Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO), el choque fue reportado a las 6:24 a.m. en el área de Northwest 54th Street y 77th Court.

“Según los investigadores, una camioneta circulaba hacia el este por la NW 54 Street cuando continuó a través de la intersección y chocó contra un muro de concreto”, indicó la MDSO en un comunicado. “El vehículo pasó por encima del muro de contención e ingresó a los carriles en dirección sur de la carretera estatal 826 (autopista Palmetto), donde impactó a otro vehículo”.

Agentes confirmaron que el conductor de la camioneta fue declarado muerto en la escena.

El conductor del otro vehículo fue trasladado a un hospital cercano en condición estable.

Según el detective Argemis “AC” Colome, se recuperó un arma en la escena y los detectives creen que el conductor de la camioneta se quitó la vida.

La identidad del conductor aún no ha sido revelada.

Todos los carriles en dirección sur de la autopista Palmetto fueron cerrados tras el choque, pero ya han sido reabiertos.

La Unidad de Homicidios de Tránsito de la MDSO investiga las circunstancias del choque.

Las autoridades identificaron al sospechoso como Jamesly Mezime.

La balacera ocurrió cerca del escenario principal del evento en Northeast 62nd Street y Second Avenue, en el vecindario de Little Haiti en Miami.

Según el informe de arresto, agentes que trabajaban en el evento escucharon múltiples disparos, mientras que una alerta de ShotSpotter también detectó disparos en el área. Cuando los agentes respondieron, encontraron a un hombre inconsciente en el suelo con una herida de bala en el pecho.

Ese hombre fue identificado posteriormente como Kitchner Cyrille, de 23 años.

Cyrille fue trasladado al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital, donde luego murió.

Un segundo hombre fue encontrado cerca del escenario central con múltiples heridas de bala y fue hospitalizado en estado crítico.

Una tercera víctima, una mujer, recibió disparos en las piernas y fue llevada al hospital en condición estable, donde luego fue dada de alta.

Según el informe de arresto, cámaras de vigilancia muestran una pelea en la multitud poco después de las 11:20 p.m. del domingo antes de que Mezime disparara contra dos personas y luego huyera a pie.

La policía dijo que el video también muestra a asociados de Mezime tomando objetos de los bolsillos de Cyrille mientras estaba en el suelo antes de “dispersarse entre la multitud”.

Un video obtenido por la policía mostró a Mezime, de North Miami Beach, regresando a un estacionamiento cercano. Fue visto caminando cerca de un Dodge Charger negro antes de subir al vehículo con otras personas y abandonar el área.

La policía indicó que lectores de matrículas y cámaras de vigilancia captaron el mismo vehículo circulando por la zona antes de la balacera.

El jueves, detectives encontraron el Dodge Charger en una residencia en Pembroke Pines y comenzaron vigilancia. Las autoridades siguieron el vehículo mientras transitaba por los condados Broward y Miami-Dade, eventualmente dirigiéndose hacia el sur por la Interestatal 95 y luego por la Interestatal 195.

Poco antes de las 11:45 a.m., los agentes realizaron una parada de tráfico por delito grave. Ordenaron a Mezime y a otras dos personas que salieran del vehículo y los detuvieron.

Los agentes trasladaron a los tres al departamento de homicidios de la Policía de Miami para interrogarlos mientras la investigación continúa.

Según el informe de arresto, Mezime dijo a los detectives que caminaba entre la multitud cuando sintió que alguien lo empujó o tiró de él por detrás y se dio la vuelta para ver qué ocurría. Dijo que un hombre vestido completamente de negro y con un sombrero negro lo golpeó en la cara, y otro hombre con una sudadera azul intentó sacar un arma de su cintura. Mezime afirmó que disparó contra ambos hombres en defensa propia antes de huir.

Mezime enfrenta un cargo de asesinato en segundo grado y dos cargos de intento de asesinato.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, los registros muestran que permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, con una fianza “por determinar”.

Leer en español

Authorities identified the suspect as Jamesly Mezime.

The shooting happened near the main stage of the event off Northeast 62nd Street and Second Avenue in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood.

According to the arrest form, officers working the event heard multiple shots fired, while a ShotSpotter alert also detected gunfire in the area. When the officers responded, they found a man unresponsive on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest.

That man was later identified by officials as 23-year-old Kitchner Cyrille.

Cyrille was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he later died.

A second man was found near the center stage with multiple gunshot wounds and was hospitalized in critical condition.

A third victim, a woman, was shot in the legs and taken to the hospital in stable condition, where she later was released.

According to the arrest report, surveillance cameras show a fight occurring in the crowd just after 11:20 p.m. Sunday before Mezime shot at two people and then fled on foot.

Police said the video also shows Mezime’s associates taking items from Cyrille’s pockets as he was laying on the ground before “dispersing in the crowd.”

Video obtained by police showed Mezime, of North Miami Beach, returning to a nearby parking lot. He was seen pacing near a black Dodge Charger before getting inside with others and leaving the area.

Police said license plate readers and surveillance cameras captured the same car circling the area before the shooting.

On Thursday, detectives found the Dodge Charger at a residence in Pembroke Pines and began surveillance. Authorities followed the vehicle as it traveled through Broward and Miami-Dade counties, eventually heading south on Interstate 95 and onto Interstate 195.

Just before 11:45 a.m., officers conducted a felony traffic stop. They ordered Mezime and two others in the car out of the vehicle and detained them.

Officers took all three to the Miami Police Department’s homicide office for questioning as the investigation continues.

According to the arrest form, Mezime told detectives he was walking through the crowd when he felt someone push or tug him from behind and turned around to see what was going on. He said a man wearing all black and a black hat punched him in the face, and another man wearing a blue hoodie reached into his waistband to take out a gun. Mezime said he shot both men in self-defense before fleeing.

Mezime is facing one count of second degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

As of Friday morning, records show he was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, with a bond listed as “to be set.”

Leer en español

Authorities said everyone inside the complex, located in the 4000 block of Northwest 19th Street, was able to get out except Adeline Morant who lived in the unit where the fire started just after 1 p.m.

First responders were seen standing by as firefighters brought Morant down before she was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, where her daughter said she later died.

Jasmine Greer, a spokesperson for Lauderhill Fire Rescue, said firefighters worked as quickly as possible to find Morant, although they did encounter various obstacles, such as the size of the complex, tight hallways and heavy black smoke.

“It was a task given the time of the day. A lot of people were outside, obviously it was on a third floor, we had to stretch a lot of lines, we had multiple mutual aid,” Greer said.

Fire officials said the blaze was contained to that one unit and no other injuries were reported.

“Seeing the smoke, some reality hit and get what you can and get the hell out of there,” the neighbor said.

The apartment owner, Olivine Morant, told Local 10 that she lived in the unit with her 91-year-old mother. She said she was at work when she received a call that there was a fire in her unit.

When Olivine Morant arrived, she immediately asked rescue crews about her mother, but claimed that no one could tell her anything other than she had been taken to the hospital.

She described her mother as a vibrant, beautiful person who came to South Florida from Jamaica.

Olivine Morant said the family had planned to take her mother out for her birthday. She said she did not want a party, only a meal of her favorite seafood: crab legs and shrimp.

She now wants answers about how the fire started.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Police found both dead in their home in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Annandale, Virginia, early Thursday. They believe Justin Fairfax fatally shot his wife and then killed himself. They were going through a divorce and Justin Fairfax had been ordered by a judge to move out of the house by the end of the month.

Cerina Fairfax, 49, ran a thriving family dentistry practice in the nearby city of Fairfax. A profile page on its described her as an avid reader who liked to travel, practice yoga, go on trail runs with her Vizsla-breed dogs and “spend time with her wonderful family.”

___

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

___

Virginia Rep. Jennifer McClellan, who knew Fairfax through her husband's campaign and the time he spent in office, said their two teenaged children were “the people she cherished most.”

“Cerina Fairfax was a loving and dedicated mother and the rock at the center of her large family," McClellan wrote in a statement.

Terron Sims II, a friend and patient, remembered her as a quiet and caring friend, whose dentistry was more than a profession.

“It was an expression of love and compassion,” Sims told WUSA-TV. “It was her way of service to others.”

Fairfax was recognized in 2015 as the Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade by the Virginia Commonwealth School of Dentistry. Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, the interim dean of the dental school, wrote that her loss is deeply felt by many who knew her.

“As a clinician and alumna, Dr. Fairfax embodied the ideals of our profession — dedication to her patients, commitment to growth, and a deep sense of purpose in her work each day," Johnson wrote. "I know she was a mentor, role model, and friend to many in our school.”

Leaders in the state’s dental community also praised her accomplishments and commitment to patients.

“In addition to being a beloved practitioner in her community, Dr. Fairfax loved giving back through volunteer work and contributions to local charities focused on helping those in need,” said Ryan Dunn, CEO of the Virginia Dental Association, in a statement. “As we remember Dr. Fairfax, we honor the impact she made and the connections she helped build within the VDA and her community.”

Cerina and Justin Fairfax met as undergraduates at Duke University and married in 2006.

Justin Fairfax unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for attorney general in 2013, then won the race for lieutenant governor in 2017. He was considered a rising star in the Democratic Party until two women came forward accusing him of sexually assaulting them years earlier, before he and Cerina were married. He left office at the end of his term in 2022, following an unsuccessful run for governor.

Cerina Fairfax said in court filings that they separated nearly two years ago. But they were still living in the same house with their children, who police said were both home at the time of their deaths.

The judge overseeing the divorce had told Justin Fairfax to move out by the end of April, writing “it is clear tensions in the Fairfax home have been extremely high for an extended period of time.”

The Angels announced Anderson's death Friday morning without immediately disclosing the cause or location.

Anderson reached the majors with the then-California Angels in 1994 and played for the club until 2008, primarily as a left fielder. He was a fixture in the heart of their batting order for his entire tenure, becoming the franchise's career leader in games played (2,013), hits (2,368), RBIs (1,292), total bases (3,743), extra-base hits (796), doubles (489) and grand slams (8).

“The Angels organization is mourning the loss of one of our franchise’s most beloved icons, Garret Anderson,” Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. “Garret was a cornerstone of our organization throughout his 15 seasons, and his stoic presence in the outfield and our clubhouse elevated the Angels into an era of continued success, highlighted by the 2002 World Series championship. Garret will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Angels fans for his professionalism, class and loyalty throughout his career and beyond. His admiration and respect for the game was immeasurable.”

The Angels will wear a memorial patch this season bearing Anderson's initials, the team announced. They will hold a moment of silence Friday before the Angels host the San Diego Padres.

Anderson was a three-time AL All-Star who finished as high as fourth in the AL MVP balloting, and he won two Silver Slugger awards. He memorably won the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game MVP award in 2003 in Chicago.

His 272 career homers are third in Angels history behind Mike Trout and Tim Salmon. Only Trout has scored more runs in Angels history than Anderson.

In 2002, Anderson batted .306 and drove in a team-leading 123 runs for the then-Anaheim Angels, who won 99 games and earned a wild-card playoff berth. The Halos stormed through the playoffs to this franchise's only championship, overcoming a 3-2 series deficit to Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants to win the World Series.

Anderson was a key factor in the Fall Classic, batting 9 of 32 with six RBIs. He drove in the final three runs of the series with a tiebreaking three-run double in the third inning of the Angels' 4-1 victory over the Giants in Game 7.

Anderson finished his career with Atlanta and the Los Angeles Dodgers before his retirement in 2011. He was inducted into the Angels' Hall of Fame in 2016, and he had regularly worked for the team as a television broadcaster on its pregame and postgame shows over the ensuing decade.

Anderson was born in Los Angeles on June 30, 1972. He attended Granada Hills High School in the suburban San Fernando Valley before the Angels drafted him in the fourth round in 1990.

The Angels said Anderson is survived by his wife, Teresa, daughters Brianne and Bailey, and son Garret "Trey" Anderson III.

___

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

Leer en español

WATCH CELEBRATION OF LIFE LIVE BELOW:

The vice mayor was honored in a procession, with Coral Springs police and Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies leading the way as the community came together to remember her life.

The viewing, which was open to the public, began at 11:30 a.m. at the Church by the Glades in Coral Springs.

A celebration of life will then be held at 12:30 p.m.

“The city encourages all who wish to honor Vice Mayor Metayer to do so not only in remembrance but by carrying forward the values she embodied, uplifting others, making space at the table, serving with compassion, and working toward a more sustainable future,” city officials said in a news release.

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered that all flags in Tallahassee and Coral Springs be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Friday in honor of Metayer Bowen.

The vice mayor’s husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, faces first-degree murder and evidence tampering charges after being captured in Plantation.

He is accused of shooting Metayer Bowen inside their Coral Springs home, where Metayer Bowen’s body was found on the morning of April 1 wrapped in a comforter and garbage bags. She was 38 years old.

Those close to her say that if there were signs of trouble, she kept them private.

“What we see is the escalation happens between rounds of these different incidents of abuse, so the quicker we can get law enforcement to the scene to understand what the issue is, the more seriously we can deal with the perpetrator and the abuser,” State Sen. Alexis Calatayud said.

Lawmakers are now pushing for more protections, including tools that could silently alert police.

“Si Mahoma no viene a mí, yo voy a la montaña y entonces voy a Caracas”, dijo Petro en una entrevista con RTVE y la agencia española EFE en Barcelona, donde asistirá el sábado a una reunión de líderes progresistas con sus homólogos de España, México, Brasil y Uruguay.

De concretarse, la reunión sería la primera bilateral presencial entre Petro y Rodríguez desde que asumió como mandataria encargada de Venezuela.

La fecha original era el 13 de marzo en un puente fronterizo, pero un día antes se canceló por “motivos de fuerza mayor”, según un comunicado conjunto de ambos gobiernos. Petro detalló luego que Rodríguez temió por su seguridad en la frontera, donde operan grupos armados ilegales.

La última vez que Petro viajó a Caracas fue en abril de 2024 para ver al entonces presidente Nicolás Maduro, con quien conversaba frecuentemente. A su llegada al poder en 2022 Petro decidió reanudar las relaciones diplomáticas con Venezuela luego de que su antecesor las rompiera al considerar a Maduro un “dictador”.

Petro dijo que ir a Caracas es parte de lo que lo llevó a ser sancionado por el Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos el año pasado por acusaciones de participar en el tráfico global de drogas.

“Yo fui a Venezuela en tiempos de Maduro a decirle —hablaba mucho con Europa y con (Joe) Biden— que era el momento de dejar el poder si el pueblo quería eso”, indicó Petro.

Agregó que, a su juicio, las cuestionadas elecciones presidenciales de 2024 no fueron “libres”.

Petro insistió el viernes en su propuesta de un gobierno de transición en Venezuela en el que cogobiernen el oficialismo y la oposición“uno o dos años” para “darse confianza”.

Leer en español

Hialeah police said Nikol Marie Rodriguez, of Miramar, was taken into custody before 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

They said the incidents occurred March 4 at Peace Christian Academy, located at 490 E. 50th St.

According to an arrest report, the victim, who was 8 years old at the time, is diagnosed with autism and ADHD and “is able to comprehend simple instructions, but has difficulty articulating more than a simple request.”

Police said the boy is not known to be violent and lives with his mother.

Rodriguez had been the boy’s primary educator since August 2024 and was responsible for “care, supervision, and services essential for the child’s physical and mental health,” the report states.

Investigators said surveillance video shows an interaction just before 11 a.m. when Rodriguez “appears to physically assist the victim by grabbing hold of the victim’s left arm” and then “grabbing the victim’s right arm and bicep area, spinning the victim in an aggressive manner.”

They said more serious allegations stem from a later incident around 12:45 p.m. that day when the boy was sitting calmly on the floor and “was not in any way displaying physically threatening behavior.”

Despite that, the report states that Rodriguez allegedly restrained the boy by pulling his arms behind his back, causing him to have pain. Police said the boy “was observed struggling with the restraint technique, appearing to be in agony,” while another student nearby covered his eyes and ears.

They said the situation escalated further when Rodriguez was seen “forcefully slamming the victim’s upper body and head onto the classroom floor” and continued to restrain him by pinning his arms and applying pressure to his upper body.

The report describes the boy attempting to escape while Rodriguez remained in control, at one point pinning his head into a classroom corner and mounting his torso.

After the struggle, police said Rodriguez is accused of pushing the child into a table as he tried to stand.

They said Rodriguez did not seek medical assistance or provide care afterward.

Later that evening, the boy’s mother discovered injuries, including “a small puncture wound” on his bicep, along with bruising and scratches to his chest and arm, according to the report.

An internal school report described the incident as a “supportive de-escalation” effort intended to prevent harm, stating Rodriguez “placed her hands on his sides in order to provide physical support.” However, investigators said surveillance video contradicted that account.

Police said Rodriguez declined to provide a statement through her attorney.

Jail records show she is facing one count of child abuse without great bodily harm, according to jail records.

As of Friday, she was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where her bond was listed at $5,000. She was also ordered to stay away from the victim.

Local 10 News has requested a statement from the school about the incident and whether she is still employed.

“I’m grateful to be here healthy with a team that’s looking forward to trying to do some big things,” he said. “(What) a difference a year can make and I’m just grateful to be back in this position. I don’t want to take any moment for granted.”

In his first season in Houston after this summer’s blockbuster trade from Phoenix, Durant leads the young Rockets into the playoffs where they’ll open their first-round series with the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.

The 37-year-old Durant missed the last seven games of the regular season last year with an ankle injury as the Suns went 1-6 to fall out of playoff contention.

This season he finished second in the league by playing 2,840 minutes despite being in his 19th NBA season.

And he can’t wait to play more — hopefully a lot more.

“When you get on the court and you get a chance to be healthy you want go out there and take advantage of that opportunity,” he said. “So, I’m looking forward to it.”

Durant led the Rockets this season by averaging 26 points a game as he became the oldest player in NBA history to score at least 2,000 points in a season.

Coach Ime Udoka said Durant has brought so much to his team since the trade but most importantly is that the Rockets knew they could always count on him.

“Just the availability on a night-to-night basis,” Udoka said. “Being able to play this many games at this stage in his career and the efficiency that he does it with … just the fact that he’s durable and available with the injuries in his past, is very impressive.”

The Rockets are aiming for their first title since winning back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. They’re in the playoffs for a second straight season after being eliminated by the Warriors in the opening round last year in their first postseason appearance since 2020.

Durant is the fifth-leading scorer in league history, a two-time NBA champion, a 16-time All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist. He brings a championship pedigree to a team where the four other players in the starting lineup have all made just one playoff trip.

So, with all he’s accomplished, how much does the prospect of winning another championship motivate him?

“Winning every day is the most important thing,” he said. “Obviously the main objective is to win a title, but you can’t do that unless you take care of each day first.”

That’s a lesson that has been invaluable to Durant’s teammates this season. Twenty-three-year-old Amen Thompson said he’s tried to mirror Durant in everything he does, from his work in the gym to how he takes care of his body.

“He’s great and I want to be great,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys that want to be great, so just having that as something to look at every day and just being teammates with him is good.”

Durant’s mentorship and positivity have also been a boost to the Rockets. Alperen Sengun, who is also 23, said before Durant joined the team he would get down on himself when he’d struggle offensively.

“I used to care a lot when I used to miss shots,” Sengun said. “But when I miss shots now, he’s already screaming in my ear: ‘It’s gonna come.’ So, he’s helped with a lot of things, but the big thing is confidence, especially confidence.”

While Durant has often encouraged his teammates and given them advice throughout the season, he doesn’t plan to impart any words of wisdom to them as the playoffs commence.

“Nope,” he said. “Just jump in the fire and let’s see what happens, man. We can all get advice and words of encouragement from everybody in our lives and it’s not going to be like actually being in that action.”

He’s confident that the Rockets are ready for the challenge after they ended the regular season by winning nine of 10 games.

“It’s the biggest stage of basketball and there’s a lot that comes around the game, but at the end of the day, when that ball’s tipped up, it’s just basketball,” he said. “So, we all know how to play at this level, and we all know what it takes to win basketball games. We’ve just got to do that consistently.”

___

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

The filing by parent company QVC Group, which also owns HSN, formerly the Home Shopping Network, arrives as long-running TV shopping networks struggle to adapt to the rapid shift by consumers now tuning in to livestreams on TikTok, or online marketplaces like Shein.

QVC Group, which filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, said that its international operations are not included in the process. It has more than $1 billion in cash on hand and said that it has ample liquidity to meet its business obligations.

QVC Group added that all of its brands are operating as usual, including customer-facing operations in the UK, Germany, Japan, and Italy. It will continue to serve its customers across all channels and platforms for QVC, HSN, and Cornerstone Brands.

“Bankruptcy may allow the necessary restructuring to give QVC the room to operate with better financials. However, it does not solve the need to reinvent and become relevant,” Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, said in a statement.

QVC Group has attempted to revive flagging sales for some time, which in 2024 were down almost 30% compared with its peak of more than $14 billion in 2020. Shares in QVC Group, which went for over $900 a decade ago, were trading for less than $3 earlier this week.

The company is looking to emerge from bankruptcy protection in about 90 days.

Leer en español

Police said the domestic-related shooting happened at around 3 p.m. at a strip mall in the 7600 block of West Sample Road.

Video from Sky 10 showed officers and crime scene tape behind the shopping center, surrounding a crashed work van and an SUV. Police said both the suspect, Abdul Baith Perez, and the victim were in the vehicles.

Sgt. James Kaban, a spokesperson for the Coral Springs Police Department, said the victim was taken to Broward Health North “with serious injuries” and a suspect was arrested.

Perez, 49, and the victim previously dated, authorities said.

Kaban said just before 4:30 p.m. that the victim’s “current condition remains unknown.”

Perez was arrested on multiple charges, including attempted premeditated murder, aggravated battery, possession of firearm or ammunition subject to injunction and tampering with evidence.

Kaban said there was no threat to the public and asked anyone with information to call CSPD at 954-344-1800.

Leer en español

The crash happened around 6:15 a.m.

An Audi was leaving a Burger King along Northwest Seventh Avenue when the driver made an “unsafe lane change,” according to North Miami police.

Investigators said the driver of the Audi sideswiped a gray Dodge before crashing into the front of an Arona Home Essentials store, located at 12550 NW 7th Ave., near Northwest 126th Street.

They said there were three people inside the Audi at the time of the crash.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials confirmed that a child was transported to Jackson North Medical Center with non-life-threatening arm pain. Authorities said no other injuries were reported, including to the driver of the Dodge.

The driver of the Dodge, who did not want to be identified, told Local 10’s Jackie Pascale that the impact caused him to lose control and veer into a tree, totaling his vehicle.

“(I went) straight through the pole and hit the side of the tree,” he said. “I was trying to make sure I was safe first. I’m alright. I’m a little upset, but there’s really nothing much I can do about that.”

A bystander was also injured in the incident, according to the Dodge driver, who described the injury as a bruised knee, although police and fire rescue crews have not confirmed that injury was a result of the collision.

The vehicle that struck the building has since been removed, but extensive damage remains, and cleanup efforts are expected to continue.

Traffic along Northwest Seventh Avenue has since reopened.

No other details about the crash were immediately released.

In a letter dated April 15, an FDLE special agent states that the agency reviewed a complaint alleging misconduct and potential criminal conduct involving Commissioner William Hodgkins, Town Manager David Lynch and former Deputy Town Manager Chandler Williamson.

According to the letter, the FDLE consulted with the Broward State Attorney’s Office, which declined prosecution, stating there is no Florida statute that applies to the conduct described in the complaint.

The letter states the matter has been referred to the Broward County Office of Inspector General for further review and FDLE has closed its investigation.

Pembroke Park Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs responded publicly, criticizing the outcome and calling for further scrutiny.

In a Facebook post, Jacobs wrote that prosecutors declined to pursue charges “not because the conduct is acceptable, but because they claim it doesn’t fit a statute they’re willing to charge.” He cited Florida law regarding misuse of public position and described the payments as a “0% interest loan,” adding that “the public sees it for what it is.”

Jacobs also wrote that “public office is not a personal bank account for elected officials” and said the matter should be fully reviewed by the Broward County Office of Inspector General.

The developments come as a March internal review, obtained by Local 10 News, details how $86,461.58 in payments were issued to Hodgkins through the town’s payroll system.

A Local 10 News investigation first exposed the payments. The internal review expands on those findings, outlining internal concerns, repayment issues, and a lack of formal oversight.

According to the report, multiple employees questioned the size and frequency of the payments. At least two employees raised concerns with the Human Resources Department, while others expressed fear of retaliation if they came forward.

The review also examined repayment of the funds. According to the report, $16,799 had been repaid toward the $86,461.58 issued to Hodgkins at the time the review was completed.

The report states that repayment amounts were adjusted multiple times and, in some cases, were based on verbal agreements rather than formal written terms.

The internal review found that Hodgkins received the payments between August 2024 and March 2026 through the town’s payroll system. It states that the first payment was processed as a traditional payroll advance tied to a future paycheck, but subsequent payments evolved into recurring, loan-like disbursements issued over time.

According to the report, no commission-approved policy authorizing loans or advances to elected officials was identified.

“No formal policy has yet been identified for any payday advances or loans to Town officials,” the report states.

The review found that there were no formal repayment agreements, no standardized procedures governing how the payments were issued, and no defined limits on the amount or frequency of the transactions.

The internal review also identifies actions by Lynch. According to the report, in April 2025, the town manager authorized what is described as a “blanket approval” allowing commissioners to receive advances without requiring additional approval from the finance department.

The report states that this directive was communicated by email and had the effect of removing internal controls designed to oversee such transactions.

The review also found inconsistencies in the documentation used to process the payments. According to the report, multiple versions of salary advance request forms were used during the period examined, and none were identified as having been approved by the town commission.

The report further states that descriptions of the forms as longstanding or routinely used were not supported by the records reviewed.

The internal review states that the practices “appear inconsistent with standard governmental internal-control principles” and warns they may pose a risk to the town’s financial integrity. It notes that any final legal determinations should be made by counsel or an independent reviewer.

The report recommends that the town immediately cease all non-standard payroll disbursements, pursue formal recovery of outstanding funds, and implement clear policies governing any future compensation practices.

The internal review provides the most detailed account to date of how the payments were issued and managed, as the Broward County Office of Inspector General continues its review.

Read the letter:

Leer en español

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the crash was reported at 6:24 a.m. in the area of Northwest 54^th Street and 77^th Court.

“According to investigators, a pickup truck was traveling eastbound on NW 54 Street when it continued through the intersection and collided with a concrete barrier wall,” MDSO said in a news release. “The vehicle went over the barrier wall and entered the southbound lanes of State Road 826 (Palmetto Expressway), where it struck another vehicle.”

Deputies confirmed that the driver of the pickup truck was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the other vehicle was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition.

According to Detective Argemis “AC” Colome, a gun was recovered at the scene and detectives believe the driver of the truck took his own life.

The driver’s identity has not yet been released.

All southbound lanes of the Palmetto Expressway were shut down after the crash, but have since reopened.

MDSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Leer en español

“Women lead by example and they inspire,” Padron said.

Dania Beach Mayor Joyce Davis was also there and shared something that had transpired, just two days before at a commission meeting.

“I was so excited when I saw that Z had applied for the city of Dania Beach community grants fund,” Davis said.

“Z” is Zeina Zein-Wolland, who is the founder and president of Mobile School Pantry, a nonprofit that provides nutritious foods to children and their families at low-income schools.

Collins Elementary School in Dania Beach is one of 30 schools served by Mobile School Pantry.

Mom of four Kendra Hoag is among the families who shop for groceries at Mobile School Pantry.

“It feels great to be able to feed them healthy food so they are able to grow like they’re supposed to,” she said.

As you can imagine, it takes a lot of time and money to feed thousands of people.

“We are servicing more than 7,000 individuals throughout Broward County,” Zein-Wolland said.

“But when she didn’t get the full amount of the funding, I felt like, you know, we can do better,” Davis said.

And we did do better!

We’ve featured Zein-Wolland before on Local 10, so she wasn’t surprised to see us at Collins Elementary.

But she couldn’t have imagined this.

Zein-Wolland received $2,500 of the $9,000 she had requested for Mobile School Pantry, but Local 10 was able to present her with the remaining $6,500 thanks to “Good News South Florida.”

Zein-Wolland said it costs the nonprofit $30 a family, which amounts to 216 families that will be well-fed with the newly acquired funds.

“And also for the families to see that the community stands by us. We’re not just doing this alone. It takes so many partners to bring this together,” Zein-Wolland said.

From one community leader lifting her voice at a radio station to another advocating for the health of her extended family, that’s good work that bears good fruit.

A member of Cox Media Group also contributed an additional $2,000 to the cause, so altogether, Mobile School Pantry received $11,000.

Zein-Wolland said all of the money will feed 370 families, including 740 kids.

