The Category 3 storm was set to make landfall on Friday night near Pensacola. Officials prepared for destructive storm surge, extreme winds, and torrential rainfall.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a mandatory evacuation order for Escambia County. On Friday, Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said Pensacola Beach was a concern.

“Evacuate if you can, and remember we will shut down those bridges once the same winds reach 40 mph,” Simmons said about the barrier island.

Simmons said the county planned to shut down the water service to Pensacola Beach on Friday afternoon. The other areas under a mandatory evacuation order in Escambia were Perdido Key and Innerarity Point.

The Pensacola International Airport, formerly Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport, was closed temporarily.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias prompts evacuations in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi

The first hurricane of the Atlantic season was set to impact the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi, according to the National Hurricane Center.

There was a storm surge warning in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, and a storm surge watch in effect for the Suwannee River to Yankeetown.

There was a hurricane warning in effect from Ocean Springs in Mississippi to the Bay or Gulf county line in the Florida Panhandle.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias to remain ‘dangerous’ at landfall this evening or tonight

There was a tropical storm warning in effect for the Jefferson or Plaquimines Parish line in Louisiana to the west of Ocean Springs in the Mississippi’s East of Bay or Gulf County line to the Aucilla River along Florida’s Big Bend.

There was a tornado risk forecast to begin late Friday afternoon and continue on Friday night in coastal areas of Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and far southwest Georgia.

The forecasted landfall is between southern Alabama’s Mobile Bay and the Florida Panhandle’s Choctawhatchee Bay, and the storm surge could be as high as 6 to 9 feet.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias could nudge fuel prices higher if Gulf of Mexico refineries lose power

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered evacuations at Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Dauphin Island. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency, deployed about 5,000 National Guard troops, and requested an emergency declaration for federal support.

“The surge is really what puts a lot of people’s lives in jeopardy if they haven’t heeded evacuation orders, and does the most significant damage from these storms,” DeSantis said. “Everywhere from Pensacola all the way into the Big Bend section of north Florida, you could see storm surge, so please take caution of that.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency staff responded to state emergency operations centers in Alabama and Florida, and had supplies at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias poised to strike northern Gulf Coast as first hurricane in 2 years

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration deployed “Miss Piggy,” the N43RF, a specialized Lockheed WP-3D Orion four-engine turboprop aircraft, with a team of Hurricane Hunters, to fly out of Lakeland and directly into the hurricane.

What it means

A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A storm surge watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

• Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach: 6-9 feet
• Grayton Beach to Indian Pass: 4-7 feet
• Indian Pass to Steinhatchee River: 4-6 feet
• Dauphin Island in Alabama to the Alabama-Florida border: 4-6 feet
• Steinhatchee River to Suwannee River: 3-5 feet
• Mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana to Dauphin Island in Alabama: 3-5 feet
• Lower Mobile Bay: 3-5 feet
• Suwannee River to Yankeetown: 2-4 feet
• Upper Mobile Bay: 2-4 feet

Related story: Isaias strengthens into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane on track toward the US Gulf Coast

Local 10 News Weather Authority: Friday morning reports

Related report: Hurricane Simon strengthens to a Category 2 storm, the National Hurricane Center says

DOWNLOAD FREE APP

• Max Tracker app on Apple Store
• Max Tracker app on Google Play

Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, was set to impact the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, and Georgia Gov. Brian P. Kemp declared a state of emergency.

DeSantis issued mandatory evacuation orders for Escambia, Okaloosa, Walton, and Franklin counties, and voluntary evacuation orders for Santa Rosa, Bay, and Wakulla counties.

Ivey ordered tourists to evacuate the state’s coastal areas in Baldwin and Mobile counties, including Dauphin Island, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias to remain ‘dangerous’ at landfall this evening or tonight

Mississippi emergency officials announced on Friday the opening of evacuation shelters in Harrison, George, Hancock, and Jackson counties.

There was a storm surge warning in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, and a storm surge watch in effect for the Suwannee River to Yankeetown.

There was a hurricane warning in effect from Ocean Springs in Mississippi to the Bay or Gulf county line in the Florida Panhandle.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias could nudge fuel prices higher if Gulf of Mexico refineries lose power

There was a tropical storm warning in effect for the Jefferson or Plaquimines Parish line in Louisiana to the west of Ocean Springs in the Mississippi’s East of Bay or Gulf County line to the Aucilla River along Florida’s Big Bend.

There was a tornado risk forecast to begin late Friday afternoon and continue on Friday night in coastal areas of Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and far southwest Georgia.

The forecasted landfall is between southern Alabama’s Mobile Bay and the Florida Panhandle’s Choctawhatchee Bay, and the storm surge could be as high as 6 to 9 feet.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias poised to strike northern Gulf Coast as first hurricane in 2 years

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered evacuations at Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Dauphin Island. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency, deployed about 5,000 National Guard troops, and requested an emergency declaration for federal support.

“The surge is really what puts a lot of people’s lives in jeopardy if they haven’t heeded evacuation orders, and does the most significant damage from these storms,” DeSantis said. “Everywhere from Pensacola all the way into the Big Bend section of north Florida, you could see storm surge, so please take caution of that.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency staff responded to state emergency operations centers in Alabama and Florida, and had supplies at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration deployed “Miss Piggy,” the N43RF, a specialized Lockheed WP-3D Orion four-engine turboprop aircraft, with a team of Hurricane Hunters, to fly out of Lakeland and directly into the hurricane.

What it means

A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A storm surge watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

• Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach: 6-9 feet
• Grayton Beach to Indian Pass: 4-7 feet
• Indian Pass to Steinhatchee River: 4-6 feet
• Dauphin Island in Alabama to the Alabama-Florida border: 4-6 feet
• Steinhatchee River to Suwannee River: 3-5 feet
• Mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana to Dauphin Island in Alabama: 3-5 feet
• Lower Mobile Bay: 3-5 feet
• Suwannee River to Yankeetown: 2-4 feet
• Upper Mobile Bay: 2-4 feet

Related story: Isaias strengthens into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane on track toward the US Gulf Coast

Local 10 News Weather Authority

Friday afternoon reports

Friday morning reports

Related report: Hurricane Simon strengthens to a Category 2 storm, the National Hurricane Center says

DOWNLOAD FREE APP

• Max Tracker app on Apple Store
• Max Tracker app on Google Play

Authorities said it happened just before midnight within the sprawling University Lakes mobile home park, located near Southwest Eighth Street and 127th Avenue in west Miami-Dade’s unincorporated Tamiami area.

According to an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the victim, whose age wasn’t listed, went to a trailer in the 1300 block of Southwest 129th Avenue “to ask for cereal” when an “unknown” man, later identified as Michael Villarin, came out “and accused her of stealing his belongings.”

Deputies said he then proceeded “repeatedly bash her head onto the side of the residence,” then went inside the home, came back out with a knife and “hit her over the left side of the head” with the handle, causing a “two-inch laceration.”

According to MDSO, deputies responded and found Villarin at the rear of the mobile home. He “refused to cooperate with the investigation and did not provide any statement,” they said.

Deputies said the girl, who was treated at the scene by medics, identified Villarin, saying “that’s him.”

It’s not clear whether Villarin lives at the home or was just staying there; his address in the MDSO report is listed as being in Homestead.

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

Fujimori indicó que su viaje, los días 29 y 30 de octubre, estará focalizado en temas de seguridad y que visitará el Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), ubicado a 81 kilómetros de la capital salvadoreña. La mandataria peruana prometió en su campaña electoral, sin dar detalles, que construiría uno similar en Perú.

La presidenta anunció su próxima visita a El Salvador en los exteriores de una cárcel en la región norteña de Trujillo, golpeada por el crimen.

A más de dos meses de gestión, los planes contra el crimen de Fujimori no han frenado las extorsiones ni los homicidios en Perú, de 34 millones de habitantes. La desaprobación a la mandataria casi se duplicó en septiembre hasta alcanzar el 48%, mientras que su aceptación cayó 15 puntos ubicándose en el 42%. Fujimori tenía una popularidad del 57% y una impopularidad del 25% en agosto, según un sondeo nacional de la firma Ipsos Perú.

La extorsión se ha expandido por casi todo Perú, sobre todo en la periferia de Lima y en las principales ciudades.

A pesar de la implementación del plan “Escudo” para proteger a los trabajadores del transporte público de Lima —quienes son asesinados por extorsionadores que les exigen dinero delante de sus pasajeros— la violencia no ha cesado. Desde el 8 de agosto, cuando comenzó, han ocurrido más de 60 ataques armados contra vehículos del transporte público y 25 asesinatos de transportistas, reportados por la prensa.

La presidenta peruana también indicó que conversará con Bukele para trabajar en un posible tratado de libre comercio entre los dos países y que lo invitará a visitar Perú.

Fujimori anunció el miércoles la creación de una nueva unidad de élite de policías y militares para luchar contra el crimen. En más de una década otros gobiernos también crearon una decena de grupos policiales anticrimen, incluidas una brigada contra delincuentes extranjeros, un grupo contra el crimen organizado, una brigada antiextorsiones, un grupo de respuesta rápida contra la extorsión y una división investigativa de extorsiones.

Pese a la creación de estos grupos el delito sigue en ascenso. Las denuncias por extorsiones pasaron de 2.421 en 2019 a 26.734 en 2025, mientras que los homicidios aumentaron desde 2.385 casos en 2019 a 3.675 en 2025.

Leer en español

The big forecast wrinkle with Isaias has been when increasingly strong upper-level winds from an advancing jet stream dip will begin to undercut its core and halt strengthening.

So far, that hasn’t happened and Isaias is passing directly over a local patch of extremely warm and deep waters – a warm core ring of current known as an anticyclonic eddy that’s spun off the Gulf’s infamous Loop Current – that’s giving it a second wind on approach to the Gulf Coast.

Interestingly, morning runs of our high-fidelity and best-performing intensity models have also moved the goalposts on when weakening might commence, with Google’s DeepMind 1,000-member ensemble system showing it maintaining peak to near-peak intensity (stippled region in the plot below) up until the last few hours before landfall.

NOAA’s next-generation, high-resolution HAFS hurricane model also advertises this 11th hour weakening, but not before continued strengthening into Friday afternoon, with both configurations of HAFS suggesting Isaias could be touching Category 4 intensity (winds of 130) before it stumbles closer to the coast tonight.

Either way, the specter of a stronger hurricane coming ashore is growing and NHC bumped up its forecast hazards Monday morning in response, including its peak storm surge flooding – now expected to be as high as 6 to 9 feet for the western Florida panhandle from the Florida/Alabama state line to just east of Destin.

Evacuation orders were ordered Thursday for most coastal zones in the western Florida panhandle. For the latest evacuation information for Florida counties, click here.

Those who haven’t already evacuated have limited time to safely to do so today, but if you’re in a low-lying coastal zone – most notably from Destin westward to Pensacola – consider moving to a higher spot away from the water before the worst of Isaias arrives. You often don’t have to move inland very far to escape life-threatening storm surge. Roughly 90% of deaths in hurricanes historically come from water, not wind.

In addition to the dangerous winds, those in the path, especially to the north and east of Isaias’s track, should have a way to receive National Weather Service warnings, as we anticipate the likelihood of supercell tornadoes in outer bands as the hurricane closes in today and through the overnight hours Saturday.

The tornado threat will extend inland into parts of south and central Georgia and the Carolinas on Saturday.

Big inland wind and power outage threat across the southeast

As Isaias moves inland and transitions into a much larger extratropical storm, its expanding wind field will bring strong, long-duration gusty winds across the southeastern U.S. into the lower Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians this weekend.

This will likely cause widespread downed trees and power outages throughout the region with winds gusting over 60 mph, especially over inland Alabama on Saturday and across the mountains of North Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina.

Additionally, a heavy rainfall and flood threat will accompany Isaias inland over the weekend, rainfall totals topping out in the double digits, even into the southern Appalachians and coastal Carolinas.

His arraignment in Miami federal court began more than an hour late as the court waited for a Creole interpreter.

Handal’s attorney, Paul Petruzzi, demanded a trial by jury.

Prosecutors accuse Handal of providing resources to people involved in the 2021 assassination.

In a statement to Local 10 News, Petruzzi criticized the conditions of his client’s detention, claiming the 68-year-old cancer survivor is being held in a cramped cell without air conditioning and cannot use his CPAP machine to sleep.

Petruzzi said his client spent nine months in a Turkish prison at the request of the Haitian government and that the Turkish prison was better than the one in the United States.

Petruzzi said the U.S. Department of Justice should be “embarrassed.”

Handal faces up to life in prison if convicted.

La principal incertidumbre en el pronóstico de Isaias ha sido cuándo los vientos cada vez más fuertes en los niveles superiores de la atmósfera, procedentes de una vaguada de la corriente en chorro que avanza, comenzarán a debilitar su núcleo y detener su fortalecimiento.

Hasta ahora, eso no ha ocurrido e Isaias está pasando directamente sobre una zona localizada de aguas extremadamente cálidas y profundas: un anillo cálido de corriente conocido como remolino anticiclónico, desprendido de la infame Corriente de Lazo del Golfo, que le está dando un segundo impulso mientras se acerca a la costa del Golfo.

Curiosamente, las simulaciones matutinas de nuestros modelos de intensidad de alta fidelidad y mejor desempeño también han cambiado las expectativas sobre cuándo podría comenzar el debilitamiento, y el sistema de conjunto de 1,000 miembros DeepMind de Google muestra que el huracán mantendría una intensidad máxima o cercana a la máxima (la región punteada en el gráfico de abajo) hasta las últimas horas antes de tocar tierra.

El modelo de huracanes HAFS de próxima generación y alta resolución de la NOAA también prevé este debilitamiento de última hora, pero no antes de que continúe fortaleciéndose hasta la tarde del viernes, y ambas configuraciones de HAFS sugieren que Isaias podría alcanzar una intensidad de categoría 4 (vientos de 130 mph) antes de perder fuerza al acercarse a la costa esta noche.

En cualquier caso, aumenta la posibilidad de que un huracán más fuerte toque tierra y el Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC) elevó el lunes por la mañana sus pronósticos de peligros en respuesta, incluida su estimación máxima de inundación por marejada ciclónica, que ahora se espera que alcance entre 6 y 9 pies en el oeste del Panhandle de Florida, desde la frontera estatal entre Florida y Alabama hasta un punto justo al este de Destin.

El jueves se ordenaron evacuaciones para la mayoría de las zonas costeras del oeste del Panhandle de Florida. Para obtener la información más reciente sobre evacuaciones en los condados de Florida, haga clic aquí.

Quienes todavía no hayan evacuado tienen poco tiempo para hacerlo de manera segura hoy, pero si se encuentran en una zona costera baja, especialmente desde Destin hacia el oeste hasta Pensacola, consideren trasladarse a un lugar más elevado y alejado del agua antes de que llegue la peor parte de Isaias. A menudo no es necesario desplazarse muy lejos tierra adentro para escapar de una marejada ciclónica potencialmente mortal. Históricamente, aproximadamente el 90% de las muertes durante huracanes se deben al agua, no al viento.

Además de los vientos peligrosos, quienes se encuentren en la trayectoria del huracán, especialmente al norte y al este de su recorrido, deben contar con una forma de recibir las alertas del Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, ya que anticipamos la posibilidad de tornados de supercélulas en las bandas exteriores a medida que el huracán se acerque hoy y durante la noche del sábado.

La amenaza de tornados se extenderá tierra adentro hacia partes del sur y centro de Georgia y las Carolinas el sábado.

Gran amenaza de vientos tierra adentro y cortes de electricidad en todo el sureste

A medida que Isaias avance tierra adentro y se transforme en una tormenta extratropical mucho más grande, su campo de vientos en expansión traerá ráfagas fuertes y prolongadas al sureste de Estados Unidos, el valle inferior de Tennessee y el sur de los Apalaches durante este fin de semana.

Esto probablemente provocará la caída generalizada de árboles y cortes de electricidad en toda la región, con ráfagas de viento superiores a 60 mph, especialmente en el interior de Alabama el sábado y en las montañas del norte de Georgia, el este de Tennessee y el oeste de Carolina del Norte.

Además, Isaias traerá consigo una amenaza de lluvias intensas e inundaciones a medida que avance tierra adentro durante el fin de semana, con acumulaciones de lluvia que superarán las 10 pulgadas, incluso en el sur de los Apalaches y las zonas costeras de las Carolinas.

Leer en español

Isaias, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, was set to impact the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama, and southern Mississippi, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm was about 195 miles south of Pensacola and about 145 miles south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It was moving north-northeast at 16 mph, according to the NHC.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias could nudge fuel prices higher if Gulf of Mexico refineries lose power

There was a storm surge warning in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, and a storm surge watch in effect for the Suwannee River to Yankeetown.

There was a hurricane warning in effect from Ocean Springs in Mississippi to the Bay or Gulf county line in the Florida Panhandle.

There was a tropical storm warning in effect for the Jefferson or Plaquimines Parish line in Louisiana to the west of Ocean Springs in the Mississippi’s East of Bay or Gulf County line to the Aucilla River along Florida’s Big Bend.

There was a tornado risk forecast to begin late Friday afternoon and continue on Friday night in coastal areas of Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and far southwest Georgia.

The forecasted landfall is between southern Alabama’s Mobile Bay and the Florida Panhandle’s Choctawhatchee Bay, and the storm surge could be as high as 6 to 9 feet.

Related story: Hurricane Isaias poised to strike northern Gulf Coast as first hurricane in 2 years

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered evacuations at Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Dauphin Island. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency, deployed about 5,000 National Guard troops, and requested an emergency declaration for federal support.

“The surge is really what puts a lot of people’s lives in jeopardy if they haven’t heeded evacuation orders, and does the most significant damage from these storms,” DeSantis said. “Everywhere from Pensacola all the way into the Big Bend section of north Florida, you could see storm surge, so please take caution of that.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency staff responded to state emergency operations centers in Alabama and Florida, and had supplies at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration deployed “Miss Piggy,” the N43RF, a specialized Lockheed WP-3D Orion four-engine turboprop aircraft, with a team of Hurricane Hunters, to fly out of Lakeland and directly into the hurricane.

What it means

A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

A tropical storm warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.

A storm surge watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

• Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach: 6-9 feet
• Grayton Beach to Indian Pass: 4-7 feet
• Indian Pass to Steinhatchee River: 4-6 feet
• Dauphin Island in Alabama to the Alabama-Florida border: 4-6 feet
• Steinhatchee River to Suwannee River: 3-5 feet
• Mouth of the Mississippi River in Louisiana to Dauphin Island in Alabama: 3-5 feet
• Lower Mobile Bay: 3-5 feet
• Suwannee River to Yankeetown: 2-4 feet
• Upper Mobile Bay: 2-4 feet

Related story: Isaias strengthens into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane on track toward the US Gulf Coast

Local 10 News Weather Authority: Friday morning reports

Related report: Hurricane Simon strengthens to a Category 2 storm, the National Hurricane Center says

DOWNLOAD FREE APP

• Max Tracker app on Apple Store
• Max Tracker app on Google Play

Leer en español

Ditka’s family announced the death on Friday in a statement.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka,” The family said. “While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family. Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.”

Nicknamed “Iron Mike” as a player, Ditka helped revolutionize the tight-end position, then moved to the sidelines and took over as Chicago’s coach. His 1985 team featured one of the game’s most dominant defenses ever. It also had enough outsized personalities to record a rap video, “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” and back up their boasting in the championship game three months later.

After retiring as a coach, Ditka became a restaurateur, pitchman and TV personality, as well as a forceful advocate for improved medical and retirement benefits for former players.

Ditka was tough and gruff, the quintessential Chicago Bear. He did everything from order off the menu to knock defensive backs on their butts with a growl. His adopted hometown reveled in every minute.

Still revered as “Da Coach” and ringmaster of the 1985 Bears, one of the most dominant and perhaps the zaniest Super Bowl-winning team in league history. Ditka was enshrined in the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and the Bears said during a ceremony in 2013 that his “No. 89″ jersey will be the last one retired by the team.

He was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the son of a welder who changed the family name from Dyczko. He grew up in nearby Aliquippa, close to the coal-mining and steel-manufacturing plants that dotted the western part of the state, a big, talented, three-sport athlete and All-American at Pitt whose bruising style made his first nickname, “Iron Mike,” a good fit.

Selected fifth overall by flinty Chicago owner George Halas in the 1961 draft, Ditka went on to Rookie of the Year honors, multiple Pro Bowl trips and the 1963 NFL Championship. In the bargain, he and Baltimore’s John Mackey changed the tight end position and offensive schemes forever. He was a battering ram of a blocker, but Ditka was just as likely to catch a short pass and pinball through an entire secondary or outrace a lone safety on a deep touchdown throw.

He left Chicago in 1966, playing briefly for Philadelphia and Dallas. He moved to the sideline in 1973 as an assistant to the revered Tom Landry and stayed with the Cowboys for eight seasons, before returning to a hero’s welcome in Chicago as head coach in 1982.

Ditka’s return to the Bears lasted 10 tumultuous years, including five straight NFC Central titles, the Super Bowl win, a DUI conviction, a heart attack, a long-running feud with defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and, finally, a new nickname — “Da Coach.”

To Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, the seeds of what was to come were planted in Ditka’s first meeting with the team. He laid out his vision, saying Chicago would be in the Super Bowl in three years — and many of the players in the room would not be around for it.

“When I first heard him when he walked in the room, to me Coach Ditka had the opportunity to be the greatest coach of all time because he had the fire,” Singletary said at the Bears’ 100th anniversary celebration in June 2019. “I don’t know George Halas coached. But I can imagine that the fire and intensity and passion that Coach Ditka exuded that first day set the tone for exactly what he said: ‘Three years from now, we’re going to be in the Super Bowl.’ And that was 1982. In ’85, we were there and it was because of that vision.”

The public beefs with Ryan mirrored the behind-the-scenes battles that Ditka waged trying to contain a team bristling with outsized personalities.

“It was more than a team,” Ditka once said. “It was a team of characters that had character that played for a crazy man, who let him be crazy and had fun doing it and don’t apologize for it ever. I wouldn’t want to be one of these suits walking around on the sideline today.

“I have no desire to be that. I was what I was and they were what they were and, damn, it was fun.”

It wasn’t until two dozen players recorded “The Super Bowl Shuffle” — an audacious rap-styled video released three months ahead of the 1986 title game — that the rest of the football world wondered whether Ditka was losing his grip.

His players never did.

“We call him ‘Sybil’ after that girl in the movie,” quarterback Jim McMahon once explained. “You know, the one that had all those personalities. Mike will be calm one minute, then throw a clipboard the next. People don’t understand that, but we do.”

The Bears demolished the New England Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl, but Ditka often said he regretted having McMahon and defensive tackle William “The Refrigerator” Perry run for touchdowns instead of Walter Payton, Chicago’s loyal and long-suffering running back.

Ryan departed for a head coaching job in Philadelphia soon after. While the Bears continued to be a contender for most of the next five years, a 5-11 season prompted Ditka’s departure in 1992.

After a five-year absence, he returned to coaching with the New Orleans Saints, but failed to revive the franchise. After a miserable 1999 season ended with a 3-13 record — Ditka’s worst as either a player or coach — he left the sidelines for good.

His face and demeanor were so familiar by then that a second act became an easy segue. Ditka began building a stable of restaurants and appeared as himself in TV sitcoms from “Cheers” to “Third Rock from the Sun,” as well as shows such as “L.A. Law” and “Saturday Night Live.”

He also stayed close to the game as an NFL analyst and game-day show personality at ESPN. Ditka’s high-profile status also made him an effective advocate to secure improved health and retirement benefits for former players.

His name also circulated for years in Illinois political circles. Though he never ran for office, Ditka described himself as a staunch conservative and was mentioned several times as a possible Republican candidate, including a congressional race against then state Rep. Barack Obama for the U.S. Senate.

___

Litke is a retired AP Sports Columnist.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Homestead, sus agentes estaban investigando “varios incidentes de robo de correo” en los apartamentos San Sherri, situados en el 440 E. Mowry Drive, después de que el Servicio de Inspección Postal de EE. UU. se pusiera en contacto con ellos el pasado viernes.

Las autoridades indicaron que las imágenes de las cámaras de vigilancia les llevaron hasta un Nissan Rogue gris. Según el informe, los investigadores del HPD colocaron un rastreador GPS dentro de un paquete de “Priority Mail” en los buzones colectivos del complejo y esperaron a que los ladrones regresaran.

Así lo hicieron el jueves, según la policía. Según el informe, los agentes localizaron el Rogue después de que el rastreador comenzara a moverse poco antes de las 4 a.m.

Un agente del HPD avistó el todoterreno cerca de la calle Northeast 15th y Homestead Boulevard e intentó detener al conductor, posteriormente identificado como Brandon Matthew Morgan.

Sin embargo, según la policía, el hombre de 35 años huyó y chocó rápidamente contra otro vehículo antes de estrellarse contra un árbol en la calle Southwest 296th y la carretera U.S. 1, justo a las afueras de los límites de la ciudad.

Morgan huyó, pero la policía indicó que una mujer de 19 años que ocupaba el asiento del copiloto, identificada como Teisha Shereal Richardson, permaneció en el lugar e implicó a Morgan como responsable de los robos.

La policía afirmó que finalmente detuvieron también a Morgan y encontraron siete tarjetas de crédito, todas pertenecientes a diferentes víctimas, en la consola central del Rogue, así como una bolsa negra y una bolsa de plástico en el asiento trasero que contenían «varias» cartas.

La policía detuvo a Morgan y a Richardson, ambos del suroeste de Miami-Dade, por una serie de cargos.

Morgan, que el domingo cumplirá 36 años, se enfrenta a 37 delitos graves, 34 de los cuales son cargos por robo de correo con antecedentes penales. Richardson también se enfrenta a 34 cargos por robo de correo, todos ellos delitos menores.

Los registros penitenciarios indican que, a primera hora del viernes, ambos se encontraban recluidos en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight: Morgan con una fianza “por determinar” y Richardson con una fianza de 1.000 dólares.

Isaias, el primer huracán de la temporada del Atlántico, estaba previsto que afectara el Panhandle de Florida, el sur de Alabama y el sur de Mississippi, según el Centro Nacional de Huracanes.

La tormenta se encontraba a unas 195 millas al sur de Pensacola y a unas 145 millas al sur-sureste de la desembocadura del río Mississippi. Se desplazaba hacia el norte-noreste a 16 mph, según el NHC.

Había una alerta de marejada ciclónica vigente desde la desembocadura del río Mississippi hasta el río Suwannee, y una vigilancia de marejada ciclónica vigente desde el río Suwannee hasta Yankeetown.

Había una alerta de huracán vigente desde Ocean Springs, en Mississippi, hasta la línea divisoria entre los condados de Bay y Gulf, en el Panhandle de Florida.

Había una alerta de tormenta tropical vigente desde la línea divisoria de las parroquias de Jefferson y Plaquemines, en Louisiana, hasta un punto al oeste de Ocean Springs, en Mississippi, y desde la línea divisoria de los condados de Bay y Gulf hasta el río Aucilla, en la región de Big Bend, en Florida.

Se pronosticaba que el riesgo de tornados comenzaría a última hora de la tarde del viernes y continuaría durante la noche en las zonas costeras de Alabama, el Panhandle de Florida y el extremo suroeste de Georgia.

Se pronosticaba que la tormenta tocaría tierra entre Mobile Bay, en el sur de Alabama, y Choctawhatchee Bay, en el Panhandle de Florida, y la marejada ciclónica podría alcanzar entre 6 y 9 pies.

La gobernadora de Alabama, Kay Ivey, ordenó evacuaciones en Gulf Shores, Orange Beach y Dauphin Island. El gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, declaró el estado de emergencia, desplegó a unos 5,000 miembros de la Guardia Nacional y solicitó una declaración de emergencia para recibir apoyo federal.

“La marejada es realmente lo que pone en peligro la vida de muchas personas si no han acatado las órdenes de evacuación, y es lo que causa los daños más significativos de estas tormentas”, dijo DeSantis. “Desde Pensacola hasta la región de Big Bend, en el norte de Florida, podría haber marejada ciclónica, así que, por favor, tomen precauciones”.

El personal de la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias respondió a los centros estatales de operaciones de emergencia en Alabama y Florida, y tenía suministros en la Base de la Fuerza Aérea Maxwell, en Montgomery, Alabama.

La Administración Nacional Oceánica y Atmosférica desplegó a “Miss Piggy”, el avión N43RF, un avión turbohélice especializado Lockheed WP-3D Orion de cuatro motores, junto con un equipo de cazadores de huracanes, para despegar desde Lakeland y volar directamente hacia el huracán.

Qué significa

Una alerta de huracán significa que se esperan condiciones de huracán en algún lugar dentro del área bajo alerta. Se deben acelerar y completar los preparativos para proteger la vida y los bienes.

Una alerta de tormenta tropical significa que se esperan condiciones de tormenta tropical en algún lugar dentro del área bajo alerta.

Una vigilancia de marejada ciclónica significa que existe la posibilidad de inundaciones que pongan en peligro la vida debido al aumento del nivel del agua que avanza tierra adentro desde la costa.

Una alerta de marejada ciclónica significa que existe el peligro de inundaciones que pongan en peligro la vida debido al aumento del nivel del agua que avanza tierra adentro desde la costa.

• Frontera entre Alabama y Florida hasta Grayton Beach: de 6 a 9 pies
• Grayton Beach hasta Indian Pass: de 4 a 7 pies
• Indian Pass hasta el río Steinhatchee: de 4 a 6 pies
• Dauphin Island, en Alabama, hasta la frontera entre Alabama y Florida: de 4 a 6 pies
• Río Steinhatchee hasta el río Suwannee: de 3 a 5 pies
• Desembocadura del río Mississippi, en Louisiana, hasta Dauphin Island, en Alabama: de 3 a 5 pies
• Bahía inferior de Mobile: de 3 a 5 pies
• Río Suwannee hasta Yankeetown: de 2 a 4 pies
• Bahía superior de Mobile: de 2 a 4 pies

Información metereológica de Local 10 News: boletines de la mañana del viernes

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said that one person was rushed to a trauma center with severe injuries while seven others were taken to area hospitals in ambulances after the plane landed shortly after 3 a.m. Friday. The airline said nine people — three crew members and six passengers — were affected by the turbulence and needed to be taken to a medical facility.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Avianca flight was en route from Medellin, Colombia, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when the Airbus A320 had to divert to Miami.

Avianca said the passengers who were not hurt were flown to New York on Friday morning. The airline said “the safety of our customers and employees is, and will remain, the foundation of our operations.”

Serious injuries from in-flight turbulence are rare, but scientists say they may be becoming more common as climate change alters the jet stream. The International Air Transport Association said the number of reports it received about turbulence incidents surged more than 25% last year.

Last summer, 24 people were taken to the hospital after a Delta Air Lines flight encountered turbulence caused by a thunderstorm over Wyoming. The National Transportation Safety Board has said passengers and flight attendants were thrown into the ceiling with enough force to crack some of the interior panels before tossing them back to the floor and then up again. The seat belt sign was off at the time so some passengers were up and drinks were being served when that plane hit the turbulence.

At least 20 passengers have filed lawsuits against Delta over that incident, arguing the airline could have avoided the severe weather.

The FAA recommends that passengers stay buckled whenever possible to protect against unexpected turbulence.

According to the Homestead Police Department, its officers were investigating “multiple mail theft incidents” at the San Sherri Apartments, located at 440 E. Mowry Drive, after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service contacted them last Friday.

Authorities said surveillance video pointed them towards a gray Nissan Rogue. According to the report, HPD investigators put a GPS tracker inside a Priority Mail parcel in the complex’s cluster boxes and waited for the thieves to return.

They did so on Thursday, police said. According to the report, officers spotted the Rogue after the tracker started moving just before 4 a.m.

An HPD officer spotted the SUV near Northeast 15th Street and Homestead Boulevard and tried to pull the driver, later identified as Brandon Matthew Morgan, over.

But police said the 35-year-old fled and quickly crashed into another vehicle before hitting a tree at Southwest 296th Street and U.S. 1, just outside of the city limits.

Morgan fled, but police said a 19-year-old woman in the passenger’s seat, identified as Teisha Shereal Richardson, stayed put and implicated Morgan as being responsible for the thefts.

Police said they eventually took Morgan into custody as well and found seven credit cards, all belonging to different victims, in the Rogue’s center console, as well as a black bag and a plastic bag in the back seat containing “several” mail pieces.

Police arrested Morgan and Richardson, both of southwest Miami-Dade, on a host of charges.

Morgan, who turns 36 on Sunday, faces 37 felonies, 34 of which are charges of mail theft with a prior conviction. Richardson also faces 34 mail theft charges, all of which are misdemeanors.

Jail records show both were being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Friday morning: Morgan with a bond listed as “to be set” and Richardson with a $1,000 bond.

The Republican governor, who has aggressively used the death penalty in his final term, signed a letter Thursday withdrawing the death warrant for William Lee Thompson. The 74-year-old inmate had been set to die Tuesday for the murder and kidnapping of Sally Ivester in 1976.

A second Florida execution scheduled for the same day is still set to take place. James Robertson, 63, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and waived all appeals in the 2008 strangling of Frank Hart while the men were cellmates at Charlotte Correctional Institution, north of Fort Myers. Robertson told investigators he killed the other man so he could be moved to death row.

DeSantis did not provide a reason in the letter for withdrawing Thompson's death warrant but had temporarily stayed his execution last month pending a psychiatric evaluation. Florida prison officials, however, had still been preparing for Thompson's potential execution next week.

Thompson's attorney, Bri Lacy, said they're relieved by the result.

“Mr. Thompson suffers from dementia and his health is failing — both of which were gravely concerning with an impending execution,” Lacy said in an email. “Now that Mr. Thompson is no longer under a death warrant, we hope FDOC (Florida Department of Corrections) will relocate him to an adequate medical facility and provide the care he needs.”

The move comes at a time of escalating attention on the death penalty in the U.S.

In Tennessee, Christa Pike survived an execution attempt last week despite receiving two lethal doses of pentobarbital. On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan would be livestreamed.

Thompson will remain on Florida's death row, and a new death warrant could be signed for him in the future.

A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately return an email seeking comment.

Florida carried out 19 executions last year, a record in the state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. In July, Florida became the first state in nearly a decade to execute two prisoners in one day.

