima entró en el Departamento de Policía de Miami Beach poco antes de las 9 a.m. del 15 de mayo para denunciar que había sido robada a punta de pistola y obligada a conducir contra su voluntad esa misma mañana.

La víctima dijo a los investigadores que conoció a McKenziee y a otra persona en Haulover Beach la noche del 14 de mayo. Describió a ambas como “mujeres transgénero afroamericanas”, señala el informe.

Tras conocerse, el grupo acordó ir a un Airbnb ubicado en Ocean Drive, en Miami Beach, dijeron las autoridades.

Según el informe de arresto, la víctima dijo a los detectives que él y McKenziee pasaron varias horas juntos en la propiedad de alquiler e intentaron tener relaciones sexuales antes de que surgiera una discusión alrededor de las 6:30 a.m.

“Me hiciste perder la noche”, le dijo McKenziee a la víctima, según el informe. “Pude haber estado ganando dinero. Si no me das $200 USD ahora mismo, te dispararé en la cara”.

McKenziee presuntamente sacó un arma de su bolso y la apuntó a la cabeza de la víctima mientras exigía dinero, dijeron las autoridades.

La policía indicó que la víctima reportó que, tras negarse inicialmente, fue golpeada varias veces y finalmente entregó $100 USD por temor a su seguridad.

Los investigadores dijeron que McKenziee presuntamente ordenó luego a la víctima que la llevara a su casa mientras continuaba apuntándole con el arma. La víctima dijo a la policía que obedeció porque temía resultar herida.

La víctima condujo por la Interestatal 95 en dirección norte durante el tráfico de la hora pico de la mañana mientras McKenziee presuntamente continuaba exigiéndole dinero, según el informe. En un momento dado, la víctima dijo que ella lo golpeó en la cabeza con el arma, causándole una laceración menor.

La policía dijo que la situación terminó cuando la víctima se detuvo en el arcén de la autopista y paró el vehículo, momento en que McKenziee salió del automóvil y huyó a pie.

Durante la investigación, la víctima proporcionó a los detectives un número de teléfono que dijo pertenecía a McKenziee. Según el informe, la información de contacto estaba guardada en su teléfono bajo el nombre “Kihmanii (Money) Miami”. Una verificación de registros vinculó el número con McKenziee, dijo la policía.

Las autoridades también revisaron videos de vigilancia e identificaron a McKenziee a través de contactos previos con las fuerzas del orden, según los investigadores.

Los detectives dijeron que McKenziee fue localizada el martes mientras conducía en la cuadra 500 de Northwest 95th Street, en Miami. La policía dijo que una pistola gris era visible dentro de un bolso en el asiento delantero del pasajero del vehículo.

Tras poner a McKenziee bajo custodia, los detectives informaron que observaron tatuajes que coincidían con los vistos en los videos de vigilancia relacionados con el caso. Los investigadores también dijeron que llevaba un teléfono celular asociado con el número proporcionado por la víctima.

McKenziee fue arrestada y trasladada al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Enfrenta cargos de secuestro a mano armada y robo a mano armada.

Un informe de arresto separado de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade muestra que McKenziee también enfrenta cargos en relación con un incidente en el que fue acusada de acudir a la casa de su ex novio y entrar por la fuerza.

En ese caso, los detectives dijeron que McKenziee llegó a la vivienda de la víctima en el noreste de Miami-Dade y se abrió paso a la fuerza después de que la nueva novia de la víctima respondiera a la puerta.

Los agentes dijeron que los tres se involucraron en una discusión antes de que las víctimas aceptaran pedir un Uber para McKenziee.

En un momento dado, McKenziee agarró la muñeca de la nueva novia, momento en el que su ex novio disparó su arma al suelo en un intento de hacer que McKenziee abandonara el lugar, dijeron las autoridades.

Los detectives dijeron que McKenziee huyó de la escena antes de que llegaran los agentes.

En ese caso, enfrenta cargos de allanamiento con agresión o lesiones y allanamiento de una estructura ocupada.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, McKenziee permanecía detenida en el Centro de Detención Metrowest sin derecho a fianza.

When they arrived in the parking lot, the officer arrested the husband on a bogus charge, said his wife, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity for her and her 48-year-old husband because she didn’t want to risk being detained as well or put either of their pending asylum cases at risk.

“He told us he was issuing a ticket because the dog had bitten him, but that wasn’t true because the officer never got out of the car,” she said. “He started making calls, arrested him, and waited 40 minutes” for federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to arrive and take her husband away.

Trump’s immigration crackdown has met with fierce resistance in Democratic-led sanctuary cities, where police are forbidden from assisting, elected officials have pushed back and local residents have tried to defend their migrant neighbors by whistling the alarm, recording cellphone videos and berating the masked federal agents viewed by many as an invading force.

That hasn’t been the case in Republican-led Florida, though, where 347 state and local agencies have signed on to take part in the crackdown and unleashed a flood of immigration arrests. Among them are police and sheriff’s departments, the Florida National Guard and the Highway Patrol, but also ones as seemingly unlikely as the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Florida Lottery.

The surge in Florida immigration arrests during Trump’s second term has largely flown under the public’s radar, as many start as run-of-the-mill police traffic stops, the public seems more supportive of the initiative, and participating state and local agencies are roundly rejecting requests for arrest records and body camera video at the behest of the Department of Homeland Security.

Immigration arrests more than triple

Nearly 39,000 immigrants were arrested in Florida in the 416 days beginning Jan. 20, 2025 — the start of President Donald Trump’s second term — through March 11, 2026, the last day for which data was available in a set provided to the University of California, Berkeley’s, Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the AP. During the preceding 416 days of the Biden administration, there were 11,088. On average, Florida recorded 93 daily arrests during that Trump-led period, trailing only the 239 recorded by Texas, which shares the nation’s longest border with Mexico.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has championed Florida’s push to partner with ICE through so-called 287(g) agreements, which bestow immigration enforcement powers on state and local law enforcement agencies, allowing them to interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for possible deportation. And they are under pressure to deliver, experts say.

“There’s a lot of officers who have been deputized, given immigration authority, and they are just looking for people,” said immigration attorney Vilerka Bilbao, who represents at least 23 clients detained by local police in the Jacksonville area. “They are arresting anybody — they need to show the numbers to DeSantis and the federal government.”

Officers stop vehicles for a “pretext reason” — such as a broken taillight or overly dark window tint — “and then you end up in ICE custody,” Bilbao said.

A father and son are deported

On Feb. 15, Lee County sheriff’s deputies detained a 44-year-old Guatemalan man and his 21-year-old son on the outskirts of Fort Myers. They approached the two in a store parking lot, told them their license plate was expired and ordered them out of their car even though its tags were valid until March 25, according to the older man’s wife and younger man’s mother.

The woman, a 40-year-old Guatemalan asylum-seeker who spoke on condition of anonymity for herself and her family over concerns for her safety and the safety of her three kids still with her in Florida, said her husband and adult son were detained and deported to Guatemala a week later, leaving behind her, her two underage sons and her daughter, who is an American citizen.

She said her husband and adult son had pending immigration court cases but were detained anyway. Her husband had attended three immigration court hearings but missed one because it was in Miami, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) south of Fort Myers, and he didn’t have the money to get there, she said. Her son, meanwhile, was seeking asylum, had a valid driver’s license and a work permit.

DHS disputes that the man and his son were legally in the U.S., saying they crossed the border illegally in 2017 and had a final order of removal from 2019.

In the case of the man walking his dog, DHS said he was arrested because he had two final orders of removal.

A test of Florida’s Sunshine Law

In both cases, the Florida agencies that initiated the stops — the Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office — refused to share the arrest reports and body camera footage with the AP, explaining that ICE requires them to forward all inquiries about immigration arrests to it.

ICE and DHS, its parent agency, declined to share the arrest reports and bodycam footage, with DHS explaining in a statement: “We are not going to disclose law enforcement sensitive intelligence.”

An ICE directive sent to the 287 (g) partners in Florida states that “information obtained or developed” under the agreements is “under the control of ICE” and cannot be released without federal approval.

The directive appears to violate the long-standing Florida Sunshine Law, which was passed in 1967 and presumes records are public unless specifically protected. The conservative state Legislature, though, has carved out exclusions in recent years.

It’s not just Florida

Although Florida is at the forefront of partnering in the crackdown, opening the “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot” immigration detention centers in the past year, participation in the 287(g) program has skyrocketed, going from 135 agreements in 20 states before Trump’s second term began to more than 1,700 in 41 states and territories.

DHS announced financial incentives for state and local law enforcement agencies, including salary reimbursement. This includes up to $7,500 for equipment for each officer participating in the agreements, and up to $100,000 for agencies to purchase new vehicles.

European soccer body UEFA said Artan will referee the Aug. 12 game between Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, the Europa League winner. The game will be in Salzburg, Austria.

“Football is made to connect people and UEFA wants to show its respect to Omar and his outstanding officiating skills,” UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said in a statement.

Artan got a hero’s welcome returning to Somalia on Wednesday, days after he was refused entry in Miami and questioned for 11 hours by U.S. authorities despite being picked by FIFA for World Cup duty. He was sent away on a flight to Turkey.

U.S. officials claimed Artan had connections to terror organizations, though without providing proof.

Artan's treatment heightened concerns about U.S. immigration policy around the World Cup that was criticized by the United Nations ' top human rights official on Wednesday.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday it was powerless to prevent Artan's ordeal, and "we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces.”

The 34-year-old referee was judged the best in Africa last season and worked the decisive game in the continent's Champions League final last month.

Čeferin said UEFA worked on the plan with the Confederation of African Football and its president Patrice Motsepe. Čeferin and Motsepe both are FIFA vice presidents.

"Omar Artan has made Somalia and the entire people of the African continent extremely proud," Motsepe said in the UEFA statement.

"This is a great honor for Omar Artan and for African referees and is also an excellent example of football bringing together and uniting people from Africa and Europe and worldwide,” Motsepe said, hours before his native South Africa opened the World Cup against co-host Mexico. They play at the storied Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

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But on Sunday, something was missing: a referee’s uniform.

Police said the uniform was stolen by Jordan Martinez, a security guard at the hotel, and the theft was caught on camera.

According to police, Martinez, 25, of Miami Beach, was brought into an interview room where he confessed to taking laundry bags that contained FIFA referee uniforms.

Police said Martinez told investigators that when he realized the bags contained official FIFA referee uniforms, he decided to keep them because he is a big soccer fan and wanted to wear one after the game.

“That’s insane,” one tourist from Iowa said. “I’m not even from here, I’m from Iowa. I don’t know why he’d steal a jersey from a referee.”