And while on the subject of school, we are looking to honor a deserving teacher in May. Click here for more information on that.

• To donate: If you’d like to make a monetary donation toward a Good News South Florida story or project, click here. Local 10 has established the Local 10 Fund with The Miami Foundation and 100% of your donation will go toward the cause you designate in the “additional information” box.
• To volunteer or submit a story idea: If you’d like to volunteer for a Good News South Florida project or would like to submit a story for consideration, email goodnews@local10.com.

Good News South Florida airs Fridays on the Local 10 morning news at 10 a.m. It will encore Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings, beginning at 6 a.m.

“Las mujeres lideran con el ejemplo e inspiran”, dijo Padrón.

La alcaldesa de Dania Beach, Joyce Davis, también estuvo allí y compartió algo que había ocurrido apenas dos días antes en una reunión de la comisión.

“Me emocioné mucho cuando vi que Z había solicitado el fondo de subvenciones comunitarias de la ciudad de Dania Beach”, dijo Davis.

“Z” es Zeina Zein-Wolland, fundadora y presidenta de Mobile School Pantry, una organización sin fines de lucro que provee alimentos nutritivos a niños y sus familias en escuelas de bajos ingresos.

La escuela primaria Collins en Dania Beach es una de las 30 escuelas atendidas por Mobile School Pantry.

Kendra Hoag, madre de cuatro hijos, está entre las familias que obtienen alimentos en Mobile School Pantry.

“Se siente muy bien poder darles comida saludable para que puedan crecer como deben”, dijo.

Como se puede imaginar, se necesita mucho tiempo y dinero para alimentar a miles de personas.

“Atendemos a más de 7,000 personas en todo el condado Broward”, dijo Zein-Wolland.

“Pero cuando no recibió el monto total del financiamiento, sentí que podíamos hacerlo mejor”, dijo Davis.

¡Y lo hicimos mejor!

Hemos presentado a Zein-Wolland anteriormente en Local 10, por lo que no le sorprendió vernos en la escuela Collins.

Pero no podía imaginar esto.

Zein-Wolland recibió $2,500 USD de los $9,000 USD que había solicitado para Mobile School Pantry, pero Local 10 pudo entregarle los $6,500 USD restantes gracias a “Good News South Florida”.

Zein-Wolland dijo que a la organización le cuesta $30 USD por familia, lo que equivale a 216 familias que serán bien alimentadas con los fondos recién obtenidos.

“Y también para que las familias vean que la comunidad nos respalda. No estamos haciendo esto solos. Se necesitan muchos aliados para lograrlo”, dijo Zein-Wolland.

Desde una líder comunitaria alzando su voz en una estación de radio hasta otra abogando por la salud de su comunidad extendida, ese es un trabajo que da buenos frutos.

Un miembro de Cox Media Group también aportó $2,000 USD adicionales a la causa, por lo que en total, Mobile School Pantry recibió $11,000 USD.

Zein-Wolland dijo que todo el dinero alimentará a 370 familias, incluidos 740 niños.

Y ya que hablamos de escuelas, estamos buscando reconocer a un maestro destacado en mayo. Haga clic aquí para más información.

Para donar: Si desea hacer una donación monetaria para una historia o proyecto de Good News South Florida, haga clic aquí.

Local 10 ha establecido el Local 10 Fund con The Miami Foundation y el 100% de su donación se destinará a la causa que designe en el cuadro de “información adicional”.

Para ser voluntario o enviar una idea: Si desea ser voluntario para un proyecto de Good News South Florida o enviar una historia para consideración, envíe un correo electrónico a goodnews@local10.com.

Good News South Florida se transmite los viernes en el noticiero matutino de Local 10 a las 10 a.m. Se retransmite los viernes a las 3:30 p.m. y los domingos por la mañana, a las 6 a.m.

The late Wednesday morning pursuit began when the victim reported the theft. The officer — whose name has not been released — and his horse quickly took up the chase that was captured on his bodycam and also by a television news crew that happened to be in the area for an unrelated story.

The officer repeatedly screamed at the suspect to stop running, but she refused while denying she had taken the purse. The brief hoof chase went along sidewalks, under scaffolding, between parked cars and across streets before the woman was stopped by a pedestrian and then detained by the officer.

The woman was charged with larceny and providing false information. Authorities said she had been convicted of murder in the April 2000 fatal shooting of a cab driver and had served time in prison before being released. She is currently on lifetime parole.

No injuries were reported in the chase.

“Big Red Rebuild," as the project is called, would be funded by a mix of $250 million in philanthropic support and $350 million in private bond financing. Completion is targeted for the start of the 2028 football season. University regents will consider the proposal at its meeting in Lincoln next Friday.

“Memorial Stadium is one of the most iconic venues in all of college sports and this project ensures that our stadium is well-positioned for future generations," athletic director Troy Dannen said. "We have listened intently to Nebraska fans and are building a best-in-class fan experience that will also drive revenue for the University of Nebraska, create exciting new year-round programming for Nebraskans, create new opportunities for our student-athletes, and position Nebraska to compete and lead at the highest level in a rapidly evolving college athletics landscape.”

The Cornhuskers have played at Memorial Stadium since 1923 and will enter this season with an NCAA-record sellout streak of 410 games dating to 1962.

The proposal would upgrade amenities throughout the stadium and create a 360-degree main concourse connecting the east and west sides. Capacity would be 80,000, including 20,000 new chairback seats.

Officials said the stadium would host concerts and other events year-round and annual stadium revenue would increase 40%, to an estimated $95 million.

Construction would begin after the 2026 football season.

Incremental stadium improvements have been made over the years, including luxury suites in 1999 and an expansion to more than 85,000 seats in 2013. A $450 million renovation was approved in 2023 but did not go forward because school leaders wanted to review the scope, strategy and costs.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

The unanimous procedural decision gives the companies a new day in federal court after a state jury ordered Chevron to pay upward of $740 million to clean up damage to the state’s coastline, one of multiple similar lawsuits.

Backed by the Trump administration, the companies argued the case belongs in federal court because they were working to quickly increase the supply of aviation gasoline for the U.S. government during World War II.

The high court agreed. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the 8-0 court, noted Congress has long allowed lawsuits against the government and its contractors to be heard in federal court and this suit is clearly related to Chevron’s wartime efforts to bolster the U.S. aviation fuel supply.

Louisiana’s coastal parishes have lost more than 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) of land over the past century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which has also identified oil and gas infrastructure as a significant cause. The state could lose an additional 3,000 square miles (7,770 square kilometers) in the coming decades, its coastal protection agency has warned.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry backed the lawsuits when he was attorney general, even though he’s a longtime oil and gas industry supporter. An attorney for local Louisiana leaders, John Carmouche, said they disagree with the decision but plan to keep the lawsuits alive.

“Simply changing where the case will be heard, as has happened, will not deter our efforts to have Big Oil held accountable for the damages they caused and the enormous restoration they owe the people of Louisiana,” Carmouche said.

The companies appealed to the high court after jurors in Plaquemines Parish — a sliver of land straddling the Mississippi River into the Gulf — found that energy giant Texaco, acquired by Chevron in 2001, had for decades violated Louisiana regulations governing coastal resources by failing to restore wetlands impacted by dredging canals, drilling wells and billions of gallons of wastewater dumped into the marsh.

Chevron applauded the Supreme Court’s decision, saying the claims are related to work that the companies did under federal supervision. “Chevron looks forward to litigating these cases in federal court, where they belong,” the company said in a statement.

The company denies responsibility for land loss in Louisiana and argues it’s wrong to sue it for what it did before state environmental regulations were in place.

The case is one of dozens of lawsuits filed in 2013 alleging oil giants including Chevron and Exxon violated state environmental laws for decades. Friday’s ruling overturns a 2024 decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Carmouche said it affects 11 of the 42 cases against various oil companies.

Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from the case, pointing to financial ties to ConocoPhillips. He's previously recused himself from other cases due to his stock holdings.

___

Brook reported from New Orleans.

La policía de Hialeah indicó que Nikol Marie Rodriguez, de Miramar, fue detenida antes de la 1:30 p.m. del jueves.

Dijeron que los incidentes ocurrieron el 4 de marzo en Peace Christian Academy, ubicada en 490 E. 50th St.

Según un informe de arresto, la víctima, que tenía 8 años en ese momento, tiene diagnóstico de autismo y TDAH y “puede comprender instrucciones simples, pero tiene dificultad para articular más que una solicitud sencilla”.

La policía dijo que el niño no es conocido por ser violento y vive con su madre.

Rodriguez había sido la educadora principal del niño desde agosto de 2024 y era responsable del “cuidado, supervisión y servicios esenciales para la salud física y mental del menor”, indica el informe.

Los investigadores señalaron que el video de vigilancia muestra una interacción poco antes de las 11 a.m. cuando Rodriguez “parece asistir físicamente a la víctima al sujetar su brazo izquierdo” y luego “agarrar el brazo derecho y el área del bíceps, girando a la víctima de manera agresiva”.

Indicaron que las acusaciones más graves se derivan de un incidente posterior alrededor de las 12:45 p.m. de ese día, cuando el niño estaba sentado tranquilamente en el suelo y “no mostraba de ninguna manera un comportamiento físicamente amenazante”.

A pesar de eso, el informe establece que Rodriguez presuntamente sujetó al niño al colocarle los brazos detrás de la espalda, causándole dolor. La policía dijo que el niño “fue observado luchando contra la técnica de restricción, aparentando estar en agonía”, mientras otro estudiante cercano se cubría los ojos y los oídos.

Señalaron que la situación se agravó aún más cuando se vio a Rodriguez “azotar con fuerza la parte superior del cuerpo y la cabeza de la víctima contra el suelo del salón” y continuó sujetándolo al inmovilizar sus brazos y aplicar presión en la parte superior de su cuerpo.

El informe describe al niño intentando escapar mientras Rodriguez permanecía en control, en un momento presionando su cabeza contra una esquina del salón y montándose sobre su torso.

Tras el forcejeo, la policía indicó que Rodriguez es acusada de empujar al menor contra una mesa cuando intentaba ponerse de pie.

Dijeron que Rodriguez no buscó asistencia médica ni brindó atención posteriormente.

Más tarde esa noche, la madre del niño descubrió lesiones, incluyendo “una pequeña herida punzante” en su bíceps, junto con moretones y rasguños en el pecho y el brazo, según el informe.

Un informe interno de la escuela describió el incidente como un esfuerzo de “intervención de apoyo para desescalar” con la intención de prevenir daño, indicando que Rodriguez “colocó sus manos en los costados del menor para brindar apoyo físico”. Sin embargo, los investigadores dijeron que el video de vigilancia contradice esa versión.

La policía dijo que Rodriguez se negó a dar una declaración a través de su abogado.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que enfrenta un cargo de abuso infantil sin causar gran daño corporal.

Hasta el viernes, permanecía detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza fue fijada en $5,000 USD. También se le ordenó mantenerse alejada de la víctima.

Local 10 News solicitó una declaración a la escuela sobre el incidente y si ella continúa empleada.

Según la Policía, antes de ser localizado, Deniro Venero fue visto por última vez el jueves en la cuadra 1200 de Southeast 29th Street en Homestead.

Los detectives creen que Deniro pudo haber viajado al área de Sweetwater, pero la Policía no confirmó de inmediato dónde estuvo durante el tiempo en que se le consideró desaparecido.

El accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 6:15 a.m.

Un Audi salía de un Burger King en Northwest Seventh Avenue cuando el conductor realizó un “cambio de carril inseguro”, según la Policía de North Miami.

Los investigadores indicaron que el conductor del Audi rozó un Dodge gris antes de estrellarse contra la fachada de una tienda Arona Home Essentials, ubicada en el 12550 de NW 7th Ave., cerca de Northwest 126th Street.

Indicaron que había tres personas dentro del Audi al momento del accidente.

Funcionarios de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmaron que un menor fue trasladado al Jackson North Medical Center con dolor en un brazo que no pone en peligro su vida. Las autoridades dijeron que no se reportaron otras personas heridas, incluido el conductor del Dodge.

El conductor del Dodge, quien no quiso ser identificado, dijo a Local 10 que el impacto le hizo perder el control y desviarse hacia un árbol, dejando su vehículo como pérdida total.

“(Yo fui) directo contra el poste y golpeé el costado del árbol”, dijo. “Primero trataba de asegurarme de que estaba a salvo. Estoy bien. Estoy un poco molesto, pero realmente no hay mucho que pueda hacer al respecto”.

Según el conductor del Dodge, un transeúnte también resultó herido en el incidente, describiendo la lesión como un golpe en la rodilla, aunque la Policía y los equipos de rescate no han confirmado que esa lesión haya sido resultado del choque.

El vehículo que impactó el edificio ya fue retirado, pero los daños extensos permanecen y se espera que las labores de limpieza continúen.

El tráfico en Northwest Seventh Avenue ya fue reabierto.

No se revelaron de inmediato más detalles sobre el accidente.

Según la Policía de Miami Beach, el accidente ocurrió alrededor de la 1:27 p.m. en West 41st Street y Royal Palm Avenue.

La Policía indicó que la mujer se encontraba en el paso peatonal cuando el conductor del camión la impactó al girar a la izquierda hacia la calle 41.

Un video de vigilancia muestra a transeúntes corriendo para auxiliarla.

Las autoridades informaron que los paramédicos respondieron e “iniciaron de inmediato maniobras para salvarle la vida”, pero la mujer murió tras ser trasladada al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Las autoridades indicaron que la investigación del accidente “sigue en curso”.

No han identificado a la víctima ni al conductor involucrado, ni han informado si el conductor enfrentará cargos criminales.

Miami River Commission Chairman Horacio Stuart Aguirre said excessive bacteria contamination in the creek has come from historic industrial pollution, storm water pollution, and also human waste from some of the city’s homeless, who use the creek as a public restroom.

“This is the way it is right now before any treatment, and you can’t see 6 inches into the water,” he said. “If you were standing a foot and half into this water, you wouldn’t see your toes, that is how thick it is. The amount of poop that is in this water is unbelievable.”

The creek drains out to the Miami River and eventually into Biscayne Bay.

That’s why the creek’s reputation as “the most polluted waterway in the state of Florida,” according to Aguirre, is of grave concern.

“So we either stop the infection here now, or deal with a body-wide infection two years from now,” he said.

To combat the issue, officials are using a solar-powered machine that oxygenates the water with ionized air, which Aguirre says you can think of like a water-cleaning vacuum.

“It is sort of like the little devices we have in our homes,” Aguirre said. “(It’s) a yellow manifold that is about as long as you are tall with six heads on each side, and that is what is distributing the oxygenated air into the water.”

Developed by Miami-based Fast Cleaning Solutions, it also uses various filters to kill bacteria.

“They gave it to us for one year as a pilot program,” Aguirre said.

So far, he says the results have been remarkable.

“If you look at the shoreline, the water is crystal clear,” Aguirre said. “This is the way it is supposed to be, this is the way the good Lord made it.”

He said there was an 82% reduction in e-coli bacteria.

“We have clean water, happy aquatic life, and happy residents now enjoying their balconies without the smell of sewage pollution,” he said.

That is why officials are presenting the results to city commissioners in hope of securing funds for several more.

“We don’t need to go to billion-dollar solutions. This is cost effective and it works,” Aguirre said.

STARTED AS A PILOT PROGRAM

The vendor Fast Cleaning Solutions, LLC designed and built the device and gave it to the Miami River Commission for one year for free as a pilot program.

THE PROPOSAL

The Miami River Commission is proposing to deploy seven bacterial water cleaning machines (BCMW) developed by Fast Cleaning Solutions LLC in Wagner Creek, plus two additional BCMW devices and two water quality testing devices, which they say would cost $360,000 for one year. The funding, the commission’s spokesperson said, could come for the city’s storm water utility fee, which aims to eliminate pollution from the storm water system.

NEXT STEPS

Aguirre plans to meet with the city manager and the two commissioners whose districts are impacted by Wagner Creek. The creek runs 15 blocks through District 5, represented by Chairwoman Christine King, and District 1, represented by Miguel Gabela. Their hope is to agree on a plan and funding budget ahead of the upcoming budget hearing on Sept. 30.

WHAT ABOUT THE CITY’S WATER DECONTAMINATION VESSEL?

The Miami River Commission chairman said the city’s contracted scavenger water decontamination vessel is doing a great job along the Miami River and Biscayne Bay, but is too large to navigate under Wagner Creek’s low fixed bridges, which is why they were on the hunt for another solution.

WHY IT MATTERS

Aguirre said it matters, “Because this small piece of canal is about 15 blocks long and drains all the way into the Miami River, and so if this contamination spreads into the Miami River, it will become a process out of control and then we will really have an expenditure and health issue to deal with.”

He added, “Not only are the ducks, and the fish, and the turtles eating this stuff, but it carries a horrendous odor down into the Miami River and contaminates the rest of the river. All the other tributaries are very, very clean except for this one. We clean this one and then we can really say ‘mission accomplished,’ and we give something back to children of the next generation that they will have a very clean Miami.”

WHERE DOES THE POLLUTION COME FROM?

“Well, the good news is that it does not come from the Miami River, nor the shipping industry, nor the recreational boating industry. It is actually man-made. Some of it from decades and decades ago was industrial pollution, but in the last 20-25 years, it is fecal matter, human poop -- that is what it is,” Aguirre said. “On any given day we can walk these banks and see people with their underwear off, relieving themselves on the Wagner. The amount of poop that is in this water is unbelievable.”

He added that the county has conducted a number of smoke and dye tests to explore if the bacteria contamination is coming from a sewage pipe leak, but have found that, “it is not a septic tank break somewhere and not a sewage line break.”

From a policy perspective, he added that, “we need to do something about the homeless in a humane way. We have enough agencies spending a lot of money on the homeless, so we ought to have a solution. We need to do something along the lines of what Judge Steven Leifman suggests, understanding that a great component of homelessness is mental illness. We need to address that and do what they are doing in Europe, which is public bathrooms.”

DOES IT HELP MITIGATE AGAINST FISH KILLS?

“Absolutely,” said Aguirre. “You will notice here on top of the rocks you don’t see any algae. A lot of reasons for fish kills, algae is one. It is killing the bacteria and the germs which is why you have clean water and no pollution, no sludgy film on the water.”

RELATED LINKS

Deferred but not defeated: Local judge says he will continue to fight for a mental health center

DON'T TRASH OUR TREASURE: Algae blooms and fish kills aren’t just an environmental issue, they are also an economic one. It has costed Florida billions of dollars over the last few decades in clean up, lost tourism and health issues. https://t.co/U3gKAOu7VW

— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) March 12, 2026

The cause of death was not immediately known. A press release from the Grand Ole Opry described it as a sudden illness.

The two-time Grammy Award winner was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. “I will never be able to believe that I deserve this, unless I receive it as a representative of my family, my mentors, my collaborators, my promoters and my friends,” Schlitz said in 2017, when he learned of the Country Music Hall of Fame honor. “That’s the only way I can deal with this.”

Schlitz made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2017 and was later inducted in 2022. He is the only non-artist to receive the honor in the Opry’s 100 years. The historic venue's Saturday night show will be dedicated in his honor.

He was named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for four consecutive years, from 1988 through 1991. He also wrote music and lyrics for “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” the 1999 Broadway musical.

Schlitz's songs are widely considered some of the most unwavering in country music, and have been recorded by such hitmakers as Kenny Rogers (“The Gambler,” “The Greatest”), Randy Travis (“On the Other Hand,” “Forever and Ever, Amen”), The Judds (“I Know Where I’m Going”), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (“I Love Only You,”) Tanya Tucker (“I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,”) Mary Chapin Carpenter (“He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”) and many others.

He also wrote “You Can’t Make Old Friends” for Rogers and Dolly Parton; their first duet since 1983's “Islands in the Stream.”

Schlitz, a North Carolina native, was born in 1952 and raised in Durham before packing his bags and heading to Nashville. His first recorded song, “The Gambler,” is perhaps his most enduring hit and the tent-pole of his legacy. The song, which was recorded by Rogers in 1978 and certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), opened doors for country music in the '70s, a track that was not only a huge genre hit but also a pop crossover one.

As Rogers said when he inducted Schlitz into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012, “Don doesn’t just write songs. He writes careers.”

“We are heartbroken by the news of the passing of Don Schlitz. Don loved his family, his home state of North Carolina, and above all, songs and songwriters. He carried that love into every room, every stage and every lyric he ever wrote,” Sarah Trahern, Country Music Association CEO, wrote in a statement Friday. “Not long ago, we shared a dinner, and as we were leaving, Don picked up a guitar and began to play. That is how I will always remember him, smiling and with a guitar in his hand. His legacy lives on through his music and the many artists and writers he inspired. He will be deeply missed.”

“Don Schlitz’s place as a songwriting great would be secure had he never written ‘The Gambler’ or had he only written ‘The Gambler,’” Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, wrote in a statement Friday. “Nashville was richer for his presence and is lesser for his absence.”

Schlitz is survived by his wife Stacey, daughter Cory Dixon and her husband Matt Dixon, son Pete Schlitz and his wife Christian Webb Schlitz, grandchildren Roman, Gia, Isla and Lilah, brother Brad Schlitz and sister Kathy Hinkley.

El tiroteo ocurrió poco después de las 2 p.m. en la zona de Northwest 75th Street y 21st Avenue.

Equipos de emergencia trasladaron a las tres víctimas al Ryder Trauma Center del hospital Jackson Memorial.

La cercana escuela primaria Lillie C. Evans, ubicada en 1895 NW 75th St., fue puesta en “cierre preventivo”, informaron autoridades escolares. El cierre fue levantado poco antes de las 3:30 p.m.

Hasta alrededor de las 3 p.m. del jueves, no se habían dado a conocer las condiciones de las víctimas.

Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the 2026 cars' reliance on electrical power and the compromises it forces drivers to make on track. He's even suggested it could be his last season in F1.

Russell is an old rival of Verstappen and has his best shot yet at the title thanks to Mercedes' strong start to the season. He trails teammate Kimi Antonelli by nine points ahead of the Miami Grand Prix in two weeks.

“Formula 1’s bigger than any driver. You wouldn’t want to lose Max because I think we all enjoy racing against Max,” Russell said Friday, and suggested some of Verstappen's criticism might be because he and Red Bull aren't among the title contenders.

“The complaints that he has currently are different to the complaints of Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren because we’re at the front end of the grid.”

Russell said Verstappen's interest in forays into other events like endurance sportscar racing might be linked to having “not really much more for him to achieve” in F1.

“My goal now is to become a Formula 1 world champion. If I had four of them (titles) under my belt, I’d probably be doing the same," Russell said. "He’s in a very different stage of his career and I think you’d understand if he stayed and you’d understand if you went.”

Russell eyes changes

Russell said potential rule changes have been a focus for him during the unexpected mid-season break caused when the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off.

Russell wants to bring back a “flat-out” feel to qualifying with less need to lift off the throttle and generate electrical power and says that's helped by an improved relationship between the drivers and the governing body, the FIA.

“The FIA have been in a lot of comms with a handful of drivers, and that’s been collective. And at least from the FIA technical standpoint, it’s probably the closest relationship we’ve had with them in numerous years, so that’s very positive to see,” he said.

Antonelli shrugs off pressure

After winning two of the opening three races and becoming F1's youngest standings leader, it's all about keeping the momentum going for Antonelli.

The 19-year-old Italian has been working on his fitness and says he feels more relaxed than he did in his rookie season last year.

“Obviously, George is super strong and competitors will get closer, so I just need to keep doing what I’m doing, just trying to raise the bar little by little,” he said.

Being the first Italian in 20 years to win an F1 race means a lot more attention back home, but Antonelli says it won't affect him.

“I am aware of obviously the increase of support and following after, especially my first wins, which has been very nice to see. But I don’t feel more pressure,” he said Friday. “I know expectations from people are higher now because obviously I’m coming off two wins and from a strong start of the season. But at the end of the day I keep my focus on the process, on what I have to do.”

___

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

Leer en español

According to Miami Beach police, the crash happened at around 1:27 p.m. at West 41st Street and Royal Palm Avenue.

Police said the woman was in the crosswalk as the box truck driver hit her while turning left onto 41st Street.

Surveillance video shows bystanders rushing to her aid.

Police said medics responded and “immediately initiated life-saving measures,” but the woman died after being taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

Authorities said the investigation into the crash “remains ongoing.”

They have not identified the victim or driver involved or stated whether the driver would be criminally charged.

Leer en español

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the incident was reported shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday near the 200 block of Northwest Tenth Street.

Deputies said they arrived at the scene to find a man suffering from a stab wound to the arm.

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue transported him to a local hospital with injuries considered not life-threatening, authorities confirmed.

Deputies said the stabbing was a “domestic incident” and confirmed they arrested Marlonda Newman on an aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charge.

BSO Special Victims Unit detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.

As of Friday morning, Newman was being held at the Broward County Main Jail without bond.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward, el incidente fue reportado poco antes de las 8 a.m. del jueves cerca de la cuadra 200 de Northwest Tenth Street.

Los agentes dijeron que al llegar al lugar encontraron a un hombre con una herida de arma blanca en el brazo.

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue lo trasladó a un hospital local con lesiones que no ponen en peligro su vida, confirmaron las autoridades.

Los agentes indicaron que el apuñalamiento fue un “incidente doméstico” y confirmaron el arresto de Marlonda Newman por un cargo de agresión agravada con un arma mortal.

Detectives de la Unidad de Víctimas Especiales de la BSO continúan investigando las circunstancias del apuñalamiento.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Newman permanecía detenida en la cárcel principal del condado Broward sin derecho a fianza.

Las autoridades informaron que todos dentro del complejo, ubicado en la cuadra 4000 de Northwest 19th Street, lograron salir excepto Adeline Morant, quien vivía en la unidad donde comenzó el incendio poco después de la 1 p.m.

Equipos de emergencia fueron vistos en el lugar mientras los bomberos bajaban a Morant antes de que fuera trasladada de urgencia al Broward Health Medical Center, donde su hija dijo que posteriormente murió.

Jasmine Greer, portavoz de Lauderhill Fire Rescue, indicó que los bomberos trabajaron lo más rápido posible para encontrar a Morant, aunque enfrentaron varios obstáculos, como el tamaño del complejo, pasillos estrechos y denso humo negro.

“Fue una tarea difícil dado el momento del día. Había mucha gente afuera, obviamente estaba en un tercer piso, tuvimos que desplegar muchas líneas y contamos con ayuda mutua”, dijo Greer.

Funcionarios de bomberos indicaron que el incendio se limitó a esa unidad y no se reportaron otras personas heridas.

“Al ver el humo, la realidad golpea y agarras lo que puedes y sales de ahí”, dijo un vecino.

La dueña del apartamento, Olivine Morant, dijo a Local 10 que vivía en la unidad con su madre de 91 años. Señaló que estaba en el trabajo cuando recibió una llamada informándole que había un incendio en su apartamento.

Cuando Olivine Morant llegó, preguntó de inmediato a los equipos de rescate por su madre, pero afirmó que nadie pudo darle información más allá de que había sido trasladada al hospital.

Describió a su madre como una persona vibrante y hermosa que llegó al sur de Florida desde Jamaica.

Olivine Morant dijo que la familia había planeado sacar a su madre para su cumpleaños. Señaló que no quería una fiesta, solo una comida con su marisco favorito: patas de cangrejo y camarones.

Ahora quiere respuestas sobre cómo comenzó el incendio.

La causa del incendio está bajo investigación.

Victor Wembanyama has met every expectation. Except, perhaps, his own.

He came to the San Antonio Spurs three years ago as the No. 1 draft pick and hoping to lead a revitalization, one where a perennial title contender that got stuck in a rebuilding cycle would finally rise again. So far, so good — the Spurs just finished their best season in a decade, going 62-20.

And now, the really good stuff — the playoffs — awaits.

“How ready? As ready as you can be,” Wembanyama said when asked about his level of preparation for his first look at the NBA postseason. “These moments, it’s really what you work on all year, but also your whole career. We’re dreaming of playoffs as kids before we come here.”

History says these second-seeded Spurs, who open the Western Conference playoffs at home against No. 7 Portland on Sunday night, could be poised to make a deep run.

Of the other 15 clubs in franchise history that finished with a winning percentage of .700 or better, 14 won at least one playoff series, 10 made the NBA’s final four, six went to the NBA Finals and five won championships.

The core then: Gregg Popovich as coach, leading names like Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The core now: Mitch Johnson as coach, leading names like Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox and Wembanyama — who seems to make all things possible.

“He’s embraced the city and the city’s embraced him, the stepping foot into the community,” Johnson said. “And it’s been genuine and it’s been authentic. ... It's pretty cool to witness upfront.”

