The signature event raised funds to support the nonprofit’s mission of providing food and resources to families across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. An awards ceremony followed the walk/run.

Paco Velez, president and CEO of Feeding South Florida, said the organization remains focused on addressing growing food insecurity in the region.

He said the event helps fund programs that provide immediate access to nutritious food and support advocacy and education efforts. He also noted that for every $1 donated, the organization can provide about four meals.

“Everybody was happy. They were excited. They were motivated. They were eager to run, and it showed in the times,” Velez said. “But the most important part is that we are able to help a lot of families here today.”

He also emphasized the role of volunteers, saying more than 36,000 people assist the organization each year across food distribution and events.

“Our volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization,” Velez said.

Organizers said more than 1.2 million people in South Florida are food insecure, with one in nine residents unsure where their next meal will come from due to rising costs for housing, groceries, fuel and other expenses.

The organization also highlighted recent donations, including eggs from partners Cal-Maine and Morningstar Farms, which Velez said are a high-demand protein source for families.

Participants could register as individuals or teams, and those not running were encouraged to support the effort through personalized fundraising pages by clicking here.

Registration is currently open to all four counties that Feeding South Florida serves, including Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

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Lopez, 46, was the captain of the 25-foot “Wood Chuck” tugboat that was involved in a fatal crash on July 28, 2025, in Biscayne Bay.

“We intend to accept responsibility for his conduct, and out of respect for the victims’ families and the pending court process at this time, we are not going to have any other comments,” Attorney Walter A. Reynoso, who was representing Lopez, said on Friday.

The collision killed 7-year-old Mila Yankelevich, 10-year-old Arielle Buchman, and 13-year-old Erin Ko Han, who were in a Hobie Getaway sailboat, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

“He feels awful. He hasn’t slept since the incident,” Reynoso said of his client to Local 10 News.

U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced the case against Lopez on Tuesday. Investigators accused Lopez of getting distracted with his phone while shopping online when he struck the Miami Yacht Club sailboat.

Mila, Arielle, and Erin were sailing with 7-year-old Calena Areyan Gruber, another girl, and their 19-year-old Miami Yacht Club sailboat camp counselor, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

A judge set Lopez’s bond at $100,000. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison. He is also prohibited from operating a vessel while out on bond.

He was also ordered to surrender his travel documents, including his U.S. and Cuban passports.

He was released from jail Friday night after posting bond.

Lopez, de 46 años, era el capitán del remolcador “Wood Chuck”, de 25 pies, involucrado en un choque fatal el 28 de julio de 2025 en Biscayne Bay.

“Tenemos la intención de asumir responsabilidad por su conducta y, por respeto a las familias de las víctimas y al proceso judicial en curso, no haremos más comentarios en este momento”, dijo el abogado Walter A. Reynoso, quien representa a Lopez.

El choque dejó muertas a Mila Yankelevich, de 7 años, Arielle Buchman, de 10, y Erin Ko Han, de 13, quienes se encontraban en un velero Hobie Getaway, según la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos.

“Se siente terrible. No ha dormido desde el incidente”, dijo Reynoso sobre su cliente a Local 10 News.

La Fiscalía de Estados Unidos para el Distrito Sur de Florida anunció el caso contra Lopez el martes. Los investigadores acusaron a Lopez de distraerse con su teléfono mientras compraba en línea cuando impactó el velero del Miami Yacht Club.

Mila, Arielle y Erin navegaban junto a Calena Areyan Gruber, otra niña de 7 años, y su consejera de campamento de vela del Miami Yacht Club, de 19 años, según la Guardia Costera.

Un juez fijó la fianza de Lopez en $100,000 USD. De ser declarado culpable, enfrenta hasta 10 años en una prisión federal. También tiene prohibido operar embarcaciones mientras esté en libertad bajo fianza.

Además, se le ordenó entregar sus documentos de viaje, incluidos sus pasaportes de Estados Unidos y Cuba.

Fue liberado de la cárcel el viernes por la noche tras pagar la fianza.

Se han pronosticado más lluvias para los próximos días en todo Afganistán, y la autoridad advirtió a la población que se mantenga alejada de las riberas de los ríos y de las zonas propensas a inundaciones.

En lo que va de año, decenas de personas han muerto debido al clima extremo en Afganistán, un país empobrecido que es altamente vulnerable a los fenómenos meteorológicos extremos. A principios de este año, las fuertes nevadas y las inundaciones repentinas dejaron decenas de muertos en todo el país.

El saldo reciente incluye 26 personas fallecidas en las últimas 48 horas, indicó la autoridad de desastres. En total, 793 viviendas han quedado completamente destruidas y otras 2.673 han resultado dañadas, y las inundaciones y los deslizamientos han destruido 337 kilómetros (unos 210 millas) de carreteras, añadió.

También han resultado dañados negocios, tierras agrícolas, pozos de agua y canales de riego, y en conjunto más de 5.800 familias se han visto afectadas, señaló la autoridad.

Varias autopistas que conectan la capital del país con las provincias también han sido dañadas por inundaciones y deslizamientos, lo que ha obligado a los viajeros a tomar rutas largas y sinuosas para llegar a Kabul, manifestó el sábado Ashraf Haqshinas, portavoz del Ministerio de Obras Públicas.

Entre ellas está la autopista Kabul-Jalalabad, que es la principal vía que enlaza la capital con la frontera con Pakistán y las provincias del este de Afganistán. Un deslizamiento de tierra y desprendimientos de rocas, además de inundaciones, cerraron la autopista el jueves por la mañana, y Haqshinas indicó que los equipos trabajaban para reabrir la carretera.

El Ministerio de Obras Públicas advirtió a los viajeros que tengan precaución al utilizar las carreteras en las zonas afectadas.

Las inundaciones también han cerrado el camino de Salang, un paso de alta montaña en la cordillera del Hindu Kush que conecta Kabul con el norte del país, incluidas las principales ciudades de Kunduz y Mazar-e-Sharif.

La nieve y las fuertes lluvias a menudo desencadenan inundaciones repentinas que matan a decenas, o incluso a cientos, de personas de una sola vez en Afganistán. En 2024, más de 300 personas murieron en inundaciones repentinas de primavera.

___

Elena Becatoros colaboró a este despacho desde Kabul, Afganistán. ___

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

Levi is described as smart, friendly and active — traits typical of cattle dog breeds.

He weighs about 41 pounds, is potty trained, good in the car and gets along well with kids, cats and other dogs. He would do best with an active family, especially one with another dog or a yard where he can run and play.

At the Humane Society of Broward County, Cherie Wachter said exercise is key for a dog like Levi, noting that without it, pets can become bored and develop unwanted behaviors.

She added that Levi would likely thrive with regular activity, whether it’s walks, runs or time at a dog park.

Meanwhile, Wachter also confirmed that a hedgehog named Shadow that was recently featured on Local 10 has been adopted.

Click here for more information on how you can adopt a pet.

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The crash occurred around 11:55 p.m. at Northwest 135th Street and Northwest 57th Avenue, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators said a vehicle struck a tree and caught fire.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews extinguished the flames and pronounced the driver, who has not been identified, dead at the scene.

No other details about the crash were immediately released.

El accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 11:55 p.m. en la intersección de Northwest 135th Street y Northwest 57th Avenue, según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade.

Los investigadores dijeron que un vehículo se estrelló contra un árbol y se incendió.

Equipos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue extinguieron las llamas y declararon muerto en el lugar al conductor, cuya identidad no ha sido revelada.

No se divulgaron de inmediato más detalles sobre el accidente.

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That included her mentee, Christel Luidor.

“She was always there for everybody, every day,” Luidor said. “Every time I talked to her, it was always, ‘What are we gonna do to help the people?’ She was always a selfless person.”

On Wednesday, relatives rushed over to Metayer Bowen’s Coral Springs home after she failed to show up to several scheduled meetings. The urgency escalated on voices in the 911 call released Friday.

“Tell them to break down the door by whatever means,” a relative is heard saying.

Her lifeless body was found inside of a bedroom, wrapped in a blanket and garbage bags. Detectives believe Stephen Bowen, Metayer Bowen’s husband, used a rifle to shoot his spouse three times on the night before she was discovered and slept downstairs afterwards.

It’s crime Stephen Bowen allegedly admitted to his own uncle.

“My nephew, her husband, came to my house this morning and told me that he did something to her,” Bowen’s uncle is heard saying on the 911 call.

Stephen Bowen is now in jail on premeditated murder and tampering with evidence charges.

Over the years, the 40-year-old has documented his fascination with guns on social media. More recently, his name is tied to a Broward faith-based non-profit called “Men of St. Luke.”

The arrest document lists his place of employment as Delray Medical Center and he holds an active license as a radiology technician.

Metayer Bowen’s loss is drawing people from near and far for a planned candlelight vigil Friday evening on the steps of the place she served diligently.

“We’re doing our best to honor this incredible woman, incredible leader, incredible human being,” Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook said. “She was so committed to so many, including our youth.”

Friday’s vigil, scheduled for 7 p.m., is not a city organized event, but city officials are expected to attend.

Organizers asked the community to bring white candles and to either wear or bring orange all to honor Metayer Bowen’s life.

“Nadie puede reemplazarla”, dijo una de sus aprendices.

Seres queridos, colegas y residentes se reunieron en una vigilia para honrar el compromiso de la mujer de 38 años con su comunidad.

“No era una política común”, dijo una amiga. “Organizaba desde el corazón”.

Tras una semana difícil, muchos vistieron de naranja y verde —los colores favoritos de Metayer— aportando algo de luz a una velada por lo demás sombría.

“El naranja y el verde representan a FAMU”, dijo otra amiga. “Pedimos a la gente que vistiera de verde para honrar su alma mater”.

La policía encontró a Metayer Bowen muerta dentro de su vivienda el miércoles, envuelta en una manta y bolsas de basura. Llamadas al 911 captaron el pánico cuando alguien reportó que intentaban derribar una puerta.

Su esposo, Stephen Bowen, de 40 años, fue arrestado y enfrenta cargos de asesinato premeditado y manipulación o fabricación de evidencia física.

Aun así, los presentes dijeron que querían mantener el enfoque en su vida, no en la forma en que terminó.

“Para una persona joven morir así es muy doloroso”, dijo una amiga de un centro para adultos mayores. “¿Se imaginan por lo que están pasando sus padres ahora mismo?”

Con flores en mano y apoyándose unos a otros, líderes políticos, amigos y miembros de la comunidad recordaron a Metayer como una servidora pública dedicada cuyo impacto no será olvidado.

Entre ellas estaba su aprendiz, Christel Luidor.

“Siempre estaba para todos, todos los días”, dijo Luidor. “Cada vez que hablaba con ella, siempre era: ‘¿Qué vamos a hacer para ayudar a la gente?’ Siempre fue una persona desinteresada”.

El miércoles, familiares acudieron a la casa de Metayer Bowen en Coral Springs después de que no se presentara a varias reuniones programadas. La urgencia quedó reflejada en las voces de la llamada al 911 divulgada el viernes.

“Díganles que derriben la puerta como sea”, se escucha decir a un familiar.

Su cuerpo sin vida fue encontrado dentro de un dormitorio, envuelto en una manta y bolsas de basura. Detectives creen que Stephen Bowen, esposo de Metayer Bowen, utilizó un rifle para dispararle tres veces la noche anterior a que fuera encontrada y luego durmió en la planta baja.

Es un crimen que, según se alega, Stephen Bowen admitió a su propio tío.

“Mi sobrino, su esposo, vino a mi casa esta mañana y me dijo que le hizo algo”, se escucha decir al tío de Bowen en la llamada al 911.

Stephen Bowen se encuentra ahora en la cárcel enfrentando cargos de asesinato premeditado y manipulación de evidencia.

A lo largo de los años, el hombre de 40 años ha documentado su fascinación por las armas en redes sociales. Más recientemente, su nombre está vinculado a una organización sin fines de lucro basada en la fe en Broward llamada “Men of St. Luke”.

El documento de arresto indica que su lugar de trabajo es el Delray Medical Center y cuenta con una licencia activa como técnico en radiología.

La muerte de Metayer Bowen está atrayendo a personas de distintos lugares para una vigilia con velas programada para la noche del viernes en las escalinatas del lugar donde sirvió con dedicación.

“Estamos haciendo todo lo posible para honrar a esta increíble mujer, increíble líder, increíble ser humano”, dijo el alcalde de Coral Springs, Scott Brook. “Estaba muy comprometida con muchos, incluidos nuestros jóvenes”.

La vigilia del viernes, programada para las 7 p.m., no es un evento organizado por la ciudad, pero se espera la asistencia de funcionarios municipales.

Los organizadores pidieron a la comunidad llevar velas blancas y vestir o llevar algo naranja para honrar la vida de Metayer Bowen.

Mohamed Salah’s failure from the penalty spot added to the woes of Liverpool, whose meltdown at Etihad Stadium will put more heat on under-pressure manager Arne Slot.

Haaland converted a penalty in the 39th minute, headed home a cross from Antoine Semenyo in first-half stoppage time, and then swept in a finish off the crossbar in the 57th to score his first hat trick of the season for City and 12th since he joined the club in 2022.

Semenyo scored the other goal in the 50th for City, which was playing its first match since winning the English League Cup two weeks ago by beating Arsenal in the final at Wembley Stadium. City will be heading back there later this month for the FA Cup semis.

Salah, who announced during the recent international break that he’d be leaving Liverpool after nine trophy-filled seasons, was beginning his long goodbye to the Reds but couldn’t mark it with a goal. The best of the many chances he spurned came from a penalty, which City goalkeeper James Trafford palmed away in the 64th.

It was a record 18th straight home win for City in the FA Cup, dating to 2017. Pep Guardiola's team shared a record with Clapham Rovers for reaching seven consecutive FA Cup finals, but now holds it outright.

Arsenal and Chelsea also in action in quarterfinals

Later Saturday, Chelsea hosts third-tier Port Vale before Arsenal visits second-tier Southampton.

The draw for the semifinals takes place Sunday after West Ham hosts Leeds in the final match in the last eight.

___

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

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“No one can replace her,” one mentee said.

Loved ones, colleagues and constituents gathered for a vigil honoring the 38-year-old’s commitment to her community.

“She was not a regular politician,” a friend said. “She organized from the heart.”

After a difficult week, many wore orange and green -- Metayer’s favorite colors -- bringing brightness to an otherwise somber evening.

“Orange and green signify FAMU,” another friend said. “We asked people to wear green to honor her alma mater.”

Police found Metayer Bowen dead inside her home Wednesday, wrapped in a blanket and garbage bags. 911 calls captured the panic as someone reported trying to break down a door.

Her husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, has been arrested and is facing charges of premediated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Still, those gathered said they wanted the focus to remain on her life, not the way it ended.

“For a young person to go like this, it’s very upsetting,” a friend from a senior center said. “Can you imagine what her parents are going through right now?”

Holding flowers and each other, political leaders, friends and community members remembered Metayer as a dedicated public servant whose impact won’t be forgotten.

Según un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, un supervisor de la oficina notificó a los investigadores sobre la actividad ilegal el 25 de marzo.

Los agentes indicaron que se revisó video de vigilancia que mostraba al empleado, Waldersee Oge, de 46 años y residente de North Miami, emitiendo permisos de conducir temporales el mes pasado a al menos cuatro personas que no estaban presentes en la oficina.

En un incidente, Oge fue visto en video hablando por su teléfono celular con uno de los clientes, recopilando su información personal y luego ingresándola en la base de datos Orion.

Según el informe, el supervisor comenzó a sospechar la semana pasada tras observar a Oge revisando documentos escaneados dentro del sistema de mantenimiento de clientes utilizando la base de datos Orion, a pesar de que no había clientes en el mostrador de servicio en ese momento.

Los detectives dijeron que Oge fue detenido en su lugar de trabajo el jueves y confesó haber realizado múltiples transacciones a cambio de pagos a través de Zelle.

Los investigadores dijeron que también están analizando si los beneficiarios siquiera tenían estatus legal en Estados Unidos.

“Es posible que no lo tengan”, dijo el recaudador de impuestos de Miami-Dade, Dariel Fernandez. “Este tema es un asunto de seguridad nacional para Estados Unidos. Por eso lo tomamos en serio”.

Enfrenta múltiples cargos, incluidos mala conducta oficial de un servidor público, compensación o recompensa ilegal por conducta oficial, delitos contra usuarios de computadoras, uso ilegal de un dispositivo de comunicación, emisión ilegal de una licencia de conducir y falsificación de registros públicos.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Oge permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Los registros carcelarios en línea indicaban que su fianza total estaba “por determinar”.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with more than 20,000 fans expected to attend the inaugural match at Miami Freedom Park.

Crews are doing everything they can to ensure the game goes smooth as possible.

City officials said they are still working to issue a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) ahead of the game.

In a statement, the city said it is “working diligently with the representatives of Nu Stadium to issue the TCO by April 4th’s inaugural game.”

Officials added that if the TCO is not issued in time, the event could still proceed under a limited event permit, “which is limited to that day, with specific hours, restrictions, and additional precautions,” noting it is “a recourse often used in these situations.”

Despite that uncertainty, the match is still expected to go on as planned.

During a walkthrough of the stadium, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas acknowledged that construction remains ongoing outside the venue.

“Outside of the stadium it’s a construction site as we prepare construction, but I think it’ll be a beautiful walk up,” Mas said. “We’ll have really nice activities, so there’s a lot to do in the next 48 hours, but it’s all being done to make this a great fan experience on Saturday.”

Mas added that the fan experience will improve over time.

“Obviously the second game will be better, the third, the fourth, as you grow into it into any new facility, the experiences will get smoother, they’ll get better, but I’m very, very happy with what’s happened and the time period that we’ve been able to complete the stadium,” he said.

Fans told Local 10 that they were just excited to see the

Meanwhile, a traffic alert has been issued by the Miami Police Department for Saturday, with major congestion expected before and after the match.

Traffic congestion expected times:

• Pre-match: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Post-match: 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Residential streets around Miami Freedom Park will be restricted to residents only, and drivers are urged not to cut through neighborhoods as police will enforce closures.

Fans driving to the stadium are advised to use only designated entrances:

• Northwest 37th Avenue (Douglas Road)
• Northwest 14th Street (between Northwest 37th and Northwest 42nd avenues)

Drivers should follow variable message signs along the Dolphin Expressway and Le Jeune Road for routing.

Those using public transit or parking at the Miami Intermodal Center (MIC) should follow the designated pedestrian route to Northwest 21st Street and Northwest 38th Court, then continue along the Sheraton access road to the pedestrian bridge leading into Nu Stadium. ADA shuttles will be available from the MIC to stadium entrances.

Officials urge fans to plan ahead, expect delays and follow directions from law enforcement directing traffic.

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According to an arrest report, Miami Beach police officers were dispatched just before 2 p.m. to Stillwater Park, located at 8440 Hawthorne Ave., in reference to a disturbance involving a gun.

Miami Beach police said several calls were placed by parties involved in the dispute, including one from the suspect, Ahmad Zeeshan, who told 911 that “a male accompanied by children pointed a firearm at him” after asking whether they were Jewish.

The report states that a call was also placed by the victim, who reported that Zeeshan used antisemitic slurs toward him and his children.

Officers responded and located both parties after they had been separated.

The victim told investigators he was at the park with his family when they were approached by Zeeshan as they were leaving.

According to the report, Zeeshan asked the victims, “You guys are Jewish?”

After the victim confirmed they were Jewish, Zeeshan allegedly began verbally assaulting them, saying, “Get the f--- out of here, you f------ dirty people,” the report states.

Police said Zeeshan continued using vulgar language and racially charged insults, later telling the victim he was going to attack him and “f--- him up.”

They said the victim warned Zeeshan to stop and told him to stay away, but Zeeshan continued to press him, causing the victim to fear for his and his children’s safety. The victim, who was with his two children ages 7 and 5, then drew a gun he carries for protection after pleading with Zeeshan to de-escalate, officers said.

According to the report, the sight of the weapon caused Zeeshan to retreat briefly, but he later began moving back toward the family and continued making verbal threats.

Police said a witness nearby asked the victim to stand behind her because she was also frightened by Zeeshan’s behavior. The victim asked the witness to call police and record the incident.

They said Zeeshan also began recording and left the park in his vehicle. He was later stopped in the 900 block of Stillwater Drive in a 2025 gray Kia K4 with Virginia tag “TAJ8641.”

While in custody, the report states Zeeshan said multiple times that he was “just exercising his First Amendment rights.” Investigators said he also stated that he is Muslim and “does not like Jews.”

Police wrote that Zeeshan targeted the victim and his family because of their religion and that his actions placed others in and around the park in danger.

“The defendant charged at him. He was in fear for his life, he perceived that him and his kids were in harms way, witnesses attempted to intervene,” said Miami Beach Police Officer Christopher Bess.

The report further states Zeeshan “appears mentally unstable” and expressed that he “likely would not be alive in a few months,” saying he has stage 4 cancer and is undergoing treatment. Officers noted the victim and his children appeared visibly shaken after the encounter, while Zeeshan showed no remorse and maintained his actions were justified.

Prosecutors said Ahmad Zeeshan appeared in bond court Friday, where they asked the court to impose a higher bond, arguing the allegations involved bias-motivated conduct and the presence of children. The defense requested a standard bond, noting he has no prior criminal record.

The judge rejected the defense request, calling Zeeshan’s alleged behavior “disgusting” and emphasizing the involvement of a gun and children.

The judge found probable cause on a charge of assault with prejudice based on religion and ordered Zeeshan to stay away from and have no contact with the victims.

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

Según un informe de arresto, agentes de la policía de Miami Beach fueron enviados poco antes de las 2 p.m. a Stillwater Park, ubicado en 8440 Hawthorne Ave., en referencia a un altercado que involucraba un arma.

La policía de Miami Beach dijo que se realizaron varias llamadas por las partes involucradas en la disputa, incluida una del sospechoso, Ahmad Zeeshan, quien le dijo al 911 que “un hombre acompañado por niños le apuntó con un arma de fuego” después de preguntarle si eran judíos.

El informe indica que la víctima también realizó una llamada, en la que reportó que Zeeshan utilizó insultos antisemitas contra él y sus hijos.

Los agentes respondieron y localizaron a ambas partes después de que habían sido separadas.

La víctima dijo a los investigadores que estaba en el parque con su familia cuando fueron abordados por Zeeshan mientras se retiraban.

Según el informe, Zeeshan preguntó a las víctimas: “¿Ustedes son judíos?”

Después de que la víctima confirmó que lo eran, Zeeshan presuntamente comenzó a agredirlos verbalmente, diciendo: “Lárguense de aquí, malditas personas sucias”, según el informe.

La policía dijo que Zeeshan continuó usando lenguaje vulgar e insultos con carga racial, y luego le dijo a la víctima que iba a atacarlo y “golpearlo”.

Indicaron que la víctima le advirtió a Zeeshan que se detuviera y que se mantuviera alejado, pero este continuó presionándolo, lo que provocó que la víctima temiera por su seguridad y la de sus hijos. La víctima, que estaba con sus dos hijos de 7 y 5 años, sacó entonces un arma que porta para protección después de suplicarle a Zeeshan que desescalara la situación, dijeron los agentes.

Según el informe, la presencia del arma hizo que Zeeshan retrocediera brevemente, pero luego volvió a acercarse a la familia y continuó haciendo amenazas verbales.

La policía dijo que una testigo cercana le pidió a la víctima que se colocara detrás de ella porque también estaba asustada por el comportamiento de Zeeshan. La víctima le pidió a la testigo que llamara a la policía y grabara el incidente.

Indicaron que Zeeshan también comenzó a grabar y abandonó el parque en su vehículo. Posteriormente fue detenido en la cuadra 900 de Stillwater Drive en un Kia K4 gris 2025 con placa de Virginia “TAJ8641”.

Mientras estaba bajo custodia, el informe señala que Zeeshan dijo en múltiples ocasiones que “solo estaba ejerciendo sus derechos de la Primera Enmienda”. Los investigadores dijeron que también afirmó que es musulmán y que “no le gustan los judíos”.

La policía escribió que Zeeshan atacó a la víctima y a su familia debido a su religión y que sus acciones pusieron en peligro a otras personas en el parque y sus alrededores.

“El acusado se le abalanzó. Él temió por su vida, percibió que él y sus hijos estaban en peligro, y testigos intentaron intervenir”, dijo el oficial de la policía de Miami Beach Christopher Bess.

El informe añade que Zeeshan “parece mentalmente inestable” y expresó que “probablemente no estaría vivo en unos meses”, señalando que tiene cáncer en etapa 4 y está en tratamiento. Los agentes indicaron que la víctima y sus hijos parecían visiblemente afectados tras el incidente, mientras que Zeeshan no mostró remordimiento y sostuvo que sus acciones estaban justificadas.

Los fiscales dijeron que Ahmad Zeeshan compareció el viernes ante el tribunal de fianza, donde solicitaron al juez imponer una fianza más alta, argumentando que las acusaciones implican conducta motivada por prejuicio y la presencia de menores. La defensa pidió una fianza estándar, señalando que no tiene antecedentes penales.

El juez rechazó la solicitud de la defensa, calificando el presunto comportamiento de Zeeshan como “repugnante” y enfatizando la participación de un arma y la presencia de niños.

El juez encontró causa probable para un cargo de agresión con prejuicio basado en la religión y ordenó que Zeeshan se mantenga alejado y no tenga contacto con las víctimas.

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

For the cake and soaking:

1 sponge cake, either purchased or use your favorite recipe!

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

14 ounces evaporated milk

1 cup coconut milk

½ cup passion fruit puree

½ cup mango puree

For garnish:

1 cup fresh sliced mango

2 cups heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup toasted coconut flakes for garnish

Use a skewer to poke holes all over the surface of your sponge cake.

Whisk together the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and coconut milk until combined. Stir in the passion and mango puree. Pour the entire mixture slowly and evenly over the poked cake. Cover the cake and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Beat the heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Spread or pipe generously over the chilled cake. Top with fresh mango and toasted coconut flakes.

More rain has been forecast for the coming days throughout Afghanistan, and the authority warned the public to stay away from river banks and areas prone to flooding.

So far this year, dozens of people have died due to extreme weather in Afghanistan, an impoverished country that is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events. Earlier this year, heavy snowfall and flash floods left dozens of people dead across the country.

The recent toll includes 26 people killed over the past 48 hours, the disaster authority said. Overall, 793 homes have been completely destroyed and a further 2,673 have been damaged, while floods and landslides have destroyed 337 kilometers (about 210 miles) of roads, it said.

Businesses, agricultural land, water wells and irrigation canals have also been damaged, with more than 5,800 families affected overall, the authority said.

Several highways connecting the country’s capital to the provinces have also been damaged by floods and landslides, forcing travelers to take long, circuitous routes to reach Kabul, Public Works Ministry spokesman Ashraf Haqshinas said Saturday.

They include the Kabul to Jalalabad highway, which is the main route linking the capital to the Pakistani border and eastern Afghan provinces. A landslide and rockfalls, as well as flooding, shut the highway on Thursday morning, and Haqshinas said crews were working to re-open the road.

The Public Works Ministry warned travelers to be cautious when using roads in affected areas.