Investigators said equipment and property belonging to two FIFA officials were stolen.

“That’s kind of odd. Maybe he’s trying to sell it. I have no idea,” the tourist said.

Police did not provide further details about what Martinez planned to do with the referee’s uniform.

Authorities arrested Martinez Monday on a charge of third-degree grand theft.

He has since been released on bond.

Claude Corps, named for the company’s popular AI chatbot, will hire and embed 1,000 fellows trained in the use of Claude at a wide range of organizations for a year. Anthropic President Daniela Amodei told The Associated Press the company hopes the program will expand and become a pillar of its strategy to help humankind realize the benefits of AI while also managing its risks.

Amodei said Claude Corps will be evaluated after its first year to see if it should continue and expand.

“We’re hoping it’s a good idea that can take root and that other people can build on and learn from, whether that’s public or private,” Amodei said in an interview at Anthropic headquarters in San Francisco. “But I think my hope is that we’ll learn, the people who do it will learn, and we’ll be able to come back and do it again next time even better.”

Anthropic's commitment includes paying the Claude Corps members and providing at least 400 host organizations with a $10,000 grant and free credits to use Claude.

Anthropic says it wants to balance profits and social impact

Philanthropy is built into the way Anthropic’s co-founders believe the company should be run, Amodei said. Amodei, her brother Dario, who is Anthropic’s CEO, and the company’s five other co-founders have already pledged that they will donate 80% of their wealth. They established Anthropic as a public benefit corporation, a designation that for-profit companies select to balance financial goals and social impact.

Anthropic, which is valued at $965 billion, is moving toward going public on Wall Street, announcing earlier this month it submitted a confidential filing for an initial public offering.

Amodei, interviewed before the SEC filing, said she could not comment about IPO plans but said the company’s values are very clear to anyone looking to invest in it.

“There’s decisions and choices that we might make that might feel in conflict with just the pure commercial interests of the business and we’re going to be really open about that,” she said. “I think we have been very well served by our inclination to just be very honest about who we are because people who like that really like us. And for people, if it’s not what they like, they don’t work with us. And I think that’s actually better for everyone.”

Anthropic has been outspoken about the risks inherent to the breakthrough technology. It warned last week that companies should coordinate a way to pause development of advanced AI systems if humans risk losing control of the self-improving technology. It collaborated with Pope Leo XIV as he developed his encyclical on AI and the need for increased regulation. And it found itself in a high-profile fight with President Donald Trump’s administration when Anthropic refused to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of its AI technology.

Amodei said Anthropic is an “unusual” company because its business teams and research teams are run separately.

“Sometimes research says things like ‘AI is doing bad things’ and we really want to be open about what those things are,” she said. “Because I don’t think there’s a way for the broader community that is the world to adapt to these changes if we don’t understand the challenges.”

Bella DeVaan, director of the Charity Reform Initiative at the progressive research organization the Institute of Policy Studies, said she is skeptical that any AI company will willingly set aside enough of its profits to support all the people affected by the adoption of AI.

“The fox can't guard the henhouse,” said DeVaan, who has studied the donations of the ultra-rich. “They can’t be responsible for their own regulation or for their own definition of what their altruistic mandate is. That has to be determined by the public.”

Like Pope Leo outlined in his encyclical, DeVaan is calling for more stringent government regulation of AI companies. Without government intervention, she worries AI will create a permanent underclass of workers. She said governments also need to do their own research about the potential benefits and harms of AI rather than leaving it up to the AI companies.

Anthropic announced separately Wednesday that it will donate $200 million to support an economic framework to help workers displaced by AI. It will start with investment into studying the issues created by AI adoption.

“We can’t understand what the societal disruption might look like if we don’t study it, publish it and talk about it,” Amodei said.

Claude Corps aims to enlist AI-minded people early in their careers

To create Claude Corps, Anthropic partnered with CodePath, the San Francisco-based nonprofit created to help first-generation and low-income students enter the tech workforce through higher education courses and career support.

CodePath CEO Michael Ellison said he had long been thinking about redesigning AmeriCorps to account for AI adoption. The federal agency for volunteer service was gutted by Trump administration cuts last year.

“I think we need programs that are meeting folks where they are when you’re looking at the traditional late adopters — from nonprofits to governments, to schools,” Ellison said. “We’re putting humans into the organizations that serve the majority of Americans as a way to bring them along and bring our communities along.”

He said CodePath will manage the initiative, which will accept fellowship applications through July 17. Ellison said the fellowship will be available to a wide range of young people early in their careers.

“We are intentionally trying to be extremely accessible,” he said. “We’re not requiring that you have a certain degree. We want the initial group of fellows to be representative of a broad section of the population in this country.”

Jennifer Blatz, CEO and president of StriveTogether, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit network that helps prepare young people for better economic opportunities, said she was thrilled her organization was chosen to host two Claude Corps fellows.

Though her nonprofit already uses AI to analyze some of the data it gathers on the impact of its programs, she hopes that Claude Corps can help standardize its usage in her organization and throughout its network, which spans 27 states. Blatz said she wants both her network and the people it supports to understand “AI is a tool – not the whole strategy.”

“AI can help us work smarter, but trust building and community collaboration, that’s a deeply human part of the work,” she said. “And that’s not going away just because we use this tool.”

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Experts said the El Nino, a natural warming cycle, should further heat a globe already warming from fossil fuel pollution and will likely turbocharge extreme weather across the planet. Meteorologists forecast it will rival — or exceed — a record El Nino that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officially confirmed the existence of the El Nino, which is a warming of the Pacific near the equator that affects weather patterns across the globe. NOAA's announcement said there's a 63% chance that the El Nino will get so intense this late fall and early winter that it “would rank among the largest El Nino events in the historical record going back to 1950.”

The warm, deep waters of an El Nino affect weather patterns by bringing “a lot of extra heat to the surface, fueling a lot of extreme events for a lot of places around the world,” said Clark University climate scientist Abby Frazier.

She said, especially in the Pacific, “it can get dire very quickly.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described El Nino as an “urgent climate warning.”

“El Nino conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world,” Guterres said in a video message.

El Nino's impacts spawn winners and losers

The weather pattern's effects vary by region. El Nino often dampens — but doesn't eliminate — Atlantic hurricane season activity, but increases it in the Pacific. So while the U.S. East and Gulf coasts may get a break, Hawaii and other islands are more in danger, Frazier said.

The drought-stricken Middle East could benefit, climate scientists said. Other places are looking at more danger. Parts of western South America — where the first El Ninos were noticed decades ago — often get heavy rain and floods, along with an extra warm summer. India faces more intense heat waves, while drought, wildfires and heat threaten Australia.

Northeastern Africa is likely going to get weather whiplash from intense drought to dangerously heavy rains, said Columbia University climate scientist and El Nino expert Muhammad Azhar Ehsan.

In the U.S., El Ninos can cause more intense storms with heavier rainfall in the South, but they also tend to generally benefit the U.S. agriculture industry, said Jon Gottschalck, operational branch chief at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

Michael Ferrari, meteorologist and head of research at the investment research firm Moby, said conditions for grains and seed, especially soybeans, look favorable in 18 major growing states, but are more mixed when it comes to dairy and cattle.

The northern Rockies and Southwest — where there’s an “off the charts” snow drought — could get some strong summer rains, Gottschalck said. The biggest effect in the U.S. is often in the winter, when the south can get wetter and the Pacific Northwest warmer and drier.

But overall, temperatures raised by the weather pattern can dampen American economic growth, said Stanford climate economist Marshall Burke. Several climate scientists forecast that 2027 will be the hottest year on record because of lagging effects of this El Nino, which is expected to peak in the fall or winter.

“We have pretty clear evidence that the U.S. economy grows more slowly when temps are above normal,” Burke said.

Strong early signs

The weather extremes caused by an El Nino also depend on when it develops.

Usually El Ninos form in the summer, peak in the late fall or early winter, and peter out the next spring, scientists said.

However, Ehsan's team forecasts that this El Nino will peak a month or two earlier based on strong early signs from recent weeks. Princeton University climate scientist Gabriel Vecchi said large El Ninos like these also tend to last longer.

The early indications — including warmer water pushing toward the surface of the Pacific — have been so strong and noticeable that forecasters have all been predicting the same ultra strong El Nino, Vecchi said, adding that El Nino forecasts often are all over the place at this time of year.

Scientists predict stronger El Ninos as the world warms from the burning of coal, oil and gas, Frazier and others said. But she said it is too early to say if this El Nino is part of that.

Even before it officially formed, this El Nino has gotten nicknames ranging from “super” to “Godzilla.”

“Instead of scared, we can ask people to be prepared,” Columbia's Ehsan said

___

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

In a statement released before a scheduled Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said that “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.” It didn't elaborate on what those are.

The 1.5-mile-long (2.4-kilometer-long) Gordie Howe International Bridge spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario. The bridge is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan and was expected to open to traffic later this month.

But the opening had been thrown into question after Trump in February demanded in a social media post that Canada turn over at least half of the bridge’s ownership to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of the Republican president's many salvos over cross-border trade issues.

Michigan officials and the White House had been in contact for months about the bridge following Trump's post, with the understanding that the opening would move forward on Friday. Invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week following a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

“This project is a powerful example of bipartisan and international cooperation, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony when it happens,” a statement from Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy said.

New bridge a “long-term play”

Internal disagreements within the Trump administration threw those plans into question, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pushed back on the opening, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment on Thursday.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hinted Wednesday that the opening could be delayed, while downplaying any concerns.

“There is no big drama. If it takes a little longer it will take a little bit longer, but this will benefit Canadians, Americans, business, tourists, residents for decades and decades to come,” Carney said on his way into Parliament.

Even with the delay, officials remained optimistic that the bridge — a roughly $4.4 billion project — is still expected to open.

“We need to keep this very much in perspective,” said Sandy Baruah, president of the Detroit Regional Chamber and former U.S. assistant secretary of Commerce. “Our organization, the state of Michigan and others have been working on this bridge for 20 years. If it opens July 1, Aug. 1 or Sept. 1, I’m not going to get overly agitated about it. This is a long-term play.”

Named after the late Canadian Hockey great Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings, the bridge is expected to be another vital economic artery between Canada and the United States.

The construction project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Work has been underway since 2018.

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, said she’s taking people at their word that the holdup is “a minor hiccup.”

“This is probably the most bipartisan issue in the state of Michigan, so it’s ridiculous that we can’t just seal the deal,” Slotkin said.

Commerce and border crossings

Detroit and Windsor have been neighborly for generations, with residents in both countries frequently crossing the shared river border for entertainment and shopping. Windsor's population in 2021 was about 230,000. Like Detroit, the Canadian city's economy has a strong focus on manufacturing and the auto industry.