To say Wembanyama — who is at least 7-foot-4, and somehow has other 7-foot men in the NBA gawking about how tall he seems — is unique is somehow an understatement. How many other 21-year-olds in the NBA draw headlines for spending part of their summers at a Buddhist temple (as he did last summer) as part of basketball training, bring books to read at the All-Star Game (to the disbelief of some fellow All-Stars) and can show off math skills during press conferences (as he did of late while debating the NBA's 65-game rule)?

Not many.

“He's unique,” Spurs forward Harrison Barnes said, knowing he was stating the obvious.

Wembanyama’s numbers this season: 1,600 points, 736 rebounds, 199 assists, 197 blocked shots, 122 3-pointers. Nobody in NBA history has ever finished a season with those totals, and the blocked shots are the biggest factor in why he stands alone there.

So, take the blocks out. Grade him in history on points, rebounds, assists and 3s for a season. Do that, and here's the full list of players to reach his totals in just those categories in one season: Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, DeMarcus Cousins, Karl-Anthony Towns (twice), Nikola Vucevic, Julius Randle and Nikola Jokic. That's it.

“He's a 7-5 guy that can handle the ball, shoot, guard the rim, guard the perimeter, all the little things,” said Portland coach Tiago Splitter, who went to the NBA Finals as a player on some of the great San Antonio teams and was part of the Spurs' most recent championship in 2014. “It's not a secret. He's a very good player.”

Oddsmakers say San Antonio is the second choice behind only defending champion Oklahoma City — the West's No. 1 seed — to win the NBA title. That means there is an expectation, and a realistic one, that Wembanyama's playoff debut might not just be a smashing success but might wind up bringing the ultimate success.

He was rookie of the year two years ago. He was on his way to winning defensive player of the year last season before his year got cut short by a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis. He's eligible for all the big NBA awards this season, and basketball fans seem like they simply cannot get enough info about everything he does.

Now, the NBA's biggest stage awaits San Antonio's biggest star. He's played for Olympic gold before, so he knows what extremely high-stakes basketball is like, but his first chance to compete for an NBA championship is finally here.

“I can’t really help but dream about it, of course,” Wembanyama said. “But we have to stay grounded, stay in the moment. And before even thinking about Game 1, I have to think about showing up the right way. Practice, doing all my stuff, preparing, being locked in on the scouts. But yeah, I dream about it every day.”

___

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

We could also see a few light showers this weekend, but most areas will remain dry. The bigger story is the jump in temperatures. By Sunday, we will have the warmest air of the year so far, with highs just shy of 90 degrees. It will be very muggy, too, with calm winds that may make the air feel slightly stagnant to end the weekend.

A weak front will bring the chance of more scattered showers Monday, along with a drop in temperatures. Highs may not even reach 80 degrees on Tuesday.

Leer en español

Local 10 News has learned that because federal grant money funded a significant portion of the electric bus fleets in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, there are federal guidelines tied to how long those buses are expected to remain in service.

If the buses are taken out of service early, counties may have to repay a portion of that federal funding.

That possibility is now driving decisions in both counties in very different ways.

In Broward County, transit officials have formally asked the Federal Transit Administration for forgiveness in an effort to avoid paying that money back.

“And so one of the things that we are, the application that we submitted to the FTA is for us to be able to get forgiveness from them so that we do not have to reimburse them for the funds that they have provided to us and also to be able to dispose of them,” said Coree Cuff Lonergan, CEO and general manager of Broward County Transit.

In Miami-Dade County, leaders are taking a different approach.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the county is still trying to find a way to get the buses back on the road.

“We are still hopeful we can still put them into service. The company that is the successor company is not able to give us the level of service we need,” she said.

The mayor also said she has personally reached out to other companies about retrofitting the buses.

“I personally have spoken to other companies about ways to retrofit so we can move these buses forward,” she said. “I have not given up hope that we can put them into operation.”

At this point, however, Miami-Dade has not outlined a clear plan if those efforts are unsuccessful.

Nearly 100 buses out of service

A Local 10 investigation first reported earlier this week found nearly 100 electric buses sitting out of service across South Florida.

In Miami-Dade County, about 60 buses have been taken off the road, most of which are being stored at the Homestead Air Reserve Base. In Broward County, 31 buses are sitting at a landfill site.

Together, the counties spent about $96 million on the buses.

A significant portion of that funding came from federal grants.

The buses were manufactured by Proterra and were once promoted as the future of public transit.

Instead, both counties say the buses were plagued with reliability issues.

“They would only do a partial run, and then they would fail, which required us to either send out mechanics or to tow them back into one of the two garages that we have,” Lonergan said. “And that just kept happening and happening.”

Officials say parts have been difficult to obtain because they are proprietary.

Proterra filed for bankruptcy. Its assets were sold to a successor company, but counties say support and parts availability have remained unavailable

Uncertain financial impact

Under federal guidelines, heavy duty transit buses, including electric ones, are expected to remain in service for up to 12 years or 500,000 miles.

If that standard is not met, counties may be required to repay a portion of the federal funding.

Both counties are now working with federal officials on what happens next.

For taxpayers, the bottom line remains uncertain.

Local 10 News supo que, debido a que fondos federales financiaron una parte significativa de las flotas de autobuses eléctricos en los condados Miami-Dade y Broward, existen pautas federales sobre cuánto tiempo deben permanecer en servicio.

Si los autobuses se retiran de servicio antes de tiempo, los condados podrían tener que devolver parte de esos fondos federales.

Esa posibilidad ahora está influyendo en las decisiones de ambos condados de maneras muy diferentes.

En el condado Broward, funcionarios de transporte han solicitado formalmente a la Administración Federal de Tránsito una exención para evitar devolver ese dinero.

“Y una de las cosas que estamos haciendo, la solicitud que presentamos a la FTA, es para poder obtener una exención de su parte para no tener que reembolsar los fondos que nos proporcionaron y también poder deshacernos de ellos”, dijo Coree Cuff Lonergan, directora ejecutiva y gerente general de Broward County Transit.

En el condado Miami-Dade, los líderes están tomando un enfoque diferente.

La alcaldesa Daniella Levine Cava dijo que el condado aún intenta encontrar una manera de poner los autobuses nuevamente en circulación.

“Seguimos teniendo la esperanza de poder ponerlos en servicio. La empresa sucesora no puede brindarnos el nivel de servicio que necesitamos”, dijo.

La alcaldesa también indicó que ha contactado personalmente a otras empresas sobre la posibilidad de reacondicionar los autobuses.

“Yo personalmente he hablado con otras compañías sobre maneras de reacondicionar para poder poner estos autobuses en funcionamiento”, dijo. “No he perdido la esperanza de que podamos ponerlos en operación”.

Por ahora, sin embargo, Miami-Dade no ha delineado un plan claro si esos esfuerzos no tienen éxito.

Casi 100 autobuses fuera de servicio

Una investigación de Local 10 reportada a principios de esta semana encontró casi 100 autobuses eléctricos fuera de servicio en el sur de Florida.

En el condado Miami-Dade, alrededor de 60 autobuses han sido retirados de circulación, la mayoría almacenados en la Base de Reserva Aérea de Homestead. En el condado Broward, 31 autobuses están en un sitio de vertedero.

En conjunto, los condados gastaron aproximadamente $96,000,000 USD en los autobuses.

Una parte significativa de ese financiamiento provino de subvenciones federales.

Los autobuses fueron fabricados por Proterra y en su momento fueron promovidos como el futuro del transporte público.

Sin embargo, ambos condados afirman que los autobuses presentaron problemas de confiabilidad.

“Solo podían completar un recorrido parcial y luego fallaban, lo que requería enviar mecánicos o remolcarlos de regreso a uno de nuestros dos garajes”, dijo Lonergan. “Y eso seguía ocurriendo una y otra vez”.

Los funcionarios dicen que ha sido difícil obtener piezas porque son propietarias.

Proterra se declaró en bancarrota. Sus activos fueron vendidos a una empresa sucesora, pero los condados dicen que el soporte y la disponibilidad de piezas siguen siendo limitados.

Impacto financiero incierto

Según las pautas federales, los autobuses de transporte pesado, incluidos los eléctricos, deben permanecer en servicio hasta por 12 años o 500,000 millas.

Si no se cumple ese estándar, los condados podrían verse obligados a devolver una parte del financiamiento federal.

Ambos condados trabajan ahora con funcionarios federales para determinar los próximos pasos.

Para los contribuyentes, el impacto final sigue siendo incierto.

Their attempt at swapping bibs, which bear the identification numbers worn by racers, resulted in two women runners initially finishing outside the top 10 in the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town on April 12.

The annual Two Oceans race is one of South Africa’s iconic marathons and includes a 56-kilometer (34.7-mile) ultramarathon and a 21.1-kilometer (13.1-mile) half-marathon. The event attracts over 16,000 participants and finishing among the top 10 is a significant achievement for most runners.

The two men, Luke Jacobs and Nic Bradfield, finished seventh and 10th. They were disqualified after a marathon board member uncovered the deception. The women runners who had been bumped were subsequently recognized for their legitimate finishes.

Jacobs and Bradfield will face disciplinary processes by the marathon’s disciplinary subcommittee, said Two Oceans Marathon board member Stuart Mann, who helped uncover the deception.

Swapping bibs is unethical and risky

Exchanging bibs with another marathoner has become more common while also carrying far-reaching consequences, Mann said.

“Not only is it considered unethical, but it also poses health and medicals risks in case of an emergency as wrong medication may be administered to a wrong person,” Mann said.

Swapping numbers can result from different motivations, Mann explained. For some, it is done to avoid losing money if they are injured or for some other unexpected reason can’t run the race. For others, the deceptive practice allows them to obtain a faster time to use for qualifying in a future race.

Online photos lead to discoveries and apologies

Mann was tipped off to one of the swaps after Jacobs posted pictures of himself at the race on social media and people noticed his bib displayed the name “Larissa.”

After further investigation, Mann learned Jacobs competed using a bib assigned to Larissa Parekh, who was registered to compete in the women's race.

“I made an error in judgment and did not consider the consequences. I should not have taken part,” Jacobs said in a written apology.

Jacobs and Bradfield were also tripped up by modern sports technology. Race officials watched the first 10 women cross the finish line, but data from chips in the bibs indicated two other women also had crossed, although they were not observed by the officials.

The discrepancy led to the revelation that Bradfield competed with a number belonging to Tegan Garvey, who later admitted to giving up her bib after she suffered a hip problem prior to the race.

“The day before, my hip gave in completely, leaving me unable to even walk. I felt bad as to give up my race entry so my friend ran in my place,” Garvey said.

Parekh did not give a clear explanation for her actions, according to Mann, who said both women have apologized and face two-year bans from the Two Oceans Marathon.

Leer en español

According to police, prior to being found, Deniro Venero was last seen Thursday in the 1200 block of Southeast 29^th Street in Homestead.

Detectives believe Deniro might have traveled to the Sweetwater area, but police did not immediately confirm where he had been during the time he was believed to be missing.

Tucked away in Pinecrest, the Mandelstam School is a place that, you could say, rises above the rest.

At the school, third graders don’t just hit the books -- they soar, literally.

Along with rigorous academics, students take mandatory gymnastics lessons and dive deep into the arts.

“It’s just beautiful growing together and having this community grow together,” said Allen Mandelstam-Soussa, co-owner of the school.

Inside, the classroom recently looked more like a stage, as students prepared for a musical -- but not the kind you might expect.

Think circus-style acrobatics, performed by 8- and 9-year-olds. No special cushions if they fall -- just talent, plenty of practice and grit.

“I learned how to do upside-down splits on rings,” said Charlie, a third grader.

But it’s not just about performance. Everything here carries meaning.

Recently, one performance in particular went viral — a traditional Pakistani dance full of color and rhythm that racked up more than 1 million views online.

“Yeah, when you heard about a million views, what was that like?” a student was asked.

“I was like, it’s just a dance,” said Pheonix, a third grader.

Each year, students choose a country to study throughout the year. This time, they picked Pakistan to celebrate their classmate Elon — and fully embraced it.

From the clothing to the handmade art, every detail was meant to make him feel special.

“He’s one of my best friends,” Pheonix said.

“I was really excited that people could learn more about my culture,” Elon said.

And people did. The dance even made headlines in Pakistan.

“I never knew a kid’s video could get that many views,” Elon added.

For Elon’s mother, the moment goes beyond the spotlight.

“These students are being raised to be leaders that are empathetic, have cultural understanding, and ultimately I hope see the humanity behind the headlines these days and become adults in the future that are gonna lead us to a more peaceful and brighter future,” said Sultana Qureshi.

In a world that can often feel divided, this school stands apart.

Leave it to kids to remind us that lifting each other up is something we can all reach for.

“It makes me feel proud that I’m in this school,” Charlie said.

El velorio, abierto al público, comienza a las 11:30 a.m. en la iglesia Church by the Glades en Coral Springs.

Luego se llevará a cabo una celebración de vida a las 12:30 p.m.

“Para honrar las tradiciones culturales, se pide amablemente a los asistentes evitar vestir tonos rojos, burdeos o púrpura, ya que estos colores se consideran irrespetuosos”, informaron funcionarios de la ciudad en un comunicado.

“La ciudad alienta a todos los que deseen honrar a la vicealcaldesa Metayer a hacerlo no solo en recuerdo, sino continuando los valores que ella encarnó, apoyando a otros, dando espacio en la mesa, sirviendo con compasión y trabajando hacia un futuro más sostenible”, añadieron.

El jueves, el gobernador Ron DeSantis ordenó que todas las banderas en Tallahassee y Coral Springs ondeen a media asta desde el amanecer hasta el atardecer del viernes en honor a Metayer Bowen.

El esposo de la vicealcaldesa, Stephen Bowen, de 40 años, enfrenta cargos de asesinato en primer grado y manipulación de evidencia tras ser capturado en Plantation.

Está acusado de dispararle a Metayer Bowen dentro de su casa en Coral Springs, donde su cuerpo fue encontrado la mañana del 1 de abril. Tenía 38 años.

2 tablespoons coconut oil

½ cup coconut sugar

½ cup coconut milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ripe but firm bananas, cut in half lengthwise

¼ cup dark rum

coconut sorbet, for serving

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the coconut oil and add the coconut sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and begins to bubble, about 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut milk and the vanilla extract. Stir until a caramel forms.

Place the bananas, cut-side down into the caramel sauce. Cook for 2 minutes until golden and caramelized. Gently flip and cook for another minute on the other side.

Remove the pan from direct heat. Pour the dark rum over the bananas. Either ignite the rum or let the alcohol burn off.

Serve immediately with coconut sorbet.

4 poblano peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, seeded, cored and small diced

1 cup fresh corn kernels

1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups cooked quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)

juice of 1 lime

¼ cup fresh cilantro with tender stems, chopped

grated vegan cheese for topping, if desired

Preheat the oven to Max Broil or 450˚F. Place the poblanos on a baking sheet and broil until charred all over or bake until skin begins to char, should take a few minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Remove and place directly into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. When cooled slightly, gently remove the charred peel (if there is some left over it is fine) then carefully slice open lengthwise and remove seeds, keeping the pepper intact.

In a skillet over medium, heat the olive oil and cook the onion, red bell pepper and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add the corn, black beans and spices. Season with a teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Stir in the quinoa, lime juice, and the cilantro. Cook together for 2 minutes until everything is well combined.

Spoon a generous amount of filling into each roasted poblano. Place the poblanos back on the baking sheet. Place into a 400˚F oven for 10 minutes or until heated through. If you want to use vegan cheese, top the chilies with your desired amount and place back in the oven for just a couple of minutes to heat it up.

2 cans hearts of palm, drained and sliced into rounds

½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

3 Kirby cucumbers, diced small

1 celery rib, small diced

¼ red onion, sliced very thin

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 fresh tomato, seeded and diced

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 avocado, peeled and diced

For garnish and serving:

Cancha, fried until crispy or popcorn, optional

lettuce leaves, for serving

Combine the hearts of palm with all ingredients except for the avocado. Taste for seasoning and adjust if desired. Stir in the avocado. Serve over lettuce leaves, if using, and top with crispy cancha or popcorn to garnish.

Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, instead promoting fossil fuels that he says are essential to American energy dominance. The Associated Press and Grist collaborated on a project to analyze how federal policy changes on energy are affecting farmers.

They found that two programs critical for renewable energy growth — a rural-focused initiative called REAP and a clean energy tax credit — have been sharply rolled back. In the fiscal year that started Oct. 1, they found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn’t awarded a single dollar in rural energy grants or loan guarantees.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between Grist and The Associated Press.

___

Some takeaways from their reporting:

A longstanding renewable energy program is gutted

Through the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, the USDA issues grants and loans to farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses interested in renewable energy — like installing solar to lower utility costs. REAP has backed tens of thousands of renewable energy and efficiency projects, with grants totaling more than $1.8 billion, since it began nearly two decades ago.

The program was supercharged by funding from the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, and had bipartisan support up until then.

But the Grist-AP analysis of USDA data found the program hasn't committed a single dollar in renewable energy development since September. It has never reopened REAP’s grant application cycle though it said it would do so last October. Its loan guarantee program — geared toward larger farm and rural business projects — has remained open, but the analysis found that the agency has awarded no new agreements this fiscal year.

And on March 31, the USDA announced a suspension of all REAP grant awards so it could update regulations to comply with a Trump executive order issued in July.

A USDA spokesperson said the suspension was temporary but didn't say for how long.

A tax credit begun under Bush is tightened, killing projects

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed by President George W. Bush, enacted a 30% investment tax credit for large-scale clean energy projects, boosting the solar industry. The tax credit was extended for eight years under President Obama and later extended under Trump in 2020.

When President Joe Biden signed the 2022 landmark climate bill, the tax credit was extended again through 2032 or when specific emissions targets were reached. But under Trump’s tax bill passed by Congress last year, the timeline for getting credits was moved up. Now, commercial solar projects have to be under construction by July 2026 and in service by the end of 2027 to be eligible for the credit.

The Grist-AP analysis found at least 126 solar projects proposed since 2024 — all of them on or near farmland — are awaiting regulatory approval. Together the projects would supply about 20 gigawatts of renewable electricity, enough to power about 4.5 million homes.

Some developers are abandoning projects because they say they can't meet the deadlines.

What all this means for farmers

Daniel Bell, a Kentucky sheep farmer, is earning extra money by running his flock on land owned by a commercial solar operation. The sheep keep the grass down beneath solar arrays. With an expanding flock, now he needs a new barn, and he wanted to power it with rooftop solar — only to find that the Trump administration had effectively stopped the grants that would have made it possible on his own property.

Bell said for him it's an issue of the freedom to do what he wants in a way that lowers his bills.

Robert Bonnie, who was undersecretary for farm production and conservation at the USDA under the Biden administration, said the retreat from funding renewables will be felt throughout rural America. Part of the USDA’s role has been to invest in rural areas while making rural prosperity part of the climate agenda.

“In places like Iowa and Texas, renewables matter, not just for additional power, and lower power bills, and clean energy, but also matters for farmers’ pocketbooks,” said Bonnie. “Anything you do to pull back on that is hugely problematic.”

___

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.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Marie-Thérèse Ross in Alabama on April 1 after she overstayed her 90-day visa, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“She returned to France this morning, this is a satisfaction for us,” Barrot told reporters during a visit to the southern city of Montpellier on Friday.

Barrot said he would not comment on the specific case, but said some of ICE methods are “not in line” with French standards and "not acceptable to us.” Barrot referred to “violence that raised our concerns,” without elaborating.

Ross was being held at a federal immigration detention facility in Louisiana.

She was among the thousands of people targeted by the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda that has detained the spouses of U.S. soldiers and military veterans who previously received greater leniency under scrapped policies.

Ross married Alabama resident William Ross in April last year, Calhoun County marriage records show. Ross died in January, according to an obituary from his family, which says he was a former captain in the U.S. Army.

“For me, it didn't make sense to think about it or waste time thinking about,” Rahm said Thursday after opening with seven birdies in his round of 6-under 65 at LIV Golf Mexico, leaving him three shots behind Victor Perez of France at Chapultepec Golf Club.

“Since everything happened so suddenly and so quickly, I wasn’t very worried about it because normally, before the rumors start, we already know something — there’s always someone within the league who knows something,” he said. “It happened so fast that I really didn’t worry about it.”

Speculation was running rampant on Wednesday the main source of funding — Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund — was on the verge of drying up. The LIV chief executive, Scott O'Neil, sent a memo to staff the 2026 season would proceed without interruption and at “full throttle.”

Questions remained whether that would last beyond the end of the year.

There was a power outage at the course on Tuesday, fueling speculation about the league's future. And then the streaming of the first round went out for about two hours.

O'Neil sat down with LIV's broadcast team and remained bullish about the future.

“Given the momentum of this business, we’re really excited about where we are and the position where we are,” O'Neil said.

He said he met with 50 people at the Masters and rolled out a plan that “might surprise people.” LIV Golf has said some of its metrics such as ticket sales and team sponsorships have increased, and O'Neil is projecting 10 of the 13 teams and four of the 14 events will be profitable.

But there is a substantial cost involved with prize funds ($30 million for each tournament) and operations. The newsletter Money in Sport reported in February that LIV Golf already had spent $5.3 billion and was projected to surpass $6 billion by the end of the year.

“This notion of bringing teams to market, I had two calls this morning,” O'Neil said on the LIV broadcast. “This notion of, ‘Do you have to raise money?’ Probably this is business. But if we keep the trajectory going the way we are and the revenue growth going, this is going to be a really good business for a really long time.”

___

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

Tusk was speaking on Friday in the Polish parliament, before a parliamentary vote to overrule Nawrocki who had rejected regulations of the Polish crypto-asset market. Nawrocki has vetoed two separate attempts by the liberal government to regulate this market in the past six months.

Tusk claimed that the blocking of regulations by some Polish politicians indicated they were serving the interests of a specific company, Zondacrypto, which had in the past provided them with financial support and which had links with Russia.

“The source of this company’s financial success is not only Russian money linked to the so-called Bratva, one of the most important mafia groups in Russia, but also to Russian secret services,” Tusk said in his parliament speech.

Tusk said Zondacrypto at the same time “sponsors political and social events in Poland and promotes very specific political forces,” including by financing politicians of the formerly governing Law and Justice as well as of the far-right Confederation.

Tusk also said that Zondacrypto had been a strategic sponsor of a meeting of The Conservative Political Action Conference, the United States’ premier conservative gathering, in Rzeszow, eastern Poland, in March 2025. That meeting took place just five days before presidential elections in Poland which were a tight confrontation between a candidate of Tusk's liberal camp and Nawrocki, backed by Law and Justice.

During that meeting, Kristi Noem, then the U.S. homeland secretary, described the liberal candidate as “an absolute train wreck of a leader” and Nawrocki, who was attending the CPAC meeting, as someone who would lead Poland in a style similar to Trump.

“We need you to elect the right leader,” Noem, a prominent Trump ally, said in a speech at the event. “You will be the leaders that will turn Europe back to conservative values.”

Tusk also said that, when deciding to veto the new crypto regulations, Nawrocki was “fully aware” of all the details concerning Zondacrypto.

In response to Tusk's accusations, Zbigniew Bogucki, the head of the president's office, said Nawrocki was not opposed to the need to regulate the crypto-assets market but just to the “flawed regulatory model” proposed by the government.

Confederation leader Sławomir Mentzen said the new legislation would have “destroyed the Polish cryptocurrency market."

The government says the new regulations are meant to bring Poland in compliance with European Union rules on crypto-assets.

Zondacrypto did not reply to questions from AP about Tusk's accusations but it told Polish media earlier this week it was cooperating with Polish authorities investigating accusations against it.

So get ready for the Savor SoFlo and Wine Festival, returning for its sixth year.

It brings a vibrant culinary experience to the beach, taking over 30,000 square feet of tented space right on the sand.

The festival highlights local chefs and restaurants such as Margaritaville, which will compete in the festival’s culinary showdown.

“We’re winning. We’re Margaritaville. We’re always winning,” executive chef Kedon Carter told Local 10’s Alexis Frazier.

There will be wine, craft beers and premium spirits to wash down the food.

“For Margaritaville, it’s those laid-back tropical vibes, and it ties in well with all the food, wine and tropical dishes that will be featured from local restaurants here in Hollywood,” Margaritaville Marketing Director Cara Mia Gatti said.

Proceeds from Savor SoFlo will benefit Glam-A-Thon and Gilda’s Club South Florida, which support breast cancer patients with mental health and wellness resources.

“Our goal has been to educate and teach people how to love food and view it as an art form. When you grow to appreciate that, you see food in a completely different way,” Savor President and Producer Tammy Gail said.

The event is Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., and tickets can be purchased on-site or in advance.

Visit the link here to learn more.

Leer en español

• ‘Real Housewife’ Lisa Hochstein released on bond from Miami-Dade jail; accused of planting recording device in ex-husband’s car
• Former Miami-Dade School Board member Lubby Navarro headed to prison after guilty plea in theft case
• Mother of rapper Kodak Black’s child arrested on drug trafficking charge in Broward
• Son of Local 10 anchor, reporter recovers after surgery for chronic ear, nose and throat issues
• BSO: Woman steals SNAP benefits from about 200 people
• Birthday party shooting victim had been paralyzed by Stranahan football injury: ‘He’s defenseless’
• Woman shot multiple times in Coral Springs, rushed to hospital ‘with serious injuries’
• Tennessee tourist in hockey mask attacks stripper at Key West club, cuts her hair, cops say
• Police: WhatsApp posts get Florida International University student arrested
• Stepmom tortured girl, 8, by jumping on her, pouring hot sauce in mouth, near genitals: BSO

Alcaraz, ranked No. 2, withdrew from the Barcelona Open in midweek after undergoing a test on his right wrist, and the fourth-ranked Djokovic is nursing a shoulder injury.

On Friday, Alcaraz said it “hurts” to announce that he'll miss the Madrid Open for a second straight year. The tournament starts on Monday.

Alcaraz's withdrawal in Barcelona came a day after he called for a trainer and had his wrist treated during his opening match, a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Otto Virtanen.

Djokovic hasn't competed since the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. He missed the Miami Open because of a right shoulder injury and also skipped the Monte Carlo Masters.

“Madrid, unfortunately I won’t be able to compete at the Madrid Open this year,” he wrote Friday on his social media accounts. "I’m continuing my recovery in order to be back soon. Hasta pronto!”

Djokovic is a three-time champion in Madrid.

The tournament said in a statement: “We hope to see you back here as soon as possible so we can enjoy your tennis as we have done so many times in the Caja Mágica.”

Alcaraz and Djokovic's next tournaments are the Italian Open and the French Open. Alcaraz won both of those titles last year.

___

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

A veteran of the softer side of television news, Padron has specialized in the art of goodwill and solutions-oriented storytelling for more than two decades. She’s the architect of Local 10’s community outreach campaigns, including the Local 10 Day of Giving, which collects nonperishable foods for nonprofits in the hunger space and The Big Bus Toy Express, which collects new, unwrapped toys for the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots. Padron will continue leading those broader efforts as she takes on this new role in bringing the inspiring stories of everyday people in South Florida.

Good News South Florida will shine a light on people overcoming incredible hardships, unlocking goodness in the most unlikely of places and loving their neighbors as themselves. But it’s more than storytelling. It’s action driven journalism. On occasion, Good News South Florida will invite Local 10 viewers to be part of the narrative and volunteer their talent, time and treasure to turn things around for someone in need.

“Good News South Florida will show that even when someone finds themselves in the fiery furnace of adversity, there is redemption, refuge and relief,” said Padron. “It’s not too good to be true. Good News is living and powerful in South Florida. Watch and be part of it.”

• To donate: If you’d like to make a monetary donation toward a Good News South Florida story or project, click here. Local 10 has established the Local 10 Fund with The Miami Foundation and 100% of your donation will go toward the cause you designate in the “additional information” box.
• To volunteer or submit a story idea: If you’d like to volunteer for a Good News South Florida project or would like to submit a story for consideration, email goodnews@local10.com.

Good News South Florida airs Fridays on the Local 10 morning news at 10 a.m. It will encore Fridays at 3:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings, beginning at 6 a.m.

NOMINATE A TEACHER!

Good News South Florida wants to pay tribute to an exemplary educator. From now through Friday, May 1, Local 10 viewers are invited to nominate a South Florida teacher who meets the following criteria:

• 10 or more years teaching at the elementary, middle or high school level in Broward, Miami-Dade, or Monroe counties
• Highly innovative, applying creative teaching techniques to engage students
• Personal story of overcoming challenges or adversity and inspiring others to do the same
• Highly involved in community service or charity work

Upload a photo of your favorite teacher and complete all the fields below to submit your nomination. A panel will review all submissions and choose one teacher. The deadline to submit is Friday, May 1, at 11:59 p.m.

The chosen honoree will be revealed on Local 10 News on Friday, May 22, beginning at 10:30 a.m. as part of the Good News South Florida series.