Flooding has also shut the Salang Pass, a high mountain pass in the Hindu Kush mountain range that connects Kabul to the country’s north, including the major cities of Kunduz and Mazar-e-Sharif.

Snow and heavy rain often trigger flash floods that kill scores, or even hundreds, of people at a time in Afghanistan. In 2024, more than 300 people died in springtime flash floods.

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Elena Becatoros contributed from Kabul, Afghanistan.

For the coconut shrimp:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut flakes

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

pinch cayenne pepper

1-2 cups vegetable oil, for frying

For the Mango Honey Mustard:

1 cup fresh mango, diced (or 1/2 cup mango puree)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2-3 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

pinch of salt

For the sauce:

Blend the mango or mango puree, mustard, honey, lime juice, and the salt together until smooth. Taste for salt, sweet and lime. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Set out three shallow bowls. One with the flour, seasoned with a teaspoon of salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Another one with the eggs, and the last one with the coconut and panko breadcrumbs mixed together.

Pat the shrimp, peeled and deveined, with a paper towel until dry. Dredge in seasoned flour, dip in egg, then press firmly into the coconut-panko mixture, coating all sides well. Set aside on a plate.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F.

Working in batches, fry shrimp for about 2 minutes per side until deeply golden and coconut is toasted and the shrimp is cooked through. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Place the shrimp on a platter with the sauce on the side.

Serve immediately.

8 pound-bone-in spiral sliced ham

1 cup guava paste

3 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons brown sugar

juice of 4 oranges

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the ham cut-side down in a roasting pan. Score the top in a diamond pattern if not already sliced. Cover tightly with foil. Bake the ham until warmed through.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the guava paste, mustard, brown sugar, orange juice, cider vinegar, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the guava paste melts and the glaze is smooth and glossy. Remove from heat.

Brush the glaze generously over the entire ham. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 25-30 minutes, brushing with glaze every 10 minutes, until deeply caramelized.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Brush with any remaining glaze.

“We've beaten and completely decimated Iran,” he said in a prime-time speech from the White House on Wednesday. “They are decimated both militarily and economically and in every other way.”

He added: “Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force.”

His certitude is now colliding with the uncertainty of war.

The American fighter jet that was shot down in Iran on Friday was a searing reminder of the dangers associated with war, prompting a search operation that resulted in the rescue of one crew member. Another U.S. aircraft was hit by Iranian air defenses, Iranian state media reported, days after Trump said Iran had “no anti-aircraft equipment.”

For the Republican president, who did not appear in public Friday, the developments were the latest example of his triumphal characterization of the war appearing misplaced.

He has expressed surprise at Iran's moves to strike its Gulf neighbors. He has struggled to respond to Iran's move largely shuttering the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global oil supplies and sending pump prices soaring in the United States. His overtures to world leaders to help him reopen the vital waterway have been rebuffed, with some allies waiting for the fighting to end before addressing that situation and others openly critical of a war that Trump chose to initiate.

Trump has long relied on unyielding self-confidence to propel him through the worlds of business and politics, boasting during the 2016 campaign that “I alone can fix it.” That has often translated into a go-it-alone approach where only Trump has the answers in a chaotic world and dysfunctional Washington. This view of the presidency has justified his executive orders at home and tariffs that affect the global economy.

But the war with Iran, which he undertook alongside Israel and without consulting other allies or Congress, has provided a test like almost nothing before. For Trump, it is no longer “America First” but America alone, and he is the principal.

“You can be the most assertive, aggressive president in the world but you don’t control what happens overseas,” said Julian Zelizer, a history professor at Princeton University.

Some traditional allies speak out

As the war enters its sixth week, that reality is becoming more apparent. Trump spent most of the first year of his second term using trade penalties as a weapon that would force other countries to bend to his will. Today, in a time of war, some traditional American allies are becoming more outspoken.

French President Emmanuel Macron said this week that the United States “can hardly complain afterward that they are not being supported in an operation they chose to undertake alone.”

“This is not our operation,” he said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has not budged from his refusal to be drawn into the war despite fierce criticism by Trump. France and the United Kingdom are leading efforts to reopen the strait once the fighting ends.

At home, even some of Trump's fellow Republicans are reinforcing the need to maintain strong international relationships. After the president threatened to withdraw from NATO this week, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said there were not enough votes in the Senate to support that.

“We got an awful lot of people who think that NATO is a very critical, incredibly successful post-World War II alliance,” Thune said of past conversations among Republicans about the move. “I think in the world today, you need allies.”

Trump made no mention of leaving NATO during his White House address.

John Bolton, a first-term Trump national security adviser who has since become an adversary, said the current administration made a “serious mistake” by not consulting allies before going to war.

“If you don’t build your coalition before the war, it’s pretty tough to do it while you’re in it,” said Bolton, who pleaded not guilty last fall to federal charges accusing him of emailing classified information to family members and keeping top secret documents at his Maryland home.

But he also cautioned European leaders against reflexively opposing Trump out of frustration with his lack of consultation. That, Bolton said, would be “juvenile and petulant.”

Trump on his own terms

Trump's penchant to work on his own terms is not limited to the war.

Just this week, he said congressional approval of a ballroom he wants to build at the White House is “not necessary” despite a judge's ruling. He signed an executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting.

In a first for a sitting president, he appeared in the courtroom of the Supreme Court as his administration tried to defend an executive order restricting birthright citizenship.

But as with the war, Trump's go-it-alone strategy at home is also confronting limits.

The Supreme Court struck down his far-reaching tariff program. Democrats quickly challenged his voting executive order in court and, despite his courtroom presence, the justices seemed skeptical of his bid to dismantle the Constitution’s provisions providing birthright citizenship.

Then there is the uncertainty about the ballroom.

During private comments at an Easter lunch at the White House this week, Trump — ever the builder — seemed to lament the constraints on his job.

“I’m such a king I can’t get a ballroom approved,” he said to laughter from an audience that included Cabinet members and religious leaders. "I’m doing a lot. But I could be doing a lot more if I was a king.”

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Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

The winning numbers were 1-6-7-14-25, with a total prize of $42,581.80 split among the three winners.

In Miami-Dade County, a Quick Pick ticket was purchased at Bravo Supermarket at 11247 SW 152nd St., in the county’s Richmond Heights neighborhood, according to lottery officials.

Another Quick Pick ticket was sold in Broward County at a BP station, located at 6450 Pines Boulevard in Pembroke Pines.

A third winning ticket was sold at a Publix in Jupiter, located at 10142 W. Indiantown Road.

All three winners matched all five numbers to claim their share of the prize.

The next Fantasy 5 drawing is set for Saturday.

Mortgage rates have been rising since the war began, as surging energy prices heighten worries about higher inflation, pushing up the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

As recently as the last week of February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped to just under 6%, its lowest level in more than three and a half years. It climbed this week to 6.46%, its highest level in nearly seven months.

The conflict is also injecting more uncertainty into the U.S. economic outlook at a time when the job market is sputtering.

While rates are still down from a year ago, their recent upward trend has already led to a slowdown in mortgage applications. Further increases threaten to put a damper on home sales during what’s traditionally the busiest time of the year for the housing market.

“The war in Iran has seriously complicated the spring buying season,” said Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com. “I expect that many buyers will be put off by rising rates and mounting economic uncertainty, choosing to bide their time rather than jumping on board for a purchase before rates go up.”

Home shoppers who can afford to buy at current mortgage rates this spring are likely to find a more buyer-friendly housing market than this time last year. That means they'll have more leverage when negotiating with sellers, who in many cases are watching their property go unsold for weeks, potentially making them more willing to lower their initial asking price or offer buyers money for closing costs, repairs or other concessions in order to get a deal done, real estate agents say.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, lower listing prices and more homes on the market are forcing many sellers to price their home more competitively or consider offering some incentives to land a buyer, said Matthew Crites, an agent with Coldwell Banker Realty.

“It’s been a really good buyer’s market to kind of start the year off with,” he said.

The trends helped give home shopper Anne King a strong hand when she set her sights on a three-bedroom, two-bath ranch-style house in Fort Worth listed at $275,000.

The contract administrator offered $10,000 below the listing price. She also asked that the seller kick in $5,000 toward closing costs. The seller accepted, and later agreed to throw in another $12,000 for repairs after a home inspection revealed roof damage.

“Fortunately for me, the seller was in a position they needed to sell,” said King, 57. The purchase was finalized in late February, just before the start of the conflict in the Middle East.

King had hoped mortgage rates would ease further before she bought the home, but decided it made sense to buy sooner, rather than risk having to compete this spring against more homebuyers who could potentially trigger a bidding war -- something she experienced last May when she bought a two-bedroom, two-bath townhouse in Arlington, Texas.

She locked in a 6% rate on her mortgage and plans to refinance to a lower rate whenever rates drop.

“I feel like I got a good deal on this property, and that’s all that matters,” she said.

Home shoppers gain more leverage

While the inventory of homes for sale nationally is still low by historical standards, active listings — a tally that encompasses all homes on the market except those pending a finalized sale — jumped nearly 8% in February from a year earlier, according to data from Realtor.com.

The increase varies across the U.S., with the West, Midwest and South far outpacing the Northeast. Still, some 43 of the 50 largest metro areas had more homes for sale in February than a year earlier, with listings up between 10% and 38.5% in many markets, including Seattle, Indianapolis, Las Vegas and Houston and Denver.

As homes take longer to sell, prices have started falling. The median listing price was down in February from a year earlier in just over half of the nation’s biggest 50 metro areas, including a nearly 9% drop in Austin and Memphis, and declines of more than 5% in Washington D.C., San Diego and Los Angeles.

In another sign that buyers may have the edge negotiating with sellers this spring, an analysis by Redfin estimates that there were about 46% more sellers than prospective buyers in the market nationally in February. That’s up from about 30% a year earlier and represents the largest gap between buyers and sellers on records going back to 2013, according to Redfin.

Miami, Nashville and Austin are among the metro areas where sellers most outnumber buyers, Redfin found.

A buyer's market, if you can afford it

The U.S. housing market has been in a sales slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low. They have remained sluggish so far this year, declining in January and February versus a year earlier.

While the pace of home price growth has slowed or fallen in many metro areas, affordability hurdles remain daunting for many aspiring homebuyers because wage growth has not kept up with home prices.

Consider, the median price of an existing home sold in February was $398,000, according to the National Association of Realtors. That's nearly five times the median household income. A historic rule of thumb was that homes generally cost three times the household income.

The recent increase in mortgage rates adds slightly to the affordability challenge. On a $400,000 home near downtown Dallas, for example, factoring in a 20% down payment and a 30-year mortgage at 6%, the buyer’s monthly payment would be about $2,248. At a 6.4% rate, that payment would climb to $2,331.

And while mortgage rates are still lower than a year ago, making monthly payments more manageable, rates are still much higher than the sub-3% averages available to homebuyers during most of 2020 and 2021 as the weakened economy dealt with the coronavirus pandemic and its aftermath.

Sellers under pressure

The housing market has cooled considerably since earlier this decade, when rock-bottom mortgage rates set off a frenzy that sent home prices soaring. Back then, it wasn’t uncommon for a home to fetch well above the seller’s asking price after receiving offers from multiple buyers.

While some sellers are still receiving multiple offers now, it’s far from the norm.

Jo Chavez, a Redfin agent in Kansas City, tells clients looking to sell to expect that their home probably won’t sell right away. She also advises them to be “reasonable” with how they price their home.

“We have a lot of sellers who have that idea of like, ‘well, my neighbors sold for this much, and so I think I should price $10,000 above them,’” said Chavez. “And that’s obviously not a logical approach, because there were less sales last year.”

Kansas City is among the few metro areas where the median listing price isn’t falling. It rose 4.1% in February from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com. However, the number of homes on the market soared by nearly 20%.

Gail Sanders and her husband, David, put their four-bedroom, three-bath home in Olathe, Kansas, on the market in late February. But even after hosting a couple of open houses, and after lowering their asking price from $535,000 to $525,000, the couple had yet to receive any offers as March drew to a close.

The couple wants to sell the house and buy a home in another Kansas City suburb closer to their three adult children and grandchildren. But until they find a buyer, those plans are on hold.

“We just didn’t think it was fair to somebody else to put a contingent offer on (another house), but then also lock ourselves into something when we weren’t sure how fast ours was going to move,” said Gail Sanders, a senior claims director. “I don’t want to be stuck with two house mortgages on the off chance.”

Mohibullah Niazi, a neighbor who helped in the rescue efforts, said Saturday that the eight people killed on the outskirts of Kabul after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan the previous night were a refugee family recently returned from neighboring Iran.

There was only one survivor: a boy of around 3 years old, who was injured and has been hospitalized in Kabul.

Afghanistan's deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat on Saturday increased the overall death toll from the quake to 12, with another four people injured. Fitrat said five homes were destroyed and another 33 significantly damaged, affecting 40 families in the provinces of Kabul, Panjshir, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman and Nuristan.

The Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority put the overall death toll at nine. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear.

The family near Kabul was among the millions of Afghan refugees who have recently returned from Iran and Pakistan, after both countries launched crackdowns in 2023 on foreigners — particularly Afghans — living in their countries.

They had arrived 15 days ago and were living in a tent on land next to Niazi’s home. The family head, Najibullah, who was about 50 years old, “had no other shelter," Niazi said. “He was a very poor person.”

‘We tried our best’

The family had set their tent up next to a wall separating the plot of land from Niazi’s home, which stood on higher ground, in the village of Ittefaq on the eastern outskirts of the Afghan capital.

Heavy rains over the past several days, which have led to deadly floods in many parts of Afghanistan, had left the ground sodden and soft. When the earthquake struck, the wall collapsed on the family.

“My daughter shouted to me that a wall had fallen on them. The whole family ran, but there were so many big rocks,” Niazi recounted Saturday as he stood at the scene. “We tried our best.”

On Saturday morning, piles of bricks and mud were all that were left, along with blankets, cooking utensils and other personal belongings salvaged from the rubble and set into a pile.

“For about three minutes, I could hear the voices of these people,” Niazi said. “But we couldn’t do anything. There were two or three of us, but this was not the work of three people.”

Neighbors soon rushed to help, digging through the mud and rubble with spades and their hands. They alerted the local Taliban police checkpoint, which sent rescuers and ambulances.

The young boy, Aarash, was pulled out alive but injured, and rushed to the hospital. Health Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman, who visited the boy Saturday, said he was being treated for a severe head injury.

For the rest of the family — the father and mother, four daughters aged between 12 and 23, and two sons — it was too late. The rescuers could only recover their bodies.

Niazi said he had hosted the family in his own home one night. On Friday, just half an hour before the earthquake struck, he had renewed the offer, telling the family they could spend the night in his own guest room to shelter from the cold and rain. “But they did not come with me,” he said.

A string of deadly quakes

Friday night’s quake had an epicenter in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) east of the northern city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the U.S. Geological Survey. The area is roughly 290 kilometers (180 miles) northeast of Kabul.

Afghanistan lies in a highly seismically active part of the world, and quakes have caused thousands of deaths in recent years.

Last August, a 6.0 earthquake that struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people. Most casualties were in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.

In November, a 6.3 earthquake struck Samangan province in northern Afghanistan, killing at last 27 people and injuring more than 950. It also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan’s famed Blue Mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.

On Oct. 7, 2023, a 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people.

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Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar Afghan in Ittefaq, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.

He was already a social media star — in part through his relentless attacks on his cousin, Trump administration heath secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and had been bouncing around the national Democratic scene very much looking the part of a Kennedy heir.

Now, among a crowded field hoping to win a prized House seat in Manhattan, Schlossberg has another potential advantage no other candidate could dream of: a hit TV show about his family that's renewed Kennedy clan fervor.

But even with the familial connections and the excitement over the show, “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” the 33-year-old grandson of former President John F. Kennedy insists the buzz is all organic.

“They don’t just like me because I’m a Kennedy. Ask them how they feel about RFK Jr.,” he said. “They like me because of my experience, my ideas and they trust me because they see what’s going on with their very own eyes.”

So far, one of the big criticisms of Schlossberg is that he's never held public office, though he's tried to spin that in his favor, casting himself an energetic, outsider candidate whose big online following proves that he can excite young voters and bring fresh ideas to Washington.

Despite Schlossberg's thin political resume, his candidacy has received both attention and financial support, along with the endorsement of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, long a Kennedy backer.

No love for ‘Love Story’

Schlossberg, whose full name is John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, is no fan of the “Love Story” series, previously criticizing it as a cash grab at the expense of his famous family.

“I don't watch much TV,” he said.

Nevertheless, lots of people did tune in and the series became a hit, stoking the enduring mystique of the Kennedy family, especially among a younger generation of new fans.

Spots where Schlossberg's aunt and uncle dined and hung out have attracted viewers of the TV show, with leather-jacket-wearing women and button-down-and-tie guys lining up to get in. Not too long ago a crowd gathered in Washington Square Park for a JFK Jr. look-alike contest where young men donned suits, backward hats or rollerblades, attempting to mimic his style.

Also recreating JFK Jr.’s style is Schlossberg himself, copying one of his uncle’s best known looks — riding a bike in suit and tie and a backward cap and a heavy chain bicycle lock around his waist — in a photo on his campaign website, which was posted before the show’s debut.

But does the Kennedy family still have the juice to sway an election? George Arzt, a longtime Democratic political consultant in the city, isn't too sure.

“I don’t think that gets you votes,” he said. “People will say ‘Who’s Schlossberg?’ And they’ll go ‘He’s the grandson of JFK.’ So? What’s that going to do for me?”

Schlossberg maintains people on the street are less interested in his family ties than his policies, including one that, if passed, would allow rent payments to be tax deductible.

He batted away criticism over his scant professional experience, noting a stint at the State Department's environmental bureau, his joint law and business degree from Harvard and a handful of political opinion pieces he wrote for Vogue. He also cited his social media presence, which has at times been zany. In August, for example, he posted a video of himself in a blonde wig reading a letter that first lady Melania Trump wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I’m the only one who has engaged millions of people on a progressive and aggressive political message,” he said. “I’m not just an influencer who’s hawking products. I make informative videos.”

A crowded field

Schlossberg faces solid opposition in the June primary, which is usually the deciding contest in the safely Democratic district.

The district's current representative, U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, who is retiring, endorsed his former aide Micah Lasher, a state Assemblymember who's spent his career working in New York politics and casts himself as a seasoned, serious candidate.

“The voters of this district are highly informed voters. They do their homework before they make their decisions,” he said.

State Assemblymember Alex Bores is also running and has racked up local endorsements, including support from former U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who represented parts of the district for decades before it was redrawn and she lost her seat to Nadler.

George Conway, who was once married to former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway before turning into a vocal antagonist of the president, hopped in the race earlier this year as a Democrat.

Conway, a lawyer who helped create the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, said he does think Schlossberg has a big advantage because of his family name and excitement around “Love Story.” But he believes voters will ultimately opt for someone who has more experience.

“There's something very appealing about a young, fresh face and I think he's very smart to play that up,” Conway said. “But I also think there's something to be said for an older, experienced fresh face and that's what I'm trying to be.”

Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said Saturday that his counterparts from Germany, Italy, Portugal and Austria had signed a letter to the European Commission citing “market distortions” caused by the price spike.

“The conflict in the Middle East has caused oil prices to rise, placing a significant burden on the European economy and on European citizens,” the letter, dated Friday and made public by Cuerpo in an online post, said.

“It is important to ensure that this burden is distributed fairly,” it added.

Europe is largely dependent on imported oil and gas, leaving it vulnerable to external shocks. In 2022, turmoil in energy markets following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine pushed inflation into double digits in many European countries.

At the time, the EU imposed a “solidarity contribution” that included caps on excess energy profits.

“Given the current market distortions and fiscal constraints, the European Commission should swiftly develop a similar EU-wide contribution instrument,” the letter said. “It would also send a clear message that those who profit from the consequences of the war must do their part to ease the burden on the general public.”

Driven largely by higher oil prices, the annual inflation rate in the 21 countries that use the euro rose to 2.5% in March, from 1.9% in February.

Iran has blocked most tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and gas — in a move that threatens to stress fuel markets for months.

European Union Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen warned this week that disruption caused by the closure means fuel prices are unlikely to “go back to normal in a foreseeable future.”

The attacks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Istanbul for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He will also meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Eastern Orthodox Christians.

“We are working to strengthen our partnership to ensure the real protection of lives, advance stability, and guarantee security in Europe and the Middle East. Joint efforts always yield the best results,” Zelenskyy said in a post on the messaging app Telegram after arriving in Istanbul.

Russia fired 286 drones at Ukraine overnight, 260 of which were downed, the Ukrainian Air Force said in an online statement.

Five people — three women and two men — were killed in the city of Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and 19 others were wounded, the head of the regional military administration Oleksandr Hanzha said. The attack damaged market stalls and a shop.

In the city of Sumy, not far from the border with Russia, a strike wounded 11 people, the National Police said. Residential areas were hit, and houses, cars and utility networks were damaged in the attack.

In the capital, Kyiv, a drone strike caused a fire on the first floor of a three-story office and warehouse building, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. No casualties were reported.

In the partially occupied Donetsk region, a Russian drone strike hit a civilian car on the Kostyantynivka–Druzhkivka road on Saturday morning, killing one woman and wounding another, according to the head of the Kostyantynivka City Military Administration, Serhiy Horbunov.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Saturday that its forces fired “long-range air- and ground-based precision weapons, as well as strike drones” at unspecified “military-industrial and energy facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

Meanwhile, the Russian-installed head of the occupied Luhansk region, Leonid Pasechnik, said Ukrainian forces hit railroad infrastructure in the region and private houses, killing a family of three — a couple and their 8-year-old child.

The Security Service of Ukraine, also known as the SBU, claimed it used drone strikes to halt production at a metallurgical plant in the Russian-occupied city of Alchevsk in the Luhansk region, most of which is controlled by the Russian forces.

The SBU said on its Facebook page that drone strikes damaged blast furnaces, key production workshops, distillation columns, gas pipelines and electrical substations that power the plant, which supplies Russia’s state tank and railroad car plant, Uralvagonzavod.

There was no immediate comment from Russian officials.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian military overnight shot down 85 Ukrainian drones over nine Russian regions, the annexed Crimea region and the Black Sea.

In Russia's Rostov region, on the border with Ukraine, one person was killed and four sustained injuries, according to the region's governor, Yuri Slyusar. The attack sparked a fire at a warehouse facility of an unspecified logistics company, and another fire on a dry-cargo vessel flying a foreign flag several kilometers from the shore, Slyusar said.

In the Samara region's city of Tolyatti, one person was wounded, Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said. The roof of a residential building was damaged and windows were shattered in several apartments, he said.

High pressure off the North Carolina coast will keep steady easterly winds in place. A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for boaters, and there is still a very high risk of rip currents at the beaches throughout the weekend.

Rain chances stay at 20% to 30% both days, with highs in the lower to mid-80s. Those rain chances increase by the middle of next week as a front moves in and stalls for a couple of days. Until then, any showers will be hit or miss.

The plane, identified by Iran as a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle, was one of two attacked on Friday, with one service member rescued and at least one missing. It was the first time the United States lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the war, now in its sixth week, and could mark a new turning point in the campaign.

The conflict, launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28, has rippled across the region. It has so far killed thousands, upended global markets, cut off key shipping routes, spiked fuel prices and shows no signs of slowing as Iran responds to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes with attacks across the region.

The downing of the military planes came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran” and was “going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast.” The U.S. and Israel had boasted recently that Iran’s air defenses were decimated.

Missile and drone strikes continued Saturday with an apparent Iranian drone damaging the headquarters of the U.S. technology giant Oracle in Dubai. Israel’s military said Iran had launched missiles toward the country.

Meanwhile, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said on social media that an airstrike hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building. It is the fourth time the facility has been targeted during the war.

Also Saturday, Iran’s top diplomat reiterated his government’s willingness to join talks aimed at stopping the war. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said they “have never refused to go to Islamabad.” Pakistan said last week that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran, but it's not clear when or if they will take place.

Two U.S. planes attacked

Saturday's search for the pilot focused on a mountainous region in the country’s southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad.

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon released public information about the downed planes.

In an email from the Pentagon obtained by The Associated Press, meanwhile, the military said it received notification of “an aircraft being shot down” in the Middle East, without providing more details.

A U.S. crew member from that plane was rescued. But the Pentagon also notified the House Armed Services Committee that the status of a second service member on the fighter jet was not known. A U.S. military search-and-rescue operation continued Saturday.

In a brief telephone interview with NBC News, Trump declined to discuss the search-and-rescue efforts but said what happened would not affect negotiations with Iran.

Separately, Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down or whether Iran was involved. Neither the status of the crew nor exactly where it went down was immediately known.

An anchor on a TV channel affiliated with Iranian state television urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to the police.

Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. Friday was the first time the Iranian public was urged to look for a downed pilot.

Iranian state media said in a post on the social platform X its military shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle. The aircraft is a variation of the Air Force fighter jet that carries a pilot and a weapons system officer.

Tech giant Oracle hit in Dubai following Iranian threats

An apparent Iranian drone damaged the Dubai headquarters of Oracle on Saturday after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened the firm.

The attack targeted the headquarters, which sits along Dubai’s main Sheikh Zayed Road highway. Footage verified by The Associated Press outside the United Arab Emirates showed damage to the building. A large hole could be seen in the building’s southwestern corner, with the “e” in “Oracle” on a neon sign damaged.

The sheikhdom’s Dubai Media Office, which speaks for its government, said a “minor incident caused by debris from an aerial interception that fell on the facade of the Oracle building in Dubai Internet City," adding there were no injuries.

Oracle, based in Austin, Texas, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Guard has accused some of America’s largest tech companies of being involved in “terrorist espionage” operations against the Islamic Republic and said they were legitimate targets.

Earlier Iranian drone strikes hit Amazon Web Services facilities in both the UAE and Bahrain.

Iran keeps a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and issues a veiled threat to disrupt a second waterway

In a social media post late Friday, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, issued a veiled threat to disrupt traffic through the Bab-el-Mandeb, a second strategic waterway. The strait, 32 kilometers (20 miles) wide, links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It is one of the busiest choke-points in global trade, with more than a tenth of seaborne global oil and a quarter of container ships passing through it.

“What share of global oil, LNG, wheat, rice, and fertilizer shipments transits the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait?” Qalibaf wrote. “Which countries and companies account for the highest transit volumes through the strait?”

Iran has already greatly disturbed the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, sending fuel prices skyrocketing and jolting the world economy. World leaders are struggling to end Iran’s stranglehold on the strait as the U.N. Security Council is expected to take up the matter Saturday.

Trump has vacillated on America’s role in the strait, alternately threatening Iran if it does not open the strait and telling other nations to “go get your own oil.” On Friday, he said in a post on social media: “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began. In a review released Friday, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a U.S.-based group, said it found that civilian casualties were clustered around strikes on security and state-linked sites “rather than indiscriminate bombardment” of urban areas.

In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S. service members have been killed. In Lebanon, over 1,300 people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim, Will Weissert, Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro and Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report.

Eleven months after releasing a song titled “Heil Hitler” and just over two months after publishing an apology letter for his antisemitism, Ye let two decades of hits — and 70,000 screaming loyal fans — speak the loudest on Friday night at SoFi Stadium.