Commercial trade between the two cities primarily has been across the nearly century-old and privately-owned Ambassador Bridge, which is closer to downtown Detroit than the Gordie Howe Bridge.

The Ambassador Bridge had been the busiest commercial border crossing between the United States and Canada until last year, when truck traffic along the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron, Michigan, to Sarnia, Ontario, surpassed the Ambassador Bridge's numbers, according to the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association.

In 2025, about 2.1 million trucks crossed the Blue Water Bridge compared to just over 1.8 million that used the Ambassador Bridge. About 3.5 million passenger vehicles used the Ambassador Bridge last year, while 1.6 million crossed via the Blue Water Bridge.

Combined, more than 9.2 million vehicles crossed the border on those two bridges in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

More than 3.7 million cars and SUVs also traveled between the United States and Canada last year via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

Both bridges and the tunnel are working at full capacity, and the new bridge will help improve the efficiency of commercial and personal traffic between the two countries, Baruah said.

“This is what government is supposed to do, make it easier for business to conduct commerce,” he said.

___

Williams reported from Detroit.

But what if people have qualities both unmistakably human and essential to career success that AI could not easily replace them?

Some workplace experts argue that with more businesses adopting AI tools, soft skills such as empathy, critical thinking and ethical decision-making are worth cultivating to help employees become indispensible.

Across industries and occupations, “the skills that are most resistant to displacement by AI are the ones that are the most distinctly human,” Maria Flynn, president and CEO of Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit focused on workforce development, said. “Some of those things are relationship building, conflict resolution, the ability to guide and motivate other people and ethical judgment.”

Even in job listings for technical roles such as IT support, organizations say they're looking for candidates who communicate well and take leadership initiative, Flynn said.

“We started to use the term ‘durable skills’ and think about them as capabilities that really are durable, in that they hold their value across economic shifts and technological change and labor market disruption,” she said. “And we think, especially now, in this time of AI advancement, that it’s the durable skills that really make a worker genuinely valuable at work, regardless of what tools and technology are available.”

Here are five skills to cultivate based on the areas where experts say humans still hold an edge over artificial intelligence.

Empathy

Interpreting body language and reading between the lines to decipher what wasn’t explicitly communicated are skills that many people find are best performed by humans. They also inform the ability to show empathy, and being sensitive to the feelings of others is a sought-after trait in workers.

Marco Iansiti, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, said he saw that firsthand during a hospital stay.

“A nurse has incredibly human impacts. Feeling, relating to the patient, the type of care that is so important,” Iansiti said. “I remember times when I was sick in the hospital and the nurse was like the godsend. Would I have let a robot do the same thing? No. There was a human connection there that I found very valuable.”

Where AI could be helpful in a hospital setting is by taking on mundane tasks such as paperwork, freeing up time for nurses to provide compassionate patient care, he said.

“There’s a lot of systems that are being deployed now that I think are very effective in doing this and essentially release healthcare workers to do the things that they should be doing and do best.”

Nurturing relationships

Building strong personal ties with colleagues, clients and stakeholders remains a prized skill that experts say artificial intelligence models have difficulty replicating. Salespeople, for example, have files or databases with information they've learned about their clients from interacting face-to-face.

"You have people that have trusted you and have bought products from you for the last 10 years. That has value and that’s hard to transfer to artificial intelligence,” Iansiti said.

Interpersonal skills also are invaluable when conflicts arise. “Having that human in the loop to manage those expectations, to ease any ruffled feathers, to build the type of relationships that are needed, to expedite good work, is still going to be critical,” Flynn said.

Conflict resolution is a must-have quality for managers, said Colleen Adler, director analyst in the human resources practice at the Gartner consulting firm.

“People do still have managers, and managers and leaders impact the way they feel, and co-workers impact the ways we feel as well," Adler said. "There is still a tone to AI that does not yet mimic human connection. That could change; I don’t think we’re there yet.”

Work environments are rapidly changing and many employees feel like they're lurching from one difficult dynamic to another, Adler said. While AI agents can't help workers feel better about that uncertainty, strong leaders can help their teams, she added.

Critical thinking

Artificial intelligence models collect information and produce responses but can generate inaccuracies, so it's important to second-guess its output. Developing deep knowledge about your field can help you notice when the AI-generated results on topics from your industry are incorrect, said Amalia Kaufman, course developer and instructor at the University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education.

“You have to have the cognition and the critical thinking and the subject matter expertise to make sense of it, and to know when it’s wrong,” Kaufman said. “You have to check your facts.”

In a study published in the journal Science, researchers at Stanford tested 11 popular AI systems and found that artificial intelligence chatbots were prone to flattering and validating the feelings of users, affirming a user's actions 49% more often than humans did. Taking a step back and applying critical thinking skills when reading results generated by AI can help combat the tendency for it to be overly agreeable with its users.

Having a conscience

The ability to distinguish right from wrong, or listen to one's inner conscience, is a skill that is innately human, experts said.

Sometimes, people rely on sensations in their bodies to help guide their decision-making. “Gut feelings are something you feel in your gut," Iansiti said. “It’s not just a pattern of information that’s going through your brain. It is actually an emotional reaction that is intrinsically different from the way that AI operates. At least this generation of AI.”

When life-or-death decisions have to be made, such as when to use lethal military force, “do you want something that does not have human emotion, it does not have a body attached with the intelligence?” Iansiti asked. “AI can fake having a conscience because it’s read about what a conscience is, but it doesn’t have a conscience.”

People can build parameters, or guardrails, into artificial intelligence models to help AI agents make ethical decisions, he said. But human input is still required.

“It’s very hard to design a model that’s ethical for everything. It’s much better to build it around a specific use case. Say hiring,” Iansiti said.

Judgement calls

Ethical questions aren't the only ones that AI is less equipped to handle for now. The capacity to come up with creative ideas and make decisions in ambiguous situations — while mapping out strategies or developing a brand identity, for example — is another important human skill, experts said.

"We don’t believe that’s something that’s going to be replicated by artificial intelligence,” said Heather Stefanski, chief learning and development officer at management consulting firm McKinsey. "If we’re all just using the AI answer to problem-solve, how are you really going to be distinctive?”

Humans make judgment calls based on a constellation of knowledge and lived experiences, Flynn said. Artificial intelligence draws from a lot of data but doesn't necessarily work well in gray areas, Flynn said. For now, the ability to see all angles of an issue and add context remains a form of intelligence that people possess to a greater extent than AI, she said.

“The things that make us uniquely human to me are going to continue to be the things that help our society thrive in productive ways,” Flynn said. “And making sure that we are calling those things out, paying attention to them, making sure those are attributes that folks can name and articulate and feel good about, is going to be key as we all navigate a rapidly changing future.”

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Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — jumped 6.5% from May 2025. It rose 1.1% from April, as it did the previous month. Wholesale gasoline prices surged by more than 23% from April to May, and nearly 70% from a year earlier.

Inflationary pressures, intensified by the energy shock caused by the Iran war, are frustrating Americans five months before midterm elections that will determine whether President Donald Trump's Republicans keep full control of Congress.

Gasoline prices have been falling in recent days, but the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline has been above $4 since March, according to motor club AAA. And the U.S. driving season, which pushes prices higher each year, has just begun.

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale prices rose 0.4% from April and 4.9% from May 2025.

The wholesale inflation numbers came out a day after the Labor Department reported that consumer prices rose 4.2% in May from a year earlier, most in three years. Gasoline prices were up nearly 41% from May 2025. Airfares were up almost 27%.

Inflation is running well ahead of the Federal Reserve's 2% target. The central bank is expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged as its meeting next week. But financial markets expect the Fed could raise rates by the end of the year in an effort to curb price increases.

Wholesale prices can offer an early look at where consumer inflation might be headed. Economists also watch it because some of its components, notably health care and financial services, flow into the Fed's preferred inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, index.

Stephen Brown, chief North America economist at Capital Economics, wrote that the producer prices “that feed into the PCE price calculation rose by much more than we expected ... It supports our view that the Fed will hike interest rates toward the end of the year.’’

After the United States and Israel attacked Feb. 28, Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, causing the biggest disruption in oil supplies in history. Energy prices rocketed. S&P Global Energy warned Thursday that U.S. crude oil inventories are drying up as the summer driving season approaches.

“The bottom line is that U.S. inventory levels remain above estimated minimum operating thresholds,'' said S&P Global Energy's Aaron Brady. “However, with continued disruption to Middle East flows, draws are likely to extend into the third quarter, even in the event of a near-term diplomatic resolution.'' More big, sustained drops in inventories ”would likely signal entry into a ‘danger zone’ for the U.S. refining system.”

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Hegseth was at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Wednesday, where he met with U.S. service members who are stationed there.

The Department of Defense shared video of Hegseth meeting with troops.

“We are taking back our hemisphere,” he said. “Look at Venezuela and Nicolas Maduro, who thought he could flaunt the United States of America. He found out in about 45 minutes in the middle of the night.”

Officials said he also plans to pay a visit to U.S. Central Command in Tampa, which is also home to a large Cuban American community.

Hegseth’s presence in Cuba comes amid the U.S. calling for dramatic changes on the island and the indictment of Raúl Castro in connection to the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue plane shootdown.

The U.S. has blocked oil from reaching Cuba following threats by President Donald Trump to remove the country’s leadership regime by force.

Hegseth told troops that the future of Cuba is in the hands of Trump and Cuban leadership.

“Be prepared for whatever our commander in chief asks us to do on behalf of defending the American people,” he said.

Last month, a U.S. aircraft carrier and its strike group of fighter jets and radar-jamming equipment entered the southern Caribbean and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency visited Cuban officials in Havana.

At the time, Local 10’s Cuba analyst, Andy Gomez, said his contacts on the island confirmed they had access to drones for “defensive purposes.”

That came as SOUTHCOM posted on social media that it has established a new “autonomous warfare command.” The post showed a military exercise in Key West earlier this year of its autonomous, semi-autonomous and unmanned systems which they said are used to counter threats in the region.

Now, Gomez said it seems to him the U.S. might be trying to follow what he called the “Venezuela plan.”

“The period of time for Venezuela is going to be very different from Cuba, so we have to wait and see,” he said.

On Monday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that America’s “maximum pressure” campaign, which has included blocking oil access to the communist island, is leading to a humanitarian crisis.

But U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has blamed economic weakening and growing unrest on what he has described as the island’s long legacy of greed, mismanagement and corrupt leadership, calling attention to a Cuban military-operated conglomerate which he said is starving the people from access to the money needed to address food shortages and crumbling infrastructure.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment aid for the week ending June 6 rose by 4,000 to 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s the most since early February, before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran, but still considered a healthy level. It's also more than the 216,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

Despite concerns that the conflict in the Middle East could further squeeze a flagging labor market, hiring has picked up in recent months following a miserable 2025 that saw fewer than 200,000 job gains. For comparison, about 1.5 million jobs were added in 2024.