Users on Polymarket, the world's largest prediction market, could place bets on when the airman would be rescued. When Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., shared a screenshot of the activity on social media, an April 3 rescue was trading at 15% compared with 63% who were betting on April 4.

After Moulton posted the screenshot and blasted this “dystopian death market,” Polymarket stopped the betting, saying the market “does not meet our integrity standards.”

A former Marine who served four tours in Iraq, Moulton said he was “absolutely not satisfied with Polymarket's response” and blamed the site for being “completely unwilling to self-regulate when it comes to betting on the lives of our service members.”

“This is war profiteering and Congress needs to step in and stop it,” he said.

A confrontation is brewing in Washington over prediction markets, the online exchanges that allow users to bet on the outcome of everything from a baseball game to when Jesus Christ will return.

In a highly polarized Congress, the need to guard against the prediction markets being used for insider trading has become rare common ground. Members of both parties pressed the leader of a typically low-profile regulatory agency on the issue during a hearing on Thursday. The market debate is also drawing in the White House, potential presidential candidates and state leaders.

“It's a national conversation about what it means to have market integrity,” said Kristin Johnson, a former commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates prediction markets in the U.S.

In a capital that was slow to respond to the perils of tobacco, opioids and social media, the push to put guardrails on prediction markets has been uncommonly swift.

The markets, which include Polymarket and its chief rival Kalshi, have been criticized for everything from undermining the integrity of sports to contributing to an online betting addiction crisis among young men. Polymarket has come under particular scrutiny as a venue for offshore trades that are beyond the reach of U.S. regulators.

Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, is on Polymarket's advisory board and is a paid adviser for Kalshi. 1789 Capital, the venture capital firm where Trump Jr. is a partner, has invested in Polymarket.

Well-timed trades catch Washington's attention

The Associated Press reported this month that a group of new accounts on Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the U.S. and Iran would reach a ceasefire on April 7, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for these new customers.

On the same day the report was published, the White House warned staff against using private information to trade on prediction markets.

Earlier this year, an anonymous Polymarket user collected more than $400,000 on a January bet predicting the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, prompting concerns that someone with access to private U.S. government information may have engaged in insider trading.

Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican and former Marine, said he had been concerned about trading in the sports market, “but I became especially concerned about market distortions, improper decision making, and undermining of public trust through self-enrichment after the news broke about Venezuela.”

Young and Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., have introduced a bill that would bar federal employees from using nonpublic information to make bets on prediction markets. Their bill is among several bipartisan efforts in Congress to regulate prediction markets.

As he eyes a potential presidential campaign, Democrat Rahm Emanuel proposed a ban on prediction market bets by all federal employees and their families. On Wednesday, he suggested a 10% fee on those markets and online gambling to fund science and health research.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another potential Democratic presidential candidate, issued an executive order barring his appointees from using nonpublic information to trade on prediction markets.

For now, there's no immediate path to passage for any of the bills. But the scrutiny has drawn focus to the differing approaches of the main prediction markets.

Polymarket officials say little publicly and didn't comment for this story. The market, founded in 2020, operates largely offshore with limited functions in the U.S. that were allowed only after President Donald Trump returned to office.

Kalshi, meanwhile, says it already bans many of the most extreme betting markets and welcomes regulation.

“We support Congress and regulators taking action to police insider trading, keep prediction markets onshore and under federal regulation," said Kalshi spokesperson Elisabeth Diana. "Not all prediction markets are the same.”

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump has been clear that "members of Congress and other government officials should be prohibited from using nonpublic information for financial benefit.”

Prediction markets bring CFTC into the spotlight

The bet-the-event activity is drawing attention to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees the vast trading contracts industry, including prediction markets.

Dennis Kelleher, the president and chief executive of Better Markets, a Washington nonprofit that has pressed for stronger oversight of prediction markets, said the agency "certainly has no experience, expertise, budget, technology to actually in any way supervise, regulate or police gambling on everything from whether it’s Iran, Venezuela, whether it’s reality TV, whether Christ is going to come back before the end of the year.”

The agency, which by law is supposed to have a five-member board including representatives of both political parties, is served now by only one member, Michael Selig, a former CFTC law clerk who went on to represent cryptocurrency clients before Trump appointed him to lead the agency.

That's sparked concern among congressional Democrats. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., sent Selig a letter in February noting that the number of enforcement attorneys at the agency's Chicago office had declined from 20 to zero.

During a Thursday hearing of the House Agriculture Committee, which oversees the CFTC, Selig said the agency was hiring new staff and operating more efficiently. He refused to hold off on completing new regulations until new members were added to the board but insisted he was taking the potential of insider trading seriously.

“Nothing is more important than protecting market integrity,” he said.

Still, the agency's enforcement authority extends only to prediction markets regulated in the U.S.

For now, that distinction largely applies to Kalshi, which was established in 2018 and promotes its status as a regulated prediction market. Eager to reach American customers, Polymarket has introduced a U.S.-only prediction market platform to conform with U.S. regulations, but that platform currently has a waitlist to participate and is a small fraction of the size of its offshore counterpart.

CFTC's leadership criticizes Biden and takes on states

Asked at a recent Vanderbilt University forum about the CFTC's approach to insider trading in unregulated offshore prediction markets, Selig blamed the Biden administration for creating a regulatory environment that he said discouraged companies from operating in the U.S.

As the debate plays out in Washington, multiple states have tried to curtail prediction markets, arguing they are essentially operating as unlicensed gambling platforms. But the CFTC has responded forcefully to assert itself as the sole regulator, suing Connecticut, Arizona and Illinois this month.

That leaves Washington at a strange juncture, with widespread agreement among lawmakers that something should be done to address the issue of prediction markets. But there are differing thoughts on the scope of a solution.

Young acknowledged his proposal is just a first step, and said lawmakers have a lot to learn about prediction markets.

“But I think we can all agree at this early stage, as usage of these platforms grows and real money is put at stake, that this is a measure that should be taken immediately,” he said.

___

Sweet reported from New York. Associated Press writer Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

Kosovo's Parliament on Friday overwhelmingly approved in a 89-0 vote an earlier government decision to send the troops to the International Stabilization Force under a U.S.-backed initiative following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last year.

The ISF is yet to deploy to help maintain peace and assist in rebuilding Gaza under U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which Kosovo has joined. Indonesia, Albania and Kazakhstan are among other countries that have promised to participate in ISF.

In Kosovo, contributing to the international force is seen as proof of how far the country has come after declaring independence from Serbia in 2008, a split which Belgrade still does not recognize.

Belgrade's brutal crackdown on Kosovo's separatist rebels prompted a NATO intervention in 1999 that forced the Serb troops out of the territory and paved the way for the peacekeepers' deployment under a KFOR mission.

"Our country has been a security consumer, meaning NATO countries have contributed to the security of the Republic of Kosovo," Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci told The Associated Press. “Today we are entering a phase where we are becoming a provider, or exporter, of security.”

Maqedonci said the Kosovo contingent will consist of several dozen officers, including from demining units. The troops will be tasked with providing humanitarian support, security assistance and other duties determined by the mandate of the Gaza force, Maqedonci added.

“We are currently in the final preparations phase," Maqedonci said. He said a U.S. representative has helped with the preparation, including vaccination of troops, issuing of visas and other technical arrangements.

Kosovo currently has a security force of some 4,000 personnel that is being trained to become a small, professional military aligned with NATO.

Musician Milot Hoxha, 43, hailed the plan to participate in the Gaza mission.

“We ourselves have gone through such a transition and every small help for us has been very significant,” he said. "I believe it will be the same for them, that any kind of help will be positive. I strongly support this decision.”

Tensions with Serbia have been simmering ever since the war, with occasional violent incidents. The European Union has mediated negotiations aimed at normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina but these efforts have stalled recently.

The United States and most EU countries have recognized Kosovo as an independent state, while Russia and China have backed Serbia's claim on the territory.

Robinson's attorneys want cameras banned from a Utah courtroom, pointing to sometimes sensationalist media coverage they fear will foster widespread bias against their client as he faces prosecution in last September's shooting death of the conservative activist on a college campus.

Prosecutors want cameras allowed, and suggested they could help dispel conspiracy theories and “distorted narratives” swirling around the case since Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to a crowd of thousands.

“Transparency serves as a corrective to misinformation,” Utah County prosecutors said in a court filing arguing in favor of cameras. A trial date has not yet been set.

Popping flash bulbs at the ‘trial of the century’

Cameras appeared in courts long before the man charged with kidnapping and killing legendary aviator Charles Lindbergh’s baby went on trial in New Jersey in 1935.

An earlier photo captured a clutch of mobsters at Al Capone ’s trial holding hats in front of their faces so they wouldn't be recognized. In 1932, a German photographer feigned a broken arm to sneak a camera into the U.S. Supreme Court inside a sling and get a rare picture of justices in session.

Then came the “trial of the century” for Bruno Richard Hauptmann in the killing of Lindbergh's son. It ushered in a new era of criminal trial as visual spectacle.

Hundreds of reporters and dozens of photographers chronicled the proceedings. Popping flashbulbs repeatedly startled witnesses and some photographers reportedly climbed on tables to get their pictures.

Hauptmann was convicted of murder and executed. The chaotic trial provoked a backlash and new judicial ethics rules that kept cameras out of courtrooms for decades.

The swindler and the circus

Whether cameras should be allowed has spurred perpetual disagreement between transparency advocates and defense attorneys eager to shield clients from ignominious publicity that could tilt a jury against them.

In 1962, a Texas state judge allowed news organizations to film the trial of infamous con man Billie Sol Estes on swindling charges.

The case had national notoriety after Estes was accused of looting a federal crop subsidy program, triggering a Washington scandal during President John F. Kennedy’s administration. His attorneys argued against cameras, saying they would prejudice potential jurors. The judge rejected the request and pledged he would not let the media transform his courtroom into a circus.

Court documents later described the scene in the courtroom as “a mass of wires, television cameras, microphones and photographers.” Hearings in the case were broadcast live by radio and television.

Following Estes' conviction, the Supreme Court took up his appeal and said the intense publicity deprived him of his constitutional right to a fair trial. Justices overturned the state court conviction in an opinion that derided “the evil of televised trials.”

“To permit this powerful medium to use the trial process itself to influence the opinions of vast numbers of people, before a verdict of guilt or innocence has been rendered, would be entirely foreign to our system of justice,” justices said.

The ruling was in line with a long-standing prohibition on cameras in federal courts.

Bundy's trial got airtime, but not Trump's

Less than a decade later the Supreme Court decided differently in a case involving two Florida police officers who burglarized a restaurant.

Justices said in an 8-0 ruling that states could allow cameras at criminal trials and there was no “empirical data” to show the presence of broadcast media in the courtroom inherently has a negative effect.

In the years following, cameras gradually came into common use in state and local courtrooms across the nation. High-profile cases that were broadcast included murder trials for serial killers Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, the excessive force prosecutions of the Los Angeles Police officers who beat Rodney King, and the murder trial of Jodi Arias in the killing of her ex-boyfriend.

Still, restrictions remain and judges typically retain broad discretion over which parts of a case can be broadcast and who can be filmed or photographed.

Donald Trump's trial and 2024 conviction in a hush money case was closed to cameras while court was in session under a New York state law that sharply restricts video coverage. Media organizations used sketch artists to capture the scene.

The made-for-TV trial

Arguably the most watched televised trial remains the 1995 prosecution of former football player O.J. Simpson in the death of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. It, too, became known as the “trial of the century” and is listed by Guinness World Records as the “most viewed trial” with a daily average viewership of 5.5 million people.

As the case dragged on for months, viewers were inundated with courtroom testimony and analysts opinions. Simpson was acquitted.

The focus on every aspect of the case raised concerns about potential bias to jurors, and also that the lawyers and even the judge were acting differently knowing they were being watched across the nation.

“People were talking about how the judge and the attorneys were playing to the cameras as much as they were playing to the jury,” said Cornell Law School professor Valerie Hans.

By early morning, cars were backed up for kilometers on the route leading south to the damaged Qasmiyeh bridge over the Litani River, a key crossing linking the southern coastal city of Tyre to the north. Vehicles piled high with mattresses, suitcases and salvaged belongings crept forward through a single reopened lane, hastily repaired after an Israeli airstrike just a day earlier.

Drivers heading back to their villages along coastal highways cheered each other, flashed victory signs and exchanged blessings.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war displaced more than a million people. Despite warnings from Lebanese officials that they should not immediately attempt to return to their homes, many began moving toward southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire was declared. The truce appeared to be largely holding overnight.

Israel and Hezbollah have fought several wars and have been fighting on and off since the day after the start of the Gaza war. Israel and Lebanon reached a deal to end that war in November 2024, but Israel had kept up near-daily strikes in what it says is an effort to prevent the Iran-backed militant group from regrouping. That escalated into another invasion after Hezbollah again began firing missiles at Israel in response to its war on Iran.

Lebanese return to rubble after intense strikes

In southern villages like Jibsheet, a trickle of residents returned to flattened apartment blocks and streets littered with chunks of concrete, twisted aluminum shutters and dangling electrical wires.

“I feel free being back,” said Zainab Fahas, 23. “But look, they destroyed everything — the square, the houses, the shops, everything.”

Many did not believe that their ordeal was really over.

“Israel doesn’t want peace,” said Ali Wahdan, 27, a medic walking on crutches over the rubble of the emergency services’ headquarters in Jibsheet. He was badly wounded in an Israeli airstrike that hit the building without warning during the first week of the war.

“I wish it were different," he said. “But this war will continue.”

In the neighborhood of Haret Hreik in Beirut’s southern suburb, entire buildings had been reduced to rubble after weeks of intense Israeli strikes. Ahmad Lahham, 48, waved the yellow Hezbollah flag standing on a mountain of rubble that used to be his apartment building, which had also housed a branch of Hezbollah’s financial arm, Al-Qard Al-Hassan.

“We are at the service of the fighters," said Lahham, pledging his loyalty to the group.

He praised Iran, saying Tehran's pressure in its talks with the U.S. led to the truce, and condemned Lebanon’s direct talks with Israel.

“Only the Iranians stood with us, no one else,” he said, calling Lebanon’s leaders “the leadership of shame.”

A local government official in Haret Hreik said Israel struck the neighborhood 62 times over the last six weeks.

“We’ve been able to clear up the rubble of the partially damaged buildings, but for those destroyed, we will need special equipment,” Sadek Slim, the neighborhood’s deputy mayor, told a press briefing.

The area was gridlocked with traffic, with people coming back to check on their homes and Hezbollah supporters zooming on scooters, waving the group’s flag. Cars packed with families, with their possessions strapped to the roof or bursting from open trunks, were sitting in traffic for hours Friday afternoon on the highway south as a dust storm filled the air. Aid workers passed out much-needed bottles of water to those stuck in traffic.

Wounded continued to arrive at a hospital

Meanwhile, in Al-Najda al Shaabiya Hospital in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, officials said Thursday was one of the heaviest days of Israeli strikes since this latest Israel-Hezbollah war began.

Hospital Director Mona Abou Zeid said the wounded continued arriving from nearby Israeli strikes until around an hour after the ceasefire took effect at midnight.

Among those wounded in the bombardment on Nabatiyeh Thursday was 33-year-old Mahmoud Sahmarani, who said he stepped outside his home to buy some charcoal for his shisha water pipe when an Israeli strike hit his five-story building, killing his father and cousin as they were peeling potatoes for lunch. All that remains of his apartment is rubble, leaving him and the rest of his family homeless.

“Israel should have withdrawn from Lebanon,” he said from his hospital bed, his left eye swollen shut and his head swaddled in bandages. “If we don’t get them out, they will continue to kill us.”

Many still hesitant to go home

In downtown Beirut, tents still line some areas as some families begin to leave, while others wait, weighing the risks of returning south.

A tricycle piled with mattresses weaves through the camp, signaling the first departures after a fragile ceasefire.

“Our homes in the south are gone, destroyed,” said Ali Balhas, from Siddiqeen town in the Tyre province. “Israel is deceptive. You never really know its policies or how it will act toward people."

“I have six children here, and I can’t leave that quickly. Once there is more safety, we will try to take the children and go back" to our village he said.

Amira Ayyash, a woman from Qaaqaiat al-Jisr in the Nabatiyeh province, decided to wait and assess the situation before returning home.

“We do not know at what hour they might strike us, for they are treacherous. So we decided to take it slowly,” she said.

Ahmad Ramadan, 42, a father of three stuck in the bottleneck, said he initially planned to wait out the ceasefire at his cousin’s now-crowded apartment in Beirut. But the desire to see what had become of his house in the southern city of Tyre overcame him.

“We are going to check on our house, just quickly, and come back. We just need to know if there’s damage,” he said. “Even if we’re waiting for hours here it’s worth knowing what happened.”

Marie-Louise Eta is coaching Union Berlin against Wolfsburg on Saturday as she starts a five-game stint as the team's interim coach in the Bundesliga until the end of the season. That will make her the first female coach in any of Europe's five biggest national men's leagues.

However, Eta previously signed a contract to coach Union's women's team from next season and club president Dirk Zingler wants to stick to that plan. Viewing her interim role as a five-game audition for the men's job is a “disservice” to the women's game, Zingler said.

“If (Eta) is really good, then she stays with the men, and if she's not so good, she goes to the women, that's not a discussion I'm having at all,” Zingler told Sky Sport Germany late Thursday.

“It's always a specialist, fact-based decision about who coaches which team and if we associate her with this discussion, then we're doing a disservice to her and to women's soccer as a whole. Marie-Louise Eta will be responsible for five games here and then she will take over the women.”

Zingler seems to be overruling Horst Heldt, Union's director of men’s professional soccer, who had said he wouldn't rule Eta out as a candidate for the permanent men's team role.

Eta herself has said she's focusing on the team's performance on the field and suggested she isn't looking beyond that.

“Next year in any case I’ll still be a coach,” she said Thursday.

Eta previously made history as the first female assistant coach in the men's Bundesliga and has been coaching the under-19 men's team at Union.

With five games to go, Union is 11th in the 18-team Bundesliga and not yet mathematically safe from the threat of relegation. Eta's predecessor Steffen Baumgart was fired last week with the team having won none of its last three games, and only two of the last 14.

The announcement of the 34-year-old Eta’s appointment prompted sexist and derogatory comments on social media, leading Union to push back.

___

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

Rumen Radev 's new coalition is seen as favored to win most of the votes in the April 19 poll, with some voters hoping that this could put an end to the country’s oligarchic corruption, while others are lining up behind Radev’s Eurosceptic and pro-Russian views.

Radev resigned from the mostly ceremonial presidency in January, a few months before the end of his second term in office, to launch a bid to lead the government as prime minister.

The 62-year-old former fighter pilot and air force commander is seen as Bulgaria’s most popular politician and has promised to give the nation a fresh start if his center-left Progressive Bulgaria coalition wins the upcoming election.

Sunday’s snap vote follows the resignation of a conservative-led government amid nationwide anti-corruption protests in December 2025 that drew hundreds of thousands of mainly young people to the streets.

Bulgaria, a European Union and NATO member country with a population of 6.5 million, joined the eurozone on Jan. 1 this year shortly after entering the border-free Schengen travel area. But it has been plagued by political instability since 2021, when three-time conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borissov resigned following massive protests fueled by anger over widespread corruption and injustice.

Since then, no government has survived for more than a year before being brought down by street protests or backroom deals in parliament, resulting in seven inconclusive early elections in five years. That's led to growing mistrust in the institutions, voter apathy and a shrinking turnout at the elections.

Last month, Bulgaria requested the assistance of the EU diplomatic service to counter Russian attempts to influence public opinion through social media networks and propaganda websites. The request was based on expert warnings about active networks of Russian influence accounts that seek to sow division.

Opinion polls predict Sunday's turnout to jump from an average of 35% in the last few elections to over 50%, partly because a new player has joined the race, but also due to efforts by the interim government to boost confidence in the vote with nationwide police raids, arrests and pretrial proceedings for vote-buying.

Most polls predict that Radev’s coalition could get more than 30% of the vote, putting him nearly 10% ahead of his closest rival — Borissov, the veteran leader of the center-right GERB party whose most recent term as prime minister was ended by the December 2025 protests. Most polls report margins of error from 3 to 3.5%.

Radev has cast himself as an opponent of the country’s entrenched mafia and its ties to high-ranking politicians. At the latest preelection rally on Wednesday, he vowed to “remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from political power.”

Polls suggest that Radev is likely to come in first, but will need a partner to form a stable governing coalition. He's ruled out an alliances with Borissov’s GERB or with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, whose leader Delyan Peevski has been sanctioned for corruption by both the United States and Britain.

A possible coalition partner for such reforms in domestic politics could be the pro-Western bloc “We Continue the Change,” which is predicted to come in third with 12%-14 % of the votes.

However, there are significant foreign policy issues that could prevent such cooperation, including the ongoing controversy surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine: while officially denouncing Moscow’s aggression, Radev has repeatedly opposed military aid to Kyiv and has favored reopening talks with Russia as a way out of the conflict.

Evelina Slavkova, from research center Trend, said Radev was unlikely to make a serious effort to reorient Bulgaria more toward Russia.

“Our country has succeeded, despite all the obstacles, despite disagreements among some politicians, in building a very important set of tools that keeps Bulgaria on the right track,” she said in an interview with the AP.

Slavkova said the country’s membership in NATO and the EU, as well as it place in the eurozone and the Schengen Area, are “tools that allow us to be much more at ease.”

She also noted that during the campaign Radev avoided giving definitive yes- or no-answers while seeking some balance between the two positions.

“This might be acceptable during a campaign, but when you’re running the country, you’ll certainly have to provide clear, definitive answers” Slavkova said.

___

Valentina Petrova in Sofia, Bulgaria contributed to this report

Starmer says he was not informed that the Foreign Office had overruled the recommendation of security officials in early 2025 not to give Peter Mandelson the job. Many considered Mandelson a risky appointment because of his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and alleged business links to Russia and China.

Starmer said he was “absolutely furious” that he had been kept in the dark, calling it staggering” and “unforgivable.” He said he would “set out all the relevant facts in true transparency” to Parliament on Monday.

The top Foreign Office civil servant, Olly Robbins, took the fall for the decision and resigned.

The PM's job is in peril

The prime minister's job has been endangered by his fateful decision to appoint Mandelson, a trade expert and elder statesman of the governing Labour Party, as envoy to the Trump administration. It was a calculated risk that backfired spectacularly, and could bring down the prime minister.

Opposition politicians expressed disbelief that Starmer could have been unaware Mandelson had failed security vetting. Starmer said he only found out on Tuesday of this week.

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, said Friday that “the recommendation was to not appoint Peter Mandelson to the role,” and that the Foreign Office ignored it. He said that was “astonishing,” but within the rules.

He said no government minister had been told of the security assessment. People familiar with the process said that is standard practice because of the sensitive personal information involved.

Jones said the checks, carried out by a department known as U.K. Security Vetting, “go through financial, personal, sexual, religious and other types of background information, and that is why it is kept extremely private on a portal that only a few people have access to.”

Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said claims the prime minister didn’t know were “completely preposterous.”

“This story does not stack up. The prime minister is taking us for fools,” she told the BBC. “All roads lead to a resignation.”

Ed Davey, the leader of the centrist Liberal Democrats, said Starmer “must go” if he misled Parliament and lied to the British public. The Lib Dems asked the prime minister's ethics adviser to investigate whether Starmer broke the government code of conduct by misleading Parliament.

Starmer has repeatedly insisted that “due process” was followed in the appointment, which was announced in December 2024. Mandelson took up the Washington post in February 2025, after undergoing security vetting.

Mandelson had known Epstein links

Mandelson’s expertise as a former European Union trade chief was considered a major asset in trying to persuade the Trump administration not to slap heavy tariffs on British goods, and seemed to pay off when the countries struck a trade deal in May 2025.

But documents released by the government in March, after being forced to by Parliament, showed Starmer ignored red flags raised by his staff about the appointment. He was warned that Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, exposed the government to “reputational risk.”

Starmer fired Mandelson in September 2025 after evidence emerged that he had lied about the extent of his links to Epstein.

The release of millions of pages of Epstein-related documents by the U.S. Department of Justice in January reveled more and showed Mandelson’s relationship with the financier continued even after Epstein’s conviction in 2008 for sexual offenses involving a minor.

Emails suggested Mandelson had passed on sensitive, and potentially market-moving, government information to Epstein in 2009 after the global financial crisis.

British police subsequently launched a criminal probe. Mandelson was arrested on Feb. 23 on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

He has been released without bail conditions as the police investigation continues. Mandelson has previously denied wrongdoing and hasn’t been charged. He does not face allegations of sexual misconduct.

King Charles III’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, is also under police investigation over his friendship with Epstein. He, too, has been arrested but not charged.

Starmer's recent setbacks

The prime minister has apologized to the British public and to Epstein’s victims for believing what he has termed “Mandelson’s lies.”

The Mandelson revelations are among a string of setbacks Starmer has faced since he led the Labour Party to a landslide election victory in July 2024. He has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and has been beset by missteps and U-turns.

The prime minister defused a potential crisis in February, when some Labour lawmakers called for him to resign over the Mandelson appointment. But he could face a leadership challenge after local and regional elections on May 7, in which Labour is expected to do badly.

Despite his struggles on the homefront, Starmer has been praised for his work on the world stage. He has played a key role in maintaining European support for Ukraine, and was in Paris on Friday to host a summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the oil shipping route choked off by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Miura and Kihara, known to fans as “RikuRyu,” leave the skating world at their peak after surging from fifth place to first at the Milan Cortina Olympics with a world-record free skate that more than made up for earlier errors.

They became the first Japanese pair to win Olympic gold, a breakthrough in a country whose figure skating passion had until then largely focused on the individual events.

“While our competitive careers are coming to an end, we truly feel that we gave it our all, and have no regrets. We are proud of everything we went through, and feel we gained so much along the way,” they posted on Instagram.

“The two of us will now take on new challenges so that we can bring wider recognition to pair skating in Japan. We hope that we can count on you to follow us on our journey.”

The 24-year-old Miura and 33-year-old Kihara's announcement came on the same day that they met Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at a spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace’s imperial garden in Tokyo.

Based out of Canada with coach Bruno Marcotte, Miura and Kihara won the world title in 2023 and 2025, and two Olympic team event silver medals for Japan.

The Milan Cortina Olympic free skate was the last competitive performance for Miura and Kihara, who skipped last month's world championships, where Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin won pairs gold for Germany.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Sánchez and Lula have been outspoken in their criticism of the decision by the U.S. and Israel to attack Iran that has caused energy prices to soar. Both spoke in favor of peace, while not naming U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened both with punitive tariffs in the past, during a one-hour news conference after their summit.

“We want to double our efforts to work for peace and for a reinforced multilateral order. While others open wounds, we want to mend them and cure them,” Sánchez told reporters.

Sánchez’s government declared its airspace closed to U.S. planes being used in the Iran war, and said it is not allowing the U.S. to use jointly operated military bases in southern Spain for actions related to the war. Earlier this week, Lula released a video message expressing “deep solidarity” with Pope Leo XIV following public criticisms made by Trump after the pontiff slammed the Iran war.

Lula and Sánchez are among the few progressive leaders who have withstood a shift to the right and remain popular in their countries while defending multilateral agreements, human rights, environmental protections and gender equality — all bugaboos of Trump, Lula's neighbor in Argentina, Javier Milei, and Europe's far right.

The meetings come amid a busy week for Sánchez, who just returned from meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, his fourth trip to Beijing in just over three years.

Lula and Sánchez, along with ministers from their cabinets, signed 15 agreements ranging from trade and satellite connections to the exploitation of rare earths needed for industry when they met inside a former royal palace in Barcelona.

Their bilateral meeting was a prelude for Saturday's double dose of gatherings when Lula and Sánchez confer with other leaders inside a sprawling conference center in Spain’s second city.

“Brazil and Spain are side by side in the trenches together,” Lula said. “We are an example that it is possible to find solutions to problems without giving into the empty promises of extremism.”

In that vein, Lula said that the aim for Saturday was to discuss how “democracy must go beyond just voting and bring real benefits to people’s lives.”

A growing group

The first gathering on Saturday is the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy. The event was launched by Brazil and Spain in 2024 as a forum to exchange ideas aimed at combating the “extremism, polarization and misinformation” that undermines participatory democracy, the organizers say. The first two editions of this event were held at the United Nations and the previous one was in Santiago, Chile, last year.

This edition will include the presence of European Council President António Costa, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and the leaders of other countries from Uruguay and Lithuania to Ghana and Albania.

“If the president of Mexico and South Africa are coming, that means our group is growing,¨ Lula said about how he sees the tide could be turning to favor progressive and middle-of-the-road political parties.

Sheinbaum’s participation comes after Spain’s King Felipe VI ironed out a longstanding diplomatic dispute regarding Spain’s colonial past when he recently acknowledged the Spanish conquest of the Americas had led to the “abuse” of native peoples.