"I want to thank y’all for sticking by me all these years. Through the hard times, through the low times," he told the crowd. “I love you for that.”

Hill joined Ye on a stage for the first time ever for an energetic rendition of his 2004 hit “All Falls Down,” which originally sampled her voice. Ye left the stage as she performed “Lost Ones” and “Doo Wop (That Thing)” before rejoining for his 2021 “Doo Wop”-sampling song “Believe What I Say.” They hugged as she exited.

Travis Scott, CeeLo Green and Ye's tween daughter North West also strapped on safety harnesses to join Ye high above the stadium floor atop a striking half-orb stage, which alternately depicted a moon, a rotating Earth and a smoking sphere throughout the two hours-plus livestreamed performance.

A loud singalong of “Heartless” midway through the more than 40-song Good Friday show seemed to boost Ye’s spirits: “That’s what 80,000 people sound like, ladies and gentlemen. … They said I’d never be back in the States. Two sold-out concerts, baby!”

The first SoFi show Wednesday, his first major U.S. performance in nearly five years, turned out to be more of a warm-up as Ye was tentative in his rapping and drew attention to technical mishaps.

Fans at that show said they separated the 48-year-old performer’s personal beliefs and public statements from his music — and were ready to forgive after his January apology letter.

“You gotta back your family no matter what,” said Vince Da Prince, a rapper from Downey, Calif. “He’s a part of our fam since we were little kids.”

Added fan Yovani Contreras: “I don’t really bring into politics or the way someone’s personal opinion are. I’m into the music artistry … Like, I just, to me, Ye is always gonna be Ye. Kanye is always gonna be Kanye.”

Luis Velasquez said he’d been a longtime fan and had been put off by controversies in recent years, but felt the apology was sincere.

“Yeah he did apologize,” he said. “He’s taking the medication I think is what he mentioned. … For me as a fan that’s, like, respect, right? Like I think that’s cool enough to bridge that gap.”

Ye released his latest album, “Bully,” under both the names Ye and Kanye West, at the end of March. He dominated hip-hop and pop charts in the 2000s and early 2010s, winning 24 Grammy Awards despite public outbursts and a polarizing personality. He lost nearly all his major business partnerships and many fans after a string of controversies in the last several years including antisemitic remarks and social media posts.

He closed Friday night's show with his “toast to the douchebags" hit “Runaway,” and walked out of the stadium behind his wife Bianca Censori and two of his children.

Auriemma said it started at the beginning of the game, but the ending is what everyone will talk about.

A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the waning seconds of South Carolina's 62-48 victory over his UConn team in the Final Four and appeared to chastise her before the two shook hands. Staley responded with “don't do that" while assistant coaches from both teams separated them.

Auriemma later said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. Staley said she was confused.

“I have no idea,” Staley said when asked what happened. “But I’m going to let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand.

“I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”

The Gamecocks will play UCLA in their third straight title game on Sunday, but not everyone was willing to move on from the exchange so quickly.

Auriemma immediately left the court without shaking hands when the game ended, and the moment quickly spread on social media.

Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, a former Olympic teammate of Staley, posted on X: “It’s a real shame that #Geno took the low road! We have all had to lose with class! Geno of the @UConnWBB needs to start with an apology!!!”

There were no apologies Friday night, but Auriemma explained why he was frustrated.

“For 41 years I’ve been coaching and, I don’t know, 25 Final Fours,” Auriemma said. “The protocol is before the game you meet at halfcourt. Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker.

“I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”

Auriemma and Staley have been the gold standard in women's basketball for years, and their battle for supremacy has produced some of the most thrilling moments in women's college basketball over the last decade.

They've coached some of the greatest talent in the game. They have a combined 15 national championships and nearly 2,000 wins with their respective programs, and their teams have faced each other 15 times.

Despite the intensity on the court, Staley and Auriemma have typically exchanged public pleasantries, complimenting each others' successes and importance to the women's game. They sparked conversations in 2023 when Staley defended her team after Auriemma criticized the Gamecocks' physicality — but their rivalry had never boiled over in the way it did on Friday.

Auriemma ripped the officiating in the third after the Gamecocks were not whistled for a foul in the quarter. He continued to voice his displeasure with how Staley spoke to the refs in his postgame news conference.

“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed,” he said. “So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That’s it.”

Staley did not want to talk about the exchange in her postgame news conference.

“You can ask Geno the question,” she said. “He’s the one that initiated the conversation. I don’t want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Both Richardson and Coleman are racing from “scratch” in the 144th edition of the event, meaning they must run the entire distance and chase down opponents who in some cases may start up to 25 meters ahead of them.

Richardson, who gave away 10 meters to her closest competitor at the start, won her heat in 13.815 seconds Saturday and Coleman his in 12.681.

On Monday there will be six semifinals in each of the men's and women's divisions, with the winners of each of the heats advancing to the respective finals. Only two men and two women have won the race starting from scratch.

“My experience so far is just reminding me what track and field feels like — love the respect and also fun,” Richardson told Seven Network television after her heat.

“It felt like being a kid again, playing tag, like playing rabbit. I had a great time, and it just kind of woke my body up with this being the first time running in 2026 . . . chasing everyone actually made me activate and work on my race pattern."

Richardson is one of the fastest women of all time, winning a silver medal in the 100 meters in the 2024 Paris Olympics, and gold in the 4x100 relay that same year.

Coleman is a former world champion over 100 meters. He and Richardson appear to have continued their relationship despite a domestic violence charge against Richardson last July.

There are more than 700 competitors in the Stawell race, including many of Australia's top runners, in the event held about 235 kilometers (145 miles) west of Melbourne. The men's and women's finals each carry a prize of 40,000 Australian dollars ($27,500).

It has not been disclosed whether Richardson or Coleman have been paid appearance money to take part in the race. Last year Australian media reported that top Australian sprinter Gout Gout was paid 50,000 Australian dollars (35,000) to run at Stawell, where he was eliminated in the semifinals.

Richardson said this week that she was excited about the handicap format.

“I’ve been known to be a chaser in a couple of races, so actually the challenge of the stagger makes me more technical and sound, and with that comes great results," she said in comments on the Australian Athletics website.

Coleman, known for its fast starts, said he's the opposite.

“I’m usually leading from the front and people are trying to come catch me. I feel that this will be the perfect start to the season, to have some fun, but also be able to work on the things I have been practicing,” he said.

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

The incidents occurred just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”

One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A U.S. crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a U.S. military search-and-rescue operation was underway.

Separately, Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down.

The war now entering its sixth week is destabilizing economies around the world as Iran responds to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Here is the latest:

Turkish president speaks with NATO chief on Iran and the future of the alliance

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the phone Saturday where they discussed regional and global issues as well as alliance matters.

According to state-run Anadolu Agency, Erdogan told Rutte the situation in Iran was “heading toward a geostrategic deadlock” and urged the international community to step up efforts to end the war.

Erdogan added that he hoped the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8 will adopt decisions to make the alliance more resilient and effective against future changes.

India confirms purchase of Iranian oil

The sale comes after the Trump administration eased sanctions on Iran’s oil.

“Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements, including from Iran; and there is no payment hurdle for Iranian crude imports,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Last month, the U.S. paused sanctions on Iranian oil stranded on tankers at sea until April 19. The move was part of Washington’s efforts to curb soaring energy prices as a result of the war in the Middle East.

One injured in an Iranian missile attack that hit several residential areas in central Israel

As sirens rang out again in large parts of Israel on Saturday afternoon, the country’s Fire and Rescue services said their teams were treating impact sites from an earlier attack in Ramat Gan, Givata’im, Bnei Brak, and Petah Tikvah. All are cities in central Israel that have already sustained damage in previous Iranian attacks.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said a 52 year-old man was taken to hospital with light injuries.

Images released by rescue services show an apartment building with blown out walls and windows. Mangled metal, bricks and debris were strewn across the scene. At another site, a tall plume of black smoke rose from a burning car that was hit by fragments of a missile or an interceptor. Lior Paz, a paramedic, said he arrived at the scene within minutes “and saw destruction, fire, shattered glass on the floor and a lot of smoke.”

Pakistan says ceasefire efforts are moving forward

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says his government’s efforts to broker a ceasefire are “right on track.”

Tahir Andrabi made the comments to The Associated Press after reports suggesting a deadlock in the mediation efforts.

His comments came about a week after Pakistan hosted senior diplomats from Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and reiterated its readiness to facilitate talks between Washington and Tehran.

Earlier Saturday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said his government has “never refused to go to Islamabad,” but is seeking a “conclusive and lasting” end to the conflict.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar welcomed the statement, writing on X: “Truly appreciate your clarification, my dear brother @Araghchi.”

Trump’s go-it-alone certainty confronts the uncertainties of war

U.S. President Donald Trump did not equivocate in his first live address to Americans about the war in Iran.

“We’ve beaten and completely decimated Iran,” he said in a prime-time speech from the White House on Wednesday. “They are decimated both militarily and economically and in every other way.”

He added: “Their radar is 100% annihilated. We are unstoppable as a military force.”

His certitude is now colliding with the uncertainty of war.

The American fighter jet that was shot down in Iran on Friday was a searing reminder of the dangers associated with war, prompting a search operation that resulted in the rescue of one crew member. Another U.S. aircraft was hit by Iranian air defenses, Iranian state media reported, days after Trump said Iran had “no anti-aircraft equipment.”

For the Republican president, who didn’t appear in public Friday, the developments were the latest example of his triumphal characterization of the war appearing misplaced.

▶ Read more

Remains of slain Indonesian UN peacekeepers arrive in Jakarta

The remains of three Indonesian United Nations peacekeepers, who were killed while on escort duty supporting U.N. operations in southern Lebanon, arrived in Jakarta on Saturday evening, where President Prabowo Subianto led a solemn welcome ceremony.

The caskets were received at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s VIP terminal, draped in Indonesia’s red-and-white national flag, as military honor guards stood at attention.

Devastated families leaned against the caskets. Wives rested their foreheads on the flags covering the caskets, their sobs breaking the silence of the military honors.

Prabowo, accompanied by senior government officials and top military commanders, bowed his head and observed a moment of silence. He offered condolences to the families before the caskets were returned to their hometowns for official military funerals.

Jakarta has condemned the Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon that killed the peacekeepers as the border area became another flashpoint in Israel’s war.

Outspoken Iranians overseas say their loved ones are being detained back home

Iran’s government is detaining family members and threatening to seize property of Iranian opposition figures in exile, some tell The Associated Press, in the latest crackdown on dissenting voices as the war rages on.

Activists overseas play a key role in tracking the crackdown, which is complicated by the internet shutdown imposed earlier this year during massive nationwide protests against the Islamic theocracy. Watchdogs say security forces shot and killed thousands of people.

The war with the United States and Israel has intensified authorities’ threats against anyone speaking to outside media or activists. Now that pressure appears to be expanding to intimidate activists in exile.

▶ Read more

Mediators are still working on a ceasefire plan

Mediators from Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt are still working to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table, according to two regional officials.

The regional powers are working on a compromise to bridge the gap between the American and Iranian demands to stop the war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, they said.

They said the yet-to-be finalized compromise aims at paving the way for both sides to meet in Pakistan.

It includes a cessation of hostilities for a certain period of time to allow a diplomatic settlement, according to a regional official involved in the efforts and a Gulf diplomat briefed on the matter. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door diplomacy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday reiterated his government’s willingness to restart talks in Pakistan, but said they seek a “conclusive and lasting” end of the conflict.

Araghchi said he spoke by phone Friday with Turkey’s foreign minister to discuss the latest developments.

— Samy Magdy

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni visits Qatar and pledges help restoring gas infrastructure

Meloni assured Qatar’s leader during a visit Saturday that Italy would contribute to restoring Qatari energy infrastructure damaged by Iranian bombing, noting its natural gas production is critical to global energy security, her office said in a note.

Meloni is the first EU, G20 and NATO leader to visit the Gulf region since the start of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. She began her two-day visit Friday in Saudi Arabia and is also scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates. The start of the visit was unannounced due to security concerns.

Meloni and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, also reaffirmed the necessity of opening the Strait of Hormuz, which has blocked for weeks by the conflict, stranding numerous oil tankers.

Austrian foreign minister stressed to Iran humanitarian aspect of opening Strait of Hormuz

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said she underscored to her Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi “the need to halt the strikes on neighboring countries and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait Hormuz.”

Meinl-Reisinger said in a social media post on Saturday that navigation through the Gulf was especially important “regarding the humanitarian aspect of glob food security with a focus on fertilizers and other essential goods.”

She added her country’s support for forging a new deal on Iran’s nuclear program and restoring the country’s full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

UAE says it dealt with nearly two dozen Iranian ballistic missiles

The United Arab Emirates said Saturday its air defense systems engaged 23 ballistic missiles and 56 drones from Iran.

Azerbaijan sends more humanitarian aid to Iran

Azerbaijan's state news agency Azertac reported on Saturday that 10 with 200 tons of food, medicine and medical supplies were trucked over the country's border with Iran.

Azerbaijani officials accompanied the convoy to oversee the delivery of the assistance, the report said.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev posted on X that the “friendly and brotherly” people of both countries have supported each other for centuries and "we will continue to stand by each other in both good and difficult times.”

Iran’s foreign minister reiterates willingness to join peace talks in Pakistan

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post on Saturday that Iran has "never refused to go to Islamabad.”

He said what Iran cares about "are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us.”

Pakistan said last week that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran. It is not clear when or if the talks will take place.

Iran’s top diplomat warns attacks on nuclear facilities “will end life” in Gulf cities

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media on Saturday that radioactive fallout from continued attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power plant “will end life” in regional capitals, not Tehran.

He accused Western governments of remaining silent about the repeated attacks on the plant.

The fourth attack on the Bushehr complex occurred Saturday, killing a security guard and damaging a support building. No increase in radiation levels was reported, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Bushehr is located some 750 kilometers (465 miles) south of Iran’s capital, Tehran.

The facility uses low-enriched uranium from Russia, along with Russian technicians, to supply about 1,000 megawatts of power for Iran.

4 EU countries urge bloc to impose profit cap on energy companies

The finance ministers of Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Italy say that a European Union-wide tax on energy companies’ profits would distribute the burden more fairly.

The call, made public Saturday, comes amid concerns that surging oil and gas prices driven by the Iran war will fuel inflation and strain households.

Europe is largely dependent on imported oil and gas, leaving it vulnerable to external shocks.

In 2022, turmoil in energy markets following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine pushed inflation into double digits in many European countries.

Iraq-Iran border crossing temporarily closed after deadly attack

Omar al-Waeli, head of Iraq’s Border Ports Authority, said on Saturday that the strike on the Shalamcheh border crossing killed one person and wounded five others.

Authorities did not offer further details on the strike. But trade and passenger traffic is suspended at the crossing, which is crucial for Iranian imports and Iranian pilgrims headed to Iraq’s Shiite shrines.

The Iraqi government said it was directing traders and travelers to alternative crossings.

UN nuclear watchdog says no spike in radiation after attack near Iran's nuclear plant

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday that it has been informed by Iran about the strike near the premises of the Bushehr nuclear facility that killed a security guard and impacted a building in the complex.

“No increase in radiation levels was reported” following the strike, the IAEA said in a social media post.

Bahrain reports 8 drone attacks in the last 24 hours

Bahrain’s Defense Ministry reported the tally in a social media post on Saturday.

This brings the total number of projectiles fired at the country since the start of the war to 188 missiles and 453 drones.

Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant hit, one dead

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said in a social media post Saturday that an airstrike near its Bushehr nuclear facility killed a security guard and damaged a support building.

It is the fourth time the facility has been targeted during the war.

The Bushehr nuclear power plant uses low-enriched uranium from Russia, along with Russian technicians, to supply about 1,000 megawatts of power for Iran.

Its pressurized-water reactor can power hundreds of thousands of homes and other businesses and industries. But it contributes only 1% to 2% of Iran’s total power needs.

Iran has been trying to expand the facility to multiple reactors. In 2019, it began a project that ultimately plans to add two additional reactors to the site, each adding another 1,000 megawatts apiece.

Italy’s Meloni discusses military assistance with Saudi Arabia’s prime minister

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has discussed with Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman defensive military assistance that Italy is providing against Iranian reprisals to U.S.-Israeli attacks.

A brief statement from Meloni's office Saturday did not specify what type of assistance Italy is providing.

It also said the two discussed diplomatic efforts to end the war, the importance of opening the Strait of Hormuz and “more broadly how to promote a regional framework that can break free from the current cycle of conflict.”

Meloni will continue her visit in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Airstrike hits Iran’s petrochemical facility

U.S. and Israeli warplanes continued to pound Iran Saturday, hitting several targets including a petrochemical facility, Iranian media reported.

Iran's official English-language newspaper Tehran Times reported that an airstrike hit a facility belonging to Iran’s Agriculture Ministry in the western city of Mehran.

The newspaper said another air raid struck Mahshahr Special Petrochemical Zone in the southwestern Khuzestan province.

The semiofficial Fars news agency reported several explosions heard late Saturday morning in the facility.

Mehr, another semiofficial news agency, reported that the strikes hit four companies within the zone.

Iran's parliamentary speaker hints of attacks on other strategic waterway

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the veiled threat in a social media post late Friday, asking about how busy oil tanker and container ship traffic is through the strait.

The 20-mile (32-kilometer) strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and is one of the busiest chokepoints in global trade, with more than a tenth of seaborne global oil and a quarter of container ships passing through it.

Iran has already greatly disrupted the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, sending fuel prices skyrocketing and jolting the world economy.

Disrupting transit through the Bab el-Madeb would force shipping firms to route their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, further hitting prices.

One Israeli slightly hurt in Iranian missile strike

Israel’s rescue services said Saturday the man sustained glass shrapnel wounds after an Iranian missile hit the central city of Bnei Brak.

It wasn't clear if the glass shrapnel was caused by a direct strike or falling debris from an intercepted missile.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said it was taking the man to the hospital.

Iran executes two more members of exile group

The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency said Saturday that the two men who were hanged belonged to the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.

The agency said Abul-Hassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amirian were convicted of “being members of a terrorist group.”

This brings to six the total number of MEK members executed since the start of the war.

Activists and rights groups say Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in which defendants are unable to challenge the accusations they face.

Israeli military says it struck key infrastructure in Iranian capital

The Israeli military said on Saturday that its air force struck ballistic and anti-aircraft missile storage sites in Tehran.

It said the strikes a day earlier included weapons manufacture sites as well as military research and development facilities in the Iranian capital.

It said the strikes are part of an ongoing phase to increase damage to Iran's “core systems and foundations.”

Oracle building in Dubai damaged by drone debris

Authorities in Dubai said the facades of two buildings were damaged by debris from intercepted drones, including one belonging to U.S. tech firm Oracle. No injuries were reported.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened to attack Oracle and 17 other U.S. companies after accusing them of being involved in “terrorist espionage” operations in Iran.

Previous Iranian drone strikes caused damage to three Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

365 service members have been wounded in action in Iran war

As of Friday, 247 of the wounded were Army soldiers, 63 were Navy sailors, 19 were Marines and 36 were Air Force airmen, according to Pentagon data available online.

It is unclear if the data includes any of the service members involved in the downing of two combat aircraft reported Friday.

Most of the wounded — 200 — were also mid to senior enlisted troops, 85 were officers and 80 were junior enlisted service members.

The current death toll remains at 13 service members killed in combat.

Less than a quarter later, Flagg was the first teenager to score 51 points in an NBA game in Dallas' 138-127 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday night.

Flagg scored 24 points in the fourth quarter after coach Jason Kidd and forward Naji Marshall were ejected complaining about what they thought was a no-call when Desmond Bane fouled Flagg.

Kidd was tossed even though he was assessed just one technical foul, while Marshall had gotten another tech at the end of the first half. His second came just moments after Kidd was thrown out.

“It’s great to see,” Flagg said after going 19 of 30 from the field and making all seven of his free throws and topping his previous career high of 49 in a 123-121 loss to Charlotte on Jan. 29.

“I already know that coach has my back and Naji ... I know he has my back for sure out there,” Flagg said. “Just seeing their emotion, seeing them fight for me and fight for the calls. Definitely some emotion, and motivated me even further.”

Flagg exited the game with 45 points, but assistant coach Frank Vogel, filling in for Kidd, told the 19-year-old he was just resting him during a defensive possession.

Vogel called a timeout to get Flagg back in with 3:22 remaining, and Flagg made history a little more than a minute later. He missed a 3-pointer the first time down, then missed a follow attempt on Brandon Williams' miss, got the rebound again and made a corner 3.

On the next Dallas possession, he hit an off-balance shot in the lane while getting fouled to clinch 50, made the free throw and left to a standing ovation.

The Mavericks were down 30 when Flagg started his fourth-quarter scoring barrage in what ended up being their 14th consecutive home loss. It's the longest home losing streak since Dallas lost the first 19 games at since-demolished Reunion Arena in 1993-94.

“It’s always fun getting into that type of mode,” Flagg said. “The basket feels big. My teammates are looking out for you, helping you out. But I like to win. That was my main focus. It’s hard for me to fully enjoy myself out there when we’re down 20, down 10, down 15, for the majority of the game.”

Flagg said he thought it was obvious Bane had fouled him in the opening two minutes of the fourth.

“I think it was warranted,” Flagg said about Kidd's reaction. “I’m not going to lie. I talked to Bane after the play, and he told me he was intentionally trying to foul me. I honestly don’t know how they didn’t see that. Obviously, they must not have had the right view, or they weren’t paying attention. But they missed it.”

Kidd said there was “a lot of excitement in the back” as he watched Flagg with a TV delay, hearing the crowd reaction before the buckets as the former Duke standout was 8 of 12 from the field and 4 of 6 from deep in the fourth.

Flagg's previous career high came against former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, the fourth overall pick and fellow contender for rookie of the year.

Kidd continues to stump for Flagg to win the same award Kidd won with the Mavs 31 years ago, and dropped a Michael Jordan reference after Flagg's latest milestone. Yes, Jordan was the 1985 Rookie of the Year.

“He should be rookie of the year,” Kidd said. “It’s unbelievable. The country’s not watching the same thing we get to watch on a daily basis. He’s in rare air. He’s with the GOAT when you talk about MJ and what he did in his rookie year. And as a teenager, to see what Cooper’s doing, just the excitement, the joy, playing the game, win or lose, his spirit, is about winning. Right now we’re not.”

For at least one night, the rookie overshadowed the long home losing streak, even though he couldn't end it.

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

South Carolina will be trying to win its fourth national championship in nine years. The Gamecocks played stifling defense to knock off UConn 62-48 and end the Huskies' 54-game winning streak in the semifinals of March Madness on Friday night.

UCLA played incredible defense of its own in its 51-44 win over Texas. The Bruins spoiled a chance at the first all-SEC title game since 2017, when Staley’s team beat Mississippi State, which was led by current Texas coach Vic Schaefer. That victory was South Carolina's first title and started the current run that the Gamecocks have been on over the last decade.

South Carolian and UCLA have played each other many times over the past few seasons. UCLA coach Cori Close has been impressed with what Staley has built at South Carolina.

“Dawn does such a great job and is a standard-bearer in our sport,” Close said. "Thankful for what they’ve done, not just for South Carolina, but for the game. We also are an incredibly competitive, confident group. I’m sure they are as well. All you can ask for is to play your best basketball for a national championship."

The Bruins have been on a mission this season since losing to UConn in the Final Four last season. It was the Bruins' first-ever trip to the national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. With most of the key players back from that team and a couple of new additions, UCLA ran through the regular season with the only loss in November to Texas in a tournament in Las Vegas.

That loss was the only blemish the Bruins had this year, and they cruised to both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championship.

Now, they'll have a tall test with South Carolina, which put on a defensive clinic against UConn. The ending of that game was overshadowed by a dust-up between Staley and UConn coach Geno Auriemma as they were shaking hands with less than a second left. The two coaches needed to be separated by their assistants.

Coming into the season Staley wasn't sure about this team as they were dealing with injuries and trying to work in star transfer Ta'Niya Latson from Florida State. The country's leading scorer last season while at Florida State just wanted to have a chance to win a national championship.

“This is why I came to South Carolina. It was a personal sacrifice that I had to make. I mean, I know a lot of people don’t get that, they don’t understand my why,” said Latson. “This is my why. This is why I came to South Carolina.”

Close and her team will try and hang a championship banner to go with the one the school won by taking the 1978 AIAW title, which was the postseason tournament for women's basketball before the NCAA took over in 1982.

The Bruins are a veteran team, even though they have no championship game experience. UCLA's starting five, led by center Lauren Betts, are all seniors or graduates.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Even as Hollywood still drives how Americans envision little green men with big eyes and bigger heads, fiction soon could be separated from — or revealed as — fact if government agencies release secret files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs as called for in February by President Donald Trump.

The science fiction genre has shaped how people think about intelligent life elsewhere in the universe — “whether it’s invasion narratives or aliens coming to warn us that we’re on the wrong track or aliens just trying to come and make contact and help us with things or just say ‘hi,’” says Duke University professor Priscilla Wald, who teaches a class on science fiction and film.

Trump's announcement on social media followed former President Barack Obama suggesting in a podcast interview that aliens were real. Obama later clarified that he had not seen evidence that aliens had made contact, but said since the universe is so vast odds are good that life exists elsewhere.

Movies say they are nearly everywhere, from a Pennsylvania cornfield in 2002's “Signs” to Wyoming's Devil's Tower in 1977's “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” to a Central American jungle where 1987's “Predator” was set.

“Hollywood has basically been preparing the public for this,” retired Navy Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet says of any revelation that intelligent life from outer space exists and has visited Earth. “I think people can handle it. It does, of course, depend on what information is released (by the government)."

Hollywood quickly latched on following the 1947 discovery of debris near Roswell, New Mexico. Authorities initially identified crash materials as a flying disc before quickly backtracking and saying they were from a high-altitude weather balloon.

About three years after Roswell, “The Flying Saucer” made it to theaters. That was followed by a some low-budget and mostly forgettable movies, while others continue to inspire sci-fi buffs like 1951’s “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”

“If you think back to the flourishing of alien films, this starts really in the U.S. in the 1950s,” Wald says.

“The aliens are gentle souls who come down and try to warn us after nuclear war," she says of “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” “They’re trying to warn that we’re creating problems in the cosmos and that if we don’t stop, they are and have to do something about it."

Still others depict visitors arriving with more nefarious motives and intentions — to kill us, to take over the Earth, sometimes even to make us food.

“I think if we found out aliens were on the way, there would be a mix of responses,” Wald says. “I think there would be a lot of people out there welcoming them. A lot of people would be going down to the cellars and stocking them with canned food."

A plethora of documentaries also have been released, including 2025’s “The Age of Disclosure,” which details government knowledge of the existence of intelligent life outside of humans and attempts to reverse engineer alien technology.

Steven Spielberg has directed such box office hits as 1982's “E.T. The Extraterrestrial” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” His upcoming film “Disclosure Day” teases: “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?”