• Cierran al público todos los toboganes de los parques de Miami tras muerte de adolescente
• DeSantis celebra victoria en Miami tras decisión judicial de eliminar informe del gran jurado crítico de Hope Florida
• Gobernador declara emergencia en 25 condados de Florida por tormenta Isaias
• Arrestan a segunda sospechosa de robar desde un taxi en Miami Beach
• Policía agarró a mordidas y arañazos a su novio por tratar de terminar, según acusación
• Exige respuestas luego que su hijo muriera ahorcado en tobogán de un parque en Miami
• Arrestan hombre relacionado con robo de bolsos de diseñador de influencer con valor 271,000 dólares
• Autoridades sanitarias confirman caso de dengue local en condado de Broward
• Cierran tramo de la I-95 por accidente mortal y volcadura en Pompano Beach
• ¡Por tercera vez cucarachas un restaurante de Davie, entre los que se cierran!

Entre los políticos conocidos sancionados por Estados Unidos, Canadá y la Unión Europea figuran el expresidente haitiano Michel Martelly y Youri Latortue, expresidente del Senado haitiano. No han anunciado públicamente planes para presentarse en las próximas elecciones generales, las primeras a llevarse a cabo en más de una década.

Los posibles candidatos ya no están obligados a presentar un certificado del Banco de la República de Haití que confirme que no están sujetos a congelamientos de activos y que son elegibles para postularse, de acuerdo con un documento oficial hecho público el jueves. Aun así, deberán presentar otros documentos, incluidos los relativos a cualquier antecedente penal.

Quienes estén sancionados por el Consejo de Seguridad de Naciones Unidas siguen siendo inelegibles para postularse. El Consejo ha sancionado a nueve haitianos, casi todos ellos líderes de pandillas, al igual que a Prophane Victor, un exlegislador acusado desde hace tiempo de proporcionar armas a pandillas.

Algunos críticos sostienen que los cambios más recientes en las normas por parte del Consejo Electoral Provisional de Haití eliminan salvaguardas y medidas de rendición de cuentas que son importantes para las elecciones.

Michael Deibert, autor de libros sobre Haití, dijo que las nuevas reglas no muestran ningún empeño por impedir la participación de candidatos que han sido “vinculados de manera creíble” con actos ilícitos.

“A través de las múltiples versiones de estas autoridades interinas en Haití, hemos visto el deseo de la clase política de protegerse a sí misma por encima de todo", apuntó Deibert.

Un nuevo informe presentado al Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU y hecho público esta semana detalla los profundos vínculos entre las pandillas y los actores políticos y económicos del país, al tiempo que advierte de un aumento de la violencia de cara a las elecciones.

El Consejo Electoral Provisional de Haití ha aplazado hasta el 31 de octubre la fecha límite para que los candidatos se inscriban, pero no ha hecho ningún anuncio sobre la fecha de las elecciones generales, que oficialmente siguen previstas para el 13 de diciembre.

El ex primer ministro haitiano Evans Paul criticó el cambio más reciente, advirtiendo el viernes en la red social X que “el país se está hundiendo en una transición interminable, donde cada nueva regla se percibe como una herramienta de control político partidista, más que como un paso hacia la democracia”.

“La inestabilidad jurídica del gobierno está matando el proceso”, escribió. “Al alterar constantemente las reglas, las autoridades han saboteado el propio proceso que alegaban estar organizando”.

Hasta ahora se han inscrito más de 784.000 votantes en un país de más de 12 millones de personas. Sólo 58.695 de ellos están registrados en la región de Artibonite, el segundo distrito electoral más grande de Haití, y uno que este año ha registrado un aumento sin precedentes de la violencia de pandillas.

Según un conteo preliminar en línea del consejo electoral, hasta ahora se han inscrito 13 aspirantes a la presidencia, junto con 929 candidatos a la Cámara de Diputados, 755 aspirantes a alcaldías y 282 candidatos al Senado, aunque esas cifras no representan una lista oficial ni definitiva.

——-

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

The arrest was the latest targeting ShinyHunters, the group that claimed responsibility for the hack, as the FBI continues a global investigation into the breach of its network, which Patel said “occurred on a platform managed by a third-party vendor.”

“We will continue to work closely with our partners to disrupt what’s left of the ShinyHunters group and their associates, no matter where they operate,” Patel said in a statement.

The identity of the person arrested was not immediately clear, nor what charges they might face.

In a message taking responsibility for the hack and announcing the collection of sensitive information, ShinyHunters said it had taken action over false allegations contained in an FBI public advisory from May that described the organization as a “cyber criminal group specializing in large-scale data breaches and extortion.”

That advisory characterized ShinyHunters as “threat actors” who often “use their real or exaggerated claims of access to sensitive or personal information to prompt payment from victims,” commonly harass or threaten people and “may falsely claim to have sensitive or compromising information, including embarrassing photographs or videos of victims, which frequently do not exist.”

Experts said that although the data that appeared to be compromised was the type of personal information that is routinely accessed during a breach, the hack nonetheless had alarming national security implications given that it could expose agents and their families to extortion, swatting and other harassment and because the identities of spouses were also said to have been obtained.

Ditka's family announced the death on Friday in a statement.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Mike Ditka,” the family said. “While the world knew Mike as a Hall of Fame football player, legendary coach, and leader of the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl XX championship team, we knew him as the heart of our family. Mike will be missed beyond measure and remembered forever.”

Nicknamed “Iron Mike” as a player, Ditka helped revolutionize the tight end position, then moved to the sidelines and took over as Chicago’s coach. His 1985 team featured one of the game’s most dominant defenses ever. It also had enough outsized personalities to record a rap video, “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” and back up their boasting in the championship game three months later.

He was arguably the NFL's most recognizable — and imitated — personality during his time as Chicago's coach with his thick but neatly groomed mustache and sweater vest with “BEARS” emblazoned across the chest. The iconic look is still mimicked by fans at Bears games decades later. That along with his fiery, red-faced sideline tantrums inspired the popular “Da Bears” skit on “Saturday Night Live” during the 1980s.

After retiring as a coach, Ditka became a restaurateur, pitchman and TV personality, as well as a forceful advocate for improved medical and retirement benefits for former players.

Ditka was tough and gruff, the quintessential Chicago Bear. He did everything from order off the menu to knock defensive backs on their butts with a growl. His adopted hometown reveled in every minute.

Still revered as "Da Coach" and ringmaster of the 1985 Bears, one of the most dominant and perhaps the zaniest Super Bowl-winning team in league history. Ditka was enshrined in the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and the Bears said during a ceremony in 2013 that his "No. 89" jersey will be the last one retired by the team.

“Player. Coach. Legend,” the Bears wrote in a tribute on social media. “Mike Ditka embodied the spirit of Chicago and will be deeply missed.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Ditka “epitomized football over so many years” during his career.

“He brought intensity, authenticity and an unmistakable personality to everything he did,” Goodell said in a statement. “As a Hall of Fame player, Super Bowl-winning coach with his beloved and iconic Bears, and as a broadcaster, Mike served as an ambassador for the game and inspired generations of fans. Through his work with the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, Mike was a champion for taking care of those who helped build our game. We extend our deepest condolences to Diana and the Ditka family.”

He was born in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, the son of a welder who changed the family name from Dyczko. He grew up in nearby Aliquippa, close to the coal-mining and steel-manufacturing plants that dotted the western part of the state, a big, talented, three-sport athlete and All-American at Pitt whose bruising style made his first nickname, "Iron Mike," a good fit.

Selected fifth overall by flinty Chicago owner George Halas in the 1961 draft, Ditka went on to Rookie of the Year honors, multiple Pro Bowl trips and the 1963 NFL Championship. In the bargain, he and Baltimore's John Mackey changed the tight end position and offensive schemes forever. He was a battering ram of a blocker, but Ditka was just as likely to catch a short pass and pinball through an entire secondary or outrace a lone safety on a deep touchdown throw.

He left Chicago in 1966, playing briefly for Philadelphia and Dallas. He moved to the sideline in 1973 as an assistant to the revered Tom Landry and stayed with the Cowboys for eight seasons, before returning to a hero's welcome in Chicago as head coach in 1982.

Ditka's return to the Bears lasted 10 tumultuous years, including five straight NFC Central titles, the Super Bowl win, a DUI conviction, a heart attack, a long-running feud with defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and, finally, a new nickname — “Da Coach.”

To Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary, the seeds of what was to come were planted in Ditka’s first meeting with the team. He laid out his vision, saying Chicago would be in the Super Bowl in three years — and many of the players in the room would not be around for it.

“When I first heard him when he walked in the room, to me Coach Ditka had the opportunity to be the greatest coach of all time because he had the fire,” Singletary said at the Bears’ 100th anniversary celebration in June 2019. “I don’t know George Halas coached. But I can imagine that the fire and intensity and passion that Coach Ditka exuded that first day set the tone for exactly what he said: ‘Three years from now, we’re going to be in the Super Bowl.’ And that was 1982. In ’85, we were there and it was because of that vision.”

The public beefs with Ryan mirrored the behind-the-scenes battles that Ditka waged trying to contain a team bristling with outsized personalities.

“It was more than a team,” Ditka once said. “It was a team of characters that had character that played for a crazy man, who let him be crazy and had fun doing it and don't apologize for it ever. I wouldn’t want to be one of these suits walking around on the sideline today.

“I have no desire to be that. I was what I was and they were what they were and, damn, it was fun.”

It wasn't until two dozen players recorded "The Super Bowl Shuffle" — an audacious rap-styled video released three months ahead of the 1986 title game — that the rest of the football world wondered whether Ditka was losing his grip.

His players never did.

"We call him 'Sybil' after that girl in the movie," quarterback Jim McMahon once explained. "You know, the one that had all those personalities. Mike will be calm one minute, then throw a clipboard the next. People don't understand that, but we do."

The Bears demolished the New England Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl, but Ditka often said he regretted having McMahon and defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry run for touchdowns instead of Walter Payton, Chicago's loyal and long-suffering running back.

Ryan departed for a head coaching job in Philadelphia soon after. While the Bears continued to be a contender for most of the next five years, a 5-11 season prompted Ditka's departure in 1992.

After a five-year absence, he returned to coaching with the New Orleans Saints, but failed to revive the franchise. His tenure with the team might be best remembered for the trade before the 1999 NFL draft when he dealt a package of eight draft picks — including each one the Saints had that year and two of its first three selections in 2000 — to Washington to move up from 12th overall to No. 5 so New Orleans could select running back Ricky Williams.

After a miserable 1999 season ended with a 3-13 record — Ditka's worst as either a player or coach — he left the sidelines for good.

“We proudly honor his chapters as a head coach in New Orleans,” the Saints said in a statement. “While his time leading our franchise on the field was brief in longevity, his presence left an indelible mark on our organization. Mike approached his tenure with the Saints with the same bold authenticity and relentless drive that defined his entire career.”

His face and demeanor were so familiar by then that a second act became an easy segue. Ditka began building a stable of restaurants and appeared as himself in TV sitcoms from "Cheers" to "Third Rock from the Sun," as well as shows such as “L.A. Law.”

He also stayed close to the game as an NFL analyst and game-day show personality at ESPN. Ditka's high-profile status also made him an effective advocate to secure improved health and retirement benefits for former players.

His name also circulated for years in Illinois political circles. Though he never ran for office, Ditka described himself as a staunch conservative and was mentioned several times as a possible Republican candidate, including a congressional race against then state Rep. Barack Obama for the U.S. Senate.

___

Litke is a retired AP Sports Columnist.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

An extended shutdown of refineries would put a crimp in fuel supplies that already have taken a hit from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Russia's war against Ukraine.

Chevron’s facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Vertex Energy’s refinery in Mobile, Alabama, which constitute 2.4% of the nation’s refining capacity, are at risk of flooding and power outages, said Andrew Lipow, a Houston-based oil analyst. Any problems could take the facilities offline at a time when diesel supplies are already low.

Isaias strengthened into a major hurricane Friday as it barreled toward the Gulf Coast, where final preparations were underway for potentially life-threatening storm surges and high winds.

If the storm moves through quickly and its impacts are minimal, refineries would continue to run at reduced capacity and prices for gasoline and diesel could rise just a few cents, said Carl Larry with the energy analysis firm Enverus. But if refineries such as Chevron's shut down completely, it could take them weeks to recover and that could cause fuel prices to jump more significantly, Larry said.

“Major issues, like a power shutdown, and the prices will spike immediately. It's possible a dollar,” he said. “Those diesel prices that already are above $6 could start approaching $7.”

Other experts said even if the refineries that turn oil into fuel for consumers take a hit, the gas price impacts should be minimal.

“We’re talking about potentially under a million barrels a day, probably somewhere in the ballpark of 500,000 barrels a day, of refining capacity,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “That may have a small impact on gas prices, primarily in the Gulf Coast, but I don’t think it rises to a criteria that would impact gas prices nationally.”

As refineries on the coast braced for the storm, it already had caused temporary shutdowns of offshore oil wells that pump about 15% of U.S. crude.

As of Friday, personnel from 129 production platforms — about a third of the facilities in the Gulf of Mexico — were evacuated, according to the federal Marine Minerals Administration.

More than two-thirds of Gulf oil production was shut down as a precaution, equal to almost 1.5 million barrels (61 million gallons) of oil a day, the agency said. Chevron, BP and Shell were among companies that reported evacuating personnel and shutting platforms.

The storm’s impact on oil and gas prices so far is dwarfed by the effect of the conflict in the Middle East. And once the storm passes, workers will be able to return to platforms in the Gulf and quickly resume operations, barring significant damage.

“I would expect that the shut-in oil production will probably return pretty quickly within just a couple of days,” De Haan said.

Prices for Brent crude, the international standard, were above $104 a barrel Friday. That price has varied between $96 and nearly $110 over the last month driven by uncertainty over the war with Iran.

Leer en español

Deputies said they responded to a shooting call just after 8 p.m. near the 200 block of Northwest 31st Avenue.

Deputies said they found a person with a “superficial” wound. They confirmed that the individual, who has not been identified at this time, was taken to a local hospital.

Detectives with BSO’s Violent Crimes Unit said they’re investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Los agentes indicaron que acudieron a una llamada por un tiroteo poco después de las 20:00 h, cerca de 200 block de Northwest 31st Avenue.

Los agentes afirmaron que encontraron a una persona con una herida “superficial”. Confirmaron que la persona, cuya identidad aún no se ha revelado, fue trasladada a un hospital local.

Los detectives de la Unidad de Delitos Violentos de la BSO indicaron que están investigando las circunstancias que rodean el tiroteo.

Leer en español

According to fire rescue officials, the crash happened near West Oakland Park Boulevard and Northwest 94th Avenue, next to a stand-alone emergency room.

According to the Sunrise Fire Chief John McNamara, two battalion chiefs arrived before dive teams and jumped into the canal without diving equipment to rescue the driver, who Sunrise police identified on Friday as Richard Wilson Harris.

McNamara said that as the truck became submerged, the chiefs broke a window and pulled Harris from the vehicle. He was found unconscious.

He said paramedics were able to restore Harris’ pulse and maintain his blood pressure while transporting him to the hospital. However, Sunrise police said he later died at Broward Health Medical Center.

Within minutes of receiving the dispatch call, a department drone operator launched a drone to provide an aerial view of the canal and assist crews as divers searched the water.

The truck was eventually recovered from the canal. Police officers removed items from the vehicle as part of their investigation.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Leer en español

China One in Davie has been shut down again, and even on a follow-up inspection, inspectors STILL found live roaches.

At China Spring III in Coral Springs, inspectors found about two dozen rodent droppings and dead roaches.

At La Carreta inside Miami International Airport, inspectors found live roaches, dozens of flies and dead roaches in kitchen and storage areas.

And Tribute to Tobacco Road by Kush in Miami? A staggering 37 violations, including live and dead roaches, flies, filthy floors, grease buildup and salmon hit with a stop-sale order over temperature abuse.

Below are a list of places and some of their violations.

You decide, would you want to eat there?

**CHINA ONE

15711 SHERIDAN ST.

DAVIE

ORDERED SHUT 10/7

15 VIOLATIONS FOUND

ALSO ORDERED SHUT 6/24/25(ROACH ISSUE)

ALSO ORDERED SHUT 2/18/25(ROACH ISSUE)

ALSO ORDERED SHUT 2/14/24(ROACH ISSUE)

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed approximately 3 large roaches crawling underneath cook line 6 live roaches on the floor underneath cart on cook line. 3 roaches on the floor front line expo station. 6 live roaches on pipe underneath 3 compartment sinks. 1 live roach crawling on table by can opener holder.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed pan egg rolls (55F - Cooling); tempura chicken (47F - Cooling) in cover plastic container per operator prepared yesterday and stored in walk-in cooler overnight.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Though out the kitchen. Repeat Violation.”

“Food being cooled by nonapproved method as evidenced by inadequate rate of cooling during time of inspection. Observed pan egg rolls (55F - Cooling); tempura chicken (47F - Cooling) in cover plastic container per operator prepared yesterday and stored in walk-in cooler overnight.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed in walk-in cooler a pan of raw chicken stored on top of a bucket of fresh garlic and oil. Repeat Violation.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food thawed in an improper manner. Observed pan of raw chicken 35F underneath 3 compartment sink.”

“Employee eating in a food preparation or other restricted area. Observed employee eating in food preparation area.”

“Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing. Observed plastic containers in hand washing sink. Repeat Violation.”

“Required employee training expired for all employees.”

FOLLOW UP INSPECTION 10/8

“1 live roach on floor next to cook line 1 live roach crawling on the floor underneath rack on cook line 1 live roach crawling on pipe underneath hand washing sink. 1 live roach crawling on the wall at prep area.”

**CHINA SPRING III

8100 WILES ROAD

CORAL SPRINGS

ORDERED SHUT 10/8

15 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Rodent activity present as evidenced by rodent droppings found. At kitchen / cook line area- approximately 20 rodent droppings on the floor - underneath prep tables, containers of food and reach in coolers. At dry storage shelf near cook line - approximately 4 rodent droppings on can of sauce.”

“Dead roaches on premises. At kitchen prep area- 1 dead roach on the floor - operator removed. At bathroom- 1 dead roach on the floor.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. At reach in cooler raw shell eggs stored over cooked chicken- operator removed and stored properly.”

“Throughout establishment- Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust.”

“Employee handled soiled equipment or utensils and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. At dishwashing/prep area -employee handled dirty dishes, then proceeded to handle clean dishes and engage in handling food without washing their hands-educated operator-employee wash their hands.”

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

“Required employee training expired for all employees.”

**LA CARRETA

MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

CONCOURSE D 37

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

ORDERED SHUT 10/6

16 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed one live roach in the storage area, two lives roaches behind lockers located in the back area, observed one live roach on the floor on the second storage room, observed two live roaches on the wall in the prep table area, observed two live roaches behind the prep table by the office, observed two live roaches in the kitchen floor by between the ovens and slicer, observed one live roach crawling on the wall in the kitchen area, observed one live roach behind kitchen reach in cooler located in the cook line.”

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed approximately 7 flies on the wall in the back area kitchen, and flying around, observed three flies around the second cook line kitchen hand washing sink, observed three flies by the three-compartment sink, observed approximately ten flies around clean containers stored in a shelf.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Observed two dead roaches in the storage room under the storage shelves, observed one dead roach in a shelf in the cook line kitchen.”

“Buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment. Observed trays cart with heavy soiled, observed under kitchen equipment with heavy grease buildup.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. Observed ceiling tiles soiled in the kitchen area. Repeat Violation.”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed reach in cooler gasket in disrepair located next to the steam table.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed wall soiled on the back area under fan, observed grease buildup behind steamers located in the second cook line, prep area, observed wall soiled under the three-compartment sink, observed wall soiled in the kitchen area, observed wall behind ice machines, observed heavy soiled next to the flat grill. Repeat Violation.”

“Dish machine not sanitizing properly. Discontinue use of dish machine for sanitizing and set up manual sanitization until dish machine is repaired and sanitizing properly. Observed dishwasher machine 0 chlorine ppm, operator replaced sanitizer containers 100 ppm Chlorine.”

**TRIBUTE TO TOBACCO ROAD BY KUSH

KUSH BRICKELL

650 SOUTH MIAMI AVE.

MIAMI

ORDERED HUT 10/8

37 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Observed 4 live roaches crawling on the aluminum back wall of the cooking line. Also observed three roaches on the wall at the back of reach in cooler in cooking line. Also observed three roaches in the wall next to hand washing sink located at cooking line.”

“Observed three to four dead roaches on the floor of cooking line.”

“Observed two small flies flying in the air in bar area. Also observed two flies flying in the air next to dishwasher area.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food thawed in an improper manner. Observed two turkey breasts thawed on top of prep table. Person in charge put in under running water.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed can opener soiled at kitchen area.”

“Observed floor soiled with accumulation of debris-floor in bar area and entire kitchen, dry storage area, behind and underneath equipment, and along floor, wall junctures have an accumulation of debris and trash.”

“Observed Establishment conducts non-continuous cooking for precooked wings without written procedures approved by the division.”

“Observed Wall soiled with accumulated of food debris in kitchen and prep area. Also observed a mold like substance. On the back wall of dishwasher machine.”

“Observed Employee began working with food, handling clean equipment or utensils, or touching unwrapped single-service items without first washing hands.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed five defrosted ROP package with salmon inside walk in cooler.”

El supermercado China One en Davie ha sido clausurado de nuevo, e incluso en una inspección posterior, los inspectores siguen encontrando cucarachas vivas.

En China Spring III, en Coral Springs, los inspectores encontraron alrededor de dos docenas de excrementos de roedores y cucarachas muertas.

En el restaurante La Carreta, ubicado dentro del Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami, los inspectores encontraron cucarachas vivas, decenas de moscas y cucarachas muertas en la cocina y las áreas de almacenamiento.

¿Qué decir del Tribute to Tobacco Road de Kush en Miami? Unas asombrosas 37 infracciones, entre ellas cucarachas vivas y muertas, moscas, suelos sucios, acumulación de grasa y salmón con una orden de cese de venta por abuso de temperatura.

A continuación se muestra una lista de lugares y algunas de sus infracciones.

Tú decides, ¿te gustaría comer allí?

**CHINA ONE

15711 CALLE SHERIDAN

DAVIE

ORDEN DE CIERRE 10/7

Se detectaron 15 infracciones.

TAMBIÉN SE ORDENÓ EL CIERRE EL 24/6/25 (PROBLEMA DE CUCARACHAS)

TAMBIÉN SE ORDENÓ EL CIERRE EL 18/2/25 (PROBLEMA DE CUCARACHAS)

TAMBIÉN SE ORDENÓ EL CIERRE EL 14/2/24 (PROBLEMA DE CUCARACHAS)

“Presencia de cucarachas, evidenciada por el hallazgo de cucarachas vivas. Se observaron aproximadamente 3 cucarachas grandes arrastrándose debajo de la línea de cocción, 6 cucarachas vivas en el suelo debajo del carrito de la línea de cocción, 3 cucarachas en el suelo de la estación de servicio frontal, 6 cucarachas vivas en la tubería debajo de los fregaderos de 3 compartimentos y 1 cucaracha viva arrastrándose sobre la mesa junto al soporte del abrelatas.”

Se emitió una orden de cese de venta por incumplimiento del control de temperatura y tiempo de los alimentos debido a un manejo inadecuado de la temperatura. Se observaron rollitos de huevo en sartén (55 °F - Enfriando) y pollo tempura (47 °F - Enfriando) en un recipiente de plástico tapado, preparados por el operador ayer y almacenados en la cámara frigorífica durante la noche.

“Pared sucia con grasa acumulada, restos de comida y/o polvo. En toda la cocina. Infracción reiterada.”

“Se observó que los alimentos se estaban enfriando mediante un método no aprobado, como lo demuestra la velocidad de enfriamiento insuficiente durante la inspección. Se observaron rollitos de huevo en sartén (55 °F - Enfriamiento); pollo tempura (47 °F - Enfriamiento) en un recipiente de plástico tapado por el operador, preparados ayer y almacenados en la cámara frigorífica durante la noche.”

“Alimentos crudos de origen animal almacenados encima de alimentos listos para el consumo o sin la separación adecuada de estos. Se observó en la cámara frigorífica una bandeja de pollo crudo almacenada encima de un cubo con ajo fresco y aceite. Infracción reiterada.”

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para la seguridad alimentaria: descongelación inadecuada de alimentos. Se observó una bandeja con pollo crudo a 35 °F debajo de un fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

“Empleado comiendo en una zona de preparación de alimentos u otra área restringida. Se observó a un empleado comiendo en una zona de preparación de alimentos.”

“El lavamanos se utiliza para fines distintos al lavado de manos. Se observaron recipientes de plástico en el lavamanos. Infracción reiterada.”

“La formación obligatoria para todos los empleados ha caducado.”

INSPECCIÓN DE SEGUIMIENTO 10/8

“1 cucaracha viva en el suelo junto a la línea de cocción. 1 cucaracha viva arrastrándose por el suelo debajo de la rejilla de la línea de cocción. 1 cucaracha viva arrastrándose por la tubería debajo del lavamanos. 1 cucaracha viva arrastrándose por la pared en el área de preparación.”

**CHINA SPRING III

8100 WILES ROAD

Manantiales de coral

ORDEN DE CIERRE 10/8

Se detectaron 15 infracciones.

Se detectó actividad de roedores, como lo demuestran los excrementos encontrados. En la cocina/zona de cocción, se hallaron aproximadamente 20 excrementos de roedores en el suelo, debajo de las mesas de preparación, los recipientes de comida y los refrigeradores. En el estante de almacenamiento en seco cerca de la zona de cocción, se encontraron aproximadamente 4 excrementos de roedores sobre una lata de salsa.

“Se encontraron cucarachas muertas en las instalaciones. En la zona de preparación de la cocina, se encontró una cucaracha muerta en el suelo; el operario la retiró. En el baño, también se encontró una cucaracha muerta en el suelo.”

“Alimentos crudos de origen animal almacenados encima de alimentos listos para el consumo o sin la separación adecuada de estos. En el refrigerador, se encontraron huevos crudos con cáscara almacenados encima de pollo cocido; el operario los retiró y los almacenó correctamente.”

“En todo el establecimiento: superficies que no entran en contacto con alimentos sucias con grasa, restos de comida, suciedad, lodo o polvo.”

“El empleado manipuló equipo o utensilios sucios y luego participó en la preparación de alimentos, manipuló equipo o utensilios limpios o tocó artículos desechables sin envolver sin lavarse las manos. En el área de lavado de platos/preparación, el empleado manipuló platos sucios, luego procedió a manipular platos limpios y participó en la manipulación de alimentos sin lavarse las manos; se capacitó al operador para que el empleado se lavara las manos.”

“Empleado sin sujeción para el cabello mientras preparaba alimentos. Reincidencia.”

“La formación obligatoria para todos los empleados ha caducado.”

**LA CARRETA

AEROPUERTO INTERNACIONAL DE MIAMI

PUERTA D 37

INSPECCIÓN BASADA EN UNA DENUNCIA

ORDEN DE CIERRE 10/6

Se detectaron 16 infracciones.

“Se detectó actividad de cucarachas, como lo demuestra el hallazgo de cucarachas vivas. Se observó una cucaracha viva en el área de almacenamiento, dos cucarachas vivas detrás de los casilleros ubicados en la parte trasera, una cucaracha viva en el piso del segundo almacén, dos cucarachas vivas en la pared del área de la mesa de preparación, dos cucarachas vivas detrás de la mesa de preparación junto a la oficina, dos cucarachas vivas en el piso de la cocina entre los hornos y la rebanadora, una cucaracha viva arrastrándose por la pared en el área de la cocina y una cucaracha viva detrás del refrigerador de la cocina ubicado en la línea de cocción.”

Se encontraron pequeños insectos voladores vivos. Se observaron aproximadamente 7 moscas en la pared de la cocina trasera y volando alrededor; se observaron tres moscas cerca del lavamanos de la segunda línea de cocción; se observaron tres moscas junto al fregadero de tres compartimentos; y se observaron aproximadamente diez moscas alrededor de los recipientes limpios almacenados en un estante.

“Se encontraron cucarachas muertas en las instalaciones. Se observaron dos cucarachas muertas en el almacén, debajo de los estantes, y una cucaracha muerta en un estante de la cocina.”

“Acumulación de restos de comida/residuos de tierra en los equipos. Se observó un carro de bandejas muy sucio y una gran acumulación de grasa debajo de los equipos de cocina.”

“Techo/baldosas/rejillas de ventilación sucias con restos de comida acumulados, grasa, polvo o una sustancia similar al moho. Se observaron baldosas de techo sucias en la zona de la cocina. Infracción reiterada.”

“El equipo se encuentra en mal estado. Se observó que la junta del refrigerador, ubicado junto a la mesa de vapor, estaba dañada.”

Pared sucia con grasa acumulada, restos de comida y/o polvo. Se observó suciedad en la pared en la parte trasera, debajo del ventilador; acumulación de grasa detrás de las vaporeras ubicadas en la segunda línea de cocción, en el área de preparación; debajo del fregadero de tres compartimentos; en la zona de la cocina; detrás de las máquinas de hielo; y muy sucia junto a la plancha. Infracción reiterada.

“El lavavajillas no desinfecta correctamente. Suspenda el uso del lavavajillas para desinfectar y realice la desinfección manual hasta que el lavavajillas sea reparado y desinfecte correctamente. Se observó que el lavavajillas tenía 0 ppm de cloro; el operador reemplazó los recipientes de desinfectante con 100 ppm de cloro.”

**TRIBUTE TO TOBACCO ROAD BY KUSH

KUSH BRICKELL

650 SOUTH MIAMI AVE.

MIAMI

PEDIDOS DE CABAÑA 10/8

Se detectaron 37 infracciones.

Se observaron cuatro cucarachas vivas arrastrándose por la pared trasera de aluminio de la línea de cocción. También se observaron tres cucarachas en la pared trasera del refrigerador en la línea de cocción. Asimismo, se observaron tres cucarachas en la pared junto al lavamanos ubicado en la línea de cocción.

“Observé entre tres y cuatro cucarachas muertas en el suelo de la zona de cocción.”

“Observé dos pequeñas moscas volando en el aire en la zona del bar. También observé dos moscas volando en el aire junto a la zona del lavavajillas.”

“Se descongeló de forma inadecuada un alimento que requería control de tiempo y temperatura para garantizar su seguridad. Se observaron dos pechugas de pavo descongeladas sobre la mesa de preparación. La persona encargada las puso bajo el grifo de agua corriente.”

“Superficie en contacto con alimentos sucia con restos de comida, una sustancia parecida al moho o una sustancia viscosa. Se observó un abrelatas sucio en la zona de la cocina.”

“Se observó que el suelo estaba sucio y con acumulación de escombros en la zona del bar y en toda la cocina, en la zona de almacenamiento en seco, detrás y debajo de los equipos, y a lo largo del suelo; las uniones de las paredes presentan acumulación de escombros y basura.”

“El establecimiento observado lleva a cabo una cocción discontinua de alitas precocinadas sin procedimientos escritos aprobados por la división.”

Se observó una pared sucia con acumulación de restos de comida en la cocina y el área de preparación. También se observó una sustancia parecida al moho en la pared trasera del lavavajillas.

“Se observó que el empleado comenzó a trabajar con alimentos, manipular equipos o utensilios limpios, o tocar artículos desechables sin envolver sin lavarse las manos previamente.”

Se emitió una orden de cese de venta por manipulación inadecuada de alimentos que requerían control de tiempo y temperatura. Se observaron cinco paquetes de salmón descongelados dentro de una cámara frigorífica.

Los vientos máximos sostenidos han aumentado hasta alcanzar casi los 155 km/h (100 mph) y se prevé que Simón se convierta en un huracán de gran intensidad la noche del viernes y que siga intensificándose el sábado, informó el Centro Nacional de Huracanes de Estados Unidos en Miami (NHC, por sus siglas en inglés).

El huracán se encontraba a unos 335 kms (210 millas) al sur de Manzanillo y 500 kms (310 millas) al sur-sureste de Cabo Corrientes, y se desplazaba hacia el noroeste ligeramente más despacio, a 6 km/h (3 mph).

Se prevé un giro lento hacia el norte durante todo este viernes y que después se desplace hacia el norte, con lo que su centro pasaría muy cerca o por encima de la costa centro-occidental de México el domingo y podría alcanzar la categoría 4 antes de tocar tierra. Los huracanes de categoría 4 en la escala Saffir-Simpson tienen vientos máximos sostenidos de 210-250 km/h (130-156 mph).

Los meteorólogos emitieron una alerta de huracán para zonas de la costa central y suroeste, donde se esperaban vientos huracanados en un plazo de 36 horas.

Simón se acerca a las costas mexicanas después del impacto en septiembre del huracán Polo en el noroeste y en momentos en que hay una tormenta en el Pacífico y el huracán Isaias, en el Golfo de México, afectando al país.

Desde el jueves, Simón dejó fuertes lluvias e inundaciones en el estado de Guerrero, donde se suspendieron las clases y las actividades no esenciales en distintos puntos de la costa y el centro.

Las inundaciones afectaron sobre todo al puerto de Acapulco, devastado en 2023 por el huracán Otis, y donde algunas calles quedaron convertidas en ríos, con vehículos arrastrados por la corriente y viviendas y locales inundados, pero sin que se hayan lamentado víctimas, dijo la gobernadora, Evelyn Salgado.

En el estado de Jalisco la alerta es máxima. También se suspendieron clases y desde la noche del jueves comenzaron evacuaciones preventivas de decenas de personas de zonas en riesgo. Las autoridades pidieron al sector turístico de Puerto Vallarta, un popular destino vacacional, que trabajadores y visitantes queden instalados en refugios o zonas de seguridad el viernes por la tarde.

“Lo que es seguro es que golpeará las costas de Jalisco con lluvias muy fuertes a partir de este viernes, durante el fin de semana y el lunes”, dijo Lemus.

Simón podría arrojar lluvias torrenciales que podrían causar inundaciones y deslaves, con entre 20 y 38 centímetros (8 a 15 pulgadas) de lluvia en el suroeste de México, mientras que zonas aisladas recibirían hasta 63 cms (25 pulgadas).

Más al norte, se espera que la tormenta tropical Rachel alcance Baja California, el noroeste de México y el sur de California este fin de semana. El meteoro empezaba el viernes a perder fuerza, con vientos de 85 km/h (50 mph), una tendencia que se prevé que continúe, aunque podría dejar precipitaciones intensas en la zona.

La actividad de tormentas tropicales ha estado por encima del promedio esta temporada en el Pacífico, debido a los efectos de un fenómeno El Niño de grandes proporciones. Este fenómeno climático suele reducir la actividad de las tormentas en el Atlántico.

Leer en español

The closure is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday and end at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13. The work will take place at the Florida East Coast Railway crossing on Hallandale Beach Boulevard, according to city officials.

Officials said eastbound and westbound traffic will not be able to cross the tracks during the closure. Pedestrian access across the crossing also will be restricted.

They said businesses and properties near the crossing are expected to remain accessible.