Rallying the Left

Many of the leaders from the first event will stay put for the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilization, a gathering of left-leaning politicians and policymakers, being held at the same venue later on Saturday. The format was launched after Sánchez and former Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, who is now president of the Party of European Socialists political grouping, discussed the idea at a meeting of European Socialists last year.

Sánchez and Lula will both give speeches at the event, which is expected to have 3,000 attendees, including U.S. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, and feature round tables dedicated to issues ranging from wage inequality to how to improve election results for progressives.

Middle powers mingle

Pol Morillas, director of the Barcelona-based foreign affairs think tank CIDOB, said that the gatherings are meant to be a show of force by traditional democratic leaders who have seen how the populist far-right has successfully forwarded its messages of anti-migration and economic nationalism through international gatherings.

Morillas also sees the meetings in the context of the speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that shook the Davos economic forum in January on the importance of so-called “middle powers” seeking out new strategies to deal with a world of aggressive superpowers.

Lula, Sánchez and other leaders at the events “share the understanding that the world is not just for the great powers,” Morillas told The Associated Press.

____

AP writers Megan Janetsky in Mexico City and Mauricio Savarese in Sao Paulo, Brazil, contributed.

And then Los Angeles' hopes and plans all collapsed during one quarter in Oklahoma City earlier this month.

Luka Doncic made a move toward the Thunder's basket, but stopped suddenly and hopped gingerly off the floor with a strained hamstring. Austin Reaves had already been looking uncomfortable, periodically grabbing at the oblique muscles in his side, and he also left the court for good a few minutes later.

Just like that, a Lakers season that had been on a steady upward trajectory went into a nosedive that hasn't ended yet.

Los Angeles will be without its starting backcourt when it hosts the Houston Rockets in a first-round playoff opener Saturday night, and the fourth-seeded Lakers aren't saying when Doncic or Reaves could return to uniform — if at all.

Everybody realizes the Lakers could — and probably should — be cooked without their top two scorers, including the NBA scoring champion himself. Not even the ageless presence of LeBron James seems likely to be enough to boost the Lakers’ supporting cast over any of the Western Conference’s other five elite teams.

“I’m sure everybody wants to play us,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said last week, before the Rockets earned that honor.

Yet the Lakers aren't ready to give up just yet on what appeared to be a promising spring just two weeks ago. Until that disastrous night in Oklahoma City, they appeared to be peaking on an ideal schedule, winning 16 of their previous 18 games to surge into third place in the Western Conference.

After all, Los Angeles won 53 games this season with just 64 appearances by Doncic, 60 by James and only 51 by Reaves. This team got ample experience without its full roster this season, and it didn't slow the Lakers down — even if the current circumstances are worse than anything they've overcome to date.

“We're a little short-handed, and we know that,” guard Luke Kennard said. “But we've been preparing really well. Our focus is really high. ... We were able to get some looks and develop a different kind of chemistry out on the court. We've added some stuff in practice, and I think we've done a good job executing it in practice, and I think our preparation has been really good.”

Several players must step up to give the Lakers a chance, and Kennard is near the top of that list.

Kennard is making his fifth trip to the playoffs with his fourth team, but he hasn't started a postseason game since 2019 with Detroit. He stepped into a high-volume role for the Lakers after Doncic and Reaves went out, contributing as a primary ballhandler and playmaker in addition to his trademark 3-point shooting.

For playoff-tested veteran Marcus Smart, the Lakers' challenge comes down to one factor: “Willpower.”

“We’re competitors,” added Smart, who's back in the postseason for the first time since 2023 after making it in each of his nine seasons with Boston. “They’re going to try to come in and punk us, and if you will allow that, you will be punked. I don’t think we have any guys that are going to be punked on this team. We might not be the most athletic and the strongest, but we’ve got to have the most heart.”

Center Deandre Ayton and forward Rui Hachimura both know they must be more aggressive offensively to counter for the loss of Doncic, one of the highest-usage players in basketball. Jake LaRavia, whose playing time fluctuated significantly throughout the season, is likely to play a significant role on both ends.

Even Bronny James is likely to get his first significant playoff minutes, perhaps alongside his famous father.

No matter what Redick conjures up to take on the physical challenge posed by the Rockets, the Lakers don't seem to accept the notion that their season essentially ended on that night in Oklahoma City.

“It’s going to take everybody,” Smart said. “With that, it’s a different style of play, and I don't think it’s something that Houston has prepared for. To be fair, they haven’t seen us without those guys. When they’re playing us, they’ve always played us with them. They’ve always had a matchup and game plan for them, and it’ll be interesting to see how they play us without them.”

___

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

Leo highlighted two of the big problems facing the continent during a Mass and a meeting with students and faculty at the Catholic University of Central Africa: the corruption that keeps countries in poverty and the brain drain of their brightest children who leave rather than fight the corruption at home.

They’re themes Leo has highlighted during his visit to Cameroon, a mineral-rich Central African nation which has been ruled since 1982 by 93-year-old President Paul Biya, who last year secured an eighth consecutive term with a disputed election.

Friday marked the half-way point in Leo’s 11-day tour of four African nations. He leaves Saturday for Angola, another country blessed with oil and other natural resources, but where a third of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day.

“Africa, indeed, must be freed from the scourge of corruption,” Leo told the university students and their teachers in the capital Yaounde.

“The greatness of a nation cannot be measured solely by the abundance of its natural resources, nor even by the material wealth of its institutions,” he said. “No society, in fact, can flourish unless it is grounded in upright consciences, formed in the truth.”

A big Mass to start the day

Leo began the day celebrating Mass in the port city of Douala, Cameroon’s financial and economic hub on its western coast. The Vatican had expected as many as 600,000 would attend, but only around 120,000 made it.

Cameroonian organizers suggested that security limitations and closed roads may have prevented many people from getting to the field, which was located well outside of town next to the Japoma sports stadium.

Some of those who did make it had spent the night on the ground, battling mosquitoes. But they said they were willing to make the sacrifice for the pope.

“I wanted to offer this effort to the pope, to show him that what he is doing and what he wants to accomplish should truly come to life,” said Alex Nzumo, who arrived at the Mass on crutches.

The field was nevertheless buzzing with people singing, swaying and dancing as an announcer shouted “Habemus Papam!” (We have a pope!). The Latin phrase is used to announce the election of a new pope but in this case joyfully announced Leo’s arrival at the field, where young people ran to keep up with his popemobile as he looped through the crowds.

In his homily, delivered in French and English, Leo urged young people to look beyond the poverty and disillusionment many experience and instead look to the future with hope.

“Do not give in to distrust and discouragement,” he said. “Do not forget that your people are even richer than this land, for your treasure lies in your values: faith, family, hospitality and work.”

With a population of 29 million, Cameroon is an overwhelmingly young country, where the median age is 18. Catholics represent about 29% of the population, and the country is a major source of growth and priestly vocations for the church.

An attention to young people

Leo had already offered words of encouragement to Cameroon’s youth, including in his opening speech to Biya, in which he demanded the “chains of corruption” in Cameroon be broken. But with Biya entrenched in power, Cameroon perhaps represents the most dramatic example of the tension between Africa’s youth and the continent’s many aging leaders.

Despite being an oil-producing country experiencing modest economic growth, young people say the benefits have not trickled down beyond the elites.

According to World Bank data, the unemployment rate in Cameroon stands at 3.5%, but 57% of the labor force aged 18 to 35 works in informal employment.

The dire economic outlook in Cameroon has led to significant brain drain and has strained an already understaffed health sector, as many doctors and nurses are leaving the country for more lucrative jobs in Europe and North America.

In 2023, about a third of trained doctors who graduate from medical school in Cameroon leave the country, according to the Ministry of Higher Education.

Pope urges young people to stay, and humanize artificial intelligence

In his remarks at the university, Leo urged the students to resist the temptation to leave and to instead use their educations to improve life for themselves and their fellow citizens at home. Africa, he said, needs them.

“In the face of the understandable tendency to migrate — which may lead one to believe that elsewhere a better future may be more easily found — I invite you, first and foremost, to respond with an ardent desire to serve your country and to apply the knowledge you are acquiring here to the benefit of your fellow citizens,” he said.

Among the most pressing issues they must address, he warned, is the advance of artificial intelligence and how it is altering the very relationship of people with the truth. As digital environments replace human encounters, people resort to self-referential bubbles where polarization, conflict and fear can spread.

“What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth," he warned.

___

Associated Press writer Mark Banchereau in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

___

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.

However, Trump added that the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force” until Iran reaches a deal with Washington to end the war.

Oil prices fell 10%, and the Dow soared 1,020 points after Iran said the strait is open, allowing tankers to resume shipments from the Persian Gulf. Stocks are heading for a third straight weekly gain, up 12% since late March on hopes the U.S. and Iran can avoid a worst-case economic scenario.

A 10-day ceasefire in Israel and Lebanon began at midnight and appears to be holding after more than a month of war between Israel and Hezbollah, although the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group is not a party to the deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is “not yet finished” with Hezbollah. The militant group said its response will depend on how events unfold.

The fragile calm has prompted thousands of displaced Lebanese families to head home, with vehicles piled high with mattresses and salvaged belongings backed up for kilometers on a route leading to southern Lebanon. The war displaced over a million people in the tiny country.

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,100 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.

Here is the latest:

Trump suggests a second round of direct US-Iran talks could happen this weekend

“The Iranians want to meet,” Trump said in a brief telephone interview with the news outlet Axios. “They want to make a deal. I think a meeting will probably take place over the weekend.”

Despite the ceasefire, an Israel drone strike in Lebanon kills 1 person

An Israeli strike in the area of Kounine hit a car and a motorcycle, killing one person and wounding three, including a Syrian citizen, Lebanon’s health ministry said Friday. It was the first airstrike and first fatality reported since a 10-day truce between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah took effect overnight.

The Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon had reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of the south in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has maintained that it still has the right to strike in Lebanon in response to perceived threats despite the ceasefire. There was no immediate response from Hezbollah.

Thousands head home as US-brokered truce holds in Lebanon

A fragile calm settled over parts of Lebanon on Friday as a 10-day ceasefire brokered by the United States took hold between Israel and Hezbollah, prompting thousands of displaced families to begin the journey home — even as uncertainty, destruction and Israeli warnings against going back to parts of southern Lebanon clouded their return.

By early morning, cars were backed up for kilometers on the route leading south to the damaged Qasmiyeh bridge over the Litani River, a key crossing linking the southern coastal city of Tyre to the north. Vehicles piled high with mattresses, suitcases and salvaged belongings crept forward through a single reopened lane, hastily repaired after an Israeli airstrike just a day earlier.

Drivers heading back to their villages along coastal highways cheered each other, flashed victory signs and exchanged blessings.

▶ Read more

Iranian media reports a challenge to the FM’s post declaring Strait of Hormuz open

Two semiofficial news agencies in Iran are casting doubt on an earlier announcement from Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, that the Strait of Hormuz was being opened to global traffic.

Considered close with the powerful Revolutionary Guard, Fars news agency appeared to challenge Iran’s reported decision to open the strait in a series of posts on its X account.

The posts condemned a “strange silence from the Supreme National Security Council and the negotiating team.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has recently acted as the de facto top decision-making body in the country, as doubts swirl over the status of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured early in the war.

Mehr news agency also has said that the reported decision to reopen the strategic waterway needed “clarification” and “requires the (Supreme) Leader’s approval.”

Netanyahu says Israel is ‘not yet finished’ with Hezbollah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon “at the request of my friend President Trump,” but said the campaign against Hezbollah is not yet complete.

Netanyahu claimed Israel had destroyed about “90%” of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket stockpiles, but added “we have not yet finished” dismantling the group.

His statement came shortly before Trump said, in a social media post, that Israel was prohibited by the U.S. from bombing Lebanon any longer, adding: “Enough is enough!!!”

Trump claims Iran agrees to ‘never close the Strait of Hormuz again’

Iran has not made any public comment suggesting it has offered such assurances.

The blocking of most tankers that use the critical waterway, through which about 20% of the world’s crude flows on a typical day, has led to a global surge in fuel prices and has impacted other facets of the global economy.

The U.S. is far less reliant than Asia and Europe on Persian Gulf energy.

Still, the closure of the strait contributed to the largest monthly inflation increase in the U.S. in four years last month.

Oil tumbles 10% and the Dow soars more than 1,000 points

Oil prices fell by 10%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,020 points after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is fully open, which would allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf again and carry crude to customers worldwide.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.3% in morning trading Friday as U.S. stocks race toward the finish of a third straight week of big gains. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5%. Stocks have rallied 12% since late March on hopes that the United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global economy.

Lebanese army to secure south as Lebanon pushes Israeli withdrawal, Aoun says

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the Lebanese army will play a “fundamental role” after the Israeli pullout, deploying in southern Lebanon and ending non-state armed presence.

Speaking to a delegation of Beirut members of parliament on Friday, Aoun said among the state’s priorities are consolidating the ceasefire, pushing for the withdrawal of Israeli forces, recovering Lebanese detainees and addressing pending border disputes with Israel.

Aoun cited Thursday’s phone call in which Trump expressed “support for Lebanon, its sovereignty, independence and the integrity of its territories,” describing it as one of the ceasefire’s most prominent signals of external support as negotiations advance.

Death toll of Lebanese killed in Israeli strikes increases to 2,294

Intense Israeli strikes on Thursday, one day before a 10-day U.S.-brokered ceasefire, killed 98 people, Lebanon’s health ministry said.

Since the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted on March 2, at least 2,294 people have been killed, including 274 women and 177 children, according to the ministry. Another 7,185 people have been wounded, it added.

Trump again suggests Iran has agreed to hand over enriched uranium

“The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear ‘Dust,’ created by our great B2 Bombers - No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,” Trump said in a social media post.

“Nuclear dust” is shorthand that Trump frequently uses to refer to the highly-enriched uranium believed to be buried under nuclear sites that the U.S. bombed during last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

If true, it would be a major concession from Iran and would lock in a key U.S. demand to end the conflict. But neither Iran nor countries acting as intermediaries in the conflict have said that Tehran has made such an agreement.

Trump on Thursday also asserted that Iran has “agreed to give us back the nuclear dust.”

German chancellor seeks US involvement in mission to secure Strait of Hormuz

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday he wants U.S. involvement in a Europe-led mission to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking after an international conference in Paris on securing the strait, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany could contribute mine clearance and maritime intelligence capabilities to such a mission, but would need parliamentary support and a ″secure legal basis″ such as a U.N. Security Council resolution.

He said Germany, ″if possible, would also like to see the United States of America participate; we believe this would be desirable.″

Trump says Iran, US, working to remove sea mines from Strait of Hormuz

“Iran, with the help of the U.S.A., has removed, or is removing, all sea mines!” Trump said in one of a barrage of social media postings announcing that Iran has agreed to reopen the strait.

Removing any mines will be critical to regain the confidence of commercial vessels that use the vital waterway to deliver oil and other products.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has dropped sea mines in the strait, according to the U.S. and Iranian news agencies.

The U.S. Navy has one littoral combat ship built for mine clearing, as well as other military assets in the region capable of doing that work. The Navy has dispatched two additional mine-clearing ships from Japan that are heading to the region.

Trump says Is

rael is ‘prohibited’ from further strikes on Lebanon

The U.S. leader offered the unusually blunt statement demanding restraint from Israel, the day after Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.

“Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer,” Trump said in the social media posting. “They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the prohibition on Israel spans both offensive and defensive strikes.

Macron and Starmer welcome Strait of Hormuz opening but say it must be permanent

The leaders of France and the U.K. have welcomed the announced reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but say it must become permanent.

President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer say they will keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, with a meeting of military planners in London next week.

Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries, Macron said, “We all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.”

Starmer said the announcement by Iran and the U.S. that the waterway is open must become “both lasting and a workable proposal.”

He said France and the U.K. will lead a multinational mission to safeguard shipping “as soon as conditions allow.”

Quiet returns to northern Israel, but residents remain divided

After hours of sirens sounded across northern Israel late Thursday night, residents described a rare sense of quiet on Friday after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect.

Alerts across border communities stopped around 2 a.m., and in Kiryat Shmona, residents were seen at shopping malls and restaurants, with opinions divided over whether the 10-day ceasefire will hold.

“I live 100 meters from the border. The ceasefire is a mistake,” said resident Asaf Oakil, reflecting skepticism among some who say the fighting should continue until Hezbollah is defeated.

Another resident, expressing frustration after weeks of cross-border fire, said Israel should “strike harder” if attacks resume, adding that if rockets continue, “the whole area needs to be flattened.”

US military says it turned 19 ships back to Iran during blockade

U.S. Central Command said in a post on the social platform X on Friday that zero vessels have evaded American naval forces during the blockade of Iran-linked ships, and 19 vessels “complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return to Iran.”

The post from Central Command came shortly before Trump thanked Iran for opening up the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump said was “completely open and ready for business.”

Trump, however, stressed that the blockade against Iranian shipping outside the Strait of Hormuz was still in place until negotiations were complete.

The narrow passage way in the Persian Gulf was effectively closed by Iran during the war with the U.S. and Israel, cutting off the flow of oil and natural gas through the gulf.

Trump says US blockade ‘will remain in full force’ until war ends

The president, in an all-caps social media post, said that the U.S. Navy’s blockade on Iranian ships and ports would remain in force “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.”

“THIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED,” Trump added.

Crude oil slumps 10% and Wall Street rallies toward another record

Oil prices are falling by more than 10%, and Wall Street is rallying toward another record after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz is fully open, which would allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf again and carry crude to customers worldwide.

The S&P 500 rallied 0.7% as U.S. stocks sprinted toward the finish of a third straight week of big gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1%, and the Nasdaq composite added 1%.

Stocks have rallied more than 11% since late March on hopes that the United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global economy.

Trump and Iranian foreign minister say Strait of Hormuz is fully open

U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that the Strait of Hormuz is now fully open to commercial vessels.

In a social media post, Trump said Iran announced that the strait “is fully open and ready for full passage.”

Minutes earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on the social platform X that the passage for all commercial vessels through the strait “is declared completely open” in line with the ceasefire in Lebanon.

He said it would stay open for the remaining period of the ceasefire.

It was not immediately clear what that meant for the U.S. blockade of the strait.

A senior Trump adviser meets Pakistan’s prime minister in Turkey

U.S. President Donald Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday on the sidelines of a diplomacy forum in the Turkish resort city of Antalya.

In a statement, Sharif’s office said Massad Boulos conveyed Trump’s greetings to the prime minister and “appreciated Pakistan’s constructive contributions to regional stability.”

“The two sides also discussed current regional developments, including Pakistan’s peace efforts that led to the ceasefire, as well as the historic Islamabad talks,” the statement said.

‘Our homes in the south are gone, destroyed’

In downtown Beirut, tents still line some areas as some families begin to leave, while others wait, weighing the risks of returning south.

A tricycle piled with mattresses weaves through the camp, signaling the first departures after a fragile ceasefire.

“Our homes in the south are gone, destroyed,” said Ali Balhas, from Siddiqeen town in the Tyre province. “Israel is deceptive; you never really know its policies or how it will act toward people, as you know. I have six children here, and I can’t leave that quickly. Once there is more safety, we will try to take the children and go back. But yesterday, by around midnight, the young men and most of the people had already reached al- Zahrani, so we will leave later, God willing,” he added.

Amira Ayyash, a woman from Qaaqaiat al-Jisr in the Nabatiyeh province, decided to wait and assess the situation before returning home. “We do not know at what hour they might strike us, for they are treacherous. So we decided to take it slowly,” she said.

Kremlin welcomes the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon and Israel

“We hope that during those days it will indeed be possible to reach agreements that will allow us to avoid a recurrence of military clashes in the future,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Russia says it’s ready to store Iran’s uranium, but that the US isn’t interested

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made the offer to store Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium and “the Russian side is open to that,” but “the proposal currently isn’t on the negotiating table.”

“Now this proposal isn’t in demand on the U.S. side,” Peskov told reporters.

Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts ‘played a role’ in securing ceasefire in Lebanon

That’s according to two officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is in Tehran to carry forward negotiations between the United States and Iran and help de-escalate the widening regional crisis.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday at a news briefing that “peace in Lebanon and cessation of armed attacks in Lebanon are essential for peace talks.”

Palestinians mourn deaths of a child and 2 others in Gaza

Funerals were held for three Palestinians on Friday, including a 12-year-old boy, who were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the Gaza Strip.

Twelve-year-old Saleh Badawi was killed inside his house in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City on Thursday night by an Israeli quadcopter that shot him in the head, according to his uncle Mohammad Ayyad.

Others mourned the deaths of two brothers who were fatally shot by the Israeli military early Friday morning while driving a water truck in the Gaza City district of Shijaiyah.

Their colleague, Wisam Naser, told the AP that the truck was clearly marked UNICEF and was delivering assistance to displaced people. Naser said that a third man in the truck was critically wounded and receiving treatment in Ahli Hospital.

The Israeli military and UNICEF didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Czech prime minister offers surveillance system for Strait of Hormuz

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said his country will offer a passive surveillance system to aid the international effort to reopen the blocked Strait of Hormuz.

Dozens of countries are expected to take part in a conference on Friday organized by the leaders of France and the U.K. and meant to provide security for shipping through the key waterway.

Babiš said the system can be used when a ceasefire in the war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran is in place or when the conflict is over.

The Czech-made passive radar systems don’t emit electromagnetic energy, which makes them difficult to detect.

U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon say airstrikes have halted since ceasefire

Tilak Pokharel, a spokesperson for the U.S. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon known as UNIFIL, said peacekeepers have not observed any airstrikes since midnight, when a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

He said, however, that they had observed “artillery shelling in several areas in south Lebanon” up until 6 a.m. and “continue to observe

IDF airspace violation in their area of operations,” referring to the Israeli military.

He added that they have observed Israeli forces moving back and forth, but “no withdrawal.”

“They are remaining in positions, including in Bint Jbeil,” Pokharel said, referring to a village about 5 km (3 miles) from the border where heavy fighting had taken place before the ceasefire.

Defense minister warns Israel’s attempt to completely disarm Hezbollah in southern Lebanon ‘is not yet complete’

Israel Katz said Israeli forces would continue to hold all the places they are currently stationed, including a buffer zone extending 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Israel into southern Lebanon. He added that many homes in the area would be destroyed, and no Lebanese residents could return to the area.

Katz said the rest of Lebanon south of the Litani River must also be cleared of Hezbollah’s presence, either through diplomatic means or continued Israeli military operation.

“Disarming Hezbollah by military or diplomatic means was and remains the goal of the campaign to which we are committed — with significant political leverage now also due to the direct involvement of the U.S. president and his commitment to this goal — while applying pressure to the Lebanese government,” Katz said. Israel occupied a similar area in southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.

Iran informed Hezbo

llah leadership about truce hours before Trump calls, lawmaker says

Hassan Fadlallah, the senior Hezbollah lawmaker, praised Iran as he spoke to reporters in the battered southern Beirut suburb.

“Yesterday, before the ceasefire, Hezbollah’s leadership was formally informed around 4 a.m. from the Iranian ambassador that there will be a ceasefire at night,” he said. “We were informed from the Islamic Republic that the calls they took with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were encouraging and facilitating for a ceasefire as first step.”

Fadlallah said that the militant group’s key positions — a complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops, a return of all Lebanese displaced people, releasing prisoners held by Israel and reconstruction — have not changed.

Senior Hezbollah legislator warns Lebanon against entering direct negotiations with Israel

“During these 10 days we want the continued effort from Iran to force Israel to the pathway that was imposed by the Islamabad talks,” Hassan Fadlallah told The Associated Press Friday after speaking to the press in the battered southern Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik.

Fadlallah, from Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, warned Lebanon not to enter direct negotiations with Israel. The Iran-backed militant group said direct talks with Israel would be a free concession to Israel as its troops remain on Lebanese soil.

“The Lebanese government is unable, incapable, and unauthorized constitutionally and nationally for the Lebanese leadership to give such a dangerous concession that threatens Lebanon’s future,” he said.

Fadlallah warned that Hezbollah will not remain silent if Israel continues its attacks in southern Lebanon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that the crucial waterway, through which about 20% of the world's oil is shipped, was now fully open to commercial vessels, as a 10-day truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon appeared to hold.

Trump initially celebrated the Iranian announcement, posting on social media that the strait was "fully open and ready for full passage.” But minutes later, he issued another post saying the U.S. Navy's blockade would continue “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.”

The president also said Iran, with help from the U.S., is working to remove all mines from the strait.

Trump imposed the blockade earlier this week after Iran restricted traffic through the strait due to fighting in Lebanon, which Iran claimed was a breach of the Pakistan-brokered ceasefire reached between the U.S., Israel and Iran.

At the time, Trump said the blockade would enforce an “all or none” policy in hopes of pressuring Iran to reopen the strait.

The president's decision to continue the blockade despite Iran’s announcement appeared aimed at sustaining pressure on Tehran as the fate of the two-week ceasefire reached last week remained uncertain. The ceasefire has paused almost seven weeks of war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran.

Direct talks between the U.S. and Iran last weekend were inconclusive, as the two nations could not come to agreement about Iran’s nuclear program and other points.

Iranian media challenge announcement about Strait of Hormuz

Two semiofficial news agencies in Iran seemed to challenge Araghchi's announcement about the strait.

Considered close with Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, the Fars news agency issued a series of posts on X criticizing what it said was a lack of clarity over the decision to reopen the waterway and a “strange silence from the Supreme National Security Council and the negotiating team.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has recently acted as the country's de facto top decision-making body, amid doubts over the status of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly wounded early in the war.

The Mehr news agency also said the decision to reopen the strait needed “clarification” and required the supreme leader’s approval.

Truce in Lebanon could help US-Iran peace efforts

Oil prices fell Friday on hopes that the U.S. and Iran were drawing closer to a deal. The head of the International Energy Agency had warned that the energy crisis could get worse if the strait did not reopen.

The truce in Lebanon could clear one major obstacle to a deal between Iran, the United States and Israel to end weeks of devastating war. But it was unclear to what extent Hezbollah would abide by a deal it did not play a role in negotiating and which will leave Israeli troops occupying a stretch of southern Lebanon.

Trump said in another post that Israel is “prohibited” by the U.S. from further strikes on Lebanon and that “enough is enough” in the Israel-Hezbollah war. The White House did not immediately respond to a question about whether the prohibition spans both offensive and defensive strikes.

Shortly before Trump's post, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel agreed to the ceasefire in Lebanon “at the request of my friend President Trump,” but that the campaign against Hezbollah is not complete.

He claimed Israel had destroyed about 90% of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket stockpiles and added that Israeli forces “have not finished yet” with the dismantling of the group.

Celebrations in Beirut

In Beirut, celebratory gunshots rang out at the start of the truce. Displaced families began moving toward southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs despite warnings by officials not to return to their homes until it became clear whether the ceasefire would hold.

The Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon had reported sporadic artillery shelling in some parts of southern Lebanon in the hours after the ceasefire took effect.

An Israeli strike in the area of Kounine hit a car and a motorcycle, killing one person and wounding three, including a Syrian citizen, the Lebanese Health Ministry said Friday. It was the first airstrike and first fatality reported since the truce took effect.

There was no immediate response from the Israeli army or Hezbollah.

According to the agreement shared by the State Department, Israel can act in self-defense against imminent attacks but cannot carry out offensive operations against southern Lebanon.

Trump heralded the deal as a “historic day for Lebanon” and expressed confidence the war with Iran would soon end.

“I will say the war in Iran is going along swimmingly,” Trump said in Las Vegas. “It should be ending pretty soon.”

An end to Israel’s war with Hezbollah was a key demand of Iranian negotiators, who previously accused Israel of breaking the current ceasefire with strikes on Lebanon. Israel said that deal did not cover Lebanon.

The fighting has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, more than 2,290 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Thirteen U.S. service members have also been killed.

Israel says it will keep troops in Lebanon

Israeli forces have engaged in fierce battles with Hezbollah as they pushed into southern Lebanon to create what officials have called a “security zone.”

Israel’s hard-line Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would continue to hold all the places it is currently stationed, including a buffer zone extending 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border into southern Lebanon. He said many homes in the area would be destroyed and Lebanese residents will not return.

Hezbollah has said Lebanese people have “the right to resist” Israeli occupation and that their actions “will be determined based on how developments unfold.”

Israel and Hezbollah have fought several wars and have been fighting on and off since the day after the start of the Gaza war. Israel and Lebanon reached a deal to end that war in November 2024, but Israel has kept up near-daily strikes in what it says is an effort to prevent the Iran-backed militant group from regrouping. That escalated into another invasion after Hezbollah again began firing missiles at Israel in response to its war on Iran.

