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Kishawn Zell Walker Perkins, 29, and Armon Christopher Jiles, 26, were arrested and face charges including armed robbery and aggravated battery on an elderly person in one case, and burglary of an unoccupied conveyance in another, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Jail records show both men are being held without bond.

Detectives said the first incident occurred Feb. 13 at a Chase bank branch on Northwest 56th Court near the Miami Gardens area.

The report states that surveillance video showed the suspects inside a burgundy Nissan Sentra as a customer left the bank carrying a blue money bag.

Investigators said the suspects followed the victim home and later stole items from his vehicle after he entered his residence.

They said the second case happened on March 27 at a Chase Bank on Southwest 72nd Street in the Dadeland area and involved 79-year-old Pedro Parrado.

Local 10 spoke with Parrado, who described being attacked outside his home after withdrawing cash from the bank. He said, “I didn’t see the guy coming.”

Parrado said the assault happened after he made several stops following the bank visit.

“Someone grabbed me from behind on the strap of my fanny pack that I had, pulled me to the ground,” he said. “I yelled for help but no one was around at the time.”

Investigators said the suspects had been surveilling customers at the bank and followed Parrado after noticing he was carrying a fanny pack, which suggested he had withdrawn cash.

Parrado described the tactic, saying, “Bank jugging happens when criminals watch customers at banks waiting for someone to withdraw cash”

Parrado said the suspects waited for the right moment to strike.

“They waited until i got here and there was nobody around to make the assault,” he said.

Parrado suffered injuries including a head laceration and abrasions to his knees and elbow after being struck during the struggle, authorities said.

He said the experience left him shaken but also carrying a warning for others.

“If you are aware of your surroundings you can prevent something like this from happening,” he said.

Investigators said surveillance video, vehicle tracking, and cellphone records helped link Walker Perkins and Jiles to both incidents. They also alleged the pair visited multiple banks in the days after the March robbery, appearing to look for additional targets.

Records show both men were taken into custody Tuesday and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. They remain held without bond.

Deputies did not say what items or how much cash, if any, the suspects obtained in either incident.

La policía de Miami informó que ocurrió el martes alrededor de las 4:25 p.m. cerca de la vivienda de la sospechosa Lourdes Maria Portugues, ubicada en la cuadra 1000 de Northwest 18th Place, en el vecindario de Little Havana.

Según la policía, la empleada del Servicio Postal de Estados Unidos, una mujer afroamericana, caminaba en su ruta cuando un menor se le acercó para recoger el correo de su vivienda.

En ese momento, Portugues, de 34 años, le gritó al menor: “No hables con ella, nosotros no hablamos con ne..”.

Mientras la víctima continuaba entregando el correo, la policía indicó que Portugues tomó una manguera del patio delantero y le lanzó agua, lo que llevó a la víctima a llamar al 911.

Según el informe de arresto, Portugues luego tomó su bolso, se subió a su SUV, un Lincoln Nautilus plateado, e intentó atropellar a la cartera, obligándola a resguardarse detrás de un vehículo estacionado, antes de poner el vehículo en reversa e intentar nuevamente embestirla.

Después de pasar junto a la víctima, la policía indicó que Portugues hizo un giro en U al final de la cuadra y volvió a conducir hacia ella a alta velocidad, provocando que “varios testigos y la víctima” corrieran “hacia la acera, alejándose del vehículo de la acusada para evitar ser atropellados”, según el informe.

Las autoridades dijeron que luego Portugues se estacionó frente a su casa y le gritó a la víctima: “Te voy a disparar, tengo un arma dentro de mi casa”, antes de entrar.

La policía indicó que un testigo, identificado como el hijo menor de Portugues, dijo a los agentes que cuando ella regresó a la casa, “comenzó a poner balas en un arma en su habitación”, según el informe.

Los agentes que respondieron dijeron que encontraron una pistola de aire comprimido, junto con municiones, dentro de la habitación de Portugues.

También señalaron que el video de vigilancia y las declaraciones de testigos corroboran la versión de la víctima sobre lo ocurrido.

Portugues enfrenta dos cargos por delito mayor de agresión agravada con un arma mortal con prejuicio. Actualmente permanece detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza “por determinar”.

Campaign filings show the head of the “Recall Cava” political action committee is “Alex Otaola for Mayor.”

Otaola, the conservative social media influencer, is a former mayoral candidate whom Levine Cava, a Democrat, trounced in the technically nonpartisan race in 2024.

On Instagram, he accuses Levine Cava of “county mismanagement,” from persistent flooding to challenges at Miami International Airport.

Local 10 News asked Christian Ulvert, a Levine Cava campaign advisor, about the effort.

He said Otaola “is running an effort to build his name on the backs of a very popular mayor.”

“For someone who is trying to campaign on accountability, he sure knows how to duck it at every turn of the quarter,” Ulvert said.

Officials with the Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Office said the PAC missed a recent campaign finance reporting deadline.

A spokesperson for the PAC described it as a delay due to a portal-upload technological issue, but according to the elections department, they “missed a deadline earlier this year too.”

Regarding what petitioners need, elections officials said they require just over 65,000 signatures by May 14.

Mercy Perez, a recall effort supporter, told Local 10 News they have obtained 50,000 so far. Ulvert said he will believe it when he sees it.

“Fifty-thousand signatures is not only questionable, it’s laughable, because we’ve been seeing folks all over this county and we really aren’t seeing it,” he said. “But what we do see are voters coming up every day to our office ― to the mayor ― saying, ‘What can we do to stand with you to show the support, to remind voters, remind this community that Mayor Cava is beloved by us, by Miami-Dade County?’”

Pollster Fernand Amandi is also skeptical.

“I don’t (believe it has what it takes) because it doesn’t seem to be a recall effort motivated by any real desire to remove the mayor,” Amandi said. “Rather it’s a partisan recall done by extremists in the Republican Party.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for the PAC said, in part, “The Committee continues its lawful signature collection effort and urges eligible voters to make their voices heard.”

Los agentes de Miami-Dade señalaron que Tillman y la víctima mantienen una relación y habían vivido juntos previamente. No tienen hijos en común.

Indicaron que el incidente comenzó poco antes de la 1 a.m. tras una discusión por “asuntos personales” en una vivienda en la cuadra 7000 de Northwest 177th Street, en el área de Palm Springs North.

Según dijeron, la discusión escaló cuando Tillman sujetó a la mujer, la metió en el maletero de su vehículo y lo cerró antes de conducir con ella aún dentro.

El informe indica que luego Tillman estacionó el vehículo cerca, abrió el maletero y la víctima intentó escapar.

Los agentes dijeron que entonces la golpeó varias veces en el rostro y el cuerpo cerca del área del maletero y del lado del pasajero del vehículo.

Indicaron que posteriormente la pareja volvió a subir al vehículo y huyó hacia el este por Northwest 177th Street antes de que la MDSO realizara una parada de tráfico en Northwest 179th Street y Northwest 68th Avenue.

Los agentes dijeron que detuvieron a Tillman en ese lugar.

Un guardia de seguridad del complejo donde ocurrió el incidente contactó a los agentes y proporcionó video que, según los investigadores, muestra a la víctima saliendo del maletero y siendo golpeada múltiples veces por Tillman.

Tras ser informado de sus derechos Miranda, Tillman dijo a los investigadores que ocurrió una discusión y que la víctima lo golpeó primero, según el informe.

El informe señala que Tillman también dijo que la víctima afirmó que no quería estar cerca de él y que “prefería estar dentro del maletero y no en su proximidad”.

Los investigadores indicaron que luego admitió haberla metido en el maletero, conducir con ella dentro y golpearla.

Según las autoridades, la víctima no presentaba lesiones visibles y rechazó atención médica de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

Registros carcelarios muestran que Tillman enfrenta cargos de secuestro y agresión.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Los registros indican que Tillman había sido arrestado previamente por cargos de agresión agravada con arma de fuego, exhibición indebida de un arma y resistencia a un agente sin violencia en un caso no relacionado.

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Miami-Dade deputies said Tillman and the victim are in a relationship and had previously lived together. They do not share any children.

Deputies said the incident began just before 1 a.m. after the couple got into an argument over “personal matters” at a home in the 7000 block of Northwest 177th Street in the county’s Palm Springs North area.

They said the argument escalated when Tillman grabbed the woman, placed her inside the trunk of her vehicle, and secured it before driving away with her still inside.

The report states that Tillman later parked the vehicle nearby, opened the trunk, and the victim attempted to escape.

Deputies said he then struck her multiple times in the face and body near the trunk area and the passenger side of the vehicle.

They said the couple later got back into the vehicle and fled eastbound on Northwest 177th Street before MDSO conducted a traffic stop at Northwest 179th Street and Northwest 68th Avenue.

Deputies said they took Tillman into custody at that location.

A security guard who works in the complex where the incident occurred contacted deputies and provided video footage that investigators said showed the victim exiting the trunk and being struck multiple times by Tillman.

After being advised of his Miranda rights, Tillman told investigators that an argument occurred and that the victim struck him first, according to the report.

The report states that Tillman also said the victim claimed that she did not want to be around him and “would rather be inside of the trunk and not in his vicinity.”

Investigators said he then admitted to placing her in the trunk, driving with her inside and striking her.

The victim was not visibly injured and declined medical treatment from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, according to authorities.

Jail records show Tillman is facing charges of kidnapping and battery.

As of Wednesday morning, he was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Records show Tillman was previously arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, improper exhibition of a firearm or weapon and resisting an officer without violence to his person in an unrelated case.

Speaking at CNBC’s Invest in America Forum, Infantino said it is important that Iran participates in the World Cup even though its participation has been in doubt since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on the country.

“The Iranian team is coming for sure, yes,” Infantino said. “We hope that by then, of course, the situation will be a peaceful situation. As I said, that would definitely help. But Iran has to come. Of course, they represent their people. They have qualified. The players want to play.”

Infantino met with the Iranian national team in Antalya, Turkey, two weeks ago and said Wednesday he was impressed.

“I went to see them. They are actually quite a good team as well," Infantino said. "And they really want to play and they should play. Sports should be outside of politics now.”

Infantino acknowledged it's not always possible to achieve the separation of sports and politics.

“OK we don’t live on the moon, we live on planet Earth," Infantino said. "But you know if there is nobody else that believes in building bridges and in keeping them, you know, intact and together, well we are doing that job.”

The United States will co-host the World Cup with Canada and Mexico.

Iran is scheduled to play two group-stage games in Inglewood, California, and one in Seattle.

The war has raised doubts about Iran’s participation in the World Cup. There have been conflicting public comments from Iranian government and soccer officials. U.S. President Donald Trump discouraged the Iranian team from attending the tournament, citing safety concerns.

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

Los investigadores identificaron a los sospechosos en documentos de arresto como Kishawn Zell Walker Perkins, de 29 años, y Armon Christopher Jiles, de 26.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade indicaron que el primer incidente ocurrió el 13 de febrero en una sucursal de Chase ubicada en 18800 NW 56th Ct., cerca del límite con Miami Gardens.

Según los investigadores, video de vigilancia mostró a los sospechosos dentro de un Nissan Sentra color vino en el estacionamiento del banco mientras un cliente salía con una bolsa azul de dinero.

El informe señala que la víctima entró a su vehículo, colocó la bolsa en el asiento del pasajero y se retiró.

Las autoridades dijeron que los sospechosos salieron del estacionamiento segundos antes y siguieron a la víctima hasta una comunidad cerrada, entrando detrás de él sin inconvenientes.

Después de que la víctima entró a su casa, indicaron que el conductor, Walker Perkins, se detuvo frente a la vivienda mientras el pasajero, Jiles, se bajó, corrió hacia el vehículo de la víctima, abrió la puerta del conductor y sustrajo objetos antes de huir.

Los agentes dijeron que el segundo incidente ocurrió el 27 de marzo en otro banco Chase, ubicado en 8784 SW 72nd St., en el área de Dadeland, e involucró a una víctima de edad avanzada.

Las autoridades indicaron que esa víctima acababa de realizar una transacción en el banco y fue seguida hasta su hogar por un Nissan Sentra rojo.

Los investigadores determinaron que los sospechosos vigilaban a la víctima en el banco y lo seleccionaron tras notar que llevaba una riñonera, lo que sugería que había retirado dinero.

Cuando la víctima llegó a su complejo de apartamentos, los agentes dijeron que Jiles se bajó del vehículo y se le acercó en el estacionamiento. Indicaron que le arrebató la riñonera por la fuerza y, durante el forcejeo, la víctima cayó hacia atrás.

Tras tomar la riñonera, dijeron que Jiles golpeó a la víctima en la cabeza con la misma, causándole una laceración, antes de huir en un vehículo conducido por Walker Perkins.

El informe indica que la víctima sufrió una lesión en la cabeza, así como abrasiones en la rodilla y el codo, y fue trasladada a un hospital para recibir tratamiento. Las autoridades señalaron que sus lesiones podrían resultar en “desfiguración permanente”.

Los detectives indicaron que finalmente vincularon a los sospechosos con ambos incidentes mediante videos de vigilancia, las características distintivas del vehículo y su matrícula, así como registros de teléfonos celulares que los ubicaban cerca de las escenas.

Los investigadores también señalaron que observaron a la pareja visitando múltiples bancos en los días posteriores al robo, aparentemente en busca de más víctimas.

Ambos hombres fueron arrestados el martes y llevados a la unidad de robos de la MDSO, donde invocaron su derecho a guardar silencio.

Registros carcelarios muestran que ambos enfrentan un cargo de robo de vehículo desocupado en el caso de febrero y robo a mano armada con arma y agresión agravada contra una persona mayor en el caso de marzo.

Ambos permanecen detenidos en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Hasta la tarde del miércoles, la fianza de Walker Perkins no había sido fijada, mientras que Jiles permanece sin derecho a fianza.

Los agentes no indicaron qué objetos o cuánto dinero, si alguno, lograron obtener los sospechosos en los incidentes.

The Masters is the first major of the year, a high-stress test at Augusta National that requires full attention on just about every shot because of the razor-thin difference in the outcome. The RBC Heritage provides a tight, tree-lined Harbour Town course that oozes a sense of peace.

The winner gets a green jacket one week, a plaid one the next.

And there was one other element that made Cameron Young look forward to the week after being in contention at Augusta National.

“It is easier, physically, like the walk,” Young said after finishing nine holes of a pro-am round. “And staying closer. Everything seems simpler.”

Otherwise, it's time to move on amid a reminder there is no time to stop to rest.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy chose not to play this $20 million signature event, not a surprise because he didn't play last year, either. Tiny, tight Harbour Town is one that doesn't quite fit him. Justin Rose also pulled out, fresh off his third time with a lead on the back nine at Augusta National without a green jacket to show for it.

The PGA Tour is in the early stages of a six-week stretch that includes two majors and three $20 million signature events.

The Masters is over. They're on to Hilton Head.

“It's over with. Can't really go back,” said Scottie Scheffler, who had reason to replay the final round in his mind in the three days between tournaments.

He was 12 shots behind going into the weekend at the Masters and finished one behind McIlroy despite making only one birdie on the par 5s on the back nine all week.

“So if I would be frustrated, it would be with the start,” Scheffler said. “But I'm proud of how I played on the weekend. That's part of the beauty and frustrating part of golf — I get to try again this week. And if I had won last week, it would be the same thing.”

He speaks from experience. The last time Scheffler won the Masters in 2024, he came to the RBC Heritage and won by three shots. He is known to put winning — and losing — behind him quickly. The difference this week was the time he invested getting ready.

“The preparation looks a little different in terms of not doing nearly as much as a normal week," he said. “That's mainly because this golf course doesn't change too much. Rest is a huge part of that.”

The field is the largest for the signature events, 82 players because of 10 additional players who won in 2025 and did not get to play The Sentry at Kapalua because it was canceled by a dispute over water.

Young had just as good of a chance to win as Scheffler, and that was on his mind when he drove three hours through the Low Country of South Carolina to the next destination. He had eight straight chances at birdie on the back nine at the Masters and finished with nine straight pars.

“I had a really good chance to win, and I played the golf to win,” Young said. “I just didn't, which happens a lot in golf. But I think about all the times Rosey has played the golf to win and hasn't, or even Rory. It does happen.”

What he enjoyed about the week in retrospect was being in the final group, leading by two shots on the front nine. Young was thinking about having a chance a month before the Masters.

“I enjoyed the battle on Sunday. I enjoyed the week,” he said. “I started in a bad spot (a 40 on the front nine Thursday) and enjoyed the grind of getting back to somewhere worthwhile. And by Sunday, I gave myself every chance.”

There is a relaxing vibe about Hilton Head, and a lot of wedges in the hands of the best players, both of which can be deceptive. The Harbour Town course can be challenging with trees that get in the way and plenty of water to punish mistakes.

“When you're out of position here, you're not often able to get it to the front of the green,” Young said. "At Augusta, you can hit it miles off line and a lot of times you can get something to the front of the green. Here, you hit one off line and you're hitting out sideways, or you have water in front.

“It's not an easy golf course,” he said. “There's no foot off the gas at all on the golf front.”

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

Vid Music Group filed the lawsuit for fraud and breach of contract against Messi and the Argentine Football Association in Miami-Dade circuit court last month, according to court records.

Messi and the AFA didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Considered one of the greatest soccer players ever, Messi appears with both his Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and Argentina's national team, and fans routinely pay much higher prices for the chance to see him play.

According to the lawsuit, Vid signed a deal with the AFA last summer for exclusive rights to organize and promote Argentina’s friendlies last October against Venezuela and Puerto Rico in exchange for ticket, broadcast and sponsorship revenue. Vid claims that Messi was supposed to play for at least 30 minutes in each match, unless he was injured.

The 38-year-old Messi watched Argentina’s 1-0 win against Venezuela on Oct. 10 from a suite at South Florida's Hard Rock Stadium, according to the lawsuit.

The next day, Messi scored two goals in Inter Miami’s 4-0 MLS win over Atlanta. That match was important to Inter Miami, since it gave them home-field advantage for Round 1 of the playoffs.

Then, on Oct. 14, Messi played in Argentina's 6-0 win over Puerto Rico. That game was originally supposed to take place in Chicago, but low ticket sales in the city where Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were making more than 1,000 arrests led organizers to move the game to Florida. AFA blamed the immigration crackdowns when the smaller venue in Fort Lauderdale didn't sell out, even after ticket prices were reduced to $25 each.

Vid hasn't specified damages they're seeking in the lawsuit, but they claim they lost millions between Messi failing to appear in one game and low ticket sales at the other.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Marie-Therese Ross in Alabama on April 1 after she overstayed her 90-day visa, according to DHS. Ross is now being held at a federal immigration detention facility in Louisiana.

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

Rodolphe Sambou, Consul General of France in New Orleans, told the AP that the French government has “fully mobilized” to push for her release. He said he has visited her in detention twice so far.

“Given her age, we really want her to get out of this situation as soon as possible,” Sambou said. “We want to get her out of jail.”

Sambou said that he has been communicating frequently with Ross’ family and French officials in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Paris to try and coordinate Ross’ release and ensure she has access to sufficient food and health care. He said the French government has also contacted DHS.

He declined to comment on her legal status or other details of her case.

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

A lawyer who is representing Ross in a separate legal matter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ross' family did not respond to requests for comment.

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Associated Press writer Samuel Petrequin contributed reporting from France.

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Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

“Don’t fear the dead and don’t fear me,” Kilmer’s character, Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, says at the end of the trailer.

The actor died last year at 65, of pneumonia. The use of generative AI to recreate Kilmer for the historical drama based on archaeologists Ann and Earl Morris became a hot button topic when the filmmakers announced it last month. The trailer shows Kilmer’s character at various ages.

Writer-director Coerte Voorhees, along with his brother John, spoke on a panel Wednesday about the controversial decision to use technology to create a performance from a deceased actor and explained why they feel they've done it ethically by working with Kilmer's children and the actors union. Coerte Voorhees stopped short of calling it a Val Kilmer performance, however.

“Val Kilmer influenced this performance,” Coerte Voorhees said.

Producer John Voorhees said the use of AI actors based on real people is risky territory for anyone to venture into but emphasized that they followed guidelines from the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists union that he boiled down to “consent, compensation and collaboration.” Kilmer’s estate, including his daughter Mercedes, gave permission for his digital replication, is being compensated for it and provided archival footage to help the process.

They also compared Kilmer's AI-rendered performance to any actor portraying a historical figure on screen, as Kilmer once did with Jim Morrison in “The Doors.” Kilmer also utilized AI while he was alive. When he lost his natural speaking voice following a throat cancer diagnosis and two tracheotomies, he turned to an AI software company to digitally recreate his voice. Kilmer’s voice was also digitally altered to help his final screen performance in “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Kilmer had signed on to “As Deep as the Grave” years ago; Much of the film was structured around his character, they said. When Kilmer had to pull out at the last minute due to health issues they decided to proceed shooting without the character instead of recasting the role. The production had numerous stops and starts as one of the first to begin shooting in New Mexico in the fall of 2020 amid the pandemic. They realized later that the story really did need Father Fintan, and decided to broach the topic with Kilmer’s children, Mercedes and Jack.

“We were so glad they were so excited and so supportive of the idea,” Coerte Voorhees said. “We didn’t want to do it unless everybody thought this was going to work properly.”

He said that Kilmer is on screen in the movie for one hour and 17 minutes; The final runtime was not revealed but he said it’s long. The filmmakers plan to release it sometime this year.

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Miami police said it happened on Tuesday around 4:25 p.m. near suspect Lourdes Maria Portugues’ home, located in the 1000 block of Northwest 18th Place in the city’s Little Havana neighborhood.

According to police, the United States Postal Service carrier, who is a Black woman, was walking her route when a child approached her to collect mail for their home.

That’s when police said Portugues, 34, yelled at the child, ‘Don’t talk to her, we don’t talk to n-----s.”

While the victim continued to deliver the mail, police said Portugues then picked up a hose from the front yard and sprayed the victim with water, which prompted the victim to call 911.

According to an arrest form, Portugues then collected her purse and got into her SUV, a silver Lincoln Nautilus, and tried to run over the mail carrier , causing her to take cover behind a parked car, before putting the SUV in reverse and driving toward her again.

After accelerating past the victim again, police said Portugues then made a U-turn at the end of the block and again drove toward her at a high rate of speed, causing “several witnesses and the victim all” to run “toward the sidewalk, away from the defendant’s vehicle to avoid being struck,” according to an arrest form.

That’s when authorities said Portugues parked in front of her home and yelled at the victim, “I’m going to shoot you, I have a gun inside my house” before going inside.

Police said a witness, who was identified as Portugues’ minor child, told officers that when Portugues went back inside, she “started to put bullets in a gun in her room,” according to an arrest form.

Responding officers said they found a pellet gun, along with rounds for the gun, inside Portugues’ room.

Officers also said that surveillance video and witness statements corroborated the victim’s account of how the events transpired.

Portugues is facing two felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with prejudice. She is currently being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a bond listed as “to be set.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters at a White House briefing Wednesday that the U.S. plans to ramp up economic pain on Iran, and said the new moves will be the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign.

The threat of secondary economic sanctions on countries doing business with people, firms, and ships under Iranian control — including allies like the United Arab Emirates and competitors like China — represents an escalation of sanctions that the U.S. is already employing.

Bessent said the administration has “told companies, we have told countries that if you are buying Iranian oil, that if Iranian money is sitting in your banks, we are now willing to apply secondary sanctions, which is a very stern measure. And the Iranians should know that this is going to be the financial equivalent of what we saw in the kinetic activities.”

The Treasury Department warns China, Hong Kong, the UAE and Oman

The warning comes the day after the Treasury Department sent a letter to financial institutions in China, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Oman, threatening to levy secondary sanctions for doing business with Iran, and accusing those countries of allowing Iranian illicit activities to flow through their financial institutions.

It's part of an economic playbook that President Donald Trump still can use to pressure Iran to accept U.S. proposals to limit its nuclear ambitions, a person familiar with the administration's thinking told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private discussions on the record.

Privately, the argument being made to Trump is that the Iranians think they can weather the storm — but if they cannot pay their loyalists, that could pressure Iran to the table.

And some in the administration believe there are still more economic targets that can be hit that would put the economic hurt on Iran, including bonyads, the charitable trusts that account for a significant percentage of the Iranian economy.

Bessent told reporters that two Chinese banks have received warnings about handling Iranian money. Trump is preparing to visit Beijing next month for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Bessent also said that Iran’s Gulf neighbors are now willing to look at freezing Iranian money in their banks because of Iran's aggression during the war.

Daniel Pickard, a sanctions attorney, said imposing secondary sanctions could result in “diplomatic and economic blowback” from allies that could hurt efforts to build coalitions against Tehran.

“A lot of our trading partners have been outspoken in regard to their opposition to the conflict in Iran," Pickard said. “Most economic sanctions professionals would agree that when you get more people on the team, the chances of your economic sanctions being effective or greater."

On Wednesday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on an oil smuggling network connected to the deceased senior Iranian security official Ali Shamkhani, who was a close adviser to the former Supreme Leader of Iran. Sanctions include dozens of individuals, companies, and vessels involved in secretly transporting and selling Iranian and Russian oil through front companies, many of which are in the UAE.

“Treasury will continue to cut off Iran’s illicit smuggling and terror proxy networks," Bessent said in a statement. "Financial institutions should be on notice that Treasury will leverage all tools and authorities, including secondary sanctions, against those that continue to support Tehran’s terrorist activities.

The administration believes the momentum has shifted

Trump administration officials have also signaled growing confidence that the ceasefire and a blockade of shipments from Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz have shifted momentum in Trump’s favor.

Iran has endured tens of billions of dollars in damage during the bombardment to the country's infrastructure — including setbacks to its oil industry, the heart of its fragile and long-isolated economy — that could take years to repair.

Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday said Trump “doesn’t want to make, like, a small deal. He wants to make the grand bargain.”

"That’s the trade that he’s offering,” Vance said. “If you guys commit to not having a nuclear weapon, we are going to make Iran thrive.”

The president's deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, offered a more caustic assessment of the moment, suggesting that Trump had “played the checkmate move" on Iran by implementing the blockage in the strait.

“If Iran chooses the path of a deal that's great for the world, that's great for everybody. If Iran chooses the path of economic strangulation by blockade, then the world will pass Iran by,” Miller said in a Fox News appearance Tuesday evening. "New energy routes will be established. New supply chains will be established. Other nations throughout the region — throughout the world, and especially America — will power the world and Iran will become a footnote.”

Some Republicans are skeptical that more sanctions will work

Some Republicans believe that any tactic to exert more pressure on Tehran is worth trying.

“I would support anything,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “If the administration came up with the ideas, I would support all of the above. More pressure, the better.”

Others were skeptical, noting that Tehran was already facing a litany of economic penalties that had little impact on its behavior.

“I’m not sure if it’s sanctions that’ll do it. I think we’re putting some pretty heavy sanctions on right now,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Banking and Armed Services Committees. “I personally am just not optimistic that we actually can fix this thing without a regime change.”

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, a think tank that has been critical of Trump's decision to launch the war, says that Trump had been “politically cornered and strategically constrained" before he announced the ceasefire. But now, Parsi argues, Trump may have altered the difficult dynamic and created a situation where “Iran now appears to need an agreement more than the United States does.”

“The window now open offers Tehran a chance to convert battlefield leverage into lasting strategic gain," Parsi wrote in a new analysis. "To let it close would mean forfeiting not just incremental progress, but the possibility of reshaping its economic and geopolitical position. By contrast, the United States, having already secured a tenuous exit ramp through the ceasefire, has less at stake in the short term.”

La mañana del miércoles, durante su viaje a Camerún, el primer papa nacido en Estados Unidos insistió en que “el mensaje que el mundo necesita escuchar hoy” es de paz y diálogo. En los últimos días, Trump ha redoblado sus críticas a los comentarios de León contra la guerra en Irán.

Lula, de 80 años, que se postula para la reelección en octubre, habló en un mensaje de video enviado a una reunión de la conferencia nacional de obispos de Brasil.

“Mi más profunda solidaridad con el papa León XIV. A lo largo de la historia de la humanidad, quienes abogan por la paz y por los oprimidos han sido atacados por personas poderosas que creen ser deidades a las que hay que adorar”, señaló Lula. “Es mejor tener un corazón lleno de amor que el poder de las armas y el dinero”.

La disputa entre León y el presidente estadounidense estalló cuando el papa dijo que Dios no bendice a quienes lanzan bombas. El pontífice también calificó de “verdaderamente inaceptable” la amenaza de Trump de aniquilar la civilización iraní. Luego, el presidente de Estados Unidos sostuvo que León es débil frente al crimen y es un cautivo de la izquierda, y afirmó que el pontífice le debía su cargo a él.

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

Soon after, while still attending school, Portuondo learned of a military force of Cuban refugees being organized by the United States government. He and several classmates decided to enlist.

“As an 18-year-old with a lot of ideals and a big heart, I wanted to be back in my country and be free and be able to do what I wanted,” Portuondo said. “I enrolled in the invasion and shipped to Guatemala for training.”

Remembering the invasion

About 1,500 Cuban exiles, with the backing of the CIA, attempted to invade the island nation at the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961, in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s fledgling Communist government. More than 100 of the U.S.-backed fighters either drowned or were killed in action. Another 1,200 of the fighters, known as Brigade 2506, were taken prisoner after running out of ammunition and spent about 20 months in captivity before their release was negotiated.

Today, only about 200 of the veterans remain, the youngest of whom are in their 80s. They’re hosting the grand reopening of the Bay of Pigs Brigade 2506 Museum and Library in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood this month to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

“The museum’s purpose is not only to cement the legacy of what thousands of men did on that day, but also, from a historic perspective, to tell the new generations that freedom has a price,” Portuondo said.

Rafael Montalvo, president of the Brigade 2506 Veterans Association, said the museum will also educate visitors about the harm caused by decades of Communist dictatorship.

“The Bay of Pigs is a historical moment that defined the future of Cuba, of the United States, of Miami, and of many Latin American countries, because the failure of that intervention made communism stay in Cuba forever and change the country completely,” Montalvo said.

The Cuban Revolution started in 1953 as an armed revolt, led by Castro, against the U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Following an early failed attack, revolutionaries reorganized as a guerrilla force, and the movement gained support among Cuban citizens dissatisfied with inequality and corruption. Batista fled the island on Jan. 1, 1959, leaving Castro to take power, establish a socialist state, nationalized foreign assets and become allies with the former Soviet Union. Nearly a quarter million Cubans had fled to the U.S. by the time of the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962.

Supporting the president

Like most older Cuban Americans, most Brigade members have historically leaned conservative. But the group broke with a half-century tradition of not endorsing individual candidates by officially supporting U.S. President Donald Trump ’s first campaign and then reaffirming that endorsement four years later.

“You have to understand that Trump, in 2016, he came here and campaigned,” Montalvo said. “And we, for the first time ever, backed a president — politically backed him. And he made certain promises to us when he was here.”

Those promises included adding new sanctions to Cuba and reversing former President Barack Obama’s policies that loosened restrictions on travel and commerce. Now they’re hoping that Trump can finally remove the current Cuban government for good, which will likely require action from the U.S. military.

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have called for a change in Cuba’s leadership, with ongoing talks between the U.S. and Cuba in their early stages, according to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. A punishing U.S. blockade has led to increased blackouts, with just a single fuel delivery in the past three months.

While Montalvo sees the need for the U.S. military, he doesn’t want a U.S. invasion and occupation of Cuba. The ideal situation would be a revolt by Cuban citizens with backing from the U.S., followed by American investment and infrastructure to redevelop the island.

“I don’t want to see American boots on the ground in Cuba,” Montalvo said. “I would hate to see an American soldier die because of Cuba’s freedom. I mean, we have to die ourselves before that happens.”

Montalvo said his group trusts Rubio, a Miami-born Cuban American, to guide Trump. But whatever happens, Montalvo said the current government in Cuba needs to be removed completely.

“We ask them that if they’re not going to get rid of the mafia that is in power right now, don’t do anything,” Montalvo said. “Because to make change in Cuba that is just for the photographs, like they did in Venezuela, in Cuba it’s not going to work.”

In January, Trump directed the U.S. military to enter Venezuela and capture then-President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro’s party remains in power, and Maduro’s former vice president now leads the country.

Fighting for Freedom

Carlos Leon, a member of Brigade 2506, said he might be more naive than his brothers. Still, despite never questioning or regretting his own participation in the Bay of Pigs Invasion, he just doesn’t see how dropping bombs and killing people is going to improve anything in Cuba. Leon acknowledged that Trump’s war in Iran has made it even less clear that his administration can effectively liberate Cuba.

“How many Cubans are you going to kill? How many more enemies in Cuba are you going to create by killing all those Cubans?” Leon said. “How do you feel because the gringos send the Marines and the Air Force and kill or mutilate X number of Cubans? What kind of a country, what kind of morale do you have as a Cuban?”

The original Bay of Pigs museum opened in 1988 at an old home in Little Havana. It held a collection of photographs, documents and other memorabilia, as well as a documentary film about the three-day invasion. The new two-story, 11,000-square-foot facility was constructed on the same spot with funding from Miami-Dade County, the state of Florida and private donors.

The new building officially opens Friday with a ceremony for Brigade members and their families. The museum will reopen to the public after that.

Ernesto Freyre said joining Brigade 2506 was the most important action he has taken in his life.

“It was the biggest purpose and commitment that I took upon myself,” Freyre said.

Freyre said he’s been dreaming of a liberated Cuba since almost immediately after Castro took over. After nearly seven decades, he’s not sure if that will happen in his lifetime, with or without U.S. help.

“But at least I’m hoping that my descendants do see it,” Freyre said.

King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima stopped at the Shake-a-Leg marina on Wednesday morning in Coconut Grove.

The royals met with people with disabilities who are passionate about water sports and with a group of representatives of companies in the maritime industry.

“It’s wonderful to actually see the maritime industry in the Netherlands actually collaborated so well with the American one, so I think good for both countries,” the Argentine-born queen said on Wednesday in Coconut Grove.

The royal couple’s itinerary also included a visit to the Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Kendall, which works with Dutch companies.

The royals were also set to tour the “Libertad” exhibition at The Freedom Tower, a museum and national landmark in downtown Miami. There will be a reception, and the king will deliver a speech.

On Tuesday, the king delivered a speech before Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd to highlight the importance of the state.

“For three of the countries in our Kingdom – Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten – Florida is the main U.S. trading partner,“ the king said. ”The islands are popular destinations for American tourists, and students from the Caribbean part of our Kingdom like to come here for their studies."

Also on Tuesday, the royal couple visited the Dr. Henry W. Mack / West Little River K- 8 Center, the Pérez Art Museum Miami in downtown, the Máximo Gómez Park, better known as Domino Park, in Little Havana, and the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science of the University of Miami in Virginia Key.

More on their visit

• Dutch king, queen make stop in Miami during US visit

On Wednesday the San Francisco-based company said it had signed a definitive agreement with an unnamed institutional investor for $50 million in financing to shift its business to AI infrastructure. It will also have a new name: NewBird AI. It plans to use the proceeds to purchase graphics processing units, known as GPUs. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of this year.

“The rise of AI development and adoption has created unprecedented structural demand for specialized, high-performance compute that the market is struggling to meet,” the company said in the release. “NewBird AI is being built to help close that gap.”

The drastic change of direction has some industry watchers scratching their heads.

“On the surface, it’s a strange pivot,” said AI infrastructure expert Bill Kleyman. “I’ve been in this industry a while, and a company like Allbirds moving from shoes into AI infrastructure is not a very natural adjacency.”

It’s unclear how Allbirds will reinvent itself as a “GPU-as-a-service” business that rents out computing power to AI companies. That means selling access to a huge number of graphics processors, or other specialized AI computer chips designed by companies like Nvidia or AMD, that operate in big data centers typically run by cloud computing giants like Amazon or Oracle.

The business of running physical AI infrastructure “requires access to GPUs in a constrained market, long-term power agreements, advanced cooling strategies, and a credible operating model,” said Kleyman, CEO and co-founder of Apolo.us.

The announcement comes more than two weeks after Allbirds sold its intellectual property and certain other assets and liabilities to American Exchange Group, a leader in accessories design, licensing and manufacturing, for $39 million. The company owns such retail brands as Aerosoles, White Mountain, Jonathan Adler and Ed Hardy.

That's a dramatic fall from the Allbirds' peak in valuation at $4 billion in late 2021. The company had said that it would not be issuing its quarterly earnings report that was set for March 31.

The latest development marks a dramatic departure from when the company was founded in 2015 by former professional soccer player Tim Brown and renewable resources expert Joey Zwillinger. Its mission: to create footwear from natural material, not synthetics. A year later, Allbirds launched its iconic wool runner shoe. But the company overexpanded, like many dot.com brands that opened physical stores. And many consumers lost interest.

In February, the brand shuttered most of its remaining stores to focus on e-commerce, partnerships with stores and international distributorship. It still operates two outlet stores in the U.S. and two full-price stores in London.

Shares of Allbirds soared more than 600% on Wednesday’s news, and are hovering nearly $18 in late afternoon trading. A few days ago, the stock was trading at $3. It once traded at $520 per share.

Kleyman said the stock market surge looks “more like initial excitement and speculative momentum tied to anything AI rather than validation of execution.”

Kleyman also noted that $50 million is not a lot to enter into an infrastructure-heavy market and added that it seems everybody wants to be an AI company.

“Some of those shifts are real and strategic,” he said. “Others feel more reactive. In this case, I think it’s fair to say it can come across as a bit desperate. The underlying business struggled, and AI presents a compelling narrative reset.”

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AP Technology reporter Matt O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

“Tenemos una situación muy difícil en salud. Hemos sido pacientes, pero necesitamos que el modelo se consolide de tal manera que garantice una salud digna”, dijo a The Associated Press Domingo Ayala Espitia, presidente del sindicato Federación Colombiana de Trabajadores de la Educación (Fecode).

En Bogotá atendieron a la convocatoria del sindicato maestros de departamentos del centro del país como Boyacá, Casanare y Cundinamarca. Mientras tanto, se replicaron manifestaciones en ciudades como Medellín, Cúcuta, Bucaramanga y Pereira.

La inconformidad con el sistema de salud se ha sostenido luego de que en 2024 entró en vigencia el nuevo modelo de salud con un enfoque en la prevención de enfermedades, que prometía eliminar la intermediación de privados, dando al Estado la responsabilidad de operar el sistema.

Se trató de una apuesta clave del gobierno de Gustavo Petro, primer izquierdista en la presidencia del país, que modificó el régimen especial de salud de los maestros con los principios que, según considera, deberían regir también en el sistema de salud para el resto del país, pero que el Congreso ha rechazado.

“Nosotros no estamos en contra del modelo, sino que pedimos que se cumpla”, aclaró Ayala Espitia recalcando que no estaban protestando contra el gobierno de Petro, al cual el sindicato de maestros ha apoyado en su mandato, sino en contra de quienes están a cargo del servicio de salud.

En el diario vivir, los maestros alegan demoras para acceder a citas médicas y recibir medicamentos. Blanca Turriago, maestra de Fómeque, un municipio a 50 kilómetros de Bogotá, relató a AP que hay escasa disponibilidad en los hospitales de su zona cuando se requieren médicos especialistas.

“Para los especialistas que necesitamos, porque la mayoría somos adultos mayores, no tenemos disponibilidad porque no los contratan. En la semana va un solo especialista para atender toda la población”, relató Turriago.

Fallas de implementación

En el modelo actual de salud, la Fiduprevisora —entidad vinculada al Ministerio de Hacienda— administra los recursos del fondo de prestaciones sociales del magisterio FOMAG, atendiendo a más de 800.000 afiliados, entre maestros y sus familiares.

Herman Bayona, vicepresidente de FOMAG, reconoció a la AP que existen “situaciones irregulares y que la prestación del servicio no se condice con las condiciones dignas de atención” para los maestros. Indicó que están trabajando en las mejoras, pero que estabilizar la atención del nuevo modelo de salud no se dará en el corto plazo.

Para Bayona, las fallas no son del nuevo modelo, sino de la ausencia de su implementación que, asegura, ha sido bloqueada por “intereses económicos de las IPS (instituciones prestadoras de servicios de salud) y otros intereses políticos”.

En las calles del centro de Bogotá, los maestros reclamaban con un megáfono que el sistema de salud estaba siendo saboteado por la “extrema derecha”. Petro también ha denunciado que ha sido saboteado y ha pedido que se investiguen presuntos casos de corrupción.

El nuevo modelo de salud prometió llevar la atención en salud a los territorios más apartados del país e implementar la salud preventiva. Sin embargo, Bayona reconoció que esa territorialización no se ha logrado, asegurando que hay un “monopolio” de ciertas IPS que continúan concentrando la atención en las urbes.

Page Six publicó fotos de la figura de reality sonriendo al llegar al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight de Miami-Dade la mañana del miércoles, acompañada de su abogada, Jayne Weintraub.

Registros carcelarios en línea muestran que tenía una orden de arresto en su contra y una fianza de $5,000 USD.

Un documento judicial del 19 de marzo, obtenido inicialmente por Local 10 News, indica que Hochstein y su ex novio, Jody Glidden, de 52 años, enfrentan cada uno un cargo por interceptación de comunicaciones telefónicas, orales o electrónicas.

La descripción de los cargos indica que entre el 12 y el 31 de marzo de 2023, ambos “interceptaron ilegal e intencionalmente”, intentaron interceptar o intentaron que otra persona interceptara “declaraciones orales de Leonard Hochstein y de las personas con las que hablaba”.

Los registros muestran que Glidden fue detenido el sábado. Desde entonces, fue liberado de la cárcel.

Leonard “Lenny” Hochstein, un destacado cirujano plástico del sur de Florida, es el ex esposo de Lisa Hochstein. Ambos comparten dos hijos.

Según un artículo de Page Six de mayo de 2023, Lenny Hochstein acusó a su ex esposa de colocar un “dispositivo de escucha” en su automóvil con el fin de “monitorear” sus llamadas.

Lisa Hochstein negó las acusaciones a Page Six.

Weintraub, abogada defensora de Lisa Hochstein, y los abogados Howard Srebnick y Frank Gaviria, defensa de Glidden, emitieron una declaración conjunta a Local 10 News el lunes por la tarde en la que afirmaron: “Este asunto es parte de un proceso de divorcio contencioso y no corresponde a un tribunal penal”.

Por su parte, la Fiscalía Estatal de Miami-Dade indicó a Local 10 News que la orden judicial se encuentra actualmente bajo reserva.

Leer en español

Officers with the Coral Springs Police Department said they took Wesley Henrique Ferreira Ramos Pereira into custody on Thursday outside of Coral Park Elementary School, located at 8401 Westview Drive.

According to police, detectives with CSPD’s Strategic Enforcement Team were helping the Broward Sheriff’s Office in surveilling Ferreira Ramos Pereira, who was wanted by BSO for three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, as well as a charge of culpable negligence.

Investigators said they tracked Ferreira Ramos Pereira to the school, where he was working as a painter and helping paint the walls of classrooms inside the school.

Several detectives surrounded Ferreira Ramos Pereira as he walked to his car outside the school, but when police said he refused to get on the ground, a K9 unit was deployed to assist in taking Ferreira Ramos Pereira into custody.

He did not appear in the online Broward jail database on Wednesday.

Agentes del Departamento de Policía de Coral Springs informaron que detuvieron a Wesley Henrique Ferreira Ramos Pereira el jueves afuera de la Coral Park Elementary School, ubicada en 8401 Westview Drive.

Según la policía, detectives del equipo de cumplimiento estratégico de CSPD estaban ayudando a la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward en la vigilancia de Ferreira Ramos Pereira, quien era buscado por BSO por tres cargos de agresión agravada con arma mortal, además de un cargo de negligencia culposa.

Los investigadores dijeron que rastrearon a Ferreira Ramos Pereira hasta la escuela, donde trabajaba como pintor y ayudaba a pintar las paredes de los salones.

Varios detectives rodearon a Ferreira Ramos Pereira cuando caminaba hacia su auto afuera de la escuela, pero al negarse a tirarse al suelo, la policía desplegó una unidad K9 para ayudar a detenerlo.

No aparecía en la base de datos en línea de la cárcel de Broward el miércoles.

Terms were not released, per club policy, but ESPN reported it was a three-year, $5 million supermax contract that is the most lucrative in WNBA history.

“A’ja is truly one of one, who has led this franchise to where it is today,” Aces president and general manager Nikki Fargas said in a statement. “Not only has she catapulted into the history books and surpassed almost every record in existence, but she does so with the utmost confidence, authenticity and grace. We look forward to continuing to see her thrive in an Aces uniform.”

In addition to Wilson — last season named WNBA MVP and The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year — the Aces have re-signed stars Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd, among other key contributors to their third title in four seasons.

Also Wednesday, the Aces signed guard Chennedy Carter to a training camp contract. She last played in the WNBA in 2024 with Chicago and averaged 17.4 points and 3.4 assists. She also had a high-profile takedown of Caitlin Clark and has been dogged by issues with teammates over her career.

A veteran team led by Wilson, whose leadership last season took the Aces from potentially not making the playoffs to a 16-game winning streak and eventual championship, likely wouldn't tolerate unneeded distractions.

Wilson is building a case as the WNBA's best-ever player, and coach Becky Hammon has said her superstar forward is alone on Mount Everest.

No player can match Wilson's four MVP awards. She also took home the trophy in 2020, 2022 and 2024 and was the unanimous choice in 2024.

Wilson also was named the league co-Defensive Player of the Year last season, sharing the honor with Minnesota’s Alanna Smith. It was Wilson's third such award in four years.

She led the WNBA last season in scoring with 23.4 points per game and in blocked shots with a 2.3 average.

It was the second year in a row Wilson averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. She is the only WNBA player to do that even once while playing at least 15 games.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Duran made the gesture as he returned to the dugout after a fifth-inning groundout in Boston’s 6-0 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night at Target Field.

“We were made aware of the situation late last night and are looking into it,” Twins senior vice president of communications and public affairs Dustin Morse said. “There's no place in our game for conduct like that.”'

MLB confirmed its own investigation, per standard practice of reviewing the conduct of both the player and the fan before determining any potential discipline.

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

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“Somebody just told me to kill myself. I’m used to it at this point, you know?” Duran said after the game, adding that he "shouldn’t react like that, but that kind of stuff is still kind of triggering.”

Duran discussed bouts with severe depression and a suicide attempt in a Netflix documentary series that debuted last year.

“Honestly, it’s my fault for talking about my mental health because I kind of brought in the haters. So I’ve just got to get used to it,” Duran said. “I was just trying to hold it in and not really bring that up to the team. I mean, we’re trying to win a game. I shouldn’t even bring that up to anybody. ... It just happens.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game he hadn’t witnessed the confrontation or reviewed video of it, but he shared his thoughts with reporters ahead of the series finale on Wednesday.

“I know the Twins are all over the case and trying to find out who he was, and hopefully they find the person," Cora said, adding that if found “it’s probably the last big-league game that that person is going to attend.”

“We have Jarren’s back. Like I said last year, for him to open up, he saved lives,” Cora added. "And it’s not easy. It’s not easy because, like he said, we’re in the business of winning games, and he doesn’t want to be a distraction. And he’s not a distraction. He’s not. He’s just a player that plays for the Red Sox and has our full support.”

Duran played all nine innings in left field on Wednesday, going 0 for 5 with a run scored in Boston's 9-5 victory.

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AP Sports Writers Ronald Blum in New York and Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

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

Now she is pitching a compromise.

The moderate Democrat says she will push to create a new tax on multimillion-dollar second homes in New York City known as pied-à-terres, attempting to appease Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his supporters while also tending to her concerns about destabilizing the state's finances.

The idea, announced Wednesday, would allow the city to impose a tax surcharge on secondary residences worth over $5 million, with the governor's office saying it could generate at least $500 million annually as Mamdani moves to fill a multibillion dollar budget hole and fund his ambitious agenda.

“As Governor, I understand the importance of stabilizing the city’s finances without compromising on essential services New Yorkers count on," Hochul said in a statement. "If you can afford a $5 million second home that sits empty most of the year, you can afford to contribute like every other New Yorker.”

The governor's office said she would include the measure in this year's state budget, a sprawling bundle of bills that are still being hotly negotiated in Albany after the governor and Legislature blew past an April 1 due date for the spending plan.

Mamdani, who has called for a much broader tax increase on the rich, cast the proposal as a win, saying in a statement that it places him “one step closer to balancing our budget by taxing the ultra-wealthy and global elites.”

At an unrelated forum focused on taxes, Mamdani, appearing in front of a large banner that read “Tax The Rich,” said the proposal would target the “super wealthy who can purchase properties and use them to store their wealth to benefit from New York City’s real estate market but not have to pay back into that same city.”

Hochul has long rejected increasing personal income or corporate taxes, arguing that such measures would further incentivize residents and big businesses to flee the city for states with lower tax rates, thereby eroding the state’s tax base.

Still, the calls have followed her, with progressives chanting “tax the rich” when she appears at events, and even when she was at an annual political conference in San Juan late last year.

The governor is also contending with a possible political vulnerability over raising taxes as she runs for a second full term in office and tries to fend off Republican criticisms over high taxes in the state.

Her Republican challenger this fall, Bruce Blakeman, wasted little time in turning the proposal into a familiar attack.

“Kathy Hochul’s ‘No Tax Hike’ promise has expired faster than the families fleeing New York’s affordability crisis," said Blakeman, a county executive in the city's suburbs. “Unlike Hochul, I’ll actually keep my word when I’m governor: I’ll cut your taxes, slash your utility bills in half, and protect the American Dream.”

Mamdani, a Democrat, has urged the governor and state Legislature to raise taxes on the rich, calling for wealthy residents to pitch in more money for programs intended to help the city's struggling working-class.

At the same time, he also finds himself confronting a massive budget gap — which he first put at around $12 billion but later revised to about $5 billion after savings and financial assistance from the state — that could imperil his agenda and city services more widely.

At a news conference, Hochul said the proposal will help the city close its budget gap without having to cut services, but said the mayor and City Council must find additional savings as they move to balance their budget.

“Our goal is to get the city on stable ground, to close the gap so we can take the pressure off,” she said.

A Manhattan federal jury deliberated for four days before reaching its decision Wednesday in the closely watched case, which gave fans the equivalent of a backstage pass to a business that dominates live entertainment in the U.S. and beyond.

“It's a great day for antitrust law,” a jubilant attorney, Jeffrey Kessler, said as he emerged from the courthouse.

Earlier, the judge told lawyers on both sides to meet with one another “and the United States” to provide a joint letter proposing a schedule for motions and how the remedies phase of the case would occur. He told them to deliver it by late next week.

The trial brought Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino to the witness stand, where he was questioned about matters including the company’s Taylor Swift ticket debacle in 2022. Rapino blamed a cyberattack.

The proceedings also aired a Live Nation employee’s internal messages to another employee declaring some prices “outrageous,” calling customers “so stupid” and boasting that the company was “robbing them blind, baby.” The employee, Benjamin Baker, who has since been promoted to a position as a ticketing executive, apologetically testified that the messages were “very immature and unacceptable.”

Live Nation Entertainment owns, operates, controls booking for or has an equity interest in hundreds of venues. Its subsidiary Ticketmaster is widely considered to be the world’s largest ticket-seller for live events. Its lawyers did not immediately comment as they left the courthouse, but said a statement would be issued shortly.

The verdict could cost Live Nation and Ticketmaster hundreds of millions of dollars, just for the $1.72 per ticket that the jury found Ticketmaster had overcharged consumers in 22 states. The companies could also be assessed penalties. In addition, sanctions could result in court orders that they divest themselves of some entities, including venues such as amphitheaters that they own.

The civil case, initially led by the U.S. federal government, accused Live Nation of using its reach to smother competition — by blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers, for example.

“It is time to hold them accountable,” Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the states, said in a closing argument, calling Live Nation a “monopolistic bully” that drove up prices for ticket buyers.

Live Nation insisted it's not a monopoly, saying that artists, sports teams and venues decide prices and ticketing practices. A company lawyer insisted its size was simply a function of excellence and effort.

“Success is not against the antitrust laws in the United States,” attorney David Marriott said in his summation.

Ticketmaster was established in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010. The company now controls of 86% of the market for concerts and 73% of the overall market when sports events are included, according to Kessler.

Ticketmaster has long drawn ire from fans and some artists. Grunge rock titans Pearl Jam battled the business in the 1990s, even filing an anti-monopoly complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, which declined to bring a case then.

Decades later, the Justice Department, joined by dozens of states, brought the current lawsuit during Democratic former President Joe Biden's administration. Days into the trial, Republican President Donald Trump's administration announced it was settling its claims against Live Nation.

The deal included a cap on service fees at some amphitheaters, plus some new ticket-selling options for promoters and venues — potentially allowing, but not requiring, them to open doors to Ticketmaster competitors such as SeatGeek or AXS. But the settlement doesn't force Live Nation to split from Ticketmaster.

A handful of the states joined the settlement. But more than 30 pressed ahead with the trial, saying the federal government hadn't gotten enough concessions from Live Nation.

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a release that the “landmark jury verdict in our case against Live Nation confirms what we have said since the start of our case: For far too long, Live Nation has illegally profited from its monopoly at the expense of hardworking New Jerseyans.”

“Live Nation’s illegal, anti-competitive practices have caused immense damage in our state, exploiting consumers by driving up the price of tickets and making it harder for fans to see their favorite artists,” she added.

New York Attorney General Letitia James called the verdict "a landmark victory in our ongoing work to protect our economy and New Yorkers’ wallets from harmful monopolies.”

After the victory, Kessler would not say specifically what the states will seek in the next phase of the litigation, which was expected to involve another lengthy proceeding with witnesses before penalties are decided on.

But he celebrated the moment.

“It’s a great day for consumers. This case is a tribute to the 34 states and the District of Columbia who carried this case forward,” he said.

“This settlement will create a safer environment for our children online, and I hope that it will serve as a bellwether for how online interactive platforms allow our state’s youth to use their products,” the Democratic attorney general said Wednesday.

Roblox, which is used by nearly half U.S. children under 16, will give $10 million over three years to support programs like the Boys & Girls Club and other nondigital activities, Ford said. It will also fund a law enforcement liaison position to respond to safety concerns about the platform and fund an online safety awareness campaign, Ford said.

The settlement, which was agreed upon in lieu of litigation, includes enhanced protections for minors who use the app, such as requiring age verification for all users and restricting nighttime notifications for minors. The gaming platform faces litigation in other states, including Texas and Kentucky, which allege it fails to protect children.

“Roblox is proud to have worked alongside Attorney General Ford to reach this landmark agreement, which builds on our work to establish a new standard for digital safety,” Roblox Chief Safety Officer Matt Kaufman said in a statement.

Kaufman said the agreement creates a blueprint for how industry and regulators can work together to protect children.

The settlement comes as prosecutors have filed lawsuits against social media companies over the role they play in children’s lives. Last month in California and New Mexico, social media companies like Meta and YouTube were found liable for designing their platforms to hook young users and were ordered to pay over $375 million in penalties.

Ford also has lawsuits pending against Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Kik, alleging the companies failed to implement safety measures for children.

As part of the agreement, Roblox will implement facial age estimation technology to limit younger users’ chats to only those in similar age groups. Adult users and users under 16 will not be allowed to chat unless they are communicating with a trusted friend, Ford said. A trusted friend can be added through a QR code or their phone contacts to ensure the child knows the person outside of the platform, he said. The company will also monitor activity to see if a user lied about their age, he said.

Roblox will create kids accounts for users under ages 16 that blocks access to adult-rated content and provides games vetted for suitability. The agreement also expands parental oversight to users under 16. That oversight was previously available for users under 13.

Donch’e King, supervising criminal investigator at the attorney general's office, said half a million online predators pursue children at any given moment, often across multiple platforms. The majority of predatory contact occurs through chat rooms and instant messaging, he said. He urged parents to communicate frankly with their children about the platforms they are on and to report concerns to law enforcement.

“Protecting Nevada’s children is not an option; it’s our duty,” King said.

The court's newest justice, Jackson delivered a lengthy assessment of roughly two dozen court orders issued last year that allowed President Donald Trump to put in place controversial policies on immigration, steep federal funding cuts and other topics, after lower courts found they were likely illegal.

While designed to be short-term, those orders have largely allowed Trump to move ahead — for now — with key parts of his sweeping agenda.

Jackson spoke for nearly an hour on Monday at Yale Law School, which posted a video of the event on Wednesday.

Last week, Justice Sonia Sotomayor similarly talked about emergency orders in an event Tuesday at the University of Alabama that also took issue with the conservatives' approach.

Jackson has previously criticized the emergency orders both in dissenting opinions and in an unusual appearance with Justice Brett Kavanaugh last month. But her talk at Yale, addressing the public rather than the other eight justices, was notable.

She referred to orders, which often are issued with little or no explanation as “back-of-the-envelope, first-blush impressions of the merits of the legal issue.”

Worse still, she said, was that the court then insists that “those scratch-paper musings” be applied by lower courts in other cases.

The orders suffer from an additional problem, she said, a failure to acknowledge that real people are involved, making them “seem oblivious and thus ring hollow.”

She also pushed back on the court's assessment that preventing the president from putting his policy in place also is a harm that often outweighs what the challengers to a policy might face.

“The president of the United States, though he may be harmed in an abstract way, he certainly isn't harmed if what he wants to do is illegal,” Jackson said during a question-and-answer session with law school dean Cristina Rodriguez.

The court used to be reluctant to step into cases early in the legal process, she said. “There is value in avoiding having the court continually touching the third rail of every divisive policy issue in American life,” Jackson said.

While she said she couldn't explain the change, “in recent years, the Supreme Court has taken a decidedly different approach to addressing emergency stay applications. It has been noticeably less restrained, especially with respect to pending cases that involve controversial matters.”

Jackson, often joined by Sotomayor and Justice Elena Kagan, has frequently dissented.

There have been conversations about emergency orders among the justices, Jackson said, but she decided to speak publicly with the goal of being “a catalyst for change.”

The 47-52 vote was the fourth time this year that the Senate has voted to cede its war powers to the president in a conflict that Democrats say is illegal and unjustified. Republicans say they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime leadership, for now, citing Iran’s nuclear capabilities, the potential for ongoing talks and the high stakes of withdrawal.

Still, GOP lawmakers are anxious for the conflict to end, and some are eyeing future votes that could become an important test for the president if the war drags on. And the outcome of a war powers vote in the House, expected this week, is uncertain.

Under the War Powers Act of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize use of force within 60 days of its start — a deadline that will arrive at the end of this month. The law provides for a potential 30-day extension of that deadline, but lawmakers have made clear that they want the administration to soon lay out a plan for the end of the conflict.

After the 60-day or 90-day deadline, “it’s time to fish or cut bait,” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. “I think that the administration would be wise to put together what would look like a well-founded authorization of military force and a funding strategy."

Republican senators mull a war powers resolution

While voting against the Democratic efforts to stop the war, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has been talking to her GOP colleagues about a resolution that would authorize the conflict beyond the 60-day deadline.

She said last month that the Democratic measures would hurt the troops by prompting an abrupt withdrawal. But she said that Congress should eventually draft an authorization of force and vote on it “so the American people know the limits and objectives of this military operation.”

“There is no question that the president should have sought authorization from Congress before striking Iran on this scale, likewise bringing in our allies ahead of time as they now are equally in danger," she said at the beginning of March.

Utah Sen. John Curtis said Wednesday that he had looked at Murkowski's draft and provided feedback, but would not share details. “I think we are all watching” the war and its timeline, Curtis said, adding that he hopes it ends before the deadline.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., also said he would like to see the war end in the coming weeks. If not, he said, “at the end of 60 days, I think we need to vote on a military authorization.”

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said that the president's power “is not unlimited as commander in chief.”

“If this conflict exceeds the 60 days specified in the War Powers Act, or if the President deploys troops on the ground, I believe that Congress should have to authorize those actions," Collins said in a statement.

Republican leaders are noncommittal

It remains unclear if Republican leaders would go along with a vote to authorize the war. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said this week that “at this point most of us I think feel pretty good about what the military has achieved" in Iran.

But Thune did say that “they do need a plan for how to wind this down, how to get an outcome that actually leads to a safer, more secure Middle East and, by extension, a stronger national security position for the United States.”

Thune said another “inflection point” will be an eventual White House request for war funding. Congress is still waiting for the request, which could total hundreds of billions of dollars.

That is a “power that Congress has to influence what happens there,” Thune said.

Republican Sen. Jim Lankford of Oklahoma said that war funding will “be the big vote." He added that the question, then, will be: “Is it going to happen or is it not going to happen?” Lankford said.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that at the 60-day deadline, Congress isn’t going to “jump up and say that’s it, it’s one second past 60 days, everybody come home.”

Some of the people who want a vote just want to embarrass Trump, Kennedy said.

“I want to see us achieve our objective in Iran,” Kennedy said. “And then I want to see us get out.”

Democrats say war is illegal, unnecessary

Democrats have vowed to force votes on the Senate floor as long as the war continues.

“As our troops continue to sacrifice whatever is asked of them, we senators need to do the absolute minimum required of us,” said Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Iraq war veteran who lost both legs in combat, before Wednesday’s vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that with gas prices climbing, “the American people literally cannot afford for Republicans to forgo another opportunity to work with Democrats to end Trump’s disastrous war.”

___

Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Steven Sloan contributed to this report.

BSO deputies arrested Cortlin Baker on Tuesday, and he was at the Broward County Main Jail on Wednesday, in Fort Lauderdale, with a Monroe County hold, according to inmate records.

“It’s another fine example of the great partnerships between law enforcement agencies in South Florida,” Brandenburg said in the statement.

Key West detectives accused Baker, of Pompano Beach, of changing the value of a check from $15 to $5,000, and the name of the payee to his, according to the KWPD statement.

Baker is facing charges of grand theft and uttering a forged instrument.

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According to North Miami Beach police, the incident happened outside of Daily Supermarket, located at 16851 NE 15th Ave., just before 11:45 a.m. Tuesday.

An arrest report states that the victim was returning to his vehicle when Arking Wesley Passmore, 21, came up to him brandishing a knife and told him “to hand over his car keys.”

Authorities said the victim ran away and Passmore briefly followed him but then went the opposite way. Police said the victim then flagged down a North Miami Beach police officer to report the incident.

According to the report, officers located and followed Passmore to his home on Northeast 176th Street, a few blocks north of the food store. Police said they took Passmore into custody on an attempted armed carjacking charge, as well as for a warrant out of Broward County.

Records show the Broward case involves a failure to appear in drug court on a felony cannabis possession charge.

A judge ordered Passmore held without bond on Wednesday morning. As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, online records show.

De acuerdo con la policía de North Miami Beach, el incidente ocurrió afuera del Daily Supermarket, ubicado en 16851 NE 15th Ave., poco antes de las 11:45 a.m. del martes.

Un informe de arresto indica que la víctima regresaba a su vehículo cuando Arking Wesley Passmore, de 21 años, se le acercó mostrando un cuchillo y le dijo que “le entregara las llaves del auto”.

Las autoridades dijeron que la víctima salió corriendo y Passmore lo siguió brevemente antes de irse en dirección contraria. Luego, la víctima detuvo a un agente de policía de North Miami Beach para reportar el incidente.

Según el informe, los agentes localizaron y siguieron a Passmore hasta su casa en Northeast 176th Street, a pocas cuadras de la tienda. La policía indicó que lo arrestaron por intento de robo de auto a mano armada, además de una orden judicial pendiente del condado Broward.

Los registros muestran que el caso en Broward involucra una incomparecencia ante la corte de drogas por un cargo grave de posesión de cannabis.

Un juez ordenó que Passmore permaneciera detenido sin derecho a fianza el miércoles por la mañana. Hasta la tarde del miércoles, se encontraba en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según registros en línea.

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Deputies said the suspect, Terrell Rashard Robbins, was arrested in connection with the attack, which happened around 11:30 p.m. Monday near the 1900 block of Northwest 77th Street.

They said Robbins, 33, arrived at the victim’s home, got out of his vehicle with a knife in his right hand, and stabbed the victim repeatedly.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with about 11 puncture wounds and an abrasion, according to Robbins’ arrest report.

The report states that the victim suffered lacerations to the left jaw, shoulders, biceps, chest, back and buttocks, requiring stitches and staples.

During the altercation, deputies said the victim bit Robbins on his right hand, injuring his pinky.

They said Robbins was taken to North Shore Medical Center and was expected to be transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital due to the extent of his injury. At one point, investigators said they considered Robbins a victim as well.

In a statement around 2:04 a.m., deputies said Robbins told them that he went to the victim’s home to discuss a prior incident.

They said Robbins claimed that while approaching Northwest 77th Street and Northwest 19th Avenue, two masked men exited a khaki-colored sedan and attacked both him and the victim before fleeing.

However, in a statement given about an hour later, the victim said Robbins arrived unannounced and began arguing over issues involving the victim’s daughter, who shares a child with Robbins, according to the report.

The report states that the victim told investigators Robbins became upset about his involvement in their affairs and began stabbing him. Authorities said the victim claimed he bit Robbins in self-defense.

After initially refusing to speak with detectives following a Miranda warning, deputies said Robbins later requested to speak with investigators and agreed to give a statement.

Robbins said he confronted the victim over an incident from several years ago and “felt threatened” after believing the victim had been watching him and driving past his home on multiple occasions, according to the report.

The report states that Robbins told investigators the confrontation turned physical, and he pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed the victim multiple times. He also said the victim asked him to stay and call police after the attack, according to investigators.

Deputies said shortly after the victim was stabbed, he was then struck by a vehicle that remained at the scene.

MDSO told Local 10 News the victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to be released from the hospital Wednesday.

Jail records show Robbins is facing one count of attempted second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.

As of Wednesday, Robbins was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as “to be set.”

Robbins’ mugshot wasn’t immediately available.

Los agentes indicaron que el sospechoso, Terrell Rashard Robbins, fue arrestado en relación con el ataque, ocurrido alrededor de las 11:30 p.m. del lunes cerca de la cuadra 1900 de Northwest 77th Street.

Según dijeron, Robbins, de 33 años, llegó a la vivienda de la víctima, salió de su vehículo con un cuchillo en la mano derecha y lo apuñaló repetidamente.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladó a la víctima al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital con alrededor de 11 heridas punzantes y una abrasión, según el informe de arresto.

El informe indica que la víctima sufrió laceraciones en la mandíbula izquierda, hombros, bíceps, pecho, espalda y glúteos, requiriendo suturas y grapas.

Durante el altercado, los agentes dijeron que la víctima mordió a Robbins en la mano derecha, lesionándole el dedo meñique.

Indicaron que Robbins fue llevado al North Shore Medical Center y se esperaba su traslado al Jackson Memorial Hospital debido a la gravedad de su lesión. En un momento, los investigadores consideraron a Robbins también como víctima.

En una declaración alrededor de las 2:04 a.m., los agentes dijeron que Robbins les indicó que fue a la casa de la víctima para discutir un incidente previo.

Señaló que, al acercarse a Northwest 77th Street y Northwest 19th Avenue, dos hombres enmascarados salieron de un sedán color caqui y atacaron tanto a él como a la víctima antes de huir.

Sin embargo, en una declaración aproximadamente una hora después, la víctima dijo que Robbins llegó sin previo aviso y comenzó a discutir por asuntos relacionados con la hija de la víctima, quien tiene un hijo con Robbins, según el informe.

El informe señala que la víctima dijo a los investigadores que Robbins se molestó por su participación en esos asuntos y comenzó a apuñalarlo. Las autoridades indicaron que la víctima afirmó que lo mordió en defensa propia.

Tras negarse inicialmente a hablar con los detectives después de recibir la advertencia Miranda, los agentes dijeron que Robbins luego solicitó hablar con los investigadores y aceptó dar una declaración.

Robbins dijo que confrontó a la víctima por un incidente de hace varios años y que “se sintió amenazado” al creer que la víctima lo había estado vigilando y pasando frente a su casa en múltiples ocasiones, según el informe.

El informe indica que Robbins dijo a los investigadores que la confrontación se volvió física, sacó un cuchillo de su bolsillo y apuñaló a la víctima varias veces. También afirmó que la víctima le pidió que se quedara y llamara a la policía después del ataque, según los investigadores.

Los agentes dijeron que poco después de ser apuñalada, la víctima fue atropellada por un vehículo que permaneció en el lugar.

La MDSO indicó a Local 10 News que la víctima sufrió heridas que no ponen en peligro su vida y se espera que sea dada de alta del hospital el miércoles.

Registros carcelarios muestran que Robbins enfrenta un cargo de intento de asesinato en segundo grado con un arma mortal.

Hasta el miércoles, Robbins permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde su fianza figura como “por determinar”.

La foto policial de Robbins no estaba disponible de inmediato.

The testimony from Russell Vought jump-starts the White House's push to increase defense spending to nearly $1.5 trillion in the next budget year, up from nearly $1 trillion this year, while cutting health research, heating assistance and scores of other domestic programs by about 10% overall. Such cuts do not cover mandatory spending, which includes such programs as Social Security and Medicare.

The debate over Trump's proposal underscored the sharp divide that will shape some of the most significant policy debates going into a midterm election that will give voters the ultimate say on the direction of the country.

“For the industrial base to double or triple and build more facilities, not just add shifts, it requires multiyear agreements to purchase into the future,” Vought told lawmakers. “That cost has to be booked in this first year.”

The White House is calling for about $1.1 trillion for defense through the regular appropriations process, which typically requires support from both parties for approval. An additional $350 billion would come through a separate bill that Republicans can accomplish on their own, through party-line majority votes.

Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the ranking Democratic member of the committee, said he believes in a strong national defense. But he said the idea of increasing defense by more than 40% while cutting programs that people need shows that the Republican administration's priorities are "out of whack.”

The committee chairman, Rep. Jodey Arrington predicted the hearing would be more “amped up” than usual, and that proved to be true, beginning with his opening statement focused on criticizing Democrat Joe Biden's presidency. Arrington, R-Texas, said he did not know of any president in his lifetime who “inherited such a complete and utter mess as President Trump did in January of last year.”

Since then, Arrington said, Trump has secured the border, cut taxes and constrained nondefense spending.

It was the beginning of several back-and-forths at the hearing.

“You know how bad this economy is when we hear Joe Biden being invoked, we hear trans people being invoked. I was waiting for Jimmy Carter to be blamed next," Boyle said in response to Arrington's opening remarks.

Boyle said consumer confidence is plummeting under Trump and noted a gas station he passed in Philadelphia recently was selling gas at $4.11 a gallon versus less than $3 a gallon some six weeks ago because of Trump's “war of choice in Iran.”

Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., called the proposed defense spending increase shocking.

“We've never in the history of this country seen spending like this, paid for by slashing health care, education and housing,” Balint said. “Mr. Vought, yes or no, is $350 billion for the war in Iran lowering costs for Americans?”

“It is certainly not defunding child care. We fully fund child care in this budget,” Vought said, not directly answering the question.

Balint went on to incorporate Trump's “America First” mantra in her questioning.

She said $350 billion could pay for an enhanced health insurance tax credit for 10 years and that her constituents are asking how the country can continue to spend money on wars and not find a solution to helping people afford health care.

Vought said the president has made clear he was not going to let Iran have a nuclear weapons, missiles and a navy that affect U.S. national security.

“He is doing what is necessary to keep us safe, while at the same time trying to pursue diplomacy so that we can get out of wars and lower those costs over time,” Vought said.

Vought said it was unclear how much the administration would seek to fund the war during the current budget year, which ends Sept. 30. That money would be part of an emergency supplemental spending bill and would be on top of the funds the White House is seeking to boost defense spending next year.

“Would it be more than $50 billion?” asked Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas.

“We're still working on it," Vought said. “I don't have a ballpark for you.”

Equipos del Servicio Meteorológico Nacional evaluaban los daños en lugares como Ann Arbor para determinar si uno o más tornados tocaron tierra, pero hasta la mañana del miércoles no se había confirmado ninguno. En cambio, los daños parecen haber sido causados por una línea de tormentas eléctricas que entró a Michigan desde Iowa, Wisconsin e Illinois, señaló la meteoróloga Sara Schultz.

Se reportó una ráfaga de viento de 112,6 km/h (70 mph) a la 1:49 de la mañana del miércoles en el estadio de fútbol americano de la universidad, mientras que se registraron ráfagas de 111 km/h (69 mph) y 99,7 km/h (62 mph) en el Aeropuerto Willow Run y el Aeropuerto Metropolitano de Detroit, indicó Schultz. Otra ronda de fuertes tormentas con vientos potencialmente dañinos avanzaba hacia la zona el miércoles desde varios estados del oeste.

El miércoles, calles y vecindarios de muchas comunidades del sureste de Michigan también quedaron inundados.

Algunos edificios de escuelas públicas en Ann Arbor sufrieron daños estructurales y muchos se quedaron sin electricidad. “El paso seguro para peatones y autobuses está en riesgo en gran parte de la ciudad debido a la caída de cables eléctricos, inundaciones, roturas de tuberías principales de agua, fugas de gas y árboles derribados y escombros”, escribió el distrito el miércoles en su página de Facebook.

Las escuelas y oficinas del distrito cerraron el miércoles debido a lo que funcionarios describieron como una interrupción de fibra que afecta los sistemas de incendios, telefonía y cámaras, así como el acceso a los edificios. Hasta el momento, se desconoce si la interrupción de fibra está relacionada con la tormenta.

El alcalde de Ann Arbor, Christopher Taylor, dijo que ingenieros estructurales evaluaban los daños en un muro de la pista de hielo del Veterans Memorial Park de la ciudad. Parte del techo de la pista de hielo Yost de la universidad fue arrancado.

A dos cuadras de donde trabajadores de servicios públicos lidiaban con piezas retorcidas de metal esparcidas en el suelo afuera de Yost, Seungjun Lee se sentía afortunado. Un enorme árbol frente a la casa alquilada que comparte con otras seis personas apenas rozó su dormitorio en el piso superior cuando la tormenta lo arrancó de raíz.

“Si el árbol hubiera caído un par de pies más, yo no estaría aquí”, afirmó Lee, un estudiante de 20 años que estudia el tercer año en la Universidad de Michigan. “Estaría en el hospital. Así que me siento muy afortunado de que… el techo lo haya detenido”.

Lee y sus compañeros de casa se despertaron por una sirena y luego por una alerta que sonó en sus teléfonos entre la 1 y las 2 de la mañana, instándolos a buscar refugio.

“En cuanto salí, todos los demás salían de sus habitaciones y decían: ‘¿Qué está pasando? Esto es una locura’”, relató Lee, de Ridgewood, Nueva Jersey. “Y luego miramos por la ventana: este árbol simplemente se cayó. Así que dijimos: ‘Oh, demonios’”.

Luego, un amigo del otro lado de la calle se acercó para ver cómo estaban.

“Él dijo: ‘¿Escucharon lo de Yost?’ Nosotros dijimos: ‘No’. Estábamos preocupados por nuestra casa. Así que fuimos caminando, lo revisamos y dijimos: ‘Es una locura’”, señaló Sam Zaruba, de 20 años y estudiante de tercer año de Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Sobre las clases del miércoles, Zaruba dijo que no irá. Pero su compañero de casa Gautam Nigam, un estudiante de tercer año de 21 años, también de Grand Rapids, sí tiene que hacerlo.

“Hoy tengo una presentación final”, dijo.

Las tormentas dejaron caer hasta 6,3 centímetros (2,5 pulgadas) de lluvia en varias partes del sureste de Michigan, lo que llevó a emitir vigilancias por inundaciones para una gran porción del este de la Península Inferior, el sureste de Michigan, el norte de Indiana y el noroeste de Ohio.

Se emitió un aviso de evacuación a última hora del martes para zonas bajas del condado de Cheboygan, en el noreste de Michigan, tras la ruptura de un dique en la cuenca del río Little Black. La ruptura, en un área al noroeste de Cheboygan y al oeste del lago Hurón, no está relacionada con los esfuerzos para forzar el flujo desde la presa de Cheboygan hacia el lago mientras el nivel del agua sigue subiendo tras días de lluvia y el deshielo de la nieve invernal, informó la oficina de gestión de emergencias del condado en su página de Facebook.

___

Williams informó desde West Bloomfield, Michigan.

___

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

The killing of the DHS worker, Lauren Bullis, and shootings of the two other victims on Monday led Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin to issue a statement raising concerns that the 26-year-old defendant, U.K.-native Olaolukitan Adon Abel, was granted U.S. citizenship in 2022, when Democrat Joe Biden was president.

“These acts of pure evil have devastated our Department and my prayers are with the families of the victims,” Mullin wrote in a statement posted on social media, cataloging a litany of the defendant's previous alleged crimes but not specifying whether they happened before he was granted citizenship.

Authorities have said they believe at least one of the victims, the man who was wounded, was targeted at random. They said they were still looking into whether the other two victims were also picked randomly.

A morning of violence

The first victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds near a restaurant in the Decatur area at around 1 a.m. Monday. She was taken to a hospital but died, DeKalb County Police Chief Gregory Padrick said at a news conference. Police have not publicly identified her.

About an hour later in Brookhaven, another Atlanta suburb about 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of the first attack, a 49-year-old homeless man who was sleeping outside of a grocery store was shot multiple times, Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley said. The man, whose name hasn't been released, remains hospitalized in critical condition.

“It is apparent to us that it was a completely random attack on a member of our unhoused community,” Gurley said.

Just before 7 a.m. and more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) away in the suburb of Panthersville, officers responding to a call found a woman with gunshot and stab wounds, Patrick said. The woman, Bullis, died at the scene. Investigators in Brookhaven determined that the three attacks were connected, Gurley said.

Adon Abel was taken into custody later Monday during a traffic stop in Troup County, which borders Alabama. He is charged with two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault and firearms counts, court records show. He waived an initial court appearance on Tuesday. Court records don’t list an attorney who might speak on his behalf.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Toyin Adon Abel Jr. said he didn’t want to talk about his brother. But he expressed sympathy for the victims: “I feel terrible for the victims, their families and their connections. It’s a horrible thing,” he said.

Remembered for her warmth and compassion

Bullis served in multiple roles at DHS Office of Inspector General, including as an auditor in the Office of Audits and as a Team Leader in the Office of Innovation, DHS posted on social media, saying she brought “warmth, kindness, and a genuine sense of care to her colleagues each day.”

In a statement, Bullis' family remembered her as “selfless, kind and compassionate.”

"She deeply loved her family and found joy in running, reading and traveling,” the family said. “Her warmth and generosity touched everyone surrounding her.”

Fellow DHS auditor Ashley Toillion of Denver said she met Bullis at a work conference last year. The two became fast friends as they bonded over running and quickly made plans to have Bullis join Toillion in a race at Walt Disney World.

“You couldn’t meet her and not be her friend,” Toillion said, choking back tears. “She was just the nicest, sweetest, most encouraging person I’ve ever met.”

Mullin, who took over DHS last month after Kristi Noem was fired, said in his statement that Olaolukitan Adon Abel has a criminal record that includes a sexual battery conviction, though he didn't say which year he was convicted. Online court records show that someone listed as Adon Olaolukitan, who has the same birth date as Adon Abel, pleaded guilty last June in Chatham County, Georgia, to four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.

In his statement, Mullin noted that since President Donald Trump took office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which DHS oversees, has worked to ensure that people with criminal histories don’t attain citizenship. But the U.S. has long barred people convicted of most violent felonies from becoming citizens, and it wasn't immediately clear if Adon Abel — or Adon Olaolukitan, if it's the same person — had a criminal record that predated him becoming a citizen in 2022.

In response to a request for further details about the case and the defendant's criminal history, DHS referred The Associated Press to its post about Bullis and her death.

___

Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland. Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

“Partiendo de los impresionantes avances en materia de estabilidad, se llegó a un acuerdo sobre un paquete de políticas sólido y equilibrado destinado a afianzar la desinflación, la estabilidad externa y el crecimiento, apoyando así un acceso al mercado oportuno y sostenible”, destacó el organismo en un comunicado.

Si bien resta la aprobación del directorio ejecutivo del FMI, superar la revisión permite a Argentina recibir otros 1.000 millones de dólares del paquete de rescate por 20.000 millones firmado en abril de 2025, el enésimo que le ha concedido el organismo de crédito al país sudamericano en su historia.

El guiño del FMI llegó un día después de difundirse una inflación en marzo de 3,4%, la más alta en un año, que junto a la persistencia de desequilibrios macroeconómicos han puesto bajo cuestionamiento el éxito del plan de austeridad del presidente ultraliberal Javier Milei.

“Este acuerdo es un paso muy importante en la consolidación de la estabilidad macroeconómica en la que hemos trabajado estos dos años, y contribuirá a fortalecer el crecimiento económico de nuestro país”, destacó el ministro de Economía, Luis Caputo, el miércoles en X.

El organismo valoró “el impulso reformista” del mandatario, con la aprobación por parte del Congreso de una reforma laboral, la ratificación de acuerdos comerciales clave, como el de Mercosur-Unión Europea, y el desbloqueo de inversiones en el sector minero con la reforma de la ley de Glaciares, entre otras medidas.

También destacó que “Argentina continúa resistiendo bien los efectos de contagio derivados de la guerra en Medio Oriente, dados los continuos avances en sus fundamentos económicos y su condición de exportador neto de energía”.

Como parte del acuerdo firmado hace un año, el FMI ya ha desembolsado unos 15.000 millones de dólares destinados a fortalecer reservas del Banco Central y garantizar la capacidad del país para pagar deudas con acreedores privados e institucionales. Argentina le debe sólo al propio organismo unos 40.000 millones de dólares de anteriores programas.

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Page Six published photos of the reality star smiling as she arrived at Miami-Dade’s Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center late Wednesday morning, accompanied by her attorney, Jayne Weintraub.

Online jail records show she had a warrant out for her arrest and a bond of $5,000.

A March 19 court filing first obtained by Local 10 News states that Hochstein and her ex-boyfriend, Jody Glidden, 52, are each facing one count of interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications.

A description of the charges states that between March 12 and March 31, 2023, the two “unlawfully and intentionally” intercepted, tried to intercept, or tried to have someone else intercept “oral statements by Leonard Hochstein and those Leonard Hochstein spoke with.”

According to Lisa Hochstein’s arrest warrant, she and Glidden planted a recording device in the driver’s seat floorboard of Dr. Leonard “Lenny” Hochstein’s silver 2023 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 SUV after the reality star asked if she could borrow the vehicle because she was thinking of purchasing one of her own.

Lenny Hochstein, a prominent plastic surgeon in South Florida, told detectives in May 2023 that he immediately informed his attorney after discovering the device and the attorney then hired a private investigator to examine it, the warrant states.

According to the warrant, a total of 98 recordings were recovered from the device, including a conversation between Lisa Hochstein and Glidden as the device was being “wrestled into place.”

In addition to conversations between Lenny Hochstein and others he spoke to while in his vehicle, a detective recovered deleted recordings from the device, including a recording of Lisa Hochstein and Glidden engaged in “intimate activities,” the warrant states.

Records show Glidden was taken into custody Saturday. He has since been released from jail.

Lisa and Lenny Hochstein’s divorce was finalized in November 2024. They share two children.

Weintraub, Lisa Hochstein’s defense counsel, and attorneys Howard Srebnick and Frank Gaviria, Glidden’s defense counsel, released a joint statement to Local 10 News on Monday afternoon saying, “This matter is part of a contentious divorce proceeding and does not belong in criminal court.”

“This morning she voluntarily turned herself in to be processed and will be released on her own recognizance,” Weintraub told Local 10 Wednesday.

“I was expecting it to smell bad, but it smelled genuinely like rotting flesh,” said Nyx DelPrado, a first-year student at Mount Holyoke College who visited its Talcott Greenhouse this week to see the blooming of a corpse flower. “Its name is accurate,” DelPrado added with a laugh, nose wrinkled, adding that it reminded them of the scent of a dissection.

The corpse flower, or Amorphophallus titanum, is a rare tropical plant known for its foul odor. It's native to the rainforests of Sumatra and blooms infrequently and for only a brief window, releasing a pungent scent meant to mimic decaying flesh and attract pollinators such as flies and beetles. Nicknamed “Pangy,” the plant first bloomed at Mount Holyoke College in 2023, and its latest appearance has once again drawn crowds eager to witness — and smell — the fleeting spectacle.

What appears to be a single bloom is actually an enormous inflorescence, a cluster of many tiny flowers at the base of a tall central column called the spadix and surrounded by a deep purple, velvety spathe. Although the towering inflorescence withers after a few days, the same plant survives underground and can bloom again in future years.

A repellent smell designed to attract

Tom Clark, director and curator of the Mount Holyoke College Botanic Garden, said the plant’s infamous odor serves an important evolutionary purpose and has inspired a wide range of descriptions from visitors.

“A few people who have come in since have described the smell as being unbearable, tangy, like a trash can — it’s overwhelming,” Clark said. “But that odor is there for a purpose. It’s there to attract pollinators, flies in particular.”

The timing of corpse flower blooms is difficult to predict, often following years of dormancy. Over the past six weeks, Pangy grew rapidly, at times shooting up several inches a day before unfurling. The flower finally opened overnight Monday, and he and other staffers were met with its powerful scent as soon as they got to work the next day.

“Walking through the front door, we could smell it,” he said. “As we walked back to the greenhouse where it’s growing, the smell became stronger and stronger. It was just overwhelming — literally unbearable — to be back there with it. If you weren’t aware of this plant and walked into the greenhouse, you’d say, ‘What died in here?’”

From shock to wonder

“I didn’t know what the name meant. I thought it would smell like a corpse, but I don’t know what a corpse smells like,” said Mount Holyoke student Maheen Siddiqi, laughing after waiting in a growing line of people hoping to take a whiff of the flower. “And I smelled it and it smelled like really bad eggs or sulfur or something.”

Student Bryn Wickere said the smell was less overwhelming than anticipated. Still, Wickere described the towering bloom as “magnificent,” noting its deep color and velvety texture.

“I was actually expecting the smell to fill up the whole room, but it was more when you got up close and personal with her,” Wickere said.

Others found the smell more familiar than shocking.

“I would say it smells kind of like a compost pile, a little bit like a working farm,” said Caroline Murray, a Mount Holyoke senior. “I’m from Vermont, so I’m very used to the smell of the farm and manure.”

The spectacle drew visitors from near and far, including Michael Breton, who drove two hours and took a vacation day to see the bloom after tracking news alerts for years.

“If you see a news article, and it’s from two days ago, it’s gone, so you gotta run quick,” he said. He compared the scent to “a stinky diaper that’s been left out in the sun,” adding that despite the odor, the plant was “bright, beautiful and colorful. It’s a lovely plant.”

A fleeting bloom, an enduring mission

Clark said the bloom highlights the broader mission of the Talcott Greenhouse, which he called a “plant museum” that houses about 2,000 plant species — a small fraction of the estimated 350,000 to 400,000 plant species worldwide.

He called the event a “special opportunity" to impress upon visitors the diversity of the plant world, and some of the amazing adaptations species have to survive in their environment in unique ways.

By midday Tuesday, the odor had begun to dissipate as greenhouse vents were opened, offering visitors a less intense — though still memorable — experience. After the brief flowering period, the plant will gradually deteriorate and collapse. Because corpse flowers cannot pollinate themselves, seeds will only form if pollen from another titan arum is available.

For Namuuna Negi, a Mount Holyoke junior, the fleeting nature of the bloom added to the experience.

“The impermanence of it, I think. People like to be in on what’s happening,” Negi said. “If they hear something’s going to die soon, they want to go see it before that happens so they can talk about it later.”

Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. He went on to win Rookie of the Year honors, become a six-time All-Star and the 1949 National League MVP. He played in six World Series, and won his only championship in 1955 with the Dodgers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets will hold a joint reflection ceremony Wednesday at the centerfield statue of Robinson at Dodger Stadium.

“A special day, especially for me as a Latino. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't because of him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Talk about dealing with pressure at this level, imagine what he dealt with back in the day."

Two of Robinson's granddaughters will join the teams at Dodger Stadium, not far from Robinson's adopted hometown of Pasadena. He was a four-sport star at Pasadena Junior College before going on to UCLA, where the Georgia native was better known for football than baseball.

Also on hand in Los Angeles will be recipients of scholarships from the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

For the first time in at least two decades, the percentage of Black players on opening day rosters increased this season. Major League Baseball says 6.8% of players on opening day rosters, injured lists and the restricted list were Black, up from 6.2% at the start of the 2025 season and 6.0% at the start of 2024.

___

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

The international diving competition is being held Thursday at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center.

“The crowd is going to be electric,” Leslie Hasselbach Adams, the high-performance director at USA Diving, said. “There’s nothing like competing in front of your home crowd.”

More than 100 athletes from 18 countries are participating, including 15-year-old Beau Amprey, representing Haiti.

Local 10 News spoke to him on Wednesday.

“I’m like Haiti’s first diver, so they don’t really have any older divers to send, so I’m happy to represent and be there,” Amprey said. “It’s a great experience; being around all these top divers in the world makes me better myself.”

The events run through Sunday.

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The incident, involving a hockey mask, a pair of scissors and an unwanted haircut, happened at VIP Gentlemen’s Club at 1221 Duval St., according to Key West police.

An arrest report states that Jeffrey Marshall Carroll, 44, of Columbia, Tennessee, “had caused issues” earlier “before leaving.”

The report states that Carroll had come in at around 6:20 that evening “for a dance session,” told one stripper “he didn’t want her services,” and then had a session with the eventual victim before leaving about 25 minutes later.

Police said Carroll then returned “shirtless with grey shorts, an orange hat, and wearing a hockey-style mask,” at around 10:10 p.m. Authorities said the stripper he rejected had been sitting on the club’s front porch and “began to take videos for her safety since he was blocking her way back into the establishment.”

The victim opened the door to have her co-worker come back inside, the report states.

Police said security footage then showed Carroll “grabbing (the victim) by her hair, appearing to pull a pair of scissors out of his back pocket, cutting (her) hair, then running out of the establishment with the scissors still in his hand.”

Authorities said the victim’s co-worker called police after hearing her screaming, believing she was seriously hurt. She wasn’t, according to the report, but “was obviously shaken up and emotional due to what had occurred.”

The report states that the victim told police that Carroll “had previously said, ‘I’m gonna take your life,’ before he left the property.”

Authorities said the strip club had a copy of Carroll’s license and officers found him in the area of Louisa and Simonton streets.

Police said Carroll refused to speak with officers. They said they also found “an amphetamine pill in his possession without the proper container” and the pair of black scissors.

The report indicates that he appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time.

Officers arrested Carroll on felony charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with the intent to commit a felony and possession of a controlled substance.

Records show Carroll was being held in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Key West jail facility with no listed bond. MCSO records list an April 23 arraignment date.

El incidente, que involucró una máscara de hockey, unas tijeras y un corte de cabello no deseado, ocurrió en el VIP Gentlemen’s Club en 1221 Duval St., según la policía de Key West.

Un informe de arresto indica que Jeffrey Marshall Carroll, de 44 años y de Columbia, Tennessee, “había causado problemas” previamente “antes de irse”.

El informe señala que Carroll llegó alrededor de las 6:20 p.m. “para una sesión de baile”, le dijo a una bailarina “que no quería sus servicios”, y luego tuvo una sesión con la eventual víctima antes de irse unos 25 minutos después.

La policía indicó que Carroll regresó luego “sin camisa, con pantalones cortos grises, una gorra naranja y usando una máscara estilo hockey” alrededor de las 10:10 p.m. Las autoridades dijeron que la bailarina que él rechazó estaba sentada en el porche frontal del club y “comenzó a grabar videos por su seguridad ya que él bloqueaba su entrada al establecimiento”.

El informe indica que la víctima abrió la puerta para permitir que su compañera regresara al interior.

La policía señaló que el video de vigilancia mostró a Carroll “agarrando a la víctima por el cabello, aparentemente sacando unas tijeras de su bolsillo trasero, cortándole el cabello y luego huyendo del establecimiento con las tijeras aún en la mano”.

Las autoridades dijeron que la compañera de la víctima llamó a la policía tras escucharla gritar, creyendo que estaba gravemente herida. Según el informe, no lo estaba, pero “estaba visiblemente afectada y emocional por lo ocurrido”.

El informe indica que la víctima dijo a la policía que Carroll “había dicho previamente: ‘Voy a quitarte la vida’” antes de irse del lugar.

Las autoridades señalaron que el club tenía una copia de la licencia de Carroll y los agentes lo localizaron en el área de las calles Louisa y Simonton.

La policía indicó que Carroll se negó a hablar con los agentes. También dijeron que le encontraron “una pastilla de anfetamina en su posesión sin el envase adecuado” y las tijeras negras.

El informe señala que aparentemente estaba bajo los efectos del alcohol y las drogas en ese momento.

Los agentes arrestaron a Carroll por cargos graves de agresión agravada con un arma mortal, agresión agravada con intención de cometer un delito grave y posesión de una sustancia controlada.

Los registros muestran que Carroll permanecía detenido en la cárcel del Sheriff del condado Monroe en Key West sin fianza establecida. Los registros indican una audiencia de lectura de cargos el 23 de abril.

Bank of America said on Wednesday that first-quarter stock trading revenues were $2.8 billion, a 30% jump from last year, while Morgan Stanley's much larger trading desk saw its equity trading revenues rise 25% to $5.15 billion. Morgan Stanley also had a very strong performance on its bond-trading desk, posting a 29% jump in revenues to $3.36 billion.

Morgan Stanley had a record quarter across its entire business. The bank reported net income of $5.6 billion and earnings per share of $3.43, a 30% jump in both of those metrics from the previous year.

The results from BofA and Morgan Stanley reflect the results posted by the other big banks this week, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. While market gyrations can be nauseating for average investors, high-speed Wall Street trading desks can take advantage of such market movements. Further, wild market swings tend to increase activity on trading desks, which leads to commissions and fee revenue for the banks.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said that, despite the strong quarter, the bank is “watchful of evolving risks,” noting the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Ukraine and elsewhere, plus the sudden rise in energy prices.

In a call with reporters, Bank of America executives said that despite the quarterly volatility, the bank did not post a single daily loss on its trading desk during that time. It was also the bank's biggest quarter for equity sales and trading in its history.

Like their counterparts, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley had strong performances in their investment banking businesses as well. Advisory revenues at Morgan Stanley nearly doubled from $563 million to $978 million, year over year. Both banks are advising some of the largest public companies set to go public this year, including Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Bank of America's consumer banking business, historically the bank's biggest revenue and profit center, posted a profit of $3.1 billion. Deposits and loans grew in the quarter, and its customers spent 7% more on their credit and debit cards compared to last year. Notably the bank also noted that it saw double-digit increases in debit card spending on gasoline and energy, similar to what Wells Fargo executives shared with reporters on Tuesday.

Despite the rise in energy prices, Bank of America executives said they are seeing no deterioration in the U.S. consumer.

“The main thing that we’re always looking for is unemployment, and that remains at 4.3%," said Alastair Borthwick, the bank's CFO. ”So that’s supporting the consumer at this point."

Según funcionarios de Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, el incendio fue reportado en un edificio en la cuadra 600 de Andrews Avenue.

Un hombre que vive en la unidad del sexto piso donde ocurrió el incendio dijo que él y su madre lograron salir a salvo.

“Estaba dormido, así que mi mamá básicamente me despertó y me dijo: ‘Nuestro apartamento está en llamas’”, dijo el residente, quien agregó que vio llamas saliendo de la parte trasera de la secadora.

El hombre indicó que tomó los objetos de valor que pudo antes de salir.

“No hay mucho que puedas hacer en esa situación”, dijo.

Múltiples camiones de bomberos se alinearon a lo largo de Andrews Avenue, justo al norte de Sistrunk Boulevard, tras el incendio en el edificio de apartamentos Progresso Point.

Los socorristas dijeron que el fuego se limitó a la unidad donde se originó, pero los rociadores se activaron, causando daños por agua.

Debido a los daños por agua, varios residentes deben realizar labores de limpieza y los ascensores están fuera de servicio, sin embargo, solo los dos adultos que viven en la unidad donde comenzó el incendio fueron desplazados. La Cruz Roja los está asistiendo.

North Andrews Avenue fue cerrada temporalmente en ambas direcciones en el área antes de que el incendio fuera extinguido. Todos los carriles ya han sido reabiertos.

Attention drivers in Flagler Village: N Andrews Ave is blocked in both directions while FLFR works a high rise fire along the 600 block. Seek alternate routes north and south. pic.twitter.com/1ghhLQVeU2

— Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue (@FLFR411) April 15, 2026

Muchas de las familias tienen discapacidades o afecciones médicas que requieren electricidad. Crece la preocupación de que Estados Unidos las abandone mientras persisten los apagones crónicos y se acerca la temporada de huracanes del Atlántico —que va del 1 de junio al 30 de noviembre.

“Para ellos en particular, que reciban o no un sistema (solar) es algo que realmente es de vida o muerte”, declaró Charlotte Gossett Navarro, directora principal en Puerto Rico de la Hispanic Federation, en una entrevista telefónica.

La organización sin fines de lucro figura entre las entidades que firmaron una carta difundida el miércoles a la gobernadora Jenniffer González y al secretario de Energía de Estados Unidos, Chris Wright.

La Hispanic Federation es una de siete organizaciones que iban a ayudar a instalar los sistemas solares y a educar a las familias sobre su uso. Algunos de esos grupos ahora están objetando formalmente la cancelación de los fondos o negociando con el Departamento de Energía de Estados Unidos.

González afirma que “no tenemos opción” porque el gobierno federal decidió no entregar a Puerto Rico esos fondos que están previstos a ser invertidos en la deteriorada red eléctrica de la isla, que fue arrasada por el huracán María en 2017, pero que ya estaba en declive por la falta de inversión y mantenimiento.

Las instalaciones de paneles solares en techos han crecido en los últimos tres años en todo Puerto Rico, con un promedio de 3.850 sistemas instalados por mes en 2025, para un total general de casi 192.000 al final del año, según la Administración de Información Energética de Estados Unidos. Mientras tanto, más de 171.000 hogares y negocios cuentan con sistemas distribuidos de almacenamiento en baterías.

Pero no todo el mundo puede costear esos sistemas en la isla caribeña de unos 3,2 millones de habitantes, donde la tasa de pobreza supera el 40%.

Gossett Navarro indicó que no han recibido respuestas a preguntas pendientes sobre los fondos a medida que se acerca la fecha límite del 9 de mayo, que marca el fin del programa aunque para algunos ni siquiera ha comenzado.

Las cuadrillas ya habían instalado sistemas solares en más de 6.000 hogares como parte del programa, pero otras 12.000 familias ahora permanecen en el limbo.

Entre ellas está Yvette Rodríguez, de 61 años. Necesita una máquina para la apnea del sueño, y su esposo, Luis Soler, un veterano de 67 años y doble amputado, depende de una cama eléctrica ajustable.

"Es una necesidad grande que tengamos estas placas solares", indicó Rodríguez, que vive con su esposo en la pequeña isla puertorriqueña de Culebra. Explicó que su esposo necesita aire acondicionado porque tiene problemas cardíacos y vive en una zona donde son comunes las alertas por calor.

También lamentó que los apagones continuos los obliguen a botar comida.

"Económicamente nos afecta grandemente porque tenemos que gastar nuestra poca economía que uno tiene para poder comer”, expresó.

También afectada por el recorte de fondos federales está María Pérez, de 80 años, y su esposo de 88. Ella tiene presión alta y problemas cardíacos que han provocado varias hospitalizaciones. Además, tiene gotas para los ojos por sus cataratas que requieren refrigeración.

“Las pongo en hielo, pero no es lo mismo”, comentó. "Nos tienen sufriendo con esos (dólares) que nos quitaron. No es justo”.

Pérez recibe 364 dólares al mes mediante un cheque del Seguro Social, pero, como a muchos puertorriqueños, su factura de luz a menudo es de esa misma cantidad.

Gabriela Joglar Burrowes, directora ejecutiva del Consejo Estatal para la Vida Independiente de Puerto Rico, estuvo entre quienes firmaron la carta dirigida a la gobernadora y Wright.

Señaló que contar con paneles solares no solo habría proporcionado electricidad constante, sino también tranquilidad.

“Si tú eres una persona que dependes de un equipo como un ventilador, una máquina de diálisis o medicina que tiene que ser refrigerada, la falta de energía constante representa un riesgo de hasta que puedes perder la vida”, advirtió.

Joglar Burrowes, quien tiene una discapacidad, señaló que miles de familias habían esperado durante mucho tiempo los sistemas solares y no deberían ser olvidadas.

“Se ve como a veces somos (reemplazables), y no lo somos", sostuvo.

Algunas de las 12.000 familias han recibido la evaluación inicial de elegibilidad, mientras que otras ya recibieron una visita al hogar o comenzaron a reparar sus techos en preparación para un sistema solar.

La mayoría de las familias vive en comunidades rurales, incluidos pueblos montañosos como Adjuntas, Jayuya y Orocovis.

“Es aún más preocupante”, afirmó Gossett Navarro. “Es difícil salir de las montañas cuando hay un desastre”.

El Departamento de Energía de Estados Unidos indica en su sitio web que algunas personas recibirán un sistema, pero no ha dicho quiénes ni cuándo.

___________________________________

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

Stefan Pildes, 50, of Hewitt, New Jersey, was arrested on Wednesday. He did not comment after an initial court appearance on a wire fraud charge and was freed on $300,000 bail.

Federal authorities said Pildes donated only a small fraction of the $2.7 million he raised through SantaCon charity events from 2019 to 2024. The tradition features a ticketed bar crawl through city streets each December that has attracted over 25,000 people.

Widely reviled by many New York residents for the chaos it brings to city streets and subways, the annual bacchanal draws large throngs of costumed merrymakers to Manhattan’s streets and watering holes every year, with most people dressed as Saint Nick, though there are usually a few Mrs. Clauses, elves and the occasional Grinch.

The participants paid $10 to $20 for tickets after Pildes told them their money would be divided among neighborhood charities and that they could “brag that (they) actually gave to charity this year” according to the indictment.

The event traces its origins to a 1994 flash mob-style event in San Francisco dubbed “Santarchy,” intended to mock Christmas consumerism. As the idea spread to cities nationwide, it moved away from its countercultural origins and became more of a mass bar crawl.

The New York City version is now promoted as “a charitable, non-political, nonsensical Santa Claus convention.”

Authorities said Pildes siphoned more than half of the proceeds raised each year to an entity he controlled, using those funds to finance various personal ventures.

He's accused of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of the remaining revenue to fund the renovation of a lakefront property in New Jersey and to pay for concert tickets, luxury vacations in Hawaii and Las Vegas, extravagant meals, home renovations and a luxury vehicle.

Money supposedly destined for charities, the government alleged, was instead spent on over $365,000 in lakefront property renovations in New Jersey, $124,000 on leasing a luxury Manhattan apartment, a $100,000 investment in a boutique resort in Costa Rica founded by a personal friend and a nearly $3,000 birthday dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Manhattan.

According to an indictment, Pildes claimed he received no compensation from the event.

“No producer received income from this event, this is a charity event,” the indictment alleges he wrote in a March 2023 email to a potential venue.

"Instead of donating the millions of dollars he raised, he ran his own con game,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a news release.

Pildes was president of and controlled Participatory Safety Inc., the nonprofit entity that organized SantaCon, authorities said.

According to the indictment, he solicited dozens of bars and restaurants to participate and donate 10% to 25% of their food and beverage sales to his charity organization.

Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore was shot in the leg during the April 7 attack, but managed to wrestle the suspect onto a bench, disarm him and remain on top of him until law enforcement officers arrived, according to court records.

The video, released by the school district in response to an Open Records Act request, shows a person in a dark hooded sweatshirt enter the school and point a handgun at two students in the lobby. After the gunman fires the weapon, Moore rushes at him, tackling and disarming him while the students run away. Another school official then enters the frame and kicks the gun away before picking it up and taking it away.

No students were injured in the attack.

“The actions of the staff and the principal stepping in as soon as they saw a subject with a firearm saved lives today,” Hunter McKee, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said after the shooting.

In a statement shared on social media, Moore said: “I look forward to returning to work as soon as possible so that I may continue my life's work educating the next generation of Oklahoma leaders.”

Authorities arrested Victor Lee Hawkins, 20, a former student at the school who has been charged with unlawfully carrying a firearm, shooting with intent to kill and pointing a firearm.

Hawkins told investigators that he went to the school with plans to kill students, Moore and then himself in a mass shooting “like the Columbine shooters did,” a reference to the 1999 school shooting in Colorado in which 12 students and a teacher were killed, according to an OSBI affidavit.

Hawkins has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges. His court-appointed attorney, Tyson Stanek, declined to comment on the charges, citing policies of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System.

Garvin County Detention Center records show Hawkins is being held on $1 million bond.

Pauls Valley is a community of about 6,000 people 60 miles (100 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City.

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According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue officials, the fire was reported at a building in the 600 block of Andrews Avenue.

A man who lives in the sixth floor unit where the fire occurred said he and his mother were able to get out safely.

“I was asleep, so my mom just kind of woke me up out of my sleep and was like, ‘Our apartment is on fire,’” the resident said, adding that he saw flames coming from the rear of the dryer.

The man said he grabbed whatever valuables he could before they left.

“Nothing you can really do in that situation,” he said.

Multiple fire trucks were lined along Andrews Avenue, just north of Sistrunk Boulevard, after the fire at the Progresso Point apartment building.

First responders said the blaze was contained to the unit where the fire originated, but the sprinklers were activated, causing water damage.

Because of the water damage, a number of residents are having to clean up and the elevators are out, however only the two adults who live in the unit where the fire started have been displaced. The Red Cross is assisting them.

North Andrews Avenue was temporarily closed in both directions in the area before the fire was extinguished. All lanes have since reopened.

Attention drivers in Flagler Village: N Andrews Ave is blocked in both directions while FLFR works a high rise fire along the 600 block. Seek alternate routes north and south. pic.twitter.com/1ghhLQVeU2

— Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue (@FLFR411) April 15, 2026

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Neither did the young women she was hired to lead.

Yes, there was a jolt of excitement. There was also a dash of anxiousness. One of the most decorated programs in the history of NCAA gymnastics had fallen off considerably since winning the last of its record 10 national titles in 2009.

The worry that Landi might lean heavily into the transfer portal in search of a quick fix was real. It also turned out to be fleeting.

Minutes into the first meeting that Landi and co-head coach Ryan Roberts had with the team, Landi made it clear she had no interest in blowing everything up and starting over.

“Gymnastics is not rocket science,” Landi said. “It’s about consistency and being fair and working hard and working smart.”

A lifetime in the sport — from competing for her native France at the 1996 Olympics to two-plus decades in coaching — had taught her the value of dreams and the empty feeling that comes when they are taken away. Several college-bound athletes Landi mentored at WCC saw their opportunities altered or pulled outright when a new coach took over. Landi wanted no part of that.

The talent to get the program back to being a factor on the national stage was in the room, she told them. We can do this, and we can do this together.

“I wanted to give everyone a chance and embrace the change and follow the culture we were building,” she said. “I was not going to bring in 10 kids. The kids who committed two years prior, they had that goal. I've had athletes at the club level who had that taken away. It was really, really hard.”

Less than two years after that initial sit-down, the Bulldogs will walk onto the floor at Dickie's Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday for the NCAA semifinals for the first time since 2019 with legitimate hopes of reaching Saturday's finals.

A more level playing field?

They will do it with a roster that has largely remained intact since Landi's arrival, led by senior floor specialist Eryn Williams and senior Ja'Free Scott. And they will do it with a sense of confidence they lacked a year ago, when a resurgent season ended early after a jittery performance in regionals.

Those days appear over. Georgia advanced to nationals by having perhaps its best meet of the season at regionals, finishing second to a powerhouse Florida team loaded with former elites that will look to spoil Oklahoma's bid for its fourth NCAA championship in five years.

While the Sooners have been dominant, the playing field in women's college gymnastics may be starting to level out. The eight-team field at nationals includes the Bulldogs, ninth-seeded Arkansas and 13th-seeded Minnesota, a close runner-up to star-laden UCLA at regionals.

The programs that didn't make it to Fort Worth include longtime NCAA fixtures Utah, runner-up a year ago, as well as Alabama and California.

“It's not going to be the same eight every year like it used to be,” Landi said. “I like that it gives an opportunity to other teams. But it makes it harder because we always have to be better. It also makes it more exciting because you know you can have that chance, you can be there.”

Arkansas rebounds

It's a belief that Arkansas coach and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Wieber instilled in her program after the Razorbacks didn't advance out of regionals a year ago, ending an eventful season that included Wieber publicly calling out the NCAA for not allowing Arkansas to schedule a late-season dual meet with Oregon State after it failed to qualify for the SEC championships.

“It was just about the unfairness to our athletes and wanting them to have another competitive opportunity and them to say no for maybe not the best reason,” Wieber said. “We're grateful we’re on the other side of that for sure.”

There were no such scheduling issues this time — the SEC adjusted its parameters to allow all nine schools to compete for a league title — and Arkansas advanced out of the competitive Lexington regional by holding off Missouri with a steady performance on beam in the final rotation, proof of just how far the Razorbacks have come.

“I just feel like we’re building to peak at the right time,” Wieber said. “And their performance at regionals was remarkable.”

Having Morgan Price helped. The senior, who spent the first three years of her career competing at Fisk University — the first historically Black college and university to field a women's artistic gymnastics team — joined Arkansas to compete alongside older sister Frankie.

All she's done over the last four months is record the first perfect 10 in program history with a dazzling performance on vault in a meet against Kentucky in February.

“She’s a great competitor, she’s got swagger and she knows how to put up great scores,” Wieber said. “What people don’t see is who she is on a daily basis. She’s one of the most consistent workers and teammates and strives to be a great leader.”

Price's journey will end this weekend. Just as it will for Williams and Scott and the other seniors at Georgia, who have spent years competing underneath the banners at Stegeman Coliseum that beckon to the program's run of greatness, wondering when their time will come.

Turns out, that time is now.

“We were this amazing team with this legacy so many years ago,” Williams said. “I think for a while, it got lost. People forgot about us. ... I think a lot of them need a reminder of who we are."

___

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

Meta's attempt to resolve the bloc’s antitrust investigation of WhatsApp by charging third-party AI companies for access is unsatisfactory, the European Commission said Wednesday.

The commission, which is the 27-nation bloc's executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, opened the investigation last year over concerns that WhatsApp was blocking competing artificial intelligence companies from offering their AI assistants on the platform.

Officials said Meta's decision in March to start charging third-party AI providers for access was essentially equivalent to the ban it had in place.

“Replacing the legal ban with pricing that has a similar effect does not change our preliminary view that Meta’s conduct appears to be an abuse of its dominant position, that may seriously harm competition on the market for AI assistants,” Teresa Ribera, the commission’s executive vice president overseeing competition, said in a statement.

When Brussels opened its investigation in December, officials said they were scrutinizing new terms and conditions that blocked providers of AI chatbots from using a tool to communicate with customers.

The bloc said it intends to issue its order to reinstate access for third-party chatbots under previous terms until it reaches a final decision on the case.

Meta said the commission’s decision means that the company will have to provide its service for free and would amount to subsidizing select companies rather than clearing the way for more competition.

It could mean, for example, that “a small bakery in France paying to use the service to take croissant orders will be picking up the tab for OpenAI,” Meta said of one of its competitors in a statement. "Small European businesses shouldn’t foot OpenAI’s bill.”

National Weather Service crews were surveying damage in places including Ann Arbor to determine if one or more tornadoes touched down, but none had been confirmed as of Wednesday morning. Instead, the damage appears to have been caused by a line of thunderstorms that moved into Michigan from Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, meteorologist Sara Schultz said.

A 70 mph (112.6 kph) wind gust was reported at 1:49 a.m. Wednesday at the university's football stadium, while gusts of 69 mph (111 kph) and 62 mph (99.7 kph) were reported at Willow Run Airport and Detroit Metropolitan Airport, Schultz said, and another round of strong storms with potentially damaging winds was moving into the area Wednesday from states to the West.

Streets and neighborhoods in many southeastern Michigan communities also were left flooded Wednesday.

Some public school buildings in Ann Arbor suffered structural damage and many lost power. “Safe passage for walkers and buses is compromised across much of the city due to downed power lines, flooding, water main breaks, gas leaks, and felled trees and debris,” the district said Wednesday on its Facebook page.

District schools and offices were closed Wednesday due to what officials say is a fiber outage impacting fire, phone and camera systems, and building access. It wasn’t immediately clear if the fiber outage is related to the storm.

Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor said structural engineers were assessing damage to a wall at the city's Veterans Memorial Park Ice Arena. Part of the roof was torn from the university's Yost Ice Arena.

Ripped away roof, fallen tree

Two blocks from where utility workers were dealing with the twisted pieces of metal littering the ground outside Yost, Seungjun Lee was feeling fortunate. A hulking tree outside the rented home he shares with six others barely missed his upstairs bedroom when the storm uprooted it.

“If the tree fell down a couple more feet, I would not be standing here,” said Lee, a 20-year-old junior at U-M. “I’d be in the hospital. So, I’m feeling very lucky that … the roof stopped it.”

Lee and his roommates were awakened by a siren, then an alert blasted from their phones between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., urging them to take shelter.

“As soon as I came out, everyone else was coming out of their rooms and everyone’s like, ‘What’s going on? This is crazy,’” said Lee, of Ridgewood, New Jersey. “And then we looked out the window: This tree just fell down. So, we’re like, ‘Oh, crap.’”

A friend across the street then walked over to check in.

“He was like, ‘Did you hear about Yost?’ We went, ‘No.’ We were worried about our house. So, we walked over and we checked it out and we were like, ‘That’s crazy,’” said Sam Zaruba, a 20-year-old junior from Grand Rapids, Michigan.

As for classes on Wednesday, Zaruba said he’s not going. But roommate Gautam Nigam, a 21-year-old junior, also from Grand Rapids, has to.

“I have a final presentation later today,” he said.

More rainfall and flooding worries

The storms dumped as much as 2.5 inches (6.3 cms) of rain across parts of southeastern Michigan by Wednesday morning, and more was expected across the Midwest, Great Lakes and Ohio Valley regions. Flood watches were issued for a big chunk of Michigan's eastern Lower Peninsula, southeastern Michigan, northern Indiana, northwestern Ohio, the Chicago area and Wisconsin.

Parts of Madison, Wisconsin's state capital, saw golf-ball to baseball-sized hail Tuesday afternoon.

Officials with Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources said they were watching levees around Portage, a city of about 10,000 people, as the Wisconsin River rises. As of Wednesday morning, the river there swelled to nearly 19 feet (5.7 meters), about 2 feet (0.6 meters) over flood state, and could rise to 20.3 feet (6.18 meters), they said.

And after days of rainfall and winter snow melt, a “significant influx of water” is entering Black Lake, upstream of Cheboygan in northern Michigan, the sheriff's office said.

The lake empties into the Black River and feeds the Cheboygan River that flows through the city into Lake Huron. Officials have been managing that flow through the city’s Cheboygan Dam by raising gates, adding pumps, raising a bridge and closing some riverfront to the public. And now there’s another threat — an unrelated levee breach in the Little Black River watershed, on the opposite side of the city, where an order to evacuate low areas was issued late Tuesday.

Where's all this weather headed?

Bill Bunting, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center, described a “very dynamic weather pattern” that combines very moist air with a strong jet stream across the central United States and Great Lakes to create conditions for severe thunderstorms.

As of early Wednesday afternoon, the weather service had received more than 400 reports of hail, winds above 60 mph (96.5 kph) or tornadoes, he said.

The system was stretching northward Wednesday night from central Texas into Iowa and southern Wisconsin and then eastward across parts of Michigan, Illinois, northern Indiana and Ohio on its way toward upper Pennsylvania and the Buffalo, New York, area, Bunting said.

A break in the rain is not expected until the weekend, he added.

Further east, it’s expected to be as hot as a furnace, threatening record high temperatures in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., through the weekend, forecasters say.

___

Williams reported from West Bloomfield, Michigan. Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this story.

The layoffs announced during a call with staff are the biggest in more than a decade at the U.K. national broadcaster.

"I know this creates real uncertainty, but we wanted to be open about the challenge,” interim Director-General Rhodri Talfan Davies said in a staff email.

Davies said that the reductions were driven by inflation, pressures to license fee and commercial income and a turbulent global economy.

The BBC said earlier this year that it faced “substantial financial pressures” and wanted to cut about a tenth of its budget by 2029. The bulk of the cuts are to be made in the next fiscal year beginning April 1, 2027.

The cuts come as former Google executive Matt Brittin is scheduled to take over as director-general next month.

He will fill the vacancy left after Tim Davie, and head of news Deborah Turness resigned over a misleading edit in a documentary about U.S. President Donald Trump’s speech on Jan. 6, 2021, before his followers stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Trump is suing the BBC for $10 billion for defamation.

The BBC is both a beloved and oft-criticized cultural institution funded by an annual license fee, which recently rose to 180 pounds ($244), paid by all U.K. households who watch live television or any BBC content.

Opponents of the fee, including rival commercial broadcasters, have grown louder in an era of digital streaming, when many people no longer have television sets or follow traditional television schedules.

The center-left Labour government has vowed to ensure that the BBC has “sustainable and fair” funding, but hasn't ruled out replacing the license fee with another funding model.

The BBC was founded in 1922 as a radio service to “inform, educate and entertain.” It now operates 15 U.K. national and regional television channels, several international channels, 10 national radio stations, dozens of local radio stations, the globe-spanning World Service radio and extensive digital output, including the iPlayer streaming service.

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If you happen to be at the Fort Lauderdale Flanigan’s late at night, you may have seen Tyler at his regular time, picking up his order like he does every single day.

Everyone has their favorite food spot they love to go to regularly, but Tyler has taken his go-to to the next level.

“We had this fantastic to-go customer that I found out yesterday, while I was in the office, that is kind of unique in that he has ordered 257 times in the last eight or nine months. And he orders at the same time, and orders the same thing,” Jimmy Flanigan said.

The Flanigan’s location in Fort Lauderdale crowned Tyler their most dedicated customer for his consistent daily order of the Flanigan’s burger.

And Jimmy Flanigan, the CEO of the iconic, family-owned food franchise, made it his personal mission to gift Tyler a special award for his loyalty.

“I made an offer to him for his loyal to-go business. And it was a couple days ago, and I told him, ‘Thank you very much, and I want to give you a $100 gift card.’ And ever since I’ve done that, I’ve been told that I didn’t give him nearly enough, and I’ve been told to give him everything from free lunch for life, to a gold-plated Rolls Royce,” Flanigan said.

So Flanigan upped his gift to Tyler, awarding him a $1,000 gift card and some extra merchandise for his achievement.

“This is just mind-blowing. I was not expecting this, to be honest with you,” Tyler said. “I got a text message. I was expecting to meet him, but just to get the merch and this -- this. You guys spoke. I appreciate everybody in the comments, and I really do thank everybody at Flanigan’s. This is amazing.”

And if you’re wondering why Flanigan’s? And why the same order every day?

Tyler says he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I like really good food and, unfortunately, when I get off after 10:30-11 o’clock at night, there’s not many places open,” he said. “But Flanigan’s has some of the best food in South Florida, so I’m very thankful that they’re open around the time I get out of work.”

And now with his new prize money, Tyler says he can’t wait to keep going. And the Flanigan’s staff will be waiting!

The one question Flanigan had for Tyler that so many others are probably wondering was what does he do with all those iconic, green Flanigan to-go cups?

Tyler says he has stored over 100 from his orders over the last few months, but he’s holding out for a special gold cup -- something Flanigan says he just might be able to make happen.

It's a clever way of connecting the past iconic musical theater show with its reimagined, cooler sister now playing at the Broadhurst Theatre. But there's an even more thrilling connection between these two shows:

That DJ? He starred in the original cast.

Ken Ard is making a triumphant return to Broadway after being away for 25 years in the same show where his career exploded in the early 1980s, now dancing with performers 40 years his junior.

“It’s amazing to have this full circle moment in my life,” he says from his dressing room. “I knew it was right for me then and I knew it was right for me now.”

‘The most spectacular reinvention’

Ard's return to “Cats” is a story of redemption and resilience, echoing the recovery of New York after the 2001 terror attacks. Ard lived close to ground zero, and the horror of that day left him with PTSD and dented his confidence. He went from an It boy to deeply shaken. “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” is his first Broadway show since the attacks.

“My first audition after 9/11, I burst into tears and left the room because I had no idea what to do or how to feel,” he recalls. “I just was not getting booked anymore. And before that I was getting booked all the time.”

Ard, who grew up in California, studied dance and tried his luck in New York, inspired by shows like “The Wiz” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and by performers like Ken Page and Andre De Shields, the latter who is now his co-star.

He made his Broadway debut in the chorus of “Marlow” in 1981, and “Cats” was his third show. “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” is actually his fourth production for Andrew Lloyd Webber, following “Starlight Express” and “Song and Dance.”

“His music does speak to me in a certain way,” he says. “There’s something about his shows that are whimsical and fun, and I guess I just have been able to fit into them.”

The original “Cats” — for which Ard played Macavity as well as Plato and Rumpus Cat — was a cultural phenomenon, attracting celebrities, soaring ticket sales and a devotion that's hard to explain. It was the “Hamilton” before “Hamilton.” Ard recalls meeting Diana Ross and Cary Grant.

Ard wasn't a big fan of the 2016 “Cats” revival — “It was a museum piece,” he says — or the 2019 movie — “a debacle,” he declares — so he didn't have much hope when he checked out “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” last year at the Perelman Performing Arts Center, which just happens to be at ground zero.

“I went in and I saw this show with my arms crossed, like, ‘What are they going to do with ’Cats?'” he says. “I had not gone back downtown in years and years and years. ‘Cats’ was what got me down there.”

What he saw was a show that transports viewers into the Black and Latino queer ballroom scene of Harlem, which was the inspiration for “Paris Is Burning” and later “Pose.”

“It’s really just the most spectacular reinvention of a show I have ever seen,” says Ard, who says he bawled his eyes out and returned to see it two more times. “All of that trauma was washed away by this show.”

No more peeling potatoes

The music remains the same — albeit with thumping house beats — but the show has a fabulous energy. It's directed by Zhailon Livingston and Bill Rauch, with choreography by Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons.

The original musical — based on poems by T.S. Eliot — is about felines competing to get into kitty heaven. Ard says the new version is about people competing for a prize. “It makes so much sense,” he says. “It’s not your grandma’s ‘Cats.’”

When he heard it might transfer to Broadway, Ard reached out and was offered the now-enlarged role of DJ Griddlebone, the ball's sort of hype man, a trickster who pops up in various costumes and dances.

“Having Ken Ard in rehearsal was a magic portal to the original production,” Rauch says. “He gave us thrilling perspective on the original staging and the artists’ intentions from 45 years ago. At the same time, Ken was completely present in every sense of the word, helping us to shape our radically new revival.”

Ard calls the show a celebration of gay and trans joy without any preaching: “I think it’s going to introduce a whole new generation to ‘Cats’ and musical theater. People who haven’t seen themselves on stage are really going to be inspired.”

The show that changed his life once has now done it again. Ard had been working in corporate kitchens for the past decade but hopes his time peeling potatoes is done.

“I think those days are over, really,” he says. “I’m going to manifest that they are because, basically, I’ve been wanting to get back to Broadway ever since my last show.”

A 21-year-old infielder, McGonigle had four hits in his major league debut on March 26 and entered Wednesday hitting .311 with one homer, eight RBIs and a .417 on-base percentage in 17 games.

“As soon as we saw this kid play and saw the way he commands the strike zone, fights for every pitch and uses the whole field, it was like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty interesting for an 18-year-old kid,’" Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said. “We knew he could play the infield and he had the right physical gifts.

“It was just about how quickly everything would come together, and they came together more quickly than I ever thought.”

McGonigle became the fourth top prospect to get a big-money deal since late March following a $140 million, nine-year contract for 19-year-old Pittsburgh shortstop Konnor Griffin, a $95 million, eight-year agreement for 20-year-old Seattle shortstop Colt Emerson and a $50.75 million, eight-year pact for 21-year-old Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt.

“If you think about it, this is a kid who would be eligible for this year’s draft if he had gone to college,” Harris said. “Now, he’s up here with a long-term contract, so I guess he made the right decision.”

McGonigle has a one-year contact for 2026 paying the $780,000 minimum while in the major leagues and $127,100 while in the minors.

His new deal calls for a $14 million signing bonus, including $8 million payable within 30 days of the contract's approval by Major League Baseball and $6 million on March 31, 2028. He gets salaries of $1 million next year, $7 million in 2028, $16 million in 2029, $21 million in 2030, $22 million in 2031 and $23 million each in 2032, 2033 and 2034.

“I had the confidence to think there was a possibility for something like this to happen,” McGonigle said. “I'm just super pumped and super excited to spend the next nine years here helping this team win.”

Escalators could increase his salaries in the final three seasons, capped at $25 million in 2032, $26 million in 2033 and $28 million in 2034. The escalators, based on accomplishments starting in 2026, are $2 million for winning an MVP, $1 million for finishing second through fifth in voting, $500,000 for sixth through 10th, $500,000 for making the All-MLB first or second team, $250,000 for being elected or selected an All-Star and $250,000 for winning a Silver Slugger.

He would get a $5 million assignment bonus each time he is traded.

McGonigle's deal covers the first three seasons after he would have been eligible for free agency.

McGonigle was selected by the Tigers at No. 37 in the 2023 amateur draft out of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania.

“Ever since I picked up a bat, this was always a dream,” he said. “Definitely at a young age, I'd say I knew I had the opportunity to play at a high level.”

He has reached base in 13 consecutive starts and 15 of 16 games. He is one of only 10 players in the major leagues with more walks (11) than strikeouts (eight) among players with at least 11 walks.

“What he is doing right now is remarkable,” Harris said. "We studied young hitters and their adjustment periods to the majors, and right down the line, they really struggled for the first 150 plate appearances in the big leagues.

“Clearly, (Kevin) hasn't. I can't remember a debut that I was this impressed with through 17 games.”

___

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

Many of the families have disabilities or medical conditions that require electricity. Concern is growing that the U.S. will abandon them as chronic power outages persist and the Atlantic hurricane season officially nears — it runs from June 1-Nov. 30.

“For them in particular, whether they get a (solar) system or not is something that is really life or death,” Charlotte Gossett Navarro, Puerto Rico chief director for the Hispanic Federation, said in a phone interview.

The nonprofit group is among the organizations that signed a letter released Wednesday to Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

The Hispanic Federation is one of seven organizations that were going to help install the solar systems and educate families about their use. Some of those groups are now formally objecting to the cancellation of the funds or negotiating with the U.S. Department of Energy.

González has said that her administration “had no choice,” because the federal government decided it wouldn't give Puerto Rico those funds. The money is expected to now be invested in the island's crumbling power grid, which was razed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 but was already deteriorated given a lack of investment and maintenance.

Installations of rooftop solar panels have grown in the past three years across Puerto Rico, with an average of 3,850 systems installed per month in 2025, for an overall total of nearly 192,000 by year's end, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, more than 171,000 households and businesses have distributed battery storage systems.

But not everyone can afford such systems on the Caribbean island of around 3.2 million people with a more than 40% poverty rate.

Gossett Navarro said that they haven’t received any answers to pending questions about the funding as a May 9 deadline approaches, marking the end of the program that for some hasn’t even started.

Crews had already installed solar systems in more than 6,000 households as part of the program, but another 12,000 families now remain in limbo.

Yvette Rodríguez, 61, is among them. She needs a sleep apnea machine, and her husband, Luis Soler, a 67-year-old veteran and double amputee, relies on an electric adjustable bed.

“There’s a big need for those solar panels,” said Rodríguez, who resides on the small Puerto Rican island of Culebra with her husband. He needs air conditioning because he has heart problems and lives in a region where heat warnings are common.

She also lamented that ongoing outages force them to throw out food.

“We’re affected economically in a big way because we have to spend what little money we have so that we can eat,” she said.

María Pérez, 80, and her 88-year-old husband, have also been hit by the cut in federal funding. She has high blood pressure and heart problems that have led to several hospitalizations. She also has eyedrops for her cataracts that required refrigeration.

“I put them on ice, but it’s not the same,” she said. “They have us suffering with that money that they took away from us. It’s not fair.”

Pérez gets $364 a month via a Social Security check, but like many Puerto Ricans, her power bill is often the same amount.

Gabriela Joglar Burrowes, executive director of Puerto Rico’s Statewide Independent Living Council, was among those who signed the letter to the governor and Wright.

She said that having solar panels not only would have provided constant electricity, but also peace of mind.

“If you’re a person who depends on equipment like a ventilator, a dialysis machine or medicine that requires refrigeration, the lack of consistent energy represents a risk that could lead to even death,” she said.

Joglar Burrowes, who is disabled, said that thousands of families had been waiting a long time for the solar systems and shouldn’t be forgotten.

“It seems like sometimes we’re disposable, and we’re not,” she said.

Some of the 12,000 families have received the initial eligibility screening, while others have already received a home visit or started repairing their roofs in preparation for a solar system.

Most families live in rural communities, including mountainous towns like Adjuntas, Jayuya and Orocovis.

“It’s even more concerning,” Gossett Navarro said. “It’s hard to get out of the mountains when there’s a disaster.”

The U.S. Department of Energy states on its website that some people will get a system, but officials haven’t said who or when.

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According to an arrest report obtained Wednesday by Local 10 News, Blaine Kealoha Keoho, of Miami, is now facing a charge of burglary with assault or battery in connection with the incident that occurred on June 27, 2025.

North Miami police said Keoho entered City Hall, located at 776 NE 125^th St., just after noon that day and “erratically” and “unlawfully” entered an employee only area in the city clerk’s office that requires key code access.

Police said three employees were in the office at the time and a struggle ensued as they tried to keep Keoho from getting inside.

“I’ve got you now!” Keoho said as he held a pen in an “overhand manner,” according to the arrest report.

The report states that half of Keoho’s body was able to breach the doorway before the employees were able to force the door closed.

Keoho was later identified by the victims in a photo lineup, authorities said.

According to police, after Keoho was identified, a records check on Tuesday revealed that he was already being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center for an unrelated case in which he is charged with trespassing at an occupied structure or conveyance.

As of Wednesday morning, Keoho remained at TGK. Online jail records listed his bond as “to be set.”

Según un informe de arresto obtenido el miércoles por Local 10 News, Blaine Kealoha Keoho, de Miami, enfrenta un cargo de robo con asalto o agresión en relación con el incidente ocurrido el 27 de junio de 2025.

La policía de North Miami indicó que Keoho ingresó al Ayuntamiento, ubicado en 776 NE 125th St., poco después del mediodía de ese día y entró de manera “errática” e “ilegal” a un área solo para empleados en la oficina del secretario municipal que requiere acceso con código.

La policía dijo que tres empleados estaban en la oficina en ese momento y se produjo un forcejeo mientras intentaban impedir que Keoho entrara.

“¡Ahora te tengo!”, dijo Keoho mientras sostenía un bolígrafo en posición elevada, según el informe de arresto.

El informe señala que la mitad del cuerpo de Keoho logró cruzar la puerta antes de que los empleados pudieran cerrarla.

Las autoridades indicaron que Keoho fue posteriormente identificado por las víctimas en una rueda fotográfica.

Según la policía, tras ser identificado, una verificación de registros el martes reveló que ya se encontraba detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight por un caso no relacionado en el que enfrenta un cargo por allanamiento de una estructura o transporte ocupado.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Keoho permanecía en TGK. Los registros en línea de la cárcel indicaban que su fianza está “por determinar”.

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There were .223 caliber rifle casings, 9 mm handgun casings, and .40 caliber handgun casings near where deputies found Kenneth Walters wounded along West Guava Street, according to the deputy’s arrest report.

A witness and “multiple confidential informants” identified Vernon “Hank” Kelson as the rifle-wielding shooter who “stood over” Walters and “fired” before fleeing on March 21, according to the arrest report.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel took Walters to Jackson South Medical Center, where he died at 10:40 p.m. on March 21.

A few days later, a medical examiner reported Walters’s cause of death was “multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and extremities,” and the manner of death was a homicide.

Deputies arrested Kelson, 25, of Coral Springs, shortly before 10:40 p.m. on Tuesday at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, according to the deputy’s arrest report.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Kelson shortly before 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to inmate records.

Kelson appeared in Miami-Dade bond court on Wednesday morning. A judge denied him bail. He faced a second-degree murder with a firearm charge.

Kelson was out on probation, so he had a warrant case pending for a case of written threats to kill or cause bodily injury, use or display of a firearm while committing a felony, and openly carrying a weapon.

Local 10 News Assignment Editors Mercedes Cevallos and Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

Deputies’ flyer on the murder

Location

Había casquillos de rifle calibre .223, de pistola 9 mm y de pistola calibre .40 cerca de donde los agentes encontraron a Kenneth Walters herido a lo largo de West Guava Street, según el informe.

Un testigo y “múltiples informantes confidenciales” identificaron a Vernon “Hank” Kelson como el tirador con rifle que “se paró sobre” Walters y “disparó” antes de huir el 21 de marzo, según el informe de arresto.

Personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladó a Walters al Jackson South Medical Center, donde murió a las 10:40 p.m. del 21 de marzo.

Días después, un médico forense determinó que la causa de muerte de Walters fueron “múltiples heridas de bala en el torso y extremidades” y que la forma de muerte fue homicidio.

Los agentes arrestaron a Kelson, de 25 años y residente de Coral Springs, poco antes de las 10:40 p.m. del martes en la cárcel principal del condado Broward en Fort Lauderdale, según el informe.

Correcciones de Miami-Dade ingresó a Kelson poco antes de las 11:45 p.m. del martes en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según los registros de reclusos.

Kelson compareció el miércoles por la mañana ante la corte de fianzas de Miami-Dade. Un juez le negó la fianza. Enfrenta un cargo de asesinato en segundo grado con arma de fuego.

Kelson estaba en libertad condicional, por lo que tenía un caso pendiente por amenazas escritas de matar o causar daño corporal, uso o exhibición de un arma de fuego durante la comisión de un delito grave y porte visible de arma.

Los editores de asignaciones de Local 10 News Mercedes Cevallos y Carson Merlo contribuyeron a este informe.

Difunden volante de agentes sobre asesinato

Israeli settlers had installed it overnight, according to video that Palestinian residents provided to The Associated Press. Palestinians say the improvised fence is just the latest attempt by settlers to expand control in part of the occupied West Bank where state-backed demolitions, arson and vandalism regularly occur and settler violence, at times lethal, is rarely prosecuted.

The villagers' plight was covered in the 2024 Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land," but the publicity has done little to stem the bloodshed or curb land grabs. They say Israel has used the cover of the Iran war to tighten its grip over the territory, as settler attacks surge and the military imposes additional wartime restrictions on movement, citing security.

Khalil Hathaleen, head of the village council and a member of the extended family that makes up much of Umm al-Khair’s population, said settlers were exploiting the war to seize land, cut down olive groves and raid nearby villages at night. “It was a good chance for settlers to do what they want, with no rules,” he said.

Like in Israel, Palestinian kids stayed home before last week's ceasefire, with the threat of falling missile debris leading schools to close.

Hajar, her brother Rashid and their classmates sat waiting Monday and Tuesday near Israeli flags, the barbed wire and newly felled trees as their parents and village leaders demanded they be allowed to pass. On Monday, the children were met by plumes of tear gas and sound grenades hurled by armed men in an unmarked white truck, including some uniformed soldiers, according to the video.

Israel’s military said troops used “riot dispersal means” outside Carmel, the settlement next to Umm al-Khair. It acknowledged that children were present but said the measures — which it didn't detail — were directed at adults in the area, not the children. The Har Hevron Regional Council, the settlements' local government in the area, did not respond to questions about the fence.

Bedouins and other villagers have been using the 3-kilometer (1.8-mile) path from the neighborhood of Khirbet Umm al-Khair to the village center for decades. “We are determined to keep it,” Khalil Hathaleen said.

The fence is just another way that Palestinian movement is being restricted as Israeli settlements multiply in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians say it follows a well-worn pattern in which settlers erect fences or claim farmland that Palestinians say is theirs, and then move to enforce this new reality with the backing of Israel’s military.

Hathaleen said Israeli forces sometimes restrain the settlers, but more often than not they defer to them.

“We are refused a solution,” he said.

The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal. Israel, meanwhile, views the territory as disputed and says its final status is subject to negotiations. The outposts are built without the permission of Israeli authorities, who sometimes dismantle them but other times turn a blind eye or even legalize them retroactively.

Hathaleen said the military's civil administration unit told Umm Al-Khair to divert students to another path. But parents said the alternate route is roughly twice as long and more dangerous, requiring them to pass near Carmel.

“We have deep concerns as parents and as residents that the (Israeli) occupation and soldiers will attack students,” said Al-Mutasim Hathaleen, another parent.

On Tuesday, some students got to school on buses that took the alternate route. But classrooms sat half-empty and the playground was deserted. There was no school on Wednesday due to Palestinian Authority cuts to teacher salaries in the area. But on Thursday, kids will try again to get to school on their regular route, Khalil Hathaleen said.

Testing the settlers' resolve could be risky.

Israeli officials and military leaders have recently sounded the alarm over intensifying violence and lawlessness by extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank, where arsons and deadly attacks have continued unabated. At least 35 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers across the territory in 2026. Settlers have killed eight Palestinians — an equal number to all of 2025.

The Israeli rights group B’Tselem, following the killing of a 23-year-old Palestinian man by a settler, said that what it called “daily unbridled violence” amounted to Israeli government policy, noting that many of those involved are army reservists.

“These militias are fully backed by the state of Israel and enjoy complete impunity for killing, assaulting and looting Palestinian residents,” it said.

___ Associated Press reporter Amer Abdeen contributed reporting from Umm Al-Khair, West Bank.

The legislation arose in a state that isn't necessarily a destination for the computer-stocked warehouses that power artificial intelligence, but a couple of proposals there generated intense community backlash and helped propel a measure quickly through the state's Democratic-controlled Legislature. Lawmakers on Tuesday approved sending the bill to Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who is running for U.S. Senate.

It's the latest sign that increasingly stiff opposition at the local level is gaining a foothold higher up the political ladder. Tech giants and the data centers they are building have high-level support from President Donald Trump's administration and many governors, who see them as economic engines and essential for winning the artificial intelligence race with China, even as voters raise concerns about the enormous amount of power data centers use. Analysts also warn of the possibility of blackouts in the mid-Atlantic grid in the coming years.

Proposals to slap a moratorium on data centers have been introduced in at least a dozen states, but other than Maine’s, none have even passed a legislative chamber. That's as some states struggle to meet clean energy goals and the centers emerge as a barrier.

Maine's legislation would institute a moratorium for more than a year on data centers above a certain size, and create a special council to help towns vet potential projects. Mills’ office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday on whether she plans to sign the bill.

“It's not that there's no place for data centers in Maine,” said Democratic Rep. Melanie Sachs, who sponsored the measure. “Frankly, the tradeoffs have not been shown to be of benefit to our ratepayers, water usage or community benefit in terms of economic activity.”

Why Maine?

Despite Maine's relatively low profile among developers of massive data centers, called hyperscalers, supporters of the projects said the moratorium will still matter long into the future to all sorts of industries.

“It says that the state is willing to essentially put a blanket ban on you if it decides that you may be politically unfavorable,” said Dan Diorio of the Data Center Coalition, a trade association that includes tech companies and developers.

They said it could deter data center developers from going to Maine and deprive the state of a long-term economic development anchor that attracts other industries. It also means local builders and labor unions won't develop the skills necessary to build the facilities and might leave them lagging behind other states, they said.

“We think that these data centers could bring good jobs, good opportunities to these regions,” said Montana Towers, a policy analyst with the free market Maine Policy Institute. “And a lot of these concerns about them are luddite in nature.”

Nonetheless, several communities in Maine have raised concerns about a lack of transparency in potential data center projects. The Maine moratorium is largely about getting those communities to have input in the development process, said Joe Oliva, a spokesperson for the Maine Broadband Coalition and GrowSmart Maine, which both supported the moratorium.

“If this is going to come, we want to be in early and often on the conversation," Oliva said.

Growing opposition

Since last summer, community opposition has become a serious concern for data center developers, with numerous municipalities defeating their proposals in planning and zoning board votes before packed rooms of angry residents.

A handful of counties and municipalities in the U.S. have imposed a moratorium, and some bills emerged in states where development is brisk such as Virginia, Michigan and Wisconsin. Voters in Festus, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, replaced half of their city's eight-member city council this month amid a backlash over a data center project.

Some bills died without action, like one in Georgia, a data center hotspot. Other states have explored other ways to rein in data centers, such as by imposing tougher standards around water and energy use, transparency and protection of ratepayers and communities.

In Ohio, residents are trying to bypass the Legislature and get a measure on the ballot in November that is designed to permanently ban hyperscale data centers. They'll need to gather more than 400,000 voter signatures by July 1 in what is perhaps the strictest measure of any under consideration.

Public officials, developers and other interests could otherwise “make this state a virtually unbroken field of data centers,” said Austin Baurichter, a Cincinnati-area lawyer who is helping organize the effort.

In South Dakota, a one-year moratorium bill failed in a state Senate committee amid opposition from power plant owners and data center developers. The governor also opposed it, telling senators that such planning is best done at the local level and that a statewide moratorium holds back municipalities that want a data center.

The sponsor, Republican Sen. Taffy Howard, told senators that “citizens are asking for this” and that the opponents are all lobbyists, "billion-dollar corporations" and government officials.

"Are you going to listen to the people or the paid lobbyists?” she asked.

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Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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Follow Patrick Whittle on X at https://x.com/pxwhittle and Marc Levy at https://x.com/timelywriter

The guards targeted Katherine Blankenship's clients and other detainees at the facility after they complained about not having phone access on April 2, Blankenship said in a court declaration.

The phones, which weren't functioning, are the primary way for detainees to communicate with family and their attorneys while in the detention center. The guards began taunting the detainees, who were in a cell, then became “more aggressive and were yelling and threatening to enter the cage,” Blankenship wrote.

When one detainee approached a guard, he was punched in the face. The guards then started beating other detainees in the cell. One of Blankenship's clients was punched in the right eye, thrown to the floor and beaten by several guards. He was kicked in the head and his shoulder and arm were injured. A guard put his knee on the detainee's neck while restraining him, according to the attorney's declaration, which included a photo made during a video call almost a week later showing the detainee with a bruised eye.

“The officers beat several people during this incident and broke another detained individual’s wrist,” Blankenship wrote. The detainee whose wrist was broken is not one of her clients.

Phone service was restored the next day without any explanation for why it was cut off.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management didn't respond to questions emailed Wednesday about the incident.

Blankenship's declaration was included in a court filing accusing state and federal officials of failing to comply with a federal judge's preliminary injunction last month ordering detention center officials to provide access to timely, free, confidential, unmonitored and unrecorded outgoing legal calls. U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell in Fort Myers, Florida also said facility officials must provide at least one operable telephone for every 25 people held in the facility.

The judge's order came in a response to a lawsuit that claimed detainees' First Amendment rights were being violated.

State officials have denied restricting detainees' access to their attorneys and cited security and staffing reasons for any challenges. Federal officials who also are defendants denied that detainees’ First Amendment rights were violated. State officials last week filed a notice that they plan to appeal the judge's order.

The Everglades facility was built last summer at a remote airstrip by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to support President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Florida also has built a second immigration detention center in north Florida.

During a visit last week to the detention center, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, said she wasn't given the chance to talk to detainees. She described conditions at the detention center as “inhumane.”

“The way the detainees are housed is cruel and unnecessary,” she said.

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Associated Press journalist Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed.

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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.

After chastising Pope Leo XIV, Trump turned his ire on Meloni, long one of his closest European allies, for calling his papal broadside “unacceptable” and not backing the U.S.-Israel war on Iran.

“I thought she had courage,’’ Trump said in an interview with leading Italian daily Corriere della Sera. “I was wrong.”

Meloni has not directly responded to Trump’s attacks. But they may be to her advantage as she recovers from a decisive referendum defeat last month and as she seeks to dull the impact of the deeply unpopular Iran war, including higher energy prices.

“I actually think this is a godsend for her,’’ said Nathalie Tocci, a professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe and the director of the International Affairs Institute. “Trump has become completely toxic across Europe, across much of the world, including Italy.”

Trump doubled down on Wednesday, saying their bond had frayed. “She’s been negative,” Trump told Fox News. “Anybody that turned us down to helping with this Iran situation, we do not have the same relationship.”

The Meloni-Trump arc

The only European Union leader invited to Trump’s second inauguration, Meloni was expected to leverage her strong ties with him once he returned to office 15 months ago. The two had a perceived natural alliance, with nationalistic tendencies and similarly hard-line stances on immigration.

But Italy was not spared the pain of Trump’s tariffs, and some may argue she has gotten little out of the relationship. When asked if they had spoken this month, Trump told Corriere, “No, not in a long time.''

After an uncomfortable appearance in the Oval Office a year ago when she avoided directly confronting Trump on tariffs, the distance grew over the Iran war. Meloni has stated Italy will not participate in the war and the country last month refused U.S. bombers the authorization to land at a pivotal air base in Sicily.

Meloni’s statement this week calling Trump's attack on the pope “unacceptable” was the most direct criticism of the president yet.

“It's been building up over time, not so much because she is moving away from him but because he has become increasingly unhinged,’’ Tocci said.

Alliance strained but standing

Cabinet minister Adolfo Urso, a member of Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy, said U.S.-Italy relations would not be shaken by the flap.

“Italy and the United States are allied countries and maintain their relationship and alliance within international institutions, starting obviously with the Atlantic Alliance,’’ he told Radio 24, adding that the church’s moral teachings “cannot crack relationships consecrated in alliances signed a few decades ago.”

Mariangela Zappia, president of the ISPI think tank and a former Italian ambassador to the U.S., said Trump’s “hot-blooded” reaction could be attributed to his frustration with Europe, not just Italy. Besides not getting support for the Iran war, Trump lost a strong ally with Viktor Orbán’s electoral defeat in the Hungarian elections this weekend.

Still, she said Trump's personal outburst aimed at Meloni should not be construed as damaging the alliance as a whole.

“Europe absolutely considers the United States its historic ally, but in some way wants to be involved in the decisions that are taken,’’ Zappia said.

Trump, on the other hand, is realizing “this European Union is not easy to dismantle,” she said. “We are different, we react differently. Some are clearly anti-Trump, some are pro-Trump but in the end, destroying the European project, separating us on the things on which we see as our future, that is very difficult.’’

Meloni focused on Italy

Meloni has sought to shore up support after the referendum loss, which became a de facto confidence test of her leadership. She made a two-day whirlwind solo tour of three Gulf states to shore up Italy’s gas and oil supply from the region during a growing energy crisis but returned home without any formal deals.

On Tuesday, she announced Italy would not automatically renew a defense agreement with Israel, after warning shots hit an Italian convoy that is part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, a move that analysts say is driven more by domestic politics than a strategic shift.

“The Gulf tour was a way to show public opinion that she was being proactive. The fact it didn’t actually lead to anything is beside the point,’’ Tocci said. The Israel move “substantively is rather meaningless because there is not much in this agreement but symbolically it helps because Israel has become just so unpopular in Italian public opinion.”

No matter what damage control she has done after the referendum loss, Roberto D’Alimonte, a professor at the LUISS school of government, predicts a difficult last year and a half of her mandate before elections due in 2027, largely due to the economic impact of the Iran war.

“People want to see their gas bills go down, not just see Meloni talk about gas. What matters are the bills you get every month,’’ he said.

Health systems in the continent of 1.5 billion people face growing uncertainty following the U.S. pullback from global health funding under President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy, alongside disruptions linked to the war in the Middle East that are straining aid budgets and supply chains.

Announcing its first-ever comprehensive analysis of immunization in the region, the WHO said more than 500 million children have been reached through routine vaccination since 2000, preventing over 4 million deaths each year.

Overall, it said vaccines have saved more than 50 million lives in Africa over the past five decades, “gaining an estimated 60 years of life expectancy for each infant life saved” during that period.

In 2024 alone, vaccines saved nearly 2 million lives, the agency said, pointing to key milestones including the eradication of wild poliovirus in 2020, “a historic milestone for Africa,” and the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus in most countries.

Vaccines against malaria, a disease that kills more than 400,000 people annually, most of them children under five in Africa, are now being introduced in 25 countries. Mohamed Janabi, the WHO regional director for Africa, called that “a major scientific and public health breakthrough” during an online press briefing.

But he also warned that “progress is uneven and in some places really slowing,” after the COVID-19 pandemic increased the number of children who have never received a single vaccine.

Ten countries account for 80% of children who haven’t received any vaccine in the region, he said, describing it as “a profound equity issue.”

“These immunization outcomes reflect very different realities, and we have more work to do to ensure we are consistently able to reach children, even in the most fragile and remote contexts,” said Sania Nishtar, chief executive of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which partners with WHO in vaccination efforts.

Aid cuts since Trump returned to the White House in 2025 have been devastating, Janabi said. The U.S. withdrawal from WHO in January resulted in the loss of about 40% of the agency’s overseas development funding, he said, and urged African governments to increase domestic health financing to mitigate the impact.

The U.S-Iran war, which has disrupted supply chains and increased gas prices, is concerning for a continent where “many of our facilities depend on generators,” said Adelheid Onyango, the WHO Africa director for health systems and services. She said the agency is yet to quantify the war's impact.

Health experts such as Shabir Madhi, a professor of vaccinology and dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand, say funding is emerging as the “biggest threat” to Africa's immunization efforts as the U.S. and other Western donors tighten aid to poorer countries.

In many countries, aid-funded programs have already scaled back or shut down, reducing access to basic health services, including clinics, health workers, cold-chain infrastructure and outreach services that vaccination campaigns rely on.

“It can’t be that we continue relying on the likes of Gavi Vaccine Alliance, which has done a tremendous amount of work in terms of ensuring that there’s increasing uptake of new vaccines,” said Madhi. “The Gavi Vaccine Alliance itself is already experiencing a financial crunch. What we need to start putting on the table is what percentage of the immunization program should be funded by countries ... to ensure that not just a few children are getting vaccinated.”

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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.

This is the famed “Saturday Night Live” set at New York City's 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and Anitta is running through two new songs — “Choka Choka” featuring Shakira, and “Varias Quejas,” a Spanish-language version of an Olodum classic, a cultural group from Bahia, Brazil — during rehearsal last week.

Both songs are standouts from her forthcoming album, “Equilibrium,” an eclectic mix of Brazilian funk, samba, bossa nova, semba, reggae, electronic pop, Portuguese, Spanish and English — the kind of release that could only be made mainstream by Brazil’s most globally popular musician since Astrud Gilberto sang “The Girl From Ipanema” over six decades ago.

“I think this is the most Brazilian thing I've ever, ever done on television in America,” Anitta told The Associated Press in the NBC offices shortly thereafter.

And “Equilibrium?” “100% my most Brazilian album,” the artist born Larissa de Macedo Machado says. “I really wanted to do an album honoring my roots.”

An evolving sound

“Equilibrium” is a sonic jump from her last release, 2024's “Funk Generation.” That was a full-on tribute to Brazilian funk — what is frequently referred to as funk carioca or baile funk and is heard in working-class neighborhoods known as favelas around Rio de Janeiro. It's a combination of Brazilian rhythms, African and electronic music and rap that has been stigmatized like hip-hop and reggaetón before it. The genre still exists on “Equilibrium,” but so does a myriad sounds — and beliefs — from her homeland.

“Some of the songs are honoring some entities from Yoruba culture, from Orishas,” she says, referring to the religion that originated in West Africa and its divine spirits, like on the track “Nanã.” “One of the songs talks about God and how do I see God in life.”

It should come as no surprise to Anitta fans: In 2024, she released a music video for the song “Aceita,” which featured a video depicting rituals of the Afro-Brazilian faith Candomblé, sparking controversy in a country where religious intolerance is all too common. Elevating marginalized populations, religious groups and also women, residents of favelas, LGBTQ+ and Black people has always been a core feature of Anitta's public persona.

Going global by going home

Naturally, “Equilibrium” is also a full-on embrace of community. The album is stacked with Brazilian collaborators, like the rising songwriter Melly, Liniker's award-winning samba rock-and-then-some, the Brazilian reggae band Ponto de Equilíbrio and countless others. Even “Choka Choka,” the assertive single with Colombian superstar Shakira, is a love letter to Anitta's culture: The “She Wolf” singer performs in Portuguese.

“Anitta wanted to create something for Brazil, but with an international touch,” said “Choka Choka” co-producer Daramola in a press statement. Its Brazilian funk percussion “has a lot of energy, a lot of intensity. And who better to represent that sound than Anitta and Shakira?”

The song, like the rest of “Equilibrium,” seeks to deliver a universal message with regional sounds. Where she could've leaned into conventional, commercial music trends, she doubled down on what makes Anitta, Anitta instead. Clearly the world — and “Saturday Night Live” — are paying attention.

In the past, “If I wanted to reach certain audience, I would do more English or Spanish or whatever,” she says. “And I just think … I don't know if people are accepting better. I don’t care that much as I used to.”

She still sings in three languages, but Portuguese takes a front seat. That may be because this is the freest Anitta has sounded on record. Consider a song like the syrupy “Vai Dar Caô” featuring rapper Ebony and producer Papatinho, with its sample of DJ Mandrake and MC Tikão's “A Pedido,” built over a late-night-at-the-club interpolation of Art of Noise's 1984 New Age classic “Moments In Love.” Anitta's raps are earned show boasts, something that doesn't feel out of place next to the nylon-string classical guitars of a softer song, like “Ternura.”

On “Equilibrium,” specificity and storytelling is key. “The last song, we also bring a mantra from the God Tara, which is a female God, from another type of religion,” she says.

Anitta is referring to “Ouro,” a collaboration with the Brazilian duo Emanazul who describe their work as medicine music. She calls the song a “meditation.”

“I don’t want people to think this is one type of thinking, one direction. I like to join forces," she says. "I think that’s what this album is about: honoring Brazilian roots, honoring everything that I think can make us feel elevated.”

If she sounds self-actualized, that's because it is her ambition for the album. “I think the main message is, like, we are all one. We live in a planet, Mother Earth. It’s our home. We’re supposed to just live in harmony with each other, respect each other’s flavors, decisions, ways of communicating. We should be just, like, admiring our differences,” she says.

It's a deep message but one delivered in a pop package. “I think the album brings a lot of fun instruments, percussions, all that, but also brings like moments for us to … find the balance, the middle term, the middle way of doing things,” she smiles. “That’s the secret.”

The Mountain Hawks broke the first-inning record of 18 runs set by Princeton and matched by Air Force, both in 1974. Lehigh's 38 total runs were a Patriot League record and the most in a game between Division I teams since New Mexico State beat Texas Southern 38-6 in 2019.

Of Lehigh's 20 first-inning runs, 13 were scored consecutively on bases-loaded walks, hit by pitches or wild pitches. Owen Walewander's grand slam accounted for the final runs in the inning. Lehigh sent 23 men to the plate, three shy of the record for an inning.

Lehigh's Aidan Quinn was walked seven times, also a Division I record.

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

Kent Syverud, chancellor at Syracuse University, said he received the diagnosis after not feeling well last week.

“I am currently undergoing treatment at the University of Michigan. ... I am aware that I am one of many, many people who face a diagnosis like this — people who show up each day with courage,” Syverud said. “I take inspiration from all of them.”

Syverud was hired in January and was set to become president in May.

The University of Michigan's interim president, Domenico Grasso, will stay in the job while the school's governing board searches for another leader.

Instead of being president, Syverud will be a professor at Michigan's law school and serve as an adviser to the Board of Regents, the board said.

Santa Ono was university president until 2025, when he was in line to become the head of the University of Florida. But the move backfired when the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s universities, voted 10-6 against him in June.

Political conservatives had criticized Ono for his past support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other initiatives they viewed as unacceptable liberal ideology.

On Wednesday, the pop superstar announced she'll release a new album, “Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II,” on July 3 via Warner Records — 21 years after the original.

It's exciting for a number of reasons: The album is a sequel to her 2005 release, “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” and her first full-length in seven years, since 2019's “Madame X.” The Associated Press characterized the latter album as a misstep, however, the original “Confessions” has been widely regarded as a return to the top of her pop powers. The critically acclaimed release, which produced such hits as “Hung Up,” “Sorry,” “Get Together” and “Jump,” was dance-pop disco for a new era of clubgoers. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and won a Grammy for best electronic/dance album in 2006.

Madonna has previously teased a second “Confessions” work. In December 2024, she shared an Instagram video of herself in the studio with the original album's producer, Stuart Price.

In the official press announcement, Madonna shared a manifesto that she and Price had for the album.

“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies. These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” she wrote. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions, pulling us into a trancelike state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”

Si alguna vez has estado en el Flanigan’s de Fort Lauderdale tarde en la noche, es posible que hayas visto a Tyler a su hora habitual, recogiendo su pedido como lo hace todos los días.

Todos tienen su lugar favorito para comer al que les gusta ir con frecuencia, pero Tyler llevó esa rutina a otro nivel.

“Teníamos a este fantástico cliente de pedidos para llevar que descubrí ayer, mientras estaba en la oficina, que es único en el sentido de que ha ordenado 257 veces en los últimos ocho o nueve meses. Y ordena a la misma hora y pide lo mismo”, dijo Jimmy Flanigan.

El restaurante Flanigan’s en Fort Lauderdale nombró a Tyler como su cliente más dedicado por su pedido diario constante de la hamburguesa Flanigan’s.

Y Jimmy Flanigan, el director ejecutivo de la icónica cadena familiar, hizo de su misión personal darle un reconocimiento especial por su lealtad.

“Le hice una oferta por su fidelidad en pedidos para llevar. Fue hace unos días, y le dije: ‘Muchas gracias y quiero darte una tarjeta de regalo de $100 USD’. Y desde que hice eso, me han dicho que no le di lo suficiente, y me han sugerido darle desde almuerzo gratis de por vida hasta un Rolls Royce bañado en oro”, dijo Flanigan.

Por eso, Flanigan aumentó el regalo y le otorgó a Tyler una tarjeta de regalo de $1,000 USD y mercancía adicional por su logro.

“Esto es increíble. No lo esperaba, para ser honesto”, dijo Tyler. “Recibí un mensaje de texto. Esperaba conocerlo, pero solo recibir la mercancía y esto – esto. Ustedes hablaron. Agradezco a todos en los comentarios y realmente agradezco a todos en Flanigan’s. Esto es asombroso”.

Y si te preguntas por qué Flanigan’s y por qué el mismo pedido todos los días, Tyler dice que no lo cambiaría.

“Me gusta la buena comida y, desafortunadamente, cuando salgo después de las 10:30-11:00 de la noche, no hay muchos lugares abiertos”, dijo. “Pero Flanigan’s tiene de la mejor comida del sur de Florida, así que estoy muy agradecido de que estén abiertos cuando salgo del trabajo”.

Y ahora, con su nuevo premio, Tyler dice que no puede esperar para seguir con su rutina. ¡Y el personal de Flanigan’s estará esperándolo!

La única pregunta que Flanigan tenía para Tyler, y que muchos probablemente también se hacen, es qué hace con todos los icónicos vasos verdes de Flanigan’s para llevar.

Tyler dice que ha guardado más de 100 de sus pedidos en los últimos meses, pero espera conseguir un vaso dorado especial, algo que Flanigan dice que podría hacer realidad.

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In West Miami, voters cast their ballots for mayor and several city commission seats.

The mayoral race saw incumbent Eric Diaz-Padron face off against longtime former city manager Yolanda Aguilar.

Ultimately, Diaz-Padron won with 70.85% of the ballots cast.

The race for Commission Seat 1 went to Gustavo “Gus” Ceballos, who defeated George A. Lavin with 74.62% of the vote.

Seat 2’s election went to Juan M. Blanes with 71.46% of the vote. He defeated Fermin J. Belleau.

The race for Seat 4 was won by Victoria de la Torre with 70.79% of the votes, defeating Elsa Pelaez-Lopez.

Over in Bay Harbor Islands, voters selected a new town council member.

In that race, Elchonon Shagalov defeated Gustavo Ortega by a narrow margin of 54.73% of the votes to 45.27%.

En West Miami, los votantes emitieron sus votos para alcalde y varios escaños de la comisión municipal.

En la contienda por la alcaldía, el titular Eric Diaz-Padron se enfrentó a la ex administradora municipal Yolanda Aguilar.

Finalmente, Diaz-Padron ganó con el 70.85% de los votos emitidos.

La elección para el escaño 1 de la comisión fue para Gustavo “Gus” Ceballos, quien derrotó a George A. Lavin con el 74.62% de los votos.

El escaño 2 fue ganado por Juan M. Blanes con el 71.46% de los votos. Derrotó a Fermin J. Belleau.

La contienda por el escaño 4 fue ganada por Victoria de la Torre con el 70.79% de los votos, superando a Elsa Pelaez-Lopez.

En Bay Harbor Islands, los votantes eligieron a un nuevo miembro del concejo municipal.

En esa contienda, Elchonon Shagalov derrotó a Gustavo Ortega por un margen estrecho de 54.73% frente a 45.27% de los votos.

The next chance of rain will be just an isolated shower or two starting Friday into the weekend. A weak front will approach Florida and begin to stall out in our vicinity. This will give us a chance for more meaningful showers Monday and Tuesday next week.

Leo spoke to journalists en route to Cameroon as he continued his Africa visit.

He made no mention of Trump’s latest social media post or the suggestion by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, that he should “be careful” when speaking about theology.

Leo took no questions. Rather, he focused on his first stop in Algeria and the teachings of St. Augustine of Hippo, the inspiration of his religious order and his own spirituality.

But Leo spoke in terms that suggested the Trump administration's criticism of the pope's calls for peace in the Iran war hadn't gone unnoticed. He spoke exclusively in English.

Trump has issued repeated broadsides this week against history’s first U.S.-born pope, accusing him of being weak on crime and a captive to the left, and asserting that Leo owed his papacy to Trump. Trump also posted, then took down, an artificial intelligence-generated, Christ-like image of himself that drew widespread condemnation, even from many supporters.

Trump’s attacks on Leo began after the pope amplified criticism of war and asserted that God doesn’t bless those who drop bombs. Leo also called Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization “truly unacceptable.”

Overnight, Trump posted “Not good!!!” in response to a post citing social media posts by Leo before he was pope that were critical of Trump. And he wrote: “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.”

Leo points to St. Augustine and ‘search for truth’

Leo drew attention to his visit Tuesday to Annaba, the ancient city of Hippo where St. Augustine, the theological and philosophical giant of the early church, lived as a bishop for more than 30 years.

“His writings, his teaching, his spirituality, his invitation to search for God and to search for truth is something that is very much needed today, a message that is very real for all of us today as believers in Jesus Christ, but for all people,” Leo said.

By going to Hippo, Leo said that he wanted to offer the church and the world a vision that St. Augustine offers in terms of seeking "unity among all peoples and respect for all people in spite of the differences.”

He recalled that the vast majority of Algerians are Muslim, but that they respect and honor St. Augustine as “one of the great sons of their land.” Such an attitude, he said, helps to build bridges between Christians and Muslims and promote dialogue.

And he recalled his visit to the Great Mosque of Algiers, where he stood in silent prayer.

“I think the visit to the mosque was significant to say that although we have different beliefs, we have different ways of worshiping, we have different ways of living, we can live together in peace,” he said.

“And so I think that to promote that kind of image is something which the world needs to hear today.”

While being on the receiving end of Trump's criticisms online, Leo pointed to the respectful way that the Algerian government had received him on the first-ever papal visit — with a full military airborne escort through Algeria's airspace.

“It’s a sign of the goodness, of the generosity, of the respect that the Algerian people and the Algerian government have wished to show to the Holy See and to myself,” Leo said.

A debate about ‘just war’

The Vatican's editorial director, Andrea Tornielli, was more pointed than Leo in his rebuttal of Vance, who had argued that the Catholic Church had a long tradition of endorsing so-called “just wars,” when war can be morally justified.

Tornielli noted that the “just war” theory was developed centuries ago, when wars were fought with swords, not machine-guided drones.

“This teaching has gradually been enriched and deepened, to the point of recognizing how increasingly difficult it is to claim that a ‘just war’ exists,” Tornielli wrote on Vatican Media. Modern warfare poses a "reality that raises moral questions of dramatic intensity.”

“There has been a growing awareness that war is not a path to be followed,” he wrote.

U.S. Cardinal Robert McElroy, the archbishop of Washington, has said the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran failed to meet the minimum criteria for the war to be considered morally just. Such criteria would have included that it was a response to an imminent threat, that the U.S. and Israel had clearly articulated their intentions or that the benefits would outweigh the harm.

___

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

In a wild sequence, Ball avenged two critical mistakes just seconds earlier by scoring on a driving right-handed layup with 4.7 seconds left, and Charlotte prevailed after Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s layup attempt on the other of the court as time expired. That set off a wild celebration on the court involving players, coaches and fans as the team earned its first home postseason win in a decade.

Ball celebrated at midcourt, flexing after the winning layup. Local television station WBTV caught video of the hyped point guard delivering two seemingly playful blows at Hugo before embracing teammate Coby White in a bear hug. Hugo simply walked away.

Ball was the center of attention all night, and it remained uncertain if he could face disciplinary action from the league ahead of Charlotte's next play-in game on Friday night after it appeared he took a swipe at the leg of Bam Adebayo early in the second quarter, causing the Heat center to fall on his back.

Ball was not called for a foul and play continued. Adebayo did not return because of a lower back injury, playing just 11 minutes.

Afterward, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said Ball should have been ejected.

Ball apologized after the game and said he was disoriented on the play after getting hit in the head seconds before on a drive to the basket.

The ninth-seeded Hornets play on the road against the loser of Wednesday’s night game between Orlando and Philadelphia as they look to snap a 10-year playoff drought.

“We drew up a good play, I feel like. Just orchestrated it and it worked," Ball said of the winning shot.

Ball was not asked about punching the mascot after the game; the video of it had not surfaced at that point.

“The crowd was amazing," Ball said of the sold-out crowd. "Everyone who came out today was real loud, so it was a good crowd.”

Charlotte was able to get to overtime after White hit an off-balanced 3-pointer from the corner with 10.8 seconds left to tie the game, and Miami's Tyler Herro missed a jumper at the end of regulation.

The Hornets surrendered a five-point lead in OT behind two Ball blunders.

After Herro drained a turnaround 3 in the corner, Ball turned the ball over at midcourt and then fouled Herro on a 3-point attempt. Herro made all three free throws to briefly give Miami a 126-125 lead, setting up Ball's theatrics on an inbounds play.

“We just stayed together throughout it all, it was an up-and-down game. But that’s what the play-in is about," Bridges said. "... We did a great job executing on offense, LaMelo did a great job getting a layup, and then we executed on defense on the other end.”

___

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

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According to deputies, Josiah K. Burrows was last seen April 8 in the 19100 block of Northeast Second Avenue.

Deputies said Burrows went to school that day and was dropped off at his usual bus stop after school, but hasn’t made contact with his family since.

They said he has, however, made contact with friends.

Deputies described Burrows as a Black male, who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs about 130 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call MDSO at 305-715-3300, email u309125@mdso.com or call Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Según los agentes, Josiah K. Burrows fue visto por última vez el 8 de abril en la cuadra 19100 de Northeast Second Avenue.

Los agentes indicaron que Burrows fue a la escuela ese día y fue dejado en su parada de autobús habitual después de clases, pero no ha tenido contacto con su familia desde entonces.

Sin embargo, señalaron que sí ha tenido contacto con amigos.

Los agentes describieron a Burrows como un joven afroamericano de 5 pies y 10 pulgadas de estatura y aproximadamente 130 libras de peso. Tiene cabello negro y ojos marrones.

Cualquier persona con información sobre su paradero debe llamar a la MDSO al 305-715-3300, enviar un correo a u309125@mdso.com o comunicarse con Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

Los agentes están solicitando a cualquier persona con información sobre la balacera que se presente.

Según el FBI, la balacera ocurrió poco antes de las 7:30 p.m. del 6 de abril.

“Un gran grupo de sujetos agredió a una víctima que estaba sola cuando uno de los sujetos sacó un arma de fuego y disparó una sola vez, impactando a la víctima”, indicó el FBI en un comunicado. “Después de los disparos, los sujetos intentaron quitarle el reloj a la víctima herida. El reloj no fue robado.”

Offset, de 34 años, cuyo nombre real es Kiari Kendrell Cephus, fue hospitalizado tras la balacera, mientras que el también rapero Lil Tjay fue arrestado por cargos de alteración del orden público y operar en el tráfico sin una licencia válida.

Lil Tjay, de 24 años, cuyo nombre real es Tione Jayden Merritt, no ha sido acusado en la balacera, que ocurrió fuera del área de valet del edificio, y negó que hubiera ocurrido una pelea entre él y Offset.

“Yo no peleo nada de eso”, dijo Lil Tjay a medios de comunicación mientras salía de la cárcel de Fort Lauderdale.

Ofreció un relato con lenguaje obsceno de lo que, según él, ocurrió.

“Ese tipo me disparó. Ese tipo me disparó. Ese tipo es un soplón”, dijo Lil Tjay. “Raros. Ustedes están obteniendo una buena entrevista”.

Offset ya fue dado de alta del hospital.

El FBI confirmó que los sospechosos huyeron de la escena en dos SUV Chevrolet tras la balacera: una Tahoe gris mate y una Suburban negra.

“La Suburban negra huyó del área hacia Hollywood, Florida, mientras que la Tahoe se dirigió hacia el sur en dirección a Miami”, indicó el comunicado.

Offset formó parte del trío de rap Migos antes de continuar su carrera como solista.

El grupo se convirtió en uno de los más populares del hip-hop de todos los tiempos. Alcanzó notoriedad con el éxito “Versace” en 2013 y posteriormente obtuvo nominaciones al Grammy por mejor álbum de rap con “Culture” en 2018, mientras que una de sus canciones también fue nominada a mejor interpretación de rap.

Offset estuvo casado con la también rapera Cardi B, con quien tiene tres hijos. Ambos se divorciaron en 2024.

El primo de Offset, Takeoff, quien también formaba parte de Migos, murió en una balacera en 2022.

Cualquier persona con información sobre la balacera en el Hard Rock y los involucrados debe comunicarse con el FBI al 1-800-CALL-FBI o enviar información en tips.fbi.gov.

El FBI señaló que el Hard Rock Hotel & Casino en Hollywood es operado por la Tribu Seminole de Florida y que “los delitos cometidos en territorio indígena están sujetos a investigación federal.”

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In Miami-Dade County, commissioners are demanding answers.

In Broward County, officials are working with the federal government on a plan to get rid of them.

Across South Florida, dozens of electric buses purchased with tens of millions of taxpayer dollars remain parked and out of service, more than a year after they were pulled from the road.

Right now, no one knows exactly what comes next.

In Miami-Dade, frustration is growing inside County Hall.

Roberto Gonzalez and Natalie Milian Orbis co-sponsored a resolution in January requiring the administration of Daniella Levine Cava to produce a detailed report outlining what went wrong with the county’s electric bus fleet and what the plan is moving forward.

The resolution gave the mayor 30 days to deliver that report.

That deadline has now come and gone.

No report has been publicly released.

“If these buses are not working efficiently, not out there saving the environment and not out there servicing the residents of Miami-Dade County, then we need to get that money back,” Gonzalez said.

Milian Orbis called the situation a red flag and said the county cannot afford to let millions of dollars sit idle without a plan.

“We need to have a plan. We cannot leave it by the wayside. We need to take action,” she said.

Mayor Levine Cava has acknowledged the failure.

“It is very sad. This is a sad story,” she said. “Obviously the wrong choice was made.”

She added that the county has worked to try to secure parts and repairs and said, “We are still hopeful we can still put them into service.”

In Broward County, the focus has shifted away from fixing the buses and toward getting rid of them.

Transit officials confirm they are working with the federal government to determine how to dispose of the fleet, a process required because federal grant money was used to purchase the vehicles.

Thirty-one electric buses are currently sitting in a remote section of a landfill off U.S. 27, each one costing roughly $1.1 million.

Coree Cuff Lonergan said the buses “continued to fail” and described the situation as “a deep disappointment.”

“We absolutely did our best to keep the buses on the road,” she said.

She also revealed that problems are not limited to Proterra buses.

“We did take delivery of two additional buses from a different manufacturer and they do not work either,” she said.

Lonergan said Broward is exploring whether any of the funding can be recovered.

“Are there any opportunities to get reimbursed or to recover any of the funds? Yes, absolutely,” she said.

For now, the county is waiting on federal approval before making its next move.

In Miami-Dade, the buses remain parked.

At the Homestead Air Reserve Base, rows of electric buses sit idle in what has become one of the most visible symbols of the problem. Sky 10 counted dozens of buses stored there.

Additional buses are stored at the Northeast Bus Facility near Miami Gardens Drive.

Together, they represent a significant public investment that is currently delivering no return.

Miami-Dade Transit confirms 69 Proterra buses were purchased at a cost of $61.8 million, including federal, state, and local surtax funding.

Just a few years ago, the rollout of these buses was celebrated.

In 2023, Mayor Levine Cava unveiled the new electric fleet, calling it the future of public transit and highlighting the environmental and cost-saving benefits.

The buses were manufactured by Proterra, which at the time was seen as a leader in electric transit technology.

Miami-Dade’s plan was to eventually transition its entire fleet to electric.

But problems quickly emerged.

The buses experienced repeated mechanical failures. They broke down frequently. Replacement parts became difficult and at times impossible to obtain.

Then Proterra filed for bankruptcy.

That left counties like Miami-Dade and Broward with fleets of specialized buses and no reliable way to maintain or repair them.

The issue extends beyond South Florida.

Proterra sold more than 1,300 electric buses across the United States and Canada. Transit agencies in cities such as Austin, Philadelphia, and Louisville are dealing with similar problems.

In Miami-Dade, commissioners are still waiting for a report that was due weeks ago.

In Broward, officials are waiting on the federal government before they can move forward with disposal or recovery.

Questions remain about the cost and reliability of electric transit fleets moving forward.

Miami Dade Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez has raised concerns about the financial reality, saying electric buses can be far more expensive to operate than diesel models. “It takes much more money to operate the electric one as opposed to the diesel one,” he said.

Still, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is standing by the county’s commitment to electrification. She said Miami-Dade plans to continue moving forward with electric buses, adding that she believes electric vehicles remain the future despite the current setbacks.

Levine Cava said a detailed report on the county’s electric bus fleet will be released to commissioners in the near future.

En el condado Miami-Dade, los comisionados exigen respuestas.

En el condado Broward, los funcionarios trabajan con el gobierno federal en un plan para deshacerse de ellos.

En todo el sur de Florida, decenas de autobuses eléctricos comprados con decenas de millones de dólares de los contribuyentes permanecen estacionados y fuera de servicio, más de un año después de que fueron retirados de circulación.

Por ahora, nadie sabe exactamente qué ocurrirá.

En Miami-Dade, la frustración crece dentro del gobierno del condado.

Roberto Gonzalez y Natalie Milian Orbis copatrocinaron una resolución en enero que exige a la administración de Daniella Levine Cava presentar un informe detallado que explique qué salió mal con la flota de autobuses eléctricos del condado y cuál es el plan a seguir.

La resolución dio a la alcaldesa 30 días para entregar ese informe.

Ese plazo ya venció.

No se ha publicado ningún informe.

“Si estos autobuses no están funcionando de manera eficiente, no están ahí afuera salvando el medio ambiente ni prestando servicio a los residentes de Miami-Dade, entonces necesitamos recuperar ese dinero”, dijo Gonzalez.

Milian Orbis calificó la situación como una señal de alerta y dijo que el condado no puede permitirse dejar millones de dólares sin uso y sin un plan.

“Necesitamos tener un plan. No podemos dejar esto de lado. Tenemos que tomar acción”, dijo.

La alcaldesa Levine Cava ha reconocido el fracaso.

“Es muy triste. Esta es una historia triste”, dijo. “Obviamente se tomó la decisión equivocada”.

Agregó que el condado ha trabajado para intentar asegurar piezas y reparaciones y afirmó: “Aún tenemos la esperanza de poder ponerlos en servicio”.

En el condado Broward, el enfoque ha cambiado de reparar los autobuses a deshacerse de ellos.

Funcionarios de transporte confirman que están trabajando con el gobierno federal para determinar cómo disponer de la flota, un proceso requerido debido a que se utilizaron fondos federales para comprar los vehículos.

Treinta y un autobuses eléctricos están actualmente en una sección remota de un vertedero cerca de la U.S. 27, cada uno con un costo aproximado de $1.1 millones USD.

Coree Cuff Lonergan dijo que los autobuses “continuaron fallando” y describió la situación como “una profunda decepción”.

“Hicimos absolutamente todo lo posible para mantener los autobuses en circulación”, dijo.

También reveló que los problemas no se limitan a los autobuses Proterra.

“Recibimos dos autobuses adicionales de otro fabricante y tampoco funcionan”, dijo.

Lonergan indicó que Broward está explorando si se puede recuperar parte del dinero.

“¿Existen oportunidades para ser reembolsados o recuperar parte de los fondos? Sí, absolutamente”, dijo.

Por ahora, el condado espera la aprobación federal antes de tomar su siguiente paso.

En Miami-Dade, los autobuses permanecen estacionados.

En la Base de Reserva Aérea de Homestead, filas de autobuses eléctricos permanecen fuera de servicio en lo que se ha convertido en uno de los símbolos más visibles del problema. Sky 10 contó decenas de autobuses almacenados allí.

Autobuses adicionales están almacenados en la instalación Northeast Bus Facility cerca de Miami Gardens Drive.

En conjunto, representan una inversión pública significativa que actualmente no genera retorno.

Miami-Dade Transit confirma que se compraron 69 autobuses Proterra a un costo de $61.8 millones USD, incluyendo fondos federales, estatales y recargos locales.

Hace apenas unos años, el lanzamiento de estos autobuses fue celebrado.

En 2023, la alcaldesa Levine Cava presentó la nueva flota eléctrica, calificándola como el futuro del transporte público y destacando sus beneficios ambientales y de ahorro de costos.

Los autobuses fueron fabricados por Proterra, que en ese momento era vista como líder en tecnología de transporte eléctrico.

El plan de Miami-Dade era eventualmente convertir toda su flota a eléctrica.

Pero los problemas surgieron rápidamente.

Los autobuses experimentaron fallas mecánicas repetidas. Se descomponían con frecuencia. Las piezas de repuesto se volvieron difíciles y, en ocasiones, imposibles de conseguir.

Luego, Proterra se declaró en bancarrota.

Eso dejó a condados como Miami-Dade y Broward con flotas de autobuses especializados y sin una forma confiable de mantenerlos o repararlos.

El problema se extiende más allá del sur de Florida.

Proterra vendió más de 1,300 autobuses eléctricos en Estados Unidos y Canadá. Agencias de transporte en ciudades como Austin, Filadelfia y Louisville enfrentan problemas similares.

En Miami-Dade, los comisionados aún esperan un informe que debía entregarse hace semanas.

En Broward, los funcionarios esperan al gobierno federal antes de poder avanzar con la disposición o recuperación.

Persisten las dudas sobre el costo y la confiabilidad de las flotas de transporte eléctrico en el futuro.

El comisionado de Miami-Dade Roberto Gonzalez expresó preocupaciones sobre la realidad financiera, señalando que los autobuses eléctricos pueden ser mucho más costosos de operar que los modelos diésel. “Se necesita mucho más dinero para operar el eléctrico en comparación con el diésel”, dijo.

Aun así, la alcaldesa Daniella Levine Cava mantiene el compromiso del condado con la electrificación. Indicó que Miami-Dade planea continuar avanzando con autobuses eléctricos, y agregó que cree que los vehículos eléctricos siguen siendo el futuro a pesar de los contratiempos actuales.

Levine Cava dijo que un informe detallado sobre la flota de autobuses eléctricos del condado será entregado a los comisionados en un futuro cercano.

Authorities were just beginning to assess the damage left behind by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, which first hit the islands Tuesday night local time and continued with a barrage of fierce winds and relentless rains for hours Wednesday.

Power was out and many of the roads were impassable across Saipan, a U.S. territory that's the largest of the Mariana Islands and home to about 43,000 people, according to local officials.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said water outages were reported on some of the islands. The agency planned to send more personnel to the region and ramp up shipments of supplies.

The storm also battered Guam, another U.S. territory and the site of several American military bases, with tropical force winds.

The typhoon — the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth this year — was packing sustained winds of up to 150 mph (240 kph) when it made landfall on the islands, the National Weather Service said.

The monster storm still had winds of 125 mph (200 kph) late Wednesday night as it pulled away to the north from the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota, the weather service said. Sinlaku is expected start curving toward sparsely populated volcanic islands in the far northern Marianas.

It was still very windy and rainy roughly 24 hours after the typhoon rattled the islands, but much better than the previous night, said Jaden Sanchez, spokesperson for the Saipan mayor’s office.

Preliminary reports include a lot of flooding, uprooted trees and downed power lines, but no deaths, he said.

Images from Saipan showed residential lots littered with debris and mangled trees. Winds crumbled metal bleachers at a sports field.

Resident Dong Min Lee shot video of a car sitting on top of two others in his apartment building’s parking lot. The winds tore off part of his balcony railing.

The American Red Cross and its partners were sheltering more than 1,000 residents across Guam and the Northern Marianas, agency spokesperson Stephanie Fox said.

___

Associated Press writers Jennifer Sinco Kelleher and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; and Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego contributed to this report.

Ocurrió el martes por la tarde en el área de Southwest 16th Street y Fourth Avenue, en el vecindario Croissant Park de Fort Lauderdale.

Según Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, se trató de un choque entre dos vehículos que involucró un vehículo del USPS.

Las autoridades informaron que un empleado del USPS salió expulsado de su vehículo durante el accidente y fue trasladado de emergencia como trauma al Broward Health Medical Center.

El conductor del segundo vehículo también fue llevado al hospital para recibir tratamiento, con lesiones que no ponen en riesgo su vida, indicaron funcionarios.

Según el medio, el influencer, cuyo nombre real es Braden Peters, fue llevado a una sala de emergencias después de que su transmisión en vivo se cortara abruptamente.

Local 10 está trabajando para obtener el video de esa transmisión, pero en este, Peters aparentemente es visto hablando con una mujer joven en un bar de Miami mientras parecía estar bajo los efectos de alguna sustancia.

No estaba claro de inmediato qué sustancia o sustancias Peters pudo haber consumido antes de la presunta sobredosis.

La policía de Miami confirmó a Local 10 que fueron llamados para asistir a Miami Fire Rescue a las 8:46 p.m., sin embargo, el denunciante ya no estaba cuando llegaron.

Funcionarios de MFR dijeron que el individuo, a quien no identificaron, “posiblemente fue retirado en un vehículo” antes de que pudieran hacer contacto con él.

Peters parece haber sido dado de alta del hospital, ya que publicó en X la mañana del miércoles sobre el incidente.

“Acabo de llegar a casa, eso fue brutal”, escribió. “Todas las sustancias son solo una forma de sobrellevar para intentar sentirse neurotípico en público, pero obviamente esa no es una solución real. La peor parte de esta noche fue mi rostro descendiendo de la máscara de soporte vital.”

Hace unas dos semanas, Peters fue arrestado por la policía en Fort Lauderdale por una orden judicial del condado Osceola por agresión menor y conspiración para cometer agresión.

Times have “ radically changed," Hochul said, since 2019, when the state set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2030.

She's proposed giving the state years more to comply, saying pursuing that goal now by imposing planned fees on polluters would lead to crushing energy prices.

“I cannot in good conscience — knowing the moms and dads and the seniors and the families that are struggling, paying their bills now — I cannot do something I know at this very moment that’s going to raise those prices,” Hochul said at a recent rally.

Hochul, who is running for reelection this year, is among several Democratic leaders trying to balance the party’s traditional support for clean energy policies with the current political imperative to deliver “affordability” agendas.

Several states — particularly in the Northeast — are reassessing clean energy targets. Others are looking at shaving extra charges on utility bills that help fund efficiency programs.

The shifts have alarmed environmentalists, who call them shortsighted. They note that other states, including California, have remained committed to similar policies designed to lessen dependence on fossil fuels.

“She’s looking to, ultimately, keep New Yorkers on gas longer when it’s the very fuel that’s causing their bills to rise,” Liz Moran of the environmental group Earthjustice said of Hochul's proposals.

Hochul insists she isn’t abandoning efforts to fight climate change. But she and other Democrats complain that cuts to clean energy grants under President Donald Trump’s administration raised the cost of meeting state climate goals. The Republican president has been hostile to some clean energy sources, particularly offshore wind farms, which his administration has sought to block.

Affordability concerns edge out climate worries

Meanwhile, U.S. residential electricity prices rose 27% on average from 2019 to 2024, with some of the most pronounced increases in California and Northeast states, according to a study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Analysts cite multiple reasons for higher prices, among them increased demand from data centers and the price of natural gas, which often is used to generate electricity.

Power bills were a key issue in the governors’ races won by Democrats last year in New Jersey and Virginia. And that was before the Iran war sent gasoline prices soaring.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee has proposed pushing a 2033 deadline to reach 100% renewable energy sources to 2050, part of his plan to lower energy costs by $1 billion over five years.

Last year, Connecticut lowered its 40% renewable energy goal for 2030 to 29%. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont said at the time that “electric bills are too damn high.”

Massachusetts and New Jersey are among the states looking at lowering charges on utility bills that help fund efficiency programs.

“It is hard to talk about climate at times, because everyone is very laser-focused on affordability and customer bills,” said Kyle Murray, Massachusetts program director for the Acadia Center. “So climate, while still important, is getting kind of pushed aside, unfortunately.”

Cap and invest in practice

One of New York's key mechanisms for reducing emissions was supposed to be a “cap-and-invest” system, in which polluters buy allowances for their emissions and the revenue is invested in things like clean technology and renewable energy.

In California, cap-and-invest is crucial to achieving goals that include reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. The state has used proceeds from cap-and-invest to direct billions of dollars to things like public transit and clean-vehicle incentives.

California regulators on Tuesday proposed cap-and-invest changes in response to concerns from lawmakers about electricity prices and economic worries from industry. Business incentives and electric bill relief would be increased under the proposals.

The program costs Californians an extra 24 cents a gallon at the pump and slightly more on their utility bills, though the state provides a regular “climate credit” on their bills, said Kyle Meng, associate professor of economics at UC Santa Barbara.

“When you make things more expensive, people conserve. It’s like Econ 101 and that’s the basic idea behind a cap-and-trade program,” Meng said.

New York officials, however, missed a 2024 deadline to create regulations detailing how such a system would work in their state. Without those rules in place, the system never launched. Environmentalists successfully sued the state over its failure to meet the deadline, which Hochul has mentioned in seeking a delay.

The governor’s new proposal, currently under consideration by legislative leaders, would give the state until 2030 to come up with regulations. And the state would set new targets for 2040 emissions levels.

Environmentalists dispute cost claims

If those deadlines are not moved, consumers will pay a cost, Hochul has said. Her administration estimates that implementing a cap-and-invest system now would pass along costs of more than $4,000 a year for some households.

Environmental advocates say the governor is estimating what an “extreme” version would cost, and that the analysis ignores the benefits of incentivizing polluters to move away from fossil fuels.

They also point to Washington, where voters in 2024 decided to keep that state’s cap-and-invest program by a wide margin.

“The sky has not fallen,” said Caitlin Krenn of Washington Conservation Action, “and the program is working as intended.”

Bruce Blakeman, a Republican county executive running for governor against Hochul, said he’d get rid of the state’s plan altogether if he wins this fall.

“Delaying the pain won’t make it disappear — it just leaves bigger bills down the road,” Blakeman said in a statement.

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According to the outlet, the influencer, whose real name is Braden Peters, was taken to an emergency room after his livestream was abruptly cut off.

Local 10 is working to obtain that livestream video, but in it, Peters is apparently seen speaking with a young woman at a bar in Miami while appearing to be under the influence.

It was not immediately clear which substance or substances Peters may have consumed prior to the alleged overdose.

Miami police confirmed to Local 10 that they were called to assist Miami Fire Rescue at 8:46 p.m., however the complainant was already gone when they arrived.

MFR officials said the individual, who they did not name, was “possibly rushed away in a vehicle” before they were able to make contact with him.

Peters appears to have been released from the hospital as he took to X Wednesday morning to talk about the ordeal.

“Just got home, that was brutal,” he wrote. “All of the substances are just a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously that isn’t a real solution. The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask.”

About two weeks ago, Peters was arrested by police in Fort Lauderdale on a warrant out of Osceola County for misdemeanor battery and conspiracy to commit battery.

Two prosecutors and an investigator from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office were turned away on Tuesday by a building contractor and referred to Fed attorneys, one of the people said. The two people familiar with the visit spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation.

The visit underscores that the Trump administration is not backing down from its investigation of the Fed and its chair, Jerome Powell, even though the probe has delayed the confirmation of a new chair nominated by President Donald Trump. The investigation is focused on cost overruns and brief testimony about the project last summer by Powell. Trump confirmed in an interview that aired Wednesday on Fox Business that he wants to continue the probe.

Last month, during a closed-door hearing before a federal judge, a top deputy from Pirro’s office conceded that they hadn’t found any evidence of a crime in their investigation of the headquarters project.

Robert Hur, an attorney for the Federal Reserve board of governors, sent an email to Pirro’s prosecutors about their visit and their request for a “tour” to “check on progress” at the construction site. Hur’s email, which The Associated Press has viewed, noted that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg concluded that their interest in the Federal Reserve’s renovation project was “pretextual.”

“Should you wish to challenge that finding, the courts provide an avenue for you; it is not appropriate for you to try to circumvent it,” Hur wrote.

Republican Tillis is key vote

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is a key member of the Senate Banking Committee, has vowed to vote against Kevin Warsh, Trump's nominee to replace Powell as Fed chair, until the investigation is dropped. With the committee closely divided on partisan lines, Tillis' opposition is enough to block Warsh from receiving the committee's approval.

Tillis on Wednesday criticized the investigation as “bogus, ill-timed, ill-informed” and repeated that seven Republican members of the banking panel have said they do not believe Powell committed a crime when he testified last June.

Tillis also said there aren’t enough votes on the committee or in the broader Senate to do an end-run around the committee and get Warsh confirmed some other way.

“There really is no path,” he told reporters, adding that Pirro and her aides were “asleep at the switch” because the investigation has essentially delayed Powell's departure from the Fed, despite Trump's obsessive criticism of the Fed chair. Powell has now said he won't leave until the investigation is resolved.

Tillis suggested Pirro blindsided the White House with her investigation. “They should have consulted with the White House, because I’m sure if they would have, (the White House) would have said, ‘no, we can wait,'” until Powell steps down.

But Kevin Hassett, the Trump administration's top economist, said Wednesday that the Justice Department got involved because “the president wanted to investigate the cost overrun,” Axios reported.

The Banking panel said Tuesday that it will hold a hearing on Warsh's nomination April 21. Powell's term as Fed chair ends May 15, but Powell said last month he would remain as chair until a replacement is named.

Powell is serving a separate term as a member of the Fed's governing board that lasts until January 2028. Chairs typically leave the board when their terms as chair end, but they can remain on the board if they choose. Powell has said he won't leave until the investigation is resolved. If he remains it would deny Trump the opportunity to appoint someone else to the seven-member board.

Late Tuesday Tillis posted a link on social media to The Wall Street Journal’s article on the visit below an image of the Three Stooges and wrote, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. at the crime scene.”

Investigation centers on building renovations

The investigation centers on an appearance by Powell before the Banking Committee last June, when he was asked about cost overruns on the renovations. The most recent estimates from the Fed suggest the current estimated cost of $2.5 billion is about $600 million higher than a 2022 estimate of $1.9 billion.

“It is probably corrupt, but what it really is, is incompetent,” Trump said. “Don't you think we have to find out what happened there?”

The president's support for the investigation threatens a timeframe set out by Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican who chairs the Banking Committee. Scott said Tuesday on Fox Business that he believed the investigation would be “wrapped up in the next few weeks,” allowing Warsh to be confirmed soon after.

Threat to fire Powell

News of the unannounced visit by prosecutors comes as Trump has again threatened to fire Powell, if the Federal Reserve Chair decides to stay on the central bank's governing board after his term as chair expires next month.

“Well then I’ll have to fire him, OK?” Trump said.

Trump has for months wanted to remove Powell, saying he has been too slow in orchestrating interest rate cuts that would give the U.S. economy a quick boost. Powell has said the investigation is a pretext to undermine the Fed's independence to set rates.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said Trump can only fire Powell “for cause,” meaning some kind of misconduct, “so that's a pretty tall order.”

Supreme Court weighing another Trump removal

Trump’s threat to fire Powell comes as the Supreme Court is weighing the president’s effort to remove another central bank governor, Lisa Cook. Lower courts have so far allowed Cook to remain in her job while her legal challenge to the firing continues. The Supreme Court also seemed likely to keep her on the Fed when the court heard arguments in January. A decision could come any time.

The issue in Cook’s case is whether allegations of mortgage fraud, which she has denied, is a sufficient reason to fire her or a mere pretext masking Trump’s desire to exert more control over U.S. interest rate policy.

The Supreme Court has allowed the firings of the heads of other governmental agencies at the president’s discretion, with no claim that they did anything wrong, while also signaling that it is approaching the independence of the nation’s central bank more cautiously, calling the Fed “a uniquely structured, quasi-private entity.”

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AP Writers Seung Min Kim, Mark Sherman, Paul Wiseman, Alanna Durkin Richer, and video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

The prosecutor for the First Judicial Circuit on Monday announced the charge of second-degree manslaughter against Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky.

Prosecutors said that during an Aug. 21, 2024, surgery, which was scheduled to be a laparoscopic splenectomy, Shaknovsky removed the victim’s liver instead of his spleen. That resulted in “catastrophic blood loss and the patient’s death on the operating table,” law enforcement officials wrote in a press release, The patient was a 70-year-old man from Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

“Our duty is to follow the facts wherever they lead, without fear or favor,” Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson said in a statement.

Available court records did not name an attorney for Shaknovsky.

Florida suspended Shaknovsky’s medical license after the surgery. Records show he voluntarily surrendered his medical license in Alabama after regulators moved to revoke his license.

The meeting announcement Wednesday follows repeated pledges by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to loosen regulations on peptides, which are often pitched as a quick way to build muscle, heal injuries or appear younger. There's little research behind those claims and most peptides have not been reviewed for safety by the FDA.

Kennedy has discussed using peptides for his own injuries. And some major supporters of his Make America Healthy Again movement are big proponents of them, including Gary Brecka, a self-described “longevity expert" who sells various peptide formulas through his website.

The FDA said in a federal notice Wednesday it will ask a panel of outside advisers to review seven peptides at a meeting in July, specifically whether they should be added to a list of substances that can be safely produced by pharmacies. In the meantime, the agency said it would soon remove the chemicals from a restrictive list reserved for unapproved, high-risk drugs. The peptides under discussion include some of the most popular among influencers, such as BPC-157, which is marketed to heal injuries and reduce inflammation.

“The Wild West is about to become wilder,” said Dr. Peter Lurie, a former FDA official who now leads the Center for Science in the Public Interest. In an interview, Lurie said allowing peptides on the market without clinical testing poses a “profound threat” to FDA's decades-old system for vetting drugs.

“I don’t see why one would take the path of a proper drug approval if there is now this less rigorous, alternative path to market,” he said.

Under President Joe Biden, the FDA added nearly 20 peptides to the federal list of substances that should not be produced by compounding pharmacies — businesses that mix medications that aren't available from drugmakers.

At the time, the FDA's panel of pharmacy advisers voted overwhelmingly that the peptides did not meet the criteria for substances that can be safely compounded. And FDA regulators agreed, saying later that the substances “present significant safety risks,” because most have not been extensively tested in humans.

Many of the FDA advisers and internal staff who oversaw those decisions no longer work for the agency. The FDA's pharmacy panel currently has a number of vacancies, which Kennedy could fill before the July meeting.

Kennedy previewed Wednesday's move in an interview with podcast host Joe Rogan. Both men have repeatedly spoken about peptides and claimed to have benefited from their use.

RFK Jr. claims personal benefit from peptides

“I’m a big fan of peptides,” Kennedy told Rogan. “I’ve used them myself and with really good effect on a couple of injuries.”

Given Kennedy's statements, Lurie said it was doubtful the drugs would receive real scrutiny from FDA.

“Everybody knows the outcome that the secretary wants,” Lurie said. “I don’t believe for one moment that what’s going on here is an honest investigation of whether these products should be compounded.”

Scott Brunner of the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding said the coming meeting will be the start of a “protracted process.” Even if the panel votes to make the peptides available, and FDA agrees, the agency will still have to draft and publish rules on the change, he noted.

Peptides are essentially the building blocks of more complex proteins. Inside the human body, peptides trigger hormones needed for growth, metabolism and healing.

In recent years peptides have become widely known through the blockbuster success of GLP-1 medications, which the FDA has approved for treating obesity and diabetes. Other FDA-approved peptides include insulin for diabetics and hormone-based drugs for several medical conditions.

But many of the peptides promoted online have never been approved, making them technically illegal to market as drugs. Several peptides, such as BPC-157 and TB-500, are banned by international sports authorities as doping substances.

But that has not stopped them from gaining a foothold in the burgeoning marketplace for wellness hacks and alternative remedies.

“I think this is a disaster in the works,” said Dr. Eric Topol of Scripps Research Translational Institute, who has studied the issue. “These peptides have no data to support their safety and efficacy.”

Meanwhile, some dietary supplement makers have begun mixing peptides into capsules, protein powders and gummies. At a recent FDA meeting, the industry argued for expanding the federal definition of supplements to permit the use of newer ingredients like peptides in their products.

Safety risks were cited previously

When the FDA added a number of injectable peptides to its list of restricted substances in 2023, it cited safety risks including cancer and liver, kidney and heart problems.

That triggered pushback from wellness entrepreneurs, compounding pharmacies and their allies in Washington.

Last year several members of Congress, including Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, sent letters to Kennedy asking him to lift limits on peptide production.

Some in the compounding industry argue that FDA's restrictions have given rise to an illicit market of imported chemicals from China and other countries, which are not subject to U.S. drug standards.

Kennedy has echoed those concerns.

“With the gray market you have no idea if you’re getting a good product,” Kennedy told Rogan. “And a lot of this stuff that we’ve looked at is just very, very substandard.”

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

The possible change is alarming environmental advocates who say it would lead to more dangerous pollution spewing into communities, with fewer or no checks at the federal level. The plastics industry disputes that, saying it would clear up confusion while still controlling emissions.

The world is pumping millions of tons of plastic pollution into the environment every year. While dozens of countries and many environmental groups have urged caps on production, industry and several big oil-producing countries have resisted, arguing instead for improvements in reuse and recycling.

Chemical recycling uses heat or chemicals to break down plastics. The main method, a process known as pyrolysis, has long been regulated as incineration by the Clean Air Act. The EPA limits emissions from incinerators of nine air pollutants, including toxic particulates, heavy metals and dioxins.

The agency says a potential new rule could instead recognize pyrolysis as manufacturing.

The American Chemistry Council, an industry group, has long argued for such a change.

“The definition of incineration is to destroy it, right? You’re literally trying to make it go away,” said Ross Eisenberg, president of America’s Plastic Makers, who leads ACC’s plastics advocacy. “That’s not what they’re doing here. They are trying to preserve it and recover the materials, which is recycling, which is manufacturing.”

Judith Enck, a former EPA regional administrator who now heads up Beyond Plastics, opposes what she said would be a “much weaker level of environmental protection.”

“Chemical recycling companies know that if they want to operate, they need to get this essential Clean Air Act permit and they don’t like it,” she said. “They have spent decades trying to convince EPA to change the rules of the game. Republican and Democratic administrations have declined to do this. But they have hit the jackpot with the Trump administration.”

Alarm over changing how pyrolysis is regulated

The EPA regulates pyrolysis under section 129 of the act, which reduces air pollution from four categories of solid waste incineration units. The agency told The Associated Press that a final rule in 2005 that included “pyrolysis/combustion units” under that section was vague and caused confusion for the industry.

EPA said it's taking public comment for a potential rule that could recognize pyrolysis as manufacturing under a different section, 111, of the Clean Air Act.

John Walke, who leads the Natural Resources Defense Council’s national clean air advocacy, said Section 111 doesn't regulate as many pollutants as 129. He also argued that EPA's plan is skipping crucial steps in a lengthy, required rulemaking process.

Walke also said the EPA move would amount to the immediate deregulation of these facilities under the act. He said it would take several years to follow the legal process to regulate the industry under another section, leaving a gap where no federal emissions standards would apply.

“You could have a facility that was controlled on a Monday, preventing those hazardous air pollutants from being emitted into the atmosphere, and on Tuesday, the facility would have legal permission to turn off installed pollution controls to allow the unlimited release of hazardous air pollution into the same community that was better protected on Monday,” he said. “Why would they do that? Why would they turn off an installed pollution control device? Because it costs money to operate them.”

Eisenberg disputed that. He said other sections of the Clean Air Act would still apply, and facilities get state permits, so the emissions would still be controlled and surrounding communities would be safe. They are “so heavily regulated,” Eisenberg said.

Recycling rates for plastic waste are tiny

More than 90% of plastics aren't recycled, according to the American Chemistry Council. It promises that chemical, or advanced, recycling can change that. As a complement to traditional mechanical recycling, chemical recycling can help dramatically reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills while generating a diverse range of products, the ACC says.

The process breaks plastics down into liquid and gas to produce an oil-like mixture or basic chemicals, that can be used to make new plastics or fuels. It's like “unbaking a cake,” Eisenberg said.

Environmental groups say advanced recycling is waste disposal, not recycling, and a distraction from real solutions like producing and using less plastic.

There are six pyrolysis plants, operating in Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, Indiana and Georgia, plus one under construction in Arizona and another in West Virginia, and a small test project in Maryland, according to the American Chemistry Council. The ACC has been lobbying states and Congress to pass laws to regulate chemical recycling as manufacturing. Twenty-five states now do, and legislation is pending in Congress.

Despite that legislative success, Eisenberg said the number of proposals to build these plants has dwindled in recent years, in part because of the permitting process.

“I often ask people to take a step back,” he said. “Do you want more recycling? If the answer is yes, then we should do what we can to make sure that you can bring more recycling online.”

Eisenberg said they've made clear to the Trump administration that revising the Clean Air Act is a priority. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin toured ExxonMobil's Baytown, Texas, facility to see chemical recycling in person last year.

Critic says notice of possible change was buried

In March, the EPA published a notice requesting comment on a proposed rule to consolidate regulations for another type of incinerator, with a small section soliciting comment on removing the reference to pyrolysis. The EPA mentioned it at the end of its press release on air curtain incinerators, too.

Enck said it was a bombshell paragraph, buried in a rulemaking notice. The EPA dismissed the criticism, highlighting the press release.

At a public hearing last week, many people urged the EPA to keep pyrolysis units regulated as incinerators, including about a dozen speakers from the nonprofit Moms Clean Air Force. Kiya Stanford, the group's Georgia state organizer, said in her testimony that changing it “feels like a move to prioritize polluters over people,” offering the plastics industry a cheap way to make waste disappear from sight by spewing it into the air as toxic pollution.

The agency proposed a similar change in 2020, during President Donald Trump's first term. The Biden administration withdrew the proposed modification.

Walke said that if the EPA finalizes the rollback now, the NRDC would plan to challenge it in court.

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

House Democrats launched Wednesday what they call a task force to overhaul ethics rules and protect access to the ballot. They also want to highlight the Trump family's business dealings and the president's transformation of the federal government.

The task force, which will include a mix of progressive and moderate members, could become a central part of Democrats' messaging as they try to claw back control of Congress from Republicans.

Rep. Joe Morelle, top Democrat on the House Administration Committee and a longtime ally of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, will spearhead the effort. He said Jeffries “fears that we’re losing Americans' faith and trust in government and institutions” because so often "decisions are made based on the personal interests of the members or the president and with little regard for Americans.”

Morelle floated a ban on stock trading for all members of the executive branch, Congress and federal courts as a policy. He added that a code of ethics and term limits for Supreme Court justices were other possible proposals.

Democrats have frequently accused Trump's second term of being “the most corrupt administration in American history," a characterization the White House denies.

“President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public," said Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson. “President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest.”

A little over a year into the president’s second term, his family’s Trump Organization has conducted deals in eight foreign countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Vietnam. All the deals are ostensibly in compliance with the Trump company's self-imposed rule not to do business directly with foreign governments.

But it's not sure that matters, given that many such authoritarian and one-party states rarely take a hands-off approach in private business deals, especially when the business belongs to a sitting president.

Anti-corruption pledges have been heard before

Promises to clean up Washington are nothing new. Trump campaigned in 2016 and 2024 on a vow to “drain the swamp.” Democrats won back control of the House in 2018, at the midpoint of Trump's first term, with an anti-corruption message.

“I don’t know that we start with people’s trust. I certainly think that’s probably not the case,” said Morelle. “The question is, will we earn it? Can we earn it? And we’re prepared to place significant emphasis on this.”

Reps. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrats on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, respectively, are on the task force.

So are Reps. Greg Casar, D-Texas, leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and Brad Schneider, D-Ill., head of the moderate New Democrats. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., one of the caucus' most prominent members, is a member as well.

The group's regional and ideological diversity could ensure a broad base of support for the new initiative, or it could make it harder to find a unifying message and agenda.

“The challenge is almost there’s too much to do, and they are going to need to focus on a couple of things,” said Justin Florence, co-founder of Protect Democracy, a group that says it combats authoritarianism in the U.S. and is consulting with Democrats on their strategy.

The group believes the Hungarian elections offer a successful model.

“It just shows that this messaging has to be loud, it has to be colorful, it has to be engaging,” said Ben Raderstorf, a strategist with Protect Democracy, on how Orbán’s opponents spread their anti-corruption message. “It can’t just be staid hearings, it’s about breaking through attention cycles.”

While Democrats debated after the 2024 election whether their warnings that democracy was imperiled resonated with Americans, many in the party say Trump's actions have shifted public opinion.

Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Ga., one of the task force’s co-chairs, said the president is “actively meddling in our elections and attempting to impose a Jim Crow 2.0 era through intimidation and suppression." She vowed the task force will “hold Trump accountable for his corrupt schemes, expose them to the American people, and present the alternative they deserve.”

Anti-corruption groups are hoping the messaging effort will transfer to a meaningful plan to curb corruption in Washington.

“The hope is that it’s broad, and that it’s serious policymaking and not just talking points,” said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, a watchdog group that has been in talks with the task force.

The goal, he said, is to address "not just the Trump administration’s extreme abuses, but the systemic rigging of the political process in Washington.”

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Associated Press writer Bernard Condon contributed from New York.

The land’s transformation, documented through a network of cameras and sensors, offers a playbook for wetland restoration as cranberry farms see slimmer profits from New England to Wisconsin because of climate change and other factors. The crop requires cold winters and plenty of water, but warmer temperatures and longer droughts are challenging harvest seasons.

Settlers in Plymouth were among the first to farm this native New England crop, and since then cranberry farms have been passed down through families for centuries.

“For many of these farmers, it’s their life savings and what they want to pass on to their children,” Davenport says. “It’s very complicated.”

Land that Davenport sold for restoration, now known as Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, has set an example as the single largest freshwater restoration project in Massachusetts. Together with researchers, technologists and artists, she has created a living laboratory for wetland conservation science. The cameras and sensors provide live, publicly-available data showing how the land is recovering its natural biodiversity.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing and The Associated Press.

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Scientists who studied the sanctuary and an adjacent town preserve that’s also on her former farmland have published peer-reviewed studies documenting the changes. Lessons learned at Tidmarsh also helped the state launch a cranberry bog restoration program to connect farmers with nonprofits, which will either buy the land to restore it or help them take on a restoration project themselves.

Nature lovers have found other creative uses for the data: Once, birdwatchers took audio data of a bird call from several microphones to triangulate a bird’s location. Some users play wetland sounds for ambience in their bedrooms or offices.

Restoring the land

To make restoration possible at Tidmarsh, over 20,000 native plant species were planted, several old dams removed and new waterways dug. Excavators sifted through sandy soil degraded by more than a century of cranberry production that formed a thick, hard layer over the natural freshwater wetlands the farms were built on.

Ecologists who believed cranberry farmland to be “ecologically dead” saw a wetland emerge instead. Within just a year of the restoration work that began in 2010, the sandy soil began to sprout.

A 2025 study of sites including the Foothills Preserve in Plymouth, land that was also once part of Davenport’s farm, by researchers at the Woodwell Climate Research Center and the University of Connecticut suggested the sand at Tidmarsh held long-dormant native seeds that just needed to be mixed with peat to germinate. Similarly, a 2021 study of Tidmarsh and other restored sites — including an earlier, smaller restoration in Plymouth known as Eel River Headwaters — found that water retention, soil health and microbial communities improved rapidly in just a few years.

“We discovered that former cranberry farms were actually highly restorable,” says Beth Lambert, director of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration.

The results of the transformation are on display during tours given by Mass Audubon, the conservation organization that bought and manages most of the land at Tidmarsh. Kim Snyder, the group’s education coordinator, leads groups ranging from birdwatchers to schoolchildren on field trips.

“A lot of Plymouth residents who have been here a long time remember it as a cranberry farm,” Snyder says.

Setting an example

Lambert says Tidmarsh helped launch the state’s Cranberry Bog Restoration Program, which can provide technical assistance and connect farmers to federal funding and conservation-minded buyers. Today, the state has helped complete construction on nine restoration projects totaling around 500 acres (202 hectares) and 10 miles (16 kilometers) of stream habitat. And 11 additional projects spanning another 500 acres are currently in planning stages. Lambert says she aims to have restored another thousand acres in the next 10 to 15 years.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the number of retired cranberry farms in Massachusetts grew by about 40% between 2017 and 2022.

It’s not a given that farmers will choose to sell their lands for conservation purposes. They can sell to other buyers to develop. Or they could let the land languish, taking decades to return to a wild, productive ecosystem.

“If we don’t conserve, if we don’t protect these lands that … owners are walking away (from), we lose it forever,” Davenport says.

A now-retired filmmaker, Davenport believes that the more research on wetland restoration she supports, the more knowledge can be communicated to the public — which could inspire other restoration projects launching elsewhere.

That belief led her to create the Living Observatory, a nonprofit group that describes itself as a “learning collaborative” for researchers, artists and others to document how former cranberry farms recuperate.

Through the network of sensors — which monitor conditions from soil moisture to temperature — and live cameras, the Living Observatory created a trove of data on how to restore cranberry farms. The project’s website now houses data from multiple restoration sites in the state beyond Tidmarsh.

Gershon Dublon, a data and systems researcher and director of the board of the Living Observatory, said researchers were grateful for a fairly simple tool: a centralized place to access the data and add their own. After the success at Tidmarsh, ecologists from as far as the Amazon rainforest reached out to Living Observatory asking for their input on how to deploy a similar bespoke sensor network in their work, Dublon says.

Climate-resilient landscapes

Wetland restoration projects and the knowledge gained from them are important tools in the fight against climate change, says climate scientist Christopher Neill at the Woodwell Climate Center. Wetlands work as barriers that soak up water from floods and storms, Neill says. According to scientists, extreme precipitation is becoming more common in the Northeast.

At Tidmarsh, one example of that resilience is sphagnum moss growing next to a mile-long boardwalk. Snyder likes to tell visitors about its antimicrobial properties. The moss also absorbs and stores planet-warming carbon dioxide.

“It’s a great property to show … the scope of restoration work,” she says, smiling.

The changes at Tidmarsh give Davenport hope. Native pitcher plants grow in clusters in the wetlands. Insects drone over running brooks. Her boots sink on the mushy, wet ground. Those were sounds she never heard on the farm where she grew up.

“The quiet goal is, can we make a dent in the amount of land that’s put in conservation?” Davenport says.

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

She is a one-in-a-generation talent, and now Cardi B has joined the ranks of female MC’s that are considered some of the most influential in hip hop.

On Tuesday night, the award-winning rap star made a stop in South Florida.

She put on a show for thousands of fans at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise.

Despite it being seven years since her last headlining tour, Cardi B did not miss a beat.

Her set was a litany of jams that have become anthems.

Local 10’s Jason Carter was there, and his full report can be seen at the top of this page.

Florentino Antonio Diaz, 45, of Coral Gables, was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Tuesday.

According to prosecutors, in April of 2025, the autonomous municipal board representing 400 property owners in the 50 city-block Arts District switched banks.

Diaz, who was assigned to spearhead the transfer of funds, is accused of forging the vice chairman’s signature on a fraudulent letter asking the bank they were transferring funds from to deposit a final interest payment of more than $46,000 directly to him, then resigning from his position shortly after.

Then on June 11, a Miami Police Department Economic Crimes Unit detective contacted the State Attorney Office’s Public Corruption Unit Task Force and asked them to review the case “due to the political ties between the Wynwood BID and the city of Miami.”

Once the bank was made aware, it reimbursed the Wynwood BID for the full amount investigators say Diaz diverted.

They started to check other bank records and found other transactions Diaz initiated that “appeared irregular and indicative of potentially fraudulent activity.”

A total of 26 questionable wire transfers to Diaz’s bank account, totaling more than $146,000, were found, prosecutors said.

Diaz is also accused of pocketing a $9,000 accidental overpayment to its auditing firm.

As of Tuesday afternoon, he remained behind bars at TGK on a bond of $46,000.

The Wynwood BID released a statement to Local 10 News which can be read below.

The Wynwood Business Improvement District’s Board Chair and signatories identified financial discrepancies and called for an independent audit, which confirmed that approximately $192,000 in unauthorized financial transactions were done by a former employee. Upon discovery, the Wynwood BID Board immediately notified law enforcement and legal counsel. The matter was referred to the State Attorney’s office, and the individual no longer works for the Wynwood BID.

Approximately $46,000 has been recovered to date, and efforts to recover additional funds will continue through legal channels.

In response, the BID has implemented comprehensive new internal controls, including dual authorization requirements for all electronic payments, separation of transaction initiation and approval functions, independent monthly review of all payment activity by Board members, restricted bank access with multifactor authentication, and formalized financial policies across all disbursement processes.

Our board oversight worked as intended. When our leadership identified concerns, we took immediate action to investigate and address them. We’ve implemented strong safeguards to prevent this from happening again. All Wynwood BID programs and services, including safety, cleanliness, marketing, and economic development initiatives, continue without interruption. The organization remains financially sound and committed to our mission of serving the Wynwood community.

Wynwood Business Improvement District

ABOUT THE WYNWOOD BID

Since 2013, the Wynwood Business Improvement District, a municipal board of the City of Miami representing more than 400 property owners that comprise the 50-city-block Arts District, aims to build upon Wynwood’s role as a globally recognized center for arts, innovation and culture. It works to enhance security and sanitation services in the neighborhood, advocate for the betterment of the area, raise awareness of advancements being made, and plan for the future of Wynwood.

Click here for more information.

Click here to view a Wynwood BID map.

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“This has nothing to do with Sheriff Tony, who is doing a wonderful job,” said Broward Commissioner Lamar Fisher. “It’s just to look at the feasibility, and what it would be prudent to look at public safety in its total.”

Commissioners have already commissioned a feasibility study to look at launching in-house police departments at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades to replace BSO.

Fisher said 54% of Broward County’s budget is devoted to BSO for public safety.

“I think it’s a business decision that we need to look at, right?” he said. “When it continues to be 54, 55, 56, 57%, is there ways that we can cut costs and we can have more control at the end of the day?”

Attaching the fire rescue component to the ongoing law enforcement feasibility study as a cost-effective mechanism has been met with a favorable response among other county leaders publicly.

BSO assumed control of fire rescue in 2003 after it was previously operated by the county.

This new idea would give a layer of transparency since the county can’t dictate how dollars are spent.

By law, the sheriff’s office doesn’t have to disclose that information.

“By bringing it under, it obviously provides a different accountability when it comes back to Broward County. We specifically know what those costs would be,” said Fisher.

Fujimori, candidata por Fuerza Popular, encabezaba la votación con 17,02%, según el conteo preliminar de la Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales (ONPE). Esta es la cuarta vez que busca la presidencia la hija del fallecido mandatario Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000).

Sánchez —candidato del partido Juntos por el Perú, popular en las zonas rurales y socio político del encarcelado expresidente Pedro Castillo (2021-2022)— se ubicaba en segundo lugar con 12,05% de apoyo tras una campaña marcada por la alta dispersión del voto entre los 35 postulantes de los comicios del domingo.

En un muy cercano tercer lugar quedó López Aliaga, de Renovación Popular, con 11,86%.

Sánchez —exministro del expresidente Castillo— trepó en el conteo desde el cuarto lugar y llegó al segundo desplazando a López Aliaga y a Jorge Nieto Montesinos, quien estaba en tercer lugar y ahora pasó al cuarto con 11,06% de los votos.

Fujimori promete combatir la delincuencia con “mano dura” siguiendo el modelo del presidente salvadoreño Nayib Bukele e implantar jueces con el rostro cubierto como ocurrió durante el gobierno de su padre, condenado por asesinato y corrupción.

De otro lado, el exministro Sánchez propone renegociar los contratos mineros y de gas natural. Suele vestir un poncho y un sombrero campesino que, asegura, le regaló Castillo y afirma que si llega a la presidencia indultará al exmandatario, condenado en 2025 a 11 años de cárcel por conspiración para la rebelión.

Perú irá a un balotaje el 7 de junio porque ningún candidato ha logrado el 50% más uno de los votos válidos que exige la ley para ganar en primera vuelta. Pero los resultados tan ajustados en el el cómputo parcial no permiten aún determinar quiénes serán los contendientes.

La lentitud en el conteo, aunque mayor al promedio de los países de la región, también caracterizó a los últimos comicios presidenciales de Perú en 2021, cuando el 100% se alcanzó cinco días después de la votación.

La noche del martes López Aliaga pidió a las autoridades que anulen las elecciones por un supuesto fraude del que no presentó pruebas consistentes y les dio un plazo hasta el miércoles antes sus seguidores reunidos frente al Tribunal Electoral.

En tanto, Sánchez exhortó a sus partidarios a una posible movilización en caso de que haya indicios de no querer respetar el voto ciudadano. “Sin rollos ni narrativas de fraude... el voto andino, rural, amazónico del Perú profundo se va a respetar”, dijo. En esas zonas de Perú se concentra su caudal político.

Pero una misión de observación electoral de la Unión Europea descartó cualquier irregularidad en los comicios.

Nieto Montesinos cuestionó a sus rivales y sostuvo que “quien tiene acusaciones de fraude que las pruebe y si no las tiene que se calle la boca... porque le está haciendo daño al Perú y está generando más caos, incertidumbre y zozobra”.

Perú celebró los comicios en medio de una crisis política que ha provocado el desfile de ocho presidentes y tres Congresos en una década y un incremento de la delincuencia que los ciudadanos identifican como su mayor preocupación.

En el último quinquenio las denuncias por extorsión —un delito que ha provocado protestas y paralizaciones frecuentes del transporte público— se han quintuplicado, mientras los asesinatos se han duplicado, de acuerdo con datos oficiales.

Los peruanos también votaron para escoger a 130 diputados y 60 senadores de un Congreso bicameral en el que el Senado tiene amplios poderes.

It's Tax Day on Wednesday, the deadline for most Americans to file taxes, and the Trump administration says millions of people have already used new breaks such as no tax on tips and overtime, exemptions for interest on certain car loans, deductions for some seniors, and Trump Accounts for children’s savings.

More than 53 million filers claimed a deduction under one of those provisions from Republicans' massive tax and spending law, a Treasury official told reporters Tuesday before the deadline, with 6 million people claiming no tax on tips, 21 million claiming the overtime deduction and 30 million older Americans claiming the enhanced deduction.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the numbers, said the 2026 filing season was a success from the administration's perspective.

Still, the latest data comes as most Americans, or 7 in 10, still think their taxes are too high, according to recent polling, despite the passage of the Republican tax law which promised big savings for taxpayers.

As the tax season kicked off in January, the White House boasted that average refunds were projected to rise by at least $1,000. But currently, the average refund amount is $3,462, according to the latest IRS data, which is up 11% or about $350 from last tax year’s $3,116 average refund payment.

In an interview that aired on Wednesday, President Donald Trump claimed much bigger results. “People are getting refunds of $5,000, $8,000, $11,000 that they had no idea they were getting,” he told Fox Business News. “It’s turned out to be better -- as good or better than I said it would be.”

Treasury says tax refunds this season are up 24% compared with the four-year average of refunds before Trump took office.

The White House has been trying to promote Trump's tax cuts as a way to get voters more enthusiastic about the way he's handling the economy before November's midterm elections, but the message has been overshadowed for weeks by higher gas prices caused by the war in Iran.

Republicans on Capitol Hill took advantage of Tax Day to focus on the tax breaks.

“Lower taxes, bigger refunds and more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on the Capitol steps, flanked by Republican lawmakers and Americans he said are benefitting, including a restaurant server, a farmer, and small business owners.

“We don’t believe you should send it all here to Uncle Sam,” Johnson said. “We want you to keep it.”

But Democrats said Americans are reeling from inflation and the high cost of living as Trump focuses his attention on the Iran war. “Hardworking families are watching as the Trump administration spends billions to bomb Iran, yet they can’t seem to find any funding for health care, housing or food for hungry children,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the Democratic caucus chairman.

The 2026 season comes as the IRS has gone through a leadership turnover and reduced its workforce by 27% over the past year through cuts brought on by the Department of Government Efficiency.

IRS CEO Frank Bisignano testified to the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, extolling the IRS' implementation of the Republican tax law.

However, Democratic lawmakers have been zeroing in on IRS disclosures of confidential taxpayer information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of an agreement between ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to share information for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S.

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AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed.

Although Israeli strikes on Beirut have eased since last week's shattering 10-minute bombardment without warning killed over 350 people across the country, southern Lebanon remains under attack.

The Israeli military has periodically issued warnings urging residents to flee wide swathes of southern Lebanon as it targets the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, but tens of thousands of people have stayed — either because they don't want to leave their homes or because they have nowhere to go.

Tyre, too, is under Israeli evacuation order, but many displaced families had seen it as a refuge of last resort, removed from the heaviest clashes closer to the Israeli border. Increasingly, though, residents say nowhere even in Tyre feels safe.

Across the city, the war was visible in shattered buildings, mounds of rubble and debris-strewn streets. Residents moved cautiously along wreckage-lined roads.

Mourners gathered for the funeral of 19-year-old Ghadir Baalbaki, killed overnight in an Israeli drone strike just outside Tyre’s city center. It was not immediately clear who was targeted, but witnesses said Baalbaki had been sitting outside her house when the drone hit nearby.

“I hugged Ghadir because I thought she had fainted. I kept trying to wake her up," Mariam Hamoud, her aunt, recalled from the temporary graveyard where Baalbaki was buried. Many families can't return to home villages to bury their dead because they are too close to the front lines.

Baalbaki’s father, Mohammed Baalbaki, stood beside the grave in tears.

“We cannot adapt to life without her," he said.

Across southern Lebanon, Israeli forces said they had struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets over the past 24 hours. Hezbollah claimed rocket attacks on military targets in northern Israel and on Israeli forces in the town of Khiam near the border, which has seen intense fighting in recent weeks.

Tuesday's talks between Lebanon and Israel in Washington have drawn backlash from Hezbollah and its supporters.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah on Wednesday castigated Lebanese authorities for what he called the “disgraceful image” of direct negotiations with Israel “at a time when it is killing Lebanese people and committing massacres." He called on the government to hold a popular vote on the future of Hezbollah's arsenal rather than decide its fate in talks with Israel.

Lebanon's government seeks the disarmament of Hezbollah, but the group has long defied such efforts.

“If it truly wants to prove it reflects the aspirations of the Lebanese people, then (the government) should accept a public referendum. We are ready for a referendum on these choices,” Fadlallah told reporters, saying he expected the results to show that a majority of Lebanese people support Hezbollah's militant activities.

On the streets of Beirut, Lebanese were divided on the talks. Some agreed with Hezbollah that Israel can only be stopped through military force.

“These negotiations do not represent us … it’s as if they never existed," said Mustafa Alaa Al-Din, who was displaced from southern Lebanon.

Others welcomed the talks, expressing support for any initiative that promises to hasten the end of the war.

“The negotiations are more in our interest than in Israel’s interest because we are the ones whose country is being destroyed, we are the ones suffering losses,” said Mohamed Saad, a Beirut resident.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began when Hezbollah fired missiles across the border days after the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran. Israel responded with an intense aerial campaign and ground invasion.

At least 2,167 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, Lebanon's health ministry said Wednesday, including 260 women, 172 children and 91 medical workers. More than 1 million Lebanese have been displaced.

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Associated Press writers Fadi Tawil and Isabel DeBre in Beirut contributed to this report.

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It happened Tuesday afternoon in the area of Southwest 16th Street and Fourth Avenue in Fort Lauderdale’s Croissant Park neighborhood.

“It was no breaks or nothing, was just ‘kaboom,’” said resident Chris Gardella. “Because I was right here watching TV and, ‘kaboom.’ It’s enough to make me jump up and run out there.”

According to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, the accident was a two-vehicle crash involving a USPS vehicle and a Lexus sedan.

Authorities said a USPS employee was ejected from their vehicle and rushed to Broward Health Medical Center as a trauma alert.

“Hundreds of pieces of mail all over the street,” said Gardella. “It was crazy, because then he came flying right out the side window of the truck.”

The second vehicle’s driver was also taken to the hospital for treatment, with injuries considered non-life-threatening, officials said.

Snap Inc. said in a regulatory filing that the job cuts will cost about $95 million to $130 million in severance payments and related costs.

“The headcount reduction is designed to further streamline our operations and reallocate resources toward our highest-priority initiatives, leveraging increased operational efficiencies to accelerate our path toward net-income profitability," the company said in its filing.

Snap had 5,261 full-time employees as of Dec. 31, 2025, the company said in its latest annual report.

CEO Evan Spiegel said in a letter to staff that another 300 open roles would not be filled.

It's not the first time the Santa Monica, California-based company has eliminated jobs. In 2024, Snap cut 10% of its workforce, or about 530 employees.

Snap cut 3% of its staff in late 2023, and in 2022 it slashed its workforce by 20%.

Snapchat, which is popular with young people and known for its disappearing photos and videos, has 474 million users every day, on average, according to the annual report.

Snap said in its latest earnings report that its net loss in 2025 narrowed to $460 million, as revenue rose to $5.9 billion.