“My question is always, 'Well, what is that fear really about?'” Wald says. “It seems to me it’s a reflection on who we are, that we’re projecting onto aliens the way we treat each other. So, the aliens are coming down, they want to conquer us, they’re violent. Who does that sound like? It sounds like us.”

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AP national writer Allen G. Breed in Durham, North Carolina, contributed to this story.

It's a question that can produce some, well, uncomfortable answers if you happen to be an earthling.

“If I were looking at Earth from a distance, I would be pretty disappointed,” theoretical physicist Avi Loeb says. “Most of our investing is dealing with conflicts to prevent other people from killing us or us killing others. Look at the Ukraine war over a little bit of territory. That is not a sign of intelligence."

The debate on whether little green men or UFOs are among us escalated in February when former President Barack Obama, responding to a podcaster's question, said aliens are “real,” but he ”hasn’t seen them” and “they’re not being kept at Area 51.” President Donald Trump later announced on social media that he was directing release of government files because of “tremendous interest.”

Stepped-up interest in UFOs also is swirling as the United States heads back toward the moon with Wednesday's launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission. The four astronauts aboard will do a fly-around of the moon before returning to Earth.

In a world riven by war, civil unrest, climate change and divisiveness, it's easy to wonder what newcomers to Planet Earth might make of us and our struggles. Whatever the case, well over a majority of Americans echo the sentiment of the slogan from “The X-Files”: “The truth is out there."

A 2021 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center showed about two-thirds of Americans said their best guess is that intelligent life exists on other planets. About half of U.S. adults said UFOs reported by people in the military are “definitely” or “probably” evidence of intelligent life outside Earth.

“We don’t want to think this is the only place in this extraordinarily and incomprehensibly large universe where life and intelligence and even technology have emerged,” says Bill Diamond, president and chief executive of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California.

“It sort of says about humans, ’We don’t want to be alone.'"

Something is up there. But what?

Americans have been fascinated by the thought of life outside this planet following the recovery of debris in 1947 near Roswell, New Mexico. The military initially said the material was from a flying disc, only to reverse course and tell the public it was from a weather balloon.

Hollywood ran with it. Flying saucers, little green men and eventually humanoid gray aliens became part of popular culture. April 5 even is celebrated annually throughout the iconic “Star Trek" franchise as “First Contact Day” to mark the date in 2063 when humankind, in “Trek” canon, first made contact with Vulcans.

Much in the popular culture suggests any aliens might be aggressive. Priscilla Wald, who teaches about science fiction at Duke University, has a theory as to why.

“It seems to me it’s a reflection on who we are, that we’re projecting onto aliens the way we treat each other," Wald says. "So the aliens are coming down, they want to conquer us, they’re violent. Who does that sound like? It sounds like us.”

In 2024, the Pentagon released hundreds of reports of unidentified and unexplained aerial phenomena. However, that review gave no indications that their origins were extraterrestrial.

On two separate occasions, Debbie Dmytro saw things in the sky over Michigan’s southern Oakland County. The greenish object Dmytro says she saw March 1 in the sky over Royal Oak, Michigan, looked like neither plane nor helicopter. Dmytro, a 56-year-old medical professional, acknowledges that it could have been some type of commercial or delivery drone.

What she saw in 2023 in the same general area north of Detroit is not so easily explained.

“Four yellow lights, yellowish golden lights and they were all flying very, very low,” Dmytro remembers. She says the lights were about 100 feet (30 meters) up at their nearest.

“I’ve never seen anything so low without any noise and flying in complete uniformity,” she says. “Is it something man-made? Is it something that’s not manmade? Who knows?”

Who knows indeed? UFOs, the term for unidentified flying objects, has in recent years given way to UAP — unidentified aerial phenomena or unidentified anomalous phenomena.

“Absolutely, there are such things” as UAPs and UFOs, says Diamond, whose SETI — Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence — seeks to explore, search and understand the nature of life and intelligence in the universe.

“People observe things in the sky that they can’t immediately identify or recognize as either human engineering such as planes or drones or helicopters, or animals, such as birds, and therefore they don’t know what they are," Diamond says.

Time for the truth

Like so many, Dmytro wants to know what the government knows. “I think there’s more information out there. I’m open to learning more,” she says. “I have an open mind. It’s always about scientific proof.”

Retired Rear Adm. Timothy Gallaudet says evidence clearly shows there are UAP zipping around the airspace and in the oceans.

“The nonhuman intelligence that operates them or controls them are absolutely real,” Gallaudet says. “We’ve recovered crashed craft. We don’t know if they’re extraterrestrial in origin."

Gallaudet worked as acting administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He participated in a 2024 congressional hearing on UAP disclosure and says the release of government files promised by Trump is something people find of interest. He just hopes the president follows through.

There are billions of galaxies in the universe and each has billions of stars, so the likelihood life developed elsewhere is fairly high, according to University of Michigan Astronomy Professor Edwin Bergin, who teaches about looking for life elsewhere. He believes that if intelligent beings navigated vast distances to reach Earth they would make themselves known — despite humanity’s penchant for creating chaos.

“I would think that they would look at us like we were crazy ... but they would come out," he says. "I mean, why come here otherwise unless you’re going to sit and observe.”

Loeb, director of the Institute for Theory & Computation at Harvard and head of the university's Galileo Project for the Systematic Scientific Search for Evidence of Extraterrestrial Technological Artifacts, believes in the likely existence of extraterrestrials.

“They might be laughing at us,” he says. "They might be watching us ... to make sure we will not become predators, that we will not become dangerous to them.”

In the interest of national security

Much of the government’s secrecy around UFOs and UAP is tied to national security concerns, according to Diamond.

“We have pretty advanced technologies, satellite, ground-based that are for various purposes mostly national security and defense that are pointing at the sky or things on board aircraft,” Diamond says. “Sometimes these pick up objects. The technology behind it is sensitive and protected.”

Government data, including a “trove ” of UAP video the Navy is sitting on, should be shared with scientists for research and a better understanding of the characteristics of the objects, says Gallaudet, who spent 32 years in the Navy and viewed classified UAP video.

“When you look at these things in our airspace having near collisions with our aircraft, that’s a real valid concern,” he says. “We are just not sure of what they are and what they intend to do with their interaction with humanity. That could be a national security threat, or not."

“When has ignorance ever been a good national strategy?" Gallaudet asks. "Whether it be scary, harmful or not, or a mix, I think seeking the truth is in our best interest.”

Meanwhile, Diamond doesn't think any “true alien encounter could be kept secret.”

“If any civilization has mastered interstellar travel, they have technology and capabilities beyond our wildest comprehension,” he says. “If they want to interact, they will; if they don’t, they won’t. If they want to be seen, they will be, and if not, they won’t be!”

Descovich was back at the White House a few months later, seated alongside CEOs of Google and IBM to weigh in on artificial intelligence and education policy.

Last month, when first lady Melania Trump hosted a global technology summit in Washington, Descovich was there, too.

Her presence at the White House underscores the meteoric rise of a group that made its name in local politics, fighting to win school board seats and end “wokeness” in U.S. schools. What started as a fringe of far-right mothers has seen its interests collide with a presidential administration that embraces and amplifies their message, launching the group into a new level of influence in public policy.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Descovich said she has a voice in discussions around transgender sports bans, AI in education, the dismantling of the Education Department and a campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion.

“We have a seat at the table in so many policy discussions throughout the administration,” Descovich, who lives in Florida, said during a recent visit to Washington. “We’re invited to participate in discussions and meetings where some of these things are hashed out.”

Supporters say the group's trajectory speaks to the power of its “parental rights” agenda, which has become a plank of conservative politics. Critics are alarmed by its presence at the White House, saying the group promotes extreme views and undermines public schools.

Alliance with Trump offers a new lifeline after ups and downs

Founded five years ago in Florida, the organization became known for challenging classroom instruction it deemed inappropriate for children, often involving sex, race or LGBTQ+ themes. It later turned to state capitols, securing legislation like Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law.

It claims more than 300 chapters, with sharply growing revenue flowing in from groups like the Heritage Foundation and conservative megadonors, including Richard Uihlein.

By some measures, however, its influence had appeared to be waning. School board candidates endorsed by the group struggled in elections, and rival liberal groups rose up to compete for power in America's suburbs.

A series of missteps fueled ridicule among opponents, including an incident in which an Indiana chapter quoted Adolf Hitler in a parent newsletter in 2023.

Yet when Trump returned to office, the group's political fortunes swung upward. His administration charges into the same cultural battles Moms for Liberty staked its name on, including a push to keep transgender athletes out of girls' sports.

By her count, Descovich has been to the White House about a dozen times this administration.

Descovich was in attendance when Trump signed an order to overhaul the foster care system. She brought more than a dozen members to an event honoring Women’s History Month in March. Co-founder Tiffany Justice was there when Trump signed an order to dismantle the Education Department.

For the Trump administration, Moms for Liberty appears to be playing a role that's often filled by groups like the National PTA, said Rick Hess, director of education policy at the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank. As those establishment groups shy away from Trump, he said, Moms for Liberty has stepped up.

“Moms for Liberty speaks to a very active part of the MAGA community, and education has been a big part of what the administration has been focused on for the last 15 months,” he said.

Behind the scenes, Descovich has been a tipster for agencies that investigate schools over transgender sports and bathroom policies. After meeting with Justice Department officials, she delivered more than 250 complaints, she said.

“We really are this grassroots team that’s working hand-in-hand with helping move forward President Trump’s agenda,” she said.

The group is carrying the momentum to Capitol Hill

Asked about its relationship with Moms for Liberty, the White House declined to offer specifics but said Trump is “the most pro-family President in history,” citing his child tax credit among other initiatives.

The White House “is proud to tout these great accomplishments for American families alongside many leaders,” spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement.

Moms for Liberty hopes to carry its momentum to Congress, too.

On a recent March morning, more than 100 members fanned out across Capitol Hill, delivering homemade cookies to lawmakers and their offices. Some brought their children, including a boy sporting a suit and red tie like Trump's.

House Speaker Mike Johnson stopped for a photo with a few parents, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., posted a photo to social media of himself giving a thumbs-up alongside a Moms for Liberty member.

Members of the group call themselves “joyful warriors,” a moniker that critics say disguises their anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and aggressive tactics. The group has been accused of harassing teachers and school board leaders, calling its opponents “groomers” and “predators.”

Descovich dismisses the criticism. “Our motto has been, from Day One, we’re joyful warriors, because we knew we needed to advocate in a way that was OK for our children to watch,” she said.

Yet she doesn't shy away from a fight. The group has a deep feud with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which in 2023 labeled the parent group as “extremist.”

Late last year, Descovich led a letter urging the federal government to cut ties with the SPLC. The FBI agreed to do so soon after, echoing language from her letter.

Critics say an extreme voice is getting a platform

The presence of Moms for Liberty has gained at the White House is both unsettling and unsurprising, said Seth Levi, chief program strategy officer for the SPLC.

It's “further evidence that they are more interested in platforming extremist voices and policies rather than listening to the American people, who are demanding solutions to make their lives easier and more affordable,” Levi said.

The leap up to federal policy marks a new chapter in the group's evolution, said Maurice Cunningham, a former political science professor at the University of Massachusetts-Boston who tracks the organization and its relationships.

Yet he sees the group's influence as political advocacy rather than parental input. He identifies the group as a close cousin to groups like the Heritage Foundation, which has been influential in Trump's second term.

“They're in the White House, there's no question,” he said. “But they are there as a voice of the organized institutional right wing.”

Descovich said the relationship with Trump took root at a 2023 convention where Republican presidential candidates jostled for the group's endorsement. When Trump took the stage, he called Moms for Liberty “the best thing that’s ever happened to America.”

Moms for Liberty threw its weight behind Trump, and Descovich said she stayed close with his team.

The organization's latest concern is AI in the classroom, which Moms for Liberty sees as a threat to parental control over education. At a White House meeting, Descovich pushed for guardrails to ensure humans guide instruction, not algorithms.

It's also expanding its national presence with a new online training program called M4L Academy, featuring videos on “critical race theory” and other topics the group sees as taboo. And while its first trip to Congress was mostly seen as an introduction, it's gearing up for more.

“We’re not really doing any lobbying for any specific bills at the federal level yet,” Descovich said. “That will come next year.”

“There’s obviously concern,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after his team's 10-3 victory. “The calf area could be tricky. We’ve just got to wait, but there’s obviously concern.”

Soto singled off Tyler Mahle in the top of the first and appeared to slow up while going first to third on Bo Bichette's run-scoring single.

“He felt something,” Mendoza said. “As he was standing at third base, he continued to get tight.”

Soto was forced out at home plate when Brett Baty grounded into a 1-2-3 double play, and Tyrone Taylor replaced Soto in left field for the bottom of the first.

The 27-year-old Soto is in the second season of a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets. He had 43 homers and 105 RBIs while playing in 160 games last season.

The four-time All-Star and six-time Silver Slugger award winner has played at least 150 games six times in his eight major league seasons before this one. The only times he didn't were the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and his rookie year with Washington in 2018, when he was called up on May 20. He hasn't been on the injured list since early in the 2021 season with the Nationals.

Soto has hit safely in all eight Mets games this season. He entered Friday with a .282 career batting average and 245 home runs.

He also has played for the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees.

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

The attacks came five weeks after U.S. and Israeli strikes first pounded Iran, with Trump saying earlier this week that Tehran's “ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed."

Iran shot down a U.S. F15-E Strike Eagle fighter jet Friday, with one service member getting rescued and the search still underway for a second, U.S. officials say. Iranian state media also said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed after being hit by Iranian defense forces.

The last time a U.S. fighter jet was shot down in combat was an A-10 Thunderbolt II during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 fighter pilot.

But, he said, that’s because the U.S. had largely been fighting insurgents who didn’t have the same anti-aircraft capabilities. The fact that there have not been more fighter jets lost in Iran, Cantwell said, is a testament to the capabilities of U.S. forces.

"The fact that this hasn’t happened until now is an absolute miracle,” said Cantwell, who served four combat tours and is now a senior resident fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “We’re flying combat missions here, they are being shot at every day.”

Shoulder-fired missile likely used, experts say

U.S. Central Command said in a statement Wednesday that American forces have flown more than 13,000 missions in the Iran war while striking more than 12,300 targets.

After more than a month of punishing U.S.-Israeli airstrikes, a degraded Iranian military nonetheless remains a stubborn foe. Its steady stream of strikes against Israel and Gulf Arab neighbors have been causing regional upheaval and global economic shock.

When it comes to American dominance over Iran's airspace, there’s still a distinction between air superiority and air supremacy, said Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran program senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.

“A disabled air defense system is not a destroyed air defense system,” he said. “We shouldn’t be shocked that they’re still fighting.”

American planes have been flying missions at lower altitudes, which makes them more vulnerable to Iran's missiles, Taleblu said. It’s possible that Iran fired at the F-15 with a surface-to-air missile, but it's more likely that a portable, shoulder-fired missile was used, he said. Those are much harder to detect and reflect how Iran is “weak but still lethal.”

“This is a regime that is fighting for its life,” he said.

Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and a senior defense adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, agreed that a shoulder-fired missile was likely used against the fighter jet.

Nonetheless, the American air war against Iran has been a “tremendous success” so far, he said.

To put things in perspective, he said the loss rate for American warplanes flying over Germany during World War II was 3% at one point, which would equal about 350 warplanes in the U.S. war against Iran.

“But then there’s the political side — you have a American public that is accustomed to fighting bloodless wars,” Cancian said. “Then a large part of the country doesn’t support the war. So to them, any loss is unacceptable.”

Pilots are trained on what to do if their plane is hit

The last U.S. jet shot down in combat was struck by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile over Baghdad on April 8, 2003. The pilot safely ejected and was rescued, according to the Air Force.

In high-threat environments like missions over Iran, Cantwell, the retired general, said an aviator's blood pressure goes up and they become highly alert to incoming missiles. Those are typically either infrared- or radar-guided missiles, he said, requiring different evasive tactics.

If they are hit and need to eject from their aircraft, they are trained on what to do next, he said.

Pilots learn to check for wounds after a violent ejection and the shock of a missile explosion and, most crucially, how they are going to communicate their location so rescuers can find them.

At the same time, he said, the enemy is likely working to intercept the communications or even spoof the location.

Helicopters are more at risk than other aircraft

The planes that went down Friday were not the first crewed American aircraft to be lost overall in Iran.

A military helicopter and airplane exploded in 1980 during an aborted mission to rescue several dozen American hostages at the U.S. embassy in Tehran, according to the Air Force Historical Support Division.

After a series of setbacks, including severe dust storms and mechanical failures, the mission was called off. As the aircraft took off, the rotor blades of one of the RH-53 helicopters collided with an EC-130 aircraft full of fuel and both exploded, killing eight.

More U.S. helicopters have been shot down in recent decades, including a MH-47 Army Chinook helicopter that was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan in 2005, killing 16. Helicopters are more dangerous because “the lower and the slower, the more susceptible you are,” Cantwell said.

That’s why those who went out on this week's rescue missions, likely in helicopters, he said, did “such a brave and honorable act.”

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Bedayn reported from Denver.

The two-time All-American made sure there wasn't a repeat performance in this year's Final Four, swooping in for the biggest play in a game that sends the Bruins into the NCAA national championship game for the first time.

Heeding her coaches' persistent advice to sprint back on defense, Betts swatted fellow All-American Madison Booker with 20 seconds left, allowing UCLA to withstand a late charge by Texas for a 51-44 win in the Final Four on Friday night.

“When that play happened, I really have so much confidence that every time she is in a matchup, she’s going to find a way to alter, block, scare somebody from doing that,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “I just think she’s spectacular.”

She needed to be.

Motivated by the beatdown in their first Final Four a year ago, Betts and the Bruins (36-1) dominated their way to another national semifinal with the best season in program history.

A chance at a first national championship game appearance had to go through the only team to beat them this season.

Texas was overpowering in the first meeting, but the Bruins turned the bully tables on the Longhorns (35-4), shutting down All-American Madison Booker while building a 13-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.

The Longhorns are one of the nation's best defensive teams and flexed their D during a 12-2 run that cut UCLA's lead to 47-44.

Betts swatted the Texas run to halt.

With the Longhorns on the break and Booker attacking the basket, Betts backpedaled and timed her jump just right. She blocked Booker's shot, gathered the ball herself and Kiki Rice hit two clinching free throws, sending Close's crew into the title game.

"As soon as I saw her getting downhill I was like ‘Alright, please block this. Don’t let her score,’” Betts said.

Betts' big block and the Bruins grinding win earn them a spot Sunday’s title game against South Carolina, the three-time national champions who ended reigning champion UConn’s undefeated season and left Huskies’ coach Geno Auriemma fuming.

So was Booker after a brutal finish to what was otherwise a stellar season. She hit her first shot, missed the next 17 and finished with six points on 3-of-23 shooting.

“It did surprise me when I couldn’t get out of my funk because every shot I put up it felt like it was going to be money,” Booker said. “I wish a few more fell in, not just for me but for my teammates, too.”

Same for Texas coach Vic Schaefer after another agonizing Final Four loss.

He twice lost in the national title game at Mississippi State — once on a buzzer beater — and watched the Longhorns clank their way out of their second straight Final Four appearance.

The Longhorns got off to a brutal start with six points in the first quarter, shot 38% from the floor overall and 2 for 9 from 3-point range in the third-lowest scoring in Final Four history.

The chance at a second national title stretches to another year — 40 years and counting.

“We feel like, in our locker room, we let one get away,” Schaefer said. "I feel like this one will haunt me as the coach probably until the day I die.”

In the teams' first meeting, Texas dominated early and held on late for a 76-65 win on Nov. 26 in Las Vegas.

The rematch was more like a wrestling match, players hitting the floor and coaches screaming for fouls that weren't called — just like in the first Final Four game.

UCLA dominated the first quarter to lead by eight. Texas tightened the screws in the second, limiting the Bruins to six points — the 28th opponent they've held to single digits in a quarter to pull within 20-17 by halftime.

Betts turned out to be a huge difference maker.

The 6-foot-7 center was held to a season-low eight points the first go-round against Texas, but had some success early in the national semifinals by attacking before the double teams arrived. She continued to produce while her fellow All-American labored, finishing 7 of 10 from the floor with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots — none bigger than the late one against Booker that all but secured UCLA's 29th straight win since the loss to Texas.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Desmond Bane had 27 points as the Magic remained a half-game behind eighth-place Charlotte in the Eastern Conference. Orlando is safely in the play-in tournament with an outside shot at the top six and automatic entry into the East playoffs.

Coach Jason Kidd and Maji Marshall were ejected seconds apart early in the fourth quarter for the lottery-bound Mavericks, who are on their longest home losing streak at 25-year-old American Airlines Center. Dallas lost the first 19 games of the 1993-94 season at since-demolished Reunion Arena.

Flagg was caught up in the disagreement that led to Kidd's ejection, drawing his own technical foul before Kidd went onto the court apparently to protest the same non-call that drew Flagg's ire.

The 19-year-old responded with 24 points in the fourth quarter to become the youngest in NBA history with a 50-point game.

Assistant coach Frank Vogel, who filled in for Kidd, briefly pulled Flagg late in the fourth quarter when he had 45 points. After returning, Flagg hit a corner 3-pointer, then clinched 50 points with a bucket and foul, making the free throw and coming out of the game to standing ovation.

Flagg went 19 of 30 from the field, including 6 of 9 from long range, and made all seven free throws.

Jalen Suggs and Tristan da Silva scored 19 points apiece for the Magic, and Franz Wagner added 18.

Brandon Williams scored 23 points for Dallas.

P.J. Washington Jr., Dallas' third-leading scorer, missed a third consecutive game with an illness.

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Magic: At New Orleans on Sunday.

Mavericks: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

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The lakeside memorial includes a fairy garden created by Jasmine Kessler in honor of her daughter, Kallie.

“It’s bringing me more peace of mind outside with the breeze,” Kessler said.

Kallie, who was nonverbal and autistic, wandered off in October and ended up in the lake. Her father found her after a frantic search.

“This is the last spot I personally seen her, but not where she took her last breath,” he said.

Family members gathered at the site to sing one of Kallie’s favorite songs from the musical “Wicked.”

“She loved the song ‘Defying Gravity’ and she would act out Elphaba’s part,” a relative said.

Since her death, the family has worked to honor her memory by turning their grief into action.

They’ve created a nonprofit aimed at helping families in low-income neighborhoods, including providing resources and raising awareness about autism.

“Kids who are on the spectrum are drawn to water. Kids with autism are 160 times more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers,” said Lailah Stukes, Kallie’s sister.

The family says they’re determined to keep moving forward.

Kallie’s parents have also launched a GoFundMe to help install fences around residential lakes, hoping to prevent similar tragedies.

One of its most recognizable faces was Ashley Parker Angel, who rose to fame as part of the band’s success.

After his pop career, Angel took a different path when Broadway came calling, expanding his career beyond music and into theater.

Now, he’s stepping into a new spotlight -- leading High Level Fitness, where his focus has shifted to health and performance.

Angel says his mission is clear: helping others reach their full potential.

With the officiating. With his team's performance. With South Carolina coach Dawn Staley.

The Huskies coach ripped into the officiating during a live TV interview and then had a heated argument with Staley in the final seconds of their 62-48 loss to the Gamecocks. But a rough night for UConn stars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd was the main cause of the Huskies' poor showing in the national semifinals of the women's Final Four on Friday night.

A minute after his sideline blowup, Auriemma stalked off the floor alone, stewing over the nightmare performance.

Fudd — a senior — shouldered the blame, saying she felt she let the team down.

“I thought some of our shots were a little rushed, some of our offense was a little rushed, out of pace,” Fudd said. “But when we got a lot of good looks, a lot of shots in our offense, shots that we are used to taking, we just didn’t hit very many.”

The Huskies hadn't faced much on-court adversity this season, winning almost all of their previous 38 games by a lopsided margin. Once it hit on Friday, UConn wasn't able to respond.

Auriemma said the officiating didn't help.

“There were six fouls called that quarter — all of them against us," Auriemma said on the broadcast at the end of the third quarter. "And they’ve been beating the (expletive) out of our guys down there the entire game. I’m not making excuses, ’cause we haven’t been able to make a shot. But this is ridiculous.

“Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don’t want to hear. And now we get 6 to 0, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man. It’s for a national championship.”

Auriemma wasn't finished showing his displeasure. The 72-year-old coach walked toward Staley in the final seconds of the game before the two had an angry exchange, with assistants having to get in between them. Auriemma blamed the dustup on Staley not following the proper protocol for a pregame handshake.

Once the game finally ended, Auriemma slowly walked off the court and down the tunnel without a postgame handshake with the Gamecocks. The teams did shake hands.

UConn has relied all season on Strong and Fudd, a pair of All-America selections who were steady throughout the season. Against South Carolina, Strong finished with just 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Fudd scored eight on 3-of-15 shooting, including 2 of 9 from long range.

The Huskies' lone offensive bright spot came midway through the third quarter. Kayleigh Heckel, Blanca Quiñonez and Fudd each hit a 3-pointer in a 90-second span to cut the deficit to 40-39, but UConn was never able to take the lead. South Carolina took a 44-39 advantage into the fourth quarter and slowly pulled away.

UConn scored just nine points in the fourth, shooting 2 of 14 from the field. The 48 points were easily a season low. The Huskies were also dominated on the glass, with South Carolina holding a 47-32 advantage.

It's true that it was a physical game. Bodies were flying under the basket for the majority of the night for both teams. UConn was whistled for 17 fouls, while South Carolina was called for just eight.

The problem for Strong and Fudd was they couldn't hit shots even when they had a little space to operate. The 6-foot-2 Strong — AP's Player of the Year — was bothered by South Carolina's interior size, with several of her inside shots rattling in and out.

“Well, sometimes we do forget she’s a sophomore,” Auriemma said. “She’s carried a huge load for this team. An awful lot falls on her. Tonight she’ll be the first to tell you that she is not proud of how her game went today.”

Strong's teammates couldn't pick up the slack. Ashlynn Shade finished with 10 points and Quiñonez added seven. Heckel missed a layup late in the game and the broadcast showed her starting to cry walking back down the court.

Teammates encouraged her and one even lifted her chin, but the damage was done.

UConn’s 54-game winning streak is over.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Ta’Niya Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn 62-48 on Friday night, ending the Huskies’ 54-game winning streak.

The Gamecocks have now reached the NCAA championship game in four of the last five seasons, including the past three. They will be looking to win a fourth national title Sunday when they face UCLA, capping off another March Madness.

“I thought our players just locked in once we built a little lead. We got suggestions from coaches as to should we change our defense, start switching everything. I’m like, No, this is what is working," Staley said. “Let’s continue to do what’s working.”

As the final seconds ticked down, Auriemma walked down the sideline to shake hands with Staley and had an animated conversation with her while pointing to the floor. Staley yelled back at him as assistants from both teams separated the two.

When the clock finally ran out, Auriemma walked straight to the tunnel and didn’t shake hands. The two teams did shake hands.

“I have no idea,” Staley said when asked what happened between the coaches. “But I’m gonna let you know this, I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong, to Geno, I had no idea what I did.

“I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand.

“I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”

Auriemma didn't want to disclose what he said to Staley specifically, but made it a point of saying he was annoyed about the lack of a pregame handshake.