U.S. employers delivered a surprising 172,000 new jobs in May and the economy is averaging 188,000 job gains in the three months since the Iran war began in late February. That’s the best three months of hiring since early 2024. The unemployment rate remains historically low at 4.3%.

Job openings also rose in April as employers posted 7.6 million vacancies, up from 6.9 million in March and the most since May 2024.

The government reported Wednesday that rising gas prices — triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s southern border — pushed U.S. consumer inflation in May to 4.2%, its highest level in three years. Despite recent declines, prices for oil and gas remain elevated, which can squeeze consumers’ budgets and make businesses think twice about hiring.

With inflation well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, most analysts expect officials at the U.S. central bank to stand pat on its benchmark interest rate when they meet next week. That meeting will be the first with new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who replaces Jerome Powell after his eight-year run as the U.S. central bank’s leader.

Lower interest rates can boost the economy and hiring, but also tend to stoke inflation, leading a number of Fed policymakers to say they are actually willing to consider an interest rate hike this year. That could potentially help bring inflation down, but higher borrowing costs generally make businesses more reluctant to hire.

Optimism over artificial intelligence has also injected a degree of uncertainty about the job market due to the investment required to develop it and because the powerful technology could alter or even replace some jobs.

Among the companies that have cut jobs recently are Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks and Walmart.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

The Labor Department’s report Thursday showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, rose by 4,250 to 219,000.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending May 30 jumped by 24,000 to 1.8 million, slightly more than analysts predicted.

By Thursday afternoon, the court had not yet released a decision, said Naji Abbas, director of prisoners and detainees at Physicians for Human Rights — Israel, a nonprofit group.

Hussam Abu Safiya, who served as director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, became of the face of health workers struggling to treat patients throughout the Israel-Hamas war. He led the facility through an 85-day siege by the Israeli military, releasing videos in which he pleaded for help. Fourteen doctors from Gaza are still being held in Israeli prisons, PHRI said.

In a screen grab from his brief appearance on Wednesday, Abu Safiya, 53, was shown handcuffed and sitting in white prison garb. His face was pale and gaunt and he had lash-like marks on both arms. Multiple clips circulating on social media from the court showed Israeli officials quickly turning the video off as people jostled to see the doctor.

His lawyer, Nasser Odeh, can be heard in the video telling Abu Safiya that onlookers cannot see him, saying guards turned off the monitor and they are waiting for the judge to enter and decide whether to allow his image back on screen.

“Many people are present to show solidarity and support. The media is also both inside and outside the court,” Odeh said in the video.

Journalists' footage of the brittle doctor spread on social media, prompting renewed calls for his release. The Israeli military has said Abu Safiya is being investigated on suspicion of cooperating with or working for Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. Medical staff and international aid groups that have worked with Abu Safiya have denied those claims.

According to PHRI, he was recently placed in solitary confinement, a move his son, Elias Abu Safiya, said in a video posted on social media was made shortly after his appeal. Israel has yet to charge Abu Safiya with a crime.

“How can a person be punished for seeking to know why he was detained?” the younger Abu Safiya asked.

A son of the doctor was killed earlier in the war

Israel’s Justice Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. The Israeli Prison Service denied claims that the doctor, a trained pediatrician, was being mistreated. In a statement, it said all detainees receive professional medical care and any allegations of abuse or mistreatment made through official channels are examined.

After the hearing Wednesday, Odeh said he had a message from the doctor.

“I am a pediatrician who provides medical care to patients, the wounded, and the most vulnerable in the Strip,” Odeh said, relaying the doctor’s words. “I carried out my work in accordance with international law and humanitarian standards. My detention is unjust and arbitrary.”

In the weeks leading up to his imprisonment, Abu Safiya fought to maintain his composure as Israeli forces surrounded the hospital, releasing grainy video dispatches from the facility under siege. When a drone strike killed Abu Safiya’s son near the hospital, the doctor spoke with tears in his eyes.

“Everything we have built, they have burned,” he said, his voice cracking. They killed my son. ... I buried my son in the hospital yard.”

The war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, after the Gaza-based militant group led an attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage. Since then, nearly 73,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals and the United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties.

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

The ECB’s rate-setting council raised its benchmark rate to 2.25% from 2%, where it had been for a year. The move comes ahead of rate-setting meetings next week at the Fed, the Bank of Japan, and the Bank of England.

Oil prices have risen sharply due to Iran choking off the flow of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz, the sea passage for a fifth of the world’s oil and fuel products during normal times. Raising rates aims to dampen the consumer price inflation fed by higher costs for products made from crude such as gasoline, diesel fuel, cooking gas and heating oil.

International benchmark Bent crude was trading at around $93 per barrel on Thursday, up from around $73 on the eve of the war. That has helped push inflation to 3.2% in May in the 21 countries that use the euro currency, above the ECB’s target of 2%.

But ECB policymakers must also consider the impact of higher borrowing costs on an economy showing only mediocre growth. That has led analysts to think Thursday’s hike will be a one and done affair, aimed mainly at signaling to financial markets that the bank is determined not to get behind the curve if inflation spirals higher.

The bank's future decisions depend to a great extent on how long energy prices remain elevated and how high they go, ECB President Christine Lagarde said at a post-decision news conference. She said the bank was “well positioned to navigate the uncertainty caused by the war” and would “closely monitor the situation and follow a data-dependent and meeting-by-meeting approach.” She said the bank was “not pre-committing to a particular rate path.”

She said oil prices were expected to “lift inflation further over the summer” and that inflation was expected to remain “well above target” into the first half of next year. The Strait of Hormuz has been closed to most ship traffic for 103 days now.

Central banks in Australia and the Philippines have raises rates since the start of the war, and attention is focusing now on decisions in larger economies. For its part, the U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged when it meets next week with new chair Warsh, appointed earlier this year by President Donald Trump.

Warsh advocated for rate cuts last year and Trump repeatedly attacked Warsh’s predecessor, Jerome Powell, for not cutting borrowing costs deeply enough. Yet with inflation jumping to a three-year high as gas prices have spiked in the wake of the Iran war, even Trump and his officials have started to shift their focus more to a push to keep rates unchanged.

The Fed is likely to change the statement it issues after each meeting by removing language that had suggested that its next move would be a cut. That would open the door for a rate hike down the road. Many Fed officials have warned that if inflation doesn’t begin to cool soon, a rate hike may be necessary by the end of the year.

Raising benchmark rates influences what lenders charge throughout the economy, increasing the cost of borrowing money to buy things and thus dampening demand for goods. Higher central bank rates can send interest costs higher for home purchases, investment in new factories, and government borrowing.

The ECB may be able to get by with only one or two increases because the inflationary surge may be milder than feared, said Carsten Brzeski, global chief of macro at ING bank.

That is because consumers burned by the post-pandemic spike in inflation are in no mood to pay higher prices, leaving businesses little choice but to swallow higher energy costs: “The pass-through of higher energy and input prices to final consumption will be limited due to a lack of ability and willingness of consumers to actually pay for these higher prices,” he wrote in an emailed comment.

——

Rugaber reported from Washington.

Trump had threatened major strikes on Iran and to seize control of its oil and gas industries as escalating attacks between the countries pushed the Middle East closer to full-scale war.

The threats to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal came after the U.S and Iran traded strikes for a second straight day, pushing the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war. It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East.

Here's the latest:

Trump again threatens federal takeover of DC

The president’s comments came in response to a question about the possibility of Janeese Lewis George winning the District of Columbia’s mayoral primary next week.

“I wouldn’t like it,” Trump said. “And maybe we’d take back Washington, run it on the federal basis. We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses.”

George is one of the front-runners vying to replace Mayor Muriel Bowser and identifies as a democratic socialist.

Trump has claimed the US has essentially reached a deal with Iran before, so why is this different?

“Because they’ve taken a pounding,” Trump explained Thursday when asked why he was confident.

But his answer was vague as he described it as a “very strong memorandum of understanding,” that he described as “a little conceptual.”

He said of Iran, “They want to make the deal a lot more than I do.”

Trump believes Iran Supreme Leader has signed off on emerging deal

“I understand the answer is yes” Trump said when asked if Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has agreed to the deal.

Khamenei was wounded in the opening salvos of the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran and has been in hiding since.

Iran has not yet confirmed that it’s agreed to terms with the U.S. on a settlement to end the war

Trump says Pulte will continue to be acting director of national intelligence

Trump is insisting that Pulte will stay in the temporary role despite the president’s announcement earlier Thursday that he’s chosen Clayton as the permanent nominee.

“He’s only there for a little while,” Trump said of Pulte. Pressed on Pulte’s lack of national security credentials, the president responded “but he’s intelligent, unlike a lot of other people.”

Trump was also vague on whether he’ll take any executive actions to address the potential lapse in surveillance authorities after midnight Friday.

“Congress wants me to do it, and let’s see what happens,” he said.

Trump opens up more protected ocean areas to fishing

Trump opened three marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing with a proclamation Thursday that he said will boost the U.S. seafood industry.

Trump has targeted marine protections created in the era of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush that he said stifle the country’s ability to compete in the global seafood marketplace. He moved to reestablish fishing in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off New England in February.

Thursday’s move focused on portions of Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. The monuments are protected zones in remote areas of the Pacific.

Environmental groups have criticized Trump’s moves to allow fishing in protected zones, which they said provide vital habitat for rare sea life.

US stocks jump and oil prices ease

U.S. stocks have rallied to their best day in two months and oil prices have fallen after Trump said he had called off new military strikes on Iran.

Trump’s comments raised hopes Thursday for a potential deal to get the global flow of oil going again.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.8%, coming off a back-to-back drop that had yanked it back to where it was in early May.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped 1.9%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.5%. Strong gains for chip stocks helped offset a slide for Oracle. Treasury yields eased sharply in the bond market.

Rubio says UFC fights are a great uniter for a polarized America as White House prepares for cage match

“There are only a handful of things that bring people together in one place at one time, united by their interest in one thing. We need more of those,” Rubio said.

He lauded the popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the diversity of fight audiences as he signed a sports diplomacy agreement with UFC president Dana White.

He said the White House event on Sunday could have been a concert or a “Shakespeare in the Park” production, “but this one will have people watching probably … a billion people over the world will be watching America celebrate its 250th birthday with the White House in the background.”

National Mall vandalism investigated

The U.S. Park Police is investigating after someone marked the numbers “86 47” on the grass of the lawn west of the Washington Monument.