Motorists are encouraged to use alternate railroad crossings at Northwest Third Street, Southwest Third Street and Southwest 11th Street, all near Dixie Highway.

Drivers also can consider other east-west routes, including Pembroke Road, Hollywood Boulevard, Ives Dairy Road and the William Lehman Causeway.

Officials warned that traffic on surrounding roads is likely to be heavier than usual, particularly during morning and evening commutes. Drivers should follow posted detour signs, allow extra travel time and use caution near the work zone.

The repairs are being coordinated by the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida East Coast Railway.

The closure schedule could change because of weather, construction progress or other unforeseen circumstances. Residents can check the city’s website at cohb.org and official Hallandale Beach Police Department channels for updates.

Está previsto que el cierre comience a las 18:00 horas del sábado y finalice a las 22:00 horas del martes 13 de octubre. Las obras se llevarán a cabo en el paso del ferrocarril Florida East Coast Railway situado en el Boulevard Hallandale Beach, según las autoridades municipales.

Las autoridades indicaron que el tráfico en dirección este y oeste no podrá cruzar las vías durante el cierre. El acceso de los peatones al paso a nivel también estará restringido.

Afirmaron que se espera que se mantenga el acceso a los comercios y propiedades cercanas al paso a nivel.

Se recomienda a los conductores que utilicen los pasos a nivel alternativos de Northwest Third Street, Southwest Third Street y Southwest 11th Street, todos ellos cerca de Dixie Highway.

Los conductores también pueden optar por otras rutas este-oeste, como Pembroke Road, Hollywood Boulevard, Ives Dairy Road y la calzada William Lehman.

Las autoridades advirtieron de que es probable que el tráfico en las carreteras circundantes sea más intenso de lo habitual, especialmente durante las horas punta de la mañana y la tarde. Los conductores deben seguir las señales de desvío indicadas, prever más tiempo de viaje y extremar la precaución cerca de la zona de obras.

Las reparaciones están siendo coordinadas por el Departamento de Transporte de Florida y Florida East Coast Railway.

El calendario de cierres podría sufrir cambios debido a las condiciones meteorológicas, el avance de las obras u otras circunstancias imprevistas. Los residentes pueden consultar la página web del ayuntamiento, cohb.org, y los canales oficiales del Departamento de Policía de Hallandale Beach para mantenerse al día.

At nearly six hours, “My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile,” which opens in select theaters this weekend, is the second half of Loktev's portrait of Russian journalists and the culmination of a five-year project. It began with Loktev filming a group of independent journalists in Moscow in the fall of 2021 as Vladimir Putin was starting to declare some reporters “foreign agents."

Four months later, the situation changed dramatically: Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and many journalists fled the country on only a few hours’ notice. Loktev kept filming, following her subjects as they reported on the war in exile.

“People hear, they’re like, ‘Oh my god a six-hour film about journalists? That’s really scary.’ But it’s actually not,” Loktev told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “It’s kind of a hangout film. It’s a friendly film.”

The film is long, but it's not a slog

In the attention economy, a nearly six-hour documentary about anything might sound like a hard sell. Loktev knows this.

She went through it with the first film, “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow,” which was shortlisted for an Oscar nomination and is currently streaming on MUBI. That documentary — a portrait of journalists working in a society on the verge of shutting down all press freedoms — is nearly 5 1/2 hours long.

Now she is doing it again, and neither time with the help of a traditional theatrical distributor. A publicist even recently told her that she’s hearing that people don’t want to watch it because they’re “kind of tired about hearing about press freedoms and authoritarianism.”

“I’m like, that’s really interesting, because authoritarianism isn’t tired of them,” Loktev said.

But the thing about the “My Undesirable Friends” movies is that somehow, despite the heavy subject matter, the sprawling runtime and the many characters, they don’t feel like homework. You also don’t need to see “Part I” to dip into “Part II.”

The main reason is that her subjects, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s, are so engaging and relatable despite being in extraordinary circumstances. It’s also why she didn’t tire of filming them.

“This is a film about very ordinary people who are just trying to do something good in an awful time,” Loktev said. “The film is so much about perseverance and how do you keep telling the story when attention moves away? … How you maintain optimism, or at least enough optimism, to get up the next morning and do your job?”

Since 2021, Russian authorities have labeled dozens of outlets and journalists as “foreign agents” — a designation aimed at discrediting them that also prevents them from selling advertising. They have also outlawed and imprisoned journalists. Many outlets have moved their newsrooms abroad since the first weeks of the war in Ukraine and are accessible in Russia via virtual private networks, or VPNs.

Loktev speaks Russian and filmed her subjects on an iPhone

Loktev was born in the former Soviet Union in 1969 and immigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was 9 years old. She continued speaking Russian with her mother, which made it easier to parachute into this world. Her entry point was Anna Nemzer, who worked for the independent television news network TV Rain.

Loktev filmed everyone with her iPhone, which helped her almost disappear into the background. Part II had her traversing European countries constantly as everyone had dispersed.

After the invasion, Loktev left Russia a little later than her subjects: She wanted to make sure she had uploaded her footage to the cloud before attempting to exit the country with her tourist visa. She’d been warned that when an official is looking at a passport a little longer than usual and says that the “computer is hanging” that it means “they’re checking you out.”

“I was standing there … at the airport in Moscow and I’m like, ‘Is there an issue?’ and they’re like, ‘No, no our computer’s just hanging,’” she said. “It was hanging for a good 20 minutes. I tried not to pee my pants.”

The fantasy of making a ‘Part III’

Several of the subjects, including Nemzer, joined Loktev at the Venice Film Festival for the film’s world premiere. Many still work as journalists from afar. But one switches focus midway through the second film: Peter Ruzavin, a former Russian journalist who is married to a Ukrainian journalist, decided to enlist in the Ukrainian army. He said he realized that although his journalism was showing reality, it wasn’t changing it.

“We need not to run away from Putin. We need to fight him,” Ruzavin, who has served in the Ukrainian army for over two years, said in Venice. “That’s why I made my decision. I left the best work. I miss it every day.”

In the past few days, Loktev has seen some interesting headlines about her film, like one in The Daily Beast that reads “Vladimir Putin’s ‘War Crimes’ Exposed in Shocking New Film.” While hers is not an exposé on war crimes, it is a reminder, she said, of what the journalists in the film are trying to do when everyone else's attention has shifted.

“I think that’s something that we’re struggling with now in a way with the film, I’ll be honest, is that everybody moves on to the next thing,” Loktev said. “But the last thing hasn’t changed.”

The fantasy, she said, would be to make a “Part III” — “if ever the political situation in Russia changes.”

“But I think we might be very old by then.”

___

Associated Press reporter Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this story.

Leer en español

“I told her don’t you ever touch me again in your life,” he said. “I pushed her against the wall, and I tried to force her to get off me. I created a hole in the wall, trying to force her to get off me that night. This was after the divorce.”

Hill’s testimony offered his most direct acknowledgment of a physical confrontation described during the civil proceedings. Vaccaro has accused Hill of physically and emotionally abusing her and is seeking damages. Hill has denied the allegations.

The testimony came as Hill took the witness stand to give his account of the couple’s relationship and the conflicts that led to their divorce.

“Unfortunately, with all the false allegations, I think it’s time for me to come tell my story,” Hill said on Thursday. “I think that’s kind of important.”

Hill described meeting Vaccaro at a club and said she was “the love of my life.”

The couple married in 2023.

Vaccaro’s attorneys allege that within a month of the marriage, Hill began pressuring her to sign a postnuptial agreement after being advised to do so by his advisers.

They contend he became increasingly frustrated when she refused and that his behavior became “explosive, aggressive and violent.”

Vaccaro is asking a jury to find Hill liable for intentionally inflicting emotional distress and several counts of battery. She is seeking monetary damages.

Hill disputed Vaccaro’s characterization of their marriage and testified that financial disagreements contributed to tension between them.

“There was already friction,” Hill said. “If I was not continuously giving loads of money, there is friction.”

He also accused Vaccaro of taking money from him during the marriage, saying he gave her $15,000 but alleged she was taking about $60,000 a month.

Hill testified that the couple had agreed to counseling in an effort to improve the marriage.

“We agreed to go to counseling,” he said. “That is some action -- to try and improve the marriage.”

Hill also discussed his eight children and his responsibilities as a father.

“I play this sport for my kids,” he said.

Asked whether he had ever hated that Vaccaro was pregnant, Hill responded, “No, not a chance.”

“I want to give all my kids a safe and stable environment,” he said.

Earlier Thursday, Vaccaro’s mother, Alicia Vaccaro, testified about an incident involving Hill and her daughter. She acknowledged that she never personally saw Hill strike or punch Keeta, but described the relationship as tumultuous.

Alicia Vaccaro testified that she saw Hill pressed up against her daughter and intervened because she was concerned about the couple’s newborn baby.

“I walked outside the door, and he was pressed up against her,” she testified. “I went toward them. He pushed me back.”

She said Hill was yelling and using profanity before saying he was going to get the baby. Alicia Vaccaro testified that she and her daughter then went into the room with the child.

Jurors also heard audio from a baby monitor during another confrontation. The judge did not allow the media to record the video. In the audio, Hill and Keeta Vaccaro can be heard yelling profanities while loud banging is heard in the background.

Vaccaro’s attorneys have presented the confrontation as evidence of what they characterize as a pattern of aggressive behavior.

The jury has also heard testimony from mental health professionals about the effect the relationship allegedly had on Vaccaro.

A forensic psychologist testified that she diagnosed Vaccaro with post-traumatic stress disorder and described symptoms including dissociation and heightened awareness of Hill’s moods.

The defense challenged the psychologist’s qualifications and noted that she was hired for the case and was paid nearly $6,000. She was not Vaccaro’s treating physician.

A therapist who later treated Vaccaro also testified that she experienced difficulty sleeping, racing thoughts, trouble concentrating and difficulty trusting others.

Hill’s testimony Thursday provided jurors with his account of the marriage and the allegations against him, including his acknowledgment of the confrontation in which he said he pushed Vaccaro into the wall.

“I told her don’t you ever touch me again in your life,” Hill said. “I pushed her against the wall. And I tried to force her to get off me. I created a hole in the wall, trying to force her to get off me that night. This was after the divorce.”

The civil trial will continue on Friday.

“Le dije que nunca más en tu vida me volvieras a tocar”, dijo. “La empujé contra la pared e intenté obligarla a alejarse de mí. Hice un agujero en la pared al intentar obligarla a alejarse de mí esa noche. Esto fue después del divorcio”.

El testimonio de Hill ofreció su reconocimiento más directo de un enfrentamiento físico descrito durante el proceso civil. Vaccaro ha acusado a Hill de abusar física y emocionalmente de ella y busca una indemnización por daños y perjuicios. Hill ha negado las acusaciones.

El testimonio se produjo cuando Hill subió al estrado para ofrecer su versión de la relación de la pareja y de los conflictos que llevaron a su divorcio.

“Desafortunadamente, con todas las acusaciones falsas, creo que es hora de venir a contar mi historia”, dijo Hill el jueves. “Creo que eso es bastante importante”.

Hill describió que conoció a Vaccaro en un club y dijo que ella era “el amor de mi vida”.

La pareja se casó en 2023.

Los abogados de Vaccaro alegan que, dentro del primer mes de matrimonio, Hill comenzó a presionarla para que firmara un acuerdo posnupcial después de que sus asesores le recomendaran hacerlo.

Sostienen que él se frustraba cada vez más cuando ella se negaba y que su comportamiento se volvió “explosivo, agresivo y violento”.

Vaccaro pide a un jurado que declare a Hill responsable de infligir intencionalmente angustia emocional y de varios cargos de agresión. Busca una indemnización monetaria por daños y perjuicios.

Hill cuestionó la descripción que Vaccaro hizo de su matrimonio y testificó que los desacuerdos financieros contribuyeron a la tensión entre ambos.

“Ya había fricciones”, dijo Hill. “Si no estaba dando continuamente grandes cantidades de dinero, había fricciones”.

También acusó a Vaccaro de quitarle dinero durante el matrimonio. Dijo que le dio $15,000 USD, pero alegó que ella estaba tomando alrededor de $60,000 USD al mes.

Hill testificó que la pareja había acordado acudir a terapia para intentar mejorar su matrimonio.

“Acordamos ir a terapia”, dijo. “Eso es tomar medidas para intentar mejorar el matrimonio”.

Hill también habló sobre sus ocho hijos y sus responsabilidades como padre.

“Practico este deporte por mis hijos”, dijo.

Cuando le preguntaron si alguna vez había odiado que Vaccaro estuviera embarazada, Hill respondió: “No, en absoluto”.

“Quiero darles a todos mis hijos un entorno seguro y estable”, dijo.

Más temprano el jueves, la madre de Vaccaro, Alicia Vaccaro, testificó sobre un incidente que involucró a Hill y a su hija. Reconoció que nunca vio personalmente a Hill golpear a Keeta, pero describió la relación como turbulenta.

Alicia Vaccaro testificó que vio a Hill presionado contra su hija e intervino porque estaba preocupada por el bebé recién nacido de la pareja.

“Salí por la puerta y él estaba presionado contra ella”, testificó. “Me acerqué a ellos. Él me empujó hacia atrás”.

Dijo que Hill estaba gritando y usando palabras obscenas antes de decir que iba a buscar al bebé. Alicia Vaccaro testificó que luego ella y su hija entraron en la habitación donde estaba el niño.

Los miembros del jurado también escucharon un audio de un monitor para bebés durante otro enfrentamiento. El juez no permitió que los medios grabaran el video. En el audio, se escucha a Hill y a Keeta Vaccaro gritando palabras obscenas, mientras se oyen fuertes golpes de fondo.

Los abogados de Vaccaro han presentado el enfrentamiento como evidencia de lo que describen como un patrón de comportamiento agresivo.

El jurado también ha escuchado el testimonio de profesionales de la salud mental sobre el efecto que la relación presuntamente tuvo en Vaccaro.

Una psicóloga forense testificó que diagnosticó a Vaccaro con trastorno de estrés postraumático y describió síntomas que incluían disociación y una mayor sensibilidad a los estados de ánimo de Hill.

La defensa cuestionó las credenciales de la psicóloga y señaló que fue contratada para el caso y recibió un pago de casi $6,000 USD. Ella no era la médica que trataba a Vaccaro.

Una terapeuta que posteriormente atendió a Vaccaro también testificó que ella experimentaba dificultades para dormir, pensamientos acelerados, problemas para concentrarse y dificultades para confiar en otras personas.

El testimonio de Hill el jueves ofreció al jurado su versión del matrimonio y de las acusaciones en su contra, incluido su reconocimiento del enfrentamiento en el que dijo que empujó a Vaccaro contra la pared.

“Le dije que nunca más en tu vida me volvieras a tocar”, dijo Hill. “La empujé contra la pared. E intenté obligarla a alejarse de mí. Hice un agujero en la pared al intentar obligarla a alejarse de mí esa noche. Esto fue después del divorcio”.

El juicio civil continuará el viernes.

That means Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart will have to wait on extensions they hoped would get done before the season.

The Knicks said Friday that won't happen, perhaps setting up an uncomfortable situation with some of their most important players.

“As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of. As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season,” according to a statement from a team spokesman.

The Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973 in June but owner James Dolan said shortly afterward the team would avoid spending enough to trigger the penalties that come when a team reaches the second apron of the salary cap.

They re-signed most of their important free agents, but negotiations on extensions with Towns and Hart, plus key reserve Deuce McBride, haven't gone far. Towns, an All-Star in both seasons since coming to New York, seems particularly disappointed with comments he made recently. He is eligible for a four-year, $276 million deal. He is due to make $57 million this season and has a $61.1 million player option for 2027-28.

Hart will make $21 million this season and the Knicks have an option for 2027-28 at $22.4 million. He acknowledged that the contract situations could make it tough for players to focus — and also noted what it could mean around the trade deadline.

"You have situations like that and you never know what’s going to happen,” the forward said last month when the Knicks reported for training camp. “But for me, as long as I wear this jersey, I’m going to play as hard as I can for my guys and the city, so hopefully we can figure that out. But we know it’s a business, and we know if some of these things aren’t figured out by February, it might be a different conversation.”

The Knicks open their season on Oct. 20 against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers.

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Leer en español

Marianne Rocio Davila Luna, 26, was arrested on Thursday on charges of human trafficking involving coercion for commercial sexual activity, deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution and battery, according to jail records.

The arrest follows the earlier arrests of Brandon Marquez Flint, 32, and Jamarcus Malcolm Brooks, 27, in connection with the July 9 robbery.

According to North Miami police, further investigation revealed the robbery was planned to steal drugs and cash from a man living at a rental home. Investigators said the plan involved communications between the defendants and another man who allegedly carried out the armed robbery.

Police previously said the victim was paralyzed from the waist down and relied on a motorized scooter for mobility.

According to an arrest report, Brooks entered the apartment armed with a handgun, demanded money and marijuana, forcibly removed the victim from his scooter, tied his hands behind his back and dragged him into a bedroom. Investigators said approximately $2,000 was stolen from the residence.

The investigation also uncovered communications that police said connected Flint to the planning of the robbery. Investigators say the men coordinated their actions shortly before the incident.

In an additional development, North Miami police received notification on September 18 from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force that the victim had also been reported as a victim of human trafficking within North Miami’s jurisdiction.

Davila Luna’s arrest introduces a separate set of allegations involving human trafficking and prostitution-related activity as the investigation continues.

Flint and Brooks were previously arrested in connection with the robbery.

As of Friday, Davila Luna and Brooks were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, while Flint was being held at the Metrowest Detention Center. Their bond amounts weren’t immediately set.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions Friday, after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former judge at the ICC and other international courts. Trump has coveted that prize for himself.

“We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate against us,” Rubio said in a video address posted to social media. “The United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC.”

The sanctions cut the court off from U.S.-based financial services, technology companies and even using U.S. dollars. They set a six-month timeline for U.S. companies and individuals that have business with the court to wind that business down.

The ICC denounced the step as an attack on the rule of law and the foundations of international order, themes that Rubio had appeared to embrace only two days ago in a speech in front of the Acropolis in Athens.

“It is an attempt to obstruct the course of justice and to prevent the court from doing what it was created to do," the court said in a statement. "It is an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order which strikes at the simple principle that no one stands above the law.”

ICC President Tomoko Akane, a citizen of U.S. ally Japan, said the court would “continue to fully discharge its mandate, with independence and impartiality, acting only on the basis of the law and the evidence, for the sake of the countless victims of grave crimes.”

She also appealed to other ICC members for support. “This is not just about defending a single institution, but about safeguarding the international order grounded upon the rule of law.”

Rights groups also denounced the sanctions.

“This existential attack must fail," said Erika Guevara Rosas, an Amnesty International senior director. “States must take concrete action to resist the imposition of these measures and actively protect the Court.”

The court's host country of the Netherlands has been preparing for weeks for the move. One possible measure to mitigate sanctions is the EU “blocking statute,” which could be used to protect European court staff by preventing European companies from complying with the U.S. measures. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen has called the blocking statute the “nuclear option” in countering possible sanctions, but said the Netherlands has been in talks with the European Commission to ensure that if it is necessary it can be quickly enacted.

In a joint statement, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom expressed strong disagreement with the U.S. sanctions.

“We will continue to work together to support the court’s vital work, uphold the rules-based international system, and advance accountability," the statement said.

“If put into effect, these sanctions will have a significant impact on the court’s work, its dedicated staff and their families. They work every day to bring those accused of the most serious international crimes to justice and to support their victims.”

Rubio said U.S. allies should join in the U.S. actions. “If they do not, the United States will continue its campaign to dismantle the ICC, piece by piece, until Americans are threatened no longer,” he said.

A number of countries have withdrawn from the court this year, including Venezuela and Chad. The South Pacific island nation of Naoero was the most recent to announce it would quit.

___

Quell reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press writer Mike Corder contributed from The Hague.

Marianne Rocio Davila Luna, de 26 años, fue arrestada el jueves por cargos de trata de personas que involucra coerción para actividades sexuales comerciales, obtener sustento de las ganancias de la prostitución y agresión, según los registros penitenciarios.

El arresto se produce después de los arrestos anteriores de Brandon Marquez Flint, de 32 años, y Jamarcus Malcolm Brooks, de 27, en relación con el robo del 9 de julio.

Según la policía de North Miami, una investigación adicional reveló que el robo fue planeado para robar drogas y dinero en efectivo a un hombre que vivía en una vivienda alquilada. Los investigadores dijeron que el plan involucraba comunicaciones entre los acusados y otro hombre que presuntamente llevó a cabo el robo a mano armada.

La policía había dicho anteriormente que la víctima estaba paralizada de la cintura para abajo y dependía de un scooter motorizado para desplazarse.

Según un informe de arresto, Brooks entró al apartamento armado con una pistola, exigió dinero y marihuana, sacó por la fuerza a la víctima de su scooter, le ató las manos detrás de la espalda y lo arrastró a un dormitorio. Los investigadores dijeron que se robaron aproximadamente $2,000 USD de la vivienda.

La investigación también descubrió comunicaciones que, según la policía, vinculaban a Flint con la planificación del robo. Los investigadores dicen que los hombres coordinaron sus acciones poco antes del incidente.

En un acontecimiento adicional, la policía de North Miami recibió una notificación el 18 de septiembre de parte del Grupo de Trabajo contra la Trata de Personas de la Fiscalía Estatal de Miami-Dade, según la cual la víctima también había sido reportada como víctima de trata de personas dentro de la jurisdicción de North Miami.

El arresto de Davila Luna introduce un conjunto separado de acusaciones relacionadas con la trata de personas y actividades relacionadas con la prostitución, mientras continúa la investigación.

Flint y Brooks habían sido arrestados anteriormente en relación con el robo.

Hasta el viernes, Davila Luna y Brooks permanecían detenidos en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, mientras que Flint permanecía detenido en el Metrowest Detention Center. Los montos de sus fianzas no se habían fijado de inmediato.

Lining up alongside them is a coalition of prominent Democratic voices and party allies like Gov. Gavin Newsom, Planned Parenthood and the California Teachers Association, as well as most Republicans. They say it will drive wealthy people — and their tax money — out of California, creating bigger budget problems in the years ahead.

They have raised more than $300 million in opposition to the measure, with nearly a third of that coming solely from Google co-founder Sergey Brin. That is roughly 10 times the amount raised by the “yes” side, which includes some labor unions, California Rep. Ro Khanna and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. With much less money to spend, the “yes” campaign is relying heavily on Sanders and the attention he commands among progressives to make their case ahead of the Nov. 3 deadline to vote.

“Are we destined to live in an oligarchic society begging for crumbs while our economic and political lives are controlled by a handful of the wealthiest people on Earth?” Sanders declared at one of three recent California rallies. “Brothers and sisters, that is the question on the ballot.”

The measure, known as Proposition 40, is not a long-term wealth tax like the one Sanders and some other progressives have long championed. It would impose a one-time, 5% tax on the wealth of Californians whose net worth exceeds $1 billion, with most of the revenue dedicated to replacing federal funding cuts to healthcare. It would be the nation’s first tax on the wealth of billionaires — targeting the main way the ultra-wealthy make their money, through their investments, rather than simply raising taxes on the paycheck they receive from work.

Voters were largely split on the measure in a September poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. About half, 52%, of likely voters said they would vote yes on the measure, while 46% said they would vote no.

With mail ballots being sent to voters, opponents are aggressively ramping up their campaign, spending or booking roughly $96 million of airtime and digital messaging, compared with just $209,000 by supporters, according to data compiled by the ad-tracker AdImpact.

Some critics say the measure will have unintended consequences

A few hundred billionaires live in California, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office.

Opponents are concerned the proposal is already driving wealthy people away. That could deal a blow to California’s budget because the state relies on its top 1% of earners for nearly half its personal income tax revenue.

“We’re not opposed to the concept of a wealth tax,” said Jodi Hicks, CEO of Planned Parenthood’s California chapter. “We just believe this proposal is seriously flawed and could do more damage than good.”

Some Silicon Valley tech moguls began cutting ties with the state in anticipation of the tax, including Brin and his fellow Google co-founder, Larry Page. The tax would apply to billionaires living in the state as of Jan. 1, 2026.

Newsom has walked a fine line on the issue as he prepares to leave office and considers a bid for president in 2028. He has largely opposed tax increases during his eight years as governor. But he has called for a national tax on billionaires, arguing a single-state proposal will not be effective and could hurt California's bottom line.

His opposition to the California proposal wasn't enough to dissuade the state Democratic Party's executive board from endorsing the measure earlier this year.

Billionaires including Brin, venture capitalist John Doerr and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt have given millions to a political committee called Building a Better California. The committee is fighting the tax and backing other ballot measures that would nullify it, including a proposal to ban new taxes on financial assets and other personal property, excluding real estate.

In one ad funded in part by Building a Better California, doctors wearing white coats warn it will cost California revenue in the long run and force the state to cut funding to hospitals and clinics.

Under the measure, 90% of the money would go toward funding healthcare, and the rest would go toward education and food assistance programs.

Debra Schade, president of the California School Boards Association, said there is no guarantee public schools will substantially benefit from the tax.

“The devil is in the details,” she said.

Cristobal Young, a sociology professor at Cornell University, said previous California tax increases on millionaires didn't lead to a mass exodus of wealthy people.

“These really high-income folks — they’re already doing great, and they don’t need to move somewhere else,” he said.

But the latest proposal is poorly designed, he said. The state, and the country, should instead pass tax code reforms to prevent wealthy people from shielding their financial assets from taxation, he said.

Supporters say it's the only way to stave off a healthcare crisis

The SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, the union behind the ballot measure, says it is necessary to replace an estimated $100 billion that will be lost in federal healthcare funding over five years. The union forged ahead earlier this year despite pleas from fellow Democrats to drop the measure.

The campaign has raised $32.4 million, and another group backing the billionaire tax, Tax the Ultra-Rich Now, has received about $369,000.

One ad the campaign plans to release digitally and on cable next week warns that children make about 1.5 million emergency room visits a year in California, and the federal funding cuts could threaten the hospitals that serve them.

They have also released ads urging voters to “join Bernie Sanders, tax the billionaires, stop California’s healthcare collapse” and showing a Planned Parenthood employee object to Hicks' opposition to the measure.

The billionaire tax fight grew more contentious last month after the lead proponent of the measure, SEIU UHW President Dave Regan, was accused of harassing female colleagues and threatening other union leaders to urge them to back the measure.

Regan called the allegations a distraction.

“For the first time in the history of the country, the billionaires are going to have to be accountable to regular people who only wish they could have one tiny speck of what the most fortunate people on planet Earth have,” he said at a news conference.

The inquiry will include a hearing at the White House Nov. 5, Trump said in a written memo, that Cook “shall” attend to answer questions from the committee. The hearing wouldn't be public but a transcript would be published, the memo said.

Trump’s extraordinary demand that Cook testify before the committee will likely renew concerns about threats to the Federal Reserve's independence. The president has repeatedly called for the central bank to cut its key interest rate, but just last month, the Fed raised it instead, led by Chairman Kevin Warsh, whom Trump appointed earlier this year.

Trump's attempts to fire Cook from the Fed's seven-member board of governors represent the first time in the central bank's 113-year history that a president has sought to remove a Fed governor. Cook was appointed by former President Joe Biden and is the first Black woman on the Fed's board. Trump's attacks on her followed other efforts to oust or indict Black officials, such as New York Attorney General Laetitia James and Gen. Charles Q. Brown, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“As President, it is my job to ensure the laws are faithfully executed, including by firing subordinates who cannot be trusted to tell the truth and follow the law,” Trump wrote in the memorandum.

Cook's attorneys, Abbe Lowell and Norman Eisen, said they were considering having Cook appear at the Nov. 5 hearing and respond to the charges.

“We have engaged with the White House to evaluate whether the process proposed has a possibility of being a genuine one and not simply a box checking exercise,” Lowell and Eisen said in a statement. "Governor Cook welcomes the opportunity to present the facts so she can clear her name and demonstrate there is no legal basis to fire her.”

The “committee of inquiry" will be composed of Kevin Hassett, the president's top economic adviser, who has frequently echoed Trump's criticisms of the Fed; Keith Sonderling, the director of the Office of Government Ethics, whom the president has also appointed to lead the Labor Department, and Andrea Lucas, the chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, whom Trump appointed in November 2025.

Trump initially tried to fire Cook in August 2025 after alleging she had committed mortgage fraud by declaring two different properties to be her “primary” residence in mortgage applications in 2021. Mortgages on primary homes can often receive a lower interest rate or other beneficial terms.

Cook has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. Lowell and Eisen have previously said Cook committed an “inadvertent error” and did refer to one of the properties as a vacation home in other documents.

“An inadvertent error is not fraud, as the President and a third of his cabinet should know because they reportedly did the same thing," Lowell and Eisen said in August.

Trump and some of his economic advisers have blamed the Fed's broader rate-setting committee, which includes 12 voting members and 19 officials in total, for forcing the rate hike. As a member of the board of governors, Cook is also one of the 12 voting members of the committee. The vote to lift rates Sept. 16 was unanimous.

The move follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that Cook could keep her job after Trump sought to fire her last year. That ruling included a footnote that said nothing prevented Trump from “trying again” as long as she was given proper notice and an opportunity to respond to the charges.

A key issue surrounding Cook's firing is that under the law establishing the Fed, governors can only be removed “for cause.” The Supreme Court said in June that a for-cause firing required an alleged offense that was serious and related to an official's job. Some legal experts have said the allegations against Cook don't meet that standard.

Leer en español

Officers with the Lauderhill Police Department said officers responded to the 2000 block of Northwest 43rd Terrace just after 11 p.m. after receiving a report of a shooting.

Officers said they arrived and found two adults suffering from gunshot wounds. They said one victim was pronounced dead at the scene by local Fire Rescue personnel.

The second victim was transported to Broward Health Medical Center, where they were later pronounced dead, police confirmed.

No additional details about the victims or the motive were immediately released, and no suspects have been identified at this time, according to investigators.

Authorities said LPD’s Criminal Investigations Division and crime scene investigators responded to the scene as the investigation continues.

Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Agentes del Departamento de Policía de Lauderhill informaron que acudieron a la cuadra 2000 de Northwest 43rd Terrace poco después de las 11 p.m., tras recibir un reporte de una balacera.

Los agentes indicaron que, al llegar, encontraron a dos adultos con heridas de bala. Uno de ellos fue declarado muerto en el lugar por personal de los servicios locales de rescate y bomberos.

La segunda víctima fue trasladada al Broward Health Medical Center, donde posteriormente fue declarada muerta, confirmó la policía.

Los investigadores no divulgaron de inmediato más detalles sobre las víctimas ni el motivo de la balacera, y hasta el momento no se ha identificado a ningún sospechoso.

Las autoridades indicaron que la División de Investigaciones Criminales de LPD y los investigadores de la escena del crimen acudieron al lugar mientras continúa la investigación.

Se insta a cualquier persona que tenga información sobre la balacera a llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

Leer en español

Jail records show Lopez, 53, was booked at 10:43 p.m. at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on an out-of-county warrant. His bond amount was not listed.

Lopez was convicted on nearly a dozen felony counts after a trial in connection with a December 2024 incident in the Florida Keys. He failed to appear at the Plantation Key courthouse in Islamorada last Friday, prompting authorities to search for him.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Lopez is accused of beating a woman during a domestic violence incident, fought with a sergeant attempting to arrest him and stole the deputy’s patrol vehicle. He later carjacked a woman’s SUV before crashing it on U.S. 1 following a high-speed chase, authorities said.

Investigators determined Lopez had rented a car before the final day of his trial and tracked him to Laredo, Texas, where he crossed the border into Mexico, officials said.

U.S. Marshals located Lopez in Mexico about a day and a half later. Mexican police arrested him, authorities said.

“Thank you to the hardworking men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and all of our law enforcement partners for getting this dangerous criminal off the streets,” Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement following his capture.

Lopez could face a possible life sentence following his trial conviction.

It was not immediately clear whether we would face additional charges.

Lopez is expected to make his first appearance in court on Friday.

Los registros penitenciarios muestran que Lopez, de 53 años, fue ingresado a las 10:43 p.m. en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center por una orden de arresto emitida en otro condado. El monto de su fianza no figuraba en los registros.

Lopez fue declarado culpable de casi una docena de cargos graves tras un juicio relacionado con un incidente ocurrido en diciembre de 2024 en los Cayos de Florida. No se presentó el viernes pasado en el tribunal de Plantation Key, en Islamorada, lo que llevó a las autoridades a buscarlo.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff del condado Monroe, Lopez está acusado de golpear a una mujer durante un incidente de violencia doméstica, forcejear con un sargento que intentaba arrestarlo y robar el vehículo policial del agente. Posteriormente, robó una camioneta SUV a una mujer mediante carjacking antes de estrellarla en la carretera U.S. 1 tras una persecución a alta velocidad, indicaron las autoridades.

Los investigadores determinaron que Lopez había alquilado un automóvil antes del último día de su juicio y lo rastrearon hasta Laredo, Texas, donde cruzó la frontera hacia México, informaron las autoridades.

Los alguaciles federales localizaron a Lopez en México aproximadamente un día y medio después. La policía mexicana lo arrestó, indicaron las autoridades.

“Gracias a los hombres y mujeres trabajadores de la Oficina del Sheriff, del Servicio de Alguaciles de Estados Unidos y de todos nuestros socios policiales por sacar de las calles a este peligroso delincuente”, dijo el sheriff del condado Monroe, Rick Ramsay, en un comunicado tras su captura.

Lopez podría enfrentar una posible cadena perpetua tras ser declarado culpable en el juicio.

No estaba claro de inmediato si enfrentaría cargos adicionales.

Se espera que Lopez comparezca por primera vez ante un tribunal el viernes.

The finding from the Federal Reserve's Survey of Consumer Finances underscores how robust stock market gains have made wealthier American families even richer since the survey, conducted every three years, was last completed in 2022. The median net worth of the richest one-tenth of American families soared 31% to $3.6 million from 2022 to 2025, the survey found. The median is the midpoint between the richest and poorest families.

Overall, the survey found broad gains in income, even after adjusting for inflation, which slightly reduced income inequality. Yet the proportion of Americans struggling with high debt payments and falling behind on their debt payments jumped, a sign of the toll that sharply higher inflation has taken on lower-income Americans.

El accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 12:48 a.m. cerca de Southwest Seventh Avenue y Seventh Street, indicó la policía. La víctima fue identificada como Elias Schaber, según los investigadores.

Los investigadores creen que el vehículo involucrado era un Toyota Corolla de color oscuro, modelo entre 2020 y 2025, que fue visto por última vez circulando hacia el área de La Pequeña Habana.