“I’ve been coaching and been to 25 Final Fours,” Auriemma said. “Protocol is we meet at halfcourt, two coaches meet at halfcourt and shake hands. They announce it on the loudspeaker, waited there for three minutes.”

Auriemma was also upset that in the third quarter star Sarah Strong’s jersey was ripped, in his opinion because of South Carolina’s physical defense.

Strong said: “It was an accident, I missed my shot.”

UConn (38-1) entered the Final Four undefeated for the ninth time in school history, and for the third straight time left without a title. The Huskies also lost in the 2017 and 2018 national semifinals. This was the fewest points UConn had scored since putting up 49 points in a national championship game loss to the Gamecocks in 2022.

“Coach was pretty mad going into the half," Latson said of Staley. "She was yelling ‘Meet the moment! Meet the moment!’ We couldn’t be scared to play on this stage, especially against UConn. I mean, they were undefeated.”

The Huskies and Gamecocks played last season for the title and UConn came away with an 82-59 rout for the school’s 12th national championship. UConn also beat South Carolina handily during the 2024-25 regular season.

Leading 46-44 a few minutes into the third quarter, South Carolina scored five straight points, capped by Agot Makeer’s 3-pointer to extend the advantage to seven.

Strong hit a 3-pointer to get the Huskies back within 51-47 with 4:39 left. The Huskies didn't score again until Strong hit a free throw with 30.8 seconds left, after South Carolina had scored 11 straight points.

“I think our defense is pretty elite. We were super prepared by all of our coaches,” Makeer said. “I think we all wanted this really bad. We were just ready.”

South Carolina clamped down on UConn’s two stars. Strong, who was honored as the AP Player of the Year on Thursday, had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but went 4 for 16 from the field. Azzi Fudd had just eight points for the Huskies, making only 3 of 15 shots.

UConn had its worst shooting night of the season finishing 19 for 61 (31.1%) from the field.

Both teams had cruised to the Final Four, each winning in the first four rounds of the tournament easily. The Huskies had been rarely challenged all season long, routing their Big East opponents by record margins.

Facing their first real test in a long time, they had no answer.

The opening 20 minutes was full of missed shots and turnovers. The two teams combined to shoot 22 for 62 from the field (35.4%) and had 14 turnovers. UConn led 26-24 at the half.

There were dozens of former Huskies and Gamecocks players in the crowd including Diana Taurasi, Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston. Boston was sitting next to Flavor Flav, who is a huge supporter of women’s sports.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Matthew Rodriguez, 18, was apprehended in Pennsylvania by New York Police Department detectives working with U.S. Marshals, the NYPD said.

The suspected shooter, 21-year-old Amuri Greene, was arrested shortly after the drive-by gunfire that killed Kaori Patterson-Moore. Greene pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges at an arraignment Friday night and was held without bail.

Kaori was in her stroller when a two men sped down a street on a moped Wednesday afternoon. Greene, riding on the back of the vehicle, fired into a group of people on a street corner, according to a court complaint.

Kaori's mother, Lianna Charles-Moore, told the New York Post that after hearing what she initially believed were fireworks, she was comforting her startled 2-year-old son — who had been grazed by a bullet — when she looked to her left and saw her baby daughter bleeding. The infant had been shot in the head.

“My daughter was innocent. She didn’t deserve that," Charles-Moore told the newspaper. She said her daughter was just about starting to crawl and had recently begun saying “Mama.”

Greene told police he was aiming for another person in the crowd, according to the court complaint.

His attorney, Jay Schwitzman, said after court that he would conduct “an independent and thorough investigation of the facts and circumstances of this tragic incident.”

Police said that after the shooting, the moped sped and crashed into a car two blocks away, hurling both men off the vehicle. Greene was injured and soon was hospitalized in police custody, but the moped driver fled.

Authorities haven't yet released court papers that detail Rodriguez's alleged role. But they haven't indicated they were looking for anyone other than the gunman — alleged to have been Greene — and the moped driver.

Police didn't immediately have information on how the men may know each other or where Rodriguez lives; no working telephone number for him could immediately be found. Police charges against him were pending.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch expressed heartbreak and outrage over Kaori's death.

“This is a terrible day in our city, a tragedy that truly shocks the conscience,” Tisch said at a news briefing Wednesday.

“Miami Freedom Park: On the Pitch” airs at 8 p.m. Friday and can be watched at the top of this page.

Parker, Holdsclaw and members of the 1996 Olympic team were all in attendance as well as Amar’e Stoudemire and Mike D’Antoni.

They will be joined by longtime NBA official Joey Crawford, NBA coach Doc Rivers and Gonzaga coach Mark Few.

The group was announced at halftime of the women's Final Four with many members in attendance.

Parker won three titles in the WNBA with three teams: Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas. She's the only player in league history to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

She also won two titles while playing in college for Tennessee under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, two Olympic gold medals and two WNBA MVP awards.

Delle Donne won two league MVP awards in 2015 and 2019, the second of which came when she led the Washington Mystics to their lone WNBA championship. Delle Donne became the first player in league history to shoot over 50% from the field, 40% from behind the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line.

Holdsclaw won three straight titles at Tennessee from 1996-98, the first team to accomplish that. The 1998 championship was Tennessee’s first undefeated season at 39–0 and the Vols also set an NCAA record for the most wins in a season. Holdsclaw went on to an 11-year WNBA career.

Stoudemire, who was the only NBA player in this year's class, was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003 and six-time All-Star. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Phoenix Suns, where he teamed with D'Antoni.

Rivers got nearly 1,200 victories on his resume which puts him eighth on the all-time wins list. He led the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008 and was also in charge of the Los Angeles Clippers during their Lob City era.

Few has won over 770 games at Gonzaga in his career at the school. He set the NCAA Division I men's coaching record by winning 81 games in his first three years at the school.

Crawford officiated 2,561 regular-season NBA games and 50 Finals games over his 39-year career. He retired in 2016.

The enshrinement ceremony will take place in August at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Geno Auriemma was only in his eighth season coaching the Huskies. UConn hadn't yet hoisted a national championship trophy. There wasn't nearly the same pressure to win that the Huskies face now. And women's basketball as a whole hadn't seen the unprecedented growth in sponsorships and popularity it is experiencing now.

By the 1994-95 season, Rizzotti and fellow UConn standout Rebecca Lobo helped the Huskies go undefeated en route to their first national title. Everything about the program changed, and even as women's basketball has evolved and skyrocketed in exposure, the Huskies have remained the gold standard.

“There was no thought that we were going to be undefeated,” Rizzotti said. “We didn't have that internal pressure. We didn't have external pressure. That's the last time a UConn team could play that way. Think about that: 1995 is the last time a UConn team could play without that kind of pressure.”

The Huskies have since won 12 national titles, reached the Final Four 25 times and won 30 conference titles. They've been ranked 653 weeks in The Associated Press women's basketball poll, and Auriemma is the winningest coach in women's college basketball history.

As conversations around the Final Four in Phoenix center around how the women's game has grown, the Huskies, who are competing for the second straight national title, have been at the forefront.

“You could tell that everything was aligned for this program to reach that pinnacle," said Rizzotti, who is currently the president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. “I don't think anything of us would have predicted that it would have gone on as it had.”

Rizzotti joined former UConn players Stefanie Dolson, currently with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and Shea Ralph, now Vanderbilt's coach, on a panel Friday at “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience,” which is being held at Arizona State’s First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Earlier Friday, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) commissioner Rich Ensor and AP women’s poll founder Mel Greenberg spoke on a panel moderated by college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli on the growth of women's basketball at the college and pro levels.

“I think women's basketball has never been more popular,” said Ackerman, who was the first president of the WNBA from 1996-2005. “I think schools that are succeeding are really seeing, feeling and believing in the (return on investment). And UConn's a case in point.”

Ackerman sees the investment that the schools in this year's Final Four — UConn, Texas, South Carolina, and UCLA — have made in their programs to reach back-to-back national semifinals as a reflection of the growing importance of pouring resources into women's hoops.

“And that's done a world of good,” she added. “Programs like South Carolina, UCLA, you see what they're doing for their campuses. The investment is paying off in terms of the brand and engagement with the community and school reputation.”

Even as women's sports are drawing record crowds and WNBA players are set to make more money than ever, Ensor sees much more room to capitalize on this current growth.

“It has been about breaking down barriers, and they still exist,” Ensor said. “We marvel at what's happened, but we still recognize there's a lot more that's to come.”

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AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience: https://apnews.com/https:/apnews.com/projects/arizona-state-fan-poll-experience/

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Current Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo and Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic, an assistant in Memphis before taking over as head coach of Toronto, said their experiences did not match the comments by James in a "Bob Does Sports” YouTube video earlier this week.

James criticized Memphis and indicated the NBA would be better off if the Grizzlies moved 200 miles east to Nashville where Tennessee's capital city has Vanderbilt University, NASCAR and even the NHL's Predators. He even said he might have opted to say he wouldn't play in Memphis if the Grizzlies had the first pick in the 2003 draft.

“I can say from my own perspective that I have the complete opposite — 180-degree perspective on that,” Iisalo said. “The Memphis where we have arrived less than two years ago has been very warm. Very welcoming.”

Rajakovic added: “I don't care what the rest of the world thinks. I love the people of Memphis. I love the food. I love every single time I come over here.”

James' criticism included NBA players having nothing to do when teams arrive in Memphis for games.

“In Memphis on a (expletive) random (expletive) Thursday," James said. "I’m not even the first guy to talk about it in the NBA, like, ‘You guys have to move. Go over to Nashville.’”

The Raptors arrived in Memphis a day before Friday night's game and visited St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which treats childhood cancer patients at no charge to families. Rajakovic called the visit inspiring with his players thanking him for taking them to the hospital to meet patients.

The coaches of the Grizzlies and Raptors have short ties to Memphis with Iisalo in just his second season and first as head coach. Iisalo said Memphis features one of the NBA's most passionate fan bases with the city rallying behind its team.

"All I can say is Memphis is the right place for the Grizzlies,” Iisalo said.

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It is China's latest push for a more prominent role in global affairs, though it may prove to be more rhetorical than substantive, with the U.S. appearing uninterested in Beijing's efforts.

“The war with Iran is the priority of all countries in and outside the region,” said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank. “It is an opportunity China will not miss to demonstrate its leadership and diplomatic initiative.”

Danny Russel, a former senior U.S. diplomat, described China’s diplomacy as “performative” and compared the five-point proposal for ending the Iran war with its 12-point plan for Ukraine in 2023, which was “filled with platitudes but never acted on.”

“Its narrative is that while Washington is reckless, aggressive and heedless of the cost to others, China is a principled and responsible champion of peace,” said Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “What we are seeing from China is messaging, not mediation.”

China has been working “tirelessly for peace” since the outbreak of the war, said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

How the US views China's diplomacy

The Trump administration appears to have little enthusiasm for the prospect of China's mediation, according to U.S. officials.

The U.S. has soured on third-party mediation efforts, and it has little interest in boosting China’s international stature or giving it an opening to claim success in the Middle East, said three U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss potential diplomatic options.

One of the officials described the administration’s position on the Chinese-Pakistani effort as “agnostic,” neither endorsement nor rejection, but all three stressed that could change if President Donald Trump weighs in before his planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

For Beijing, there could be an incentive to see the war subside before Trump travels to China in mid-May. Citing demands of the war, Trump postponed the trip initially set for the end of March.

“There is no guarantee that Trump may not delay the trip to China again if the war rages on,” Sun said.

The war saw a major escalation Friday when Iran shot down two U.S. military aircraft, a first since the war began five weeks ago. Trump told NBC News that it would not impact negotiations with Iran, just days after declaring in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”

Beijing is calculating the pain from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz

For now, China is more insulated from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz than other countries after diversifying its energy sources and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

China relies on Iran for only about 13% of its oil imports, and Beijing is working with Tehran to allow the passage of Chinese-flagged vessels through the critical waterway, where Iran’s stranglehold has sent energy prices soaring. China also maintains a large strategic petroleum reserve.

While China has positioned itself to cushion short-term shocks, analysts say Beijing is worried about a protracted war and has an interest in trying to bring it to an end.

“An escalation of the conflict will start to harm Chinese interests,” Russel said. “Because China’s growth model is so export-heavy, prolonged energy shocks and shipping disruption will mean costlier inputs and weaker global demand that damage its vulnerable economy.”

Besides not wanting to see a long war, China “welcomes the opportunity to suggest that it is helping mitigate a crisis of America’s making, especially as the Trump administration’s lack of a considered strategy for containing the fallout becomes more apparent,” said Ali Wyne, a senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.

China has undertaken a flurry of diplomacy

After the war began, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with counterparts from Russia, Oman, Iran, France, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He told Iran that China cherished its friendship, urged Israel to cease military actions and expressed that China would be willing to play a role in seeking peace.

This past week, Wang hosted his Pakistani counterpart in Beijing to hash out their five-point proposal, calling for an end to hostilities and the reopening of the strait.

He has held more than 20 phone calls with regional foreign ministers, and a special envoy has visited several countries in the region, aiming to promote peace and deescalate tensions, Liu said.

Wang sought support for China's plan from the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, telling her it represented “broad, international consensus,” the Chinese foreign ministry said. Wang told Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan that halting the fighting was the most urgent matter.

Wang also spoke this week with Bahrain's foreign minister, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, to explain why China opposed Bahrain’s U.N. proposal to allow military force to open the Strait of Hormuz. Wang said actions by the U.N. Security Council should help ease tensions “rather than endorse illegal acts of war, still less add fuel to the fire.”

China and Russia argued that the U.S. or other countries could exploit a U.N.-backed mechanism to escalate the deadly war, according to a U.N. diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic conversations.

Both countries appear to have less immediate need to see the strait fully open. While China has been able to pay to get some of its ships through, Russia is benefiting from the high price of oil, its main export.

Hoping to avoid a veto, Bahrain significantly watered down its proposal to authorize defensive — but not offensive — action to ensure vessels can safely transit the strait. A vote was pushed back until next week.

To solve the problem of the strait, China says a ceasefire is needed. But its plan with Pakistan has been met with mostly silence from the U.S.

One of the U.S. officials said the plan is difficult to assess because it is less of a roadmap to peace than a vague appeal for respect for international law and the importance of diplomacy and the U.N.'s role.

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Amiri reported from the United Nations.

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On Thursday night, the crew of Orion’s Integrity capsule fired the main engine to propel the spacecraft away from Earth’s orbit.

After days of preparations, the crew planned to observe the moon for six hours on Monday to focus on craters, lava, cracks, and the ridges of the moon’s outer layer.

There will be a solar eclipse for about an hour toward the end of the flyby, so the sun will be hidden from view as it moves behind the mostly dark moon.

The crews’ observations will then focus on flashes of light from meteoroids striking the moon’s surface, dust lofting above, deep space targets, and the solar corona and outermost atmosphere.

Once Orion’s Integrity capsule traces a figure eight around the far side of the moon, the crew will be returning home to a splashdown on April 10 in the Pacific Ocean.

Watch NASA’s 24/7 coverage of Artemis II

NASA’S flight day 3 agenda

The first of three smaller engine firings, called the outbound trajectory correction, will ensure Orion is staying on target for its path around the moon.

In the morning, Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen prepared for the burn, which was scheduled for after the crew’s midday meal.

The rest of the day will include a variety of checkouts and demonstrations.

NASA Pilot Victor Glover, Hansen, and NASA Astronaut Christina Koch, a mission specialist and engineer from Michigan, are set to demonstrate CPR.

NASA Cmdr. Reid Wiseman will work with Glover on the medical kit, including the thermometer, blood pressure monitor, stethoscope, and otoscope.

In the second half of the day, Koch will test Orion’s emergency communications system on the Deep Space Network.

The crew will rehearse the choreography for flight day 6’s scientific observation of the moon.

Flight controllers in mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston canceled a trajectory correction burn since they were on the right flight path.

More on Artemis II

• Artemis II’s moon-bound astronauts capture Earth’s brilliant blue beauty as they leave it behind
• Launch day coverage
• Flight day 2
• Get to know the astronauts
• Mission overview
• Multimedia from NASA

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The league said in a statement that Rice “has not engaged in conduct that violates the personal conduct policy.”

The Chiefs did not have an immediate comment on the decision, but Rice's attorney, Sean Lindsey, said in a statement that "Mr. Rice wants to thank the NFL for their thorough investigation, and looks forward to the start of the 2026-27 NFL season.”

The 25-year-old Rice missed the first six games of last season after the NFL found that he had violated its personal conduct policy when he caused a multi-car crash on a Dallas highway while driving erratically in speeds nearing 120 mph. Rice left the scene of the accident before police arrived, then took responsibility for the wreck in a statement a couple of weeks later.

Rice turned himself in when an arrest warrant was issued and he subsequently pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges last July — collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury — and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years’ probation. He also was required to pay victims’ medical expenses.

The latest off-the-field issue involving Rice came after former girlfriend Dakoda Jones alleged in a lawsuit filed in February in Dallas County, Texas, that he had physically assaulted her multiple times, causing injuries that included bleeding and bruising.

The lawsuit said Rice “grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted” Jones, in addition to hitting her with objects. The lawsuit also said Rice had thrown objects, punched walls and broken furniture, and many of these incidents occurred when Jones, who has two children with Rice, was pregnant.

Rice had 53 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns last season as Kansas City went 6-11 and missed the playoffs.

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

It was the first time U.S. aircraft have been downed in the conflict and came just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran” and was “going to finish the job, and we’re going to finish it very fast.”

One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A U.S. crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a U.S. military search-and-rescue operation was underway.

Neither the White House nor Pentagon released public information about the downed planes. In a brief telephone interview with NBC News, Trump declined to discuss the search-and-rescue efforts but said what happened would not affect negotiations with Iran.

“No, not at all. No, it’s war,” he said.

Separately, Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation said earlier that it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down or whether Iran was involved. Neither the status of the crew nor exactly where it went down was immediately known.

Those incidents came as Iran fired on targets across the Middle East on Friday, keeping the pressure on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors despite U.S. and Israeli insistence that Iran’s military capabilities have been all but destroyed.

Second service member’s status unknown

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon released public information about the downed planes. But the Pentagon notified the House Armed Services Committee that the status of a second service member from the fighter jet was not known.

In an email from the Pentagon that obtained by The Associated Press, meanwhile, the military said it received notification of “an aircraft being shot down” in the Middle East, without providing more details.

Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, have roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and threatened to raise the cost of many basic goods, including food.

Downed jet could mark a new level of pressure on the US

Prior to word of the rescue, social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where a TV channel affiliated with Iranian state television said earlier that at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet.

An anchor urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward.

It was the first time the U.S. has lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the conflict and could mark a new level of pressure on the U.S. military.

Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. Friday was the first time that Iran went on television urging the public to look for a downed pilot.

Iranian state media said in a post on the social platform X that the military shot down a U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle. The aircraft is a variation of the Air Force fighter jet that carries a pilot and weapons system officer.

Alan Diehl, a former investigator for the Air Force Safety Center, said the Strike Eagle has an emergency locator beacon in a survival kit that can be set to activate automatically or manually.

Iran targets a desalination plant and a refinery

News about the downed planes came after Iran attacked Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery. The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said firefighters were working to control several blazes.

Kuwait also said an Iranian attack caused “material damage” to a desalination plant. Such plants are responsible for most of the drinking water for Gulf states, and they have become a major target in the war.

Also sirens sounded in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia said it destroyed several Iranian drones and Israel reported incoming missiles.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shut down a gas field after a missile interception reportedly rained debris on it and started a fire.

Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan, but it was not immediately clear what was hit.

In Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion in its fight with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militant group, an Israeli drone strike on worshippers leaving Friday prayers near Beirut killed two people, according to the state‑run National News Agency

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes. In a review released Friday, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a U.S.-based group, said it found that civilian casualties were clustered around strikes on security and state-linked sites “rather than indiscriminate bombardment” of urban areas.

More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, 19 have been reported dead in Israel and 13 U.S. service members have been killed.

More than 1,300 people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced in Lebanon. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.

Iran keeps a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz

World leaders, meanwhile, have struggled to end Iran’s stranglehold on the waterway, which has had far-reaching consequences for the global economy and has proved to be its greatest strategic advantage in the war.

The U.N. Security Council was expected to take up the matter Saturday.

Trump has vacillated on America’s role in the strait, alternately threatening Iran if it does not open the strait and telling other nations to “go get your own oil.” On Friday he said in a post on social media that, “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”

Spot prices of Brent crude, the international standard, were around $109, up more than 50% since the start of the war, when Iran began restricting traffic through the strait.

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Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Will Weissert, Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro and Ben Finley in Washington contributed.

While we saw a few sprinkles this Good Friday, rain chances are set to pick up this Easter weekend. We will watch a stray shower on Saturday with a better chance of isolated showers on Sunday. A cold front will bring scattered showers and storms starting Monday into Tuesday.

Police say it happened Thursday evening after the dog jumped into the water. The woman went in moments later trying to save it.

Dimitry Shaposhnikov and his wife witnessed the incident from across the water.

“I don’t know what’s going on. She goes, ‘No, no, no, there’s someone in the water,’” Shaposhnikov said.

They watched as first responders worked to pull both the woman and her large dog out, using ladders and floating devices during the rescue.

Shaposhnikov said low tide made it difficult for the woman to get out on her own.

“I guess she jumped in because the dog was trying to come out. It was low tide, so at that point for her to even get somewhere was almost impossible. I didn’t even see a ladder or anything to come up, so she was stuck,” he said.

Once back on land, the dog shook off the water and wagged its tail while the woman climbed up a ladder to safety.

Shaposhnikov praised first responders for how they handled the situation.

“It wasn’t chaotic at all. Law enforcement and first responders handled it extremely professionally. You could see everyone was super calm,” he said.

No one was hurt.

Hallandale Beach police say the incident is a reminder to keep pets on leashes, especially near waterways.

Guard Julie Allemand, who played last season for the Los Angeles Sparks, was selected by the Toronto Tempo with its first pick.

The Tempo won a coin flip and opted to take the sixth pick in the college draft on April 13 over the top pick in the expansion draft. So Portland went first on Friday and will have the seventh pick in the college draft.

Carleton, who has played for the last seven seasons for the Minnesota Lynx and averaged 6.5 points and 3.6 rebounds a game last season off the bench, was an unrestricted free agent.

“Once we finalized our process, and zoomed in on Bridget, and knew we had our first expansion pick, it was obvious we did not want to have Toronto hold our destiny in their hands," Portland general manger Vanja Cernivec said.

Allemand averaged 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 games last season.

“This group gives us the ability to compete from day one while continuing to build, and embraces the opportunity to help shape something new in a new country as Canada’s first WNBA team,” Toronto general manager Monica Wright Rogers said.

The league's teams protected five players apiece ahead of the expansion draft but those lists were not made public, leading to speculation about which players were available.

On Wednesday, the Chicago Sky announced trades with the Tempo and the Fire, which prevented the expansion teams from selecting Sky players. In exchange, the Fire got the No. 17 pick in the college draft and the No. 26 pick went to the Tempo.

The expansion draft had two rounds, with up to six picks for each team in each round. The teams alternated picks, with the Tempo picking first in the second round after the Fire got the first overall selection.

Teams could only lose two players to the expansion draft. If a player was taken in the first round, a second player from that same franchise couldn't be taken until the second round.

Following Allemand, the Tempo selected center Nyara Sabally from the Liberty, guard Marina Mabrey from the Sun, forward Aaliya Nye from the Aces, guard Lexi Held from the Mercury, and forward Maria Conde from the Valkyries.

In the second round the Tempo selected forward Maria Kliundikova from the Lynx, center Adja Kane from the Liberty, center Nikolina Milic from the Sun, guard Kitija Laksa from the Mercury, and guard Kristy Wallace from the Fever.

After Carleton, the Portland Fire selected guard Carla Leite from the Valkyries, center Luisa Geiselsoder from the Stars, forward Emily Engstler from the Mystics, guard Maya Caldwell from the Dream and forward Chloe Bibby from the Fever.

In the second round Portland took guard Haley Jones from the Wings, forward Nyadiew Puoch from the Dream, guard Sara Ashlee Barker from the Sparks, guard Sug Sutton from the Mystics and guard Nika Muhl from the Storm.

Mabry was also an unrestricted free agent. Each team was allowed to pick only one unrestricted free agent.

The teams still do not know when free agency will open. More than 80% of the players are free agents this year, as many players have expiring contracts or opted out of the previous collective bargaining agreement.

The college draft is set for April 13 and training camps open on April 19. The season will start on May 8.

The Tempo and Fire join the WNBA as the league's 14th and 15th teams. Portland previously had a WNBA team, also called the Fire, that played from 2000 to 2002.

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

Doncic is the NBA's top scorer and the driving force behind the Lakers' surge into the third spot in the Western Conference standings, but he injured his leg during Los Angeles' blowout loss in Oklahoma City on Thursday. An MRI exam revealed the severity of the strain.

The Pacific Division champion Lakers (50-27) have just five games left before the postseason, starting Sunday at Dallas.

Grade 2 hamstring strains sometimes require several weeks of recovery, but Doncic also has prior experience with hamstring issues. He missed four games right before the All-Star break with another left hamstring strain, but returned to the lineup after the break.

Doncic is putting up spectacular numbers in his first full season with the Lakers, who acquired the Slovenian superstar from the Mavericks last season. He is averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game for Los Angeles, and he was named the NBA's Western Conference player of the month for March after racking up 13 consecutive 30-point performances, including seven 40-point games, a 51-point barrage against Chicago and a 60-point masterclass in Miami.

Doncic scored a whopping 600 points in March, becoming only the 10th player in NBA history to hit that mark in one month. While LeBron James and Austin Reaves have also played well down the stretch, the Lakers thoroughly depend on Doncic, who either scored or assisted on 58% of the their total points in March.

Doncic is all but certain to win his second NBA scoring title — but he has played in only 64 games this season, which means he will finish one game shy of the 65-game threshold to be eligible for the NBA's biggest postseason awards.

He was a lock to be an All-NBA selection, and he had even been making a late run at consideration for the MVP award with his outstanding play down the stretch.

Along with his two absences caused by hamstring injuries and a handful of additional absences for minor medical maintenance early in the season, Doncic missed two games last December while flying to Slovenia for the birth of his second child. He also missed one game last week under suspension for accumulating 16 technical fouls.

Since he sits just shy of the 65-game threshold, Doncic theoretically could challenge the rule by citing the extraordinary circumstances of his daughter's birth in Europe through the grievance process created for these collectively bargained rules. It's wholly unclear whether that appeal would have any chance of success.

If Doncic wins the scoring title but doesn't make the All-NBA teams, he would be only the third scoring champ in league history to fail to do so. Elvin Hayes wasn't selected when he won the crown as a rookie in 1969, and Bob McAdoo wasn't chosen for the teams in 1976.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic was injured in the first half against the Thunder, but was cleared to return to the game while his team was getting plastered by the defending NBA champion Thunder. Doncic lasted only about four minutes before he spun, stopped and went down on the court in pain, leading to his departure.