“The cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined. Grass samples have been collected for testing,” Park Police said in an email.

The same numbers got attention after former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in April over a photograph he posted on social media of seashells arranged to say “86 47.” The Justice Department contends the numbers amounted to a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Comey has said he assumed the numbers reflected a political message, not a call to violence.

According to Merriam-Webster, 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.”

“The deranged vandalism on our National Mall will not be tolerated,” the Department of Interior said in an email. “Any threat against the President is taken very seriously by the Department.”

Trump claims he’s close to making a deal with Iran aimed at winding down conflict

“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” Trump said at the start of an Oval Office event. “And we’re going to be, subject to finalization of documents, which should get done over the next few days, probably have a signing, maybe in Europe.”

Trump started the day by again threatening to hit Iran “very hard” with new strikes. Hours later, he returned to social media to say that he decided to cancel plans to escalate the fighting because progress had been made in the talks with Iran and suggested anew that a deal is within view.

But Trump on multiple occasions over the last several weeks has claimed that the warring parties have been on a cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition.

Taiwan’s opposition leader met US lawmakers

The leader of Taiwan’s opposition party met five U.S. lawmakers at a time when Washington is seeking to stabilize ties with Beijing despite their differences over the self-governed island, including U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of Taiwan’s Kuomintang Party, is on a two-week trip to the U.S. to promote her party’s approach to peace in the Taiwan Strait through dialogue and to explain its stance on Taiwan’s defense budget and purchase of U.S. weapons. Her party opposes the formal independence of Taiwan.

Taiwan’s media reported that Cheng on Wednesday met with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla. Mast chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Fleischmann’s office confirmed the meeting.

Thune says Senate could move ‘fairly quickly’ to confirm Clayton

“I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said after Trump announced on social media that he would nominate Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence.

Democrats are holding up the renewal of a key surveillance law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in protest of Trump’s temporary pick for the job, federal housing regulator Bill Pulte. The law expires Friday at midnight.

Trump has previously said that Pulte will take over from the outgoing director, Tulsi Gabbard, on June 19. It is unclear whether the Senate could move quickly enough to confirm Clayton before that date.

Rubio signs sports diplomacy agreement with UFC ahead of cage fight at the White House

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed a cooperation agreement with the president of the Ultimate Fight Championship that will pair the two institutions in providing fight training, health and diet regimes and promote teamwork and leadership for youths around the world.

Rubio signed the agreement with UFC chief Dana White at the State Department on Thursday, just three days before the UFC will stage a cage match at the White House. Sunday’s match will be held in conjunction with Trump’s 80th birthday and the celebration of America’s 250th independence anniversary.

The partnership will be part of a broader sports diplomacy initiative that has been operating for decades. It has involved golf, tennis, figure skating, American football, soccer and other athletes. Under the program, program, UFC athletes and coaches will serve as U.S. sports ambassadors, leading training clinics for young international athletes.

Trump picks Jay Clayton, ex-SEC head and current US attorney, as director of national intelligence

Trump says he plans to nominate Jay Clayton, the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission and current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, as director of national intelligence.

Trump announced the nomination on social media on Thursday amid pressure from Congress to name Tulsi Gabbard’s permanent replacement. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director after Gabbard announced last month that she was stepping down because of her husband’s cancer diagnosis.

The situation led to a standoff in Congress as Democrats said they would refuse to renew a foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte’s nomination and named a permanent nominee.

“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”

Pentagon ends lockdown over ‘air quality’ issue

The Pentagon has stood down from a lockdown over what officials described as an “air quality issue.”

“Subsequent testing confirmed no hazard exists, and normal operations have resumed,” the Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a social media post.

The lockdown lasted for about two hours and prompted a response from hazmat teams of the Pentagon’s internal police force as well as the team from nearby Arlington, Virginia.

Trump calls off threatened strikes against Iran after indicating progress in talks

Trump says he’s called off new military strikes on Iran hours after threatening to escalate the 3-month-old war.

The president said in a social media post Thursday that he made the move “based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”

Trump also suggested that progress has been made in talks to extend the fragile ceasefire, writing that “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail,” approved by United States, Israel, and other regional allies. He did not offer details.

Trump on multiple occasions over the last several weeks has claimed that the warring parties have been on a cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition.

Targeting Iran’s Kharg Island carries major risks

Kharg Island has emerged as a focus of the war launched by the United States and Israel. The Persian Gulf island is home to a terminal through which Iran exports most of its oil.

Strikes on oil infrastructure on Kharg — or a ground invasion — would severely curb Iran’s oil exports, a key source of revenue for the Islamic Republic.

An assault would also mark a major escalation that could provoke even heavier retaliatory attacks on Gulf infrastructure. That would further drive up oil prices that already threaten the world economy.

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A look at the scene on the White House South Lawn for Sunday’s UFC event

It looks from afar more UFO than UFC.

Maybe it’s the kind of contraption that has carried space aliens to the White House to force a meeting with America’s leader.

But come closer and you’ll see the contours of the eight-sided cage, 30 feet in diameter and shaped like the MMA league’s signature Octagon.

Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the fighting in the cage below.

And surrounding all that are risers filled with gray folding chairs forming a temporary arena expected to seat 4,000-plus for the seven UFC fights being staged on Sunday to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

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Iran’s parliamentary speaker responds

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned in a social media post Thursday that “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions” would wreak havoc on energy markets and “create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years.”

Iran’s monthslong stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.

Hazardous materials units respond to the Pentagon

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazardous materials team was responding to an unknown issue and parts of the Pentagon were under a shelter-in-place order while officials investigate.

“The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants. Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Thursday. “The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area.”

The Arlington County Fire Department also sent units, including its hazardous materials team, according to a posting on its X account. Questions to the media office were referred to the Pentagon.

Iranian student says hope dwindles as attacks escalate

A 25-year-old student in northern Iran says Iranians are fearing “chaos” amid the war with the U.S. and Israel and multiplying crises at home.

The student, who lives in the city of Babol, said many Iranians are struggling to afford groceries in the face of mass job losses and triple-digit food inflation. He spoke on the condition of anonymity out of security fears.

“Everything is going wrong and there is no hope among the people,” the student added.

The student first spoke to The Associated Press before the war when he participated in widespread anti-government protests. He now says his chief concern is that Iran “maintain territorial integrity and deterrence” in the face of attacks by the U.S. and Israel.

— Amir-Hussein Radjy

Tensions persist over Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post that the U.S. would extract funds from frozen Iranian accounts to offset the costs of damage to American allies as well as any tolls Iran imposes on ships seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Beyond the deadlock over the strait, the two sides also remain at odds over Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran insists its nuclear efforts are peaceful. The U.S. and Israel fear Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium could be used to build an atomic weapon. That was a main reason they cited for going to war Feb. 28.

Trump doesn’t back down on Bill Pulte

After bipartisan pushback to Pulte’s temporary appointment as director of national intelligence, Trump said last week that he would not permanently nominate him to the position. But Democrats, and some Republicans, want his appointment pulled immediately and for Trump to nominate a replacement that can be confirmed by the Senate.

On Tuesday, though, Trump announced that Pulte would not only take over as acting director — he’d also start earlier than expected, on June 19.

One of several possible replacements could be Pete Hoekstra, Trump’s ambassador to Canada and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The White House has reached out to Hoekstra about the job and conversations are ongoing, according to a person familiar with the outreach who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

— Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro and Seung Min Kim

GOP leaders lobbied the White House, to no avail

Congressional Republicans have lobbied Trump all week to quickly nominate a permanent replacement for director of national intelligence. But he said he needs more time to do so.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republican leaders have “made our views known” to the White House.

Trump has said he’s interviewing five candidates for his pick to lead the agency permanently, after the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the president has made it very clear that Pulte will serve a “very short term — a sort of renovation role” to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

But Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said in a letter to the president that Pulte is a “uniquely poor choice” to serve even in the acting capacity.

House vote to extend FISA spy tool fails and it could lapse as Friday deadline looms

A rare lapse in a law that allows the United States to gather intelligence abroad appears likely after the House failed Thursday to temporarily extend the program, in a protest of President Trump ’s refusal to name a permanent head of the nation’s intelligence agencies.

Trump has doubled down on his temporary pick for director of national intelligence, federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, even though Pulte has little experience for the job. Democrats say they won’t support the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, unless the Republican president withdraws Pulte’s appointment and nominates a permanent replacement.

The House vote collapsed in bipartisan fashion, with some Republicans and nearly all Democrats rejecting the temporary measure. The Senate may try its own vote later Thursday, but hopes are dimming to prevent what could be an unprecedented lapse in the surveillance tool. The law expires Friday at midnight.

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Healey told Starmer in a letter that the government’s Defense Investment Plan falls “well short of what is required at this dangerous time.”

Publication of the plan has been delayed amid reports of disagreement between the Defense Ministry and the Treasury.

Healey was followed out the door several hours later by Al Carns, a decorated war veteran who served as a prominent junior minister in the defense ministry. He said he could not defend “a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task." Carns has been suggested as a possible contender in the anticipated contest to challenge Starmer’s leadership.

Starmer said in a letter to Healey that he was sorry to see him go, but insisted that the funding plan would provide “sustainable and fair” spending increases that would keep the U.K. safe.

Late Thursday the prime minister appointed Dan Jarvis, formerly the security minister, to the defense secretary post.

Critics say too little, too late

Starmer has pledged to boost U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 and 3% by 2035. But many in the military say that isn't fast enough.

“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” Healey wrote in his resignation letter.

He said that the spending plan put forward by the Treasury, and presented to him on Monday, would see defense spending rise to just 2.68% in 2030, after hitting 2.6% next year.

Healey said that isn't enough with growing demands on defense and British military commitments, citing the Iran war, Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine and threats from Moscow.

“I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation,” he said.

Gen. Richard Barrons, who helped lead a defense review that underpins the investment plan, said the government is “actively going backwards” by refusing to fund its own review.

“It diminishes the U.K.’s standing within NATO, weakens our credibility with allies, and increases our vulnerability to the realities of 21st-century conflict,” he said. “Allies and adversaries alike will be paying attention.”

The government said that it was delivering “the largest sustained boost to defense spending since the Cold War.”

“This country is safer because of the decisions Keir Starmer has made and we will continue to act in our national interest,” it said in a statement.

Healey is considered a safe pair of hands

Healey has been U.K. defense secretary since the Labour Party government was elected in July 2024, and he's regarded as a capable and serious minister.

He has played a key role in bolstering international support for Ukraine and assembling a multinational coalition to help guarantee security if a ceasefire is reached. Healey also has helped spearhead a maritime security force that would help keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping if the Iran war ends.

The United Kingdom and other NATO member nations have faced pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to increase military spending. Trump has long questioned the value of the military alliance and complained that the United States provides security to European countries that don’t pull their weight.

The U.K. military is also seeking to reverse years of decline in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, which fully invaded its neighbor Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and increasingly tests the defenses of European nations with overt and covert activity.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, informed of Healey's resignation by The Associated Press during a news conference in Brussels, said that Healey is someone “I respect very much.”

“What we are seeing all over the alliance is countries increasing their defense investments, and of course it is not easy, because in the end there is always a trade-off with other expenses, which are also important,” Rutte said.

Healey’s resignation is likely to further stoke talk that Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered. Already bruised by a series of missteps since Labour returned to power less than two years ago, Starmer has faced calls within his party’s ranks to stand down.

In a sign of his waning authority, Starmer appears to have been unable to bridge the gap between Healey’s department and Treasury chief Rachel Reeves over defense spending.

Olivia O’Sullivan, head of the U.K. in the World program at the Chatham House think tank, said the resignation “significantly undermines Starmer,” especially since the prime minister has had “a relatively assured track record on defense and foreign affairs.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer for the leadership, if he returns to Parliament in a June 18 special election.

Justin Crump, a former British tank commander who heads security consultancy Sibylline, said that Healey's resignation “should not have been allowed to occur in a well-run government.”

“It just further underlines a lack of control here, a lack of clarity, a lack of resolution, a gap between words and delivery,” he said.

___

Mark Carlson in Brussels, and Pan Pylas and Brian Melley in London, contributed to this report.

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Authorities said the girl, who was identified by a family member as Janova Park, suffered gunshot wounds to her stomach and torso and was rushed to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where she later died.

“We know that at the time of the shooting, there were three adults and two children -- the victim who’s 5 years old and her 4-year-old brother,” said MDSO Det. Angel Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the agency. “Detectives are going to be here for quite some time, taking part in this investigation. They’re going to make sure that no stone is left unturned, and right now we’re just asking for prayers from the community.”

The shooting happened inside a home on Northwest First Court.

Deputies said they were called to the home around 2 a.m. after shots were fired.

They also confirmed that Janova’s mother was among those inside the home at the time of the shooting.

Detectives said they’re still trying to determine how Janova was shot, including whether she may have accessed the gun herself or whether someone else shot her.

Local 10’s Hannah Yechivi spoke to Laticha Ellison, Janova’s grandmother, who said the shooting could’ve been prevented.

“My grandbaby is 5 years old,” Ellison said through tears. “She’s only 5. It makes me angry because nothing like this should be able to happen, especially in your home — carelessness.”

Ellison described her granddaughter as “smart and sassy.”

Investigators said a gun was recovered inside the home and that they “are not looking for any individuals that may pose a threat to the community.”

Crime scene tape remained up outside the home later Wednesday morning as investigators continued to process the scene.

Brandon, who lives in Rockwell, North Carolina, is worried that new Medicaid work requirements starting next year could jeopardize her health coverage. She had expected to qualify for a medical frailty exemption, but new guidance introduced by President Donald Trump's administration last week has thrown that into question.

The interim final rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services means being sick with extreme exhaustion and memory challenges related to her treatments may not be enough for Brandon to evade the new work requirements. She will have to attest and later prove that those symptoms “significantly impair” her ability to fulfill the mandates.

If the government doesn’t accept her case, she could lose her coverage and the twice-monthly maintenance chemotherapy that keeps her multiple myeloma in remission. Working is “outside of the realm of possibility for me,” she said in an interview.

“I was always a push-through-it person — you know, ‘Oh, you’re tired. Push through,’” Brandon said. “It’s hard to explain to people you can’t push through it.”

Health analysts have sounded the alarm about the Republican Trump administration’s newest guidance, which differs from what states had been expecting. Experts said it will put more Americans at risk of losing health insurance and force states to scramble in their already harried efforts to implement the changes on time.

“This will mean more paperwork for Medicaid patients — specifically for the sickest Medicaid patients,” said Adrianna McIntyre, a professor at Harvard University’s school of public health. That, she said, "is going to push in the direction of more people needlessly losing coverage.”

Medical frailty rules may mean paperwork nightmares for sick people

The new Medicaid restrictions, which Democrats have criticized, were part of Trump’s big tax and policy law in 2025. The change affects those covered through an expansion in most states that gave more lower-income people access to the government’s safety net healthcare program.

Expansion enrollees age 19 to 64 will have to show that they work or do community service at least 80 hours a month or are in school at least half the time. There are exceptions for those considered medically frail or in addiction treatment programs, among others.

Last week’s announcement from CMS caught states off guard with a new definition of medical frailty. The law had said medically frail people include those who have substance use disorders, disabilities or serious medical conditions. But the CMS rule went further, saying someone’s condition must “significantly impair” their ability to work, volunteer or attend school at the rates required in the law for them to be granted an exemption.

In 2027 and once in 2028, the patient can attest that they meet this definition. But when they try to renew coverage in 2028, they’ll need to prove it.

Advocates said it is unclear what kind of documentation could prove that point. They said doctor notes may be required — something some providers don’t feel comfortable writing. Medicaid enrollees fighting disease may carry the bureaucratic burden.

Brandon, who tried to prove she couldn’t work to access disability benefits during her active cancer treatment and failed, said she’s worried about the hoops she and other patients may need to jump through.

“It’s not that easy — you may have to go through four doctors,” Brandon said. “If you’re already battling an illness like this, you don’t have the physical or the mental or the emotional energy to do that all the time.”

States and advocates are confused by the government's approach

States have been planning to use Medicaid claims data and other data sources to automatically exempt eligible enrollees whenever possible.

On a call with reporters last week, the CMS administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz, endorsed that approach, saying he hoped most people would be helped "without ever having to talk to anybody.”

Asked to clarify how the rule should be implemented, the agency told The Associated Press in an email that it “chose not to allow states to categorically exclude individuals from work requirements based solely on a diagnosis or condition type.” For renewal in 2028, it said, “verification through claims data or other documentation will generally be required.”

But state Medicaid officials and consultants said Medicaid claims data doesn’t prove someone is significantly impaired from working, and they don’t know of any existing data that does. That has left them confused about how to honor the government's rule.

“States are going to be asked to make a determination using information that doesn’t exist in their systems,” said Kinda Serafi, a partner at the legal and consulting firm Manatt Health who is working with states to make the changes.

One state, Nebraska, started the new Medicaid work requirements ahead of schedule. But it used diagnostic codes to identify people who are medically frail, and therefore will likely have to rework its system, said Sarah Maresh, healthcare access program director at the advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed.

Maresh said she was concerned doctors in the rural state who are already reluctant to take Medicaid patients may stop.

“They’re already drowning in paperwork, so to require them to do an additional step of certifying whether someone is able to work, I think is concerning,” she said.

Preparing for the Jan. 1 kickoff of the new policies is an immense and expensive task. A $200 million federal allotment is flowing to states to help, and CMS has partnered with technology companies to provide free and discounted services, but the tab for the additional technology requirements and more staff is likely to exceed $1 billion, according to an AP analysis. That extra cost will be borne by a mix of federal and state tax dollars.

Republicans say the rules will save Medicaid for those who need it most

Democrats have slammed the Medicaid work requirements as attacks on healthcare coverage for struggling Americans.

Republicans promoting the new rules, though, say they are commonsense measures to eliminate government freeloading and preserve benefits for people who need them most. Oz last week, citing a report by the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank, said able-bodied people on Medicaid spend an average of 6.1 hours a day “watching TV or just hanging out.”

“This is a concern, not a criticism,” he said. “Work requirements are going to turn this around, we hope."

Current enrollees who don’t meet the work requirement threshold said that’s a misrepresentation of their experience.

Mids Meinberg, a 42-year-old freelance writer from New Jersey who lives with chronic depression and diabetes, said that even with his health issues, he’s proud to have found a meaningful career. But his conditions make him unable to work 80 hours a month. He said he thinks there are many people with disabilities who are “too disabled to work but not disabled enough for the state to think they can’t work.”

Brandon, in North Carolina, said she wants the government to understand that she’s “not just sitting around wasting time or being a drain on society.”

“I’m pouring into my grandchildren,” she said. “We’re valuable, and we can still contribute to our communities even if it’s not working.”

But is time finally up for the BBC science fiction series that has entertained generations of fans?

The British broadcaster has canceled a Christmas special previously announced for later this year, and showrunner Russell T. Davies has confirmed his exit.

Davies had been due to write the Christmas episode, announced when the last season ended in May 2025.

The BBC said Wednesday that it, Davies and production company Bad Wolf “have collectively decided not to go ahead” with the Christmas episode. The broadcaster said it was determined “to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show.”

It said it would put out a tender for production companies to work on the series. A deal between the BBC and Disney+ to co-produce and distribute the show ended in 2025 after two seasons.

First broadcast in 1963, “Doctor Who” follows the adventures of a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels in the Tardis, a time-and-space machine that from the outside resembles a mid-20th century British police telephone box.

Its longevity is due in part to its premise: the central character can regenerate into a new body when the old one wears out, so the show can outlive any individual star. More than a dozen actors have played the role, most recently Ncuti Gatwa.

Davies, who revived the show in 2005 after a 16-year hiatus and returned as showrunner in 2022, said the Christmas episode had not been written and no actor had been approached to play the central role of the Doctor.

Davies, who has also written dramas including “Queer as Folk,” “It’s a Sin” and the recent “Tip Toe,” said the show’s future was “unpredictable” in an Instagram post.

“You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who … but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it!” Davies wrote. “It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who — exciting and unpredictable and new! Here comes the future.”

Job Listing: Associate Producer

Responsibilities:

Oversee the complete preparation of newscast including writing stories and coordinating with: reporters, executive producers, assignment desk staff and production department. The producer will also coordinate the program in the control room. Must be able to use knowledge of current events to participate in editorial process and write scripts.

Qualifications:

• Knowledge of television news
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills required
• Ability to work flexible hours including nights, weekends and holidays
• Ability to work in a fast-paced high-energy environment with daily deadlines and changing priorities
• 3-5 years’ experience as a writer or producer in a commercial news operation required
• College degree in journalism or broadcasting preferred
• News computer knowledge necessary

***All of the essential functions of this position are not necessarily described in this posting.

***We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, marital status, disability, or political affiliation. Any offer of employment is conditioned on successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks. A valid driver’s license is required.

Please follow link below to apply for Associate Producer Position:

https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/wplg/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/8954

Chris Schenk

Executive Producer

WPLG/TV

3401 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd.