La policía indicó que se espera que el automóvil presente daños considerables en el parabrisas y posibles daños en la parte delantera del lado del pasajero.

Las autoridades piden a cualquier persona que reconozca un automóvil que coincida con la descripción, incluido uno perteneciente a un vecino o compañero de trabajo, o uno que aparezca en un taller de carrocería, que se comunique con el Departamento de Policía de Miami al 305-579-6111.

También se puede proporcionar información de manera anónima a Crime Stoppers de Miami-Dade al 305-471-8477.

El incidente estuvo relacionado con el vuelo 042 de Avianca, que viajaba desde Medellín, Colombia, hacia el Aeropuerto Internacional John F. Kennedy en Nueva York antes de ser desviado a MIA aproximadamente a las 3:30 a.m., informaron funcionarios del aeropuerto en un comunicado a Local 10 News.

Los funcionarios del aeropuerto también confirmaron que “algunos pasajeros fueron trasladados a un hospital cercano”.

Cuando Local 10 News llegó a MIA, se observaron varios camiones del Departamento de Bomberos y Rescate de Miami-Dade rodeando un avión de Air France estacionado frente a la terminal de Avianca. Ninguna de las puertas de la cabina parecía estar abierta y se observó a los equipos de emergencia reunidos alrededor del avión.

La situación se desarrolló aproximadamente una hora después de que surgieran reportes de que ocho personas habían resultado heridas por turbulencias durante un vuelo.

Un equipo de Local 10 News se encontraba en el Centro de Trauma Ryder del Hospital Jackson Memorial, donde varias personas que podrían haber sido pasajeros o miembros de la tripulación involucrados en el incidente estaban recibiendo tratamiento. Una de las personas parecía ser auxiliar de vuelo de Avianca.

Las autoridades aún no han confirmado las identidades de las personas trasladadas, la gravedad de sus lesiones ni el vuelo específico involucrado.

Local 10 News está trabajando para confirmar detalles adicionales con las aerolíneas, los equipos de emergencia y los funcionarios del aeropuerto.

Leer en español

The incident was connected to Avianca Flight 042, which was traveling from Medellín, Colombia, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York before being diverted to MIA at approximately 3:30 a.m., MIA officials said in a statement to Local 10 News.

The airline said the decision to divert the plane to MIA was made as a precaution.

An Avianca spokesperson told Local 10 News in a statement that three cabin crew members and six passengers were affected by the turbulence. They said upon arrival, Avianca’s team and airport medical services activated the appropriate protocols to provide immediate care.

Multiple ambulances and Miami-Dade emergency responders met the aircraft after it landed Friday morning. The injured individuals were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

When Local 10 News arrived at MIA, several Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trucks were seen surrounding an Air France aircraft parked across from the Avianca terminal. No cabin doors appeared to be open, and first responders were seen gathered around the plane.

“When we landed, I saw between six to seven ambulances,” said Maria Paula Jimenez, who was traveling to Colombia.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of those transported, and the extent of their injuries or the specific flight involved.

“For the remaining passengers, Avianca’s airport team has made the necessary arrangements to continue their travel to New York, providing assistance and support throughout the process,” the airline wrote in a statement to Local 10 News. “Avianca remains in contact with the affected passengers and crew members as it continues to respond to the situation. The safety of our customers and employees is, and will remain, the foundation of our operations.”

Across 10 tracks, the country music icon bares all: There are songs about her late mother and principal musical collaborator Naomi Judd, who died by suicide in 2022 at age 76. There are songs about her estranged daughter Grace Kelley, whose 4-year-old daughter, Kaliyah, Judd is raising. There are songs for Judd's biological father, whom she never got to meet and first learned about in a therapy session when she was 30 years old and pregnant with her son Elijah.

And there are songs about hope, triumph, resiliency and success — an encapsulation of an artist who has lived a lot of lives, now completely willing to lay it all out there.

“I’m not a victim. I don’t think of myself as somebody who is defined by all of this,” Judd told The Associated Press. “It happened to me, but it doesn’t mean that I’m constantly in despair. I feel like I’ve been reborn. This album has given me a voice, literally and figuratively. And I now can give my testimony without shame.”

A long road to ‘The Hard Truth’

“The Hard Truth,” recorded at Judd's studio in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, with her husband and producer Cactus Moser, was born out of necessity. “When mom died, a part of me went into such a dark place. ‘What do I do now? Where do I go with all this pain? How do I process this unbelievable ending to our story?’” she asked herself. She started journaling and having conversations with Moser to process her grief.

The record, she says, “was born out of those conversations.”

“A lot of these songs wrote themselves. We were just the instrument. And it was painful and it was glorious at the same time because I felt like I was being healed of something tragic,” she said.

Those two notions — immense suffering and relief, or even success — power the record. And her life: “Mom killed herself on a Tuesday and Wednesday morning, I got up out of bed … and got inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the very next morning,” she recalls. “But that’s the way life is sometimes. (It's) those paradox moments where you go, ‘I don’t think I can do it, but I must.’”

That speaks to why on “The Hard Truth,” Judd co-wrote 9 of the album's 10 tracks, something she's never done before in her career. “It was the first time in my life that I was giving myself permission to be that vulnerable,” she said.

And losing her mother changed everything. “I was willing to go in there and give it everything I got.”

Exploring a ‘perfectly imperfect’ sound

Those familiar with the work of Judd as a soloist, or her hits in her duo with Naomi, The Judds, know her to be a big belter and a perfectionist, someone who will stop at nothing to get a flawless take. This time around, she allowed emotion to drive the project.

“This album is perfectly imperfect. It’s me talk singing, it’s me having a conversation with you,” she says. “You literally can hear the breath coming out of my lungs and you can feel the tears.” For these songs, being raw over being refined was a priority. She describes the process as liberating.

It's also why “The Hard Truth” — despite all its trials and tribulations — is imbued with a message of persistence, from the mountain stomper “Kentucky Queen” to the last track, “Love Ain’t Got the Best of Me.”

“I totally have optimism, even in the darkest times,” she says. And after everything that happens to a person in their life, she says, love is what remains.

“I’m giving permission to people to tell their story. That’s what I’m doing,” she continued. “If I can help one person heal, choose life over suicide, I’ve done my part.”

A bright future — and thinking about Dolly Parton

Judd describes this album as a “rebirth” and this chapter of her life as one filled with courage. So, then, what comes next? She's spent the last few years reflecting on her mother's life and their relationship — has she thought about her own legacy, too, as a result?

“I just want to be remembered,” she said, before turning focus to Dolly Parton, her longtime friend and American icon who died of cancer in August. She was 80.

“I think about Dolly every single day. I think about her all the time and the thing that comes to me is how joyful she was. Just effervescent. She just had a sparkle to her. She walked in the room and you just felt better. It was like ‘man, this person was something,’” She paused. “I just want to be remembered as being kind and loving and that if I can do it, so can you.”

Meanwhile, Hurricane Simon was headed toward Mexico’s Pacific coast and strengthened into a Category 2 storm late Friday morning. U.S. forecasters issued a hurricane warning for parts of the central and southwest coast, where hurricane-force winds were expected within 36 hours.

Tropical storm activity has been above average this season in the Pacific because of a strong El Niño, a natural, temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that warps weather worldwide. In the Atlantic, El Niño’s decapitating winds and the Gulf of Mexico’s toasty, storm-fueling waters are battling over Isaias’s future strength.

Here's the latest:

Florida residents prepare for Isaias

Jay Brazzell in Gulf Breeze, Florida, is preparing for the storm by securing potted plants and other items outside his home that could fly away.

Isaias isn’t as large as other hurricanes he’s seen, he said. Other than the usual preparations like filling up his car tank and having plenty of water, he said he wasn’t too worried.

“I mean, I’m not boarding up,” Brazzell, 69, said. “I’ve been through — this being the ninth hurricane.”

For past storms, he and his neighbor would run through their preparation lists, grab beignets and coffee, and share them with newcomers to help them prepare.

“It was like a little party,” he said.

DHS won’t say whether it will suspend immigration enforcement during Isaias

The Department of Homeland Security would not give The Associated Press a clear answer Friday on whether it will suspend non-criminal immigration enforcement in states impacted by Isaias during the emergency.

In past administrations, including Trump’s first, DHS would sometimes issue messaging in the run-up to hurricanes clarifying its immigration enforcement policies during extreme weather.

Before Hurricane Irma in 2017, the agency stated that “DHS will not conduct non-criminal immigration enforcement operations in the affected area … When it comes to rescuing people in the wake of Hurricane Irma, immigration status is not and will not be a factor.”

Asked Friday what the DHS policy is during Isaias, the department instead cited a statement about FEMA’s storm preparations. It included: “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin’s leadership, the safety of the American people is DHS’s top priority.”

DHS did not immediately respond to follow-up questions.

How to pronounce Isaias and Simon

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he’ll keep “butchering” the pronunciation of Isaias, but you don’t have to.

Here’s how to say it:

Hurricane Isaias is pronounced “ee-sah-EE-ahs,” not Isaiah.

And Hurricane Simon is pronounced “SY-muhn.”

Isaias could nudge fuel prices higher if Gulf refineries take a major hit

Hurricane Isaias is forecast to miss the oil industry’s biggest hubs along the Gulf Coast, but could still nudge fuel prices higher if it triggers power outages that shut down refineries for processing crude, according to experts.

An extended refinery shutdown would impact fuel supplies that already have taken a hit from the U.S. war against Iran and Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Experts say that could increase fuel prices by a few cents or even as much as a dollar per gallon. Refineries in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama, account for 2.4% of the nation’s refining capacity.

If the storm moves through quickly with minimal impacts, refineries would continue to run at reduced capacity, and gasoline and diesel prices could rise just a few cents, said Carl Larry with the energy analysis firm Enverus.

Refineries could take weeks to fully recover from a major hit, he added.

▶ Read more

Tropical storm-force winds are only a few hours from the coast

National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan says strong winds arriving at the coast in the early afternoon are expected to spread well inland during the hurricane — reaching as far as metro Atlanta and Tennessee.

Inland areas are also at risk of scattered power outages and tree damage, he said.

Storm surge will be a major concern with Isaias, with the highest water levels expected from the Alabama-Florida border to Grayton Beach in the western Florida Panhandle. Significant storm surge is also expected in Florida’s Big Bend region, Brennan said.

“So if you’re in these evacuation zones and you’ve been asked to leave by your local officials, please get out as soon as you can before conditions deteriorate further,” he said.

Brennan said the highest tornado risk will be Friday afternoon into the evening in central parts of the Panhandle to southwestern Georgia. That risk will expand Saturday to much of central and southern Georgia and parts of South Carolina, he added.

Lifeguards clear Florida’s Pensacola Beach

Double red flag warnings prohibiting swimming and wading were posted Friday morning as beachgoers were asked to evacuate. The surf was at about 6 feet (2 meters) and rising, officials said in a social media post.

Lifeguards were expected to leave the beach mid-morning after urging people to leave and stay safe during the storm.

“Bottom line is to just please be smart. Please be smart,” Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves said in a social media post. “You wouldn’t consciously put your lives in danger. Make sure that you don’t put the fire, the police — please do not put them in danger. They are not going to be able to respond.”

Reeves warned that bridges may be closed as conditions worsen.

Hurricane Simon strengthens to a Category 2 storm, the National Hurricane Center says

The center said maximum sustained winds have increased to nearly 100 mph (155 kph), and that Simon, which was headed toward part of Mexico’s Pacific coast, is expected to continue strengthening rapidly during the next day or so. Simon is forecast to become a major hurricane by late Friday and strengthen further on Saturday.

U.S. forecasters earlier issued a hurricane warning for parts of the central and southwest coast, where hurricane-force winds were expected within 36 hours.

Weaker wind shear during El Niño plays a role in the formation of Isaias in the US Gulf

The super El Niño has been a nonstop machine cranking out tropical storms that have seemingly rolled through the Pacific region like rush-hour traffic. Now, it’s the U.S. Gulf Coast’s turn.

Isaias is the ninth named storm of the season. None of the previous ones reached hurricane strength. A normal hurricane season has 14 named storms, seven becoming hurricanes and three reaching major hurricane level, which is more than 110 mph (177 kph).

“The season has been completely dead — and we’re still going to have an impactful storm hitting the northern Gulf,” Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach said Wednesday. “How impactful it is remains to be seen.”

El Niño involves a natural, temporary warming of parts of the equatorial Pacific, setting off a chain of unusual weather around much of the world. While it’s one of many factors in play in the formation of Isaias, the current El Niño “still is certainly driving the bus,” Klotzbach said.

▶ Read more

Urban search and rescue teams stage ahead of Isaias

Teams from Tennessee, Texas, Indiana and Florida have staged near predicted impact areas, according to a briefing email from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and statements from the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department.

Florida Task Force 1 is staged in Tallahassee with 88 members, four canine teams and high-water rescue equipment. The team responded last June to the earthquakes in Venezuela.

The U.S. has a network of 28 elite urban search and rescue teams trained in water rescue, emergency medical care, structural evaluations and more.

The Waffle House Index helps Southerners — and FEMA — gauge a storm’s severity

When hurricanes tear through Southeastern towns, the hot meals and bold yellow signs of the local Waffle House provide another kind of comfort.

If a Waffle House stays open in town, even in a limited capacity, neighbors are reassured that the coming storm is unlikely to cause devastation. A closed location of the dependable diner chain has come to indicate impending disaster. The metric is known as the Waffle House Index.

What might sound like silly logic has become one of the most reliable ways for Southerners — and even federal officials — to gauge a storm’s severity and identify communities most in need of immediate aid.

The restaurant chain’s reputation for remaining open when people desperately needed a place to warm up, charge devices and grab a hot meal became a fairly reliable — albeit amusing — resource to help track recovery efforts. The company even operates its own storm center.

▶ Read more

DeSantis requests an emergency declaration

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday requested an emergency declaration which, if approved by President Donald Trump, would authorize federal support for the state’s emergency protective measures.

Atlantic hurricanes starting with ‘I’ typically bring death and destruction. Isaias is up next

Be wary of hurricanes that start with the letter “I.”

The ninth letter of the alphabet leads all others in the number of named Atlantic storms that have been retired over the decades due to their destruction or high death tolls. The names may be out of circulation, but storms including Ian, Ida, Igor, Ike, Inez, Ingrid, Iota, Irene, Irma, Isabel and Ivan left lasting legacies.

Next up is Isaias, which became the first hurricane of the Atlantic season Wednesday night. Whether it lives up to the misery of others whose first letter it shares remains to be seen. The latest forecast suggested Isaias could be less dramatic, but still “extremely dangerous.”

“It’s the ‘I’ storm, which usually we have a lot earlier in the year,” said Kristen Corbosiero, a professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany. “It’s always the ‘I’ storms that seem to cause problems.”

▶ Read more

FEMA says its staff is ‘fully engaged’

The Federal Emergency Management Agency urged Gulf Coast residents on Thursday to prepare for the hurricane and said that its offices were “fully engaged.”

FEMA staff were embedded in state emergency operations centers and incident management teams deployed to Alabama and Florida. The agency prepositioned emergency supplies at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, and has activated multiple national urban search and rescue teams “for potential movement if needed.”

Disaster response is led by local and state jurisdictions, with FEMA in a supporting role to coordinate federal support as needed and requested.

El Niño’s storm-killer winds and climate’s warming waters are in a fight over Isaias’ future

A supersized El Niño’s decapitating winds and the Gulf of Mexico’s toasty, storm-fueling waters are battling over the future strength of Hurricane Isaias. And the storm’s tilt and eye show who’s winning.

For now, it’s the waters charged by climate change.

All Atlantic hurricane season, there has been “this battle between shear and just the overall conducive conditions,” said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

El Niño — the natural temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that warps weather worldwide — dominated. Its wind patterns smothered almost any wisp of a storm from strengthening in the Atlantic, while boosting what will soon be record-high levels in the Pacific, Klotzbach said.

▶ Read more

Gov. DeSantis warns of significant storm surge and wind damage

At a Friday morning news conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned of significant storm surge and likely wind damage.

“But the surge is really what puts a lot of people’s lives in jeopardy if they haven’t heeded evacuation orders, and does the most significant damage from these storms,” he said. “Everywhere from Pensacola all the way into the Big Bend section of north Florida, you could see storm surge. So please take caution of that.”

He added, “And we always say you hide from the wind, but you run from the water. When the water’s rising and things are happening, it’s a very, very difficult conundrum — and you do not want to be caught in that.”

Shelters are opening for residents along the US Gulf Coast ahead of Isaias

Some areas, including several counties in the Florida Panhandle, are under mandatory evacuation orders. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has told tourists and visitors in the state’s coastal areas to leave immediately.

There are three shelters opening Friday morning at schools in Mobile County, Alabama. At least four churches in Dothan, Alabama, are being offered as shelters Friday, and they’re even providing snacks and drinks. The Red Cross has opened overnight shelters in the Florida panhandle, including one at Northwest Florida State College’s arena.

Isaias is forecast to make landfall late Friday.

Isaias strengthens into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane on track toward the US Gulf Coast

Isaias strengthened Friday into a major hurricane as it headed toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, where final preparations were being made for potentially life-threatening storm surges and high winds.

The hurricane is forecast to make landfall late Friday somewhere along the Alabama-Florida line and create dangerous conditions in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said. Rain began falling along the coast Friday morning, and tropical storm conditions were expected to begin early in the afternoon.

The Category 3 storm was packing 120 mph (193 kph) winds and was expected to continue strengthening. Category 3 storms, considered major hurricanes, are capable of causing devastating damage, the center said.

Isaias was expected to weaken quickly as it hits shore and be downgraded to a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon as it moves north and inland along the Alabama-Mississippi line, the center said.

Read more

The 28-year-old man, whom New York City police identified as Oscar Belgal, was shot “superficially” in the neck as ICE officers attempted to arrest him, said Marcos Charles, head of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations. Authorities have not released details of Belgal's condition.

Officers used their vehicles to block the man as he attempted to drive away, but he accelerated toward them, Charles said during a news conference with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in Washington. The Department of Homeland Security said the news conference was about the “dangerous consequences of sanctuary city policies.”

“Our officers, using their training and believing that their life and the life of the partners and the general public were in danger, used their training and fired weapons,” Charles said.

Belgal had his 5-year-old son in the car with him when the shooting happened, officials said.

Mullin said ICE agents didn’t know the child was in the car, but that Belgal “was aware” and chose to put the boy at risk by trying to evade officers.

ICE previously tried to detain Belgal, Charles says

Belgal was associated with a robbery crew that used mopeds and weapons, and was convicted of grand larceny last year and sentenced to five years of probation, Charles said, adding that he evaded officers in September when ICE tried to arrest him for deportation.

The Legal Aid Society, which was representing Belgal in an ongoing drug case, called Friday for a “full and transparent” investigation of the shooting, the officers involved to be held accountable and an end to “ICE’s escalating presence in New York City.”

Belgal has pleaded not guilty to narcotics-sale charges in the drug case. The Legal Aid Society did not comment further.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, said late Thursday that they had pressed Mullin and Republican President Donald Trump to release Belgal, but to no avail. They also urged the administration to immediately release ICE officers' body camera footage of the shooting and to halt immigration enforcement operations in the city.

Mullin said Belgal was being held in a “highly secured” detention facility outside New York City but declined to say where.

Attorneys representing Belgal filed an emergency petition Thursday night calling for his release. A hearing is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

He also confirmed ICE officers were wearing body cameras that were activated, but didn’t say when any of that footage would be released. Under agency policy, bodycam video can be released within 72 hours if “determined that it is in the best interests of the agency."

On Friday, New York City police released footage from its officers as they arrived at the scene following the shooting. The department previously said its officers were not involved in the arrest and not at the scene when the shooting happened.

The video shows a city officer responding to a chaotic scene where Belgal — sitting on the ground with his hands behind his back and head drooping to one side — was surrounded by several officials. The video shows officers lifting Belgal and placing him in a black SUV. Police said he was taken to a hospital.

“Yo put pressure. Put pressure,” an officer can be heard saying as the SUV reverses down the block.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Belgal was pulling into a parking space when a federal officer in plainclothes approached with his gun drawn, followed by another federal officer who also wasn’t in uniform. Belgal started to pull the car forward, and at least one of the officers fired seven rounds, hitting the man below his left ear.

Protesters and local officials decried the shooting as an example of the dangers of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“There is no justification for what we have seen today,” Mamdani said late Thursday at the scene of the shooting.

Federal officers who surrounded the vehicle wore construction vests and masks, making it difficult to identify them as immigration officers, he said.

Mullin criticizes NYC's immigration policies

Mullin devoted much of Friday’s news conference to criticizing Mamdani and New York City’s limits on cooperation with ICE. The Democrat, who took office in January, has restricted local cooperation with immigration enforcement operations and repeatedly called for the abolition of ICE.

“Sanctuary politicians, they create an environment for criminal activity to thrive, not for the American citizens to be safe,” Mullin said.

ICE has asked local officials in New York to hold onto more than 14,000 people for federal officers to collect and place in immigration detention, he said.

“Silence. Absolute silence is what we have gotten back,” the secretary said. “Why would they release these individuals back onto the streets?”

“We’re enforcing our nation’s laws. We’re not picking and choosing,” Mullin continued. “Why is that controversial? We should all want law and order on our streets.”

ICE has justified other shootings with perceived threats to officers

During Trump's second term, Homeland Security has often accused suspects of attempting to ram officers with vehicles or otherwise pose a threat and using that as justification for opening fire. But evidence from other shootings involving immigration enforcement officers has sometimes called into question that rationale.

In the Jan. 7 shooting death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Homeland Security officials initially claimed an ICE officer opened fire in self-defense after Good attempted to run him over with her vehicle. Videos filmed from multiple angles challenged the administration’s narrative.

On July 10, ICE officers fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston as the Mexican national was driving his construction crew to a job site. DHS maintained Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle, but the three men inside his vehicle disputed the narrative.

Last year in a Chicago suburb, immigration officers fatally shot Silverio Villegas González after they say the Mexican national drove at them and dragged one with his car, causing “serious injuries.” But body camera videos from local police showed the agent who shot Villegas González walking around afterward and dismissing his own injuries as “nothing major.”

___

Marcelo reported from New York. Associated Press reporters Anthony Izaguirre and Jennifer Peltz in New York City and Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa, contributed.

Se pronostica que el huracán toque tierra el viernes por la noche en algún punto a lo largo de la frontera entre Alabama y Florida, y genere condiciones peligrosas en la franja noroccidental de Florida, el sur de Alabama y el sur de Mississippi, indicó el Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC, por sus siglas en inglés). Comenzó a llover a lo largo de la costa el viernes por la mañana, y se prevé que las condiciones de tormenta tropical comiencen a primera hora de la tarde.

La tormenta de categoría 3 registraba vientos de 193 kilómetros por hora (120 millas por hora) y se calcula que seguirá fortaleciéndose. El centro explicó que las tormentas de categoría 3, consideradas huracanes de gran magnitud, pueden causar daños devastadores.

Se calcula que Isaías se debilite rápidamente al tocar tierra y que sea degradado a tormenta tropical para el sábado por la tarde, a medida que avance hacia el norte y tierra adentro a lo largo de la frontera entre Alabama y Mississippi, agregó el NHC.

“Los preparativos deben acelerarse para completarse, ya que el clima empeorará rápidamente hoy”, advirtió el NHC en un pronóstico de primera hora de la mañana. “Aunque no se prevé que la tormenta toque tierra con su máxima intensidad, es probable que Isaías siga siendo un huracán significativo cuando llegue a la costa”.

Isaías, el primer huracán de la temporada del Atlántico, se encontraba a unos 386 kilómetros (240 millas) al sur de Pensacola, Florida, y se desplazaba hacia el norte-noreste a aproximadamente 24 km/h (15 mph), indicó el NHC.

Se calcula que toque tierra en la noche entre la bahía de Mobile, en la costa de Alabama, y la bahía de Choctawhatchee, en la franja noroccidental de Florida.

Además del viento y las marejadas ciclónicas, el huracán probablemente provocará inundaciones repentinas y generará tornados, señaló el NHC. Se anticipan acumulados de lluvia de 10 a 20 centímetros (4 a 8 pulgadas) durante el fin de semana en el sur de Alabama, la franja noroccidental de Florida, la región del Big Bend de ese mismo estado y el suroeste de Georgia. Es posible que algunas zonas reciban hasta 38 centímetros (15 pulgadas).

Había una advertencia de huracán vigente desde Ocean Springs, Mississippi, hasta la franja noroccidental de Florida. Se emitieron advertencias de tormenta tropical desde el sureste de Luisiana hasta el río Aucilla, a lo largo de la región del Big Bend de Florida, donde la península empieza a curvarse hacia el oeste.

Los preparativos llevan días en marcha. Los residentes tapiaron ventanas y apilaron sacos de arena el jueves, y miles de soldados de la Guardia Nacional se desplegaron en la región.

Se prevé que Isaías provoque una marejada ciclónica de 1,8 a 2,7 metros (6 a 9 pies), en la que el agua más profunda afectará las zonas costeras inmediatas y traerá olas grandes y peligrosas, señaló el NHC.

Las comunidades costeras se movilizaron rápidamente para prepararse el jueves, después de que la gobernadora de Alabama, Kay Ivey, ordenara a los no residentes evacuar de inmediato Gulf Shores, Orange Beach y la isla Dauphin. Videos en redes sociales mostraban el tráfico detenido en una autopista que sale de Gulf Shores, donde banderas rojas dobles en la playa indicaban que el acceso al agua estaba suspendido.

Varios condados anunciaron evacuaciones obligatorias para algunas zonas costeras. Los gobernadores de Florida y Alabama declararon estados de emergencia para decenas de condados. El de Florida, Ron DeSantis, dijo que se tenía previsto que unos 5.000 efectivos de la Guardia Nacional se movilizaran para el viernes.

En la isla Dauphin, una isla barrera de 24 kilómetros (15 millas) frente a la costa de Alabama, las autoridades alentaron evacuaciones voluntarias, en particular en su popular sección occidental, vulnerable a la marejada ciclónica.

El alcalde Jeff Collier dijo que no anticipaba daños considerables, “pero al mismo tiempo, estas cosas son muy caprichosas y un pequeño desvío aquí o allá, o algún aumento de fuerza de última hora... simplemente tenemos que estar preparados para lo peor”.

Se prevé que Isaías traiga fuertes lluvias y posibles inundaciones a gran parte del sureste durante el fin de semana, y luego a partes la región centro-norte y el noreste del país desde el domingo hasta el lunes.

Mientras tanto, en el océano Pacífico se pronostica que el huracán Simón, que se formó como tormenta tropical el miércoles frente a México y se convirtió en huracán a última hora del jueves, se fortalecerá hasta convertirse en un huracán de categoría 4.

___

Collins informó desde Hartford, Connecticut. También contribuyeron los reporteros de The Associated Press Kim Chandler en Montgomery, Alabama; Hallie Golden en Seattle; Kathy McCormack en Concord, Nueva Hampshire; John Raby en Charleston, Virginia Occidental; Laura Turbay en Little Rock, Arkansas; y Julie Walker en Nueva York.

___

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

Wolff was responding after engine failure for Russell at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia last week took his teammate Antonelli a big step closer to becoming F1's youngest-ever champion.

“They’re brainless, whoever thinks that. I mean, it’s completely nonsensical. We’ve had it in the past with Lewis (Hamilton) fans. I mean, literally, I don’t know what’s going on,” Wolff said Friday ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

“Do they think I have a button that says, “George engine failure now”, or disadvantaging one driver against the other when we are fighting for a constructors’ championship, when we have always had the mindset of providing everybody equal material? But I guess this is maybe where social media goes today.”

Wolff said he found it funny to be painted as a villain on social media — “I'm Satan, I've heard” — but frustrating to be criticized by fans who, he said, don't appreciate how well he and Russell get on away from the track.

“Really zero understanding and respect for people who come up with these things. They should, rather than watching Formula 1, they should do (kids' TV show) Teletubbies or some Mickey Mouse,” he said.

Russell's engine trouble in Malaysia means he has a grid penalty in Singapore for going over his allocation of power units for the season.

He's dropped 84 points behind Antonelli, who could in theory win the title at the United States Grand Prix later this month, if other results go his way.

Russell has said his plan for this week is “all-out attack”, even though overtaking is difficult on the Singapore street circuit.

Wolff said the team would continue with its strategy of favoring whichever driver is quicker at the time, rather than allowing Antonelli and Russell to battle on track and potentially help another team.

“Even if it is now that it’s more realistic for Kimi to win a championship in sheer mathematical probability, we would still give George the same opportunities, and that’s important,” he said.

“That’s the ethos and the integrity on which the team has operated since 2013, since I came, and we are going to stick to that. And then people can think what they want.”

___

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

The inquiry will include a hearing at the White House on Nov. 5 and Cook “shall” attend to answer questions from the committee, Trump said in a written memo.

Also, a federal immigration officer shot a Dominican man in the neck as he drove in a car with a 5-year-old boy Thursday afternoon, officials said.

An irate New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the shooting an outrage, and spent two hours Thursday night pressing President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to release the wounded man, and urging them to stop immigration enforcement operations in the city.

Here's the latest:

For Trump, Columbus Day is about celebrating the US

The U.S. president is celebrating Christopher Columbus after erecting a statue to the nautical explorer on the north side of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus.

The statue is a replica of a Columbus statue in Baltimore that was thrown into the Baltimore harbor in 2020.

Columbus heralded the start of European colonialism in the western hemisphere. In his Oct. 7 proclamation for Columbus Day, Trump said the explorer had started a chain of events that led to the creation of the United States.

Jeffries to campaign with Democratic challengers in battleground Pennsylvania and New Jersey

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is set to campaign with Democratic challengers in two battleground seats in the East.

Jeffries will campaign Friday alongside Rebecca Bennett in New Jersey’s 7th District, where she’s challenging two-term incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. He’s also attending a rally in suburban Philadelphia on Saturday with Bob Harvie, the Democrat taking on five-term incumbent Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick.

The two races are viewed as among the most competitive in this year’s midterm election. Also attending the Harvie event will be Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who’s also seeking reelection this year.

US hits International Criminal Court with sweeping sanctions as part of drive to dismantle tribunal

The Trump administration has imposed sweeping new sanctions on the International Criminal Court as part of its campaign to dismantle the tribunal the U.S. believes has become politicized and attempted to unfairly and illegally prosecute Americans and Israelis on war crimes charges.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions Friday after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African prosecutor Navi Pillay, who had led investigations into potential ICC charges against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The move, however, long predated the Nobel Prize announcement.

“We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate against us,” Rubio said in a video address posted to social media. “The United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC.”

▶ Read more

Trump establishes committee to investigate Federal Reserve’s Lisa Cook in latest effort to fire her

President Trump opened another chapter in his effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on Friday by establishing a “committee of inquiry” to investigate allegations that she made false statements in mortgage applications.

The inquiry will include a hearing at the White House on Nov. 5 that Cook “shall” attend to answer questions from the committee, Trump said in a written memo.

The extraordinary move follows a Supreme Court ruling in June that Cook could keep her job after Trump sought to fire her last year. That ruling found Cook should have had notice and an opportunity to respond to the charges.

Cook has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

▶ Read more

Senators deride Pentagon plans for public execution – ‘beyond disgusting’

The lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans, say Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s intent to livestream the execution must be halted.

“Public executions are what oppressive dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan do. It should not be happening in America,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican.

Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan should face the death penalty, he said, “but making his execution public and streaming it? Beyond disgusting.”

Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington state Democrat, said: “We can seek justice in this country without glorifying violence and turning an execution into a grotesque public spectacle.”

“Kids watch what our leaders do and say, is this kind of bloodshed really what we want them seeing?” she asked in a statement. “The Pentagon must revoke this decision immediately.”

Mullin shares new details, including that ICE wasn’t aware a child was in the car

Mullin said ICE agents weren’t aware the child was in the car at the time. But he said Belgal “was aware” and chose to evade officers.

He didn’t answer a question about how officers wouldn’t know that, saying only that it’s an investigation.

Mullin also revealed that the officers involved in the incident were wearing body cameras “and they were on.”

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin uses news conference to rail against Mamdani

Mullin spent much of the news conference criticizing New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for resisting and denouncing ICE. An irate Mamdani on Thursday night called ICE “rotten to its core” and said he saw no justification for the shooting.

“Well, mayor, if you abolish ICE, who’s going to take criminals off the streets of your own town?” Mullin said Friday. “The mayor speaks with political tone. His words are dangerous and incite hostility. It doesn’t help.”

Dominican man shot by ICE ‘decided not to comply with lawful orders,’ DHS official says

Marcos Charles, who heads Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s enforcement removal and operations division, said ICE officials attempted to arrest the Dominican man, whom officials have identified as Oscar Belgal, and attempted to use their vehicles to block him in.

Speaking to reporters, Charles said Belgal “refused to exit his vehicle” and accelerated, smashing into two government vehicles and moving toward officers, which prompted officers to fire weapons.

DHS secretary accuses New York of endangering public safety with ‘sanctuary’ policies

Facing backlash after a federal immigration officer shot a Dominican man in the neck as he drove in a car with a 5-year-old boy in New York on Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin doubled down on the Trump administration’s criticism of so-called sanctuary cities.

There’s no clear definition of sanctuary jurisdictions, but the term is generally applied to state and local governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Sanctuary politicians and cities “create an environment for criminal activity to thrive, not for the American citizens to be safe,” Mullin said in a news conference Friday.

Public executions in the US were once a community spectacle and then they stopped

For about nine decades, executions in the U.S. have been private affairs, often shrouded in secrecy. The stunning Pentagon announcement Thursday that the first military execution in more than 65 years will be livestreamed could change that.

Allowing the world to watch Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan face the firing squad in December would make it the first public execution since two hangings in the 1930s in Kentucky and Missouri drew crowds.

In 1936, a man who reportedly confessed to the rape and murder of a woman was hanged in front of thousands in Owensboro, Kentucky, while the following year, hundreds watched a man in Missouri be hanged.

▶ Read more

Trump says US will not resume military strikes on Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections

Trump said Thursday that he will not order a resumption of military strikes on Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections in the United States.

Trump, while stumping for Republicans this week, has hinted that he was confident that an endgame to the war could come in the days before or after the election, while also hinting that he remained open to resuming full-scale military operations against Iran.

For weeks, Trump has been threatening that a post-midterm election escalation in the seven-month-old war remains a viable option, despite his initial promises to Americans of a military campaign that would last a matter of weeks.

But Trump in a social media post on Thursday said the U.S. “will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd.”