Regional officials report progress in talks

Regional officials told The Associated Press that the United States and Iran had an “in-principle agreement” to extend the ceasefire to allow for more diplomacy. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.

Mediators are pushing for compromise on three main sticking points: Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and compensation for wartime damages, according to a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

Trump on Friday suggested Iran has agreed to hand over its enriched uranium.

“The U.S.A. will get all Nuclear ‘Dust,’ created by our great B2 Bombers — No money will exchange hands in any way, shape, or form,” he said in a post. Nuclear dust is the shorthand Trump frequently uses to refer to the highly enriched uranium that is believed buried under nuclear sites the U.S. bombed during last year’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

If true, it would be a major concession from Iran and would lock in a key demand of the U.S. to end the conflict. But neither Iran nor countries acting as intermediaries in the conflict have said Tehran has made such an agreement.

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Ben Finley in Washington, Samy Magdy and Amir Rajdy in Cairo, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Abby Sewell in Beirut and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

Después de que 17 organizaciones ambientalistas acusaron a las autoridades de mentir sobre las causas del derrame, la presidenta de México Claudia Sheinbaum ordenó la creación de un grupo conformado por los titulares de varias dependencias y el director de Pemex, Víctor Rodríguez, el cual confirmó el jueves que las denuncias de los grupos ecologistas.

El organismo gubernamental constató que funcionarios de la paraestatal no sólo ocultaron los daños en el ducto a los altos mandos de la energética sino que también tardaron ocho días en cerrar la válvula después de descubrir la fuga el 14 de febrero. Una vez que el derrame se hizo evidente, dichos los funcionarios minimizaron su impacto.

El gobierno había mantenido hasta ahora que el derrame se había originado de un barco y de dos sitios de los que el petróleo fluía de manera natural.

Los tres funcionarios cesados son el subdirector de seguridad y dos encargados de controlar los derrames, explicó Rodríguez sin dar sus nombres. La fiscalía federal ya inició una investigación en el caso, añadió.

Alrededor de 630 kilómetros de litorales en los estados de Tamaulipas, Veracruz y Tabasco resultaron afectados, de acuerdo con el balance del secretario de Marina, Raymundo Pedro Morales. Hasta el momento se han recogido 915 toneladas de residuos.

Además, 58 centros de anidación de tortugas resultaron contaminados, aunque ya se inició con las labores de limpieza. La Secretaría de Medio Ambiente aseguró que si bien se encontraron una docena de tortugas marinas muertas a causa del derrame, hasta el momento no se ha observado la “muerte masiva” de ninguna especie.

Numerosas irregularidades

La falta de transparencia ha sido una frecuente queja entre las organizaciones civiles en relación a varios incidentes vinculados a Pemex, incluidos otros derrames en el Golfo de México.

Ante la presión de varios organismos ambientalistas nacionales e internacionales, el gobierno ofreció en esta ocasión más detalles de lo habitual.

La secretaria de Ciencia, Rosaura Ruiz, confirmó que imágenes satelitales e información de sobrevuelos mostraban la magnitud del derrame en la zona de Abkatun-Cantarell, el cual se extendió posteriormente.

Por su parte, el director de Pemex dijo que los altos mandos de la paraestatal no fueron informados del daño en el oleoducto y de las labores de reparación. Añadió que la fuga fue "negada sistemáticamente por las áreas operativas”, particularmente después de que empezaron a llegar restos de crudo a las costas a partir de marzo. Afirmó también que se manipularon datos para minimizar el alcance del derrame.

Con el fin de evitar incidentes similares en un futuro, el gobierno anunció la creación de un observatorio permanente en el Golfo de México, el cual estará integrado por autoridades y científicos y tendrá como objetivo mantener información clara, generar alertas tempranas y fortalecer la prevención, el monitoreo y la coordinación ante cualquier contingencia.

Las autoridades aseguraron que mantendrán tlas acciones de limpieza y la atención a la población afectada, incluidos los miles de pescadores que tuvieron que dejar de trabajar.

Judge Greg Grogin granted Roberts-Smith bail in a Sydney court around five hours earlier, ruling the former Special Air Service Regiment corporal had established exceptional circumstances to justify his release from custody. Prosecutors had opposed bail and argued there was a risk that Roberts-Smith would flee Australia or interfere with witnesses and evidence.

Roberts-Smith, 47, was arrested on April 7 and charged with five counts of war crime murder involving the deaths of five Afghans in Uruzgan province in 2009 and 2012.

Australian law defines war crime murder as the intentional killing in a context of armed conflict of a person who is not taking an active part in the hostilities, such as a civilian, prisoner of war or a wounded soldier.

Roberts-Smith was driven away from Sydney's Silverwater Correctional Complex late Friday apparently wearing the same clothes he wore when police escorted him from a commercial airliner at Sydney Airport last week, news media images showed.

Roberts-Smith was awarded both the Victoria Cross and Medal of Gallantry for his service in Afghanistan and is only the second Australian veteran of the Afghanistan campaign to be charged with a war crime.

The charges follow a military report released in 2020 that found evidence elite SAS and commando regiment troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and other noncombatants. Around 40,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021, of whom 41 were killed.

Similar allegations against Roberts-Smith were found credible in a civil court case in 2023 when a judge rejected his claims that newspaper articles defamed him.

At that trial, Roberts-Smith testified he had never killed an unarmed Afghan and denied ever committing a war crime. He claimed he has the victim of spiteful fellow soldiers’ lies and of others’ envy of his medals.

But while the civil court found the war crimes allegations were mostly proven on a balance of probabilities, the war crime murder charges would have to be proved in a criminal court to a higher standard of beyond reasonable doubt.

Roberts-Smith is accused of personally shooting dead two victims. He allegedly ordered subordinates to shoot the other three victims.

In opposing bail, prosecutor Simon Buchen described the charges against Roberts-Smith as “among the most serious known to the criminal law.”

Buchen said Roberts-Smith had been ”on the cusp of relocating overseas” without telling authorities when he became aware that prosectors were considering charges.

Roberts-Smith had made “advanced plans to relocate overseas. Consideration was being given to moving to various destinations overseas,” Buchen told the court.

Roberts-Smith faces a potential maximum sentence of life in prison on each conviction. He has yet to enter pleas.

Defense lawyer Slade Howell told the bail hearing Roberts-Smith’s case “may properly be described as exceptional in the sense that it is out of the ordinary.”

“The use of domestic courts to prosecute alleged war crimes committed by a highly decorated Australian soldier deployed overseas repeatedly by the Australian government to fight a war on its behalf is unprecedented and is uncharted legal territory of the common law of this country,” Howell said.

Howell also said Roberts-Smith’s “proceedings will be beset by a multitude of delays, many of which are peculiar to these proceeding.”

Potential delays could arise if prosecutors decide to charge one or more of Roberts-Smith’s fellow veterans, some of whom now live overseas, Howell said.

Roberts-Smith took part in the bail hearing by video link from prison and spoke only when asked by the judge to confirm that he could see and hear proceedings.

The male wolf, named Neukgu, burrowed out of his enclosure at the O-World zoo in Daejeon on April 8, prompting a search that gripped the nation and raised fears about his safety. Animal rights activists questioned whether the wolf could survive outside the zoo and also worried it might be killed during capture, something that happened to a puma that escaped from the same zoo in 2018.

Intense national concern even prompted President Lee Jae Myung to make a statement reassuring the public police, fire officials and the military were doing their best to capture the wolf alive.

At one point, authorities nearly captured Neukgu after spotting him on a mountain near the zoo earlier this week, but he broke away from a perimeter set by rescue workers. A driver also spotted the wolf and shared a video of him trotting along a dark mountain road, lit by the headlights of the vehicle trailing behind.

Neukgu was finally found and tranquilized on a hill near an expressway early Friday, after an hours-long search involving drones, police and emergency workers and veterinarians, according to city and zoo officials. He was in stable condition after being taken back to the zoo, where veterinarians used a scope to remove a fishing hook from his stomach but found no other significant health issues.

Daejeon officials released social media videos showing rescuers pulling the limp wolf from a ditch and placing it in a carrier, and the animal undergoing medical examinations at the zoo.

Social media was flooded with celebratory posts, including messages like “welcome back” and “Neukgu, it’s dangerous outside the house.” Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo in a Facebook post expressed his “deepest gratitude to citizens of Daejeon and also the entire nation for your support in ensuring Neukgu’s safe return.”

Born at the zoo in 2024, Neukgu is a third-generation descendent of a group of wolves brought from Russia in 2008 as part of a project to reintroduce wolves resembling those that lived in the Korean wild before going extinct in the 1960s.

Lee Kwan Jong, director of O-World, said Neukgu will be kept in a separate area from other animals and receive care until he has fully recovered and stabilized.

The zoo’s management, which has been criticized over a series of animal escapes, closed the facility following Neukgu’s escape and says it has not decided when it will reopen.

Lee Kwan Jong said the zoo, which is reviewing its security measures, will prioritize Neukgu’s recovery.

He's expected to be a huge attraction when the zoo reopens.

The pardon order applied to more than 4,500 prisoners, but it was not immediately clear how many people imprisoned for opposing military rule were included and there was no sign that 80-year-old former leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be freed.

Win Myint is Suu Kyi’s longtime loyalist and was elected as president in 2018. He was arrested on Feb. 1, 2021, the same day the military seized power and detained Suu Kyi. He was later given 12-year combined prison sentences for several offenses, which was reduced to eight years in 2023.

State-run MRTV television reported that Win Myint, who was in a prison in Taungoo township in Bago region, had received amnesty.

Outside Insein Prison in Yangon, buses carrying prisoners were welcomed by relatives and friends who had been waiting since early morning. Among those released was filmmaker Shin Daewe, who was sentenced to life imprisonment under a counterterrorism law in January 2024.

The amnesty comes a week after Min Aung Hlaing was sworn into office following an election that critics say was neither free nor fair and was orchestrated to keep the military's iron grip on power.

State media said in addition to the 4,335 prisoners pardoned, nearly 180 foreigners would be released and deported.

If the freed prisoners reoffend, they will have to serve the rest of their original sentences in addition to any new sentence, according to the terms of their release. A separate report said death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment, life sentences were reduced to 40 years and prison terms of less than 40 years were cut by one-sixth.

Under that measure, Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence would be reduced by 4 1/2 years, leaving her with 22 1/2 years still to serve.

A senior military officer from the capital, Naypyitaw told the Associated Press on Friday that Suu Kyi will be transferred to house arrest as part of the clemency. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release information.

Suu Kyi has been serving a prison term on a variety of criminal convictions at an undisclosed location in Naypyitaw and has been moved to house arrest at least once in April 2024.

In his inauguration speech last week, Min Aung Hlaing said his government would implement amnesties that contribute to social reconciliation, justice and peace and support the country’s overall development.

Prisoner releases are common on holidays and other significant occasions in Myanmar.

Since the 2021 army takeover, nearly 8,000 civilians have been killed and some 22,170 political detainees, including Suu Kyi, remain jailed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring group. Total deaths in the ongoing conflict are estimated to be much higher.

Many political detainees have been held on incitement charges, a law widely used to arrest critics of the government or military and punishable by up to three years in prison. Others have been prosecuted under a counterterrorism law that carries a potential death penalty and has been used to target political and armed opponents, journalists and other dissenters.

The S&P 500 leaped 1.5% as Wall Street rallied to the finish of a third straight week of big gains, its longest streak since Halloween. A freer flow of oil would take pressure off prices not only for gasoline but also for groceries and all kinds of other products that get moved by vehicles. It could even ultimately help people pay less on credit-card interest or mortgage bills.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1,130 points, or 2.3%, as of 12:52 p.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 1.7% higher

The U.S. stock market has jumped more than 12% since hitting a bottom in late March on hopes the United States and Iran can avoid a worst-case scenario for the global economy despite their war. Friday’s reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which may only be temporary, is the clearest signal yet for optimism, and President Donald Trump said late Thursday that the war “should be ending pretty soon.”

The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude plunged immediately after Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, posted on X that the passage for all commercial vessels through the strait “is declared completely open” as a ceasefire appears to be holding in Lebanon. He said it would stay open for the remaining period of the ceasefire, and U.S. oil tumbled 12.2% to $83.18 per barrel.

Brent crude, the international standard, dropped 10.4% to $89.01 per barrel. To be sure, it remains above its $70 price from before the war, indicating some caution is still embedded in financial markets.

Several times since the war began, optimism on Wall Street has quickly swung to doubt about a possible end to the fighting. That in turn has caused vicious and sudden swings of prices for everything from stocks to bonds to oil.

Minutes after the Iranian foreign minister’s announcement of the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said on his social media network that the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports remains “in full force” until both sides reach a deal on the war. He, though, also said that “should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated” and emphasized it by using all capital letters.

Companies with big fuel bills soared to some of Wall Street’s biggest gains following the easing of oil prices.

United Airlines surged 9.2%. On Thursday, the head of the International Energy Agency had said that Europe has “maybe six weeks or so” of remaining jet fuel supplies.

Operators of cruise ships, which guzzle fuel, also steamed higher. Norwegian Cruise Line jumped 8.1%, and Royal Caribbean Group gained 10.3%.

Housing and auto-related companies also got some relief from the drop in oil prices.

With less threat of high inflation hurting the economy, a sustained drop in oil prices could convince the Federal Reserve to resume its cuts to interest rates to invigorate the economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury sank to 4.23% from 4.32% late Thursday, and lower yields can bring down rates for mortgages and other loans going to U.S. households and businesses.

Builders FirstSource, a supplier of windows and other products, rose 7.8%, and homebuilder Lennar gained 6.1% on hopes that lower mortgage rates will spur more people to buy houses. Carvana climbed 8.2% because lower loan rates can get more customers into new autos.

A strong start to the earnings reporting season for big U.S. companies has also helped to support the U.S. stock market, and several more financial companies joined the list of companies delivering bigger profits for the start of 2026 than analysts expected.

State Street rose 4.7%, and Fifth Third Bancorp added 3% after both reported better results for the latest quarter than expected.

They helped offset a 9.7% drop for Netflix, which fell even though it likewise delivered a better profit than expected. It did not raise its forecast for revenue growth for the full year, which analysts said may have disappointed some investors.

It also said Reed Hastings, cofounder and chairman of the streaming company, will step down from its board of directors in June when his term expires.

In stock markets abroad, stock indexes leaped in Europe following Iran’s announcement about the Strait of Hormuz. France’s CAC 40 jumped 2%, and Germany’s DAX returned 2.3%.

In Asia, where trading finished for the day before the announcement, indexes were weaker. Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.8%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9% for two of the bigger losses.

___

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

The measure cleared the Senate by voice vote, without a formal roll call, as Congress raced to meet a Monday deadline and send it to President Donald Trump for his signature. The stopgap came after House Republican leaders unveiled a revised five-year extension late Thursday — a sharp pivot from the clean 18-month renewal Trump and GOP leaders had pushed all week. But the Republican bills collapsed, failing to advance.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said leaders were trying to keep their options open as they assess next steps. “We’ll be preparing accordingly,” he said.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a longtime critic of the surveillance program, initially slowed the Senate’s morning action as he pressed for changes. Wyden said he has never seen this level of support on both sides of the political aisle — and in both chambers of Congress — for real revisions to the surveillance tool, although he did not stand in the way of a short-term extension, for now.

“It’s not making a choice between security and liberty. That’s garbage,” Wyden said. “We’re going to show that the two aren’t mutually exclusive.”

It’s all setting up another showdown, in a matter of weeks, as Congress dives into the surveillance tool that pits Americans' privacy rights against what U.S. officials have long said is a uniquely effective program for the security of the country.

Chaotic, late-night House votes end in failure

House Republican leaders and Trump had spent the week trying to line up support for an 18-month renewal of the spy tool with no changes. But holdouts held firm, forcing a late-night scramble.

GOP leaders in the House rushed lawmakers back into session late Thursday for a series of back-to-back votes that fell apart before pivoting to a stopgap to keep the program from expiring Monday.

First they came out with a new plan that would have extended the program for five years, with revisions. Among the changes were new provisions to ensure that only FBI attorneys could authorize queries on U.S. people, and to require the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to review such cases, said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., during the debate.

That plan also would enhance criminal penalties on those who unlawfully conduct such inquiries or disclose the surveillance information, Scott said. It provides a way for members of Congress and certain staff to access the proceedings of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court that handle such requests.

But the final product, a 14-page amendment, did not go far enough for some holdouts in either party.

GOP leaders then tried to salvage a shorter 18-month renewal that Trump had demanded and Johnson had previously backed. It failed as well, with some 20 Republicans joining most Democrats in blocking its advance.

Shortly after 2 a.m. they quickly agreed to the 10-day extension.

“We were very close tonight,” Johnson said after the late-night action.

But Democrats assailed the middle-of-the-night voting as amateur hour. “Are you kidding me? Who the hell is running this place?” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., during a fiery floor debate.

Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus that helped stall votes throughout the week, said the outcome was predictable after the procedural votes fell short.

“We warned them that this was gonna happen,” Ogles said. “Unfortunately, here we are at 2 in the morning.”

Surveillance program fight is a debate over privacy and security

At the center of the standoff is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. In doing so, they can incidentally sweep up communications involving Americans who interact with foreign targets.

U.S. officials say the authority is critical to disrupting terrorist plots, cyber intrusions and foreign espionage.

Extending the program is a recurring fight, as lawmakers weigh civil liberties concerns against intelligence officials’ warnings about national security risks.

“There are a lot of opinions,” Johnson said Thursday. “We want to make sure that we have this very important tool for national security, but we also do it in a way that jealously guards constitutional rights.”

Opponents of the surveillance tool point to past misuses. FBI officials repeatedly violated their own standards when searching intelligence related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and racial justice protests in 2020, according to a 2024 court order.

Trump and his allies had lobbied aggressively all week for a clean renewal of the program, without changes.

A group of Republicans traveled to the White House on Tuesday, and on Wednesday CIA Director John Ratcliffe spoke directly with GOP lawmakers. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Thursday there had “been negotiations late into the night with the White House and some of our members.”

“I am asking Republicans to UNIFY, and vote together on the test vote to bring a clean Bill to the floor,” Trump wrote on Truth Social this week. “We need to stick together.” They didn't.

Los Angeles police said in a brief statement that homicide detectives arrested the 21-year-old Houston-born alt-pop singer, whose legal name is David Burke, on suspicion of murder in the investigation of the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Defense attorneys Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter responded in an email: “Let us be clear — the actual evidence in this case will show that David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez and he was not the cause of her death.”

Police said investigators would present a case to prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office on Monday. The office said in its own statement that it is aware of the arrest and its Major Crimes Division will review the case to determine whether there is enough evidence to file charges.

The defense lawyers added, “There has been no indictment returned by any grand jury in this case and no criminal complaint filed. David has only been detained under suspicion. We will vigorously defend David’s innocence.”

It was their first public statement on the case. Authorities did not publicly name Burke as a suspect until his arrest. He was being held in jail without bail.

The singer had been under investigation by an LA County grand jury looking into the death of Rivas Hernandez. The probe was officially secret, but its existence — and the designation of D4vd as its target — was revealed on Feb. 25 when his mother, father and brother filed an objection in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.

The long-dead body of Rivas Hernandez was found in a Tesla towed from the Hollywood Hills on Sept. 8, a day after she would have turned 15. She was a 13-year-old seventh grader when her family reported her missing in 2024 from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. Authorities give her age as 14 when she was killed in court documents.

The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer’s name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed family members, according to court filings from prosecutors. It had been towed from an upscale neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills where it had been sitting, seemingly abandoned.

Police investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” court documents said, and “detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso.”

Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and “discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” according to court documents. A second black bag was found under the first, and dismembered body parts were inside it. No cause of death has been publicly revealed.

D4vd, pronounced “David,” gained popularity among Generation Z fans for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Homicide,” which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He then signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records and released his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and a follow-up, “The Lost Petals,” in 2023.

When the body was discovered, D4vd had been on tour in support of his first full-length album, “Withered.” Later, the last two North American shows, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with a scheduled performance at LA’s Grammy Museum, were canceled, as was the European tour that was to have begun in Norway.

___

This story has been corrected to show that D4vd is 21, not 20 years old.

The team announced Thursday night it was bringing back Collier, but didn't disclose terms of the deal.

ESPN reported, citing sources, that the Lynx signed Collier to a one-year, $1.4 million supermax contract. The deal came a day after the WNBA defending champion Las Vegas Aces re-signed four-time MVP A’ja Wilson. ESPN reported that contract was a three-year, $5 million supermax deal, the most lucrative in league history.

The 29-year-old Collier averaged a career-high 22.9 points per game last season while shooting 53.1% from the floor, 40.3% from 3-point range and 90.6% from the foul line, becoming the first player in WNBA history to post 50/40/90 shooting splits while averaging 20 or more points per game. She finished second to Wilson in league MVP voting the last two years.

“Phee has been such an integral part of the Lynx since she was drafted in 2019," head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve said in a statement released by the team. “Coming off a historic 50/40/90 season and guiding the Lynx to the most wins in franchise history, Phee is hungry to position the Lynx for a championship run in 2026.”

Minnesota went 34–10 in the regular season and was the No. 1 overall seed in the WNBA playoffs. But Collier injured her left ankle in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals against Phoenix, ending her season. The Lynx lost the series to the Mercury in five games.

Collier, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time All-WNBA and All-Defensive Team selection, was the sixth overall draft pick by the Lynx in 2019 out of UConn and won the league's Rookie of the Year award. She has career averages of 18.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in seven seasons. Collier ranks second in franchise history in career steals (325) and scoring average (18.4), behind Maya Moore, and second in blocked shots (239) behind Sylvia Fowles.

Last season, Collier set the franchise record with 54 consecutive made free throws and was selected the WNBA All-Star Game MVP after setting the scoring mark with 36 points.

___

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

President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they would keep planning an international mission to restore maritime security, which Starmer said will be deployed “as soon as conditions allow.” They said military planners will meet in London next week.

Speaking after a gathering of some 50 countries and international organizations, Macron said “we all demand the full, immediate and unconditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by all parties.”

As the meeting was underway, U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister declared the strait open to commercial vessels. Oil prices plunged after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X that passage for commercial vessels would remain “completely open” for the duration of a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon.

Trump in an all-caps social media post said that the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ships and ports would remain in force “UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.”

Starmer cautiously welcomed the announcement, but said it must become “both lasting and a workable proposal.”

The Paris meeting is part of attempts by sidelined nations to ease the impact of a conflict they didn’t start and haven’t joined, but that has sent the global economy reeling. Petroleum prices soared after the war started on Feb. 28, when Iran effectively shut the narrow strait through which a fifth of the world’s oil usually passes.

The U.S. is not part of the planning for what has been branded the Strait of Hormuz Maritime Freedom of Navigation Initiative, which Macron said would be “a neutral mission, entirely separate from the belligerents to escort and secure the merchant ships transiting the Gulf.”

Starmer, facing political troubles at home, was greeted by Macron in the courtyard of the Elysee presidential palace on Friday afternoon. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni also attended in person. Others, including the prime ministers of Australia and Canada, the South Korean and Ukrainian presidents and representatives of China and India, joined by video.

Military planning underway

In an echo of the “coalition of the willing” assembled to provide security for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire in that war, Starmer said that along with France, the U.K. will lead a multinational mission to protect freedom of navigation as soon as conditions allow.

“This will be strictly peaceful and defensive, as a mission to reassure commercial shipping and support mine clearance," he said.

He said more than a dozen countries had agreed to contribute assets, far fewer than in the wider Hormuz coalition.

Britain has discussed using mine-hunting drones, deployed from the ship RFA Lyme Bay.

The war has highlighted the shrunken state of the Royal Navy, which has deployed just one major warship, the destroyer HMS Dragon, to the eastern Mediterranean. France, which has the EU’s most powerful military, has sent its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to the region, alongside a helicopter carrier and several frigates.

Meloni said she had expressed Italy’s “willingness to make its naval units available," while Merz said Germany could contribute mine clearance and maritime intelligence capabilities to such a mission, but would need parliamentary support and a ″secure legal basis″ such as a U.N. Security Council resolution.

He said Germany, ″if possible, would also like to see the United States of America participate; we believe this would be desirable.″

That's a departure from Macron, who has said the mission will involve countries not involved in the conflict.

Macron's office said roles for members of the coalition could include “intelligence, mine-clearing capabilities, military escorts (and) communication procedures with coastal states.”

Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow in sea power at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said mine-clearing and creating a warning system for maritime threats were more likely roles for the coalition than warships escorting commercial tankers through the strait.

“You need huge numbers of vessels for that sort of thing, which nobody has,” he said.

Trump dismisses NATO as ‘paper tiger’

Iran expert Ellie Geranmayeh, deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said mine-clearing is an area where European countries and their partners could play a role.

“They would be a better party to do this than the United States, because once you have U.S. military doing this and lingering on Iranian shores, it creates a potential arena for Iran and the U.S. to have miscalculations and get back into a sort of military tension,” she said.

The operation is partly a response to Trump, who has berated allies for failing to join the war. The president has called allies “cowards,” said NATO “wasn’t there when we needed them” and telling Britain: “You don’t even have a navy.”

Kaushal said European countries were likely trying “to demonstrate the ability to provide security in a way that’s distinct from, if not completely separate from, the U.S. and which also demonstrates a capacity for independent action.”

“How many states actually have spare capacity to offer to this is a pretty open question.”

Trump appeared dismissive of European offers of help, though he referred to NATO rather than the Franco-British-led coalition.

“Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help. I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL," he posted on social media.

“They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger!”

___

Lawless reported from London. Associated Press writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.

But there is little of that energy so far in 2026. Even though Democrats may have a better shot at winning, there is far less attention and money as their candidates compete for the nomination in next month's primary.

Their struggles raise the possibility that the Democrats could miss another chance to win the Georgia governor's office for the first time since 1998.

National Democrats say they are not going to let that happen. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, said Georgia is “in play” and the money will be there for the party's eventual nominee.

“We’re going to make sure the Democratic candidate in Georgia has the funding they need to compete,” Beshear told The Associated Press on Saturday as he visited Atlanta to keynote a party dinner.

While Republicans have flooded the state with nearly $100 million in advertising, Democrats have spent only $1.24 million. Most observers believe no Democrat will win a majority in the rapidly approaching May 19 primary, prolonging the party's uncertainty.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms could be headed toward a June 16 runoff, thanks to superior name identification and being the only Black woman running in a party that has historically relied on support from Black women. But the scramble for a second spot appears wide-open, with likely contenders including former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves and former state labor commissioner and CEO of suburban DeKalb County Mike Thurmond.

Democrat could face big Republican money

On the Republican side, health care billionaire Rick Jackson has already spent or pledged $50 million toward his bid, twice as much as any previous primary candidate for Georgia governor. There is also Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump; Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; and Attorney General Chris Carr.

It is a contrast to 2022, when Abrams outraised Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. She ended up losing the race, her second defeat to Kemp.

But Democrats say they are not worried this year even if they are outspent.

“I'll still win,” Bottoms said after a campaign event Monday, echoing other Democrats who say money can't paper over voter discontent with Republicans.

She argues that she is a “battle-tested leader” who gained national experience in President Joe Biden's administration. Like other Democrats, she cites expanding health care, affordable housing and better education as among her top issues.

“When given the opportunity to lead, I led on behalf of not just the city of Atlanta, but people across the state, and I am ready to go and fight for all of our communities to make Georgia a better place for our children,” Bottoms said Wednesday.

The Democratic race doesn’t feature notable policy splits along the lines of the progressive-moderate fissures that have opened around the country. It is not even a clear-cut contrast on style like in the Texas Senate primary that James Talarico won over Jasmine Crockett. Only Esteves, who started nearly unknown statewide, has been willing to attack the other candidates.

The noncombative nature of the other candidates was on display Wednesday night in a televised debate that included only Bottoms, Duncan and Thurmond. Duncan made only the most oblique criticisms of Bottoms' record as mayor. After Thurmond blamed Duncan for supporting a bill allowing people to carry guns more widely, he said in a postdebate interview that the criticism wasn't aimed at Duncan directly.

Esteves tries to go from unknown to contender

Esteves is banking on a late surge to propel him to the runoff. He has spent about $1 million on a burst of advertising, the only significant spending by any Democrat thus far. The 42-year-old, who is Black and Puerto Rican, argues he can build the “multiracial, multigenerational coalition" needed to win the young and diverse electorate in Georgia.

He often references his experience as a middle school teacher and small business owner in addition to his time as a lawyer, school board member and state senator.

“A lot of the challenges that Georgians are facing, I am facing in real time,” Esteves said in a Wednesday interview. “They’re looking for someone who not only wants to solve their issues, but can identify personally with their issues.”

Esteves is the only Democrat attacking Bottoms on how she managed crime, disorder and the COVID pandemic as mayor before her surprise decision not to seek a second term.