Pembroke Park, FL 33023

cschenk@wplg.com

No phone calls please.

SpaceX is likely to become the biggest IPO ever, with proceeds of around $75 billion. SpaceX hopes to become the first company to send people to Mars. In fact, part of Musk’s future compensation depends on SpaceX eventually establishing a colony of at least 1 million people on the red planet.

Why SpaceX is going public now

In a video conference on Musk's social media platform X, he told JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon that people have suggested for the last 10 years that he take SpaceX public. He's doing it now because the company plans to put 100,000 next-generation Starlink satellites into orbit. Deploying AI data centers in space is a “massive new growth base and you need capital for that,” he said.

Going public provides access to the capital that SpaceX needs. But it also exposes it to more scrutiny from shareholders and more regulatory oversight. That includes filing quarterly financial reports, which critics say incentivizes short-term thinking over longer-term planning and creates unnecessary costs for a company. Securities regulators are currently soliciting public comment on a proposal to require public companies to file the financial reports only twice every year.

How the IPO impacts the company

Musk will hold the majority of a special class of shares, giving him control over decisions related to company strategy, finances and personnel. On the latter, because of his ownership of most of these Class B shares, the only person who can fire Musk as CEO ... is Musk.

The company credits Musk with being the “driving force” behind its growth, innovation and success. But what happens if Musk is no longer in the picture? SpaceX warns that the loss of Musk could disrupt its ability to execute its strategy as well as hurt its “reputation and relationships with customers, partners and other stakeholders.”

The company also warns that finding a replacement with the same skills and experience as Musk would be time-consuming, if not nearly impossible. As Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote Wednesday, “At the end of the day Musk is SpaceX and SpaceX is Musk.”

Some big investors are unhappy. Officials from pension funds for firefighters, teachers and other workers in California and New York sent a letter to SpaceX last month decrying some of the provisions in its IPO, including the “super voting shares,” mandatory arbitration of shareholder claims instead of the possibility of lawsuits and how much power Musk will hold over the company.

They said they could become owners of SpaceX stock because they hold index funds, which automatically buy stocks after they get included in certain indexes.

What could make or break SpaceX

Currently in the test phase, the gigantic reusable Starship rocket is key to SpaceX realizing Musk's ambitions. Much of the commercial space business hinges on SpaceX developing Starship’s capability to be fully reusable and hearty enough for a quick turnaround between flights. If that doesn't happen, SpaceX warns that putting data centers and satellites in space will take longer and cost more money, meaning it risks customers bailing on the company.

Analysts say that by pioneering reusable rockets, SpaceX has established a clear lead on competitors such as Blue Origin, led by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The Starlink satellite business competes with, among others, AST SpaceMobile – which is relying on a SpaceX rocket to send its latest generation of satellites into orbit next week.

The prospectus filed last week says SpaceX’s biggest potential market is the sale of business-oriented artificial intelligence products designed to transform how people get work done. It’s an opportunity SpaceX predicts would be worth $22.7 trillion if it could somehow dominate rivals like Anthropic, OpenAI and Microsoft in a highly competitive industry. But the prospectus shows no clear path to profitability for the xAI business, which merged with SpaceX earlier this year.

Why Wall Street is paying attention

If the SpaceX IPO is as successful, the stock could quickly join the Nasdaq 100, a widely followed index that tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies in the composite. That's important because some popular funds, such as the $460 billion QQQ exchange-traded fund, mimic the index and will automatically buy whatever is listed in the index.

Nasdaq recently changed its rules to allow select companies to enter the Nasdaq 100 after just 15 trading days.

S&P Dow Jones Indices, on the other hand, is sticking to established and more traditional thresholds that will not allow SpaceX or other companies with gargantuan IPOs faster entry into its S&P 500 index. That means even high-profile companies will still need to wait for their stocks to trade a full 12 months before they can enter the index.

Companies want to be in the S&P 500 in particular because it's arguably the most important index on Wall Street, with trillions of dollars either mimicking it exactly or benchmarked against it. Vanguard's VOO fund that tracks the S&P 500 has roughly $950 billion invested in it, for example.

The 44-year-old Williams' doubles partner, 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw from the draw on Thursday because of a knee injury she sustained in a singles match against Karolina Pliskova in the last 16 on Wednesday.

In her first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open, Williams teamed up with Mboko to beat third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 at the grass-court event on Tuesday. They were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.

Williams is set to play doubles at the Berlin Open in Germany next week. Her partner has yet to be announced, though British newspaper The Times of London reported it was Karolina Muchova.

Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including seven at Wimbledon — before stepping away from the game, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than "retiring."

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This story has been corrected to say Mboko was injured in the last 16 of the singles, not the last 32

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

The billionaire owner of the Head sports goods business lost a 65-64 vote to Alexander Ospelt, a lawyer from Liechtenstein who got a four-year term to lead the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS).

Eliasch also loses his membership of the International Olympic Committee, one of the most exclusive clubs in world sport. The 100-plus invited members include royal family members, former government leaders, industrialists, sports officials, athletes and Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh.

In his concession speech, Eliasch aimed an allegation at the Olympic body and urged FIS to protect its independence before congratulating Ospelt.

“The IOC tried to influence the outcome of today’s vote. Against this we must stay firm,” Eliasch said.

He also stood in the IOC presidential election won by Kirsty Coventry 15 months ago.

In a statement on Thursday, the IOC congratulated Ospelt on his win without directly addressing Eliasch's claim, adding: “We thank Mr. Johan Eliasch for his work as FIS president and IOC member.”

The FIS congress in the Serbian capital Belgrade started with shows of power by 75 member federations; the votes hinted at problems ahead for Eliasch.

The agenda was changed on an 88% vote to bring the presidential election forward as the first item of business. The weighted voting used by FIS gives two or three votes to established ski nations instead of a one-member-one-vote system by other federations such as soccer body FIFA.

Then there was a 60% vote to use paper ballots instead of electronic voting, which seemed to reflect some mistrust in the FIS administration.

The 64-year-old Eliasch served as FIS president for five years that were marked by constant sparring with ski nations including Austria and Switzerland over issues such as his management style and spending of the ski body's cash reserves.

A dual citizen of Sweden and Britain, Eliasch was not supported by either of those national federations to stand for re-election. He complied with FIS rules by getting a passport and nomination from the country of Georgia.

The new president

FIS rules mean Ospelt becomes president officially one day after the election, leaving Eliasch to oversee the rest of the congress business of what was now his last day in office.

“It’s been a great privilege to serve you,” said the outgoing president, who had said the election would be a win-win as he could “get my life back” if he lost. “Either way I am very happy.”

Ospelt, who has been a member of the Eliasch-chaired FIS council, said he would start his new job with “great joy and humility.”

“I will be the president for all of you. Let’s be united,” he said.

Ospelt does not immediately become an IOC member, though he would probably be invited to join as head of the sports body that oversees about half of the medal events at each Winter Olympics.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

The helicopter crashed Wednesday in Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, apparently because of a technical fault, according to Pakistan’s military. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.

An Associated Press reporter counted 22 coffins draped in Pakistan’s national flag at a funeral ceremony.

Witnesses and regional officials said the remains of the soldiers were recovered from the badly burned wreckage. The dead included a colonel and two army majors, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Among those attending the funerals was regional Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore.

According to the officials, the soldiers had been traveling to carry out security duties after a call for a march on Muzaffarabad by the Joint Awami Action Committee, a recently banned alliance of various groups.

Authorities have not indicated any connection between the planned protest and the crash.

Pakistan has deployed additional security forces across the region, where tensions have been high since the weekend after members of an outlawed group attacked police and security personnel, killing four officers.

Military helicopter crashes are not uncommon in Pakistan.

In September, an army helicopter on a routine flight crashed in northern Pakistan, killing two pilots and three technicians.

Bruel, 67, denies the allegations.

He was brought Wednesday before four investigative judges at the court in Nanterre, in the western suburbs of Paris, following a two-day police custody.

The Nanterre prosecutor’s office said the formal investigation concerns allegations of rape in 2008 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, west of Paris, attempted rape in 2010 in Brussels, and sexual assault and sexual harassment in Perpignan, in southern France, and Ajaccio, Corsica, both in 2019.

The judicial investigation also continues into other allegations of rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment between 2010 and 2019 in three French cities and in Nyon, Switzerland, according to prosecutors.

Some allegations that had previously been dismissed without further action were reexamined and included in the case, the prosecutor’s office said.

Bruel was released under judicial supervision and barred from leaving France. He was ordered to surrender his passport, undergo psychological treatment and post bail of 500,000 euros ($576,760). He is also prohibited from contacting his accusers or members of their families and from entering massage parlors, where some of the alleged offenses are alleged to have occurred.

Bruel’s lawyers said in a statement the singer would cooperate fully with the investigation and remains available to the judicial authorities.

In recent weeks, a series of media reports, notably by French investigative website Mediapart, brought into public attention allegations by multiple women spanning several decades against Bruel, prompting additional complaints to be filed.

Prosecutors said accusations by other women that appear to be barred by the statute of limitations have nevertheless been attached to the case file so investigating judges can gain a broader understanding of the allegations. Complaints filed in other jurisdictions could later be added to the Nanterre investigation.

Bruel became one of the biggest stars in the French-speaking world in the late 1980s and 1990s. His popularity was so intense that French media coined the term “Bruelmania,” drawing comparisons with Beatlemania.

Hit songs from his 1989 second album have became part of French popular culture, addressing universal themes including love, heartbreak, nostalgia and childhood and bringing together generations of fans. Bruel later built a parallel acting career, appearing in dozens of film and television productions.

Last month he canceled all shows planned this summer in France, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium and at the end of the year in Canada.

Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammad were arrested shortly after the Aug. 17, 2015, bombing of the Erawan shrine, which is a popular tourist destination, particularly for visitors from China.

The men were charged with a variety of offenses, including murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of explosive materials. They allegedly were linked by video, fingerprints and other evidence to the bombing.

Four judges presided over the ruling at Bangkok South Criminal Court. The court ruled the two were found guilty due to overwhelming evidence against them and were unable to provide substantial evidence proving otherwise.

After the judges left the courtroom, Mieraili shouted in broken Thai that he rejected the ruling and was innocent.

“I mourn for Thailand,” he said. “I did not receive justice … I ask Thai people to help me.”

Mieraili learned Thai while in detention, according to his lawyer. He also speaks English and on Thursday was asked to translate the proceedings into Uyghur for Bilal because only an English interpreter was available in court. The trial was repeatedly delayed because of difficulties finding suitable translators.

Chuchart Kanpai, one of the defense lawyers, said they will appeal as there are still several aspects of the case that were not taken into consideration.

The two men allegedly confessed during the initial questioning but pleaded not guilty when the trial began in 2016. The proceedings originally took place in a military court before the case was transferred to the civilian Bangkok South Criminal Court in 2019.

The men said they suffered mistreatment and torture in jail after their arrests. But the judges said Thursday there was no evidence of torture and that investigators did not appear to have coerced the confessions.

China on Thursday said it welcomed the verdict.

“The terrorist bombing that year killed 20 people, including seven Chinese citizens, and injured more than 100 others. The perpetrators were utterly inhumane and guilty of heinous crimes," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian said. “China supports Thailand in conducting the trial in accordance with the law and severely punishing the perpetrators.”

Several human rights groups have criticized the procedures and the lengthy trial. In 2023, the International Federation for Human Rights based in France submitted a petition to the United Nations alleging numerous violations of human rights and due process, including the lack of a legal basis for the arrests and discriminatory treatment.

Authorities identified 17 suspects in connection to the blast but only three were apprehended. Charges against a Thai woman were dropped in 2024 due to lack of evidence.

Police said they believe Mieraili detonated the bomb minutes after a backpack containing the device was allegedly left at the shrine by Bilal, who also is known as Adem Karadag.

Thai authorities have said the bombing was revenge by a people smuggling gang whose activities had been disrupted by the police. Thailand cracked down on human traffickers earlier in 2015 after abandoned camps for Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar and economic migrants from Bangladesh were found in the jungles along the Thai-Malaysia border.

However, some analysts suspect the bombing was the work of Uyghur separatists angry that Thailand had forcibly repatriated scores of Uyghurs to China in July 2015. Many Uyghurs try to escape persecution and tight control in China with the help of professional smugglers.

Thailand deported 40 Uyghur asylum seekers back to China in 2025, which drew international criticism.

The shrine’s popularity among Chinese tourists lent support to the theory that the bombing had a political element.

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Associated Press writer Huizhong Wu contributed to this report.

The fire broke out at around 5 a.m. on the third floor of a residential building in the Magaluf area, according to the Civil Guard, a Spanish law enforcement agency. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Residents tried unsuccessfully to put out the blaze, which spread to the rest of the building, especially toward the upper floors, it added. The flames were extinguished about two hours later.

Four people remained hospitalized, local authorities said in a statement on their website. About 20 residents were affected by the fire, it added. Nearby hotels will provide temporary housing for affected residents.

One of the deceased was a 58-year-old Argentine citizen, and the other was a woman who hasn't yet been identified, the Civil Guard said. They were in two separate apartments.

The floor where the fire started was cordoned off, along with the levels directly above and below it, authorities said.

Magaluf, a popular beach and nightlife destination among young British and German tourists, is located on the coast of Calvià, 22 kilometers (nearly 14 miles) west of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Mediterranean archipelago.

Local authorities declared two days of mourning following the tragedy.

Mexicans milling through the busy Hidalgo metro station pointed and laughed, occasionally snapping pictures of the face-lift that has become the subject of a cascade of internet memes.

The cosmetic makeover that authorities have attempted to give the capital as visitors arrive from around the globe also has become a symbol of criticisms that the government is prioritizing its superficial appearance for World Cup fans over fixing critical structural issues that have long plagued the city.

“People make fun of it because it's a failed aesthetic, it doesn't make a lot of sense,” said Silvia Escamilla, 28, who was hustling to work among a crowd of Mexican commuters. “All these renovations are like putting makeup on the city, because the infrastructure they could actually invest in just isn’t there.”

Decorations cover the problems

For weeks, Mexico City workers have plastered walls and metro cars with cartoon axolotls, the mole salamander that has become a city mascot. They also have painted bridges purple and planted Mexican marigold flowers typical of Day of the Dead celebrations in November.

The 22 million residents of the sprawling capital, known as Chilangos, have jokingly referred to the renovations as the city's “axolotlization.” They have posted videos of flooded underpasses next to freshly painted murals of axolotls and crumbling stairs and potholes painted bright purple.

Hidalgo station, in the heart of the downtown, has perhaps become the subject of more memes than anywhere else in the city.

When city workers installed the chandelier near the metro entrance and rows of Victorian wall lamps in May, social media users were quick to joke that authorities were trying to make the gritty metro system look like it was in a European city.

Social media creators mock the changes

Residents began to show up at the station in elegant dresses in videos layered over Mozart music. One social media influencer descended the marble stairs dressed as the Beast from the classic Disney cartoon “Beauty and the Beast.” Another arrived as Napoleon Bonaparte in a white wig and French military uniform.

“May you have an elegant metro connection,” one social media influencer said as he strolled through throngs of commuters dressed in a tuxedo and top hat. Another filmed herself selling pink dresses aboard one of the metro trains, yelling to passengers that the items matched the “etiquette” of Metro Hidalgo.

Many more posed next to marble floors and walls torn up by construction ahead of the soccer tournament being hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The humor highlights larger issues

The crush of jokes amused Mexicans for weeks, but also cut to the core of a deeper problem in the city, said Aldo Solano Rojas, an art historian in Mexico City who has criticized the remodel.

Failures to prioritize issues like the metro's crumbling infrastructure and holes in the major municipal roadways show the government “doesn't understand the real needs of the city,” he said.

“State presence, at its best, is reflected in well-maintained sidewalks and adequate transportation infrastructure that doesn't collapse every day,” Solano Rojas said. “It's not reflected in frivolous, superficial axolotl murals while the streets are flooding.”

The criticisms come in the midst of wider social unrest in Mexico City as the country's teachers union, families of Mexico's 130,000 missing people and a range of other social movements use the proximity to the event to pressure authorities.

The government also has faced accusations of displacing sex workers and street vendors in an effort to clean up the streets. Despite the tensions, city workers on Wednesday were still racing to complete construction ahead of the opening ceremony and first match.

Mirna Baranco looked fondly on the renovations, but the 46-year-old laughed at the chandelier over Hidalgo construction workers. She nudged her boyfriend and pointed.

“I've already seen it all over the place on Facebook, but not in real life,” she said.

Baranco understood the criticisms, but said she didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing that authorities were making changes to be more attractive to international visitors. The World Cup has helped push local governments to make needed renovations, even if some look a little out of place, she said.

The changes show that “Mexico isn't just how others stereotype us, as a country with narcos,” Baranco said. “Mexico has a lot to give the world.”

Leo issued an impassioned plea to recognize the dignity of migrants from the port of Arguineguín, in the Canary Islands. In 2020, the port was dubbed “dock of shame” because of the squalid conditions migrants were forced to live in for months during a spike in arrivals.

“Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border,” Leo said, with rescue ships docked behind him and a simple wooden cross made from a shipwrecked migrant boat nearby.

Leo is spending the final two days of his weeklong trip to Spain in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and a key point of entry for migrants who make the perilous Atlantic crossing from West Africa.

He is fulfilling a wish of Pope Francis to visit the islands to commemorate the thousands of lives lost at sea.

With two migrants standing by him, Leo threw a bouquet of flowers into the sea. The gesture recalled one Francis made in 2013, at the start of his pontificate, when he visited another migration flashpoint in Lampedusa, Sicily and denounced the “globalization of indifference” that the world showed migrants.

A visit to the ‘dock of shame’

The Canary Islands have long been a stepping stone for migrants trying to reach Europe from West Africa and Morocco. Some experts consider the Atlantic route they take to get here more deadly than the more well-known central Mediterranean smuggling route from Libya and Tunisia to Italy.

Migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands peaked in 2024 at nearly 47,000. Following pressure and deals between the European Union, Spain and the governments of several West African nations, arrivals have fallen dramatically, with just over 3,000 people landing there in the first five months of 2026.

Upon his arrival, Leo went straight to the port in Arguineguín, where in 2020 arrivals reached such numbers that migrants were forced to sleep on the dock in makeshift camps in the open air.

Many spent weeks just a blanket and no showers. Potential asylum seekers had no proper access to legal advice and some people were held for weeks, much longer than the three days that the law allowed. The ombudsman later forced the government to shutter the makeshift camp and relocate the migrants in hotels that had been emptied by COVID-19.

A challenge to uphold dignity

At the port on Thursday, Leo sat under a shaded platform while a fierce midday sun baked down on the migrants and aid workers. He heard testimonies from rescue workers, humanitarian workers and the personal story of a Nigerian victim of human trafficking. Nearby a banner, recalling the port's former nickname, rebaptized it “Dock of Hope.”

“Dear migrants, before saying anything else to you, I want to bow before your dignity,” Leo said to them, bowing his head slightly.

Addressing the Nigerian woman and other women who have been trafficked and forced into prostitution, Leo assured them: “If others have put a price on your body, know that God has never ceased to recognize your inestimable worth,” he said.

He urged countries of origin to create the security and economic conditions so people are not forced to flee, and for transit countries to protect migrants so they don’t fall prey to smugglers. And he appealed to the “conscience of Europe, which cannot claim to uphold human dignity while growing accustomed to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic becoming unmarked graves.”

In one of the most powerful speeches of his pontificate, dedicated entirely to migration, Leo listed the rights of migrants to flee or remain. But he didn't mention the right of nations to control their borders or limit asylum requests as he has done in the past. And significantly, he insisted that if one is Christian, one cannot ignore the plight of migrants.

“May history not accuse us of turning the pain of those who suffer into a common sight along our shores,” he said. “Today, here by the sea, every individual that arrives asks us what remains of our humanity. Sooner or later, it will be known whether we protected life or whether we yielded to indifference.”

Among the migrants waiting for Leo was Mame Amandou Neang, a 56-year-old who arrived in the Arguineguín port from Senegal earlier this year.

“This is a great honor,” said Neang. “We hope that if we see him, all our problems will stay behind us, we will forget our problems, because we have many things to forget for the moment.”

The International Organization of Migration’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded some 6,600 deaths on the Atlantic route from West Africa since it began keeping record in 2014. But it admits their estimate is a vast undercount due to the lack of information on the route and the phenomenon of “invisible shipwrecks.”

Since 2020, Spanish migrants rights group Walking Borders estimates more than 25,000 dead or missing trying to reach the Canary Islands.

Leo follows in Francis' footsteps in prioritizing migrants

Francis had made the plight of refugees a hallmark of his papacy, following the Gospel mandate to “welcome the stranger.”

Leo has followed suit, insisting especially on the dignity of migrants in his native United States amid the Trump administration’s crackdown and mass deportation program.

Next month, on July 4, the American pope will spend U.S. Independence Day on the island of Lampedusa, where Francis in 2013 first denounced the “globalization of indifference” the world shows migrants.

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Winfield reported from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Brito contributed from Barcelona, Spain.

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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.