Trump added that his team has been “having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

▶ Read more

ICE officer shoots a man while making an arrest in New York, officials say

A federal immigration officer shot a Dominican man in the neck as he drove in a car with a 5-year-old boy Thursday afternoon, officials said. The Department of Homeland Security said it was seeking to arrest the man in a “targeted enforcement operation,” but protesters and local officials decried it as an example of the dangers of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

DHS said in a statement that it was seeking to arrest a “criminal illegal alien” with a grand larceny conviction and a history of other arrests. But an irate New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the shooting an outrage.

The mayor said he had spent two hours Thursday night pressing President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to release the wounded man, to no avail, and urging them to stop immigration enforcement operations in the city. He said that late Thursday night, federal authorities removed the man from the hospital and took him away.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, said in a statement that she had delivered a similar message to Trump and Mullin by phone.

▶ Read more

Potential committee chairs in the next Congress include Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who has served as top Democrat on the House Homeland Security panel since 2005. Then, there's Adam Smith of Washington, who began serving as top Democrat on Armed Services in 2011, and Rep. Maxine Waters of California, who became the lead Democrat on Financial Services in 2013.

Other longtime committee leaders include Reps. Frank Pallone at Energy and Commerce and Bobby Scott at Education and Workforce, who assumed their leadership posts in 2015. Rep. Richie Neal became the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee in 2017.

None would be able to continue in that position under the rules used by House Republicans, which generally limit lawmakers to three terms as chairman or ranking member.

For Democrats, the question is whether to stick with their current system, which emphasizes seniority, or move closer to the one that Republicans have established. It's a discussion that some Democrats say they are having behind the scenes.

"I think that the idea of term limits could be appealing to the American people, to the Democratic base. It sounds Democratic," said Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va. “I’m open to the idea. I’ve spoken to a number of folks who are open to the idea."

"I personally think it makes for a more vibrant Congress, but I know I’m in the minority in the minority,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.

Party leaders are playing down the issue for now. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said seniority has always been a factor when it comes to committee leadership, but not the only one.

“The caucus is going to work its will as we move forward,” Jeffries told reporters. “At the end of the day, we can't put the cart before the horse. We've got to still go out and win this thing in November.”

Democrats have been here before

Term limits are not a new discussion for Democrats. When they were weighing whether to return Nancy Pelosi as speaker in 2018, those opposing her bid wanted her to commit to limiting how long lawmakers could serve as House party leaders or committee chairs. She eventually agreed to serve in the post for no more than four more years.

No such restrictions were added for committee chairs. In 2022, Democrats voted overwhelmingly against a six-year term limit for committee leaders.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who has served as top Democrat on the House Rules Committee since 2018, called term limits an “artificial, random mechanism that doesn’t always serve the best interest of the institution.”

“I want people in chairs who are going to fight to get things over the finish line and make a real difference,” McGovern said. "Some of those people may have been around for a long time and some of them may be relatively new.”

Pallone said he intends to be the next Energy and Commerce chairman or ranking member. He called term limits for chairs “very undemocratic.”

“If people want to vote for somebody they should be allowed to,” Pallone said.

He also said that term limits can lead to short-term thinking from chairs looking at their next opportunity in the private sector.

“People serve for a couple years, then they go work for some lobbying firm," he said. "What they do when they’re here is very much influenced by what lobbying firm they’re going to work for.”

Thompson also said he would like to serve again as top Democrat on Homeland Security if he wins reelection. He dismissed the way Republicans limit committee leaders to three terms.

“I don't want to be like Republicans. I'm a Democrat,” Thompson said.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., says term limits have served Republicans well.

“It’s been really good to show younger members that you’re always going to have a path to leadership if you keep working hard, if you do your job really well,” Scalise said. “We definitely lose some good chairmen along the way, but we also get new leaders who otherwise would not have been able to rise up."

Democrats have broken with seniority on occasion

Democrats don't always stick with seniority. One recent exception is Rep. Jamie Raskin, the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. He challenged Rep. Jerry Nadler for the job in late 2024, prompting Nadler, then 77, to step aside.

Similarly, Democrats selected Rep. Angie Craig to become the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee after she challenged the late Rep. David Scott for the post. Scott had been the panel's top Democrat for the previous two sessions, but was in poor health.

Democrats also elected Rep. Robert Garcia last year to succeed Rep. Gerry Connolly on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Connolly died after a battle with esophageal cancer. Garcia defeated veteran Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts for the job.

“He has done, by everybody’s measure here, an incredible job," said Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas. "We would not have all of the Epstein files that we’ve gotten so far without his leadership on that committee.”

Casar called next steps for Democrats on committee chairs an “internal conversation.”

“I think at a minimum we should go to a system where it’s about who the right person is, and then have discussions about how we make sure that new blood comes in," Casar said.

Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said he hears less talk about term limits than past years, and he credits some of the changes Democrats already made.

"Last cycle, there was a lot of clamor, and you saw some changes," Schneider said. “I'm not hearing similar angst this time.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said she favors term limits, but emphasized that her view is no reflection of the current leaders. It's more about helping Democrats develop a deeper bench.

“I just think it’s really smart policy and it’s really smart strategy to make sure that we keep building people skills, opportunities and leadership," Jayapal said.

She said she understood when she first served in Congress a decade ago the longstanding concerns voiced by the Congressional Black Caucus about term limits hurting members who had just earned chairmanships, but believes Democrats have done a better job of diversifying the caucus.

"And we need to do more, but we are taking away opportunities from a lot of those newer members," Jayapal said.

Some Democrats have talked about a hybrid approach that sets some limits, but not at the three-term threshold set by House Republicans.

“I don't know what the magic number is, but endless is not the magic number,” Houlahan said.

The Category 3 hurricane — the first of an unusually quiet Atlantic season — is expected to make landfall Friday night and bring significant storm surge, damaging winds, flooding and possibly even tornadoes before scattering strong winds and rain well north into Atlanta.

Isaias is expected to come ashore between Mobile Bay on the Alabama coast and the city of Destin in the Florida Panhandle — a region known for powdery white sand beaches dotted with vacation homes, waterfront bars and seafood shacks.

Many will brave the storm at home

Anne Petzold, who lives with her husband in the panhandle beach community of Gulf Breeze, said Friday that they and all of their neighbors plan to ride out the storm. The couple put up hurricane shutters, put away anything in their yard that could turn into a projectile, stocked up on food and water, and have two generators ready if they lose power.

“Everybody does what they can do, everybody asks if they need help — they ask for help, they offer help. All good,” she said. “It’s just another adventure.”

Neighbor Jay Brazzell said he gassed up his car and made sure he'll have enough water but decided to stay put because Isaias isn't as powerful as other hurricanes he's experienced.

“I mean I’m not boarding up,” said Brazzell, 69. “I’ve been through, this being, the ninth hurricane.”

Dangerous conditions are expected throughout the western panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center said. Rain began falling along the coast Friday morning, and tropical storm-force winds were expected by early afternoon.

A storm surge as high as 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) is likely in some coastal areas, according to the hurricane center. Places most at risk include Florida's Pensacola Beach and the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents to expect flooding, wind damage, power outages and gasoline shortages.

“When the water’s rising and things are happening, it’s a very, very difficult conundrum and you do not want to be caught in that,” he said.

The hurricane center said Friday morning that time was running out to make preparations “as the weather will go downhill quickly today.”

As of midday, the storm was centered about 160 miles (255 kilometers) south of Pensacola and moving to the north-northeast, the center said. It was packing 120 mph (193 kph) sustained winds Friday morning and picking up speed. Category 3 storms are considered major hurricanes and are capable of causing devastation.

The whole region could get soaked

Once Isaias comes ashore, it is expected to weaken until it is downgraded to a tropical storm by Saturday afternoon, the hurricane center said.

Still, heavy rain is forecast as it moves inland, with 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) or even more expected through the weekend from southern Alabama to southwestern Georgia.

Isaias, which will be the first hurricane to hit the eastern U.S. since Milton tore up the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2024, also is expected to bring heavy rain and potential flooding to much of the Southeast over the weekend, and then to parts of the Midwest and Northeast into Monday.

Evacuations have been ordered

A hurricane warning was in place from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the western Florida Panhandle.

Preparations have been going on for days. On Thursday, residents boarded up windows and stacked sandbags while thousands of National Guard soldiers were deployed.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday ordered non-residents to immediately evacuate Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island. Videos on social media showed traffic at a standstill on a highway leading out of Gulf Shores, where double-red beach flags signaled water access was closed.

Several counties announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas while Florida and Alabama declared states of emergency for dozens of counties.

On Dauphin Island, a barrier island off the Alabama coast, Mayor Jeff Collier said he did not anticipate substantial damage, “but at the same time, these things are very fickle and a little jog here or there, or some last-minute increase in strength — we just have to be prepared for the worst.”

Meanwhile in the Pacific, Hurricane Simon became a Category 2 hurricane on Friday and was expected to strengthen further before making landfall in Mexico this weekend.

___

Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut, and Bates reported from Gulf Breeze, Florida. These Associated Press journalists also contributed: Gerald Herbert in Pensacola, Florida; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Hallie Golden in Seattle; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; and Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas.

The Oklahoma City Thunder guard has become the latest North American sports star to take an interest in soccer, following the likes of LeBron James and Tom Brady.

“This is a club with a long-standing presence at the top of European football, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of its future,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

Atletico said the partnership was “grounded in shared values: ambition, excellence and the belief that every result must be earned.”

James became a part-owner of the Fenway Sports Group in 2021, the conglomerate that owns the Boston Red Sox and iconic Premier League club Liverpool.

NFL great Brady is a minority owner of English second-tier team Birmingham.

Atletico did not reveal how big a stake 2025 NBA champion and back-to-back NBA MVP Gilgeous-Alexander had taken.

“His investment reflects an interest in the club’s long-term vision and international growth,” it said.

Atletico, second in the standings, visits La Liga rival Alaves on Saturday.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

And on Friday night, he'll rally with President Donald Trump in Syracuse. It is not exactly a message that seems geared toward winning over moderate voters.

At a political moment where Republicans are hoping to capture centrists wary of an ascendent progressive left, Blakeman has instead embraced the president and his aggressive conservative tactics. The approach has puzzled some in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 2-to-1.

“If his advertising to get the job is to champion Trump, it's going to create a whole lot of problems,” said former Gov. David Paterson, a Democrat. He said Blakeman's alliance with the president “could drive a lot of people who are in the middle over the edge.”

Blakeman, who serves as the Nassau County executive on Long Island, has framed himself as a bulwark against urban progressives, pushing policies related to transgender athletes and Trump's immigration crackdown. After the election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Blakeman pledged to erect a wall of surveillance gear to protect his suburban county.

But Trump hasn't exactly helped that message. While visiting New York City last month, the president was chummy with Mamdani, one of the country's leading democratic socialists, and even expressed optimism about his work as mayor.

“Hopefully you’re going to be a great one," said Trump, who grew up in Queens, where Mamdani first entered politics.

It's unclear what Trump will get out of his trip to Syracuse with the clock ticking toward midterm elections where his party's control of Congress is on the line. The most closely watched U.S. House race in the state is hours away, where Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is trying to fend off a challenge from Democratic candidate Cait Conley.

However, Trump has steered clear of political battlegrounds in his travels so far, focusing on red states and friendly crowds at a moment when Republicans worry that his unpopularity could drag down the party.

Blakeman says he doesn't always agree with Trump

On the campaign trail, Blakeman argues he's winning over Democrats and independents, painting himself as the moderate candidate in his race against incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. He dismisses the idea that his closeness with the president could hurt his chances in blue New York.

“I don’t think it has an effect,” he said when asked about his relationship with Trump. “I’ve proved my independence over and over and over again. I make my own decisions. I call my own shots."

Hochul has emphasized Blakeman's ties to Trump — mirroring much of the Democrats' national strategy for the midterm elections — hoping the president's dismal approval ratings help to sink her Republican foe at the ballot box.

In an interview, Blakeman denied that he was aligned with the president on everything. “I am somebody who takes every issue and makes a decision based on good advice from smart people and common sense," he said.

For example, Blakeman said of Trump, “he’s pro-life. I’m pro-choice." He added: “I believe in a comprehensive guest worker immigration program. He hasn’t embraced that yet."

Despite a long history of Republican leadership, the party has not fared well in recent statewide elections. No Republican has taken up residence in the governor’s mansion since former Gov. George Pataki lived there between 1995 and 2006. All levels of state government are firmly controlled by Democrats, and Democrats hold a wide majority of the state's House seats as well as both Senate seats.

Blakeman emerged as the leading Republican candidate

The Republican field for the governor's race this year was shaping up much differently before Trump waded in.

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Trump ally who represents a conservative district in northern New York, was expected to mount a strong candidacy but unexpectedly dropped out in December after Trump waffled on an endorsement.

U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents a swing congressional seat in New York’s Hudson Valley, had been teasing a statewide run but abandoned the plan not long after Trump endorsed him for reelection to the House, a move seen as a way to nudge Lawler back toward Congress.

With Stefanik and Lawler out of the picture, Trump swiftly backed Blakeman.

In the last governor's race, Lee Zeldin, a former Long Island congressman and current Trump administration Environmental Protection Agency head, was able to come within about 6 points of upsetting Hochul by focusing on concerns about crime. Blakeman is recreating elements of Zeldin's campaign on public safety even though crime rates have dropped significantly since then.

“I think over the years, the Republican Party in New York has spent more time mirroring what the national Republican Party is saying,” Paterson said.

Leer en español

• All enclosed slides at Miami parks closed to public after teen’s death
• DeSantis takes victory lap in Miami after court’s decision to expunge grand jury report critical of Hope Florida
• DeSantis declares state of emergency for 25 Florida counties as Tropical Storm Isaias strengthens
• Second arrest made in Miami Beach taxi robbery, fraud investigation, cops say
• South Florida cop arrested, accused of biting, scratching boyfriend
• Mourning mother says son died after shirt caught on screw inside Miami playground slide
• Man arrested in connection with $271K designer handbags theft from social media influencer
• Health officials confirm case of dengue fever locally-acquired in Broward County
• Deadly rollover crash shuts down part of I-95 in Pompano Beach
• Roaches for the third time, Davie restaurant among eateries ordered shut!

A U.N. human rights chief who chaired an investigation that determined Israel had committed genocide in Gaza won the Nobel Peace Prize, and residents of Yemen's capital reported explosions.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here.

Thursday's attack on the Riyadh airport killed 3 people

The attack on an airport in the Saudi capital and an aircraft there killed three Saudi nationals and injured other people on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said.

Friday's statement from the authority did not identify those responsible for the attack, though Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen have claimed they targeted the airport with a ballistic missile.

According to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, the two strikes targeted the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a Saudia Airlines aircraft.

Several people were injured, some seriously, and were transferred to a hospital for treatment, said the authority, adding that the attacks also caused material damage. It did not specify the types of weapons used or those responsible.

The authority said it was coordinating with security agencies to assess the damage and take measures to ensure the safety of passengers and workers.

FlyDubai announced it was canceling flights to the Saudi cities of Riyadh and Yanbu through Saturday and Abha through Sunday. Pakistan International Airlines also suspended flights to Riyadh.

Residents in Yemen's capital report explosions

In Sanaa, the rebel-held capital of Yemen, residents heard heavy explosions overnight and into Friday as intense fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces resumed.

In the downtown area, witnesses said they heard explosions, but their origin wasn’t clear.

The strikes were so powerful that the house shook and it felt as if the entire structure was collapsing, one Sanaa resident told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity in fear of reprisals.

Anees al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, said on X that two of the overnight strikes on Sanaa injured six people, including a child.

The Houthis' military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed Thursday that airstrikes launched from bases in Saudi Arabia targeted multiple rebel-held areas for 24 hours, including in Sanaa and the provinces of Marib, Taiz, Hajjah, Saada, Lahj, Ibb and al-Baydaa.

He did not provide any evidence for the claim and the AP couldn’t independently verify Saree’s claims.

— By Fatma Khaled

A former UN human rights chief wins Nobel Peace Prize

The South African-born jurist and former U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay, who is currently an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Pillay chaired the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council. The commission a year ago concluded Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza, with a specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry slammed the award and said on X: “If there were an award for lies, hatred, and blood libels, Navi Pillay wouldn’t just be a contender. She’d be a frontrunner.”

Vessel reports strike off United Arab Emirates

A vessel was struck by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, the British military said on Friday, causing a fire that it said had since been extinguished.

The attack took place 13 nautical miles west of Al-Jazeera in the UAE, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, which did not identify the vessel. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, and the status of the crew was not immediately known.

Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed without providing evidence on Friday it had struck a large liquefied petroleum gas carrier attempting to use an illegal shipping route south of the Strait of Hormuz.

The British military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Iran’s claim.

Iranian president calls for increased cooperation

Speaking Friday at a regional summit in Turkmenistan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for deeper regional cooperation and said countries should strengthen their resilience against war, crises and external pressure while avoiding competition aimed at excluding one another.

Regional states should build networks for producing, transmitting and exchanging oil, gas, electricity and renewable energy rather than seeking to eliminate competitors from energy markets, he said.

“Our region, more than ever, needs resilience against war, crises, external pressure and disruptions to economic and communication routes,” Pezeshkian said. “Success in this path, more than anything else, requires linking the region’s capacities together.”

___

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Las previsiones meteorológicas contemplan más precipitaciones hasta la mañana del domingo y las autoridades advirtieron que los aguaceros continuos podrían desencadenar inundaciones repentinas y deslaves en zonas de montaña, así como inundaciones en comunidades en zonas bajas.

En Hue, la antigua capital imperial del país, conocida por sus palacios con siglos de antigüedad, las lluvias de los últimos tres días superaron los 800 milímetros (31,5 pulgadas), lo que incrementó el riesgo de inundaciones repentinas y deslizamientos. Las precipitaciones fueron más intensas en las tierras bajas costeras y en las zonas de colinas del sur de la ciudad.

En Danang, zonas residenciales y calles quedaron anegadas el jueves, con el agua por encima del nivel de la cintura en algunas áreas, superando un metro (3,3 pies) de altura. Equipos de rescate ayudaron a evacuar a niños y a trasladar las pertenencias de los residentes a lugares seguros.

Un hombre seguía desaparecido después de que la embarcación en la que viajaba con su esposa volcó en el río Truong Giang el miércoles por la tarde, de acuerdo con la prensa local. La pareja regresaba a casa tras recolectar hierba cuando su bote se dio vuelta.

La mujer, que no sabía nadar, se aferró a un saco de hierba y fue arrastrada casi 300 metros (yardas) río abajo antes de ser rescatada por residentes, Su esposo fue arrastrado por la corriente.

El ejército desplegó a alrededor de 130 soldados en Danang y se formaron más equipos de rescate. Se prepararon vehículos blindados anfibios por si las condiciones empeoran, indicó la prensa estatal.

Los deslaves bloquearon carreteras en las zonas montañosas alrededor de Danang. En Tra Linh, una comuna remota en las tierras altas del suroeste, tierra, rocas y árboles caídos cortaron una carretera que conduce a una aldea cercana. Las autoridades retiraron los escombros y reabrieron parcialmente la vía, pero seguían habiendo riesgo de derrumbes, de acuerdo con los reportes.

En gran parte de Vietnam, la temporada de lluvias suele ir de mayo a noviembre. El año pasado, las lluvias causaron importantes inundaciones en el centro del país, cuando el desbordamiento de los ríos anegó viviendas y destinos turísticos en Hue y la vecina Hoi An.

___

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

___

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

Democratic and Republican presidential prospects have been crisscrossing the country, raising money and tapping their political connections to help boost their parties' candidates — and their own White House ambitions.

Here's a closer look at some of the leading prospects and how their political futures may be influenced by what happens Nov. 3.

Newsom has a Southern strategy

Gavin Newsom leaves the California governor's office at the end of the year, and he's been among the most active Democrats throughout the midterms.

He's paid particular attention to the South, where he's campaigned with candidates up and down the ballot in states like Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and, not surprisingly, South Carolina, which hosts the party's first presidential primary contest in 2028.

The Southern focus aligns with the mission of Newsom's Campaign for Democracy political action committee, which was established in 2023 to help his party compete in red states. But it could also help endear him to African American voters, who make up the heart of the Democratic base.

Newsom's star power — and his extensive email list — has strengthened his relationships with key Democratic officials in states like Nevada and New Hampshire, where he's sent out fundraising emails that have generated a surge of donations in recent months.

Perhaps Newsom's biggest midterm contribution was backing Proposition 50, California's response to the Texas Republican mid-decade gerrymander. The proposition, approved by California voters last year, created a new congressional map that may allow Democrats to pick up as many as five additional U.S. House seats in California this fall.

As a presidential candidate, the California governor could argue that he was on the front lines of the redistricting battle. But if Democrats do not win all five seats in his state, Newsom's message could be muffled.

Vance's fate is tied to Trump

No potential candidate’s fate is as closely tied to President Donald Trump and Republicans’ performance as Vice President JD Vance.

The 42-year-old has embarked on an aggressive midterm campaign schedule — from the Midwest, to the South, to Alaska — and focused on the administration’s efforts to root out fraud.

A key state will be Ohio, which Vance briefly represented in the Senate. Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill Vance’s seat in 2025, is facing an aggressive challenge from former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. And in the governor’s race, Democrat Amy Acton is in a close contest with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.

The effectiveness of the conservative group Turning Point Action will also be scrutinized. Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point co-founder Charlie Kirk and the organization’s new leader, has already endorsed Vance’s potential presidential bid and leaders have said they intend to use the group to support his campaign.

Vance has said he is not focused on running for president, but “trying to help elect Republicans.”

Shapiro is all about Pennsylvania

Among the Democrats leading the 2028 conversation, none have done less beyond their home state than Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. He hasn't visited any early primary states or campaigned with any midterm candidates beyond his state.

That's by design for a 53-year-old Democrat whose selling point as a presidential candidate might be his clout in Pennsylvania, which has emerged as perhaps the most important swing state in the nation.

Shapiro is expected to cruise to reelection over his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, which has allowed him to spend his political capital elsewhere.

Shapiro has gone all in to ensure Democrats win both chambers of the state legislature in November, and he's devoted significant time and resources to flipping four congressional seats.

If Shapiro can demonstrate strength in swing counties like Beaver, Luzerne or Erie, it could help him make a credible claim to winning back some of the working-class voters that Democrats have lost in the Trump era.

Beshear faces risk and reward

As chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear may have done more than any other potential candidate to boost his national profile during the midterms. He’ll headline a get-out-the-vote tour through key states, beginning with Nevada on Oct. 22.

He also spent some of the campaign on a national book tour, allowing him to cozy up to influential Democrats in early states.

Still, Beshear’s spending decisions as chief of the governors association in 2026 may present the highest risk and reward for him heading into 2028.

He’s been active in supporting Democratic candidates in traditional swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona while pushing into Republican-leaning states like Ohio and Iowa, places he argues could be critical in the next White House campaign.

But Democrats in other states are clamoring for more resources and warning Beshear of blowback if he doesn't deliver. Under pressure, the governors association sent $1 million this week to help the candidate for Texas governor, Gina Hinojosa.

Cruz hits the road

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has long been one of his party's most active campaigners and fundraisers, and he is continuing those efforts this year as he openly weighs another presidential bid.

His Truth and Courage PAC has spent more than $2.4 million this year on ads supporting midterm candidates, according to AdImpact, mostly to help Senate candidate Ken Paxton in his home state.

Cruz has traveled three times to Iowa, the first state on Republicans' nominating calendar and where he won the caucuses during the 2016 primary. He’ll be in Alaska next week, and is also planning trips to South Carolina, North Carolina and most likely Michigan.

Pritzker's money plays

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is seeking his third term in November, but the Democrat has focused more on helping midterm candidates in other states.

Pritzker's team says the billionaire Democrat has already donated $38 million to the party's midterm efforts, including personal donations and roughly $20 million through his Ready for the Fight PAC, which is focused on taking down MAGA candidates, even in long-shot districts.

More than other 2028 prospects, Pritzker has been focused on the Texas governor's race, where he donated $1 million this week, on top of $200,000 he gave earlier. He's also been active on the speaker circuit, having participated in more than 75 events across the country, including in Nevada and New Hampshire. He's expected to visit South Carolina before Election Day as well.

AOC's progressive politics face a test

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has been increasingly open about a potential presidential run, where she would be a major player in the Democratic Party's progressive lane.

But first, she's trying to prove that her brand of politics can succeed in a presidential swing state like Michigan, where she has thrown her weight behind Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. They appeared together this week at a New York City fundraiser, and she cast his campaign as a broader test for the progressive movement.

“If Abdul can win in Michigan, anybody can win anywhere,” Ocasio-Cortez told the audience.

Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats have acknowledged that she'll face questions about whether she can appeal to voters across the country. Ocasio-Cortez argues an El-Sayed victory in Michigan, which is one of the early states in the next Democratic presidential primary, could challenge some of those assumptions.

Buttigieg keeps a busy schedule

Since leaving his job as transportation secretary under President Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg has had the luxury of free time. He has used it to aggressively travel across the country, raising money and campaigning for Democrats on the ballot this year.

Buttigieg has endorsed nearly 100 candidates this cycle, from state legislative contests to U.S. Senate races, and has appeared on the campaign trail with roughly half of them, according to his team. He has visited 37 states since leaving office.

The range of those appearances also offers a glimpse at Buttigieg’s appeal within the party.

Democrats have welcomed him even in deeply Republican territory, including Nancy Lacore, a U.S. House candidate in South Carolina who campaigned with Buttigieg in August. He also helped bring Democratic candidates together for a Michigan unity event in August after hotly contested primaries.

The ChatGPT maker said in a post on X that it “parted ways” with the researchers after an investigation found “they violated clear policies on handling sensitive information.”

The statement comes after the three researchers, Tomek Korbak, Jasmine Wang and Mikita Balesni, posted a letter to OpenAI's various safety oversight groups detailing the circumstances around their firings and their concerns about AI.

The researchers said they feared that the “internal and external communications” about their dismissals have chilled the company's culture that encouraged speaking freely and disagreeing openly about safety concerns. They urged OpenAI to stick to its promise to allow third-party safety monitors inside the company and preserve the ability to monitor rapidly advancing frontier AI models that could pose unknown risks.

The firings, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, are the latest sign of turmoil inside leading AI companies over the safety of the technology, highlighted by a series of incidents involving rogue AI agents.

The issue erupted in July when OpenAI revealed that a swarm of its AI agents escaped from a testing ground and used stolen credentials to break into the servers of Hugging Face, an AI development hub and marketplace, to obtain information needed for a task.

OpenAI disputed the researchers' version of events, saying the firings “were not about safety concerns or speaking out."

It was not more specific about why they were fired, but said: “We cannot do the work in front of us without a high degree of trust.”

Korbak said in a post on X that he was told he was being fired because of the way he communicated with METR, an independent nonprofit AI evaluation firm that OpenAI brought in to investigate the Hugging Face incident.

METR released a detailed report about the Hugging Face incident in late August. Korbak said that “talking to METR” was his job, but he wasn't given any more details.

Balesni was doing “cross-company work” on OpenAI's commitments to preserve the ability to monitor AI, and had taken care “to remove sensitive details from materials before sharing them,” the letter said. He wrote on X that he believes the three were “fired for prioritizing safety over the near-term interests of OpenAI as a corporation.”

The mayor of the town housing the Renoir Museum, Bryan Masson, issued a statement praising investigators who tracked down the paintings and suspects. The statement did not elaborate on how they did so.

The regional prosecutor's office and police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The mayor announced a news conference for later Friday.

The two missing paintings were “Portrait of Madame Colonna Romano” and “Young Woman at the Well.”

The thieves sliced through a fence, climbed through a window and initally stole four valuable Renoir paintings in the heist last month, but abandoned two of the artworks as they fled, authorities said. Investigators launched a national search for the perpetrators.

The whole operation took less than three minutes an d targeted the most valuable works in the Renoir Museum in the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer, the regional prosecutor’s office said.

The theft conjured up painful memories of the spectacular heist of crown jewels at the Louvre Museum in Paris last year and revived calls for better security and better funding for the many cultural sites large and small that dot France’s landscape.

Isaias is the first hurricane of the Atlantic season and was expected to usher in dangerous conditions in the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall late Friday. Heavy rain and flooding were possible into the weekend as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina.

The Category 2 hurricane is most likely to strike along the Alabama-Florida state line and bring life-threatening storm surge across Pensacola Bay, according to the National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama. But there’s a small chance it could hit further west and have a major impact on Mobile, or further east and have a strong effect on the Florida cities of Pensacola and Destin.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Simon, which formed as a tropical storm on Wednesday off of Mexico and became a hurricane late Thursday, was forecast to strengthen into a Category 4 hurricane.

Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph), according to the hurricane center. It was headed north-northeast at 14 mph (22 kph) and was centered about 230 miles (370 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

A hurricane warning was in effect from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Bay-Gulf County line in Florida, the hurricane center said. A storm surge warning was in effect from the mouth of the Mississippi to the Suwannee River.

Preparations underway

Coastal communities moved quickly to prepare Thursday, as Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey ordered non-residents to immediately evacuate Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Dauphin Island. Videos on social media showed traffic at a standstill on a highway leading out of Gulf Shores, where double-red beach flags signaled water access was closed.

At least four Florida school districts canceled late-week classes, while several counties announced mandatory evacuations for some coastal areas. The governors of Florida and Alabama declared states of emergency for dozens of counties, with Florida’s Ron DeSantis saying about 5,000 National Guard troops were expected to mobilize by Friday.

On Dauphin Island, a 15-mile (24-kilometer) barrier island off the Alabama coast, officials encouraged voluntary evacuations, particularly on its popular western section, which is vulnerable to storm surge.

Mayor Jeff Collier said he did not anticipate substantial damage, “but at the same time, these things are very fickle and a little jog here or there, or some last-minute increase in strength — we just have to be prepared for the worst.”

Water from the storm surge and high tide could reach heights of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2 meters) in parts of Alabama and Florida, forecasters said. Isaias also could dump up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain on coastal areas and spawn tornadoes overnight Friday into Saturday from Alabama to the Florida Panhandle and southwestern Georgia. The hurricane is expected to quickly weaken after coming ashore.

The National Weather Service warned of possible “long-duration power outages.”

The hurricane formed late in the season

Isaias developed more than four months into the Atlantic hurricane season and was one day short of tying a 121-year-old record for the area’s latest-forming hurricane. That record dates to 1905, when the year’s first Atlantic hurricane formed on Oct. 8.

The Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year because of a strong El Niño, which disrupts storm formation over the Atlantic. Storm activity has been above average in the Pacific, where Hurricane Simon formed. Farther north, Tropical Storm Rachel was expected to reach Baja California, Mexico, and Southern California this weekend.

Isaias is expected to strike a swath of coastline that’s familiar with major hurricanes.

One of the 20th century’s worst storms, Hurricane Camille, killed more than 250 people after hitting land near Waveland, Mississippi, in 1969. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 razed neighborhoods in Mississippi, flooded New Orleans and killed nearly 1,400 people. And Hurricane Michael leveled homes and buildings near Panama City, Florida, in 2018.

Oil production and tourism are already affected

Ahead of the storm, oil and gas producers shut down a significant share of offshore production in the Gulf, which accounts for almost 15% of crude pumped annually in the U.S.

As of Thursday, about 63% of the oil production in the region had been temporarily halted, taking nearly 1.3 million barrels a day off the market, according to the Marine Minerals Administration. It said 121 of the Gulf’s 371 manned oil platforms had been evacuated.

With oil prices already high, the production cuts are steep enough to affect markets, though other Gulf hurricanes have caused larger disruptions, said Jim Burkhard, global head of crude oil market research for S&P Global Energy. More concerning, he said, is whether Isaias strikes as a powerful storm near refineries.

As it moves inland, Isaias might also disrupt Saturday’s college football showdown between rivals Georgia and Alabama, a game President Donald Trump planned to attend.

In Loxley, a small Alabama community where county officials urged voluntary evacuations, Nichole Eubanks and her husband prepared to ride out the storm on their farm, which is home to dozens of animals, including pigs, donkeys and about 20 rescued cats.

They planned to put contact information on the hooves of their goats, donkeys and pigs in case they got loose.

“It’s definitely scary, and you never really know where these storms are going to go and how bad it’s going to be until it gets there,” said Eubanks, 35.

In the Alabama fishing village of Bayou La Batre, Tony Rice and Lance Connor installed doors on their fishing boat Thursday to protect the vessel. The boat was one of many moored there, and Rice said they planned to move it to a less-crowded spot to decrease the chances of it bumping into others.

In Pensacola, Florida, officials said the airport will close to commercial flights Friday morning. Mayor D.C. Reeves urged residents to check on older adult neighbors and others who might need help.

“Obviously no need to panic at this point,” Reeves told a news conference. “This is really about preparation.”

___

Rico reported from Atlanta and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Also contributing were Associated Press reporters Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia; Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas; and Julie Walker in New York.

Leer en español

The crash occurred at about 12:48 a.m. near Southwest Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street, police said. The victim was identified as Scheber Elias, according to investigators.

Elias was riding a scooter near Northwest Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street shortly after 12:45 a.m. Tuesday when he was struck by a vehicle, according to police. They say he was rushed to a hospital, where he later died.

Investigators believe the vehicle involved was a dark-colored 2020 to 2025 Toyota Corolla that was last seen traveling toward the Little Havana area.

Police said the car is expected to have extensive windshield damage and possible damage to the front passenger side.

For Elias’ family, the loss has been devastating.

“It was very devastating. It was very sad. He’s so young, and he has a bright future ahead of him,” said his cousin, Vladimir Jean.

Jean shared a photo of Elias and remembered him as an intelligent and respectful young man.

“He was a very, very intelligent, respectful individual,” Jean said.

Now, as investigators work to identify the driver, the family is pleading for that person to come forward.

“Turn yourself in. That way everyone can move forward. If you stay hiding, that pain is always going to be with us as a family,” Jean said.

It remains unclear where Elias was headed when he was struck.

Authorities are asking anyone who recognizes a car matching the description, including one belonging to a neighbor or co-worker or one that appears at a body shop, to contact the Miami Police Department at 305-579-6111.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Maresca said he had complete trust in City's hierarchy, and dismissed suggestions the club's unprecedented dominance of English soccer was tainted by the bombshell verdict that it artificially inflated its revenue by more than $1 billion to help sign some of soccer’s biggest stars.

“I completely trust the club in this moment, in the future, always,” Maresca said in his first news conference since the findings of an independent panel were published last week.

“The reason why I joined this club is because I completely trust 100% the owner, the CEO, the sports director, all the organization, so I don’t have any doubt about that.”

City is accused of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18 — a span in which it won three Premier Leagues and signed players like Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne.

Maresca was speaking ahead of City's league match with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Unsurprisingly, the focus was on the verdict, which found the United Arab Emirates-backed team committed almost all of the 115-plus violations it was accused of during a period in which City changed the landscape of the world’s most popular soccer league.

City has always denied the charges and has lodged an appeal.

“I would like to speak about this situation when we’re going to win the appeal,” Maresca said.

Asked if the verdict tarnished City's success over more than a decade of dominance, Maresca replied, “Absolutely not.”

He was hired at the end of last season when Pep Guardiola stepped down after a trophy-laden 10-year tenure.

Maresca was Guardiola's assistant during the 2023 season when it won a treble of trophies: Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Possible sanctions include a massive fine, points deduction or even expulsion from the league.

Asked if he still would have taken the job had the verdict come out before he became manager, Maresca replied, “100%.”

“I know the organization from years ago and I know how serious they are. I know that they do the right things.

“I trust the club because I trust the people, and this is also the reason why I joined the club. And then there is not another club in the world where I would like to be, so I’m very happy to be here.”

Maresca's immediate job is to focus the players' minds ahead of the trip to Anfield.

“We completely understand the seriousness of the situation. I’m not saying that we don’t understand that. We understand, the players understand. But it’s our duty, our job, to try to control the noise,” he said.

“For me and for the players we can control just the pitch side, the field side. So we are focused on that.”

Premier League managers react to verdict

Manchester United coach Michael Carrick, who was part of the team that lost the title to City in 2012, said the verdict had “thrown up a lot of questions.”

“It’s affected me personally in different ways over a period of time,” he said.

Asked about the possibility of United retrospectively being awarded a Premier League title if City is stripped of honors, he said “it doesn’t change the emotion of that moment. Can’t get that back, won’t get it back.”

Coventry coach Frank Lampard, who briefly played for City towards the end of his career, echoed that thought.

Lampard did not win a trophy with City but was a multiple title-winner with Chelsea.

“I have titles and I don’t have my titles hanging on my wall at home but I have them in my head," he said. “So I think it would be very hard to take someone’s title away as a player individually because I think they should be in your head as opposed to in this beautiful glass cabinet or whatever.”

Kompany not dwelling on former club's alleged indiscretions

Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany, who played for City from 2012-19, offered guarded support for the club's achievements at the time while also distancing himself from the controversy.

Kompany said on Friday he was “100% focused” on Bayern and that didn't leave him time “to dwell on other things.”

“But for me, it’s actually quite simple — I played there for 11 years, and I stand fully behind what we achieved on the field and the feeling we shared as a group of players during that time," he said. “Everything else, I have to be honest, it feels a bit far removed from my reality at the moment.”

___

AP Sports Writer Ciarán Fahey in Berlin contributed.

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Charles loaned the money to his brother, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, out of his private income to ensure that the Crown Estate was paid on time, a person familiar with the payment said Friday.

The revelation came after the Crown Estate, which manages crown properties, said Mountbatten-Windsor was charged 1.8 million pounds due to the dilapidated state of the property and received a credit of 302,000 pounds as compensation for the early surrender of his lease. That left him with a debt of 1.5 million pounds, which the king paid.

The Crown Estate released the figures on Friday as it announced that Mountbatten-Windsor had fully vacated the Royal Lodge, a 30-room stately home surrounded by parkland near Windsor Castle, west of London. He personally left the lodge in February.

The Crown Estate is an independent company established by Parliament to manage a vast portfolio of properties throughout the United Kingdom that is nominally owned by the sovereign during his lifetime but is operated for the benefit of taxpayers.

“The lease for Royal Lodge has ended and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return,” the Crown Estate said in a statement.

Charles stripped his brother of his princely title and ordered him to leave Royal Lodge last year as the monarch sought to shield the rest of the royal family from the continuing scandal of Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Epstein. The moves came as the U.S. Justice Department released millions of pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein, revealing previously unknown details about his links to the former prince.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s continuing residence at Royal Lodge was a particularly sensitive issue for many people because he paid no rent on the house and surrounding 99.5 acres (40.3 hectares).

The former prince signed a 75-year lease on Royal Lodge in 2003, when he was still a working member of the royal family, attending public events on behalf of his mother Queen Elizabeth II and serving as Britain’s special trade representative. The lease required Mountbatten-Windsor to spend 7.5 million pounds on renovating the property and make a one-time payment of 1 million pounds.

Mountbatten-Windsor was entitled to compensation for the renovation expenses if he surrendered the lease within the first 25 years, the Crown Estate said.

Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, gave up his role as trade envoy in 2011 and stepped away from all royal duties in 2019 because of concerns about his relationship with Epstein.

After he moved out of Royal Lodge in February, Mountbatten-Windsor moved to a home on the Sandringham Estate in eastern England, which is privately owned by the king.

Just days later, Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to allegations that he gave sensitive information to Epstein during his time as special trade envoy. Police questioned the former prince for 11 hours and conducted searches at both Royal Lodge and his new home in Sandringham.

Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing related to his relationship with Epstein.

A High Court judge on Thursday announced that lawyers for the Thames Valley Police and Mountbatten-Windsor had agreed that the warrants authorizing the searches were unlawful. Further court proceedings will determine what evidence uncovered during the searches will be excluded from any potential prosecution.

Thames Valley Police, which covers the area around Windsor, said its investigation is continuing.

But in Texas’ Big Bend region, the administration has run up against intense opposition from landowners, many of whom are unwilling to cede parts of their property for what they see as a waste of taxpayer dollars.

That resistance is complicating President Donald Trump’s signature infrastructure project in a fight that has become a test of just how far the administration will go to fulfill its vision of a fortified southern border.

The administration has committed billions of dollars and waived environmental and other protections to plow ahead with the project despite the region’s historically low illegal crossings, its formidable natural barriers and a surge of bipartisan opposition that has scrambled traditional border politics.

The federal government has sweeping authority to force the project through. But a judge has now paused construction across the region, giving a major boost to landowners who have sought to impede the wall by refusing to cooperate with government surveyors, protesting at county meetings and gearing up for court battles.

“Landowner resistance has slowed this project to a crawl,” said David Keller, a landowner suing to stop the Big Bend border plans. The administration, he added, was “woefully unprepared for the hornet’s nest they stirred up.”

Trump has long pledged to build the border wall

Building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has long been a key campaign promise for Trump. And the administration pushed ahead with it after Republicans last year approved $46 billion for the border wall as part of a sweeping immigration enforcement package.

Although illegal crossings have plummeted under Trump, the administration says walls, vehicle barriers, surveillance technology and patrol roads are needed to keep them low.

Customs and Border Protection says it’s building an average of about 12 miles or 20 kilometers of barrier a week and had recently hit a milestone of more than 200 miles (320 km) of new walls built under the second Trump administration.

In Big Bend, where construction began in September, the administration plans to spend $7.5 billion to fortify the border along a region stretching more than 500 miles (800 km).

In August, the Border Patrol arrested 8,870 people along the southern border. In Big Bend, which makes up roughly one quarter of the entire U.S.-Mexico border, it arrested 161.

“The American people have already seen the consequences of an unprotected border," said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott after a lawsuit filed by landowners against the Big Bend project. “We cannot allow any region — including Big Bend — to be exploited again.”

Landowners gird for court battles

Unlike in other border areas, much of the land in Texas is privately or state owned.

The government must acquire authorization from owners to survey and build and if they refuse, can take them to court. The process by which the government takes someone’s property for public use in exchange for compensation is known as eminent domain and courts generally defer to the government in these cases.

That hasn't stopped Dianna and Dan Burbach.

The Burbachs began receiving paperwork in July seeking permission to survey their property, along with a map showing where the project would run behind their house. An August letter said the government had an “immediate need” to enter and warned that it could go to court within 90 days.

Dianna, 63, and her husband, 79, arrived 25 years ago and raised four children in their orange adobe house on property stretching to the Rio Grande. Now retired, they worry construction could worsen flooding and leave 15 acres (6 hectares) of their land behind the wall.

“We’re going to let them take us to court, do eminent domain," Dianna said. "We’ll fight it that way.”

A Justice Department official said CBP has reached agreements with dozens of Big Bend landowners but that the administration has hired eminent domain attorneys in Texas in anticipation of the disputes. Across the southern border, about 70 such cases have been referred to the department during Trump’s second term, and 50 have already been resolved — none required going to trial, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the government.

The No Big Bend Wall Coalition, which says its network includes more than 200 landowners, recently sued to block construction. The plaintiffs argue that Homeland Security is misusing its authority in a region with little illegal cross-border activity.

Lawsuits aiming to stop or slow the border wall projects have largely been unsuccessful. But in a major win for opponents, a federal judge temporarily barred wall construction in the Big Bend area. Plaintiffs argued the administration had overstepped its congressional authority by issuing sweeping waivers to bypass environmental and other regulations.

Keller said the judge’s ruling was “unqualified good news” but uncertainty over its future meant the landowners would continue their fight.

It’s not immediately clear how long the judge’s order will slow the government, which late Thursday asked the judge to put aside her order while they appeal.

The administration also argued in the court filing that leaving segments along the border without adequate border security infrastructure could lead to a funnel effect where illegal immigration or smuggling would flow to the area that was least fortified — specifically the Big Bend region.

Protesting contractors and lobbying local officials

Other opponents are pressing local governments not to assist contractors. Charlie Angell, a tourism operator notified that the government wanted access to his land for the border project, and his partner, Bibiana Gutierrez, attend county meetings throughout the region.

They and other land and business owners have staged protests, patrolled areas where contractors are working to look for possible violations, and hung signs telling contractors they’re not welcome at local hotels or restaurants.

In Terrell County, residents unsuccessfully urged officials not to lease airport land to a barrier contractor. In Jeff Davis County, a proposed agreement allowing another contractor to use a county road has so far not been approved.

The financial incentives for some of these cash-starved counties are clear and some local officials have argued they have little leverage on a federal plan.

“We’re not in control of the border wall. We’re not,” Terrell County Judge Dale Lynn Carruthers told a room crowded with people who had come to speak out against the airport lease. She said if they didn't lease the land, the contractor would just buy it elsewhere. “We’re just a little old Terrell County.”

But Angell and Gutierrez argue that the local opposition has more strength than some might realize.

“If we had rolled over, the wall would be up,” Gutierrez said.

CBP said it continues seeking voluntary access agreements while completing the project’s design but will refer disputes to the Justice Department when necessary. Landowners will be compensated regardless of how access is obtained, the agency said.

The opposition has bipartisan support

After a yearslong surge in crossings at the southern frontier, border security and immigration were key reasons Republicans voted for Trump and his approval ratings on those issues are among his strongest.

But with illegal crossings plummeting, even some Republicans who voted for Trump on the issue of border security have questioned the need for the multi-billion dollar infrastructure through Big Bend.

Local sheriffs opposed the project early, and bulldozing in Big Bend National Park prompted Republican Sen. John Cornyn to press Homeland Security about Texans’ concerns.

Laura Allen, a Republican rancher who voted for Trump twice, is now receiving notices that a vehicle barrier will cross the property where her family raises sheep and goats. She credits Trump with shutting down the border but says spending billions on barriers in Big Bend is unnecessary.

“I didn’t vote for a wall,” she said. “I wanted our border secured. He accomplished that.”

Terrell County’s Republican sheriff, Thad Cleveland, who spent 26 years in the Border Patrol, is among those speaking out against the project in Big Bend. He said that in the rugged county he polices, drones and surveillance towers make more sense than a wall to find and stop illegal border crossers.

“We have the advantage of time and distance out here,” he said.

The land itself is a natural deterrent, critics say

In some areas, the river is flanked on both sides by steep limestone cliffs, and up and down the region, people have to trek through inhospitable desert terrain to get to the nearest paved road or pass through Border Patrol checkpoints.

Reaching Gary Grabowske’s land requires grinding along rocky mountain trails and through gullies carved by flash floods. From the top of a 450-foot cliff (137 meters), the Rio Grande is visible far below. There is no electricity, running water or internet and, Grabowske argues, no plausible route for a vehicle entering from Mexico.

“You can’t take a dirt bike to the bottom," said Grabowske, gesturing to the canyon below. “You can’t take a mule to the bottom. You’re scrambling down there, hand over fist.” He added: “There’s no vehicle in the world that could cross any of this.”

Opponents say the fight reaches beyond whether a wall makes sense in Big Bend. They see it as a test of how far the federal government can go when landowners stand in the way of one of its priorities.

“We’re a pretty tough bunch,” said Allen. “But if we’re going to be run over and have our land taken by our own government, what makes anybody else in this United States think that they’re exempt?”

Ranchers try to resist

The Zuberbueler ranch in Val Verde County was founded in 1898. Brothers Bill and Patrick own and lease thousands of acres of the craggy land stretching to the river. Their Angora goats and Rambouillet sheep roam over the land, stopping at a network of water troughs.

Bill remembers when, back in February, he first got the letter giving him five days to respond to a request to access his property for construction and raising the possibility of the government using eminent domain. He worries about how the construction will affect his livestock, especially their water supply. And while his animals could pass through the vehicle barriers, the cowboys herding them could not.

“There’s not a lot of grass out here, but every square foot is important to my bottom line,” said Bill.

They have so far refused to allow anyone onto their land to survey or build. They feel the weight of their family’s legacy and the sacrifices previous generations made to build the ranch up.

“Regardless of what happens, we have to say we tried,” said Patrick.

__

Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed from Washington.

Now, someone can buy the saber that did the severing.

A Darth Vader lightsaber used in the climactic duel in Cloud City where he tells Skywalker “I am your father” is among the highlights of the Ultimate Star Wars Auction to be held by Heritage Auctions on Nov. 12.

The Vader saber, also used in “Return of the Jedi,” is expected to fetch at least $1 million. It is one of more than two dozen lightsaber props that will be up for sale at the auction that spans “Star Wars” Episodes I through IX and other films and TV shows from the galaxy George Lucas created.

Others include dueling lightsabers forcefully wielded by Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker in “Revenge of the Sith” that are expected to go for at least $10,000 apiece.

An EE-3 carbine blaster wielded by Boba Fett throughout “The Empire Strikes Back” is estimated to bring in more than $100,000.

Also included are a Yoda puppet hand used by Frank Oz in the character’s original appearance in “The Empire Strikes Back,” C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels’ signed, personal third-draft screenplay for the original 1977 “Star Wars” and a TIE Fighter pilot helmet from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

• Breaking news: we’re live at least 8 people are transported to the hospital from a flight that landed at Miami International Airport, believed to affected by heavy turbulence
• Residents, tourists in Pensacola Beach bracing for impact of Hurricane Isaias
• Former Dolphins star Tyreek Hill admits he pushed estranged wife into wall, leaving hole, during testimony in divorce trial

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

The Texas-based Friedkin Group completed its purchase of the club only in December 2024, ending the turbulent eight-year reign of Farhad Moshiri.

“We will only entertain interest from parties who we strongly believe will be the right stewards to take the club forward and build on the momentum that has been established,” Everton said in a statement.

The announcement placed fresh uncertainty over the nine-time English champion and founding member of the Premier League.

The takeover by the Friedkin Group ended a long-running saga over Everton's ownership, including the collapse of a proposed buyout by Miami-based private investment firm 777 Partners.

Everton said Friedkin’s options included the “potential sale of a controlling interest.”

“When TFG became custodians of Everton, the club faced significant financial uncertainty and challenges both on and off the pitch,” the statement read. “The immediate priority was to provide the stability, investment and support needed to secure the club’s future, including helping to bring the long-promised stadium to completion for its deserving supporters.

“With that foundation now safely in place, the time is right to consider the next chapter for Everton.”

The announcement came after what Everton manager David Moyes described as a “difficult summer” for the club in which it sold star player Iliman Ndiaye.

“I was surprised because they only came in a year and a half ago. Most owners come in a lot longer than that," Moyes said. "I think we were all expecting them to be here for the next 20 to 30 years. I truly believed we had new ownership who were in it completely with us all.”

The Friedkin Group has a portfolio of companies in the automotive, entertainment, hospitality, sports and adventure industries including Italian team Roma.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is a fan of Everton and last month attended a game with Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney.

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

One man was killed and five people were wounded in Russian strikes on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region in the morning hours, said Mykhailo Semikin, the head of the regional military administration. He said the attacks hit residential areas and that a child was among the wounded.

Another man was killed in Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, Svitlana Onyshchuk, head of the regional military administration, reported.

A woman was also killed in a Russian attack on warehouse facilities in the district of Bucha in the Kyiv region, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Telegram. Her body was found while clearing rubble and fighting a fire at the site, Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration, said Friday. Three people were wounded there.

Russia and Ukraine are locked in a long-range aerial war while their armies remain largely deadlocked on the front line, more than 4 1/2 years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.

Elsewhere, a Ukrainian attack on Russia’s eastern Belgorod region killed two people Friday, the area’s regional emergency headquarters said. Regional governor Alexander Shuvayev said that 12 people had been wounded in Ukrainian strikes.

Zelenskyy appeals for NATO support

Russian attacks have killed dozens of civilians across Ukraine over the past three days using a mix of ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones. On Thursday, a Russian guided bomb exploded next to public buses filled with passengers in eastern Ukraine, killing 30 people.

A day earlier, a Russian missile strike killed 22 people, including five children, in the northern Ukrainian town of Pryluky. Around 100 people attended the funerals Friday for members of the Ivanchenko family, who died during the attack. Oleksandr, a 39-year-old railway worker, his wife, Yulia, 37, and their two children, Iryna, 13, and Maksym, 8, were among those killed when a missile struck their apartment building.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Moscow will likely escalate daily attacks as winter approaches, putting pressure on Ukraine as it prepares for winter and hitting the infrastructure keeping its war-battered economy afloat. Recent Russian targets have included energy systems, key industries, railways, post offices, shopping centers, telecom networks, gas stations and grain exports.

The Ukrainian leader held a meeting with military officials and government members on Friday focusing on Ukraine’s energy and air defense needs.

“Unfortunately, there is a lot of damage to the power grid and electricity transmission facilities," he wrote on Telegram. "Repairs are going on around the clock."

The Kyiv city administration said on Telegram Friday that the Ukrainian capital would again set up government-built help stations that serve food and drinks and provide warmth and power — known as “points of invincibility” — in three districts of the city where the power situation was most difficult.

Zelenskyy appealed on Thursday for additional defense support from NATO countries, saying in an online post: “It is important that support in words takes concrete form in new packages for Ukraine’s defense.”

“Supplies of anti-ballistic capabilities, ammunition for our combat aircraft and investments in interceptors — all of this is directly helping save lives every day,” he said.

Without ammunition for its U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems, Ukraine can’t stop Russian ballistic weapons. It is racing to develop a new generation of interceptors fast enough to catch Moscow’s high-flying jet-propelled drones.

Ukraine targets Russian data centers

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone strike damaged a data center belonging to Russian technology giant Yandex, the company confirmed.

"As a result of a drone attack, part of Yandex data center infrastructure in Kaluga was affected. Several data center modules are completely out of service. This may cause some Yandex services to experience disruptions," Yandex's press service said and added it was “currently assessing the full extent of the damage.”

It also said that nobody had been injured.

It is the second time in two days that the company has been targeted, with an earlier drone attack Thursday taking a data center in Russia's western Ryazan region offline.

Zelenskyy confirmed the data center strike in a post on X. He also said that Kyiv's forces had hit the Ukhta oil refinery in Russia's Komi region. The region's head, Rostislav Goldstein, said earlier on Friday that there had been an attack on the town of Ukhta, but that there had been no damage.

The governor of the Kaluga region, Vladislav Shapsha, said Friday that nine people had been wounded by drone attacks on the region.

Meanwhile, Tver regional governor Vitaly Korolyov said a Ukrainian drone sparked a fire at a factory in Redkino. No casualties were reported.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its air defenses downed 505 Ukrainian drones from late Thursday until early Friday.

___

Davies reported from Manchester, England. AP reporter Volodymyr Yurchuk contributed

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Thousands of protesters are expected to gather at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest venue Saturday as the movement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and the country’s election authorities intensifies. The protesters, joined by opposition parties, are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, accusing the poll body he heads of manipulating voter lists through the revision.

Indian Railways said it canceled several trains serving two New Delhi stations for Saturday, while the Delhi Metro announced the closure of 57 stations. The restrictions could hinder access to the protest site for supporters of the “Cockroach” movement, many of them students who have relied on trains and the metro to reach demonstrations.

India’s Supreme Court directed authorities to reconsider the restrictions and ensure public transport services were not entirely suspended.

Local media reported that at least 23,000 police personnel had been deployed across the capital ahead of the protest. Police say the measures are intended to maintain law and order and prevent disruptions to public movement.

The protests center on a nationwide review of voter lists known as the Special Intensive Revision, which has been carried out in most of India’s states and federally administered territories. More than 130 million names have been removed so far. Millions of people have appealed the deletions.

Those whose names have been removed can appeal, but critics say the process can be difficult, particularly for people who lack older government records or other required documents.

Opposition parties say the removals have disproportionately affected their supporters and people from minority groups, while voters more likely to support Modi’s Hindu nationalist ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have been retained or added to the lists. The Election Commission and the government reject the allegations, saying the exercise lacks any political motive and is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries.

The demonstrations have been led in part by the “Cockroach” movement, which began as an online youth campaign in May before expanding into street protests. Its earlier demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes over exam paper leaks forced Modi’s education minister to resign in July.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has also emerged as a prominent figure in the campaign. Police briefly detained him twice during protests in New Delhi this week.

Ahead of the protest, student groups and activists accused police of detaining some protesters traveling to the capital. Local media reported that officers had also visited some mosques in the capital and urged religious leaders to discourage people from attending the demonstration.

Abhijeet Dipke, the “Cockroach” movement’s leader, said Friday that protesters would proceed despite detentions and restrictions.

“This intimidation is not going to work, Modi,” Dipke said in a post on X. “The youth of this country are no longer scared of you.”

In a sport which has seen revived popularity since the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, Bates said some users were creating “toxic environments” around livestreamed events like Junior Grand Prix figure skating. That's a key event for competitors aged 13 and older with dreams of becoming Olympians in the future.

“We’ve seen a huge uptick in viewership and our online streams, but with that comes more chatter and unfortunately more of that negativity,” said Bates, who chairs the International Skating Union's athletes committee.

“We’re talking about minors and kids who don’t deserve that kind of abuse. A skater’s pursuit of their dream to skate at ISU level shouldn’t come at the expense of their mental health or well-being.”

Bates was speaking ahead of the International Skating Union signing up Friday to a campaign against online abuse. The ISU, which runs figure skating and speedskating, has also pledged to extend a program giving competitors access to AI-powered software which can hide abusive comments on their social media accounts from view.

Bates and his ice dance partner Madison Chock are two of the most experienced and decorated athletes in the sport. The 37-year-old American said he wanted to see other high-profile skaters be more vocal when they see online abuse.

“More and more I’d love to see these athletes, these older athletes who’ve been through it, step forward and call out people who are creating these kind of toxic environments for skaters,” he said.

In an unusual meeting of skating and auto racing, the ISU has signed up to the United Against Online Abuse campaign. That was originally set up by auto racing body the FIA, whose own sport has increasingly seen on-track rivalries mirrored by social-media hostility.

Bates said he's trying to recruit skaters to use a tool he likened to a “shield” which blocks abusive or negative posts from view on their social media despite a “natural hesitance” to allow a third-party tool access to their accounts.

He said the tool has flagged up 300,000 “negative comments,” half of them during the Olympics, on the accounts of 92 skaters using the system.

“I think to a certain extent it is internet culture. I don’t think it’s new. Harassment and abuse of athletes isn’t new,” Bates said. “As a soccer fan or a football fan, NBA fan, it’s sometimes crazy to hear the things that even people in the stadium shout at the players on the field. I think now there’s just a means to reaching athletes through social media that’s more direct.”

___

See AP’s full sports coverage here

Los meteorólogos emitieron una alerta de huracán para zonas de la costa central y suroeste, donde se esperaban vientos huracanados en un plazo de 36 horas.

El huracán categoría 1 registraba el viernes por la mañana vientos máximos sostenidos de 150 kilómetros/hora (90 mph), se encontraba a unos 345 kms (215 millas) al sur de Manzanillo y 515 kms (320 millas) al sur-sureste de Cabo Corrientes, y se desplazaba hacia el noroeste a 7 km/h (5 mph), informó el Centro Nacional de Huracanes de Estados Unidos en Miami (NHC, por sus siglas en inglés).

Se espera que gire hacia el norte a primera hora del sábado y se acerque a la costa. De acuerdo con las previsiones, Simón se intensificará rápidamente y alcanzaría la categoría 4 antes de tocar tierra. Los huracanes de categoría 4 en la escala Saffir-Simpson tienen vientos máximos sostenidos de 210-250 km/h (130-156 mph).

Podrían darse condiciones de tormenta tropical a lo largo de la costa más tarde el viernes.

Este viernes se suspendieron las clases en varios puntos del estado de Guerrero, entre ellos el puerto de Acapulco, donde las fuertes lluvias ya dejaron algunas de sus calles convertidas en ríos, según videos divulgados en redes.

El estado de Jalisco también suspendió las clases durante esta jornada y el lunes lo hará en 22 municipios costeros, mientras que desde la noche del jueves comenzó la evacuación preventiva de decenas de personas de zonas en riesgo. Las autoridades pidieron al sector turístico de Puerto Vallarta, un popular destino vacacional, que trabajadores y visitantes queden instalados en refugios o zonas de seguridad para el viernes por la tarde.

“Si nosotros nos confiamos e intentamos un plan de acción de último momento lo más seguro es que haya pérdida de vidas”, dijo el director de protección civil estatal, Sergio Ramírez.

El gobernador de Jalisco, Pablo Lemus, urgió a la población a mantenerse informada de forma continua dado el “comportamiento muy herrático” del huracán, que ha cambiado de dirección entre Manzanillo y Puerto Vallarta, algo que puede volver a pasar.

Dada la gran popularidad de este este último destino entre los turistas estadounidenses, la embajada de Estados Unidos emitió también alertas para no meterse en el mar o caminar por la playa y acatar las advertencias de las autoridades locales.

“Lo que es seguro es que golpeará las costas de Jalisco con lluvias muy fuertes a partir de este viernes, durante el fin de semana y el lunes”, dijo Lemus.

Simón podría arrojar lluvias torrenciales que podrían causar inundaciones y deslaves con entre 20 y 38 centímetros (8 a 15 pulgadas) de lluvia en el suroeste de México, con zonas aisladas que recibirían hasta 63 cms (25 pulgadas).

Más al norte, se espera que la tormenta tropical Rachel alcance Baja California, el noroeste de México y el sur de California este fin de semana. El meteoro tenía vientos de 95 km/h (60 mph) y se espera que pierda fuerza, aunque podría dejar precipitaciones intensas en la zona.

La actividad de tormentas tropicales ha estado por encima del promedio esta temporada en el Pacífico, debido a los efectos de un fenómeno El Niño de grandes proporciones.

Este fenómeno climático suele reducir la actividad de las tormentas en el Atlántico. El huracán Isaías, que se espera que golpee la costa estadounidense del golfo de México a última hora del viernes o el sábado, se desarrolló más de cuatro meses después del inicio de su temporada de huracanes.

___

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

Neither side provided clear details on the preliminary deal, but European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic said it includes lower tariffs for some European goods to China as well as measures to stabilize rare earth supply chains.

The EU trade envoy said the deal could cut up to 50% of Chinese electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle imports to the EU and could lower tariffs on products benefiting “almost every” EU nation. The deal would require approval from leaders across the 27-nation EU.

He said that “by this step we are actually preventing several millions of car exports from China to the European Union.”

The two sides were seeking to resolve key factors behind China’s growing trade surplus, which hit 360 billion euros ($410 billion) last year.

China’s Commerce Ministry posted online that Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao expressed concerns about the EU’s recent restrictive measures. He said that China is not the root of the EU’s problems but a partner in solving them.

The head of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, Sigrid de Vries, said that the deal appears to avert further instability in the EU and “can help facilitate the transition to a new era of Chinese presence in the European market in an orderly way and this is in the long-term interests of all parties.”

Sefcovic said he will brief EU leaders meeting in Brussels next week and seek their approval.

“They would have to see that this is convincing enough to take the other steps,” he said. “We are in a situation that they (China) could put under the threat whole sectors in the European industry, literally thousands of jobs and the public opinion and the leaders clearly expect very fast action from our side.”

The two sides will meet next by video in January and then in person in March.

Growing tensions

China has been pushing for the EU to stop blocking Chinese imports of advanced computer chipmaking machines, restrictions imposed on national security grounds at Washington's behest.

Earlier, Sefcovic had said the talks this week were the culmination of three months of intensive work. He had set an October deadline for meaningful results on trade rebalancing.

Earlier in the week, the Chinese Commerce Ministry issued a statement urging the EU to avoid protectionist measures, warning that such moves could backfire.

Trade tensions have grown in recent months, with both sides imposing or considering curbs on each other’s imports.

The EU has moved to limit imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles and EV batteries and enacted measures to protect the European steel industry. It also is limiting duty-free imports of e-commerce small parcels, essentially targeting Chinese fast fashion firms.

Last week, China launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports from the EU of p-nitrotoluene, a chemical compound used in dyes and pharmaceuticals.

Chinese officials and businesses have raised concerns over reports some EU members are pushing for new measures to protect local industries.

China had a global trade surplus exceeding $1 trillion last year

Worries over surging Chinese exports to Europe and other parts of the world in what some are calling a China shock 2.0 have deepened as the U.S., especially since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, has raised tariffs and enacted other measures to try to reduce its own huge trade deficit with Beijing.

Despite the backlash from some of its trading partners, China's global trade surplus hit $1.2 trillion in 2025 and is forecast to surpass $1 trillion again this year.

The EU's trade deficit with China widened to 103.34 billion euros (about $116 billion) in the second quarter, as imports rose to 153.63 billion euros ($172.3 billion), while European exports to China climbed to 50.3 billion euros ($56.4 billion), according to EU statistics.

And on Wednesday, Germany blocked the sale of a major logistics firm in the port of Hamburg to the state-owned Chinese shipping behemoth Cosco over security concerns.

“As Europe’s largest economy, Germany welcomes foreign investment. At the same time, some investments can endanger the country’s security,” the German economic ministry said in a statement. “The acquisition would have deepened dependencies and jeopardized the resilience of supply chains in Germany and the EU.”

____

McNeil reported from Brussels and Kurtenbach reported from Mito, Japan. AP journalists Borg Wong in Beijing and Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed

Thursday’s attacks were the deadliest in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in neighboring Yemen launched a major military offensive against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels last weekend.

The attacks also marked a significant escalation on the latest front in the Iran war, which has kept oil prices and financial markets volatile.

U.N. special envoy Hans Grundberg told the U.N. Security Council that the situation in Yemen remained “highly fluid,” with civilians bearing the brunt of escalating violence in a country already facing dire humanitarian conditions and food insecurity.

Airlines cancel flights to Saudi Arabia

By Friday afternoon, at least 124 flights to and from Riyadh had been canceled after hundreds more were canceled a day earlier, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

Air India, FlyDubai, Lufthansa Group and Pakistan International Airlines were among the airlines that suspended flights to and from Riyadh and other Saudi airports for the next few days due to the situation in the Middle East.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has expanded its guidance on Saudi airspace, noting the Houthis’ ability to strike targets deeper inside the kingdom, including Riyadh, and a “greater focus on aviation infrastructure.”

The latest guidance adds that “recurrent missile and drone attacks, together with the activation of air-defense systems, create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft, as well as risks associated with missile and drone overflights, interception activity and falling debris.”

Yemen's Houthis claim the attack

The first attack on Thursday targeted airport facilities, while the second struck the aircraft, the Saudi statement said. It did not identify those responsible, though the Houthis claimed to have targeted the airport with a ballistic missile.

Among the dead was Capt. Hamoud Ali Alkalthami, the Saudia Group said in a statement. It appeared to be the first confirmed attack on the Saudi national carrier since the new offensive began. A separate Saudia Group statement said one of its aircraft was damaged while it was on the ground, with no passengers on board.

The aviation statement also said the injuries to Saudi citizens and people of other nationalities “ranged from minor to serious.” The Saudia Group statement later said operational activities at the airport had returned to normal.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it had destroyed three rocket launch platforms used by the rebels to threaten regional security.

Saudi-led coalition bombards Yemen's Houthi-held capital

Residents in Yemen’s capital of Sanaa heard heavy explosions overnight and into Friday as intense fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-led forces continued.

Anees al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, said on X that two of the overnight strikes on Sanaa by the Saudi-led coalition injured six people, including a child.

Saudi authorities have not confirmed the strikes on Sanaa.

Mohamed al-Jabir, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, in a posting on X on Friday claimed that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait had been “cleansed” from Houthi remnants. He didn’t provide further details.

Protesters gathered in several Houthi-held cities in Yemen on Friday to denounce Saudi Arabia and its backers.

Meanwhile, Saudi allies, including Kuwait and Pakistan, condemned the attack on the Riyadh airport. The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said the kingdom's security was “an inseparable part of the security” of Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Pakistan has said it's making its military capabilities available to Saudi Arabia to fight the Houthis under a new mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Foreign Ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan told reporters that the country's troops stationed in Saudi Arabia would not enter Yemen to attack the Iran-backed Houthis but would defend the kingdom’s territory and sovereignty.

Riyadh airport has been repeatedly targeted

The airport in the Saudi capital has come under repeated attack in recent days. This week, the Houthis warned global airlines “for the last time” about the potential consequences of operating in Saudi airspace, which they described as a theater for their military operations.

On Wednesday, Saudi officials said Houthi-claimed attacks on airports in Riyadh and Abha had killed three people.

Footage circulating on social media and analyzed by AP shows smoke rising at the airport in Riyadh on Thursday following the reports of explosions in the Saudi capital.

Saudi Arabia faces mounting attacks from the Houthis, who declared a blockade of the kingdom earlier this year in response to one imposed on them.

The kingdom has sought support from allies, including the United States. Officials said U.S. assistance has included intelligence sharing, target identification and planning for the latest offensive.

But U.S. President Donald Trump has shown reluctance to expand U.S. military involvement in the Middle East and, for now, has not ordered American forces to resume strikes against the rebels.

The U.S. last year carried out a nearly two-month airstrike campaign against the Houthis in an effort to open international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.

The Houthis had disrupted the waterway for months with their own attacks in response to Israel mounting a blockade on the Gaza Strip. Trump halted strikes after the U.S. military burned through hundreds of millions of dollars in munitions.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh earlier this week, told reporters Thursday that he was concerned the Saudis lacked a clear endgame for the military campaign.

“My sense from talking to Mohammed bin Salman is that they are going to push as far as they can,” Murphy said. “And I think eventually the goal is another truce and a political settlement, but they don’t have clear war objectives right now.”

The new Saudi-led offensive aims to retake territory the Houthis seized a month ago along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Their presence there threatens a crucial alternative shipping route to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks on ships have curtailed traffic.

___

Anna reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Farnoush Amiri in New York, and Aamer Madhani in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Over the weekend, government-allied fighters had entered Mekelle, the capital of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, after the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF, announced its withdrawal.

The TPLF had joined six other opposition groups last month in an alliance seeking to oust Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Fighting escalated late last month, undermining the 2022 peace deal. The rebels seized the Mekelle airport and the city, one of Ethiopia’s largest.

On Saturday, the rebels said their forces had pulled out — similar to what they did in the previous two-year war, which ended with a peace agreement in 2022, apparently to spare the city from destruction.

Still, local government offices remained shut Friday in Mekelle as the city awaited new authorities, with police and the government-allied Tigray Peace Force in charge of security. Members of the city's new civilian administration had arrived with federal police on Thursday but said they were awaiting instructions.

The Tigray Peace Force, which includes former members of the TPLF’s armed wing, imposed an overnight curfew Wednesday.

On Thursday, federal officers carrying rifles stood beside camouflage-painted pickup trucks along a tree-lined road. Others rode in open-backed vehicles as pedestrians, cars and three-wheeled taxis moved through an intersection. No administration had taken office in Mekelle by Friday morning.

Tigray’s television and radio stations have been off the air since the TPLF withdrawal. Abiy’s government promised to restore banking, electricity, telecommunications and water services but gave no timetable.

It also outlined plans to register people involved in the conflict and help them return to civilian life.

Reports of Eritrean troops raise regional tensions

Further north, a government-allied commander and a conflict monitoring group have separately reported Eritrean troops entering Ethiopia, raising fears of a wider conflict.

Ermiyas Ababu, a Tigray Peace Force commander, said Eritrean personnel entered Adigrat on Tuesday and Idaga Hamus on Wednesday, citing reports from his personnel in the area.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data monitoring group, known as ACLED, said Eritrean troops crossed the border at Zelambesa on Wednesday and came under drone attack at Guada while traveling toward Idaga Hamus. It attributed the strikes to Ethiopia’s military.

The Associated Press could not independently verify either account.

Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said in a statement: “We are not in the business of refuting wild allegations or narratives.” He accused Ethiopia of threatening regional peace through its pursuit of “sovereign access to the sea,” but did not explicitly confirm or deny the crossing.

Former allies face growing divisions

Eritrea has previously denied Ethiopian allegations that it supports the TPLF — its enemy during the 2020-2022 Tigray war, when Eritrean troops fought alongside Ethiopian federal forces.

During that war, AP reporting documented accounts from survivors and witnesses accusing Eritrean soldiers of killings, rape and looting. Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki dismissed allegations of abuses by his forces as “a fantasy” in 2023.

Eritrea announced last week that it was severing diplomatic ties after Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara.

Abiy reiterated Monday that landlocked Ethiopia must have access to the Red Sea. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it remained committed to dialogue with its neighbors.

___

Filmon Equar Hailu in Mekelle, Ethiopia, and Amir Aman Kiyaro in Hamburg, Germany, contributed to this report.

Bridgeman finished with a 68 on a sunny golfing day to go with his opening 63 at the Yokohama Country Club.

The two leaders were two shots clear of a group of four including Ben Kohles who had a 9-under 62, the low round of the day. Also two shots back of the lead were Mac Meissner (68), Max Homa (68) and Zack Bouchou (64),

The PGA Tour’s lone stop in Asia features its strongest field of the FedEx Cup Fall series, with 13 of the 24 players who competed in the Presidents Cup two weeks ago at Medinah in the Chicago suburbs.

Mitchell said the enthusiastic gallery helped him, and he said he spends time researching the Japanese food scene before he makes the trip.

“I love it over here. It’s always on my schedule,” he said. “I love Japan. I think just the energy here just helps me play a little bit better for some reason.”

Bridgeman had what might be described as a grinding round. But he got it done.

“I didn’t quite have the same game I had yesterday today so it was a little bit more difficult to make as many birdies, but I think I kind of realized that early and was able to play kind of conservative and plot my way around the course,” he said. "Navigated it pretty good, was able to post a good number.

Japan's top star, Hideki Matsuyama, shot a 1-over 72 and was eight shots off the lead. Xander Schauffele carded a 69 and was also eight shots back.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

The center said maximum sustained winds have increased to nearly 100 mph (155 kph), and that Simon is expected to continue strengthening rapidly during the next day or so. Simon is forecast to become a major hurricane by late Friday and strengthen further on Saturday.

U.S. forecasters earlier issued a hurricane warning for parts of the central and southwest coast, where hurricane-force winds were expected within 36 hours.

Simon is expected to bring heavy rainfall over parts of southwestern Mexico, with rain possibly concentrated across the coast of Jalisco and parts of Michoacan, Colima and Nayarit. Forecasters warned of life-threatening flooding and mudslides.

Simon was centered about 335 kilometers (210 miles) south of Manzanillo and 500 kilometers (310 miles) south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes.

The state of Jalisco suspended classes on Friday and Monday in 22 coastal municipalities and began evacuating dozens of people from at-risk areas. It also asked the tourism sector in Puerto Vallarta, a popular destination for U.S. tourists, to ensure that both workers and visitors are fully accommodated in shelters or safe zones by Friday afternoon.

“If we let our guard down and try to come up with a last-minute action plan, it is highly likely that lives will be lost,” said the state director of civil protection, Sergio Ramírez.

Governor Pablo Lemus urged the public to stay informed at all times given the hurricane’s “highly erratic behavior,” which has caused it to change direction between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta.

“What is certain is that it will hit the coast of Jalisco with very heavy rains starting this Friday, throughout the weekend, and on Monday,” he said.

The state of Guerrero has also suspended classes and non-essential activities in areas along the coast and in the central part of the state due to heavy rains brought by Simon since Thursday.

The flooding hit the port of Acapulco the hardest, where some streets were turned into rivers, with vehicles swept away by the current and homes and businesses flooded. There have been no reported casualties, said Governor Evelyn Salgado.

The U.S. Embassy also issued alerts advising against entering the water or walking on the beach and urging travelers to heed the warnings of local authorities.

Farther north, Tropical Storm Rachel was expected to reach Baja California, northwestern Mexico and Southern California this weekend. It had maximum winds of 85 kph (50 mph) and was forecast to weaken, though it may bring heavy rain to the area.

Tropical storm activity has been above average this season in the Pacific, due to the effects of a strong El Niño.

The climate phenomenon typically depresses storm activity in the Atlantic. Hurricane Isaias, which was expected to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast late Friday or Saturday, developed more than four months into the Atlantic hurricane season.

Shelton played Davis Cup for the United States after the U.S. Open, losing both his singles matches, after withdrawing from the Laver Cup team event.

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev, who beat Shelton in the final in four sets at Flushing Meadows, beat Chinese wild-card entry Wu Yibing 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Novak Djokovic, who won the China Open on Tuesday for a 102nd career title, was scheduled to play a night match against Hubert Hurkacz.

Ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur advanced on a walkover when his opponent, Alex Molcan, retired with an undisclosed ailment. De Minaur had to retire with an adductor injury in the China Open final against Djokovic.

Qualifier Rei Sakamoto beat 23rd-seeded Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4.

No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from Shanghai this week when he announced he was taking the rest of 2026 off due to a right knee injury. Djokovic said Thursday he plans to reach out to Sinner about his injury-plagued season.

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Now they have one chance to avoid a frustrating end to a surprising season.

The White Sox are going to a winner-take-all finale in their AL Division Series against Cleveland after a pair of disappointing defeats. Their bullpen is staggering after a 9-5 loss on Thursday night, and their hitters struck out 31 times over the last two games.

Game 5 is back in Cleveland on Saturday night, with the winner advancing to the American League Championship Series against Tampa Bay.

“Of course it’s a little disappointing,” All-Star outfielder Tristan Peters said, “but if we keep thinking that way we’re going to take that into Saturday, and then it’s not going to end well. I’m just telling myself, and I think everybody else is, too, that we’re not done. This isn’t done.”

Chicago earned an AL wild card by going 84-78 this season. It became the first team in MLB history to reach the playoffs after losing 100-plus games each of the previous two years.

Then, with manager Will Venable making all the right moves, the White Sox swept AL West champion Houston in their Wild Card Series before winning the first two ALDS games in Cleveland. It was the first 4-0 postseason start in franchise history — and all four wins came on the road.

That gave the White Sox a great opportunity to wrap up a postseason series at home for the first time since the 1906 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. But they flopped.

“Certainly, that’s something that we wanted to give our fans,” Venable said. “I think we just want to win this series however possible, and wherever that is, we’ll take it.”

Venable has leaned heavily on his bullpen out of necessity. But it looks as though that's catching up to Chicago.

Erick Fedde heard chants of “Fed-de! Fed-de!” from the crowd of 39,920 after he replaced opener Hagen Smith in the first inning Thursday night and pitched shutout ball into the fifth. But he was pulled after pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey launched a leadoff homer and Steven Kwan singled with one out.

Jordan Hicks came in and allowed a two-run homer to José Ramírez that gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead. Anthony Kay got one out in the sixth and was charged with two runs, and Grant Taylor yielded four runs and four hits without retiring any of the six batters he faced.

“They’re making really good swing decisions,” Venable said. “They’re making contact. We talked about how good a job they do of doing that. When you walk guys, they make you pay.”

Taylor, Kay, Smith and Bryan Hudson have pitched in three of the four games in the series. The 24-year-old Taylor tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings over the first two games of the ALDS.

“I don’t think it plays any role that I’ve thrown more this series,” Taylor said. “It truly was just execution. I walked two guys, and they put the ball in play.”

Taylor threw 18 pitches, eight for strikes. He promised he would be ready for Game 5 if needed.

“I’m going to be available for anything,” he said. “If they want me to go nine, then go for it. I’m going to do everything in the next couple days to be ready to go.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

“People feel like we’re not going to win games, we’re not going to be in the talks of anything that has to do with winning," said Herro, one of the players who came to Milwaukee in the trade that sent Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat. “I feel like that’s the opposite of what we’re thinking. We’re trying to win.”

The Bucks undoubtedly will have a tougher time winning without Antetokounmpo, who finished in the top five in the MVP balloting for seven straight years before injuries limited him to a career-low 36 games last season. Most preseason projections have the Bucks finishing at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

New Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins doesn’t talk about potential win totals when he discusses his expectations. He instead focuses on competing together and getting better so that the Bucks build an identity that can guide them for years to come.

“We truly are invested in building the next great era of Bucks basketball,” said Jenkins, who went 250-214 with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2019-25. “It’s not just a tagline. That’s something shared throughout the entire organization.”

That mission starts with improving a culture that had deteriorated lately.

Bucks backslid the last few seasons

Milwaukee won a championship in 2021 and had the NBA’s best regular-season record in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2022-23. The Bucks’ slide started with a stunning postseason loss to Miami in 2023, which began a string of three straight first-round playoff exits.

The bottom fell out last season, when the Bucks snapped a string of nine straight playoff appearances by going 32-50 in a season dominated by speculation about Antetokounmpo’s future. By the end of the season, Antetokounmpo was squabbling with management over whether the nine-time all-NBA forward was healthy enough to play, a standoff that led to an NBA investigation.

Doc Rivers exited as coach immediately after the season. Milwaukee got the replacement it wanted in Jenkins, who becomes the Bucks’ fourth coach in five seasons.

“We had a lot of pointing fingers last year,” forward Kyle Kuzma said. “That is a recipe for disaster. I think that we’ve got vibes this year. We’ve got real vibes.”

Kuzma said those positive vibes come from the camaraderie among the players, quite an achievement considering all the new faces on Milwaukee’s roster.

The Antetokounmpo trade brought 2025-26 sixth man of the year runner-up Jaime Jaquez Jr., 7-footer Kel'el Ware and 20-year-old guard Kasparas Jakučionis to Milwaukee along with Herro. The Bucks added a pair of lottery picks in former Arizona guard Brayden Burries and ex-Tennessee forward Nate Ament. The draft rights to Ament also were part of the Antetokounmpo deal.

Reconfigured roster building cohesiveness

Center Myles Turner established chemistry among the newcomers and returnees by inviting them to his home in Austin, Texas, during the offseason. Turner says Jenkins is establishing the mentality and mindset the Bucks need to embody.

“It’s one thing to want to win,” Turner said. “It’s another thing to do the things that are required to win. I think that’s what more of our focus and attention goes into this year.”

Whether the Bucks have what it takes to win very often is up for debate.

All the players on Milwaukee’s roster have combined for one All-Star Game selection (Herro in 2025). The Bucks have a surplus of guards with similar traits, so Jenkins could have an interesting time deciding on rotations early on.

One of Milwaukee’s major objectives is determining which players are potential building blocks. The contract status of some players will require the Bucks to make quick decisions on them.

Herro, a Milwaukee-area native, is eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the season. Other Bucks on expiring contracts include Kuzma and guard Kevin Porter Jr. Guard Ryan Rollins, who finished fifth in the NBA's most improved player voting last season, has a $4 million player option for 2027-28. Jaquez could become a restricted free agent next summer.

While the Bucks are working toward the future, they aren’t giving up on this season. They don’t have any first-round picks next year, so there’s no reason to worry about their draft position.

They do have a coach in Jenkins who’s “maniacal about the details” on and off the floor, as general manager Jon Horst puts it. They also have a bunch of young players eager to prove they belong.

“I’m excited,” Rollins said. “We have a super young group, energetic, excited to play. Everyone has a chip on their shoulder to prove something.”

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

It’s a familiar story the Eagles hope has a similar ending.

It was at this point of the NFL season two years ago that the notoriously tough Philly fans were chanting “Fire Nick! Fire Nick!” at coach Nick Sirianni during a lackluster victory over the Browns that improved Philadelphia’s record to 3-2.

Sirianni screamed and gestured at them toward the end of the game and was mocked nationally by television analysts and hot-take artists who said he deserved to lose his job.

He kept it, and ended up hoisting a Lombardi Trophy four months later.

Led by Saquon Barkley’s record-setting running, Jalen Hurts’ steady performance in Kellen Moore’s offense and Vic Fangio’s impressive defense, the Eagles won 10 straight games, finished the regular season 14-3, rolled through the playoffs and dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

The task is much more difficult this time around.

The group of Eagles heading to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday morning barely resembles the team that opened the season.

“This is life in the NFL, and we will do the things that we can control to put ourselves in the best position to win against a very good football team,” Sirianni said. “You will never hear me use anything as an excuse. Our job is to go handle the things that we can control, tough, detailed and together, and put ourselves in the best position to win this upcoming week.”

All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson retired abruptly on Tuesday, citing a desire to focus on his mental health. Two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens was traded to Baltimore a day later after poor performances at left guard. Three-time Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson hasn’t played since Week 1. Center Drew Kendall hasn’t practiced this week. Top receiver DeVonta Smith will miss his second straight game. Barkley is injured and backup Tank Bigsby is out, too. Starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been limited in practice after missing the last two games.

And, that’s just the injuries on offense.

No wonder the Eagles have only scored 27 points in two straight losses to the Bears and Rams, have managed just 420 total yards in those games and have failed to convert 17 straight third downs in the last six quarters.

Rookie offensive coordinator Sean Mannion already was under intense scrutiny when all his starters were available. Now, he’s trying to build an identity with a patchwork offensive line and reserves filling in for most of his best skill players.

“We’re implementing something that we absolutely believe in,” Mannion said. “You’re always looking, like we’ve said, throughout this process, to make it as good as it can be and add tweaks and add wrinkles here and there. We believe in the things that we’ve installed and that we’ve implemented from a fundamental perspective in terms of the structure of our offense. We’re going to keep leaning into that and make it as good as it can be.”

The Eagles wasted a 10-point lead against Los Angeles in the final five minutes last week in a 24-20 loss. But if Jurgens didn’t make a mistake in a crucial spot, the Eagles would be 3-1 instead of 2-2.

On third down from the Rams 2 midway through the fourth quarter, Jurgens pulled too early to the right to block on a play that was a designed handoff to Bigsby. There was an open lane for Bigsby to run into the end zone and extend Philadelphia’s lead to 26-10. Instead, Jurgens’ hand collided with Hurts, dislodging the ball and messing up the timing. Hurts had to improvise and kept it for no gain. Then Sirianni went for it on fourth down and Hurts threw incomplete to Darius Cooper.

That gave Matthew Stafford and the Rams an opportunity for a comeback.

Hurts had one of his least effective games, completing just 44.4% of his passes (12 for 27) for 93 yards and two TDs. He was 16 of 25 (64%) for 153 yards with one interception in a 27-7 loss at Chicago on Sept. 28.

The pressure is on Hurts now to prove what he can do without a star-studded supporting cast. Hurts was the Super Bowl MVP two seasons ago and outplayed Patrick Mahomes in a Super Bowl loss in 2023. Yet, despite his accomplishments, questions about his ability to carry an offense have persisted.

“This is when you find out what you have,” Hurts said. “You find out who you’re going out there to battle with. You see how you respond to adversity, how you show up to work every day, what’s your energy, what’s your level of persistence and resilience and determination to go out there and do the job.”

Sirianni and Hurts have been winning since they came together in 2021: five straight playoff appearances, three NFC East titles, two conference championships, one Super Bowl victory.

But neither the coach nor the QB have been fully embraced in fickle Philly.

Sirianni was widely disparaged after fumbling his way through his introductory news conference. They were calling for his firing when he used a flower analogy to inspire players after the Eagles started 2-5 in 2021.

Sirianni and Hurts have persevered through adversity and kept stacking wins. No active coach has a better winning percentage than Sirianni's .685. But this season will be their biggest test yet.

___

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The plans laid out by the founder of the Gaza Children Village in a webinar last month have elicited ethical, safety and privacy concerns from some Palestinian and advocacy groups and at least one of the charity's partners.

There is no indication the charity intends to share its classrooms’ recordings with anybody else, but fears about the potential misuse of surveillance technology are heightened in Gaza after three years of war. The Israeli military has used AI to sift through intercepted communications and find suspicious speech, including to identify targets for strikes.

Palestinian rights groups have been critical of the charity's education agenda more broadly, saying it is unaccountable to local and U.N. agencies that have long managed Gaza’s schools. Who controls education in Gaza is one of many unresolved questions about its postwar governance.

It is unclear when the classroom monitoring is supposed to begin, what specific language will be flagged, and whether teachers, students and their families have been told about the plans.

The charity’s founder says he seeks the ‘de-radicalization’ of Gaza

The charity's founder and CEO is Dr. David Hasan, a neurosurgeon born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents who now teaches at Duke University medical school in Durham, North Carolina.

He conceived the idea for the charity after volunteering at hospitals in Gaza during the war and wanting to end generations of violence between Palestinians and Israelis. Hasan says he was taught at an early age to look unfavorably upon Jews and Israelis, and that it wasn’t until he attended college in the U.S. that he learned other perspectives; he wants kids in Gaza to gain these perspectives early in life.

The charity has raised money largely from individual donors, including American Jews, and says it's partnering with North American, Israeli and European aid organizations and hospitals. Its schools, called Academies of Hope, provide meals and medical and psychological care. The first school opened last summer.

The schools' lessons are mostly built around the Palestinian Authority curriculum, but language that he says glorified violence or encouraged anti-Israel or antisemitic beliefs was removed, Hasan has said.

Hasan declined to comment for this story or provide examples of curriculum changes. But a 2026 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office that examined “problematic textbook content” flagged by the U.N. in Gaza identified the kinds of issues that Israel has long complained about: the use of “the number of martyrs” to teach a mathematical concept, a reference to “Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine,” and a description of a boy shot while demonstrating in support of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

On a webinar last month with humanitarian groups, Hasan said the reason to monitor classrooms is to help train teachers in how to uphold a curriculum that he had previously said was aimed at “de-radicalization.”

“I know it’s controversial, but trust me, it’s the only way we feel for us to survive and deliver this curriculum,” Hasan said.

Monitoring classrooms opens ‘Pandora’s box'

This isn’t the first organization to face such difficulties. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has attempted to modify the PA curriculum to remove content that didn't align with values of neutrality, nonviolence and nondiscrimination; but it, too, was met with teacher and community resistance, according to the GAO report.

A Gaza Children Village staffer said some teachers and other employees are afraid of being questioned by Hamas about the curriculum or uncomfortable working for an organization supported by Israeli aid groups. The staffer spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Two people affiliated with the charity expressed concerns when notified about the possibility of classroom monitoring.

“Cameras to monitor the performance of students and teachers is acceptable. But cameras to silence students and teachers from being able to have a free exchange in a classroom are not acceptable,” said Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian American political activist on the charity's board. He said he wasn't aware of the monitoring plans and that they haven't been raised with the board.

Bahbah said that with so few functioning schools in Gaza, the charity's top priority is getting more kids in classrooms.

An official at an aid group that partners with the Gaza Children Village said the use of cameras could prompt it to reconsider working with them. Using AI to monitor people’s words opens a “Pandora’s box,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing the group's work in Gaza.

Six current and former teachers at Academies of Hope declined to comment.

The system will flag language deemed ‘hateful’

UNICEF estimates that hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza are not in school, and that most schools were destroyed or damaged during the war. The Gaza Children Village says its schools in central and southern Gaza serve thousands of children, many of whom lost parents or other relatives during the war.

Under the plans outlined by Hasan in various communications, recordings of classroom conversations will be analyzed by an AI-powered system to detect “antisemitic,” “inciting" or “hateful” language.

If problematic language is detected, a warning will be sent to Hasan, who can then contact the teacher to understand the context and provide feedback, Hasan said in the September webinar. He said recordings are stored for 72 hours.

The monitoring technology has been tested and the plan is to deploy it in dozens of classrooms, according to a text message Hasan sent sometime before August that was seen by The Associated Press.

In the text, Hasan said the system was created in collaboration with PollyLabs, a New York-based nonprofit that promotes the use of technology to solve problems in crises. PollyLabs says it has had no role in developing or deploying such technology.

Palestinians in Gaza are especially fearful of surveillance technology

Fears about surveillance technology are strong in Gaza after three years of war with Israel's high-tech army.

"Israel has weaponized information to such a dystopian degree that many Palestinians feel they cannot utter a word, type a thought, or twitch an eye without fearing it could be seized upon,” said Amjad Iraqi, senior Israel and Palestinian Territories analyst for the International Crisis Group.

Groups opposed to the charity's curriculum say Palestinians are being stripped of their autonomy in deciding what to teach their children.

“It is very concerning, they’re trying to control the minds of new generations,” said Ines Abdel Razek, co-director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, an advocacy group.

The Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and UNRWA should be supported in rebuilding schools in Gaza, she said. Israel has accused UNRWA of being infiltrated by Hamas, a charge the agency denies.

A Palestinian government spokesperson, Mohammad AbuAlrob, says the PA curriculum focuses on tolerance and justice. He said he doesn’t have enough information about the charity's curriculum to comment on it. But he said using surveillance in classrooms would cross “an important line.”

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and clawed back most of its two straight days of losses since setting its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 388 points, or 0.8%, as of 12:47 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.6% higher.

The moves were tentative as oil prices continue to yo-yo because of uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal. The price for a barrel of Brent crude bounced between $102.50 and $105 in the morning, and it was most recently at $104.15, down 0.1%.

Treasury yields flipped up and down in the bond market following their own sharp moves earlier in the week. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was most recently at 5.24%, up from 5.22% late Thursday.

It recently touched its highest level since 2002 because of worries about high inflation, the U.S. government’s massive debt load, signals that the U.S. economy is continuing to grow and other factors.

High yields threaten to slow the economy by making borrowing money more expensive for everyone, and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has already leaped to its highest level in nearly three years.

Yields are also shooting higher in other bond markets around the world, which make investors less willing to pay high prices for stocks and other investments. But the high yields have attracted investors to recent auctions of Treasurys, and that demand is helping to limit further increases for yields.

On Wall Street, Humana rallied 12.5% and helped lift the U.S. stock market despite the pressure coming from the oil and bond markets. The insurer said it received encouraging data about its quality ratings versus its competitors for Medicare Advantage plans.

Companies that own cell towers were also at the front of the market, including leaps of 13.5% for Crown Castle and 7.9% for American Tower.

They rallied after SpaceX announced a purchase that could help it become a major mobile carrier in the United States. It still needs to get approval from U.S. regulators, but SpaceX said the purchase of low-band spectrum would allow its Starlink Mobile business to have a signal that can penetrate walls and connect customers inside buildings who may not be able to access its satellites. SpaceX's stock rose 1.2%.

The threat of another big competitor sent stocks lower across the wireless industry, including drops of 12.5% for T-Mobile US, 10% for AT&T and 10.1% for Verizon.

Delta Air Lines lost 1.2% after reporting weaker profit and revenue for the summer than analysts expected. CEO Ed Bastian said demand remains strong and customers want to fly, but the airline is also having to absorb a $6 billion increase in fuel costs this year.

The pressure is on companies broadly to deliver strong growth in profits after their stock prices ran toward records despite the downward push from high bond yields. Next week will bring high-profile profit reports from the country’s biggest banks, including Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo all on Tuesday.

Expectations are high for corporate profits, even as Americans say they're feeling more squeezed by high inflation. A preliminary report from the University of Michigan said Friday that U.S. consumers are raising their own forecasts for how bad inflation will be over the coming year.

They're expecting inflation of 4.7%, up from their forecast of 4.6% a month ago and just 3.4% in February before the war with Iran began. Sentiment among consumers is falling sharply for Americans with lower incomes and smaller investments in stocks, who can least afford the fast increases in the cost of living.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rallied in Europe with gains of at least 1% in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Asian markets were more mixed. Japan’s Nikkei 225 finished nearly unchanged, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 1.8%.

___

AP Business Writers Michelle Chapman and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Her win is sure to be seen as a high-profile rebuke to U.S. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have both rejected the findings of the U.N. commission she led on Gaza. The leaders also have been highly critical of the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court; Pillay has worked at both.

Pillay’s work “is a source of hope and inspiration to all those who seek to bring about a more peaceful world,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, in announcing her win in Oslo, Norway, as part of the peace prize’s 125th anniversary.

The committee said it sought to strengthen international law at a time of conflict, and Watne Frydnes said Pillay’s award was a message to those seeking to undermine “the international rules-based system and the institutions.”

While her career has been global in scope, criticism often has been fiercely local, notably in places such as Israel and in apartheid-era South Africa as she and peers took on some of the world’s most painful and sensitive legal issues and most vulnerable populations.

Pillay, 85, received the news while attending a forum in Nuremberg, Germany, the location of the trials of Nazi war criminals that helped lay the foundations of international law.

“Firstly, at this venue, your applause means a great deal to me,” she said to a standing ovation. “You know, you don’t want to receive an award, prize or anything unless the public agrees that you deserve this.”

She later told a news conference that leaders have a “legal obligation to protect human rights and refrain from war.”

She chaired an investigation that determined Israel committed genocide in Gaza

Pillay chaired the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which was created by the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council. The commission a year ago concluded Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza with a specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza.

Gaza was among Pillay’s first comments Friday after hearing she had won. “What’s happening there is genocide,” she said in Germany, to more applause.

The commission last year also found that the Israeli president, prime minister and former defense minister "have incited the commission of genocide.” Israel, which has refused to cooperate with the commission since it was established in 2021, has strenuously denied the accusations.

Pillay has repeatedly rebuffed critics who accused her of antisemitism or allegedly turning a blind eye to the Hamas attacks in Israel. Under her leadership, the commission also issued reports accusing Hamas of war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

In an interview with The Associated Press last year, she recalled how she worked closely with some Jewish lawyers in the fight against apartheid in her native South Africa and was invited to Israel as the U.N. rights chief from 2008 to 2014.

The Nobel announcement came at another critical time for Gaza, just two days after the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people and sparked the war. Over 74,000 Palestinians have since been killed, with their territory devastated. Saturday marks a year since a fragile ceasefire took effect, while Israeli strikes continue.

A senior Hamas official, Bassem Naim, in a statement Friday called the Nobel for Pillay a message of hope for Palestinians, especially in Gaza, that “humanity still resists the forces of evil targeting international justice.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said in a statement that “if there were an award for lies, hatred, and blood libels, Navi Pillay wouldn’t just be a contender. She’d be a frontrunner.”

The ministry added on X that the award “isn’t a recognition of justice. It’s the grotesque weaponization of an award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and prejudice.”

The award was announced less than three weeks before Israel’s election, in which Netanyahu is fighting to stay in power. For many Israelis, however, the issue is less about the government’s approach to Gaza and more about how well it would protect them from further attacks.

Her win puts the focus on a court under pressure from Trump

Pillay’s win brings renewed attention to Trump’s ongoing feud with the International Criminal Court, where Pillay was a judge from 2003 to 2008. The Trump administration already has sanctioned 13 of the ICC’s staff members, among them key prosecutors and nine judges, including the court’s Japanese President Tomoko Akane.

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, Trump called the court an “out of control institution” and an “anti-American tribunal with no jurisdiction” over the U.S. as he urged member states to quit the “rogue institution immediately.”

There are fears the court as a whole could be sanctioned, a move that could seriously hamper its ability to mete out justice.

Pillay is currently serving as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice, the highest court of the United Nations, in the ongoing genocide case against Myanmar.

When countries do not have a national on the court’s permanent, 15-judge panel, they can appoint an expert of their choice. Gambia, which launched the proceedings in 2019, selected Pillay when the country accused Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya minority group.

As a young lawyer in apartheid South Africa, part of Pillay’s work involved establishing key rights for political prisoners being held on Robben Island, which included Mandela, who later won the Nobel Peace Prize.

After apartheid ended, then-South African President Mandela appointed Pillay to be the country’s first non-white woman to serve as a High Court judge.

Venezuelan opposition leader won last year

Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation.

Machado gave Trump her Nobel medal shortly after the United States ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro. But it was largely a symbolic gesture: the Nobel Committee has said the honor itself cannot be transferred.

In Trump’s second term, he has been outspoken about his desire for the Nobel, but has expressed doubts that the committee would ever award him the prize.

“They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.

The peace prize follows a week of Nobel announcements

Four of this year's Nobels were announced earlier this week, in the categories of medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced Monday.

The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million), whether for an individual, small group of laureates or organization.

___

Dazio reported from Berlin, and Keaten reported from Geneva. Associated Press journalists Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa; Ali Swenson in New York; Cara Anna in Jerusalem; Molly Quell and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands; and Mark Lewis in Stavanger, Norway, contributed to this report.

___

AP Nobel Prizes: https://apnews.com/hub/nobel-prizes

For now, it's the waters charged by climate change.

All Atlantic hurricane season there has been “this battle between shear and just the overall conducive conditions,” said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

El Niño — the natural temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that warps weather worldwide — dominated. Its wind patterns smothered almost any wisp of a storm from strengthening in the Atlantic, while boosting what will soon be record high levels in the Pacific, Klotzbach said.

Wind shear versus warm waters

It's called wind shear and it pushes the tops and middle of storms around, making them lopsided and keeping them from making a complete circular eyewall, which is when storms can really power up, Klotzbach and University at Albany's Kristen Corbosiero said.

The other ingredients for a storm to turbocharge a storm are pushing back. There is plenty of fuel in warm water and moisture. The Gulf of Mexico is about 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal. The 86 degree waters (30 degrees Celsius) are 100 to 500 times more likely to be that extra hot because of climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas, said climate scientist Kristina Dahl, vice president of the nonprofit Climate Central, which calculates the boost global warming causes to extreme weather.

“But there’s a certain point where it’s like, I don’t care how hot the waters are and how much moisture you have, if shear gets to a certain point, the shear is gonna win,” Klotzbach said.

The thunderstorm seeds of something bigger earlier in the week grew from circular winds over Central America but often were lopsided and couldn’t quite form a crucial eyewall, all because of El Niño’s high-level strong winds that pushed a would-be storm's top sideways, experts said.

Then a window of moderation opened for just a couple of days, but it was enough, Corbosiero said. It makes sense it was in the Gulf of Mexico and in October, because El Niño has less of an effect in the Gulf than it does in the main Atlantic, she said. And storms often pop up in that region in October because of more northerly storm systems that help foster the right conditions.

Wind shear wasn’t exactly low, but it was a moderate level, when other factors like unusually warm waters and heavy moisture can kick in. Isaias rapidly intensified from 40 mph to 80 mph (64 kph to 129 kph) in a day and by late Wednesday, Isaias became the latest-in-the-season first Atlantic hurricane to form since 1914, Klotzbach said.

“The warm waters and high moisture won,” Klotzbach said. Isaias Friday was not tilting and had a strong eye, the hurricane center said.

By Friday morning, Isaias blew past the threshold for becoming a major hurricane with winds of 111 mph (178 kph), strengthening to 120 mph winds (195 kph). The National Hurricane Center forecasts it to weaken to a strong Category 2 storm before landfall.

What to expect before landfall

Before Isaias comes ashore — forecast for probably somewhere from the Mississippi and Alabama coast to the Florida Panhandle late Friday night or early Saturday — the wind shear will strengthen from moderate levels of around 20 mph (32 kph) to 52 mph (84 kph) and then Isaias will start to struggle, which is good news for coastal residents, Klotzbach said.

But as of Friday morning, hurricane center forecasters said the coast is in “a tenuous spot” because it would only take a six-hour delay in the onset of that more intense wind shear for Isaias to bring a stronger-than-expected landfall. Regardless of what will happen with wind shear, it will still be a dangerous hurricane when it hits land, forecasters said.

“Once it gets to the coast, we know that the storm surge is going to be deeper and farther reaching because of sea level rise caused by climate change,” Dahl said. “So in this part of the world, there’s been about six and a half inches of sea level rise over the past 100 years or so that’s attributable directly to climate change.”

The National Hurricane Center is calling the surge “life-threatening.”

A warmer atmosphere means storms hold and then dump more rain, worsening flooding, Dahl said. The hurricane center is warning about urban, river and flash flooding in the Southeast this weekend.

“There’s a little bit of a battle here going on, but I think the really important thing to remember is that climate change is like this long-term big kahuna warming everywhere, and El Niño’s like a little icing on the cake,” Dahl said.

___

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

“What this team is doing is only what we know how to do,” the All-Star third baseman said.

Ramírez homered and drove in three runs, and Cleveland beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Thursday night to send their AL Division Series to a winner-take-all Game 5.

Patrick Bailey also went deep and Game 2 starter Gavin Williams came out of the bullpen to get the last three outs as the Guardians won in Chicago for the second straight day after beginning their postseason with two losses at home. Jo Adell hit a two-run single in a six-run sixth inning for the AL Central champions.

“This team has answered all year,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “We talk about it — we punch back.”

Cleveland is looking to become the first club to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series since the 2017 New York Yankees accomplished the feat against, well, Cleveland. Teams with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five postseason series have gone on to win 83 of 93 times.

Game 5 is back in Cleveland on Saturday night, and the winner will open the American League Championship Series at Tampa Bay next Monday.

The road team has won all four games in the only one of the four Division Series to go the distance this year.

“As we’ve battled back and forth with these guys, obviously fitting that it’s going to come down to this,” White Sox manager Will Venable said.

Chicago's bullpen — one of its biggest strengths in a surprising season — is suddenly looking very tired. Grant Taylor was hit hard after pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings over the first two games of the series, allowing four runs and four hits without retiring any of the six batters he faced during Cleveland's rally in the sixth.

“Body felt good, stuff felt good, just didn’t execute,” Taylor said.

Miguel Vargas homered for the White Sox, who flopped in their second straight bid to clinch a postseason series at home for the first time since the 1906 World Series against the Chicago Cubs. Sam Antonacci drove in two runs off the bench.

All-Star closer Cade Smith worked a scoreless eighth for the Guardians but gave up Vargas' first postseason homer and a walk to start the ninth. He was replaced by Williams, who was making his first career relief appearance and could still start Game 5 as well.

The right-hander needed 18 pitches to get three outs after throwing 98 pitches on Monday. He was the seventh Guardians reliever as the teams combined to use 15 pitchers in a game that took 3 hours, 39 minutes.

Williams went 14-8 this season and led the AL with 248 strikeouts.

“We’ve still got one more to win at home,” Bailey said. “Again, this was an awesome atmosphere to play in. We can’t wait to get back to Cleveland for Game 5.”

Cleveland trailed 2-0 before rallying in the fifth. Bailey led off with a pinch-hit homer, and Steven Kwan chased Erick Fedde with a one-out single.

Jordan Hicks came in and Ramírez drove a 99.9 mph fastball to right-center for just his second homer since Sept. 1, a span of 26 games. The seven-time All-Star had surgery after he broke a bone in his left hand on a swing June 13.

“It was José Ramírez being José Ramírez in the playoffs,” Vogt said.

It was Ramírez's first postseason homer since 2024 and No. 5 overall. He also starred in Game 3, finishing with two hits and two RBIs in Cleveland's 9-3 victory.

“It was really special,” Ramírez said through a translator. “It was great energy out there, and very special to share this with the guys.”

Chicago responded with two runs in the bottom half, sending a charge through the crowd of 39,920. Antonacci was hit by a pitch from Tim Herrin with the bases loaded, and Brenton Doyle made it 4-3 with a sacrifice fly. The White Sox had the bases loaded with two down, but rookie Braden Montgomery struck out swinging against winning pitcher Erik Sabrowski.

Antonacci has been plunked 33 times this year, including a franchise-record 29 in the regular season. The rookie became the first player in postseason history to be hit by a pitch with the bases loaded multiple times in a career, after he was also plunked in the same situation in Game 3.

Losing pitcher Anthony Kay started the sixth for Chicago, but the left-hander was replaced by Taylor after Travis Bazzana's RBI double tied it at 4. Bailey greeted Taylor with a run-scoring single, and Cleveland started to pull away.

Walks by Brayan Rocchio and Kwan loaded the bases for Ramírez, who made it 6-4 with an infield single. Chase DeLauter added another run-scoring single before Adell capped the outburst with a liner to right that drove in Kwan and Ramírez.

“I feel like we’ve been impacting the baseball a lot better the last two games,” Bailey said. “Obviously, the more you see a certain guy, kind of not necessarily more comfortable, but you get to see (those) kind of shapes more and more. Definitely helps.”

Adell hit a three-run triple during Cleveland's Game 3 victory. He has four hits, three walks and six RBIs in the series.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Things were just starting to really unravel for the Cowboys, and the owner's expression would only get more bleak, even though they had a chance late to escape without a loss.

The Cowboys (2-3) fell 24-16 on Thursday night to a Bucs team with undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels filling in for the injured Baker Mayfield.

“Extraordinarily, extraordinarily disappointed,” team owner Jones said afterward. “You really do need to get it done when it’s there to take.”

Prescott had another interception with 1:16 left when his throw deflected off reliable tight end Jake Ferguson's hands at the Bucs 12.

Playing at home for the only time in October, and in primetime for all to see, this was a chance for the Cowboys to build some momentum in the NFC East. And the opportunity for a second win in five days against another winless team before a bit of a break.

Instead, there will only be more questions before they play again after a nine-day gap between games.

“You wanna get right back to it, but it’s good to dwell on things sometimes,” Prescott said. “To really make the changes or make the adjustments that we need to for the better of our team, for the better of the offense, for the better of the individuals. ... Be accountable to yourself, to your unit, to your position group, and let’s push forward.”

The Cowboys play Oct. 18 at Green Bay, then go to Philadelphia before playing at home again Nov. 1 against Arizona.

“This isn’t fold the tents here. We are 2-3. We didn’t expect to be 2-3,” Jones said. “We didn’t expect this. ...We didn’t expect this Tampa team to come in here 0-4, either.”

The Bucs (1-4), whose touchdown before halftime was a 15-play drive that took just shy of 11 minutes, started must faster after the break. They went ahead to stay on two big runs that took only a minute. Bucky Irving ran for 72 yards, immediately followed by Emeka Egbuka's 14-yard TD run that gave them a 14-10 lead.

Then came the first pick by Prescott deep in Tampa Bay territory, and Irving added a 1-yard TD run before KaVontae Turpin fumbled the ensuing kickoff return. The Bucs then converted a third-and-21 on the drive that ended with Chase McLaughlin's 41-yard field for a 24-10 lead.

The Cowboys played their third game in 12 days, a stretch that began with 10-hour flights to and from Rio de Janeiro, where they lost 34-31 to Baltimore after the Ravens got a big play and game-ending field goal in the final 7 seconds.

Dallas rebounded last Sunday with a 34-30 victory at winless Houston, when CeeDee Lamb capped his career-high 17 catches for 189 yards with a 12-yard TD in the final minute.

But Lamb had only two catches for 9 yards against the Bucs before getting sidelined by a quad injury.

After Tampa Bay bypassed a field goal chance and was stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 1 with 8 1/2 minutes left, the Cowboys went 99 yards in 10 plays for Prescott's 18-yard TD to George Pickens before they failed on a 2-point conversion.

Dallas got a defensive stop with just under four minutes left, though on the third-down incompletion cornerback DaRon Bland had his hands on what could have been an easy pick-6. He had an NFL-record five interception returns for TDs in 2023.

That still gave Prescott and the Cowboys another chance, which ended with his late interception.

"We’ve got to trust the work that we’re putting in and then more importantly, we’ve got to come out and just execute better,” Prescott said. “I think our plan, the way we practice, the way we approach things is the right way, is the correct way. We’ve just got to come up in the games and execute better and get it done.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

El presidente José Antonio Kast declaró un estado de emergencia para Las Condes, un suburbio de clase alta al este de Santiago, lo que le otorga a las agencias gubernamentales mayores facultades para responder mientras las lluvias torrenciales convertían vías importantes en cauces intransitables. La alcaldesa del distrito, Catalina San Martín, afirmó que en los últimos días habían caído 14,4 centímetros (5,7 pulgadas) de lluvia —aproximadamente nueve veces el promedio de precipitaciones para el mes de octubre—, dejando la zona totalmente saturada.

El río Mapocho, que atraviesa Santiago, se desbordó, obligando a las autoridades a emitir órdenes de evacuación. La agencia nacional de respuesta ante desastres puso a otros 10 distritos en alerta máxima ante la posibilidad de nuevos deslizamientos y ordenó la suspensión de clases el viernes.

Las tormentas de esta semana ya habían causado daños en decenas de viviendas en el centro del país y dejaron a casi 12.000 clientes sin electricidad en la capital, señalaron funcionarios. Se tiene previsto que la intensidad de las lluvias se reduzca el viernes.

No se reportaron muertes el jueves. Entre los heridos había un niño de 1 año que sufrió fracturas, precisaron las autoridades. Los bomberos afirmaron del rescate o evacuación de más de 1.000 personas.

Las inundaciones se producen en momentos en que un potente fenómeno de El Niño gana fuerza. El calentamiento natural y recurrente de las aguas del Pacífico ecuatorial altera los patrones de lluvia en todo el mundo y a menudo trae consigo primaveras más húmedas al hemisferio sur. La Organización Meteorológica Mundial informó el jueves que se tiene previsto que el El Niño de este año alcance su punto máximo en diciembre y podría ser uno de los más intensos desde al menos 1950.

___

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

La tormenta se encontraba a unos 380 kilómetros (235 millas) al sur de la ciudad portuaria de Manzanillo, en el oeste de México.

Sus vientos máximos sostenidos eran de alrededor de 120 km/h (75 mph). Se desplazaba hacia el oeste-noroeste a 9 km/h (6 mph). Se prevé que vire hacia el noroeste a primera hora del viernes y hacia el norte el sábado.

Los meteorólogos señalan que se prevé que el núcleo de la tormenta se acerque a la costa del suroeste y del centro-oeste de México el sábado. ___

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

Jalon Daniels, the undrafted rookie filling in for franchise quarterback Baker Mayfield, enjoyed the view while doing plenty himself to get the Buccaneers their first win of the season in just his second start.

Irving ran for 165 yards, including a 72-yard run to set up the touchdown that put Tampa Bay ahead for good while scoring twice himself, and the Buccaneers beat the Cowboys 24-16 on Thursday night.

Daniels threw a TD pass to Irving in the first half while directing a turnover-free offense and amid several Dallas miscues, finishing an efficient 19 of 25 for 189 yards as the Bucs piled up 241 yards rushing.

Daniels is filling in for Baker Mayfield, who's expected to be sidelined at least one more game with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand.

“Six months ago, if you would have told me that my first win would have been on a Thursday night, (Amazon) Prime football game, I don’t know what I would have told you,” said Daniels, who threw three interceptions in a 17-14 loss to Green Bay in his debut. “Like I keep saying, through all the highs and lows, the bads, the goods, go through every single emotion because at the end of the day, it makes you better and prepares you for any situation that comes down the line.”

Irving had 21 carries and a 7.9-yard average while scoring on a 5-yard pass and a 1-yard plunge as the Bucs (1-4) finally found some footing in a season that started with expectations of winning the NFC South.

“We lost the first quarter of the season,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “We didn’t lose the second, third or fourth. We’ve still got to play those. So we started the second quarter tonight. It’s a long way to climb out, but at the same time, we’re upbeat and if we played as hard and played as effective, we’ll be OK.”

Dak Prescott led a 99-yard drive and threw a 13-yard TD pass to George Pickens in the fourth quarter before his second interception off a tipped pass helped Tampa Bay clinch the win in the final two minutes.

The Cowboys (2-3) continued an up-and-down start to the season, this time with an offense that was as times as sloppy as the defense has been in both seasons under coach Brian Schottenheimer.

“I didn’t plan on being 2-3, disappointed by that for sure,” Schottenheimer said. “But we’re just getting started. There’s a lot of football left and we’re gonna play better. We know that.”

After Irving's long run on the first play of the second half was followed by receiver Emeka Egbuka's 14-yard TD run on a jet sweep, Prescott threw his first interception and the Dallas defense left Tez Johnson wide open on a 64-yard grab that led to Irving's 1-yard plunge for a 21-10 lead.

KaVontae Turpin's fumble on the subsequent kickoff led to a Tampa Bay field goal, but only after the Bucs converted a third-and-21 from the Dallas 48-yard line with Daniels' 21-yard pass to Egbuka.

The Cowboys were missing one of the pieces they recently added to try to fix a porous defense. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was a late scratch in what was supposed to be his second appearance since arriving in a trade from Pittsburgh last week.

Prescott was 24 of 42 for 316 yards in his first two-interception game of the season — his first picks since the opener.

Bucs have long and short TD drives

Irving's 5-yard TD catch capped a 15-play, 73-yard drive that ran the final 10:44 off the clock in the first quarter and had a final count of 10:58. Then his 72-yard run was the first of two plays on an 86-yard drive that took exactly 1 minute.

Feast, then famine for Lamb

Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb followed his career high of 17 catches, when he had 189 yards receiving and a touchdown last weekend against Houston, with just two catches for 9 yards on five targets. He was targeted 21 times against the Texans. Lamb exited the game with a quadriceps injury.

Injuries

Buccaneers: LT Tristan Wirfs was sidelined by cramps in the second half.

Cowboys: LT Tyler Guyton left with a back issue in the second half. ... DB Alijah Clark exited with a hamstring injury in the first half and didn't return.

Up next

Buccaneers: Home against Pittsburgh on Oct. 18.

Cowboys: At Green Bay on Oct. 18.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The violence occurred Thursday morning at the El Castillo Penitentiary in the port city of Mazatlan.

Sinaloa’s Public Security Secretariat said on X that nine inmates and one family member were killed in the incident, while 16 prisoners were taken for medical treatment after being injured. Local media reported that inmates used firearms during the fight.

Authorities have not yet said how the deaths occurred.

Following the clash, members of the army, National Guard, navy and state security forces entered the prison to restore order. Mexico's federal security cabinet said the prison, which houses 1,800 inmates, is now “under control.”

Overcrowding, driven in part by the use of pretrial detention — which keeps thousands of prisoners behind bars without a sentence — combined with insufficient prison staff, has fueled corruption and violence inside prisons, according to analysts. Last May, a riot broke out at a prison in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, leaving seven inmates dead and another injured.

Mexico has 276 prisons, including 14 federal penitentiaries and 249 state prisons. The prison population reached 261,388 people as of February, according to official figures.

Violence erupted in Sinaloa in September 2024 amid an internal power struggle between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, pitting the sons of convicted former drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, known as “Los Chapitos,” against followers of another detained former cartel leader, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

The Thursday riot comes as Mexico's government faces pressure from the Trump administration to crack down on cartels.

Leer en español

In fact, this is the third time the restaurant has been ordered shut, with roach problems cited during previous closures.

This week’s Dirty Dining list also includes a restaurant inside a Walmart where inspectors found a whole lot more than just a bad batch of chicken, along with two other South Florida eateries with a long list of violations.

Scroll down to see what inspectors found. All the places mentioned were allowed to re-open following an ordered cleanup and then a re-inspection.

**BRANDON ASIAN CUISINE

6417 STIRLING ROAD

DAVIE

ORDERED SHUT 10/1

11 VIOLATIONS FOUND

ALSO ORDERED SHUT 9/8/25 (ROACH ISSUE)

ALSO ORDERED SHUT 12/19/19 (ROACH ISSSUE)

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. 1) Approximately 5 live roaches in container under preparation table across from Triple sinks in kitchen. 2) Approximately 1 live roach crawling on prep table in kitchen. 3) Approximately 1 live roach on prep table lower shelf in kitchen. 4) Approximately 1 live roach on shelf next to dishwashing machine in kitchen.”

“Dead roaches on premises. Approximately 2 Dead roaches on shelf next to dishwashing machine in kitchen.”

“Interior of Small oven has accumulation of black substance, grease and food debris.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. 1) Stove soiled 2) Shelves throughout kitchen soiled.”

“Employee switched from working with raw food to ready-to-eat food without washing hands. Employee switched from working with raw Pork and raw beef to vegetables without first removing gloves or washing hands. Reviewed proper handwashing procedures.”

“Employee touched soiled surface and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Employee picked trash from floor and then engaging in food preparation without washing hands. Reviewed proper handwashing procedures. Employee washed hands correctly.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Wrapped raw pork stored above container of soup in Walk in cooler.”

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

**YUMWICH

11400 NORTH KENDALL DR.

KENDALL

ORDERED SHUT 10/2

15 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. Observed license expired 10/1/2026.”

“Inadequate number/capacity of cold holding units to maintain time/temperature control for safety food at proper temperatures. Observed establishment with only one reach in cooler not maintaining temperature of at least 43F. Reach in cooler ambient temperature 49F.”

“Cold holding equipment not maintained in good repair. Do not store time/temperature control for safety food in this unit until the unit is repaired. Observed reach in cooler with ambient temperature 49F.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed lentil soup (88F - Hot Holding) in prep area. Operator took product to reheat.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed sliced ham (47F - Cold Holding); tuna salad (48F - Cold Holding); sliced cheese (50F - Cold Holding); pooled eggs (51F - Cold Holding); egg whites (50F - Cold Holding); milk (49F - Cold Holding) inside flip top reach in cooler. Repeat Violation.”

“Employee began working with food, handling clean equipment or utensils, or touching unwrapped single-service items without first washing hands. Observed employee come inside kitchen from outside and begin to prepare drink for customer without first washing hands.”

“Employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to initiate a task working with food. Observed employee put on pair of gloves then begin to prep food without first washing hands.”

“Employee touched soiled surface and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Observed employee touch cellphone then continued to handle food without changing gloves and washing hands.”

“Food manager certification expired.”

**CHICKEN GUY

WALMART

4301 SOUTH UNIVERSITY DR.

DAVIE

ORDERED SHUT 9/30

9 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Stop Sale issued due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition. Presence of insects, rodents, or other pests. Observed approximately 10 ants crawling on and in a container of honey in the prep area. Operator disposed of the container of honey.”

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed approximately 6 small flying insects near the dishwashing area landing on clean dishes and walls. Observed approximately 20 small flying insects in the dry storage area landing in sealed packages of cereal and boxes of single service items. Observed approximately 15 small flying insects in the prep area landing on containers of spices, walls and tables. Observed approximately 5 small flying insects in the mop sink area landing on walls. Observed approximately 15 small flying insects at the front counter landing on registers, containers of ice cream toppings and boxes with bread.”

“Presence of insects, rodents, or other pests. Observed approximately 10 ants crawling on and in a container of honey in the prep area. Operator disposed of the container of honey.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed raw ground beef stored over ready to eat pepperoni and salami in the walk in cooler.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed walls by the triple sink and mop sink soiled.”

**BAYVIEW DINER

2712 EAST OAKLAND PARK BLVD.

FORT LAUDERDALE

ORDERED SHUT 9/18

17 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Approximately 5 live roaches in kitchen crawling on walls/storage shelves behind/over hand washing sink/dish machine.”

“Roach excrement and/or droppings present in kitchen corner on walls between dishwasher and hand washing sink. Advised Operator to clean/sanitize areas.”

“Approximately 4 dead roaches in kitchen on floor in corner between dish machine and handwashing sink. Advised Operator to clean/sanitize area.”

“Floors heavily soiled/has heavy accumulation of debris throughout kitchen under/behind equipment/storage. Advised Operator to clean floors.”

“Employee began working with food, handling clean equipment or utensils, or touching unwrapped single-service items without first washing hands. Employee washing dishes then began preparing food for customers without washing hands. Operator discussed with employee who then washed hands.”

“Employee cracked raw shell eggs and then handled ready-to-eat food and/or clean equipment or utensils without washing hands. Employee cracked raw shell eggs then handled ready to eat cheese and bread without washing hands.”

“Employee touched soiled apron/clothes and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Employee washed hands and dried with paper towels then wiped hands on visibly soiled apron before preparing food for customers.”

“Food-contact surface (prep table mounted can opener blade) soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slim.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. At Flip top cooler make top; cut tomatoes (47F - Cold Holding); cooked potato hash browns (48F - Cold Holding). Operator stated not prepared or portioned today held double panned/in pans on/over make top overnight.”

“Raw animal food stored over or with ready-to-eat food in a freezer - not all products commercially packaged. At upright double door stainless reach in freezer; plastic wrapped/portioned raw comminuted beef patties stored over fully cooked sausage.”

Robert “B.J.” Duncan, who has held Seat 1 since 2018, says he wants to build on work already underway, including improving traffic and infrastructure and moving forward with ongoing projects.

Duncan says South Miami-Dade is booming and needs more jobs and better-paying opportunities to keep up with growth.

“If we can bring wages up and we can bring opportunities here to Cutler Bay, to South Dade, because it will kind of be the new economic hub, Homestead, Florida City, and everywhere, we can all come together, then that’s going to help drive up incomes,” Duncan said.

He said higher incomes would help people afford homes, apartments and condos.

Suzy Lord, a longtime resident who holds Seat 2, says the rising cost of living has been crippling for many people.

Lord pointed to the town’s rating through the National Flood Insurance Program, which provides residents with a 35% discount on flood insurance. She said the savings amount to $1,000 a year for her personally and that she wants to improve the rating further.

She also says housing that helps keep families together is important. Lord pointed to an intergenerational housing project the town recently approved, which will offer lower costs for first responders and members of the military.

Ricardo De Melo Gomes, a licensed builder also running for mayor, says the town needs to find a balance between homeowners and new residents while making housing more affordable for teachers, whose salaries in South Dade are not as high as those in many other jobs.

Gomes also pointed to traffic and safety concerns and questions about how the town will pay for future maintenance tied to new developments. He said the town cannot continue fighting development because there are threats ahead.

Tech entrepreneur Clint Rodriguez is also running for mayor but declined to appear on camera for the interview.

Bam Adebayo knew long before that.

Adebayo — the Miami Heat center and longtime partner of Wilson, the Las Vegas Aces star — was asked last week to record some thoughts about his girlfriend winning the award again, which also meant he couldn't give her any hints about the voting results.

The secret was kept, and a fifth MVP award is coming to the home that Wilson and Adebayo share.

“I had nothing to do with that,” Adebayo said.

True, the couple has combined for five MVPs — and Wilson has won all of them. They've been together for a few years, after a close friendship began forming when they were playing for USA Basketball at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He's a regular at Aces games when his schedule allows; she's a regular at Heat games during her offseasons.

“It’s good to celebrate somebody that honestly deserves it," Adebayo said after he and the Heat beat New Orleans 128-118 in a preseason game Thursday night. "You really can’t put five MVPs into words. You literally just have to sit there and just like admire greatness. So, yeah, can’t wait to get home, get on FaceTime and talk about the moment.”

Wilson has been, without question, the dominant player since she entered the WNBA. Not only does she have five MVPs in her nine pro seasons, but she's actually gotten 54% of all first-place votes over that span.

Wilson has gotten 274 first-place MVP votes in her nine seasons; all other WNBA players in those years, combined, have 233. She tied for seventh in her first season, was eighth in the MVP voting the next year, and then the next seven seasons have gone like this — first, sixth, first, third, first, first and first.

She's also an eight-time All-Star and her career average of 22.1 points per game is the highest in WNBA history. And Wilson was in Miami last season for Adebayo's 83-point game, the second-best single game scoring effort in NBA history.

“I try to do my best to remind her of who she is, and vice versa," Adebayo said. "When you have those types of moments, those need to be celebrated."

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

“La confirmación responde al comportamiento sostenido de las condiciones cálidas del océano Pacífico, que de acuerdo con la última medición rompió récords alcanzando una anomalía en la temperatura superficial del océano de +3.49°C”, indicó la presidencia en un comunicado.

El Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (Ideam) advirtió que la atención se concentra en la disminución de las precipitaciones y el aumento de las temperaturas por El Niño, un calentamiento natural del Pacífico ecuatorial que distorsiona patrones meteorológicos en todo el mundo.

El gobierno advirtió que el país debe estar preparado tanto para condiciones de sequía como para emergencias relacionadas con las lluvias.

“El Niño no apaga las lluvias”, explicó Andrés Herkrath, director general del Ideam. “Octubre y noviembre son la segunda temporada de lluvias y lloverá por debajo de lo esperado, sobre todo en las regiones Andina, Pacífica y Caribe, siendo diciembre el mes de mayor déficit”, agregó.

Colombia ha registrado y sofocado decenas de incendios forestales en las últimas semanas, mientras que algunos municipios han recurrido a varias jornadas de racionamiento de agua debido a la disminución de los niveles de los embalses.

En anticipación a la disminución progresiva del agua disponible en los embalses de las hidroeléctricas, el Ministerio de Minas y Energía ejecutará un “plan de choque” con el fin de evitar un racionamiento eléctrico.

La titular de la agencia, María Nohemí Arboleda, indicó que se pretende incentivar el ahorro de energía para bajar la presión sobre el sistema eléctrico, aumentar la disponibilidad de combustibles y aprovechar lo más que se pueda la capacidad existente.

Un decreto divulgado el jueves permite a las plantas térmicas abastecerse de más de un agente cuando una “contingencia ponga en riesgo la confiabilidad del sistema eléctrico nacional”.

El ministro de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible, Fabio Arjona, responsabilizó al gobierno del expresidente Gustavo Petro (2022-2026) por lo que considera una falta de preparación para hacer frente a El Niño.

“Ambiente va a acompañar a los territorios en agua, ecosistemas e incendios, y a agricultura en la protección de la producción de alimentos, pero que quede claro de dónde viene el rezago”, afirmó Arjona.

The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, criticized the speed at which the project slated for Memorial Circle has moved without going through the full review process.

“The National Park Service, the agency responsible for projects on national park land such as Memorial Circle, is proceeding full-speed toward ground-disturbing construction,” the lawsuit said. “Although the agency has claimed that a final decision to construct the Arch has not yet been made and purports to be engaged in a routine decisional process, that rushed process appears to be a pretext designed to shore up justifications for building the Arch in accordance with the President’s repeated marching orders.”

The lawsuit asks that “the agency's feverish pace toward construction of the arch” be halted to ensure that the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act be followed and proper analysis and testing be done.

“The Arlington County Board has filed this lawsuit because our community has the most to lose from this egregious and unlawful proposed project,” Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said in a statement. He added that the county has acted in good faith in the review process, pointing out the “severe, unique, and wide-ranging negative impacts” the project will have on the county and its residents, only to see them ignored.

Memorial Circle sits on federal parkland west of the Potomac River across the Memorial Bridge and immediately adjacent to Arlington County.

The county is being represented in the lawsuit by legal advocacy group Democracy Forward.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the Trump administration and White House have been "fastidiously compliant with all procedural and legal requirements and are certain this meritless and dilatory lawsuit will be dismissed.”

The arch will become one of the world's most iconic landmarks, he added. "It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike.”

The lawsuit came a day after the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson expressed concerns that the 250-foot (76-meter) arch compounds multiple safety issues that she said have gone unaddressed since a deadly January 2025, crash over the Potomac River that killed 67 people. Nelson also criticized Trump’s plan to turn the arch into “a top grade military complex” able to host drones and snipers while storing ammunition.

Though the arch has received early approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were all tapped by Trump, a group of three veterans and an architectural historian sued in federal court in Washington, D.C., saying the project needs to be approved by Congress. The judge in that lawsuit said the administration must give the court 48 hours before undertaking any activities related to or in preparation for construction of the arch.

The arch is one of several projects around Washington that Trump has undertaken as he remakes the city, from renovating one of its storied public golf courses to threatening to demolish the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996, Linkin Park became one of the defining rock bands of the 2000s by fusing alternative metal, hip-hop and electronics. The band skyrocketed to global fame with its diamond-certified 2000 debut, “Hybrid Theory,” followed by “Meteora,” built around the distinctive interplay of Mike Shinoda’s rapping and Bennington’s soaring vocals.

After Bennington died by suicide in 2017, following the release of “One More Light,” the band faced an uncertain future. Linkin Park returned in 2024 with Armstrong as co-lead vocalist, releasing “From Zero” and embarking on a new run of world tours.

In an interview alongside Armstrong and DJ and creative director Joe Hahn, Shinoda says he never wanted to predetermine what a return would look like — or even whether it would still be Linkin Park.

“Emotional stuff aside, which was very heavy … I was like, ‘If we ever were to do it again, I wouldn’t want to assume that it had to be a guy.’ I wouldn’t want to assume it has to be who somebody who’s sang like Chester. I wouldn’t even want to assume it had to be one person, like maybe we go tour and just play with multiple vocalists or maybe it’s not Linkin Park, maybe it’s something else, I don’t know. Like I just wanted to keep my mind open to all the things.”

When Shinoda met Armstrong — lead singer and co-founder of the band Dead Sara — in 2019, he had a feeling she was someone the others needed to meet.

“I was like, ‘Oh, I got it. She has to meet the band. Like I have to introduce them because she’s cool. I love how she sings.’ I had a gut feeling that would have to happen,” he said.

For Armstrong, watching the footage in the documentary — now in theaters and co-directed by Hahn and Mark Ritchie — offered a glimpse at how much she was taking in during those early encounters with the group.

“I feel like I look a lot more confident than I actually was. There was so much going on in my head, having to step up to the plate, right? When you’re doing that, there’s so many adjustments that are happening,” she said. “So you’re singing a different way and you’re working with a band and people that have opinions of, ‘OK, try this, try this.’ You’re not used to that, right, and so you’re adjusting a lot.”

“It definitely was a creative risk, and we knew that to begin with, I think,” she said. “We don’t know if people are going to take to it, but we know that we love it.”

Hahn said the process of making music again was also part of the band’s healing.

“I think we were able to lean on each other and be open just to start healing, and then with that you give each other encouragement, too, like, ‘Hey, you’re good at this. … Don’t worry about that, we’ll figure that part out later.’ ”

“The best team in the world right here,” Tampa Bay star Junior Caminero said Wednesday night after the Rays earned a matchup with the Chicago White Sox or Cleveland Guardians in their first American League Championship Series since 2020.

Fresh off a three-game sweep of the Yankees in their Division Series, the Rays on Monday will host an ALCS game at Tropicana Field for the first time since 2008 — their 2020 seven-game win over Houston was played at San Diego's Petco Park because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I love popping bottles," said Ryan Vilade, a 27-year-old journeyman who played his first game since Sept. 27 in the Game 3 clincher against New York. “I love drinking beer and I love popping bottles.”

Vilade and Victor Mesa Jr. homered in Tampa Bay's 4-3 victory Wednesday night. During the celebration, Caminero mimicked late Yankees broadcaster John Sterling, yelling: “Theeee Yankees lose!”

“We got two more bites — two more bites on the bone!” manager Kevin Cash screamed. “Nobody sleeps!”

Tampa Bay finished an AL-best 98-64 in the regular season, then dominated the Yankees to reach its third ALCS and remain on track for a possible first World Series title.

“We’ll enjoy it and we’ll have a little time here to organize ourselves,” president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. "When you've got five starters throwing the way these do, it makes it a little easier not to overthink it too much.”

Tampa Bay was just behind Milwaukee for the top regular-season team batting average, .2585 to .2581, and led the AL in on-base percentage. The Rays were second in the AL with a .296 batting average on balls in play.

“The identity of our team, that’s kind of the versatility that we have,” outfielder Jonny DeLuca said. “A lot of our guys are quick and fast in putting the ball in play, and I think in playoffs it makes a huge difference, whether it’s getting down the line, baserunning, defense, whatever it is. I think the speed is a huge aspect to our game, and, yeah, it’s helped us a lot."

Cash, who led his team to the postseason for the sixth time in eight years, arrived in the interview room Wednesday night relatively dry.

“This is my second shirt, second hat. I’ve changed it twice,” he said. “Cami just sprayed something on me and so did Victor. Both of them did. I said, `This is a dry shirt.' If they want to play the next game, they’ll stop.”

Big crowds at the Trop

After a 2025 season spent playing across the bay in Tampa, Florida, at the Yankees' spring training home, Steinbrenner Field, while Tropicana Field was repaired following damage caused by Hurricane Milton, the Rays returned this year to the Trop in St. Petersburg and drew 1.4 million fans.

After drawing a regular season-high crowd of 28,055, Tampa Bay removed tarps covering upper-deck seats and saw 40,452 fill the ballpark for Game 1 against the Yankees, their largest home crowd since Game 5 of the 2010 AL Division Series.

“Even from the intros, before the game, you could tell the turnout for the Rays fans was there, and we could feel that the whole day,” said closer Bryan Baker, who saved all three ALDS games.

Tampa Bay drew 40,226 for Game 2 and expects a similar atmosphere for the ALCS.

Looking ahead

Tampa Bay was 4-2 this year against the White Sox and 5-1 vs. Cleveland.

Going into the ALCS, the Rays will have played just three games in two weeks. Cash, however, didn't fear rust caused by earning the top AL seed and a first-round bye.

“The alternative is playing three must-win games or two out of three,” he said in late September. “I’ll take where we’re at.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Since she retired, Trimble, 68, has had more time to work on her quilting hobby and on making costumes for her three granddaughters, who are 3, 5, and 7.

About 12 years ago, Trimble survived ovarian cancer and was treated at Broward Health Imperial Point. About two years ago, she faced a type of breast cancer that often goes undiagnosed.

“I had been getting routine mammograms, but I had started getting a little pain at the left breast,” Trimble said. “It wasn’t horrible, and it wasn’t constant, but it was enough that I took it as an indication that there was something going on.”

Trimble’s mammogram came back negative, but she wasn’t convinced. Trimble’s sister had survived breast cancer. She decided to push for a second opinion. It was a proactive move that likely saved her life.

Dr. Nicholas Tranakas, a surgical oncologist, scheduled a biopsy. Her breast had Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, also known as lobular breast cancer. It had started in the lobules, the milk-producing glands, and it was growing in thin, single fine lines — instead of a hard lump.

“That sums it up: Proactive. You have to be actively seeking what’s best for you,” Trimble said.

Mammography and ultrasound, the standard breast imaging tools, are less reliable for early detection of ILC. Dr. Mehmet Hepgur, a hematologist and medical oncologist at Broward Health, said it’s because tumors form “like flat sheets.”

ILC accounts for about 10% to 15% of all breast cancer cases. It is the second most common type of breast cancer after Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, which begins in the milk ducts, according to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Since ILC has a high rate of recurrence, Trimble decided to undergo a bilateral mastectomy, surgery to remove both breasts, at Broward Health Imperial Point.

“I feel really good today. I tell everyone I am in pretty good shape for the shape I am in,” Trimble said.

Here are some possible ILC symptoms:

• Hardened or thickened area inside the breast or underarm
• Dimpling, dent, or puckering of the skin of a breast
• Change in the size or shape of a breast
• Changes to the nipple, including inversion or pulling to one side
• A new area of fullness or swelling in the breast
• Unexplained and persistent bone pain, especially in the back, ribs, or thighs
• Unusual pelvic bleeding
• Abdominal pain, distention and/or bloating
• Difficulty eating or digesting food
• Unexplained weight loss
• Unexplained shortness of breath or painful breathing
• Frequent headaches, dizziness, or impaired cognitive function
• Swelling or lumps in the chest, armpit, neck, or groin
• Changes in skin color, lasting rash, or firm nodules on the skin
• New difficulty seeing

Sources: Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Lobular Breast Cancer Alliance

Related stories

• Breast cancer patient ‘Mari’ got diagnosed at 22
• Breast cancer survivor Amanda Peet describes ‘weird’ symptom
• Mom To Mom: Mother’s breast cancer survival inspires teen’s activism in Broward
• Breast cancer survivor turns personal struggle into lifeline for hundreds of South Florida families