“The fact that she did not run for reelection confirmed people’s belief that when the going gets tough, she stepped out on the city,” Esteves said.

Bottoms defends her stewardship and says she declined to run again “based on what was best for me personally and my family."

Esteves has also repeatedly taken aim at Duncan, saying Duncan “oversaw some of the passage of the worst bills” while lieutenant governor, including Georgia’s ban on abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected. Although dozens of state lawmakers are backing Esteves, his top surrogate has been Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, a woman who died in a suburban Atlanta hospital in 2022 after taking abortion pills and developing an infection.

New Democrat Duncan seeks ‘trust’

Duncan is best known for opposing Trump's attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. He has spent the past year apologizing for his Republican past and argues he is the only Democrat who can win over enough moderate voters to give his new party a win. In recent weeks, Duncan has begun to pick up some endorsements from moderate Democrats and unions.

“I don’t want to only earn your vote, I want to earn your trust,” Duncan said in Wednesday night's debate.

Thurmond calls himself a “throwback” and says his experience in state and local government, including leading the state child welfare agency, serving as labor commissioner and helping to bail out the DeKalb County school district as superintendent, would let him move quickly to enact Democratic priorities.

“I have a track record of service to the people of Georgia, and I believe this election would turn not on promises, but on performance,” Thurmond said in an interview after Wednesday's debate.

He has been trying to knit together a coalition of rural voters and older Democrats. Among those backing him are Roy Barnes, the last Democratic governor, and Andrew Young, the former mayor of Atlanta and one of the last surviving leaders of the 1960s Civil Rights movement. ___ A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Jason Esteves' father is Puerto Rican and his mother was Black. His father is Puerto Rican and Black, while his mother was Puerto Rican.

It wasn’t the Iran war, nor the partial government shutdown over Department of Homeland Security funding. He was focused on a monumental issue of a different kind, hoisting artist renderings of the $400 million White House ballroom he’s building, complete with hand-carved “top-of-the-line” Corinthian columns.

“I’m so busy that I don’t have time to do this. I’m fighting wars and other things,” Trump said before extensively detailing plans for “the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world.”

His divided attention has become a Democratic point of attack and a concern for some Republicans who worry he’s not spending enough time on issues that voters care most about ahead of November’s midterm races.

The contrast was on full display Thursday, when, as Trump flew to Las Vegas to discuss tax cuts for Americans earning tips, his administration was pushing ahead with another of his splashy projects: Plans to build a 250-foot Triumphal Arch near the Lincoln Memorial replete with a Lady Liberty-like statue and a pair of golden eagles.

The president’s ability to speak to the concerns of working people has always seemed incongruous with his biography as a billionaire real estate developer. Yet his populist policies and emphasis on the economy during his 2024 campaign helped catapult him back to the White House.

Republican strategist Rick Tyler noted that, when Trump first ran for president in 2016, his wealth was a selling point.

“While other people, like Mitt Romney, played down how rich he was, Trump was giving free helicopter rides at the Iowa State Fair,” Tyler said. “People loved it.”

Still, Trump’s preoccupation with some of the gilded trappings of the presidency, as more Americans worry about bills, has drawn accusations that he’s a modern-day Marie Antoinette.

“‘Fighting wars’ and surging gas prices, yet Trump has time to brag about his billionaire backed ballroom,” Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, responded on X to Trump’s Air Force One presentation.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential hopeful, has been more direct in comparing Trump to the last queen before the French Revolution, who has come to embody extravagant opulence — even posting an AI-generated image of Trump's face on her body on social media.

“TRUMP ‘MARIE ANTOINETTE’ SAYS, ‘NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!’” Newsom wrote in October 2025, at the start of last fall's 43-day government shutdown.

White House says Trump's success benefits all Americans

Asked about opponents invoking Marie Antoinette, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump “is going to go down in history as the most successful and consequential president in our lifetime.”

“His successes on behalf of the American people will be imprinted upon the fabric of America and will be felt by every other White House that comes after him," Ingle said in a statement.

The president faced similar critiques during his first term. But lately he's been unabashed about accusations he’s disconnected from Americans' worries about high costs, which could leave Republicans with an uphill battle to retain control of Congress.

Republicans have been loath to question Trump, though notably there has been little criticism of a federal judge’s ruling that work on the project must stop until it has congressional approval. The GOP-controlled House and Senate also haven’t prioritized legislation to move the ballroom project forward.

“I’m not much into architecture,” Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said last fall.

About two-thirds of Americans said Trump is “out of touch” with the concerns of most people in the United States today, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll from February, though the same percentage said the same about the Democratic Party.

Presidents are usually removed from voters, separated by layers of security and surrounded by adoring subordinates. In her book “Why Presidents Fail And How They Can Succeed Again,” Elaine Kamarck argues that presidents get too focused on their own political narratives rather than the public's concerns. Yet, when it comes to Trump, “All of this stuff is frankly unique to him.”

She pointed to the ballroom as well as Trump's other White House renovations, soon adding his signature to paper currency and renaming the Kennedy Center after himself.

“It's a reflection, I think, of his own background as a businessman and somebody who made his fortune selling his name," said Kamarck, who worked in Bill Clinton’s White House.

While Trump focuses on the ballroom and other Washington projects, some public work projects in other parts of the country have languished.

Joe Meyer, the former mayor of Covington, Kentucky, spent years pushing for critical improvements to the Brent Spence Bridge connecting his town with Cincinnati, a project listed as a top federal priority dating back to Trump's first administration.

Federal funds for improvements were approved under President Joe Biden but held up by a Trump-ordered review. Work is now finally set to begin later this year, though delays will likely limit design options and slow the project, Meyer said.

“The ballroom is Washington inside-baseball,” Meyer said. “The bridge is just a wreck. It’s frustration that we’ve been dealing with forever.”

A $100 tip and a golden tractor

Trumpeting new tax deductions for tips, Trump staged ordering McDonald's to the Oval Office — which he has adorned with gold flourishes — and tipped the grandmother making the delivery $100. When she described large medical bills from her husband’s cancer treatments, Trump said she should bring him to an upcoming UFC fight on the White House lawn.

When hundreds of farmers were invited to the White House for an agricultural policy speech, they stood on the South Lawn beside a tractor that had been painted gold. It drizzled, but Trump stayed dry, addressing them from a covered second-floor balcony.

“You don’t mind rain,” the president told the farmers below.

He then flew to Miami for a conference of Saudi investors who, the president noted, were too rich to be impressed by U.S. families scrounging to save up $5,000.

“I know they’re looking like, ‘What the hell is $5,000?’" Trump joked. "Their shoes cost them more than $5,000."

When asked in February, meanwhile, for his message to young people wanting to buy a home, Trump replied: “Save a little longer. Wait a little longer."

Members of the Cabinet have also fed the perception that Trump's promised “ Golden Age ” may not be arriving for everyone. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. advised Americans to buy liver instead of beef.

“If you go and buy a steak, it’s still pretty expensive. But if you buy the cheaper cuts, it’s great meat. And it is very, very affordable. Or liver, or, you know, all these alternatives,” he told podcast host Joe Rogan.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said people could still afford meals consisting of “a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla and one other thing.”

Texas-based Republican consultant Brendan Steinhauser said he thinks that Trump “can kind of get away with" building a ballroom because voters have come to expect that from him as a brash dealmaker and businessman.

But Steinhauser said he worries that dramatic increases in gas prices and a potentially weakening economy could resonate with voters. Ahead of the midterms, Steinhauser said, Democrats could score points “trying to make it more about Trump and his oligarch friends.”

___

Associated Press writers Linley Sanders in Washington and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.

Tyler Robinson was back in state court in Utah Friday as his attorneys press their claims that biased coverage is tainting potential jurors in his aggravated murder case.

Among numerous examples cited was a New York Post story they say suggested Robinson confessed to Kirk's killing during a courtroom conversation on Dec. 11, in his first appearance after being charged. The conversation with his attorneys was inaudible, but the story cited a “lip reading analysis” to support its claim that Robinson said, “I think about the shooting daily.”

“The predominant purpose being served by the live stream coverage has not been the educational reporting of the court proceedings, but rather advertising profit, sensationalism, political agendas, and, most prominently, the vilification of Mr. Robinson,” his attorneys wrote in their request to bar cameras.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for Robinson should he be convicted in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist, who was addressing a crowd of thousands on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem.

Robinson, who turned 23 on Thursday, has not yet entered a plea. A trial date has not been set.

Media sensationalism around the case has cut both ways. In a March 30 headline, the U.K.-based Daily Mail reported the bullet that killed Kirk “did NOT match” a rifle allegedly used by Robinson. The story was based on an inconclusive, preliminary finding by ballistics experts and led to speculation about Robinson's possible exoneration. The FBI is running additional tests, according to court documents.

Media organizations, prosecutors and Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, want the court to allow cameras. They argue the best way to guard against the misinformation and conspiracy theories that concern Robinson's defense team is to make the process transparent.

Yet livestreaming by media outlets already has tested the patience of Judge Tony Graf.

During the December hearing, Graf briefly stopped the livestream and ordered the camera relocated after it showed the defendant’s shackles in violation of a courtroom decorum order.

Then, a January hearing was interrupted when Robinson's attorneys said close-up shots of Robinson being livestreamed by a local television station could again lead to claims based on lip reading. That, too, was a violation of Graf's decorum order. The judge ordered the camera operator not to film Robinson for the remainder of the hearing.

In recent hearings and again on Friday the media pool cameras for video and photographs were stationed at the rear of the courtroom, behind Robinson. Graf also has been making camera operators come before him to acknowledge they understand the courtroom decorum rules.

Mike Judd, a lawyer for a coalition of media organizations including The Associated Press that have been fighting to preserve access, said Graf so far has focused on whether his rules inside the courtroom are being followed, not what the media is saying outside of court.

“The court can do all of that in order to try to control what gets fed into that media ecosystem,” Judd said. “You reduce the likelihood of somebody publishing things that you think may be of potentially biasing concern later on.”

Policies on cameras and livestreaming vary among states, and many including Utah give judges discretion over whether to allow cameras. Cameras are generally prohibited in federal courts.

“There's Supreme Court precedent that says courts generally need to be open to the public, but that's not an absolute right,” said University of Utah law professor Teneille Brown. “Even if they allow public access, that does not equal a right to broadcast or record.”

Robinson’s attorneys are seeking to delay his May preliminary hearing, when prosecutors must show that they have enough evidence to proceed to a trial.

Prosecutors have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle. Defense attorneys note that forensic reports indicate multiple people’s DNA was found on some items, which they say requires a more complex analysis.

Robinson reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” prosecutors have said.

___

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

He went camping. He jammed with local musicians. He drank root beer delivered on roller skates. He shopped for records. He bought a guitar. Then he went home.

The next time people in Benton saw George Harrison, it was with 73 million others who tuned in to watch his band, the Beatles, make their U.S. debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show" about four months later. The British Invasion, which changed popular music and American culture, was underway.

Now, the house where Harrison and his brother Peter stayed in Benton, 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis, is for sale.

You’ll forgive Beatles fans if they’re worried about its future. In 1995, the house at 113 McCann Street had a date with the wrecking ball. Activists, including Harrison’s sister, Louise Harrison Caldwell, who had moved away in the late 1960s, stepped in to save it.

Coal mining brought the family of Harrison's sister to Benton

Previously known for hosting the state's last public hanging in 1928, Benton, population 6,700, was built on Southern Illinois' rich veins of coal. Louise Caldwell moved to town when her husband, a mining engineer, got a job in what was then a thriving industry.

The house they chose is a five-bedroom bungalow built in 1935 with a brick facade across its wide front porch.

In the mid-1990s, a state agency bought the house from a subsequent owner with plans to flatten it for parking. Mega-fan Robert Bartel of Springfield, a Beatles author and documentarian, alerted the media and Fab Four loyalists.

Local investors repurchased it from the state and opened the Hard Day's Nite Bed and Breakfast, featuring the couch Harrison traded guitar licks on and stacks of other loaned Beatles memorabilia, including a bevy from Bartel.

The bed-and-breakfast closed in 2010. Benton resident Grady Adams has since operated it as regular bed-and-bath apartments but now wants to sell, listing it for $105,000. Brian Calcaterra, Benton’s director of economic development, suggested the city draft an ordinance to protect the house from demolition by a new owner, but Benton Mayor Lee Messersmith said the city council has not discussed the matter.

“Of course, if it doesn't get demo'd, I would prefer that,” Adams said.

Interest in reviving the bed-and-breakfast is unclear

Whether there's interest — or energy — to return the McCann Street house to its Beatles glory is up for debate.

Jim Kirkpatrick of Creal Springs, author of “Before He Was Fab,” a recollection of Harrison's visit which has been optioned for a movie, has had at least one encouraging conversation with someone considering purchase.

Benton business owner Robert Rea, a historian who helped save the Beatles house three decades ago, said the obsession has faded.

“When we did this (in 1995), the world went crazy because they thought, ‘George is going to come, he’s going to save the house,'” Rea said. “And I’m just being honest with you, maybe I’m missing it or something, but that momentum is not here.”

Harrison's last chance to walk the streets in anonymity

Harrison's trip was perhaps the last time the musician could enjoy obscurity. He camped in Shawnee National Forest. He sat in with a popular local group when they played a nearby Veterans of Foreign Wars hall. The band’s leader took him to a drive-in restaurant with carhops on skates, where he guzzled root beer for the first time.

At a record store on Benton's downtown square, Harrison bought a pile of vinyl. Included was James Ray’s R&B single, “I’ve Got My Mind Set on You,” Harrison’s 1987 cover of which went to No. 1.

He also bought a Rickenbacker 425 guitar like the one bandmate John Lennon had. Harrison played the guitar a month later when the Beatles recorded “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” It sold at auction in 2014 for $675,000.

One day during Harrison's visit, he and Caldwell dropped by WFRX radio, where then-17-year-old Marcia Schafer Raubach had a Saturday afternoon teen program. Harrison gave her a copy of “She Loves You,” which he told her had just hit the top of the British charts.

Raubach interviewed Harrison on the air, the first for a Beatle in America, and played the 45, which she still has. She said it sounded different than the songs American teens were then punching up on jukeboxes. But it didn't make an impression on her audience.

Despite his longish hair in a land of crew cuts, Raubach found Harrison, dressed in a crisp white shirt, jeans and sandals, “very clean cut, he was personable and mannerly and they call him the ‘quiet Beatle’ — well, he was.”

“If I had known what they were going to become, I would have handled that differently,” Raubach, now 79, said. “It’s still amazing that he even came here and that I met him. I think he really liked Southern Illinois.”

Harrison never returned to Benton, though, dying in 2001 at 58. Caldwell was 91 when she died in 2023.

From stars on the Walk of Fame to Grammys and an acclaimed memoir, she is music royalty, now ready to delight fans with an intimate show at the Arsht Center.

She won her first Grammy in 2025, 40 years after her first nomination.

She burst onto the music scene in 1984 as a solo artist with her hit anthem “The Glamorous Life,” guided by the genius hand of Prince.

In 2014, the world got a deeper look into her life with her critically acclaimed memoir, “The Beat of My Own Drum.”

For filmmaker and producer Rachelle Salnave, that makes Miami’s film festival in Little Haiti the perfect place to debut her film “Dual Citizen.”

“While this story is based in Haiti, it could have taken place anywhere,” Salnave said.

“Dual Citizen” follows Salnave and her father as they navigate Haiti’s dual citizenship law.

In 2012, Haiti lifted its ban on dual nationality, allowing citizens to reclaim their status.

“It’s educating the actors in that work in each department of those processes that need to be cleared and clarified. Eventually we breakthrough because I’m like the constitution is right here,” she said.

Another film to watch this weekend is “Melodrama.”

The romance explores long-standing tensions between Haitians and Dominicans.

Actor Jimmy Jean-Louis plays a Haitian construction worker who falls for a Dominican woman.

“That division is done for a certain reason and I think I understand why, understand it. I don’t think we should fall into that trap,” Jean-Louis said.

Jean-Louis said the story will resonate with local viewers.

“I believe all South Floridians will identify. We live in a world where you have all those tensions going on as well. I think they’ll get it. At the end of the day it’s about love,” he said.

Both films will draw different crowds during the film festival, but they share a common theme.

“Most of all they’ll go home with something. They probably learned but they’ve experienced,” he said.

“Melodrama” premieres Friday night at Silverspot Cinema and screens again Saturday.

“Dual Citizen” will play again next month for Haitian Heritage Month in Coral Gables and Fort Lauderdale.

“Who loses? The children lose. The kids lose,” Wenski said.

The Catholic Church’s unaccompanied minors program has been active since the 1960s. Its Miami operation is the longest-running, best known for taking in thousands of children fleeing communism in Cuba under Operation Pedro Pan.

“They gave us the protection and the guidance that we so needed,” said Javier Llorens, a retired dentist who went through the program.

“When I arrived at age 11,” he added.

Llorens says the experience was life-changing.

“When I raised my family, I was always remembering my experience as a child and I am extremely grateful,” he said.

But the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which manages the funding, says the program has seen a dramatic decrease in children, with illegal border crossings at record lows.

The agency added the cut is part of the Trump administration’s continued efforts to stop illegal entry and the smuggling and trafficking of unaccompanied children.

Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar and Congressman Carlos Gimenez also sent a letter to the Trump administration, saying that with crises intensifying in Cuba and Haiti, ending the program now is a strategic mistake.

The airline will soon open bookings for four-hour stints in the Skynest sleep pods and says they will be the first lie-flat beds for budget air travelers. Fliers will get cozy with their fellow passengers, however, so crumbs, strong perfumes and bedsharing are forbidden.

The curtained berths will be available to economy and premium economy fliers on the airline’s new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft from November. The planes will service the Auckland to New York route, which is one of the world’s longest commercial flights and leaves economy passengers sitting upright for a marathon 16 to 18 hours.

Instead, travelers will have the option of a pre-booked four-hour spot in a curtained pod, with costs starting from 495 New Zealand dollars ($291) on top of the price of their economy tickets. But use of the six pods, arranged in a triple-bunk style layout between cabins, will put fliers in close proximity to others, prompting the airline to publish etiquette notes.

Passengers must refrain from snacking in the pods, which can’t be used by children or any additional visitors.

“That means solo snoozes only please, no musical nests or tag-teaming,” Air New Zealand’s website says. For those worried about cleanliness, the airline assures travelers that the pillows, blankets and sheets supplied “are all refreshed” between four-hour naps.

Fliers are also required to change into specially provided socks to enter the pod, fasten their seatbelts over their blankets and forgo dousing themselves in any smelly “perfumes or potions.” Passengers will be woken by a gentle change in lighting at the end of their four-hour stint in the bunk – or by a flight attendant, possibly less gently, if they don’t rouse in time.

Each berth is about the length of a regular bed — 80 inches or 203 cm — but the pods don’t leave headroom for sitting up and access “requires bending, kneeling, crawling, or climbing into the space,” the aircraft’s website says. The bunks are 25 inches (64 cm) wide at shoulder height, tapering to 16 inches (41 cm) at the foot of the beds.

Seats or couches that convert into beds in the sky aren’t a new offering for business and first class travelers, but Air New Zealand believes its lie-flat bunks for economy travelers will be a world first.

The offering from New Zealand’s national carrier is the latest from airlines seeking to sell seat upgrades and other add-ons to economy travelers. Air New Zealand first announced the economy beds were in development in 2020.

The airline has increased fares and cut some domestic flights from its schedule in response to increased jet fuel costs during the war in the Middle East. In March, it suspended its earnings outlook due to fuel price volatility and warned that more changes to its routes were possible.

But on one of its longest flights, travelers might finally get some shut-eye — although they should expect snoring, for which earplugs are provided, the airline said.

“Statistically, someone’s going to do it,” Air New Zealand’s website reads. “It might be you.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Lyons' departure, calling him a great leader of ICE who helped to make American communities safer. Mullin said Lyons' last day will be May 31.

“We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” Mullin said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking why he is resigning.

Lyons, who was named acting director in March 2025, led the agency at the center of President Donald Trump’s plans to reshape immigration to the U.S.

Under his leadership, the agency was granted a massive infusion of cash through Congress, which it used to expand hiring and detention capabilities, and it ramped up arrests to meet demand from the administration.

ICE was also central to a series of high-profile immigration enforcement operations in American cities, including Chicago and Minneapolis, a deployment that ended after backlash erupted over the deaths of two American protesters at the hands of federal immigration officers.

Stephen Miller, the president’s deputy chief of staff and the main architect of his immigration policy, called Lyons a "dedicated leader."

“His courageous work at ICE has saved countless thousands of American lives and helped deliver safety and tranquility to millions of Americans,” Miller said in a statement.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson described Lyons in a post on X as “an American patriot who made our country safer.”

It’s not clear who might replace Lyons. But whoever does will take over an agency flush with cash while still a flashpoint for controversy. ICE is at the center of a battle in Congress, with Democratic lawmakers demanding restraints on immigration officers before agreeing to restore routine funding for DHS.

On Thursday, Lyons, along with two other top immigration officials, appeared before a House subcommittee to argue for his agency’s budget and faced continued scrutiny from lawmakers of ICE’s actions.

Lyons' departure also comes as DHS is under new leadership after Trump fired former Secretary Kristi Noem, who led the department through the administration’s major immigration policy changes.

Mullin, who took over as secretary last month, is likely to continue to advance the president’s agenda but has struck a softer tone on some of the administration’s most contentious policies.

Public perceptions of ICE during Lyons' tenure were low. In a February AP-NORC poll, most U.S. adults, including independents, said they have an unfavorable view of the agency.

Lyons faced questions in Congress over the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and was asked if he would apologize for the way some Trump administration officials characterized Good as an agitator. He declined to do so.

“I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private. But I’m not going to comment on any active investigation,” Lyons said.

Lyons said he had seen video that captured Pretti’s shooting but said he could not comment, citing an active investigation.

Lyons, who joined ICE in 2007 as an immigration enforcement agent in Texas, signed off on a memo, first obtained by The Associated Press, that granted federal immigration officers sweeping powers to forcibly enter homes and make arrests without a judge’s warrant.

Trump’s border czar Tom Homan described Lyons as serving selflessly and “a highly respected and effective acting Director of ICE.”

__

Golden reported from Seattle.

Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., expressed alarm that federal workers may be using AI chatbots to handle sensitive government data. Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., asked whether it should be illegal for AI systems to use someone’s likeness to create pornographic images.

Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., expressed concerns that AI systems could deny U.S. military forces from taking lethal actions due to a model's conclusion for “moral” behavior. And Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., raised concerns about the Trump administration’s use of AI in the war with Iran, the technology’s intensive energy usage and its potential effects on the climate.

While members of Congress elsewhere debated other major topics — the scope of the federal government’s surveillance powers, the war with Iran and funding the Department of Homeland Security — the House Oversight Committee’s subcommittee roundtable on “Artificial Intelligence and American Power” brought executives of AI firms, academics and those implementing AI at major companies together with lawmakers.

Thursday’s discussion comes as leaders on Capitol Hill grapple with the dizzying pace of global developments in which technology plays a central role. But the conversation quickly considered the potential for artificial intelligence to dwarf every other challenge facing the country.

“People in our districts across this country are going to start feeling impacts very soon, and if we don’t start thinking properly and aggressively and proactively about the challenges that AI creates, I fear that we’re going to have a revolution on our hands,” said Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif.

The subcommittee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, also expressed optimism about AI’s ability to cure diseases and boost the economy. But Frost, currently the youngest member of Congress, worried that the technology would outpace lawmakers and pose potentially disastrous consequences if not addressed early on.

“I don’t have faith in this institution to actually put the common sense guardrails in place. And then we fast forward ten years, and the house is on fire,” said Frost. “That won’t be good for anybody, whether it’s the industry or working families and people, or this institution itself.”

Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., kicked off the meeting with praise for the industry and marveled at how one panelist’s company used AI to automate and fast-track manufacturing in the firm’s factories.

“It’s truly like the closest thing to Star Trek I’ve ever seen,” Burlison said. He later inquired about what congressional districts should do to attract AI firms for business.

Many also openly fretted about disclosures from technology firms like Anthropic, which recently announced that its Mythos AI model, which the company claims has capabilities so powerful that it is limiting its use to select customers because of its apparent ability to bypass traditional cybersecurity and hack major institutions like banks, government agencies and major corporations.

“I recognize AI is not going anywhere,” said Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., a former Navy SEAL who served in combat. “That being said, does anyone on this panel feel or believe, in any way, that as we are going down the road in this AI race, we might be simultaneously engineering our own destruction?”

The assembled experts and industry leaders all highlighted AI’s vast and growing capabilities. They urged lawmakers, alongside their policy recommendations, to be thoughtful and well-informed when making policy.

Mark Beall, president of government affairs at the AI Policy Network Inc. and a former Pentagon official, warned that Congress risked the country losing its competitive edge on AI if it did not act on key national security concerns.

“I don’t think it’s going to kill us,” Robert Atkinson, founder of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a technology think tank, told lawmakers.

“At the same time, I do think it’s important for the federal government to seriously fund AI safety research,” Atkinson continued. “We need to know a lot more about how the models work.”

Spencer Overton, a George Washington University law professor, said the incentives for AI companies “are really what they should be” when asked by lawmakers whether the firms were good actors.

“Constituents are looking for you, not for companies, to step up and protect them," Overton said. "They’re trusting you, the person that they voted for, to do that, as opposed to companies. That’s the way the system works, right?”

Hamilton was FEMA’s temporary leader from January to May of last year but was fired one day after testifying on Capitol Hill that he did not agree with proposals to dismantle the organization charged with coordinating the federal government's response to disasters, an idea Trump had repeatedly floated.

“I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he told members of a House Appropriations subcommittee.

FEMA has lacked a permanent administrator throughout Trump's second term and is currently on its third temporary leader, something critics have said undermines the agency's effectiveness.

Trump offered Hamilton the job Wednesday, according to the person, who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The New York Times first reported Trump's intent to nominate Hamilton.

Hamilton’s nomination would come at a crucial time for FEMA and as its future remains uncertain. Trump has said he wants to shift more responsibility for disasters to states and has created a FEMA Review Council, expected to propose sweeping reforms to how the agency supports disaster-impacted communities.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has expressed support for FEMA while calling for reforms, striking a stark contrast from his predecessor Kristi Noem, who vowed to "eliminate FEMA as it exists today” and whose dealings with the review council grew fraught.

It’s unclear how Hamilton would lead FEMA or what Trump expects from his leadership.

Hamilton's relationship with DHS officials became “very hostile” during his short tenure at FEMA, he said in a September episode of the podcast “Disaster Tough.” He wanted to cut “wasteful spending” and “downsize the agency,” he said, but not dismantle it.

Trump has not officially announced the nomination and could change his mind. Hamilton could also face headwinds during the Senate confirmation process over never having served as a state emergency management director.

Federal law requires FEMA’s administrator to have “a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security” and no less than five years of executive leadership and management experience. If confirmed, he would become the principal advisor to the president and the Homeland Security secretary for all matters related to emergency management.

Hamilton spent a decade in the U.S. Navy Seals, serving on Seal Team Eight for four overseas deployments between 2005 and 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile and a Congressional bio.

He then served as a supervisory emergency management specialist at the U.S. State Department and as the Department of Homeland Security’s director of emergency services for several years.

Hamilton ran for Congress in Virginia’s 7th district in 2024 but lost in the Republican primary.

In a LinkedIn post earlier this month marking 47 years since FEMA’s establishment, Hamilton said he was grateful to have served under Trump and alongside FEMA colleagues. “I wish my tenure had been longer,” he wrote, “as there is still much more work to do for reform.”

He returned to the piano only after a mentor told him about a large number of piano pieces for the left hand alone.

After exhaustive practice he made a comeback, playing recitals as South Korea's only known professional left-hand-only pianist.

He is now preparing for a new challenge: his first joint performance with an orchestra at an international music festival next month.

“I’m so, so nervous I could die,” Lee, 54, said with a smile during a recent interview with The Associated Press at his Seoul home. “It’s just one concerto but working with an orchestra has its own difficulties.”

Thrown into despair

In August 2012, Lee, then a doctorate candidate at the music school at the University of Cincinnati, abruptly collapsed at his home.

He survived after extensive surgery, but the stroke damaged about 60% of his brain’s left hemisphere. He couldn’t move his right arm and leg and suffered temporary aphasia.

Lee was later brought back to South Korea in a wheelchair. His father, Lee Hae Chang, a baseball legend in South Korea, said his son couldn’t recognize him upon arrival.

“After the stroke, I didn’t even imagine playing the piano. I only thought about whether I could stand on my feet again,” Lee Hun said.

Performing with five fingers

Lee’s condition was also hard on his family, who had to care for him daily. His mother Poong Ok Hee recalled she had fought a lot with her son because of his mood swings. He often resisted her advice and assistance.

Things began changing after he dined with his former piano teacher, Chun Yung Hae, in 2013. Chun encouraged him to play the piano again, saying there were more than 1,000 pieces for the left hand alone. That rekindled his passion for the piano, and Lee began practicing immediately that night.

In 2016, Lee made a formal debut as a one-handed pianist at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, where he received treatment and rehabilitation. After performing Camille Saint-Saens’ “6 Etudes for the Left Hand Alone,” Lee played “Amazing Grace” with Chun, with Lee using his left hand and Chun her right hand. At least one spectator cried.

“He is a pianist so he must play the piano. He was completely hopeless and in despair, so I tried to give him some hope. But I didn’t expect him to play as well as this,” said Chun, who served as dean of the College of Music at Seoul’s Kyung Hee University.

Performing a masterpiece with orchestra

Lee has steadily given recitals, appeared on TV programs and written a memoir. He now walks without assistance and communicates relatively smoothly in Korean.

Local media dub him as “Korea’s Paul Wittgenstein,” an acclaimed Austrian pianist who is considered a pioneer in one-handed piano music. He lost his right arm in World War I and commissioned left-hand repertories by famed composers, including Ravel, Strauss, Prokofiev and Britten. His brother was philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.

On May 2, Lee is to appear at the annual Icheon Young-Artist International Music Festival in South Korea, performing with a festival orchestra. They’ll play Ravel’s “Piano Concerto for the Left Hand,” which was also commissioned by Wittgenstein.

It’s a highly difficult piece for a pianist, Lee said, but it’s something he’s been eager to play.

Chung Eun-hyon, head of Lee’s agency, Tool Music, said Lee has told him it’s his dream to play the concerto. Chung said he feels deeply emotional as he helps “make his dream come true.”

Dreams of a two-handed comeback

Before becoming a one-handed pianist, Lee said he focused on how to perfect skills to wow audiences. Now, he agonizes over how to convey his emotions and interpretation of music to people.

“He plays a sort of music that truly touches the heart of people and it’s not about finger dexterity,” said Lee Eungkwang, head of a cultural foundation responsible for the Icheon festival.

“I’m really curious what it was like when he played with both hands,” Lee said.

Lee Hun said he hopes to make a two-handed comeback one day, saying he succeeded in pressing a piano key once with his right hand at a concert in November 2024.

Medically speaking, prospects for Lee regaining the use of his right hand and performing with both hands are dim, according to his doctor at St. Mary’s Hospital, Koo Jaseong.

“I still would like to give him a round of applause to his efforts. Though rare, there have been reports of miraculous recoveries too,” Koo said.

Mendoza, 22, attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.

In 2025, Mendoza led the No. 1 Hoosiers to a 16-0 record, defeating No. 10 Miami 27-21 in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.

Mendoza finished the season with career highs of 3,535 passing yards and 41 touchdowns and tied a career low with six interceptions.

Before the game, Mendoza is expected to participate in brief photo opportunities and pregame ceremonies near the dugout.

The club has not yet released details on whether Mendoza will be joined by guests or participate in additional activities throughout the game.

Fans can purchase tickets here.

“If you book a ticket, we want you and your family to have the certainty that you’ll fly without endless delays and cancellations,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.

O’Hare has the most number of flights of any U.S. airport, and it already had one of the worst records for flight delays nationwide last year.

More than 3,080 flights were planned on peak days this summer, which represented a 14.9% increase from the summer before, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration. That increase comes as air traffic controllers deal with taxiway closures for construction projects.

In its draft order, the federal government said both American and United announced expansion plans at O’Hare that could lead to significant delays this summer and limit the airfield’s ability to handle the expected amount of traffic.

Duffy said that the schedule was unrealistic and would have exceeded what the airport could handle. So the number of flights at the airport will be limited to a maximum of 2,708, which is still slightly higher than maximum of 2,680 flights that were scheduled at the peak of last summer. He said that “will reduce delays and make this busy summer travel season a little easier."

On slower days of the week, fewer flights will have to be cut because a smaller number was scheduled in the first place. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are typically slower days of the week for flights.

The flight limits will take effect May 17 and last through Oct. 24.

Airlines will go through the details of the order to figure out how many flights they have to cancel and then will notify customers.

American Airlines said that once implemented, the FAA’s order will improve reliability and reduce delays for customers traveling through O’Hare this summer.

“We are grateful to Secretary Duffy, Administrator Bedford, and their leadership teams for acting swiftly to ensure that Chicagoans and all consumers continue to benefit from sensible competition and to help minimize flight disruptions during the busy summer season,” American said in a statement.

American told employees in a memo that it estimates that it will have to cut no more than 40 arrivals and departures per day, but it estimates that United might have to cut more than 200 arrivals and departures based on the published schedules. United did not provide an estimate of how many flights it will have to cut.

United said the airline appreciates that the government came up with “a solution that makes sense for everyone who cares about O'Hare's success.”

Both airlines will review the order and their scheduled to determine where to make cuts and then notify travelers who are affected.

___

Associated Press Transportation Writer Josh Funk contributed to this report from Omaha, Nebraska.

Ramagem, un exlegislador, fue sentenciado a 16 años en prisión en septiembre pasado por su participación en un intento de golpe de Estado contra el actual mandatario, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, en enero de 2023. Huyó de Brasil antes de empezar a cumplir la condena.

“Estoy aquí para agradecer al gobierno de Estados Unidos, a los miembros de más alto rango del gobierno de Trump”, manifestó Ramagem en redes sociales. Añadió que su liberación “no requirió el pago de ninguna fianza, lo cual es común en casos migratorios” como el suyo.

Ramagem fue arrestado en Florida el lunes, el mismo día en que el senador brasileño Jorge Seif comunicó a la embajada de Estados Unidos en Brasilia que el exlegislador no debía permanecer detenido porque, aseguró, era objeto de persecución en su país.

Medios locales informaron que fue liberado la noche del miércoles.

Ramagem ya había solicitado asilo político antes de su detención, aunque el caso aún no ha sido resuelto.

Ramagem figuraba el lunes en la base de datos de personas bajo custodia del ICE. La agencia no respondió de momento a una solicitud de comentarios sobre el caso.

Ramagem fue despojado de su escaño en el Congreso en diciembre pasado después de ser declarado culpable en el intento de golpe de Estado.

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

Instead, he became the second Guardians pitcher in eight months to fall short in the ninth inning.

“I did my best. Maybe next time,” Messick said after Cleveland's 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.

Leody Taveras led off the ninth with a grounder that just eluded diving second baseman Juan Brito and went into right field for a single to break up Messick's no-hit bid.

Cleveland still has the longest current gap between no-hitters of any major league franchise. The team’s most recent one was Len Barker’s perfect game on May 15, 1981, against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Up to that point, Messick had faced only one batter over the minimum and silenced a Baltimore lineup that came into the game third in the American League in on-base percentage (.334).

Blaze Alexander followed with a line-drive single to center that ended Messick's night. The 25-year-old Messick was removed to a standing ovation from the crowd of 14,748.

“That was very special what we got to watch tonight. That’s an unbelievably talented lineup that he took a no-hitter into the ninth against and just continued to attack,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “He and (catcher Austin) Hedges were magnificent with their sequencing. With that arsenal, that was a beautiful game.”

It was the first time in 11 career starts that Messick went more than seven innings. He was the 54th overall pick in the 2022 amateur draft out of Florida State and made his big league debut last year.

Messick threw 112 pitches, 78 for strikes. The 69.6% strike rate was the third-highest of his career. He walked two and equaled a career best with nine strikeouts. He was charged with two runs in eight-plus innings.

Messick got ahead of hitters early with 21 first-pitch strikes to the 27 batters he faced. The 18 swings and misses also tied a career high.

Out of Messick's six-pitch repertoire, the most effective was the changeup. He threw it 29 times and got 22 strikes, including nine whiffs. His most-used pitch was his four-seam fastball, which he threw 43 times.

“I know they were looking for it. It's just, the bottom falls out of it when you've got late movement like that, especially when you’ve set it up with other pitches, the heaters and the curveballs and cutters — you have to take an outlier swing to it,” Hedges said of the changeup. “You could tell they were trying to, but it’s just that good of a pitch.”

The sinker was Messick's third-most frequent pitch in his first three starts this season, but he threw it only twice against the Orioles.

Hedges said he had the feeling it might be a special night when center fielder Steven Kwan caught Taylor Ward's deep flyball at the wall to end the third inning. José Ramírez — who had a two-run homer in the first — made a nice stop on a grounder by Coby Mayo deep in the hole at third to end the fifth.

“The crowd got pretty loud and that’s an awesome feeling when everybody gets into it. I was really trying to lock in every pitch,” Messick said. “Pretty much about the sixth inning on, I prayed between pretty much every inning and I just was telling myself to execute.”

Baltimore averted a shutout when Gunnar Henderson’s sacrifice fly against closer Cade Smith drove in Taveras. Pete Alonso hit an RBI double before Smith retired the final two batters with runners at second and third for his fourth save.

“The boys were into it the whole game. Once Leody got that hit, I equate it to a sniper in the NBA, where it only takes one to go in for everything to change," said Orioles first-year manager Craig Albernaz, who was Cleveland's bench coach in 2024 and associate manager last season. “Messick was on. He had all his pitches dialed in the strike zone. He did a great job changing speeds in all counts, (getting) weak contact. He was on tonight.”

It was the fourth time since Barker's gem that a single Cleveland pitcher carried a no-hitter into the ninth. John Farrell went eight innings on May 4, 1989, against Kansas City before Kevin Seitzer broke it up with a single after Willie Wilson reached on an error.

Carlos Carrasco went 8 2/3 innings against Tampa Bay on July 1, 2015, and Gavin Williams had a no-hitter for 8 1/3 innings last season on Aug. 6 against the New York Mets.

Carrasco came within one strike of a no-hitter when Rays left fielder Joey Butler lined a slider on an 0-2 count that just eluded the glove of leaping Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis.

Juan Soto broke up Williams’ no-hit bid with a home run to center.

Messick is one of five American League pitchers with at least three wins. He improved to 3-0 this season and is third in the AL with a 1.05 ERA.

“I mean it (stinks), but it is baseball. I’ll have plenty more years to pitch a baseball game, so it might happen again,” he said.

___

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

Owner David Blitzer announced the hire less than 48 hours after the team’s regular season ended without a playoff appearance. Mehta was an assistant when the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup each of the past two years.

“We quickly realized this job was in high demand and were incredibly fortunate to meet with many qualified candidates," Blitzer said. "Sunny’s familiarity with our organization and experience with a two-time Stanley Cup-winning team are characteristics that will serve as a foundation for future success. Our expectations are to be a perennial playoff team and compete for the Stanley Cup, and I look forward to Sunny leading us there.”

Mehta, 48, established the NHL's first full-fledged analytics department when he joined his home-state Devils in 2014 and worked for them through 2018. He spent time with Washington before going to Florida.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, who also had a vacancy after firing Brad Treliving late last month, also showed interest in Mehta, given their interest in a numbers-driven GM. The Devils beat Toronto the punch.

Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, Mehta grew up a Devils fan. He had a career as a professional poker player and worked in finance before getting into hockey.

“I knew this was the place I wanted to be,” Mehta said, thanking the Panthers for the chance to take the next step in his career. “New Jersey has a tremendous young core that will be looking to get back to being a contender, a complement of young assets and draft picks, and a passionate fan base hungry for success.”

The Devils parted ways with longtime GM Tom Fitzgerald late in the season. The future of coach Sheldon Keefe is not clear, though he guided the team to the playoffs in his first year in charge.

Mehta takes over at an important time for the franchise, with U.S. Olympic hero Jack Hughes at the center of a young core and captain Nico Hischier eligible to sign an extension as soon as July 1.

“I’m focusing on playing hockey here,” Hischier said about it the morning after Fitzgerald left. "I still have one more year. I’m with the Devils right now, and then we’ll see what happens."

If he is able to trade defenseman Dougie Hamilton this summer after his $7.4 million roster bonus is paid, it will clear up valuable salary cap space to use to improve the forward group.

___

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

The James clan has the chance to add another chapter to its family lore this month, thanks to Bronny's growth into a player that all of the Los Angeles Lakers can trust.

LeBron and Bronny seem likely to play postseason minutes together this month when the Lakers face the Houston Rockets in the first round. The greatest scorer in NBA history and his 21-year-old son have been teammates for nearly two years, but the prospect of accomplishing a new first is still special to both generations.

“It’s insane,” Bronny said Thursday after practice at the Lakers' training complex. “I mean, I’ve literally watched his whole career. Now I’m a part of it. So it’s a great experience. I’m appreciative of it — but I’m part of the job, too. So I have to do my job as well. I’ve got to lock in.”

Bronny's playing time has increased over the last month, and he has been a rotation member for the Lakers since Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves went down with injuries two weeks ago.

LeBron takes an obvious fatherly pride in Bronny's development into a contributor for their short-handed team.

“Every moment we get an opportunity to play together is something I never take for granted," LeBron said.

“Me being on the floor with him postseason, regular season, training camp, practices, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career, above everything I've accomplished," he added. "The fact that he's put himself in position to get his number called for a postseason game is pretty remarkable and pretty cool, given the circumstances that he's been through over the last couple of years. He earned it. He deserves it. He'll be ready.”

After playing sporadic NBA minutes during his first 1 1/2 NBA seasons, Bronny has stepped up into a regular role — partly out of necessity with the Lakers' top two scorers sidelined, but also because he earned more playing time. He has played 13 minutes or more in seven of the Lakers' past 10 games, averaging 19 minutes over the past four.

That responsibility seems likely to continue in the postseason, since Doncic and Reaves won’t play in Game 1 on Saturday, and there’s no timetable for their return.

Lakers coach JJ Redick confirmed he will be using every healthy option while Los Angeles attempts to beat overwhelming odds without its starting backcourt.

“We’re going to have to have all hands on deck in this series,” Redick said. “That’s just what we’re handed. I think Bronny has improved a lot. We trust him. The shooting piece (of his game), I’m a believer in, because of how well he shot it the last two years in the G League. ... He’s improved a ton defensively, in terms of his body positioning, both on and off ball. We want him to continue to evolve as a disruptive defender as well.”

Bronny played only four playoff minutes last season during two of the Lakers’ first-round losses to Minnesota, and he acknowledges hasn’t played in many big games during his brief basketball career.

He spent his sole collegiate season at Southern California, but he didn’t suit up for the Trojans until midseason after his recovery from an offseason cardiac incident, and that team didn’t make the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s what I’ve wanted, to play in the playoffs,” Bronny said. “I wasn’t able to play in March (Madness), and this is a bigger stage than that. I’m so excited to get out there with my teammates and try to get some wins and try to make it further in the playoffs.”

If and when they play together this month, Bronny thinks they can connect quickly. After all, he knows LeBron’s game pretty well.

“I don’t want to give all the answers to the test, but I’ve been watching him for a long time, and I’ve kind of picked up on his tendencies,” Bronny said with a grin. “I think it’s good that I’m paying attention during his career and what he likes to do in the postseason. I think we’ll be able to play good together. My IQ isn’t going to be far behind him, but I know what he’s doing and where he likes to get the ball on the floor.”

___

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

Leer en español

The shooting happened just after 2 p.m. in the area of Northwest 75th Street and 21st Avenue.

First responders said they took the three victims to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. Deputies said two of the victims were in critical condition and a fourth person was in custody.

Deputies were also seen surrounding a Tesla in the street.

Witness Jake Gardner described what he saw and heard.

“I was just working from home. I was actually on a Zoom call and I probably heard like 10-plus gunshots and then looked out my window and there was some dude running behind a house with a gun, looked like a Glock or something,” he said. “Then he kind of took off in a sprint and, like, hopped over towards my neighbor’s house, and then probably, like five, 10, minutes later, I just saw him getting arrested on the corner of the street.”

Nearby Lillie C. Evans Elementary School, at 1895 NW 75th St., was put on “a precautionary lockdown,” school officials said. The lockdown was lifted just before 3:30 p.m.

While a spotty shower may not be out of the question early Friday, the remainder of the day is expected to be dry, featuring a sun/cloud mix and gentle, east winds. It will start to feel a bit more humid. Near seasonable temperatures are forecast: lows in the low 70s and highs in the mid-80s.

More than 350 BCPS staff members received notifications about the uncertain status of their jobs.

“These decisions are driven by sustained declining enrollment and the resulting loss of funding,” Hepburn said.

The proposed organizational chart reflects the need to align resources while protecting classrooms. Hepburn said his goal is to continue to serve for years to come.

The Broward School Board members will meet at 1 p.m. on April 21 to make decisions about Hepburn’s proposal.

Jose Elias Barrozo-Espinosa, 38, who uses several aliases, was arrested in late March.

Broward Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Robert O’Dor said the Chilean national is one of several suspects involved in multiple break-ins in the Windmill Ranch neighborhood.

“We definitely said ‘There’s something going on here,’” O’Dor said. “We took the operational plan that we had in place and we brought in additional BSO assets.”

O’Dor said Barrozo-Espinosa was cut after breaking into the window of a home on Nov. 8, along with an accomplice.

According to an arrest warrant, the suspects got in, stealing a safe containing roughly $500,000 in gold and jewelry.

DNA evidence taken from blood left on a shade near the shattered window and on the floor came back to Barrozo-Espinosa.

Barrozo-Espinosa was reportedly fleeing from another burglary in the wealthy Indianapolis suburb of Zionsville, Indiana when he was caught by police and arrested under one of his aliases, Fabian Eliseo Llancavil Nahuel.

Deputies say he’s also wanted in California and Texas. O’Dor flew to Indiana to bring him back to Weston.

“Going over there and picking him up and bringing him back, it felt good,” O’Dor said.

Barrozo-Espinosa is believed to be part of SATG, known to target the empty homes of celebrities, the wealthy and professional athletes.

“They don’t stay in one place very long,” O’Dor said.

As of Thursday evening, two suspects linked to high-end burglaries in Weston have been arrested and several others believed to be accomplices are in custody.

O’Dor credits good police work of BSO detectives as well as partnerships with other agencies including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.

BSO urges homeowners to be vigilant, keep lights on inside and outside their homes, and to change up their routines.

As of Thursday, Barrozo-Espinosa remained in jail on an immigration hold.

Se pronostica que más de 5,83 millones de haitianos enfrenten niveles agudos de hambre de marzo a junio, lo que representa a más de la mitad de la población del país, de acuerdo con la Clasificación Integrada de las Fases de la Seguridad Alimentaria (IPC, por sus siglas en inglés), la principal autoridad internacional en crisis de hambre. La cifra representa una leve disminución frente a la estimación anterior de 5,91 millones.

Mientras tanto, se prevé que casi 1,9 millones de personas, apenas por debajo de los 2 millones proyectados, enfrenten niveles de hambre de emergencia, se indica en el informe.

En el documento se atribuyen las pequeñas mejoras a que la inflación bajó de 32% a 22%, a un invierno en general favorable para los cultivos y a un mejor acceso por carretera en algunas zonas.

Sin embargo, persisten las preocupaciones, y la entidad señaló que las limitadas mejoras son “insuficientes” para revertir una tendencia general de inseguridad alimentaria aguda en el atribulado país.

“El estallido del conflicto en Oriente Medio y el bloqueo del estrecho de Ormuz han provocado una gran perturbación en el sistema alimentario mundial con implicaciones directas para Haití”, se lee en el informe.

En el documento también se responsabiliza a los grupos armados de la crisis de hambre y se añade que “la violencia sigue asfixiando la economía haitiana y limitando el transporte de bienes y el movimiento de personas, y muchas de las personas más vulnerables se ven obligadas a unirse a actores armados para poder alimentar a sus familias”.

También se espera que el hambre empeore porque, a inicios de abril, el gobierno de Haití aumentó el precio por galón del queroseno en 40%, el diésel en 37% y la gasolina en 29%, debido a la guerra en curso.

En el informe se indica que los altos precios en las gasolineras afectarían el transporte en general y provocarían un aumento de los precios de los alimentos.

La mayoría de las personas que experimentan niveles de hambre de emergencia viven en la región noroeste de Haití, incluida Artibonite, que las pandillas han atacado sin piedad en los últimos años, arrasando comunidades y destruyendo tierras de cultivo.

“Combatir el hambre es esencial para restablecer la estabilidad en Haití. No podemos construir la paz si las familias no pueden alimentar a sus hijos”, afirmó Wanja Kaaria, directora y representante del Programa Mundial de Alimentos en Haití, subrayando la necesidad de asistencia alimentaria de emergencia y de reconstruir los sistemas alimentarios locales.

Quienes enfrentan niveles de hambre de emergencia también viven en barrios empobrecidos de la capital de Haití, que, según la policía, ahora está controlada en 72% por pandillas, frente a un estimado previo de 90%.

El agravamiento del hambre se atribuye a la violencia de las pandillas, que ha desplazado a una cifra récord de 1,4 millones de personas en todo Haití. En el informe se determina que 70% de las personas que viven en sitios de desplazamiento experimentan altos niveles de inseguridad alimentaria.

En un refugio abarrotado y sucio que antes era una escuela, Feguens Jean, de 25 años, dijo que no tendría mucho para comer el jueves debido al mal tiempo.

Vende zapatillas usadas para alimentarse él mismo y a su madre y su hermana en el campo “para que sobrevivan”. Pero el clima lluvioso le impidió salir.

“Si no vendo, no como, lo que significa que lo que tengo hoy es muy poco para comer”, señaló Jean, que estudiaba para ser carpintero en una escuela técnica, pero se vio obligado a convertirse en vendedor ambulante para mantenerse a sí mismo y a su familia.

Antony Joassainte, de 40 años, forma parte de los cientos de personas que viven en el estrecho refugio junto a Jean. Es albañil y plomero, pero comentó que hoy en día es muy difícil encontrar trabajo.

“Nadie construye nada”, afirmó Joassainte, padre de dos niños de 11 y 13 años. “Me veo obligado a alimentar a una familia sin nada”.

Dijo que dependen sobre todo del pan.

“Es más barato”, explicó. “Tenemos una comida fuerte si podemos; podría ser arroz y frijoles”.

A Bernadette Toussaint, una madre de 37 años con dos hijos varones, también le preocupa la comida.

Vende arroz, frijoles y salsa de pollo, pero con la vertiginosa alza de los precios del petróleo, ha tenido que recortar las comidas de la familia.

“No puedo darles a mis hijos lo que antes les daba. No tengo esposo y tengo que depender de mi negocio”, se lamentó.

___

Coto informó desde San Juan, Puerto Rico.

___

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

No one was arrested after more than a half dozen drone sightings around Coors Field April 3 to April 5, but it is possible the drone pilots could still face a fine later. Still the Federal Aviation Administration and FBI issued a warning Thursday to try to keep drones away from the stadium during the Rockies' next home games because they are concerned about the potential threat they pose.

“The illegal drone activity did not jeopardize anyone’s safety, but there were enough violations that the teams on the ground were concerned about the number of operators that did not seem to understand the seriousness of the situation. Thus the proactive messaging,” FBI spokeswoman Vikki Migoya said.

The FAA routinely restricts the airspace around major sporting events to protect the crowds and make sure the game can be played without interruptions.

The greatest fear is that someone could use a drone in a terrorist attack that could be just as deadly as the drone attacks that have become common on the battlefields of the Ukraine and Iran wars. That is why the federal government and World Cup host cities are investing hundreds of millions in drone defenses ahead of those games.

But even without a threat like that, Migoya said the problem is that illegal drone activity distracts law enforcement.

“Every instance of illegal drone activity requires a law enforcement intervention to ensure the intent is not nefarious; the fewer violations there are, the more law enforcement can focus on what might be a true threat,” she said.

All the airspace within 3 miles of Coors Field is restricted starting one hour before a game and continuing for one hour after a baseball or football game. Pilots are responsible for checking those restrictions before they fly.

The FAA said that drone operators who violated the restrictions could face fines up to $75,000 per violation and even lose their licenses.

Drones are also required to broadcast their locations. But authorities have other methods available to track down the operators.

The bill, pushed forward by House Democrats with a group of Republicans over the objections of the GOP leadership, would require a three-year extension of temporary protected status for Haitians by the Trump administration. That would allow hundreds of thousands of qualifying immigrants to remain in the United States without fear of deportation.

The vote was 224-204, drawing applause in the chamber. But it faces uncertainty in the Senate, and the Republican president would almost certainly seek to veto it.

“I know firsthand how important our Haitian neighbors are to our communities, to our civic life, to our culture, to our workforce, to our economy,” said Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who is co-chair of the House Haiti Caucus and represents one of the largest Haitian communities in the country.

During the debate, she recounted the number of Haitian immigrants working in health care, housing construction, and other industries. Haitians with temporary legal status “are not the problem, quite the contrary, they are part of the solution,” she said.

Pressley has said deporting Haitians back to the troubled Caribbean country would be a “death sentence,” given the effects of natural disasters and gang violence. “Congress can do the right thing,” she said.

Ten Republicans, many from districts with large numbers of Haitian residents, joined all Democrats and one independent in voting for passage.

Congress tries to act before the Supreme Court does

The effort to help 350,000 Haitians living lawfully in the United States comes as the administration is working to end the temporary legal status for several groups, exposing them to deportation.

In less than two weeks, the Supreme Court is prepared to consider a fast-track case that would end the protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants in a challenge widely seen as threatening the broader program. The administration filed emergency appeals after lower courts stopped the immediate end of the program.

It is part of the administration’s efforts to strip certain immigrant groups of legal status as the White House works to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise of conducting the largest mass deportation operation in history. Some 1.3 million people fleeing countries around the world have been granted temporary protected status in the U.S.

The protections for Haiti, first approved after a devastating 2010 earthquake, have been extended multiple times. The State Department warns Americans not to travel to Haiti “due to kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest.”

Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an advocacy organization, fought back tears as she described the fear of deportations coursing through the community.

“We are asking, where will you be on the right side of history?” she asked at a news conference outside the Capitol. “Or continuing to cause trauma to people who are asking for nothing other than safety and protection.”

Trump has described migrants from poorer countries in vulgar terms, and he has falsely accused Haitian migrants in Ohio of eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs.

The conservative majority court has allowed the end of temporary legal status for a total of 600,000 people from Venezuela while lawsuits play out, leaving them to face potential deportation.

Lawmakers debate whether to help Haitians or stick with Trump

Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., whose district includes Long Island’s Haitian community, said she promised constituents she would work to protect their status. She introduced the legislation with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of New York as soon as she took office last year.

“It’s cruel to expect Haitians to be forced to return to these deadly, dangerous conditions,” she said at a news conference. “Human lives are at risk.”

Lawler said there are differences of opinion on immigration policy, but that Haitian immigrants have become vital to his community and forcing them out would be unjust and unwise.

“They are small business owners, they are nurses, they are caregivers, they participate in our economy and take care of American citizens,” he said. “Congress has a responsibility to act.”

But Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, decried the number of immigrants, including Haitians, who have entered the U.S., and cited Democratic efforts to halt funding for enforcement and deportation efforts.

“Make temporary permanent,” he said, “that’s their plan.”

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, said the program was a “backdoor amnesty” for foreigners.

To Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., the temporary status first granted under the Obama administration has become an “an open-ended invitation” for immigrants to enter the country, including some illegally, and remain.

“The Trump administration has heeded the cries of the American people,” he said.

Using a discharge petition to force votes

The vote was the latest effort by House Democrats to maneuver past the Republican majority using a discharge petition — once a rare tool, but now used increasingly to form bipartisan coalitions.

The discharge petition process forces the bill to the House floor for consideration, powering past House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and GOP leaders. It was used to help pass legislation that required the Justice Department to release the files of the sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.

Republicans hold a slim majority in the House and are typically able to swat back such efforts from Democrats. But Democrats and Republicans have formed bipartisan alliances to reach the majority needed on the discharge petitions.

Pressley’s effort to discharge the bill won support from four Republicans on the initial petition, and several more once it came to the floor vote.

Ramagem, a former lawmaker, was sentenced in Brazil in September to 16 years in prison for his role in the coup attempt by supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in 2023. He fled the South American nation before he would have started serving his sentence.

“I am here to thank the U.S. government, the highest ranking members of the Trump administration,” Ramagem said on his social media channels. He added his release “did not require any bail payment, which is common in migration cases” like his.

The former intelligence chief was arrested on Monday in Florida, the same day Brazilian senator Jorge Seif told the U.S. embassy in Brasilia his ally should not remain in custody because he was allegedly being persecuted at home.

Local media reported he was released late on Wednesday.

Ramagem had already filed for political asylum before this week's incident, but his case has not yet been decided.

On Monday, Ramagem appeared as in custody in ICE’s online detainee database. ICE did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press about Ramagem's release.

Ramagem was stripped of his seat in Brazil’s congress in December as a consequence of his conviction in the coup case.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america