The loss was only the Lakers' third in 19 games since Feb. 26, but Doncic's absence casts a cloud of uncertainty over the rest of their year. Los Angeles only leads fourth-place Denver (49-28) by one game, while sixth-place Minnesota (46-30) is 3 1/2 games back with a game in hand.

The Lakers’ regular-season finale is next Sunday, April 12, at home against Utah. Their first-round playoff series is expected to start the following weekend.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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

You see them on granola bags, cereal boxes and a whole range of pantry products -- but how much weight should you actually put on those dates?

“It’s ideal to know when that food is going to be best utilized by. Now, that’s where it gets a little tricky. So that’s just an estimate,” said Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian with Cleveland Clinic.

Zumpano says there are three kinds of food expiration dates.

The first is “sell by,” which tells stores how long they should display an item for sale.

Then there’s “best by” or “best if used by,” which refers to when a product will have its best flavor and quality.

Finally, there’s “use by,” the last recommended day for a product to maintain peak quality.

“Shelf-stable items are usually the ones you can exceed their dates,” Zumpano said. “Things like dried goods, like rice and pasta and cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, beans -- things like that -- usually are pretty safe.”

She says to pay closer attention to expiration dates on perishable foods in the fridge, like meat and dairy. That’s where bacteria and mold are more likely to grow.

Zumpano recommends always using your senses. If you see mold, sliminess or discoloration, toss it. If it smells off, sour or moldy, throw it out. And if something doesn’t taste right, get rid of it.

“If it is past that date, using those senses — or if you feel better just tossing it, you can,” she said. “But the goal here is to reduce food waste.”

There are certain food items you should always pay attention to when it comes to expiration dates, including infant formula, which should never be used past its expiration date.

Yusiel Lopez Insua, 46, of Miami, faces a charge of seaman’s manslaughter in the July collision, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Insua didn’t have a clear view as the tugboat pushed a barge full of construction debris in Biscayne Bay, according to the office. There was also no one assigned as lookout as it sailed through the body of water sandwiched between Miami and Miami Beach, the office said.

The sailboat was carrying a counselor and five girls when it stalled in the barge’s path, and Insua didn’t see it before the collision, according to the statement. The girls were ages 7 to 13, while the counselor was 19, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The counselor and two girls were dragged under the barge, but were able to escape. The other three became trapped in the wreckage and drowned, according to the office.

“Our hearts are with the families of the children who lost their lives in this tragedy,” Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement. “This information alleges a preventable loss of life on our waterways, including the failure to follow basic maritime safety rules and cellphone use during transit at or near the time of the collision.”

The internet had also been accessed on Insua’s cellphone around the time of the collision, according to a forensic review.

Insua faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

The Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida did not immediately respond to queries about whether Insua has a lawyer.

Four of the children were rushed to a hospital, where a 7-year-old and 13-year-old were pronounced dead, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Days later, the Coast Guard said that a 10-year-old who had been in critical condition had also died.

The sailing boat had been submerged beneath the barge in Biscayne Bay, where there are several small islands, including Star Island, peppered with ritzy mansions.

The children were in their last week of camp, according to the Miami Yacht Club.

Across the U.S. in 2024, there were over 550 deaths in recreational boating, but only a sliver of those — 43 — were caused by vessels crashing into each other, according to Coast Guard statistics.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating how both Great hammerhead sharks were mutilated in March in Florida’s Treasure Coast.

The first carcass — without a dorsal fin and tail — was found on March 15 at Juno Beach. The second mutilated carcass with a tied rope was found on March 29 at Hobe Sound Beach.

There was a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and prosecution in the June Beach case after the Center for Biological Diversity added $4,000.

The FWC was offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and prosecution in the Hobe Sound Beach case.

To submit a tip about the cases, call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922 or visit this page.

For information about prohibited sharks, visit this FWC page.

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According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, a supervisor at the tax collector’s office notified investigators about the illegal activity on March 25.

Deputies said surveillance video was reviewed which showed the clerk, Waldersee Oge, 46, of North Miami, issuing temporary driving permits last month to at least four people who were not present in the office at 3721 NW Seventh St. in Miami’s Flagami neighborhood.

In one incident, Oge was seen on video speaking on his cellphone with one of the customers, gathering their personal information and then inputting that information into the Orion database.

According to the report, the supervisor became suspicious last week after witnessing Oge reviewing scanned documents within the customers motor maintenance system using the Orion database despite there not being any customers at the service counter at the time.

Detectives said Oge was taken into custody at his workplace Thursday and confessed to conducting multiple transactions in exchange for payments via Zelle.

Investigators said they’re looking into investigators are also looking into whether the recipients even had legal status in the United States.

“It’s possible they do not,” Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez said. “This issue is a national security issue for the United States of America. That is why we take this serious(ly).”

He faces numerous charges, including official misconduct by a public servant, unlawful compensation/reward for official behavior, offenses against computer users, unlawful use of a communications device, unlawful issuance of a driver’s license and falsifying public records.

As of Friday morning, Oge was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Online jail records listed his total bond as “to be set.”

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The TFO with ATF, deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service, is a sworn Davie police officer and Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy who works in the Gang Investigations Task Force, records show.

Prosecutors filed the complaints against Sunil Someria, his brother Anand Someria, and the brothers’ alleged employee Richarles Lake on March 19 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, records show.

“The brothers are large distributers of narcotics to include pressed fentanyl pills, powdered fentanyl, pressed Xanax, pressed Adderall, and cocaine,” the TFO with ATF wrote, according to the criminal complaint.

Anand Someria, 23; Sunil Someria, 25; and Lake, 24, were arraigned on Thursday on federal charges of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

The federal case includes the Miramar Lakes Apartment Complex property management’s July report, a confidential informant’s November tip, evidence of the trio’s alleged crimes from Dec. 6 to March 18, and their arrest on March 19, records show.

Sunil Someria, also known as “Kerm;” Anand Someria, also known as “Nadd” and “Ravi;” and Lake, also known as “OTG Lindo,” operated out of a “trap house” apartment on the first floor of 10747 South Preserve Way in Miramar, according to law enforcement.

“Both Sunil and Anand indicated that they carried firearms for protection during narcotics transactions,” the TFO with ATF wrote, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators reported seizing a black and gold Glock 43X, a black Smith and Wesson M&P .40 caliber handgun, and a black Glock 19 handgun. The list of drugs seized included more than 78 grams of fentanyl pills, more than 34 grams of MDMA pills, more than 132 grams of Xanax pills, 705 grams of marijuana, and about 40 grams of cocaine.

Here is the list of $43,500 in drug deals involving an ATF agent operating in an undercover capacity:

Related story: Feds arrest 5 after $16,000 undercover fentanyl deal ends 2-year probe in Broward, records show

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

Dominique Williams, who has lived in the area for years, says she knows the warning signs.

When the shoreline looks rough like it did Friday, she keeps her son from going too far into the water. She stayed close, watching him as waves and currents remained strong.

“Stay very shallow, close to where that bank is,” Williams said.

Officials say others aren’t taking the same precautions. Alex Bagwell with Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue says crews have already turned away at least 10 people from the water.

In Pompano Beach, a rescue caught on Sky 10 shows just how dangerous conditions have become. Authorities say rough seas pulled several people offshore, including a father who was swept out while trying to help his child.

Pompano Beach officials say at least six people were taken to a local hospital.

With conditions expected to stay dangerous through the weekend, officials are now considering closing the beach.

Según los registros, el agente del TFO de la ATF, autorizado por el Servicio de Alguaciles de Estados Unidos, es un oficial de policía juramentado de Davie y ayudante del sheriff del condado de Broward que trabaja en el Grupo de Trabajo de Investigaciones de Pandillas.

Según consta en los registros, la fiscalía presentó las denuncias contra Sunil Someria , su hermano Anand Someria y el presunto empleado de los hermanos, Richarles Lake, el 19 de marzo ante el Tribunal de Distrito de los Estados Unidos para el Distrito Sur de Florida.

Según la denuncia penal, “los hermanos son importantes distribuidores de narcóticos, entre ellos pastillas de fentanilo prensadas, fentanilo en polvo, Xanax prensado, Adderall prensado y cocaína”, escribió el oficial de operaciones tácticas de la ATF.

Anand Someria , de 23 años; Sunil Someria , de 25; y Lake , de 24, comparecieron el jueves ante el juez acusados ​​de delitos federales de posesión de un arma de fuego en relación con un delito de narcotráfico y conspiración para distribuir fentanilo.

Según consta en los registros, el caso federal incluye el informe de julio de la administración del complejo de apartamentos Miramar Lakes, una denuncia anónima de un informante confidencial en noviembre, pruebas de los presuntos delitos cometidos por el trío entre el 6 de diciembre y el 18 de marzo, y su detención el 19 de marzo .

Según las autoridades , Sunil Someria , también conocido como “Kerm”; Anand Someria , también conocido como “Nadd” y “Ravi”; y Lake , también conocido como “OTG Lindo”, operaban desde un apartamento que servía de base para el tráfico de drogas, ubicado en el primer piso del número 10747 de South Preserve Way en Miramar.

“Tanto Sunil como Anand indicaron que portaban armas de fuego para protegerse durante las transacciones de narcóticos”, escribió el oficial de operaciones tácticas de la ATF, según la denuncia penal.

Los investigadores informaron haber incautado una Glock 43X negra y dorada, una pistola Smith & Wesson M&P calibre .40 negra y una pistola Glock 19 negra. La lista de drogas incautadas incluía más de 78 gramos de pastillas de fentanilo, más de 34 gramos de pastillas de MDMA, más de 132 gramos de pastillas de Xanax, 705 gramos de marihuana y aproximadamente 40 gramos de cocaína.

Aquí está la lista de transacciones de drogas por valor de $43,500 dólares en las que participó un agente de la ATF que operaba de incógnito:

Carson Merlo, editor de noticias de Local 10 News, contribuyó a este reportaje.

The new Marine Minerals Administration will bring together the functions of the current Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. Doing so will enable a “streamlined approach” that will maintain existing regulatory protections and rigorous safety standards, he said.

The combined agency will “deliver clearer coordination, better service to the public and stronger, more integrated oversight of offshore energy development,” Burgum said in a statement.

The new name is reminiscent of the old Minerals Management Service, which for decades was the federal agency responsible for overseeing offshore drilling. In April 2010, a deadly explosion destroyed BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 people and discharging nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the sea over the next three months in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Lawmakers from both parties and outside critics accused the agency of lax oversight of drilling and cozy ties with industry. A 2008 report by the Interior Department’s inspector general said employees accepted gifts, steered contracts to favored clients and engaged in drug use and sex with employees of the energy firms they regulated.

The head of the agency resigned in May 2010 — less than a year into her tenure — under public pressure as the Obama administration moved to impose stricter control over drilling in the wake of the spill.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement replaced the disbanded Minerals Management Service in 2011. The former agency’s revenue management function was also separated into a new office. The Obama administration said the reorganization was designed to remove the complex and sometimes conflicting missions of the former agency.

BOEM oversees development of oil and gas, as well as renewable energy and mining on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, while BSEE enforces safety and environmental regulations.

Environmental groups slammed the reorganization as a replay of the agency's troubled past.

The MMS was intentionally split up after the Gulf spill because regulators were too cozy with industry and “we couldn’t trust the integrity of their work,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

The new set-up "sounds like yet another handout to the oil industry that will fast-track risky projects. It sure won’t make the people or wildlife on our coasts any safer,” she wrote in an e-mail Friday.

The National Ocean Industries Association, which represents offshore developers, said that two separate — yet overlapping — government agencies responsible for administering the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act can understandably result in inconsistencies and delays.

“Bringing them back together should result in closer coordination and a more efficiently functioning government, for the benefit of American citizens who rely upon the energy produced from the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf to fuel our economy and lift society,” Association President Erik Milito said in a statement.

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McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

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

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On Thursday, deputies released a “Missing Juvenile” flyer with a photo of the girl who was last seen at about 10 a.m., on Monday, in Biscayne Gardens.

“She was located in good health,” Detective Samantha Choon, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, wrote in a statement on Friday afternoon.

Detectives had asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call 911, 305-715-3300, or Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.

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According to Hollywood Fire Rescue, the fire was reported at 2:12 a.m. at the Hollywood Gateway Inn, located in the 2900 block of Polk Street.

“Upon arrival, crews located a working fire on the east side of the building, which was quickly brought under control,” HFR said in an email to Local 10. “The majority of occupants had already self‑evacuated.”

Wilson Rodriguez, who was staying at the hotel, told Local 10 that he was awakened by someone yelling “fire!”

“As we opened the door, all we see is fire and a lot of smoke,” Rodriguez said. “We had people jumping from the balcony. We saved a lady with her daughter.”

Firefighters confirmed two people were assisted from a second‑floor balcony and were evaluated for smoke inhalation, but they both declined to be transported to the hospital.

They said two additional occupants were transported to a local hospital for injuries they sustained while evacuating the building.

In all, more than 60 people were evacuated from the building.

Firefighters said the blaze has been extinguished and crews spent about an hour “conducting overhaul operations.”

Firefighters believe the fire started on the second floor, inside one of the rooms, and said it appears to be accidental and electrical in nature.

An HFR spokesperson noted that the building’s smoke alarms “operated exactly as they should,” crediting the smoke alarms for helping save lives.

“Hollywood Fire Rescue reminds the community that working smoke alarms save lives,” the spokesperson said. “We encourage everyone to test their alarms regularly, replace batteries as needed, and ensure every home has functioning alarms on every level.”

Rodriguez told Local 10 that he’s happy to see another day.

“Anything can happen on any given day,” he said. “You wake up in the morning and have one expectation for how the day might end but you never really know what could happen.”

It’s unclear when people will be allowed back into the hotel.

Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — the first four hitters in the Los Angeles lineup — all homered Friday in a 13-6 win over the Washington Nationals. It was Tucker's first home run since joining the Dodgers. It was Ohtani's first RBI of the season.

“Rome isn't burning,” manager Dave Roberts cracked.

There wasn't much panic from Roberts before the game, even with Ohtani (.167), Tucker (.174), Betts (.136) and Freeman (.208) all in a bit of a funk through the first six games of the season. Then the first six hitters went down in order before the Dodgers broke through in the third.

Ohtani's three-run shot to right tied the game at 3, and Betts connected for a two-run homer two batters later.

“It's a new day. That's really it,” Betts said. “Nobody in here is panicking or anything. One week, tough week. That probably is not going to be our last week that we don't hit well.”

Andy Pages hit a two-run homer in the fourth that made it 7-4, then Freeman added a two-run shot in the fifth. Tucker's solo homer in the seventh capped a three-hit day for the outfielder who signed a $240 million, four-year deal to go from the Chicago Cubs to the Dodgers.

“It was nice. First homer — first actual ball I've hit in the air well, out in front and everything,” Tucker said. “You can't complain when you hit a homer.”

The first four hitters for Los Angeles combined to go 8 for 21 with four homers, 10 RBIs and six runs. The Dodgers tagged Miles Mikolas for a career-high 11 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

“I think a little bit of it is we've had a lot of history with Mikolas,” Roberts said “We've seen him, know some of his tendencies. Outside of that, they were just not missing today.”

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

The threat of cutting funding to cash-starved schools that don’t comply is real, even if the stricter rules Trump wants to come out of the executive order he signed Friday could take a while to figure out.

In the order signed hours before the women’s Final Four tipped off one of the biggest weekends in college sports, Trump went after eligibility rules, transfers and the spiraling costs associated with an industry that now pays its players millions of dollars per year.

He called on federal agencies to ensure schools are following the rules and threatened to choke off federal grants and funding — a similar approach his administration has taken to force universities around the country to alter policies involving diversity, equity and inclusion, transgender rights and even the kinds of classes they offer.

In some ways, forcing those changes might seem like child’s play compared to making major changes to college sports. The NCAA, the newly created College Sports Commission, the four power conferences, dozens more smaller ones and hundreds of educational institutions all have a say here: It’s a big reason Congress, which Trump instructed to act quickly, has been stuck for more than a year on this.

“I'm glad to know the President wants Congress to pass something,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a key member of the Senate committee looking into changes, who mentioned ongoing bipartisan negotiations.

Trump’s order was his second since last July and it included a laundry list of proposed fixes, many of which lawmakers and college leaders have been pushing for since the approval of a $2.8 billion settlement changed the face of games that were once played by pure amateurs.

In one of the more clear-cut demands in this order, Trump called for “clear, consistent and fair eligibility limits, including a five-year participation window," that limits athletes to one transfer with one more available once they get a four-year degree.

“I'm extremely supportive of the President's order,” said Cody Campbell, the Texas Tech regent and billionaire who is helping shape policy. “I'm very excited that we're making progress and look forward to continued work in the (Congress) to permanently preserve a system that's done so much for America.”

At a college sports roundtable he hosted last month, Trump said he anticipated any order he signed would trigger litigation. Athletes have largely won the freedom to transfer almost at will via the portal along with the ability to be paid by schools that are now doling out more than $20 million a year to their athletes.

Some of those players have also been suing the NCAA about eligibility limits, and their right to do that has been a major sticking point in the Congressional deliberations.

Trump also raised the need to fix revenue-sharing in a way that protects Olympic sports, which are most in peril if the college funding model spirals out of control.

Sarah Hirshland, the CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said Trump's order “sends an important signal about the value of preserving and promoting investment in women’s and men’s collegiate Olympic sports in America.”

As much as the changes he directs, Trump’s call for the Education Department, the Federal Trade Commission and the attorney general’s office to evaluate “whether violations of such rules render a university unfit for Federal grants and contracts” stands out as a way to force change.

Several universities across the country have made policy changes to comply with federal orders and avoid funding-related showdowns with the government. It hasn't prevented big-named schools like Penn State and Florida State from facing huge debts.

“From what I saw, some of the social media traffic, it’s pretty clear that he made clear that we need Congressional action to sort of seal the deal on a number of these things, which is good, because we do," NCAA President Charlie Baker said.

Commissioners at the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern Conference released statements thanking Trump for weighing in, with the ACC's Jim Phillips saying “there continues to be significant momentum to preserve the athletic and academic opportunities for the next generation of student-athletes and we appreciate the ongoing efforts.”

Attorney Mit Winter, who follows college sports law, said the order is likely to set up a situation where the NCAA and schools have to decide whether to follow a federal court order or an executive order.

“Either way, we’re likely going to see litigation challenging the EO by athletes and third parties,” Winter said.

University of Nebraska president Jeffrey Gold said he didn't want to try to predict what the courts would do.

“But it is critical to what we must do to keep college athletics in line with what we do," Gold said. “The roundtable a few weeks ago showed there is a profound sense of urgency around this.”

___

AP Sports Writers Maura Carey, David Brandt and Eric Olson contributed to this report.

___

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U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff gave the deal preliminary approval Thursday and set a final approval hearing for Aug. 27. He also ordered lawyers to submit to him by Friday a broader list of publications to be used to notify Epstein victims that the settlement fund exists.

The judge said he wanted to ensure “nobody is left out.”

Lawyers for women abused by Epstein had sued the bank, saying it ignored suspicious financial transactions involving Epstein that occurred while he was abusing girls and women from June 2008 to his arrest in early July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges.

Epstein died in August 2019 in a Manhattan federal jail. The death was ruled a suicide.

At the hearing Thursday, attorney David Boies said lawyers for the victims believed between 60 and 75 women will make claims that would make them eligible for payouts from the settlement fund.

He said “there may be more we haven’t identified.”

Rakoff said that “while it’s perhaps extremely likely that the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s monstrous acts can never be fully compensated, the victims are entitled to receive just compensation from any person or entity that knowingly, recklessly or otherwise unlawfully facilitated his sexual trafficking.”

In a statement, the bank said: “While we stand by our prior statements made in the filings in this case, including that Bank of America did not facilitate sex trafficking crimes, this resolution allows us to put this matter behind us and provides further closure for the plaintiffs.”

A spokesperson for the American Airlines Center told WFAA-TV in Dallas that the arena has “zero tolerance for any acts of hate and/or discrimination.”

“We strongly denounce the actions that appear to be depicted in the video footage and are conducting an internal investigation,” the spokesperson said. “All fans and attendees are expected to adhere to AAC and, as applicable, NBA or NHL Codes of Conduct when attending events.”

A Stars fan, Courtney Ripley, told the television station she took a 12-second video at a game against Toronto in late December. It shows four fans reacting to a goal by appearing to raise and extend their right arms with a straightened right hand facing downward. The video gained traction this week on several social media platforms.

A Stars spokesperson told ESPN on Thursday that the team is “fully aligned with the arena’s statement and working with them to find out exactly what happened.”

Fan codes of conduct are prominent throughout the NHL. Every team has a scripted segment that is shared on their video boards, through their public address system or both, telling fans about their respective codes of conduct.

The NHL also has a multipoint fan code of conduct that opens by stating, “The best hockey experiences happen in environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful.”

The NHL said possible punishments for violating the code of conduct include ejection, suspension or a lifetime ban from future events.

___

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

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Matthew, 12, was born with a congenital heart condition that went undetected until a routine doctor’s visit.

His mother, Yessenia Sierra, said she suspected something was wrong and sought additional opinions before turning to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

“It was a birth defect that he was born with and was never discovered, which does require open-heart surgery,” Sierra said.

At Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, doctors led by Dr. Shyam Sathanandam used virtual reality technology to build a 3D model of Matthew’s heart, allowing the medical team to study and rehearse the procedure before performing it.

Sathanandam said the approach allowed the team to treat the defect using a minimally invasive catheter-based procedure rather than traditional surgery.

“There was no cutting, no stitching. I don’t even know if the mom even saw how we entered his body, but we did it minimally invasive and fixed his heart,” he said.

The VR system gave doctors a detailed view of the defect and helped guide placement of a graft to repair the issue.

“To some degree, we are plumbers, but we use gaming technology pretty much,” Sathanandam said.

The hospital said Nicklaus Children’s is among the few facilities using virtual reality in this way during actual procedures, rather than only for planning and simulation.

Sierra said she was relieved to learn there was an alternative to open-heart surgery.

“Learning I had an alternative that would save his life and heart was really amazing,” she said.

Matthew recovered quickly and was back home within days, his mother said.

“Within two days being home he was already happy, telling everyone thank you,” she said.

Now, Matthew has returned to everyday activities, including playing baseball.

“I finally have my Phillies jersey. I play again in August. I have a lot of friends there,” he said.

Sierra said the outcome has been life-changing for her son.

“It’s about having a doctor who tells you, ‘I’ve got this. He’s going to be fine,’ And that changed the world for me,”' she said.

Sathanandam said cases like Matthew’s highlight the importance of combining medical expertise with new technology.

“For her to trust us to do the right thing on her son, and then to do it, and then today I see Matthew, and he’s an ordinary 12-year-old boy,” he said.

To donate to American Heart Association as part of Local 10 anchor Jenise Fernandez’s “Woman of Impact” campaign, you can click here.

Funcionarios de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade dijeron que un agente le disparó a Cournelious Comer, de 15 años, tras responder a una llamada por amenaza con arma en el parque JL (Joe) and Enid W. Demps, en 11350 SW 216th St., en el área de Goulds.

Las autoridades indicaron que el agente se encontró con cuatro personas y abrió fuego tras un enfrentamiento cercano en la cuadra 11200 de Southwest 220th Terrace. Según un informe de arresto, Comer estaba corriendo cuando cayó y giró con el arma en la mano apuntando hacia los agentes.

La oficina del sheriff compartió una imagen del arma que, según dijeron, fue recuperada en la escena.

“Estamos agradecidos de que nadie más resultó herido y de que él está en condición estable”, dijo el sheriff asistente de MDSO, Fernand Charles. “Debemos asegurarnos de estar atentos a lo que nuestros hijos hacen día a día, porque a las 3:30 de la tarde, que un joven de 15 años esté caminando con un arma de fuego no es legal ni aceptable”.

Familiares de Comer disputan esa versión y afirman que el agente nunca se identificó.

“No sé nada de armas de fuego ni nada”, dijo la tía Asia Spann. “Él no disparó ningún arma, no le disparó a la policía, según tengo entendido, pero ¿por qué simplemente llegaron y, sin causa conocida, comenzaron a disparar? Eso es lo que quiero saber”.

Además de Comer, los agentes también arrestaron a Phil Phillips, de 17 años. Tanto él como Comer enfrentan cargos graves.

Matthew, de 12 años, nació con una condición cardíaca congénita que no fue detectada hasta una visita médica de rutina.

Su madre, Yessenia Sierra, dijo que sospechaba que algo no estaba bien y buscó otras opiniones antes de acudir al Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

“Era un defecto de nacimiento con el que nació y nunca fue descubierto, lo que sí requiere cirugía a corazón abierto”, dijo Sierra.

En el Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, médicos liderados por el Dr. Shyam Sathanandam utilizaron tecnología de realidad virtual para crear un modelo en 3D del corazón de Matthew, lo que permitió al equipo médico estudiar y practicar el procedimiento antes de realizarlo.

Sathanandam dijo que este enfoque permitió tratar el defecto mediante un procedimiento mínimamente invasivo basado en catéter en lugar de una cirugía tradicional.

“No hubo cortes, ni suturas. Ni siquiera sé si la madre vio cómo entramos en su cuerpo, pero lo hicimos de manera mínimamente invasiva y arreglamos su corazón”, dijo.

El sistema de realidad virtual dio a los médicos una vista detallada del defecto y ayudó a guiar la colocación de un injerto para reparar el problema.

“En cierto modo, somos plomeros, pero usamos prácticamente tecnología de videojuegos”, dijo Sathanandam.

El hospital indicó que Nicklaus Children’s está entre los pocos centros que utilizan la realidad virtual de esta manera durante procedimientos reales, no solo para planificación y simulación.

Sierra dijo que se sintió aliviada al saber que existía una alternativa a la cirugía a corazón abierto.

“Saber que tenía una alternativa que salvaría su vida y su corazón fue realmente increíble”, dijo.

Matthew se recuperó rápidamente y regresó a casa en pocos días, según su madre.

“A los dos días de estar en casa ya estaba feliz, dándole las gracias a todos”, dijo.

Ahora, Matthew ha vuelto a sus actividades diarias, incluido jugar béisbol.

“Por fin tengo mi camiseta de los Phillies. Vuelvo a jugar en agosto. Tengo muchos amigos allí”, dijo.

Sierra afirmó que el resultado ha cambiado la vida de su hijo.

“Se trata de tener un médico que te diga: ‘Yo me encargo. Él va a estar bien’. Y eso me cambió la vida”, dijo.

Sathanandam señaló que casos como el de Matthew destacan la importancia de combinar la experiencia médica con nuevas tecnologías.

“Que ella confiara en nosotros para hacer lo correcto por su hijo, y luego hacerlo, y hoy ver a Matthew como un niño de 12 años normal”, dijo.

Para donar a la American Heart Association como parte de la campaña “Woman of Impact” de la presentadora de Local 10, Jenise Fernandez, puede hacer clic aquí.

Trent Grisham reached leading off with the first of 11 walks by Marlins pitchers and Judge drove a slider into the left-field seats against Eury Pérez (0-1).

Judge, who had three RBIs, hit a record 20 first-inning home runs last year, when he finished with 53. Three of Judge’s five hits this season have been home runs.

Ben Rice homered and hit a two-run double for the Yankees.

Will Warren (1-0) allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings, including solo homers by Xavier Edwards in the first and Owen Caissie in the fifth.

Miami entered the game at 5-1, matching its franchise-best start, and had spent six days atop the NL East — double its total for 2021-25 combined. Miami pitchers had their most walks since April 2023; they had walked just nine in the team’s first six games.

Pérez (0-1) allowed four runs, two hits and a career-high six walks in four innings. He forced in runs on consecutive pitches in the second when he walked Grisham and hit Judge. Tyler Phillips threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the sixth.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and José Caballero each had two stolen bases and Judge one off catcher Liam Hicks, who has allowed 60 steals in 66 attempts since reaching the major leagues last year.

Up Next

Yankees LHP Ryan Weathers (0-0), acquired from the Marlins in January, starts Saturday night against Miami RHP Max Meyer (0-0).

___

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

El hecho representó una dramática escalada en la guerra apenas dos días después que el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump dijera en un discurso transmitido a nivel nacional que Estados Unidos ha “vencido y completamente diezmado a Irán” y que “iba a terminar el trabajo, y lo vamos a terminar muy rápido”.

El rescate ocurrió en una operación de búsqueda del ejército de estadounidense, de acuerdo con el funcionario estadounidense y el israelí. Tres personas familiarizadas con el caso también confirmaron que se estaba llevando a cabo una búsqueda. Todos hablaron bajo condición de anonimato debido a la delicadeza de la situación.

No se dieron a conocer detalles oficiales. Por el momento se desconoce el número de tripulantes a bordo y el paradero de cualquier otro.

Las circunstancias que derribaron el avión no estaban claras al principio. Pero según un correo electrónico del Pentágono obtenido por The Associated Press, el ejército de Estados Unidos indicó que recibió notificación de “una aeronave derribada” en Oriente Medio. El correo electrónico no proporcionó más detalles.

Irán disparó el viernes contra objetivos en todo Oriente Medio, al tiempo que Teherán continuaba presionando a Israel y sus vecinos árabes del golfo Pérsico, pese a las afirmaciones de Estados Unidos e Israel de que las capacidades militares iraníes han quedado prácticamente destruidas.

Los ataques de Irán contra la infraestructura energética de la región y su férreo control del estrecho de Ormuz, por el que en tiempos de paz transita una quinta parte del petróleo y el gas natural que se comercializa en el mundo, han sacudido los mercados bursátiles, dispararon el precio del crudo y amenazaron con elevar el costo de muchos productos básicos, incluyendo los alimentos.

Derribo de avión podría marcar nuevo nivel de presión sobre EEUU

Antes de conocerse el rescate, imágenes en redes sociales mostraron drones, aeronaves y helicópteros estadounidenses volando sobre la región montañosa donde un canal de televisión afiliado a la televisión estatal iraní había dicho más temprano el viernes que al menos un piloto se lanzó del avión de combate.

El presentador del canal iraní instó a la población a entregar a cualquier “piloto enemigo” a la policía y prometió una recompensa.

Fue la primera vez que Estados Unidos pierde una aeronave en territorio iraní durante el conflicto y podría marcar un nuevo nivel de presión sobre el ejército estadounidense.

A lo largo de la guerra, Irán ha hecho una serie de afirmaciones sobre haber derribado aeronaves enemigas tripuladas que resultaron no ser ciertas. El viernes fue la primera vez que Irán fue a la televisión instando a la audiencia a buscar a un presunto piloto derribado.

Medios estatales iraníes indicaron en una publicación en X que el ejército de Irán derribó un F-15E Strike Eagle de Estados Unidos. La aeronave es una variación del avión de combate de la Fuerza Aérea que lleva una tripulación de dos personas , compuesta por un piloto y un oficial de sistemas de armas.

Alan Diehl, un exinvestigador del Centro de Seguridad de la Fuerza Aérea, dijo que el Strike Eagle tiene una baliza localizadora de emergencia en un kit de supervivencia que se puede configurar para activarse automática o manualmente.

El Pentágono no respondió a repetidas solicitudes de comentarios.

La secretaria de prensa de la Casa Blanca, Karoline Leavitt, señaló en un comunicado previo que Trump había sido informado al respecto, pero no ofreció información adicional.

Irán ataca planta desalinizadora y refinería

La noticia sobre el avión de combate se dio luego que la refinería kuwaití de Mina al-Ahmadi fuera atacada por Irán, y la estatal Kuwait Petroleum Corp. informó que los bomberos trataban de controlar varios incendios.

Kuwait también señaló que un ataque iraní causó “daños materiales” en una planta desalinizadora. Estas instalaciones proporcionan la mayor parte del agua potable que se consume en los Estados del golfo Pérsico y se han convertido en un objetivo clave en la guerra.

En Baréin, las sirenas antiaéreas advirtieron de ataques iraníes, Arabia Saudí anunció que había destruido varios drones iraníes e Israel reportó la llegada de misiles.

Las autoridades de Emiratos Árabes Unidos cerraron un yacimiento de gas luego que, según reportes, la interceptación de un misil arrojara escombros y causara un incendio.

Activistas reportaron ataques en los alrededores de Teherán y en Isfahán, una ciudad del centro del Irán, pero no estaba claro qué objetivos habían sido impactados. Un día antes, Teherán indicó que Estados Unidos había destruido un puente importante, que aún estaba en construcción, en un ataque que mató a ocho personas.

En Líbano, donde Israel ha lanzado una invasión terrestre en su lucha contra el grupo político-paramilitar Hezbollah, respaldado por Irán, un ataque con dron israelí contra fieles que salían de las oraciones del viernes cerca de Beirut mató a dos personas, según la estatal Agencia Nacional de Noticias.

Más de 1.900 personas han muerto en Irán desde que la guerra comenzó el 28 de febrero con ataques de Estados Unidos e Israel. En una revisión publicada el viernes, Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, un grupo con sede en Estados Unidos, afirmó que encontró que las bajas civiles se centraban en torno a ataques contra instalaciones de seguridad y vinculadas al Estado “en lugar de un bombardeo indiscriminado” de zonas urbanas.

Más de dos docenas de personas han perdido la vida en Estados del golfo y en la Cisjordania ocupada, 19 decesos han sido reportados en Israel, y 13 miembros del servicio de Estados Unidos han muerto.

En Líbano fallecieron más de 1.300 personas y más de un millón se vieron obligadas a abandonar sus hogares. Allí también han muerto 10 soldados israelíes.

Irán mantiene férreo control del estrecho de Ormuz

Los líderes mundiales han tenido dificultades para poner fin al estrangulamiento de Irán sobre el estrecho, que ha tenido consecuencias de gran alcance para la economía global y ha demostrado ser su mayor ventaja estratégica en la guerra.

Se esperaba que el Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU abordara el asunto el sábado.

Trump ha oscilado sobre el papel de Estados Unidos en el estrecho, alternando entre amenazar a Irán si no abre la vía fluvial y decir a otras naciones que “vayan a conseguir su propio petróleo”. El viernes, Trump indicó en una publicación en redes sociales que: “Con un poco más de tiempo, podemos fácilmente ABRIR EL ESTRECHO DE ORMUZ, TOMAR EL PETRÓLEO y HACER UNA FORTUNA”.

Con el estrecho de Ormuz cerrado, los precios al contado del crudo Brent, el referente internacional, rondaban los 109 dólares el viernes, un aumento mayor al 50% del precio que tenía al inicio de la guerra, cuando Irán comenzó a restringir el tráfico a través de él.

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Mednick reportó desde Tel Aviv, Israel, y Toropin y Kim reportaron desde Washington. Los periodistas de The Associated Press Sylvie Corbet en París, Sarah El Deeb en Beirut, Tong-hyung Kim en Seúl, Corea del Sur, y Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro y Ben Finley en Washington contribuyeron a este despacho.

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Officials with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said a deputy shot Cournelious Comer, 15, after responding to a gun threat call at JL (Joe) and Enid W. Demps Park at 11350 SW 216th St., in the county’s Goulds area.

MDSO officials said the deputy encountered four people and opened fire after a confrontation nearby in the 11200 block of Southwest 220th Terrace. According to an arrest report, Comer was running away when he fell and flipped over with the gun in his hand pointed at deputies.

The sheriff’s office shared a picture of the gun they said they recovered at the scene.

“We’re just grateful that nobody else got hurt and that he is in stable condition,” MDSO Assistant Sheriff Fernand Charles said. “We need to make sure that we’re mindful of what our children are doing day in and day out, because it is 3:30 in the afternoon, a 15-year-old is walking around with a firearm, which is not legal or acceptable.”

Family members of Comer dispute that account and claim the deputy never identified himself.

“I don’t know about no firearms or whatever,” aunt Asia Spann said. “He didn’t shoot no firearms, shoot at the police, you know, to my understanding, but why did they just jump out and unknown cause, they just start shooting? That’s what I want to know.”

Aside from Comer, deputies also arrested 17-year-old Phil Phillips. Both he and Comer are facing felony charges.

Trent Grisham reached leading off with the first of 11 walks by Marlins pitchers and Judge drove a slider into the left-field seats against Eury Pérez (0-1).

Judge, who had three RBIs, hit a record 20 first-inning home runs last year, when he finished with 53. Three of Judge's five hits this season have been home runs.

Ben Rice homered and hit a two-run double for the Yankees.

Will Warren (1-0) allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings, including solo homers by Xavier Edwards in the first and Owen Caissie in the fifth.

Miami entered the game at 5-1, matching its franchise-best start, and had spent six days atop the NL East — double its total for 2021-25 combined. Miami pitchers had their most walks since April 2023; they had walked just nine in the team's first six games.

Pérez (0-1) allowed four runs, two hits and a career-high six walks in four innings. He forced in runs on consecutive pitches in the second when he walked Grisham and hit Judge. Tyler Phillips threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the sixth.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and José Caballero each had two stolen bases and Judge one off catcher Liam Hicks, who has allowed 60 steals in 66 attempts since reaching the major leagues last year.

Up Next

Yankees LHP Ryan Weathers (0-0), acquired from the Marlins in January, starts Saturday night against Miami RHP Max Meyer (0-0).

___

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

The juvenile, whose age and gender have not been made public, was arrested on suspicion of murder on Thursday, Los Angeles Police Officer Charles Miller said. The arrest stems from the Feb. 25 death of 12-year-old Khimberly Zavaleta Chuquipa.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, which will be responsible for filing charges, said Friday that the case was under investigation.

Miller said that he couldn’t release any other information because both the victim and the suspect are juveniles. Khimberly's family says she was struck in the head on Feb. 17 during a bullying incident at Reseda Charter High School, which also includes a middle school.

“This arrest is an important step toward accountability, but an arrest alone does not equal justice and does not answer the larger question of how this was allowed to happen in the first place,” Robert Glassman, the family’s attorney, said in email Friday.

Khimberly was in a hallway on the school’s campus when she was struck in the head with a metal water bottle while trying to help her older sister, Sharon Zavaleta, who was being bullied by a group of students, the family said in the wrongful-death claim filed last month against the Los Angeles Unified School District.

She was taken to Valley Presbyterian Hospital, where she was evaluated and released the same day. Three days later, she was taken to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, where she was placed in an induced coma and underwent emergency brain surgery to try to stop a hemorrhage, the family said. She died Feb. 25.

Glassman said the family has not ruled out taking legal action against Valley Presbyterian Hospital but that they are focused on supporting each other and holding the Los Angeles Unified School District accountable for its failure to intervene long before the fatal attack.

The sisters had been bullied, harassed and physically attacked for months at school, and their mother reported the incidents to school officials, who failed to stop the abuse, he said.

“The focus cannot stop with one student — there must be a hard look at what the adults in charge knew, when they knew it, and why meaningful action wasn’t taken sooner,” Glassman said.

A spokesperson for LAUSD said the district does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation.

Last month, a 12-year-old girl died days after collapsing in the street following a fistfight near a school bus stop in her Georgia neighborhood, according to police.

Jada West, a sixth grader, died after a fight with another student from Mason Creek Middle School broke out at an intersection near hear home.

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They say a man’s home is his castle, but for Knox, his beloved castle has succumbed to years of decay.

“It was actually in my family a long time ago,” he told Local 10 News. “Then the roof started leaking and long story, from there it went down and insurance got out the door, and here I am.”

The 75-year-old former school teacher, who enjoys gardening, bought the home in 1980 with his wife, Clara.

But now, the spaces in the three-bedroom, one-bath home are barely recognizable.

Yet, in the midst of the peeling paint, cracked walls and gaping holes are tangible reminders of a life that once was.

What little else Knox has left is contained in a storage unit.

All of it is precious to him, enough for him to keep vigil overnight.

“If I sleep here, I sleep in the car,” he said. “I just look at the house and try to get my focus together and get rest.”

And rest from his worries may soon be possible, thanks to the kindness of volunteers.

“We have the right engineer now putting together the final permitting to get the project started, and we won’t have to demolish the home and we are very happy about that,” Wiki Voice co-founder Joe Puentes said.

Wiki Voice is a nonprofit dedicated to serving those in need.

Puentes rallied some industry professionals to donate time and materials, but is calling on others to lend a hand.

“Roofing, plumbing -- there’s still quite a few things needed for the home,” he explained.

It’s a massive undertaking. But Knox is hopeful the community will respond and his home of 46 years will be restored to its former glory.

“I told my wife one time, ‘I got faith that this is actually going to happen,’” Knox said. “And now that absolutely looks like (that is) what is going to happen. Thank goodness.”

While a core team has been assembled to help Knox, roofers, plumbers and landscapers are still needed.

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Asked whether he’s thinking about reaching 50 goals and catching Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL lead, Caufield deadpanned, “No.” After a brief pause, he smiled and said, “Yeah,” and laughter ensued.

“We’re focused on our team game and winning games, and I think individual stuff comes with that,” Caufield said. “Doing the right things, you get more chances and opportunities. Obviously, it helps when you’re winning games and stuff.”

The Canadiens are winning enough to emerge as a contender to hoist the Stanley Cup and end Canada’s drought that dates to their championship in 1993. They’ve raised a Cup banner more recently than they’ve had a 50-goal scorer, and Caufield has a chance to be the first member of the storied franchise to get to that mark since Stephane Richer in 1990.

"I didn’t know it was (nearly) 40 years," teammate Alex Newhook said. “It’s been fun to watch. It seems like he keeps scoring every night. We’re happy for him. We’re pushing for him. Hopefully he keeps this thing rolling.”

Caufield rolled out of the Olympic break — after not making the U.S. roster — with 17 goals in 17 games, the most of any player in the league. His 83 points are already 13 clear of his previous career high.

“He’s on a tremendous heater right now,” Canadiens captain and leading scorer Nick Suzuki said. “He’s just playing the right way, doing the right things and he’s getting rewarded for it.”

Caufield wasn't always this complete of a player. Undersized at 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds and counted on to produce to offset some defensive inefficiencies, he got sent down to Laval of the American Hockey League in the fall of 2021 when he had no goals and just one assist in 10 games with the Canadiens.

"I think it was worth it," Caufield said, crediting coaches, linemates and others for helping him round out his play. “There’s still a lot more room to grow in my game. I think progressing every year with the team and the staff that we have, it’s pretty easy to kind of find yourself working every day. I think it’s just an addiction to kind of find ways to get better.”

Opponents have noticed the progress from Caufield, who turned 25 in January.

“He thinks the game at a real high level,” New York Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s the combination that gives him the competitive advantage that he has. He’s a really good player.”

Sullivan, a two-time Cup champion who also coached the U.S. to gold at the Olympics, called Montreal “one of the emerging teams in the league” because of the mix of high-end skill and speed all over the roster. The Canadiens move the puck around at a rapid pace — on the ice and into the net.

Caufield is a big part of that. Among players with 100 shots on net this season, only two are scoring at a higher rate than his 21.2%, tormenting goaltenders and delighting teammates happy to pick up another assist.

“I enjoy it,” linemate Juraj Slafkovsky said. "You have a goal-scorer like this, you can always pass to him and there is a big chance it’s going in." That’s what we’re trying to do. I hope he can get (to 50) as soon as possible and get a lot more."

The gravity of the situation isn't lost on Caufield, who would be just the seventh Canadiens player to score 50 goals in a season, joining Richer (twice), Guy Lafleur (six times), Steve Shutt, Bernie Geoffrion, Pierre Larouche and Maurice Richard. If he passes MacKinnon and finishes with the most in the NHL, he'd also win the Maurice “Rocket" Richard Trophy named after one of the most decorated players in franchise history.

Caufield insists he's “still hungry." This pursuit, followed by an even more important one in the playoffs, keeps him that way.

“Certainly it’s a good feeling to be producing, but at the end of the day I think I’ve grown a lot as a player and I’m just going to try and continue to do that,” Caufield said. “For me, right now, I still feel like there’s more out there.”

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

The annual Marshmallow Drop, hosted by Wayne County Parks, took place two hours apart in Trenton, Michigan, and Westland, Michigan.

“It was great. The weather is beautiful, and I think this is a great thing to do with all the kids to start off Easter and the weekend, so yeah, I think it’s wonderful,” said Anna Grote (GROH’-tee), a Westland resident who attended with her boyfriend and his 10-year-old son.

Hundreds of children at each place cheered as the helicopter passed by on its way to the drop zone. Once there, a passenger unloaded the treats out of a sack and onto the grass below. The helicopter made three passes, dropping marshmallows for kids in different age groups.

David Alexander was in Westland with his two kids, 7 and 10. The Inkster resident encouraged them “to be the first ones at the line.”

“Ready, set, go. Be the first one, take off,” he said.

Officials stressed that, although tempting, the marshmallow must not be eaten, because they struck the ground. Instead, kids exchanged the fluffy treats for a prize.

Some kids snatched up way more than one, and their parents kindly dumped most back onto the turf, allowing other kids a shot at it.

“Everybody was nice. There wasn't any pushing, there wasn't any shoving, no fighting,” said Alexander, a first-time attendee.

Grote said her boyfriend's son “did not have any difficulty at all” in procuring a marshmallow.

“The thrill of the hunt, right,” she said, laughing.

When her 20-year-old son Emilio Alejandro Leyva walked out of the doors of the detention facility with dozens of other prisoners, bags and a small release document in hand, she wrapped her arms around her son, who was detained for a robbery, for the first time in years.

“It has been so difficult, but today God has given me so much joy,” said Arias, 43, breaking down in tears. “Today, I feel so happy. This is how all mothers who will have their children released today should feel.”

The outpouring of joy from families comes the day after Cuba's government said it was going to release 2,010 prisoners in what it said was “humanitarian gestures” ahead of Holy Week. But the releases were quickly met with criticisms by human rights groups who said they hadn't seen evidence that those who were released included any of the 1,214 people they have registered as being imprisoned for political reasons.

The government denies holding political prisoners. With very little information provided by the government, it wasn't immediately clear how many people were released on Friday.

The release comes as the Cuban government navigates extreme pressure and a crippling oil blockade by the Trump administration, which has openly expressed its desire for regime change and the release of those arrested for protesting.

Uncertainty over released prisoners

On Friday, detainees in the La Lima prison on the rural outskirts of Havana said they were woken up at 6 a.m. and heard their names called out. Hours later they were walking into the arms of loved ones awaiting them in front of blue prison gates.

The prisoners interviewed Friday by The Associated Press were not serving time for political charges. It's uncertain how many of those released were protesters — often charged with public disorder, contempt or terrorism. Many of the more than one thousand people the activist organization Prisoners Defended has registered as detained for political reasons were protesters from the 2021 mass demonstrations on the island, which were met with widespread arrests by the government.

Sporadic protests have broken out in recent months as the island sinks into a deeper crisis. In one March incident, protesters burned the headquarters of the communist party in central Cuba, leading to five arrests.

The lack of information over releases on Friday fueled frustration among human rights and opposition groups, who said the releases were a good sign, but fell short of real change.

“The government presents it as a humanitarian gesture toward prisoners, not as the release of political prisoners,” said Manuel Cuesta Morúa, leader of the Council for Democratic Transition in Cuba, the island’s main opposition platform. “By doing so, it mixes things up to avoid giving the impression that it recognizes political imprisonment in Cuba.”

The group has demanded a government amnesty law and says that people who were previously freed are often placed under house arrest or live under conditions where they can't speak freely.

During a previous release of 51 people in March, organizations monitoring prisons in Cuba noted that 22 had political motives in their cases.

The nongovernmental organization Justicia 11J wrote in a statement Friday that no partial release can be considered progress “as long as the criminalization of the exercise of fundamental rights persists.”

“Although every release represents immediate relief, especially for families, in a context marked by the severity of conditions in the country’s prisons … we warn that this gesture does not constitute a change in the repressive policy of the Cuban state,” the organization said.

US pressure on Cuba

The releases come as U.S.-Cuban tensions are running high. The Trump administration has suffocated the island by imposing an oil blockade, pushing the already stricken island to the brink, crippling hospitals and increasing the number of islandwide blackouts.

Cubans were offered a brief moment of relief this week when U.S. President Donald Trump said the government allowed a Russian ship carrying a nine to 10 day supply of fuel to the island. It wasn't clear if the Cuban or Russian governments made any concessions to allow the shipment to go through. A second Russian tanker is on the way.

Cuba periodically frees prisoners at key moments.

In January 2025, Cuba’s government released 553 prisoners as part of talks with the Vatican, a day after the Biden administration announced its intent to lift the U.S. designation of the island nation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Cuba's government said Friday's release marked the fifth since 2011, and that it has freed more than 11,000 people.

Despite ongoing uncertainty, scenes of hope emerged outside the La Lima prison on Friday as families wrapped their arms around each other and a father planted a kiss on the head of his child swaddled in pink.

Damián Fariñas, 20, who has served the majority of his 2-year prison sentence for a robbery, was greeted by three beaming friends waiting for him on the street.

“This is freedom, a pardon, owing nothing to anyone. I’m heading out into the world,” he said.

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Associated Press journalists Ramón Espinosa and Ariel Fernández contributed from Havana. Megan Janetsky contributed from Mexico City.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

En Antigua, una ciudad colonial de Guatemala, docenas de personas caminaron a través de las calles empedradas enfundados en ropa blanca y morada. Muchos eran penitentes que se conocen como “cucuruchos”. Otros se hicieron paso bajo el sol de la mañana cargando imágenes gigantescas de Jesús.

La ciudad auspicia más de una docena de procesiones durante Semana Santa. Marcos Bautista, de 63 años, dijo que ha formado parte de las celebraciones desde que era un bebé y su padre lo cargaba en brazos.

“Para describir una Semana Santa en Antigua no hay palabras que encajen con lo que se siente”, dijo. “Solo con el hecho de hablar lo que Jesús ha hecho en nuestras vidas, me quebranto”.

En Bolivia, el presidente Rodrigo Paz viajó a la ciudad sureña de Tarija para participar en algunas actividades. La constitución establece que el país es laico y sus líderes evitaron formar parte de eventos religiosos entre 2006 y 2025. Pero Paz — quien tomó el poder en noviembre pasado — rompió con este precedente cuando asistió a la eucaristía del Domingo de Ramos portando una palma.

En la ciudad de La Paz, autoridades y bandas militares acompañaron la procesión del viernes, en la que penitentes encapuchados sacaron el Santo Sepulcro a las calles.

Antonio Santamaría, quien sostenía una imagen de Jesús, celebró la presencia del gobierno. “Me alegro de que todo el pueblo está aquí", afirmó.

Bolivia es un país mayoritariamente católico, aunque la religión coexiste con una poderosa espiritualidad indígena. Entre algunas familias se acostumbra consumir solo pescado el Viernes Santo y preparar hasta 12 platos que representan a los apóstoles de Jesús, costumbre ha ido mermado por la crisis económica.

En Ecuador, donde se estima que 80% de la población se identifica como católica, también se realizaron procesiones en las principales ciudades del país. Quito congregó a más de 150.000 fieles en el centro histórico mientras cantos y oraciones acompañaron una imagen de Jesús cargando la cruz.

Muchos mexicanos también conmemoraron el Viernes Santo en un país que alberga a casi 100 millones de católicos.

Penitentes encapuchados, con cadenas y piezas de cactus incrustadas en la piel, caminaron por las calles de Atlixco, en el estado central de Puebla. Conocida como la “Procesión de los Engrillados”, forma parte de una tradición en la que algunos participantes hacen penitencia por sus pecados y otros agradecen a Dios por milagros.

“Es muy bonito, muy triste”, dijo Marcela Ramírez, un ama de casa que asistió a la procesión. “Es como un respeto y hay que venir también a acompañarlos."

Si bien la proporción de católicos en América Latina ha disminuido en la última década, la fe sigue siendo la religión más grande de la región.

En varios países, incluidos México, Perú y Argentina, más del 60% de los adultos aún se identifican como católicos, según encuestas de 2024 del Pew Research Center y Latinobarómetro.

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Los periodistas de The Associated Press Carlos Valdez y Juan Karita en La Paz, Bolivia; Gonzalo Solano y Gabriela Molina en Quito, Ecuador; Moisés Castillo en Antigua, Guatemala, y Martín Silva en Atlixco, México, contribuyeron a este reporte.

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La cobertura religiosa de The Associated Press recibe apoyo a través de una colaboración con The Conversation US, con fondos del Lilly Endowment Inc. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido.

Alito's illness did not require an overnight hospital stay and he was back on the bench the following Monday, spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said in a statement.

Alito was an active questioner during arguments that day in an important case about mailed ballots and participated in all the court's hearings over the ensuing two weeks.

Alito, who turned 76 on Wednesday, is the second-oldest member of the court, after 77-year-old Justice Clarence Thomas.

The episode was first reported by CNN, which also said the treatment was administered at a Philadelphia hospital. The court did not say where Alito had been taken.

The incident is the latest example of the justices' reticence to discuss their health, at least until the news somehow leaks.

In 2020, the court confirmed that Chief Justice John Roberts had spent a night in the hospital after a fall that required stitches in his forehead, only after the Washington Post reported it first.

Alito was driven by his security detail from Washington to what CNN said was a dinner following a Federalist Society panel that looked at his 20 years on the court.

When he didn't feel well in the evening, “he agreed with his security detail’s recommendation to see a physician before the three-hour drive home” to northern Virginia, McCabe said. He was given fluids for dehydration, she said.

While the justice has not said anything about retirement, speculation has swirled that Alito might soon step down, which would give President Donald Trump the chance to appoint a fourth justice, after the three who were confirmed during his first term.

While Alito is young by Supreme Court standards, he might not want to stay around and gamble on the possibility of Democrats flipping the Senate in the November elections and seeing a Democrat capture the White House two years later.

Retiring in the summer would allow Trump to name a similarly conservative but much younger replacement who would almost certainly win confirmation from the Republican-led Senate.

Well, almost everything.

The one thing Konnor Griffin didn't feel when the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop — all 19 years and 344 days of him — ahead of his big league debut Friday against the Baltimore Orioles was shock.

“I'm ready for this,” Griffin said a few hours before stepping onto the field at PNC Park as a professional for the first time.

Certainly looks that way.

All of Griffin's considerable physical gifts were on display over 2 hours and 44 electric minutes in a 5-4 victory over the Orioles.

There was the tidy double play, Pittsburgh’s first of the season, he turned in the second inning. There was the rope he hit to the wall in center field in his first at-bat in a few minutes later, a 105 mph laser off the bat against Baltimore's Kyle Bradish that scored Ryan O'Hearn and sent a jolt through a sellout crowd.

There was blistering dash from second to home on a ensuing groundball to right field by teammate Jared Triolo. There was the confidence to successfully challenge a strike call in his third at-bat. Oh, and the composure to gather a chopper he briefly bobbled before firing to first for an out to end the eighth, too.

All part of what Griffin called “hands down one of the best days of my life,” and what everyone involved with the organization hopes is the start of a long successful run for a franchise that hasn't reached the postseason in over a decade.

“He’s a difference maker, it was very apparent today,” said Pirates ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, who knows a thing or two about entering the majors with outsized expectations.

Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 amateur draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles, making him the first teenage position player to reach the majors since Juan Soto did it with the Washington Nationals in 2018.

On the surface, it seems fast. Not for Griffin, who checked every box — and quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates' system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

All of which made for a full-circle moment when Griffin became the youngest Pirate to get a hit in his first game since Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski did it on July 7, 1956. The club honored Mazeroski, who died in February at 1989, by having “Maz” painted into the outfield grass behind second, not far from where Griffin — who was scouted and signed by Mazeroski's son Darren — went to work on a warm spring afternoon that had a decidedly early fall playoff-like vibe.

“Darren is the reason I’m here,” Griffin said. "He believed in me and took a chance on me. That’s pretty special right there and I’m going to cherish that a long time.”

Griffin's call-up came less than two weeks after he was one of the last cuts during spring training, where he mashed three homers but also hit just .171. Rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A and made the adjustments necessary — trying to get back to treating his job like a game of Wiffle ball back home in Mississippi — to get a call that has long felt inevitable.

“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”

Those dreams became reality when Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room early Thursday and told him he was heading to The Show.

The next 24 hours were a blur.

From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for at least 40 friends and family members to make it to the ballpark that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.

Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.

The future that has been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

A year ago, fans chanted for owner Bob Nutting to sell the club during the home opener. Those calls have faded, replaced by something seemingly just as rare: optimism for a team that hasn't won a playoff series since the 1979 World Series.

“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”

Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.

Griffin demurred when asked about it Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.

“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. "This is a special place and I’m thankful to be here.”

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

Leer en español

According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, all three suspects -- Geriolsys Palenzuela-Alcobre, 49, of Miami; Dienil Camejo, 61, of Miami; and Deibi Miguel Orpesa-Martinez, 27, of Hialeah -- separately approached an undercover detective in a wooded area of the park, exposed their penises to him and began masturbating.

Detectives said about 10 minutes after the undercover detective initially encountered Orpesa-Martinez in the park, he was spotted masturbating again on a trail “in plain view.”

The report states that the wooded area is used for the park’s frisbee golf course, hiking and other activities that are open to the public, but the area is “known for males exposing themselves, masturbating and participating in other sexual activities.”

All three men were arrested on indecent exposure charges.

As of Friday afternoon, they each were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $500 bonds.

Según un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, los tres sospechosos —Geriolsys Palenzuela-Alcobre, de 49 años, de Miami; Dienil Camejo, de 61, de Miami; y Deibi Miguel Orpesa-Martinez, de 27, de Hialeah— se acercaron por separado a un detective encubierto en un área boscosa del parque, expusieron sus genitales y comenzaron a masturbarse.

Los detectives indicaron que unos 10 minutos después de que el agente encubierto se encontrara inicialmente con Orpesa-Martinez en el parque, fue visto nuevamente masturbándose en un sendero “a plena vista”.

El informe señala que el área boscosa se utiliza para el campo de frisbee golf del parque, senderismo y otras actividades abiertas al público, pero que el área es “conocida por hombres que se exponen, se masturban y participan en otras actividades sexuales”.

Los tres hombres fueron arrestados por cargos de exposición indecente.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, permanecían detenidos en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center con fianzas de $500 USD cada uno.

Troopers from the Perryville station responded shortly before 1:40 p.m. Wednesday to milepost 12.2 on I-78 eastbound in Union Township. The animal was by itself, officials said.

The bear was soon safely secured and taken back to the state police barracks, where it was later turned over to staffers with the state's Environmental Protection Department, who were caring for the animal.

It's not clear how the cub ended up in the ditch or how long it had been there before it was spotted. Details on the bear's condition were not available Friday.

“I'm happy to announce I'm staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said during his pre-practice news conference at the Final Four. “We've been able to get some things done the past couple days.”

The school also announced it had reached an extension with Lloyd through the 2030-31 season, though it didn't release financial terms. Lloyd had previously been under contract through the 2029-30 season worth an average of nearly $5.5 million in base and supplemental pay for the coming seasons, along with a buyout that dropped from $11 million to $9 million on Wednesday.

Lloyd, 51, had been considered a top potential target for the Tar Heels, who fired Hubert Davis on March 24 after five seasons. He had deflected questions about the UNC opening as the Wildcats (36-2) kept advancing in the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four since 2001, including as recently as Thursday in Indianapolis.

Lloyd praised UNC as “a first-class organization” and said he appreciated “the way they've handled this.”

“Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said.

“I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I’m just a small part of something much bigger. But on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. I mean, it’s a 1 of 1. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.”

Lloyd's comments came a day before the Wildcats (36-2) were set to face Michigan in Saturday night's national semifinals in a matchup of the two 1-seeds in Indianapolis.

Wolverines coach Dusty May has also been mentioned as a possible UNC candidate, but said Friday he'll “never respond to any job speculation.”

“I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan,” May said. “Obviously my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Dicen que el hogar de un hombre es su castillo, pero para Knox, su querido castillo ha sucumbido a años de deterioro.

“En realidad estuvo en mi familia hace mucho tiempo”, dijo a Local 10 News. “Luego el techo comenzó a gotear y, en resumen, desde ahí todo fue en declive, el seguro desapareció y aquí estoy”.

El ex maestro de escuela de 75 años, que disfruta de la jardinería, compró la casa en 1980 junto a su esposa, Clara.

Pero ahora, los espacios de la vivienda de tres habitaciones y un baño son casi irreconocibles.

Aun así, en medio de la pintura descascarada, las paredes agrietadas y los grandes agujeros, hay recordatorios tangibles de una vida que alguna vez fue.

Lo poco que le queda a Knox está guardado en una unidad de almacenamiento.

Todo es valioso para él, tanto que permanece vigilando durante la noche.

“Si duermo aquí, duermo en el carro”, dijo. “Solo miro la casa e intento concentrarme y descansar”.

Y pronto podría encontrar alivio a sus preocupaciones, gracias a la bondad de voluntarios.

“Ahora tenemos al ingeniero adecuado preparando los permisos finales para iniciar el proyecto, y no tendremos que demoler la casa, lo cual nos alegra mucho”, dijo Joe Puentes, cofundador de Wiki Voice.

Wiki Voice es una organización sin fines de lucro dedicada a ayudar a personas necesitadas.

Puentes reunió a algunos profesionales del sector para donar tiempo y materiales, pero hace un llamado a otros para que se sumen.

“Techos, plomería, aún faltan bastantes cosas para la casa”, explicó.

Es un proyecto enorme. Pero Knox mantiene la esperanza de que la comunidad responda y que su hogar de 46 años sea restaurado a su antiguo esplendor.

“Le dije una vez a mi esposa: ‘Tengo fe en que esto realmente va a suceder’”, dijo Knox. “Y ahora parece que eso es exactamente lo que va a pasar. Gracias a Dios”.

Aunque ya hay un equipo base para ayudar a Knox, todavía se necesitan techadores, plomeros y jardineros.

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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 partir de las 6 a.m.

El jueves por la noche, la tripulación de la cápsula Integrity de la misión Orion encendió el motor principal para impulsar la nave espacial fuera de la órbita terrestre y hacia la Luna.

El lunes, la tripulación observará la luna durante seis horas. Se centrarán en los cráteres, la lava, las grietas y las crestas de la capa exterior lunar.

Hacia el final del sobrevuelo, habrá un eclipse solar que durará aproximadamente una hora, por lo que el sol quedará oculto a la vista al moverse detrás de la luna, que estará casi completamente oscura.

Las observaciones de las tripulaciones se centrarán entonces en los destellos de luz de los meteoroides que impactan contra la superficie lunar, el polvo que se eleva por encima, los objetivos en el espacio profundo y la corona solar y la atmósfera más externa.

Una vez que el módulo lunar Integrity describa un ocho alrededor de la cara oculta de la Luna, la tripulación regresará a casa para amerizar el 10 de abril en el Océano Pacífico.

Sigue la cobertura ininterrumpida de la NASA sobre Artemis II.

Agenda del tercer día de vuelo de la NASA

El primero de los tres encendidos de motores más pequeños, denominado corrección de trayectoria de salida, garantizará que Orión se mantenga en el rumbo previsto en su órbita alrededor de la luna.

Por la mañana, el astronauta de la Agencia Espacial Canadiense, Jeremy Hansen, se preparó para el encendido de los motores, que estaba programado para después de la comida del mediodía de la tripulación.

El resto del día incluirá diversas actividades de pago y demostraciones.

El piloto de la NASA Victor Glover , Hansen y la astronauta de la NASA Christina Koch , especialista de misión e ingeniera de Michigan, realizarán una demostración de RCP (reanimación cardiopulmonar).

El comandante de la NASA, Reid Wiseman, trabajará con Glover en el botiquín médico, que incluye termómetro, tensiómetro, estetoscopio y otoscopio.

En la segunda mitad del día, Koch pondrá a prueba el sistema de comunicaciones de emergencia de Orion en la Red del Espacio Profundo .

La tripulación ensayará la coreografía para la observación científica de la luna que tendrá lugar el sexto día de vuelo.

Más información sobre Artemis II

• Los astronautas de la misión Artemis II, rumbo a la Luna, capturan la brillante belleza azul de la Tierra mientras la dejan atrás.
• Cobertura del día del lanzamiento
• Día 2 del vuelo
• Conoce a los astronautas
• Resumen de la misión

Comparte tus fotos del día del lanzamiento

It wasn’t until 1989 — when Nashoba was in her late 20s — that she learned a deep secret about her ancestor.

Carterby was one of the Choctaw code talkers — a group of 19 Native American soldiers who used their language to transmit encrypted messages to the Allies during campaigns in northern France. The soldiers were sworn to secrecy and hid details of their service from families for decades.

Over the past 20 years, Nashoba has led advocacy efforts to spotlight the group’s hidden legacy as president of the Choctaw Code Talkers Association. Now, the soldiers’ contributions are recognized in Fort Worth through a new plaque at the city’s Veterans Memorial Park.

The Choctaw Code Talker Historical Marker was unveiled during an April 1 ceremony hosted by the Oklahoma tribe, the Texas Historical Commission and the city’s parks and recreation department. Several descendants of the Native soldiers attended.

“Seeing the marker really brings me a lot of joy,” Nashoba said. “This is what preserves the history for generations to come.”

Choctaw code talkers’ ties to Fort Worth

Members of the Choctaw code talkers were men who volunteered to fight for the U.S. in World War I at a time when Native Americans were not recognized as citizens. Indigenous communities wouldn’t receive citizenship until 1924.

While in the battlefields in France, some of these men were overheard speaking their Choctaw language and were trained to use their words as “code.” They were placed on front lines and command posts so that messages could be transmitted to headquarters.

The soldiers shared words like “tanampo chito” for artillery and “tvshka” for warriors, according to the historical marker. The Germans famously failed to decipher these Choctaw transmissions within 24 hours throughout the war.

The Choctaw group is widely considered to be the first Native American code talkers to serve in the U.S. military. Their work paved the way for the Navajo code talkers during World War II.

“Their story is a testament to the resilience and patriotism of the Choctaw Nation,” Col. Brent Kemp, commander of the 56th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the National Guard, said at the unveiling. “Their ingenuity and bravery reminds us of the power of cultural heritage and the importance of preserving Indigenous languages.”

The Native American soldiers were in the 36th Infantry Division at Camp Bowie, a westside training site for more than 100,000 soldiers during World War I.

Council member Macy Hill, who represents Camp Bowie, said it was only fitting for Fort Worth to honor the legacy of the code talkers since they walked on the site’s grounds.

“This is where the Choctaw code talkers were initially trained and where they will forever be remembered,” she said.

Descendants carry the torch

As Ta’Na Alexander — the great-great-granddaughter of Carterby — watched the marker’s unveiling in Fort Worth, she couldn’t help but feel proud that her family’s history is slowly spreading across the U.S.

“It’s pretty monumental to realize that more people are starting to recognize the significant part of these men who were sworn to secrecy,” said Alexander, who is Nashoba’s daughter. “This marker connects the past to the future.”

She credits her mother’s leadership for widespread education about the work of Native soldiers.

Last May, the Choctaw Code Talkers Association led the charge to place a bronze sculpture honoring the group at the Choctaw Cultural Center in southern Oklahoma. The artwork depicts three soldiers in the middle of battle.

The organization also advocated for 23 Oklahoma bridges to be renamed after the code talkers and other Native veterans.

The Fort Worth marker was the group’s first venture into Texas, Nashoba said. The group is exploring other statewide recognitions, she added.

For now, Alexander invites Fort Worth residents to stroll through the memorial park to learn that her ancestors’ stories aren’t just about being Native. They’re about what it means to be American, she said.

“You might not be Native or Choctaw, but what we do share in common is that we have the right to vote,” she said. “We have a voice. We have a freedom that exists here that doesn’t exist anywhere else.”

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The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

The first piece of checked luggage will now cost customers $45 on flights within the United States, Mexico, Canada and Latin America, according to United. A second bag will cost $55.

“This is the first time in two years the airline has raised bag fees,” United said in a statement.

Speaking to investors last month, United CEO Scott Kirby said the rising costs for jet fuel since the conflict began on Feb. 28 had already added roughly $400 million to operating costs. The CEOs for Delta Air Lines and American Airlines reported similar figures.

Some United passengers will still receive a free first checked bag, including co-branded credit card holders, certain loyalty-tier members, active military personnel and travelers in premium cabins. Customers who check bags less than 24 hours before departure will pay an additional $5.

United joins JetBlue, which raised its checked baggage fees earlier this week by $9 for peak travel periods. JetBlue said that charging more for optional services used by select customers helps keep base fares competitive. Like United, it will continue offering a free first checked bag to some customers.

The war, now in its second month, has severely disrupted global oil supplies, particularly near the narrow Strait of Hormuz where a fifth of the world's oil typically passes. That has caused crude prices to fluctuate wildly, which affects airlines' operating costs because the fuel their aircraft rely on is refined from crude oil.

Fuel is typically the second biggest expense for airlines after labor.

The average price for a gallon of jet fuel in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York reached $4.88 on Thursday, up from $2.50 just before the war, according to Argus Media. The energy market intelligence company’s U.S. Jet Fuel Index tracks the average prices across those major hubs.

Airlines are under increasing pressure to find new sources of revenue as fuel costs climb. A number of non-U.S. carriers have already responded by adding fuel surcharges or raising ticket prices. Industry experts say U.S. airlines will boost fares as well, but since they don’t typically rely on fuel surcharges, they’re also expected to pass on higher fuel costs to travelers by raising — or introducing — add-on fees.

United announced another pricing change on Friday that brings the “pay for what you want” approach already standard in economy to its premium cabins. On long-haul international routes, transcontinental U.S. flights and certain Hawaii services, seats in the front cabin will now be divided into three fare types.

At the bottom, a new base fare will carry the lowest upfront price but removes some of the extras that travelers often expect with premium tickets — including advance seat selection and refunds. In practice, that could mean a cheaper entry point to the front cabin but fewer perks.

The middle option, labeled standard, adds back common perks such as seat selection, extra checked bags and the ability to make itinerary changes. At the top end, the flexible tier includes all of those features and is fully refundable, offering the most flexibility for travelers willing to pay more.

United said it plans to introduce the new fare structure in select markets this month and expand it across more routes later this year.

Raw Farm of Fresno, California, said Thursday it is voluntarily recalling more than a half-dozen varieties of its cheddar cheese made from raw milk. The recalled batches carry expiration dates spanning from May 2026 to September 2026.

Interest in and sales of raw milk have been rising in recent years, fueled by social media and growing support from the Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement. Raw milk has not been pasteurized, which kills germs like E. coli, salmonella, listeria and campylobacter.

The Food and Drug Administration began investigating cases of E. coli food poisoning among people who had reportedly consumed the company's products last month and previously requested a recall.

In an update last week, the FDA said it was conducting an inspection of the company's facilities but had not found positive testing for E. coli bacteria among the company's products.

Raw Farm reiterated that point in its announcement Thursday and added that it was conducting its recall “under protest” and in order to chart “a path forward.”

“This voluntary recall is limited to Raw Farm-brand cheddar cheese, and no other products are being voluntarily recalled,” the company said.

The FDA has the authority to order food companies to recall their products when there is a reasonable risk of serious injury or death, but the agency must first give the company the opportunity to voluntarily comply.

The FDA said last week that nine people, including children, have been sickened in the expanding outbreak.

Of eight people interviewed by health officials, seven reported consuming Raw Farm-brand products, according to the FDA. Two people in 2025 reported drinking Raw Farm milk and five people in 2026 said they ate or were served Raw Farm raw cheddar cheese.

Genetic sequencing of E. coli strains from sick people show that they are all closely related, indicating people in the outbreak “share a common source of infection,” the FDA said.

The federal government does not allow the sale of unpasteurized milk across state lines for human consumption. States have widely varying regulations regarding raw milk, with some allowing retail sales in stores and others allowing sale only at farms. Some states allow so-called cowshares, where people pay for milk from designated animals, and some allow consumption only by farm owners, employees or “non-paying guests.”

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

Montgomery County police officers responding to a Sunday report about a pedestrian being struck in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Silver Spring found William Yates, the 79-year-old father of lead singer Brendan Yates, injured in a front yard, according to charging documents.

Yates' family said guitarist Brady Ebert, a neighbor who parted ways with the band several years ago, had struck him with a car, police wrote. Yates’ daughter, Erin Gerber, told authorities that she and her husband were getting their kids out of their car when Ebert drove up honking at them and yelling obscenities, then drove into her father.

In video footage obtained from a neighbor, Ebert could be seen driving a gold Buick LeSabre and swerving toward William Yates but missing him, according to the charging documents. Yates then threw a rock at Ebert’s vehicle and Gerber dragged her 3-year-old son onto the lawn to avoid being hit. Ebert then turned sharply into Yates' driveway and struck him as he was trying to run away, investigators wrote. Ebert finally drove across the lawn and left.

Yates told a detective that as he was injured on the ground, Ebert returned and yelled that he “deserved it” before driving off again, according to charging documents.

Yates said Ebert used to be in a band with his son and had been causing problems for his family since being kicked out. He said Ebert had been taunting them for long time, but that his behavior had been escalating.

Ebert, 33, was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault, court records show.

During a bond hearing Thursday in which he appeared via video, Ebert called William Yates a “maniac” who threw a rock at him asked the judge to watch the surveillance footage, saying it would “contradict” the authorities' narrative of what happened, The Baltimore Banner reported.

But prosecutor Dominic Plantamura said the footage shows it was a “clearly targeted attack” and that Yates is lucky he wasn't injured more seriously.

Ebert's lawyer, John Costello, acknowledged Ebert’s contentious history with his former bandmate, but said, “That does not, in this instance, warrant extra detention.” Costello’s office declined to comment to The Associated Press.

The judge ordered Ebert held without bond.

According to Plantamura, William Yates was injured so badly that a bone stuck out of one leg.

In a statement, Turnstile said it cut ties with Ebert in 2022, “in response to a consistent pattern of harmful behavior." It said a boundary had to be set after he began threatening violence. While Ebert’s “baseless tirades” continued in public since then, the band said it didn’t address them to protect his privacy. Threats escalated in recent months and then there was a physical attack on Brendan Yates’ father this week, the band wrote.

“We are grateful that Mr. Yates survived, has successfully undergone surgery, and we’re hoping for the best possible outcome in his recovery,” the band said. “We have no language left for Brady.”

Turnstile were underground stalwarts until their 2021 album “Glow On” launched them into mainstream consciousness. They cemented their status this year by winning Grammys for Best Rock Album and Best Metal Performance.

The Republican-supermajority Legislature approved the Democratic-sponsored change, which now lets people prove they have complied for the last year with child support orders, such as payment plans. The legislation also unties the payment of all court costs from voting rights restoration.

Advocates for years have sought various changes to Tennessee’s voting rights restoration system at the statehouse and in court. They say loosening these two rules marks the biggest rollback of restrictions to voting rights restoration in decades.

“This is huge and this is history,” said Keeda Haynes, senior attorney for the advocacy group Free Hearts led by formerly incarcerated women like her.

Most Republicans voted for it and Democrats supported it unanimously. The law took effect immediately upon Republican Gov. Bill Lee's signature last week.

“I think people are at a point where they want to just remove the barriers out of the way and allow people to be fully functional members of society,” said Democratic House Minority Leader Karen Camper, a bill sponsor.

Easing up after years

In 2023 and early 2024, the state decided that the system did require going to court or showing proof of a pardon, not just a paperwork process, and that gun rights were required to restore the right to vote. Election officials said a court ruling made the changes necessary, though voting rights advocates said officials misinterpreted the order.

Last year, lawmakers untangled voting and gun rights. But voting rights advocates opposed some of the bill's other provisions, such as keeping the process in the courts, where costs can rack up if someone isn't ruled indigent.

A Republican split

Easing up on the financial requirements uncommonly split legislative Republicans. For instance, Senate Speaker Randy McNally voted against it, while House Speaker Cameron Sexton supported it, noting that people aren't getting forgiveness on making their payments.

“They need to continue paying that, and as long as they do, then there’s a possibility (to restore their voting rights)," Sexton said. "I really think that’s harder for people to argue against than maybe what something else was.”

Republican Rep. Johnny Garrett, who voted no, said in committee his vote would hinge on whether “there still can be an (child support) arrearage owed beyond that 12 months.”

For some, backed-up child support payments could reach hundreds or thousands of dollars, and court costs could be hundreds or thousands more, said Gicola Lane, Campaign Legal Center's Restore Your Vote community partnership senior manager.

Advocates credited their narrowed focus, omitting goals such as automatic restoration of rights, no longer tying restitution payments to voting rights, or offering a path for certain people to restore their right who are permanently disenfranchised, including those convicted of voter fraud or most murder charges.

The bill passed the Senate last year and the House this year.

Two decades under the child support rule

Lawmakers gave the child support requirement final passage in 2006 within an overhaul bill that also created a voting rights restoration process outside of court. Critics said the child support rule penalized impoverished parents.

Democrats were then narrowly hanging onto legislative leadership in both chambers. Republicans held a slim Senate majority but GOP defectors voted for a Democratic speaker.

Last year marked the dismissal of a nearly five-year-old federal lawsuit over Tennessee’s voting-rights restoration system. Free Hearts and the Campaign Legal Center represented plaintiffs in the long-delayed case, which saw some election policy changes along the way.

Roughly 184,000 people have completed supervision for felonies and their offenses don't preclude them from restoring their voting rights, according to a plaintiffs expert’s 2023 estimate in the lawsuit. About one in 10 were estimated to have outstanding child support payments, and more than six in 10 owed court courts, restitution or both, the expert said.

Other states' systems

Both Republican and Democratic-led states have eased the voting rights restoration process in recent years. Some states have added complexities.

In Florida, after voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 restoring the right to vote for people with felony convictions, the Republican-controlled Legislature watered that down by requiring payment of fines, fees and court costs.

Voting rights are automatically restored upon release in nearly half of states. In 15 others, it occurs after parole, probation or a similar period and sometimes requires paying outstanding court costs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Maine and Vermont, people with felonies keep their voting rights in prison, the NCSL says.

Ten other states including Tennessee require additional government action. Virginia ’s governor must intervene to restore voting rights of people convicted of felonies. In some states, including Tennessee, certain conviction types render someone ineligible.

However, Virginia lawmakers this year have passed a proposed state constitutional amendment to ask voters whether they want automatic voting rights restoration after someone is released from prison. Kentucky lawmakers have proposed a similar change for voters' consideration that would automatically restore voting rights after certain completed sentences, including probation.

Hoiberg received 17 votes from a 61-person media panel, edging Duke’s Jon Scheyer (13) to become the Big Ten’s first national coach of the year since Michigan’s Juwan Howard in 2021. Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd received 11 votes.

“It took us some time to get here, but it was all about getting the right players in here, especially the ones that the fans could get behind,” Hoiberg said.

Hoiberg did just that, building a roster that played an exciting style of basketball, locked down defensively and ignited the Big Red fanbase’s excitement for the basketball program and upended the notion that Nebraska is just a football school.

Nebraska went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years in 2024 and took a bigger step this season, matching the school record of 26 wins before even getting to March Madness. The Cornhuskers also had a school-record 15 wins in the rugged Big Ten.

Voting for coach of the year was done before the tournament, where Nebraska posted its first March Madness win in nine all-time tries with its 76-47 win over Troy. The run ended with a loss to Iowa in the Sweet 16.

“When the sting does wear off, which it will at some point — maybe — these guys deserve a lot of credit for what they have done for Nebraska basketball,” Hoiberg said.

So will the coach with deep roots in Lincoln.

Hoiberg’s grandfather, Jerry Bush, was Nebraska’s head coach from 1953-63 and his grandfather from his father’s side taught at the school for 30 years. Hoiberg was born in Lincoln and both of his parents are Nebraska graduates.

Hoiberg played at Iowa State and, after a 10-year NBA career, returned to lead his alma mater to four straight NCAA Tournaments. When he took over at Nebraska in 2019, the Cornhuskers had been to the tournament once in 21 seasons.

The Cornhuskers went a combined 7-45 in Hoiberg’s first two seasons, but he laid the foundation for success. Nebraska went 23-11 to reach March Madness in 2024 and, after just missing the bracket last season, went on a run that riveted Husker Nation.

Led by sharpshooting Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort, versatile Dutch big man Rienk Mast and senior point guard Sam Hoiberg — Fred’s son — the Cornhuskers got off to the best start in school history, winning their first 20 games, leading to the program’s highest ranking in the AP Top 25 at No. 5 with the hometown coach calling the shots.

“This place means a lot to me,” he said.

Scheyer was runner-up after guiding the Blue Devils to a No. 1 ranking the final four weeks of the season and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Devils’ run came as the fourth-year coach adjusted his approach following last year’s Final Four run with a perimeter-driven lineup, turning inside to pummel opponents in the paint behind star freshman Cameron Boozer, who became Duke’s second straight AP men’s national player of the year Friday.

Arizona spent nine weeks at No. 1 with Lloyd pulling the strings and earned its first Final Four berth since 2001. He was AP coach of the year in 2022, his first season at Arizona.

Voting for AP coach of the year:

Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska, 17

Jon Scheyer, Duke, 13

Tommy Lloyd, Arizona, 11

Dusty May, Michigan, 9

Travis Steele, Miami (Ohio), 9

Grant McCaslin, Texas Tech 1

Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall, 1

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AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this story.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness