“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said. “In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.”

There is no timetable for the conclusion of the NBA's probe, which is being performed by outside counsel. The league had no immediate comment Thursday.

The NBA opened an investigation back in September into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC — a company that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year — broke league rules, following a report by journalist Pablo Torre.

“The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans,” the Raptors said.

The Raptors and Clippers struck a deal earlier this month on a trade that would send Leonard back to the city that helped win the 2019 NBA championship.

The Raptors agreed to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks and pick swaps to the Clippers for Leonard — who spent one season in Toronto, and that was the year the Raptors won their lone title.

He turned 35 earlier this month but is coming off the highest-scoring season of his career, averaging 27.9 points for the Clippers in 65 games.

Leonard is a seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, a two-time NBA champion (also winning in 2014 with San Antonio) and is generally considered one of the game’s top defensive players.

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

There is a “continual battle” against threats online, said Vicki Evans, a senior national coordinator for counterterrorism at the Metropolitan Police, and police need help from technology companies because “it's not something we can do alone.”

Islamic extremism remains the biggest threat but over the past five years, threats from far-right groups and hostile states have significantly grown, said Laurence Taylor, head of counterterrorism police.

According to Evans, the threat from hostile states is the “most rapidly escalating mission” for counterterrorism police.

Threats from hostile countries are increasing

In July, two Romanian men were jailed over the stabbing of a journalist from a Persian-language television station, which the judge said was carried out on behalf of Iran's government.

In June, a Ukrainian man and Romanian man were jailed for their role in setting fire to property linked to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer — a plot which fits the description of Russian state-backed sabotage. And in May, a U.K. border official and former Hong Kong police officer were convicted of spying for China.

Evans said that in 2025, there were more than 20 Iranian-backed plots, including assassinations, kidnappings and other serious crimes against the U.K. Additionally, police are still investigating whether arson attacks against Jewish sites earlier in the year have a link to Iran.

Russia has been organizing a “constant stream of surveillance plots” against people and institutions in Britain, aiming to target people Russian officials believe are enemies, “infiltrate” ordinary life and identify people who will “peddle” Russian narratives or carry out proxy work on behalf of the Russian state, she added.

Across Europe, Russia has recruited dozens of people on apps like Telegram to carry out vandalism or set fires — including at a warehouse in London that stored communications equipment meant for Ukraine.

Dylan Earl, the ringleader of that plot, was recruited on Telegram by the Wagner Group, a mercenary organization acting on behalf of Moscow that has been designated a terrorist group by the U.K. government.

Evans also said that teenagers as young as 15 have been arrested by police in relation to proxy plots. The challenge for law enforcement, she added, is that “anyone could be targeted,” especially online.

"This isn’t something that’s happening elsewhere,” Evans said, speaking to journalists at New Scotland Yard, the Metropolitan Police headquarters. “It’s happening here. This risk is in our neighborhoods, in our online spaces and in our workplaces.”

The threat of far-right extremism is rising

Taylor said that the threat level in the U.K. was raised in April from “substantial” to “severe,” partly because cases linked to extreme far right ideologies are “growing substantially.”

Police have noted an increase in “vile” content, particularly online, which creates a “cocktail of racism, misogyny and extreme homophobia,” to just under 800

Extreme views, he said, appear to be being challenged less and less and so conditions have been created where previously unacceptable views are now more prevalent.

As an example, he gave the case of an 18-year-old woman, Alina Burns, who was imprisoned for almost 20 years in May after attacking a stranger with an ax — an attack that Taylor said was motivated by her extreme right-wing mindset.

Children are increasingly radicalized online

Alfie Coleman — a 22-year-old sentenced on Wednesday for 13.5 years for trying to buy a gun from an undercover MI5 officer — was radicalized online from the age of 14, Taylor said.

Evans said that those behind the exploitation are specifically designing online content to attract young people by blending it with propaganda and gaming footage, historical images and music. The young are then prompted to carry out violent acts — such as being asked to “recreate” in real life horrific attacks from video games, she said.

In some cases, Evans said, “sadistic online groups,” ask people to compete against each other to cause harm online and offline — by using cyberattacks, extremism, serious violence or even child sexual abuse or terrorism.

The extent of “lawful but awful” content online, including extreme violence and gore, she said means that some people now have a skewed sense of what is normal or acceptable. Those people are particularly vulnerable to manipulation, including by state actors, she said.

Although the government has said that Britain will ban social media for those under 16, that is not enough, said Evans, adding that pressure needs to be put on technology companies to help curb harmful content online.

Laws and policies regulating harmful content online quickly go out of date while social platforms have powerful mechanisms to push content to young people, she said.

“The tipping point is very swift and steep,” for some people who are drawn into harmful content online, she said.

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Jail records show Maurice Yoelcis Sapp was taken into custody following the stabbing, which Miami police say occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m. Wednesday near Northwest Seventh Avenue and 61st Street.

Authorities said they responded to the bus stop after a man flagged down Miami police while holding a knife.

They said a responding officer found Sapp, who is listed as homeless in his arrest report, holding a knife in his right hand while grabbing the shirt of another man.

Police said the officer then ordered Sapp to drop the knife, and he complied.

They said the victim was found bleeding from a large wound on the left side of his face and was taken by Miami Fire Rescue medics to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where he was listed in critical condition.

Investigators said the victim suffered stab wounds to his left cheek, left shoulder and upper abdomen.

A witness told detectives she was sitting near Sapp on a bus bench when she saw him approach the victim. She also stated that she heard both men having an argument before Sapp returned to the bench, according to the report.

The witness told investigators that the victim later approached Sapp and continued the argument, the report states.

During the confrontation, she said she heard Sapp tell the victim, “Say it again,” before stabbing him in the left cheek with a black pocketknife, police said.

According to the report, Sapp later told detectives that Beasley approached him and grabbed his shirt during the argument.

Sapp claimed that he removed the victim’s hand from his shirt and stabbed him three to four times with a pocketknife that had been beside him on the bench, the report states.

Police said Sapp also told investigators that the victim did not have a weapon during the confrontation or before the stabbing.

After reviewing the statements and evidence, detectives determined Sapp was the “primary aggressor” and arrested him, according to the report.

Jail records show Sapp is facing one count of attempted second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. As of Thursday, he was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer also ordered Sapp to stay away from the victim.

Police did not say what the suspect and victim were argung about before the stabbing occurred.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Maurice Yoelcis Sapp fue detenido tras el apuñalamiento, que, según la Policía de Miami, ocurrió aproximadamente a las 4:30 p.m. del miércoles cerca de Northwest Seventh Avenue y Northwest 61st Street.

Las autoridades informaron que respondieron a la parada de autobús después de que un hombre detuviera a agentes de la Policía de Miami mientras sostenía un cuchillo.

Indicaron que un agente encontró a Sapp, quien figura como indigente en el informe de arresto, sosteniendo un cuchillo en la mano derecha mientras sujetaba la camisa de otro hombre.

La policía dijo que el agente le ordenó a Sapp que soltara el cuchillo y este obedeció.

Las autoridades informaron que la víctima fue encontrada sangrando debido a una herida de gran tamaño en el lado izquierdo del rostro y fue trasladada por paramédicos de Miami Fire Rescue al Centro de Trauma Ryder del Hospital Jackson Memorial, donde fue reportada en condición crítica.

Los investigadores dijeron que la víctima sufrió heridas de arma blanca en la mejilla izquierda, el hombro izquierdo y la parte superior del abdomen.

Una testigo dijo a los detectives que estaba sentada cerca de Sapp en una banca de la parada de autobús cuando lo vio acercarse a la víctima. También declaró que escuchó a ambos hombres discutir antes de que Sapp regresara a la banca, según el informe.

La testigo dijo a los investigadores que la víctima se acercó posteriormente a Sapp y continuó la discusión, indica el informe.

Durante el enfrentamiento, la mujer dijo que escuchó a Sapp decirle a la víctima: “Dilo otra vez”, antes de apuñalarla en la mejilla izquierda con una navaja negra, informó la policía.

Según el informe, Sapp dijo posteriormente a los detectives que Beasley se le acercó y le sujetó la camisa durante la discusión.

Sapp afirmó que apartó la mano de la víctima de su camisa y luego la apuñaló entre tres y cuatro veces con una navaja que estaba a su lado sobre la banca, señala el informe.

La policía informó que Sapp también dijo a los investigadores que la víctima no tenía ningún arma durante el enfrentamiento ni antes del apuñalamiento.

Después de revisar las declaraciones y las pruebas, los detectives determinaron que Sapp fue el “agresor principal” y procedieron a arrestarlo, según el informe.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Sapp enfrenta un cargo de intento de asesinato en segundo grado con un arma mortal. Hasta el jueves, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. La jueza del Tribunal de Circuito de Miami-Dade, Mindy Glazer, también le ordenó mantenerse alejado de la víctima.

La policía no informó cuál fue el motivo de la discusión entre el sospechoso y la víctima antes del apuñalamiento.

The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research makes clear that for many U.S. Jews, support for Israel remains a bedrock of their religious identity, its existence a guarantee of Jewish self-determination and safety. Yet others — particularly those who identify as Jews through ethnic, cultural or family ties, rather than religion — feel less connected to Israel and judge its actions in the ongoing conflict more harshly.

About 7 in 10 Jewish adults overall identify as Jewish when asked about their religious affiliation, according to the sweeping survey that touched on everything from views on Israel to antisemitism concerns and strains on interpersonal relations. The rest, about 3 in 10 Jewish adults, say they are atheists, agnostics, or have no particular religious affiliation, but still identify as Jewish in other ways.

Israel has been at the center of the turmoil in the Middle East since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed some 1,200 people. More than 73,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Israel retaliated, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilian and militant deaths. Israel’s ongoing offensives have become a wedge issue for Jewish and non-Jewish Americans, leading to protests, raising antisemitism fears and questions about America’s close ties to Israel.

Among Jews with a religious affiliation, views on Israel’s recent military actions are far from uniform or uncritical. Only about half say Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza are justified. About one-quarter believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, an accusation that’s been leveled by some human rights organizations and vehemently denied by Israel and the U.S. government.

But they are more supportive of Israel’s actions than secular American Jews. About 4 in 10 religiously unaffiliated Jews say Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, and only about 2 in 10 see Israel’s current operations in Gaza as justified. The vast majority, 74%, say they are “not too” or “not at all” emotionally attached to Israel, a sharp contrast from other Jewish adults.

Anna Constant, 56, of Seattle identifies as culturally Jewish and says she doesn’t feel closely connected to Israel.

“I kind of think of myself as an American version of a Jew. I do have a homeland,” she said, referring to the United States.

At the same time, “my heart is broken for everything everyone is navigating over there. ... We have bad governments happening not just in Israel but in the United States. I’m trying to hold on to the reality that the people are not the governments.”

Conflicting views about Israel’s military actions

Jews who regularly attend religious services are more likely than those who never attend to feel a connection to Israel and see its military actions in Gaza as justified, the survey found.

About 3 in 10 Jewish adults never attend religious services, although that rises to about two-thirds among religiously unaffiliated Jews. About half of Jewish adults attend a few times a year or less often. About 2 in 10 attend at least once a month, including about 1 in 10 who attend weekly.

According to the survey, Jewish adults mostly identify as Democrats; about 3 in 10 identify as Republicans. Religiously unaffiliated Jews are slightly more likely than Jewish adults overall to identify as Democrats, and less likely to call themselves Republicans.

Jacqueline Rothstein, 35, splits time between a New York City suburb on Long Island and the city’s heavily Jewish borough of Brooklyn. She is Modern Orthodox, attending worship services about once a month.

A political independent, she views Republican President Donald Trump favorably and has an unfavorable view of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim Democrat who supports Palestinian rights. Rothstein says her Jewish identity and supporting Israel are “extremely important” to her.

She’s keenly aware of divisions within the Jewish community, and cites family history as one key reason for the differing views of Israel. Two of her grandparents were Sephardic Jews expelled from Egypt in the 1960s; the other two were Holocaust survivors, she said.

“There are plenty of American Jews whose grandparents didn’t have that trauma,” Rothstein said. “If you have no connection to Israel, if your grandparents were safe in America, ... then you don’t know the struggle.”

Jewish adults who identify as religiously Jewish are much likelier than nonreligious Jews to identify as Zionists. About 3 in 10 religiously Jewish adults say “Zionist” describes them “extremely” or “very” well, compared to 6% of religiously unaffiliated Jews.

Just under half of secular Jews, 45%, say “Zionist” describes them ”not very well" or “not well at all.”

Many still see Israel as central to their Jewish identity

Supporting Israel is still fundamental to many Jewish adults’ identity, but its importance compared to other aspects of being Jewish varies.

About half of religiously affiliated Jewish adults say supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important to their Jewish identity, compared to about 1 in 10 religiously unaffiliated Jewish adults.

Rabbi Seth Adelson noted that Israel was founded primarily by secular Jews, but suggested that today in the U.S., stronger connections to Israel are felt by religiously observant Jews. He is the rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh, a Conservative synagogue with close ties to the three congregations targeted in the 2018 massacre at the nearby Tree of Life synagogue in which 11 worshippers were killed in the nation’s deadliest antisemitic attack.

“In recent years, perhaps due to the complexity of that region, due to the challenges faced by modern states, religious Jews have been more likely to hold on to our ancient stories, and Jews of no religion have been less likely to hold on to those stories,” Adelson said.

Some of the divide is generational. Younger Jews — regardless of their Jewish affiliation — are less likely to see Israel as important to their Jewish identity. But there are commonalities, too. Majorities of younger and older Jewish adults, for instance, say that remembering the Holocaust is important to their Jewish identity.

Bonnie Brody, 78, grew up in a community with several Holocaust survivors in Queens, New York. While she doesn’t always agree with its government’s choices, the Florida resident sees Israel as a vital haven for Jews.

“I heard the stories of the concentration camps and how even (the U.S.) turned back a ship full of Jews,” she said, referring to the ocean liner St. Louis that departed Germany in 1939 with hundreds of Jewish refugees aboard, and was prevented from landing in the U.S. “Many of them had nowhere to go.”

Painful conflicts with family over Israel are common

The survey finds that rifts are springing up within families and communities over Israel, even among religiously unaffiliated Jews.

Most Jewish adults, 55%, say they’ve felt offended by another person’s comments about Israel since the Oct. 7 attack, while about 4 in 10 say they’ve disagreed with family members about something related to Israel.

About 3 in 10 say they’ve stopped talking to someone because of something they said about Israel.

Shainah Horowitz, 45, a staunch Democrat from Portland, Oregon, says the Jewish community in that solidly liberal city is riddled with divisions. On one hand, she said, there is friction between politically right-leaning Orthodox Jews and Jews with more left-leaning views, including those in her Conservative synagogue which takes pride in being LGBTQ+-inclusive. Meanwhile, she said, secular anti-Zionist Jews in Portland can be stridently critical of Jews who — like Horowitz herself — identify as Zionists and support the concept of Israel as a Jewish state.

“I cannot have conversations with certain friends — non-Jews and some very secular Jews who buy into the anti-Israel slant,” she said.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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The AP-NORC poll of 3,040 adults was conducted June 11-17 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The poll included interviews with 1,022 Jewish adults. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points and the margin of sampling error for Jewish adults is plus or minus 5.0 percentage points.

United said the new stadium would be situated around 350 meters northwest of its existing Old Trafford stadium.

As part of a wider stadium district, the Premier League club said the entire project would create 48,000 local jobs, 15,000 new homes and potentially generate 7.3 billion pounds ($9.8 billion) a year for the UK economy.

“Together with our partners, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver a destination that creates lasting benefits for supporters, local communities and the wider region for decades to come,” Collette Roche, CEO of United’s new stadium development, said. “We are committed to building a world-class stadium with our supporters, not simply for them.”

United's part owner Jim Ratcliffe has made it a mission to deliver the “world’s greatest” soccer stadium.

When plans were first unveiled last year it was estimated it would cost around 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) to build a stadium to surpass Wembley as the biggest in the United Kingdom, with completion in time for the 2030-31 season.

Initial stadium drawings included a structure with three spires. The final design has not been determined.

Wembley is currently the biggest stadium in the U.K., with a capacity of 90,000, and is home to England’s national soccer teams.

Old Trafford is the country’s biggest dedicated soccer stadium with a capacity of just over 74,000, but is dated in comparison to the likes of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, which regularly hosts NFL games.

Old Trafford, which was bombed during World War II, has been home to United since 1910.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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

Judge has not played since May 31 and went on the injured list June 5 with a stress fracture of his right rib after a CT scan, an MRI and a meeting with a specialist.

“I don’t think we want to put him at risk of coming back while still injured,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Thursday. “He should be asymptomatic before we turn him loose. If he’s asymptomatic and not feeling anything and (medical images) are showing healing, then it’s probably appropriate to get him going again. But we don’t want to, because the schedule is what it is, put him in a position where we’re putting him in jeopardy where it somehow gets worse.”

The Yankees were 14-19 without Judge entering their series finale against the AL-East leading Tampa Bay Rays.

Cashman said the injury has restricted Judge’s ability to work out his upper body because he can’t put stress on his rib cage. The new images will give a better understanding of where he stands in his rehab process.

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

Signs for the Palm Beach International Airport have been removed, while new signage goes up.

“Because an entire airport transformation doesn’t happen overnight, you’ll notice a combination of both our classic look and our new brand elements coexisting while traveling through the terminal over the next several weeks,” airport officials said in a Facebook post.

“Trump Force One," a Boeing 757 owned by The Trump Organization, was the first plane to arrive at the airport under its new name, shortly after 5 a.m. The president's son, Eric Trump, was one of the passengers. The Trump family regularly uses the West Palm Beach airport when they visit President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in nearby Palm Beach. A stretch of road from the airport to Trump’s estate was renamed Donald J. Trump Boulevard earlier this year.

“There is no person who has done more for Florida and our country, and no one more deserving of this incredible honor,” Eric Trump posted on X. “As a son, and someone who flies out of this airport nearly every day, I will forever be proud to see the initials ‘DJT’ on my boarding pass.”

While the name change took effect Thursday, the three-letter airport code will change from PBI to DJT on Aug. 18.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation earlier this year that made the name change possible. Changing the airport’s name is expected to cost as much as $5.5 million for new signs, branding and other updates.

Keegan Collett, who was departing the airport Thursday morning on his way to Cincinnati, said he was surprised to see the new name. He said he doesn't think Trump deserves to have an airport named after him but isn't necessarily bothered by it.

“At the end of the day, it’s just the name of an airport,” Collett said. "There’s bigger things. I feel like it’s just more of a distraction. Why even worry about it?"

In Dandridge, Tennessee, on Thursday morning, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty and Representative Tim Burchett attended a ceremony to rename the I-40 Bridge in East Tennessee to the Donald J. Trump Bridge.

Bessent said ahead of the ceremony that “no one is more deserving” of the honor of a bridge renaming than Trump.

Trump received 82% of the vote in Jefferson County, where Dandridge is located, in the 2024 general election.

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The federal agency’s new instruction: “Pilots, air traffic controllers, and aviation stakeholders should use DJT for flight planning and operations.”

Eric Trump and Rep. Byron Donalds reported that Trump Force One had landed early Thursday morning at The Donald J. Trump International Airport, at 1000 James L. Turnage Boulevard.

“There is no person who has done more for Florida and our country, and no one more deserving of this incredible honor,” Eric Trump wrote on Instagram. “As a son, and someone who flies out of this airport nearly every day, I will forever be proud to see the initials DJT on my boarding pass.”

Related social media

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT @fly_DJT ✈️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2NobkmE3zW

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) July 9, 2026

📣EFFECTIVE TODAY: Palm Beach International Airport's three-letter location identifier has changed from PBI to DJT following the airport's official renaming to Donald J. Trump International Airport. 
 
FAA systems and publications reflect the new identifier. Pilots, air traffic… https://t.co/QVk1zZD5we

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) July 9, 2026

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View this post on Instagram

It’s only fitting that Trump Force One was the first flight to land at the newly named President Donald J. Trump International Airport.

Awesome to be there with @erikadonalds, and always good to see @donaldtrumpjr & @EricTrump. pic.twitter.com/pfwTdIpOsq

— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) July 9, 2026

What an honor to have DJT airport in the great state of Florida!

Congratulations to bill sponsors @megforflorida and @debbie_mayfield, and everyone else who helped make this happen for our state and our @POTUS.

Humbled to be on Trump Force One for the inaugural landing! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/0uIFcBtJ60

— Erika Donalds (@ErikaDonalds) July 9, 2026

Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins said she was proud of the Miami Department of Fire-Rescue’s response.

The U.S. State Department deployed 79 members of Florida Task Force 2 from June 27 to July 6.

“Within 24 hours, we got the call that we were deploying, and in three hours, we had to be on a plane at Homestead Air Force Base,” Miami Assistant Fire Chief Chris Diaz said.

The team searched through the rubble of collapsed apartment buildings in Venezuela’s coastal state of La Guaira, the hardest-hit area.

Higgins honored Fire Chief Robert Hevia, Diaz, and their teammates on Thursday at City Hall. They got a standing ovation.

“Risk a lot to save a lot, and there was a lot to save in Venezuela, so the team had to take some risks,” Hevia said. “We are very fortunate and very blessed that they all came back safely.”

Venezuelan officials reported the death toll was at 3,811, there were about 190 buildings destroyed, some 855 buildings damaged, and 18,000 people displaced.

More on Helping Venezuela

Related list: Aid for Venezuela drop-off locations in South Florida

• Amazon partners with Airlink to support cargo flights from MIA to Caracas

• Faith-based nonprofit Mercy Chefs team arrives at Caracas
• A week after quakes, reports of hurdles abound
• Doral-based nonprofit GEM dispatches over $1 million in aid from community

• Inter Miami, Marlins, Dolphins join relief efforts
• NFL star joins Global Empowerment Mission’s team; his message to South Floridians, ‘Do what you can’
• More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the US hours before the earthquakes are missing

• Food for the Poor welcomes investments in reconstruction
• Physicians in Miami-Dade collect donations of medical supplies near Doral
• Meet Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. German Leal

• Pembroke Pines police officers announce collection drive
• Airbnb partners with nonprofit CADENA for emergency housing
• Hogar Bambi aims to protect vulnerable children

• Grey Bull Rescue Foundation team arrives at Caracas
• Officials close La Guaira, require volunteers to register in Caracas
• Amazon donates to Airlink to help charities with logistics

• Miami search-and-rescue team prepares to deploy
• Centro Comunitario AFE hosts collection drive in Miami-Dade
• Weston-based charity partners with local pharmacy

• Veteran-led Project DYNAMO delivers 20,000 pounds of aid in 1st 48 hours
• Altruism at El Arepazo feeds Global Empowerment Mission’s team effort
• Salvadoran rescuers work to free 15-year-old survivor in Caraballeda

• Food For The Poor packs disaster relief kits with ‘hopeful’ hand-written notes
• U.S. Southern Command focuses on airport damage
• State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team

• Miami Beach opens 4 new aid drop-off locations
• Miramar to keep 6 aid drop-off locations open 24/7
• Miami-Dade’s tax collector opens 11 drop-off locations
• Doral opens 4 aid drop-off locations

• Aid drop-off location opens in Homestead
• Starlink offers free service through July 25, but a kit is $470
• International Medical Corps deploys staff, needs donations
• Save The Children asks for emergency fund donations

• Samaritan’s Purse focuses on ‘emergency field hospital’
• Red Cross asks for Disaster Response Emergency Fund donations
• UN asks for donations for ‘underfunded’ program for kids

• World Vision asks for ‘disaster relief fund’ donations
• World Central Kitchen asks for donations for fresh meals

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Baby was previously adopted from the shelter when he was about a year old. Humane Society of Broward County’s Cherie Wachter said the owner was contacted but did not come to reclaim him.

“He’s a border collie mix we believe,” Wachter said. “At 9 years old, you can still teach him a whole lot of other things and tell all your friends that you know you taught your dog these great things.”

Wachter said Baby weighs about 50 pounds, walks well on a leash and would be a great companion for someone looking for a calm, well-behaved dog.

“If you’re looking for a dog to go for leisurely walks, that’s going to be a wonderful member of your family, I think baby would be perfect,” Wachter said.

Wachter also introduced Tolkien, a 13-week-old British Shorthair kitten available for adoption. Tolkien and his two brothers were surrendered after their owner became ill.

“The thing to know about these kittens is they have a fungus called ringworm,” she added. “So we’re treating them for that. We would send the adopter home with medication.”

Wachter said ringworm is contagious to people and pets, but adopters can manage it with proper care, including washing hands and bedding and keeping the kitten separate from other pets at home.

The Humane Society of Broward County has Baby, Tolkien and other animals waiting for forever homes.

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

Baby fue adoptado previamente en el refugio cuando tenía aproximadamente un año. Cherie Wachter, de la Sociedad Protectora de Animales del condado Broward, dijo que se contactó al propietario, pero nunca acudió a reclamarlo.

“Creemos que es una mezcla de border collie”, dijo Wachter. “A los 9 años todavía se le pueden enseñar muchas cosas más y contarles a todos sus amigos que usted le enseñó todas esas cosas maravillosas a su perro”.

Wachter dijo que Baby pesa alrededor de 50 libras, camina muy bien con correa y sería un excelente compañero para alguien que busca un perro tranquilo y de buen comportamiento.

“Si está buscando un perro para dar paseos tranquilos y que sea un maravilloso integrante de la familia, creo que Baby sería perfecto”, dijo Wachter.

Wachter también presentó a Tolkien, un gatito británico de pelo corto de 13 semanas disponible para adopción. Tolkien y sus dos hermanos fueron entregados al refugio después de que su dueño enfermara.

“Lo que deben saber sobre estos gatitos es que tienen una infección por tiña”, agregó. “Los estamos tratando por eso. Entregaríamos al adoptante el medicamento para continuar el tratamiento en casa”.

Wachter dijo que la tiña es contagiosa para las personas y las mascotas, pero que los adoptantes pueden controlarla con los cuidados adecuados, entre ellos lavarse las manos, lavar la ropa de cama y mantener al gatito separado de otras mascotas del hogar.

La Sociedad Protectora de Animales del condado Broward tiene a Baby, Tolkien y otros animales esperando encontrar un hogar para siempre.

Haga clic aquí para obtener más información sobre cómo adoptar una mascota.

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The Seattle-based multinational announced a commitment to donate the cost of aircraft and fuel, while the airline based in South Africa runs the cargo.

“You’re looking at 35 tons of goods that in just a few hours will be in the hands of those who need it most,” Bettina Stix, the director of Amazon’s community impact, said on Thursday at Miami International Airport.

The partners are working with U.S. State Department personnel who are in communication with Venezuelan authorities to make sure the flights have access.

“Amazon’s donated airlift capacity allows us to move quickly and efficiently to heavily impacted communities,” Paloma Adams-Allen, Airlink’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Amazon and Airlink are also working with the United Nations World Food Program to manage the distribution of the aid once its in Caracas.

“This has been a huge effort by our team to get this air bridge started,” said Stephanie Steege, the vice president of humanitarian programs at Airlink.

Venezuelan officials reported the death toll was at 3,811, there were about 190 buildings destroyed, some 855 buildings damaged, and 18,000 people displaced.

More on Helping Venezuela

Related list: Aid for Venezuela drop-off locations in South Florida

• Faith-based nonprofit Mercy Chefs team arrives at Caracas
• A week after quakes, reports of hurdles abound
• Doral-based nonprofit GEM dispatches over $1 million in aid from community

• Inter Miami, Marlins, Dolphins join relief efforts
• NFL star joins Global Empowerment Mission’s team; his message to South Floridians, ‘Do what you can’
• More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the US hours before the earthquakes are missing

• Food for the Poor welcomes investments in reconstruction
• Physicians in Miami-Dade collect donations of medical supplies near Doral
• Meet Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. German Leal

• Pembroke Pines police officers announce collection drive
• Airbnb partners with nonprofit CADENA for emergency housing
• Hogar Bambi aims to protect vulnerable children

• Grey Bull Rescue Foundation team arrives at Caracas
• Officials close La Guaira, require volunteers to register in Caracas
• Amazon donates to Airlink to help charities with logistics

• Miami search-and-rescue team prepares to deploy
• Centro Comunitario AFE hosts collection drive in Miami-Dade
• Weston-based charity partners with local pharmacy

• Veteran-led Project DYNAMO delivers 20,000 pounds of aid in 1st 48 hours
• Altruism at El Arepazo feeds Global Empowerment Mission’s team effort
• Salvadoran rescuers work to free 15-year-old survivor in Caraballeda

• Food For The Poor packs disaster relief kits with ‘hopeful’ hand-written notes
• U.S. Southern Command focuses on airport damage
• State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team

• Miami Beach opens 4 new aid drop-off locations
• Miramar to keep 6 aid drop-off locations open 24/7
• Miami-Dade’s tax collector opens 11 drop-off locations
• Doral opens 4 aid drop-off locations

• Aid drop-off location opens in Homestead
• Starlink offers free service through July 25, but a kit is $470
• International Medical Corps deploys staff, needs donations
• Save The Children asks for emergency fund donations

• Samaritan’s Purse focuses on ‘emergency field hospital’
• Red Cross asks for Disaster Response Emergency Fund donations
• UN asks for donations for ‘underfunded’ program for kids

• World Vision asks for ‘disaster relief fund’ donations
• World Central Kitchen asks for donations for fresh meals

Torres is reporting from Miami.

El incidente ocurrió durante la madrugada del miércoles en una vivienda ubicada en la cuadra 5200 de Wiley Street, en Hollywood.

Según la Policía de Hollywood, los agentes llegaron alrededor de la 1:30 a.m. tras recibir reportes de un altercado que involucraba a un hombre identificado posteriormente como Kevin Lamar Bryant, de 38 años.

La policía informó que Bryant se atrincheró dentro de su vivienda cuando los agentes llegaron y que, varias horas después, alrededor de las 4 a.m., prendió fuego de manera intencional mientras permanecía en el interior.

Equipos de bomberos acudieron al lugar y trabajaron rápidamente para extinguir las llamas, pero las autoridades dijeron que el incendio causó daños considerables en el interior de la vivienda, la cual, según indicaron, ya había sido declarada inhabitable.

Los socorristas informaron posteriormente que Bryant padece una enfermedad mental grave y que inicialmente fue trasladado al hospital para ser evaluado.

El jueves, Bryant hizo su primera comparecencia ante el tribunal y decidió representarse a sí mismo.

“Eso no representaba un riesgo para ninguno de mis vecinos”, dijo Bryant a la jueza. “Era un fuego controlado porque el humo debía secar a los roedores y las ratas, para hacerlos salir”.

La jueza le recordó entonces a Bryant que todo lo que diga puede y será utilizado en su contra.

“Esto no es un incendio provocado porque yo vivía y residía en esa vivienda”, respondió.

Bryant pareció frustrarse durante la audiencia y, en un momento, levantó las manos y sacudió la cabeza.

Cuando la jueza le preguntó si tenía formación jurídica, Bryant respondió: “Por supuesto”.

“No necesito aprobar el examen del Colegio de Abogados de Florida para entender mis derechos y conocer la ley”, dijo.

Finalmente, la jueza ordenó que Bryant permanezca detenido sin derecho a fianza.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que enfrenta cargos por incendio provocado en primer grado, alteración del orden público, obstrucción de una vía pública y arrojar más de 500 libras de basura.

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The incident occurred in the early morning hours on Wednesday at a home located along the 5200 block of Wiley Street in Hollywood.

According to Hollywood police, officers arrived around 1:30 a.m. after receiving reports of a disturbance involving a man since identified as Kevin Lamar Bryant, 38.

Police said Bryant barricaded himself inside his home after they arrived, and then several hours later around 4 a.m., he intentionally set a fire while inside.

Fire rescue crews rushed to the scene and quickly worked to extinguish the flames, but authorities said the fire caused extensive damage to the inside of the home, which they said had been previously condemned.

Rescue officials said afterwards that Bryant was known to suffer from severe mental illness and was initially taken to the hospital to be checked out.

On Thursday, Bryant made his first court appearance, choosing to act as his own attorney.

“That was not a risk to any of my neighbors,” Bryant told the judge. “That was a controlled fire because the smoke was supposed to dry out the rodents and the rats, to smoke them out.”

The judge then reminded Bryant that anything he says can and will be used against him.

“This is not arson because I lived and resided at this home,” he responded.

Bryant appeared to become frustrated during the hearing, at one point throwing his hands up and shaking his head.

When asked by the judge if he has any formal training in law, Bryant replied, “Absolutely.”

“I don’t need to take Florida bar to understand my rights and know the law,” he said.

Ultimately, the judge ruled that Bryant would be held behind bars without bail.

Jail records show he is facing charges of first degree arson, disorderly conduct, obstructing a road way and littering over 500 pounds.

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The city will be playing France vs. Morocco, which starts at 4 p.m., on a large screen at Lummus Park, near Ocean Drive and 14 Street.

Kylian Mbappé, who faces a heat advisory in Foxborough, Massachusetts, scored his 19th World Cup goal with a penalty kick in the 70th minute when Les Bleus eliminated Paraguay 1-0 on Saturday.

The Local 10 News Weather Authority meteorologists warned that the heat index is set to soar to 105 to 110 degrees, so be sure to take hydration breaks.

The city has a parking garage at 1557 Washington Avenue. The hourly rate is $2. For more information, visit this page.

Related stories

• Norway practices in Fort Lauderdale ahead of Miami Stadium match against England
• Argentine fans celebrate in Miami Beach after advancing to quarterfinals
• Chef serves soccer-shaped pastries in Miami

TOURNAMENT’S SCHEDULE

Quarterfinals

July 10

Belgium vs. Spain at 3 p.m.

July 11

• Norway vs. England is at 5 p.m. in Miami Gardens.
• Switzerland vs. Argentina is at 9 p.m.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders at 5 p.m. on July 11. Parking is free.

Related link: View the knockout bracket

Semifinals

July 14: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 14 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

July 15: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 15 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

Finals

July 18: The third-place play-off match is at 5 p.m. at the Miami Stadium, better known as the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 18 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 5 p.m. bronze final.

Sunrise ride to stadium: The Amerant Bank Arena has free parking for FIFA World Cup ticket holders who ride Broward County’s free Express bus transportation to the Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock, in Miami Gardens.

July 19: The final match is at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 1 p.m. on July 19 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 3 p.m. final.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders for the final on July 19. Parking is free.

La ciudad transmitirá el partido Francia contra Marruecos, que comienza a las 4 de la tarde, en una pantalla gigante en Lummus Park , cerca de Ocean Drive y la calle 14.

Kylian Mbappé, que se enfrenta a una alerta por calor en Foxborough, Massachusetts, marcó su 19º gol en un Mundial con un penalti en el minuto 70 cuando Les Bleus eliminaron a Paraguay por 1-0 el sábado.

Los meteorólogos de la Autoridad Meteorológica de Local 10 News advirtieron que el índice de calor se disparará a entre 105 y 110 grados, así que asegúrese de tomar descansos para hidratarse.

La ciudad cuenta con un estacionamiento en 1557 Washington Avenue. La tarifa por hora es de $2. Para más información, visite esta página .

Historias relacionadas

• Noruega entrena en Fort Lauderdale antes del partido contra Inglaterra en el Miami Stadium.
• Los hinchas argentinos celebran en Miami Beach tras avanzar a cuartos de final.
• Un chef sirve pasteles con forma de balón de fútbol en Miami.

CALENDARIO DEL TORNEO

Cuartos de final

10 de julio

Bélgica contra España a las 15:00

11 de julio

• El partido entre Noruega e Inglaterra se jugará a las 5 de la tarde en Miami Gardens.
• Suiza contra Argentina a las 9 pm

Fiesta para ver el partido al amanecer : El Amerant Bank Arena, un recinto cubierto, organiza una fiesta gratuita para ver el partido a las 17:00 horas del 11 de julio para quienes tengan entrada . El aparcamiento es gratuito.

Enlace relacionado : Ver el cuadro de eliminatorias

Semifinales

14 de julio : Hay un partido de semifinales a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver el partido en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 14 de julio en The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para el partido de semifinales.

15 de julio : Hay un partido de semifinales a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver el partido en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 15 de julio en The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para el partido de semifinales.

Finales

18 de julio : El partido por el tercer puesto se disputará a las 17:00 horas en el Miami Stadium, más conocido como Hard Rock Stadium en Miami Gardens.

Fiesta para ver la final en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 18 de julio en The Sandbowl, detrás de The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para la final de bronce de las 5 pm.

Viaje al amanecer al estadio : El Amerant Bank Arena ofrece estacionamiento gratuito para los poseedores de entradas para la Copa Mundial de la FIFA que utilicen el servicio de autobús exprés gratuito del condado de Broward para llegar al Miami Stadium, también conocido como Hard Rock, en Miami Gardens.

19 de julio : El partido final es a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver la final en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a la 1 pm del 19 de julio en The Sandbowl, detrás de The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para la final que comienza a las 3 pm.

Fiesta para ver el partido al amanecer : El Amerant Bank Arena, un recinto cubierto, organiza una fiesta gratuita para ver la final el 19 de julio para los poseedores de entradas . El estacionamiento es gratuito.

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The leak was located at the corner of Lyons Road and Coconut Creek Parkway, according to the Coconut Creek Police Department.

As a result, the intersection has been shut down while crews work to repair the leak, according to officials.

Additionally, access to Coconut Creek Plaza, which is located on the northwest corner of the intersection, has been closed as a precaution, authorities said.

Traffic in the area is being impacted and officials are urging drivers to seek alternate routes.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Coconut Creek, la fuga fue localizada en la esquina de Lyons Road y Coconut Creek Parkway.

Como resultado, la intersección fue cerrada mientras las cuadrillas trabajan para reparar la fuga, informaron las autoridades.

Además, el acceso a Coconut Creek Plaza, ubicado en la esquina noroeste de la intersección, fue cerrado como medida de precaución, según las autoridades.

El tránsito en el área se ha visto afectado y las autoridades instan a los conductores a utilizar rutas alternas.

La multinacional con sede en Seattle anunció su compromiso de donar el coste de los aviones y el combustible, mientras que la aerolínea con sede en Sudáfrica se encarga del transporte de carga.

“Estamos hablando de 35 toneladas de mercancías que en tan solo unas horas estarán en manos de quienes más las necesitan”, declaró Bettina Stix, directora de impacto comunitario de Amazon, el jueves en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami.

Los socios están trabajando con personal del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU., que a su vez está en comunicación con las autoridades venezolanas para garantizar que los vuelos tengan acceso.

“La capacidad de transporte aéreo donada por Amazon nos permite llegar de forma rápida y eficiente a las comunidades más afectadas”, declaró Paloma Adams-Allen, presidenta y directora ejecutiva de Airlink, en un comunicado .

Amazon y Airlink también están colaborando con el Programa Mundial de Alimentos de las Naciones Unidas para gestionar la distribución de la ayuda una vez que llegue a Caracas.

“Nuestro equipo ha realizado un gran esfuerzo para poner en marcha este puente aéreo”, declaró Stephanie Steege, vicepresidenta de programas humanitarios de Airlink.

Más información sobre cómo ayudar a Venezuela

Lista relacionada: Puntos de entrega de ayuda para Venezuela en el sur de Florida.

• El equipo de la organización sin fines de lucro de inspiración religiosa Mercy Chefs llega a Caracas.
• Una semana después de los terremotos, abundan los informes de obstáculos.
• La organización sin fines de lucro GEM, con sede en Doral, envía más de 1 millón de dólares en ayuda de la comunidad.

• Inter Miami, Marlins y Dolphins se suman a los esfuerzos de ayuda.
• Una estrella de la NFL se une al equipo de Global Empowerment Mission; su mensaje para los habitantes del sur de Florida es: “Hagan lo que puedan”.
• Más de 100 venezolanos que fueron deportados de Estados Unidos horas antes de los terremotos están desaparecidos.

• Food for the Poor celebra las inversiones en reconstrucción.
• Médicos del condado de Miami-Dade recolectan donaciones de suministros médicos cerca de Doral.
• Les presentamos al capitán German Leal del Departamento de Bomberos y Rescate de Miami-Dade.

• Agentes de policía de Pembroke Pines anuncian una campaña de recolección de donaciones.
• Airbnb se asocia con la organización sin fines de lucro CADENA para proporcionar alojamiento de emergencia.
• Hogar Bambi tiene como objetivo proteger a los niños vulnerables.

• El equipo de la Fundación Grey Bull Rescue llega a Caracas.
• Las autoridades clausuran La Guaira y exigen que los voluntarios se registren en Caracas.
• Amazon realiza donaciones a Airlink para ayudar a organizaciones benéficas con la logística.

• El equipo de búsqueda y rescate de Miami se prepara para desplegarse.
• Centro Comunitario AFE organiza campaña de recolección en Miami-Dade
• Una organización benéfica con sede en Weston se asocia con una farmacia local.

• El proyecto DYNAMO, liderado por veteranos, entrega 20.000 libras de ayuda en las primeras 48 horas.
• El altruismo en El Arepazo alimenta el esfuerzo del equipo de Global Empowerment Mission.
• Rescatistas salvadoreños trabajan para liberar a un sobreviviente de 15 años en Caraballeda.

• Food For The Poor incluye en sus kits de ayuda humanitaria notas escritas a mano con mensajes de esperanza.
• El Comando Sur de Estados Unidos se centra en los daños en los aeropuertos.
• El Departamento de Estado despliega un equipo de búsqueda y rescate en Miami-Dade.

• Miami Beach abre 4 nuevos puntos de entrega de ayuda.
• Miramar mantendrá abiertos 6 puntos de entrega de ayuda las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana.
• El recaudador de impuestos de Miami-Dade abre 11 puntos de entrega.
• Doral abre 4 puntos de entrega de ayuda.

• Se abre un punto de entrega de ayuda en Homestead.
• Starlink ofrece servicio gratuito hasta el 25 de julio, pero un kit cuesta 470 dólares.
• International Medical Corps despliega personal y necesita donaciones.
• Save The Children solicita donaciones para su fondo de emergencia.

• Samaritan’s Purse se centra en los “hospitales de campaña de emergencia”.
• La Cruz Roja solicita donaciones para su Fondo de Emergencia para la Respuesta ante Desastres.
• La ONU solicita donaciones para un programa infantil que carece de fondos suficientes.

• World Vision solicita donaciones para su “fondo de ayuda en casos de desastre”.
• World Central Kitchen solicita donaciones para comidas frescas.

Torres informa desde Miami.

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According to Fort Lauderdale police, officers responded to the 1300 block of Northwest 13^th Court shortly before 4:30 a.m. after receiving a ShotSpotter alert in the area.

While searching the Lauderdale Manors neighborhood, officers found the victim in his car, with a gunshot wound, authorities said.

Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim’s father identified him to Local 10 News as 32-year-old Matt Menard. He said his son leaves behind a 5-year-old daughter.

The video shows the shooter walking up to Menard’s car before firing nine shots.

The shooter is then seen running back to his car and driving away.

“Very devastating, we understand that. Like I tell you, but I try to be strong,” the victim’s father, Philippe Menard, said.

Surveillance video shows Matt Menard walking to the car just minutes before he was shot and killed.

Local 10 cameras captured at least three bullet holes in the driver’s side window of the vehicle.

A truck parked next to it was also hit by gunfire.

The victim’s father told Local 10 News that someone set fire to his home’s plants last week, and just days later, someone fired shots at the house.

“We heard that at night, but we cannot come out to see. So when we call police, they come here, they take pictures,” Philippe Menard said.

Philippe Menard described his son as a bright young man, who worked hard as a landscaper, but also ran with the wrong crowd.

He’s now left wondering if last week’s incidents could be connected to his son’s killing.

“He went to a university -- the guy’s (more) knowledgeable than me,” Philippe Menard said. “I didn’t reach that level. I can’t tell him, ‘Hey, I talk to you and you listen.’”

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Fort Lauderdale Police Department or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Según la Policía de Fort Lauderdale, los agentes respondieron poco antes de las 4:30 a.m. a la cuadra 1300 de Northwest 13th Court tras recibir una alerta del sistema ShotSpotter en el área.

Mientras recorrían el vecindario de Lauderdale Manors, los agentes encontraron a la víctima dentro de su vehículo con una herida de bala, informaron las autoridades.

La policía indicó que la víctima fue declarada muerta en el lugar.

El padre de la víctima la identificó ante Local 10 News como Matt Menard, de 32 años. Dijo que su hijo deja una hija de 5 años.

El video muestra al atacante caminando hasta el vehículo de Menard antes de disparar nueve veces.

Luego se observa al atacante correr de regreso a su vehículo y huir del lugar.

“Es muy devastador, lo entendemos. Como les digo, trato de mantenerme fuerte”, dijo Philippe Menard, padre de la víctima.

El video de vigilancia muestra a Matt Menard caminando hacia el vehículo apenas unos minutos antes de que fuera asesinado a tiros.

Las cámaras de Local 10 captaron al menos tres impactos de bala en la ventana del lado del conductor del vehículo.

Una camioneta estacionada junto al automóvil también fue alcanzada por los disparos.

El padre de la víctima dijo a Local 10 News que la semana pasada alguien prendió fuego a las plantas de su vivienda y que, apenas unos días después, alguien disparó contra la casa.

“Escuchamos eso durante la noche, pero no pudimos salir a ver. Entonces llamamos a la policía, vienen aquí y toman fotografías”, dijo Philippe Menard.

Philippe Menard describió a su hijo como un joven brillante, que trabajaba arduamente como jardinero, pero que también se relacionaba con malas compañías.

Ahora se pregunta si los incidentes de la semana pasada podrían estar relacionados con el asesinato de su hijo.

“Fue a la universidad. Él sabe más que yo”, dijo Philippe Menard. “Yo no llegué a ese nivel. No puedo decirle: “Oye, hablo contigo y tú me escuchas””.

Cualquier persona con información sobre la balacera debe comunicarse con el Departamento de Policía de Fort Lauderdale o con Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

That means Quansah will miss England's quarterfinal match against Norway in Miami Gardens on Saturday and also the semifinals if Thomas Tuchel's team advances.

Quansah was sent off in the second half of England's 3-2 victory against Mexico on Sunday for a dangerous foul on Jesus Gallardo.

FIFA confirmed the two-match suspension for serious foul play.

FIFA’s handling of red card punishments has come under intense scrutiny after its disciplinary committee suspended the one-game penalty of star United States striker Folarin Balogun after President Donald Trump intervened and contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Infantino defended the independence of FIFA’s disciplinary committee and insisted the Balogun case was properly handled.

Right back saga continues

Quansah’s prolonged extension is the latest issue for Tuchel to contend with at right back.

First choice Reece James has not played since England’s second game of the tournament against Ghana due to a hamstring injury.

His backup Tino Livramento was sent home before England even kicked off its campaign after injuring his calf. Tuchel opted to call up a center back in Trevoh Chalobah as his replacement, rather than going for a specialist right back.

It meant Quansah, who usually plays in central defense, has taken on the role of deputy to James.

Tuchel faced questions before the World Cup for leaving out Real Madrid right back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is widely regarded as one of the top players in Europe.

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco's announcement Thursday morning further escalated tensions with the United States, as Mexico's government has sharply criticized the treatment of its citizens under U.S. President Donald Trump's push to increase deportations.

The request, which carries no legal weight, will be submitted to state prosecutors’ offices and the U.S. Department of Justice, asking them to consider criminal charges against those responsible for the deaths.

It will be accompanied by civil lawsuits against the companies that operate the detention centers in an effort to put an end to human rights violations in those facilities, Velasco said.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that Mexico decided to “move beyond diplomatic channels” and escalate its complaints after an ICE agent killed Mexican citizen Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston this week. Sheinbaum said the killing “is not only sad and regrettable, but also appears to have been targeted.”

“We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent” in the face of the deaths of Mexicans “whose only crime is working honestly in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.

Salgado Araujo had been living in the country for decades. He was transporting a work crew to a housing construction site when he was shot. His family demanded a thorough investigation into what happened.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, agents were pursuing him because he was living in the country without legal authorization. Salgado Araujo, the department added, was shot after disregarding orders and attempting to ram an agent, who fired his weapon in self-defense.

According to the Mexican government, 14 Mexicans have died while in ICE custody and 3 during ICE operations.

Until now, the Mexican government had supported the victims’ families, sent diplomatic notes to Washington demanding investigations, and raised the issue with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Sheinbaum earlier this year ordered consulates to regularly check in with ICE detainees, and her government even lodged a complaint with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Mexico's latest request adds to an already strained relationship with the Trump administration. Sheinbaum has cracked down more fiercely than her predecessors on organized crime in the wake of mounting threats by Trump to take military action against cartels. She has also sought to keep an amicable relationship with her U.S. counterpart as the countries renegotiate the decades-old free trade agreement. At the same time, she's taken a strong stance on immigration enforcement and the rights of Mexican citizens in U.S. custody.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Los sospechosos fueron identificados en un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade como Antoinette McKay, de 50 años, de Cutler Bay, y Zaccheus Zamon Scott, de 34 años, de Miami.

Según el informe, el incidente ocurrió el 11 de junio en la iglesia St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church, ubicada en el 17901 de Southwest 107th Ave., donde McKay y Scott se desempeñaban como entrenadores y consejeros del campamento del menor.

Los investigadores dijeron que el niño estaba jugando fútbol americano con sus hermanos en el campamento de verano cuando se produjo una pelea entre él y uno de ellos.

Fue entonces cuando, según los agentes, McKay y Scott intervinieron.

De acuerdo con el informe, el menor dijo a los investigadores que Scott le colocó “grandes conos naranjas” sobre la cabeza, lo que le dificultó la respiración.

El informe señala que McKay luego “agarró a la víctima por los tobillos, inmovilizándola boca arriba en el suelo, con las piernas elevadas y sujetas por los tobillos sobre el asiento de una silla”.

Los agentes dijeron que, mientras McKay inmovilizaba a la víctima, Scott procedió a abofetearla varias veces en el lado izquierdo del rostro y la cabeza.

Según el informe, el menor sufrió vasos sanguíneos rotos en el ojo izquierdo, un rasguño entre los ojos y hematomas e inflamación en el lado izquierdo del rostro.

El informe indica que posteriormente el padre del menor lo llevó al Hospital Infantil Nicklaus, donde fue atendido y dado de alta. Los médicos recomendaron a la familia vigilar la aparición de síntomas de una conmoción cerebral, según el informe.

Los investigadores informaron que McKay y Scott invocaron sus derechos Miranda y se negaron a hablar con los detectives.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que ambos sospechosos enfrentan un cargo cada uno por abuso infantil sin causar lesiones corporales graves.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, ambos permanecían detenidos en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza de $1,500 USD cada uno. La jueza del Tribunal de Circuito de Miami-Dade, Mindy Glazer, también les ordenó mantenerse alejados de la víctima.

Local 10 se comunicó con la iglesia St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church para solicitar comentarios sobre el incidente y confirmar la situación laboral de los dos consejeros.

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The suspects were identified in an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office as Antoinette McKay, 50, of Cutler Bay, and Zaccheus Zamon Scott, 34, of Miami.

According to the report, the incident happened on June 11 at St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church, located at 17901 Southwest 107th Ave., where McKay and Scott served as the boy’s camp coaches and counselors.

Investigators said the boy was playing football with his siblings at the summer camp when a fight broke out between him and one of his siblings.

That’s when deputes say McKay and Scott intervened.

According to the report, the boy told investigators that Scott placed “large orange cones” over his head, causing him to have difficulty breathing.

The report states McCay then “grabbed the victim by his ankles, pinning him on his back on the ground, with his legs elevated and held down at the ankles on the seat portion of a chair.”

Deputies said as McCay held down the victim, Scott proceeded to slap him multiple times on the left side of his face and head area.

According to the report, the boy suffered ruptured blood vessels in his left eye, a scratch between his eyes and swelling and bruising to the left side of his face.

The report states the boy’s father later took him to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, where he was treated and released. Doctors advised the family to monitor him for symptoms of a concussion, according to the report.

Investigators said McKay and Scott invoked their Miranda rights and declined to speak with detectives.

Jail records show both suspects are each facing one count of child abuse without great bodily harm.

As of Thursday morning, the pair were each being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $1,500 bonds. They were also ordered by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer to stay away from the victim.

Local 10 has reached out to St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church for comment on the incident and to confirm the employment status of the two counselors.

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Gianni Russo is the owner — and only employee — of Scoopy Doodz, a pet waste removal service that travels to homes across Broward, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.

Before stepping into each customer’s yard, Russo slips disposable boot covers over his shoes, grabs a rake and poop scoop, and gets to work.

“I use these foot covers not only so I don’t step in poop, because I also don’t want to track poop into other people’s yards,” Russo said.

Russo said every yard is cleaned using the same methodical process.

“So right now, what I do is I compartmentalize the yard into a few sections and then I’ll scale it by walking from one side to the other, taking one side step and coming back. That way I don’t miss any spots whatsoever,” he said.

Before launching Scoopy Doodz, Russo worked professionally caring for dogs, building relationships with pet owners like Zach Feinsilver and his Wheaten Terrier, Zeke.

“Gianni then came to me and said that he was starting a company cleaning out the waste in the yards. And it’s perfect,” Feinsilver said.

For customers, the service is about more than convenience. Russo visits many homes weekly, helping homeowners avoid an unpleasant chore while keeping their yards cleaner.

“I think some people mention it to other people, like, ‘Hey, my friend is doing this, and it’s so wild and maybe it’s a joke.’ And then that person goes, ‘Well, actually, I need that service,’” Russo said.

Feinsilver said Russo’s personality is part of what keeps him coming back.

“It makes your life easy, it makes your house great, but dealing with him is a joy. So, he’s just the nicest guy. He’s always happy to have him there. And most important, my boy Zeke, my dog, he loves Gianni,” he said.

Asked whether hiring the service is about convenience, cleanliness or simply not wanting to deal with pet waste, Feinsilver’s answer was straightforward.

“Everything you just said,” he said. “I walk in the yard; I never worry about a thing. It’s like I don’t have a dog using the yard.”

Russo said the job also includes watching for anything unusual while he’s in a customer’s yard, from signs of illness to conditions that could affect the lawn.

“These burn spots in the grass actually come from nitrogen, that’s from dogs’ urine and waste,” Russo said. “Removing the waste before the sun can bake it into the grass actually saves your lawn as well.”

To prevent cross-contamination, Russo disinfects his tools after every stop.

At another stop, customer Sean Dunson said hiring Russo has simplified life with three dogs.

“Our dogs are outside all the time and so it just made sense to have someone that could just handle that for us and take it off our plate so that we don’t forget about it and end up having an accident and walking through it or our dogs walking through it and track it in,” Dunson said. “I found out about Gianni and Scoopy Doodz and the rest is history.”

Dunson said Russo’s thoroughness stands out.

“He’s very on it, very thorough. Every time they leave, we don’t have to worry about finding stray piles of poop everywhere. He handles everything,” he said.

Russo said some new customers are initially embarrassed to hire a pet waste removal service, but he tries to put them at ease.

“I’ve definitely had some customers who may be slightly embarrassed when I first showed up, but it’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said. “I think it’s super normal. I’m just happy that they own a dog, and the dog has a yard.”

With visits starting at $18, Russo said the business has grown through referrals from satisfied customers — proving that even one of the least glamorous jobs can fill a real need for busy pet owners.

If you’re interested in learning more about Scoopy Doodz, you can call Russo at 561-288-6565 or email: walks@doggydoodz.com.

Gianni Russo es el propietario y único empleado de Scoopy Doodz, un servicio de recolección de desechos de mascotas que presta servicio a viviendas en los condados Broward, Palm Beach y St. Lucie.

Antes de entrar al patio de cada cliente, Russo se coloca cubiertas desechables sobre los zapatos, toma un rastrillo y un recogedor para excrementos y se pone a trabajar.

“Uso estas cubiertas para los zapatos no solo para no pisar excremento, sino también porque no quiero llevar excremento a los patios de otras personas”, dijo Russo.

Russo explicó que limpia cada patio siguiendo el mismo proceso metódico.

“Lo que hago es dividir el patio en varias secciones y luego recorrerlo caminando de un lado al otro, dando un paso lateral y regresando. De esa manera no dejo ningún lugar sin revisar”, dijo.

Antes de crear Scoopy Doodz, Russo trabajó profesionalmente cuidando perros, lo que le permitió establecer relaciones con dueños de mascotas como Zach Feinsilver y su Wheaten Terrier, Zeke.

“Gianni vino y me dijo que estaba iniciando una empresa para recoger los desechos de los patios. Y es perfecto”, dijo Feinsilver.

Para los clientes, el servicio es más que una cuestión de comodidad. Russo visita muchas viviendas cada semana, ayudando a los propietarios a evitar una tarea desagradable mientras mantiene sus patios más limpios.

“Creo que algunas personas se lo comentan a otras, como: “Oye, mi amigo está haciendo esto, es algo muy raro y quizá parezca una broma”. Y entonces esa persona responde: “Bueno, en realidad necesito ese servicio””, dijo Russo.

Feinsilver dijo que la personalidad de Russo es parte de lo que lo hace seguir contratándolo.

“Te facilita la vida, hace que tu casa esté en mejores condiciones, pero además tratar con él es un placer. Es una persona muy amable. Siempre da gusto tenerlo por aquí. Y lo más importante es que mi hijo Zeke, mi perro, adora a Gianni”, dijo.

Cuando le preguntaron si contratar el servicio era por comodidad, limpieza o simplemente para no tener que lidiar con los desechos de las mascotas, la respuesta de Feinsilver fue directa.

“Todo lo que acabas de decir”, respondió. “Camino por el patio y nunca tengo que preocuparme por nada. Es como si no tuviera un perro usando el patio”.

Russo dijo que su trabajo también incluye estar atento a cualquier situación inusual mientras se encuentra en el patio de un cliente, desde señales de enfermedad hasta condiciones que puedan afectar el césped.

“Estas manchas quemadas en el césped en realidad son causadas por el nitrógeno presente en la orina y los desechos de los perros”, explicó Russo. “Retirar los desechos antes de que el sol los impregne en el césped también ayuda a protegerlo”.

Para evitar la contaminación cruzada, Russo desinfecta sus herramientas después de cada visita.

En otra parada, el cliente Sean Dunson dijo que contratar a Russo ha simplificado la vida con sus tres perros.

“Nuestros perros están afuera todo el tiempo, así que tenía sentido contar con alguien que se encargara de eso por nosotros y nos quitara esa tarea de encima para no olvidarnos y terminar teniendo un accidente al pisar los desechos o que los perros los pisen y los lleven al interior de la casa”, dijo Dunson. “Me enteré de Gianni y de Scoopy Doodz, y el resto es historia”.

Dunson dijo que la dedicación de Russo marca la diferencia.

“Es muy atento y muy minucioso. Cada vez que se va, no tenemos que preocuparnos por encontrar montones de excremento por todas partes. Él se encarga de todo”, dijo.

Russo comentó que algunos clientes nuevos al principio sienten vergüenza de contratar un servicio de recolección de desechos de mascotas, pero trata de hacerlos sentir cómodos.

“Definitivamente he tenido algunos clientes que se sentían un poco avergonzados cuando llegué por primera vez, pero no hay nada de qué avergonzarse”, dijo. “Creo que es algo completamente normal. Me alegra que tengan un perro y que el perro tenga un patio”.

Con visitas que comienzan en $18 USD, Russo dijo que el negocio ha crecido gracias a las recomendaciones de clientes satisfechos, demostrando que incluso uno de los trabajos menos glamorosos puede satisfacer una necesidad real para los dueños de mascotas con poco tiempo.

Si desea obtener más información sobre Scoopy Doodz, puede llamar a Russo al 561-288-6565 o enviar un correo electrónico a walks@doggydoodz.com.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue acudió a la cuadra 2150 de Northeast 169th Street después de recibir reportes de un menor que había caído de un edificio.

La policía de North Miami Beach informó que el menor fue encontrado “alerta y consciente” antes de ser trasladado en helicóptero a un centro de trauma.

La policía también confirmó que uno de los padres del menor se encontraba en el lugar y que, por el momento, no se sospecha de ningún acto delictivo.

Sky 10 sobrevoló la escena alrededor de las 9:45 a.m. mientras la policía de North Miami Beach realizaba la investigación. Las autoridades no han revelado la edad, el sexo, la identidad ni la condición del menor, y tampoco han confirmado desde cuántos pisos cayó.

Las autoridades informaron que el incidente continúa bajo investigación.

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Dubbed “Operation Hurricane,” the joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Department of Justice targeted violent offenders, armed convicted felons and drug traffickers through a series of undercover investigations.

Officials said 46 people have been charged in connection with the operation. While most suspects have been arrested, five remain at large.

“If there’s one thing this operation makes crystal clear, it’s that this department is not just going to be reactive to the crimes around us,” DOJ Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald said. “We are not waiting for violence to happen before we act.”

Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement conducted more than 120 undercover operations and months of surveillance.

Authorities seized 94 firearms along with significant quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine and heroin.

“In the last two months, law enforcement seized 94 firearms, and substantial quantities of narcotics,” McDonald said.

Officials also highlighted a major development that stemmed from the operation. According to investigators, one man arrested during the undercover investigation was later linked to a homicide in West Palm Beach that had occurred just days earlier.

Using the ATF’s national ballistic database, investigators matched a Glock handgun recovered during the operation to shell casings found at the murder scene.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones said the operation demonstrates the value of proactive policing.

“These agents, I can’t emphasize this enough, they are saving lives with this work,” Quiñones said. “This is what proactive law enforcement looks like.”

ATF Director Rob Cekada said the operation focused on identifying and targeting people believed to be driving violent crime rather than conducting broad enforcement efforts.

“Instead of going into neighborhoods randomly, hoping to find people responsible for violent crime, we work with our partners to zone in on those people responsible for driving violence and to remove those folks from those communities,” Cekada said.

Federal officials said the investigation is part of ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime by disrupting illegal firearm trafficking and drug distribution networks in South Florida.

Denominada “Operación Hurricane”, la iniciativa conjunta de la Oficina de Alcohol, Tabaco, Armas de Fuego y Explosivos (ATF) y el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos (DOJ) tuvo como objetivo a delincuentes violentos, delincuentes condenados armados y narcotraficantes mediante una serie de investigaciones encubiertas.

Las autoridades informaron que 46 personas han sido acusadas en relación con la operación. Aunque la mayoría de los sospechosos ya fueron arrestados, cinco continúan prófugos.

“Si hay algo que esta operación deja absolutamente claro es que este departamento no solo va a reaccionar ante los delitos que ocurren a nuestro alrededor”, dijo el fiscal general adjunto del DOJ, Colin McDonald. “No vamos a esperar a que ocurra un acto de violencia para actuar”.

Durante el transcurso de la investigación, las fuerzas del orden realizaron más de 120 operaciones encubiertas y meses de vigilancia.

Las autoridades incautaron 94 armas de fuego, junto con cantidades significativas de cocaína, cocaína crack, fentanilo, metanfetamina y heroína.

“En los últimos dos meses, las fuerzas del orden incautaron 94 armas de fuego y cantidades sustanciales de narcóticos”, dijo McDonald.

Las autoridades también destacaron un importante avance derivado de la operación. Según los investigadores, un hombre arrestado durante la investigación encubierta fue posteriormente vinculado con un homicidio ocurrido en West Palm Beach apenas unos días antes.

Mediante la base de datos nacional de balística de la ATF, los investigadores relacionaron una pistola Glock recuperada durante la operación con casquillos de bala encontrados en la escena del homicidio.

El fiscal federal para el Distrito Sur de Florida, Jason Reding Quiñones, dijo que la operación demuestra el valor de una estrategia policial proactiva.

“No puedo enfatizar esto lo suficiente: estos agentes están salvando vidas con este trabajo”, dijo Quiñones. “Así es como luce una labor policial proactiva”.

El director de la ATF, Rob Cekada, dijo que la operación se centró en identificar y actuar contra las personas que se cree impulsan los delitos violentos, en lugar de realizar operativos generales.

“En lugar de ingresar al azar a los vecindarios con la esperanza de encontrar a los responsables de los delitos violentos, trabajamos con nuestros socios para identificar a las personas responsables de generar violencia y retirarlas de esas comunidades”, dijo Cekada.

Las autoridades federales informaron que la investigación forma parte de los esfuerzos continuos para reducir los delitos violentos mediante la interrupción de las redes de tráfico ilegal de armas de fuego y distribución de drogas en el sur de Florida.

The child and his father, Peter Dituri, are back home in Pennsylvania after a family trip to Florida.

“For the last couple of years, we’ve been going down there,” Dituri said.

For Brodie, every trip meant one thing: fishing.

“He always has to bring his fishing pole with him. So any chance he sees water, he’s like, ‘Let’s go fishing,’” Dituri said.

The father and son were fishing at Nelson’s Fish Camp in Marion County when Brodie caught a fish.

As he went to release it, an alligator grabbed his arm.

Dituri said he immediately jumped on the alligator, trying to pry its jaws open to free his son.

“There was no thought process. It was just instinct,” he said.

He said officers later told him that if he had not jumped on the alligator and caused it to roll, it would have pulled Brodie into the water before rolling.

As he yelled for someone to call 911, bystanders rushed over to help.

“From having nobody around to having people there, I can’t thank them enough,” Dituri said through tears.

Now, the family is focused on Brodie’s recovery.

Dituri said they are headed to another doctor’s appointment, one of many still ahead.

Doctors have discussed both transplant and prosthetic options as Brodie begins adjusting to life after the attack.

“He’s leaning in toward looking at the prosthetics,” Dituri said.

Dituri said Brodie’s right hand was also his dominant hand, especially when playing baseball and football.

The road ahead will be long, both physically and mentally. Brodie said he is now “definitely afraid of Florida.”

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said they have captured and killed the alligator believed to be responsible for the attack.

Vecinos, que hablaron sin aparecer en cámara, dijeron que escucharon cinco disparos.

Sky 10 sobrevoló la escena cerca de Southwest 196th Avenue y Southwest 308th Street después de la balacera.

Se observó a los agentes concentrando su atención cerca de una vivienda, caminando por la entrada de vehículos, mientras otros agentes conversaban entre ellos en la intersección.

Los agentes dijeron que encontraron a la víctima, que había recibido un disparo, en la franja de terreno del condado ubicada frente a la vivienda.

La víctima estaba consciente y dijo a los agentes que un vehículo pasó por el lugar y desde ese vehículo se realizaron disparos que la impactaron, informaron las autoridades.

Paramédicos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladaron a la víctima al hospital, donde fue reportada en condición estable, según las autoridades.

Los agentes no han confirmado si el responsable fue detenido ni qué tipo de vehículo utilizó.

The 24th-ranked Iwai had eight birdies and no dropped shots in the sun-splashed lakeside town that three weeks ago hosted the G7 summit of world leaders.

Japan's Iwai made birdies at three of the last four holes, including the par-5 18th, and led by two shots from Perrine Delacour, whose 6-under 65 included an eagle at the par-5 15th and a pair of bogeys toward the end of her round.

A group of five players with 5-under 66s included the winner of the Women’s PGA Championship two weeks ago, Haeran Ryu, and world No. 5 Charley Hull, who started the week as a guest in the Royal Box at Wimbledon.

Hull had two early bogeys before making the turn at level par, then came home in just 31 shots capped by an eagle at the par-5 18th. Also on 5 under were Mao Saigo, Maja Stark and Jin Hee Im.

Korda struggles

It was a tough day at Evian Resort Golf Club for Korda, who won the first two majors this season — the Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open.

Korda was 11 shots back with a 3-over 74, including a doubly bogey six at the first hole, which she played as her 10th.

Celine Boutier, the 2023 champion at Evian, had a bigger problem at No. 1. She started with a triple bogey 7 and later made back-to-back double bogey 6s on Nos. 10 and 11. Boutier birdied the 18th to card a 5-over 76.

The Evian Championship has been the fifth women's major since the 2013 edition and now has a $9.1 million prize money fund.

___

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

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The Scarlet Lady, operated by Virgin Voyages and chartered by LGBTQ+ travel company Atlantis Events, departed Athens, Greece, on Sunday and is scheduled to return July 15 after sailing through the Mediterranean.

The cruise was originally scheduled to stop in Istanbul, Turkey, before continuing to other destinations. However, Turkish authorities barred the ship from docking, citing “moral standards” and “family values.”

According to passenger Joshua New, a South Florida resident traveling with his husband, the decision came after backlash over a planned LGBTQ+ event in Istanbul.

“He says to me, well, one of the gay bars in Istanbul was going to have a party for us, and a prominent conservative paper in Turkey got ahold of it, and it became a political problem,” New said.

He said many passengers were caught off guard.

“People were kind of in a lot of disbelief, angry, upset,” New said.

The itinerary changed again after passengers learned Egyptian authorities also would not allow the ship to make its planned stop near Cairo, resulting in an additional day at sea.

“That’s when we heard that the Egyptian authorities had said that you weren’t allowed to enter,” New said.

Despite the disappointment, New said the atmosphere onboard has remained positive.

“I try to think about positive stuff,” he said. “We should make the best of this. We’re on a cruise with lots of people that are amazing, and we can make the best of this.”

New said many travelers choose LGBTQ+-focused cruises because they provide a welcoming environment where passengers can be themselves while exploring new destinations.

“We choose to go on a gay cruise for this because we can feel comfortable to be ourselves,” he said. “It’s a way to gain community. It’s a way to share and be comfortable opening up.”

He added that for some international travelers, cruises like this represent a rare opportunity to feel accepted.

“Maybe they live in a place where being gay is not acceptable where (they’re) from,” New said. “And this is the one thing they do in a year, maybe in five years, that makes them feel free and alive.”

Still, he said being turned away by multiple countries has been emotionally difficult.

“It feels like it’s yet again people are saying, ‘It’s not OK to be gay, Josh ... What you are is not OK,’” New said.

Even so, he said the LGBTQ+ community has responded the way it often has in the face of adversity.

“Gay men are kind of resilient. For a lot of us, this isn’t something very new. It doesn’t mean it’s not hurtful,” he said.

Speaking from the ship’s deck, New described passengers continuing to enjoy their vacation despite the unexpected changes.

“There’s music -- people are laughing and clapping,” he said. “Life goes on, and we say, ‘You know what? We’re going to make the best of this, and we’re going to be resilient, just like we always have been.’”

Virgin Voyages and Atlantis Events have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the itinerary changes.

El Scarlet Lady, operado por Virgin Voyages y fletado por la empresa de viajes LGBTQ+ Atlantis Events, zarpó de Atenas, Grecia, el domingo y tiene previsto regresar el 15 de julio tras navegar por el Mediterráneo.

Originalmente, el crucero tenía programada una escala en Estambul, Turquía, antes de continuar hacia otros destinos. Sin embargo, las autoridades turcas impidieron que el barco atracara, al citar “normas morales” y “valores familiares”.

Según el pasajero Joshua New, residente del sur de Florida que viaja con su esposo, la decisión se produjo después de la reacción negativa por un evento LGBTQ+ programado en Estambul.

“Me dijo: bueno, uno de los bares gay de Estambul iba a organizar una fiesta para nosotros, y un importante periódico conservador de Turquía se enteró de ello, y se convirtió en un problema político”, dijo New.

Dijo que muchos pasajeros quedaron sorprendidos.

“La gente estaba incrédula, enojada y molesta”, dijo New.

El itinerario volvió a cambiar después de que los pasajeros supieran que las autoridades egipcias tampoco permitirían que el barco hiciera su escala prevista cerca de El Cairo, lo que resultó en un día adicional de navegación.

“Fue entonces cuando nos enteramos de que las autoridades egipcias habían dicho que no se nos permitía entrar”, dijo New.

A pesar de la decepción, New dijo que el ambiente a bordo se ha mantenido positivo.

“Trato de pensar en cosas positivas”, dijo. “Debemos sacar lo mejor de esto. Estamos en un crucero con muchas personas increíbles y podemos aprovechar al máximo esta experiencia”.

New dijo que muchos viajeros eligen los cruceros dirigidos a la comunidad LGBTQ+ porque ofrecen un ambiente acogedor donde los pasajeros pueden ser ellos mismos mientras conocen nuevos destinos.

“Elegimos hacer un crucero gay por eso, porque podemos sentirnos cómodos siendo nosotros mismos”, dijo. “Es una forma de crear comunidad. Es una forma de compartir y sentirse cómodo al abrirse con los demás”.

Agregó que, para algunos viajeros internacionales, cruceros como este representan una oportunidad poco común para sentirse aceptados.

“Quizá vivan en un lugar donde ser gay no es aceptado”, dijo New. “Y esta es la única cosa que hacen en un año, o quizá en cinco años, que los hace sentirse libres y vivos”.

Aun así, dijo que ser rechazados por varios países ha sido emocionalmente difícil.

“Se siente como si, una vez más, la gente estuviera diciendo: “No está bien ser gay, Josh… Lo que eres no está bien””, dijo New.

Aun así, afirmó que la comunidad LGBTQ+ ha respondido como suele hacerlo frente a la adversidad.

“Los hombres gay somos bastante resilientes. Para muchos de nosotros, esto no es algo nuevo. Eso no significa que no sea doloroso”, dijo.

Hablando desde la cubierta del barco, New describió a los pasajeros disfrutando de sus vacaciones a pesar de los cambios inesperados.

“Hay música, la gente se ríe y aplaude”, dijo. “La vida continúa y decimos: “¿Saben qué? Vamos a sacar lo mejor de esto y vamos a ser resilientes, como siempre lo hemos sido””.

Virgin Voyages y Atlantis Events aún no han respondido a las solicitudes de comentarios sobre los cambios en el itinerario.

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Online jail records show that Barry Joshua Bienaime, of Miami, is facing attempted murder and drug paraphernalia charges.

According to an arrest report from the Miami Shores Police Department, the incident began June 21 at Tropical Chevrolet, located at 8650 Biscayne Boulevard.

Police said employees at the dealership called 911 and said that a man was openly carrying what they described as a machete inside the business.

According to the report, Bienaime had entered the dealership and asked about purchasing a vehicle. When a manager confronted him about the sheathed weapon strapped across his lower back, investigators say he immediately took a fighting stance and grabbed the handle of what was later identified as a katana.

Authorities said Bienaime became angry and left the dealership. As he walked away, investigators say he unsheathed the katana and struck the rear windshield of a vehicle parked at the business.

Surveillance video reviewed by investigators allegedly showed Bienaime walking north on the west sidewalk of Biscayne Boulevard before turning around and heading back south. The report states he crossed five lanes of traffic while holding the sword.

Miami Shores police officers responded to the area near Northeast 86th Street. According to investigators, when Bienaime saw the officers, he sprinted across the street behind a marked patrol vehicle while gripping the katana with both hands.

As officers exited their vehicles, authorities say Bienaime stood on the west sidewalk before raising the katana over his head and charging directly at a Miami Shores police officer.

The arrest report states that the officer repeatedly ordered Bienaime to drop the weapon, but he did not comply.

Police said the officer then fired his department-issued gun, striking Bienaime twice — once in the lower left abdomen and once in the left arm near his elbow and biceps.

Bienaime was taken into custody at the scene and was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

During a search of Bienaime’s belongings, investigators said they found a scale, three grinders, rolling papers and a lighter.

Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer ordered Thursday that Bienaime be held without bond. If he eventually gets released from jail, he is not allowed to go back to the Tropical Chevrolet dealership, Glazer said.

Los registros de la cárcel en línea muestran que Barry Joshua Bienaime, de Miami, enfrenta cargos por intento de asesinato y posesión de parafernalia de drogas.

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Miami Shores, el incidente comenzó el 21 de junio en Tropical Chevrolet, ubicado en el 8650 de Biscayne Boulevard.

La policía informó que empleados del concesionario llamaron al 911 para reportar que un hombre llevaba a la vista lo que describieron como un machete dentro del negocio.

Según el informe, Bienaime entró al concesionario y preguntó por la compra de un vehículo. Cuando un gerente lo confrontó por el arma enfundada que llevaba sujeta en la parte baja de la espalda, los investigadores dijeron que de inmediato adoptó una posición de combate y sujetó el mango de lo que posteriormente fue identificado como una katana.

Las autoridades dijeron que Bienaime se enfureció y salió del concesionario. Mientras se alejaba, los investigadores indicaron que desenvainó la katana y golpeó el vidrio trasero de un vehículo estacionado en el negocio.

Un video de vigilancia revisado por los investigadores presuntamente muestra a Bienaime caminando hacia el norte por la acera oeste de Biscayne Boulevard antes de darse la vuelta y dirigirse nuevamente hacia el sur. El informe señala que cruzó cinco carriles de circulación mientras sostenía la espada.

Agentes de la Policía de Miami Shores respondieron al área cercana a Northeast 86th Street. Según los investigadores, cuando Bienaime vio a los agentes, cruzó corriendo la calle por detrás de una patrulla identificada mientras sujetaba la katana con ambas manos.

Cuando los agentes salieron de sus vehículos, las autoridades dijeron que Bienaime permaneció en la acera oeste antes de levantar la katana sobre su cabeza y lanzarse directamente contra un agente de la Policía de Miami Shores.

El informe de arresto indica que el agente le ordenó en repetidas ocasiones que soltara el arma, pero Bienaime no obedeció.

La policía informó que el agente entonces disparó su arma de reglamento e hirió a Bienaime en dos ocasiones: una en la parte inferior izquierda del abdomen y otra en el brazo izquierdo, cerca del codo y el bíceps.

Bienaime fue detenido en el lugar y trasladado por Miami-Dade Fire Rescue al Centro de Trauma Ryder del Hospital Jackson Memorial.

Durante un registro de las pertenencias de Bienaime, los investigadores dijeron que encontraron una báscula, tres trituradores, papeles para enrollar cigarrillos y un encendedor.

La jueza del condado Miami-Dade, Mindy Glazer, ordenó el jueves que Bienaime permanezca detenido sin derecho a fianza. Si eventualmente es puesto en libertad, no podrá regresar al concesionario Tropical Chevrolet, indicó Glazer.

The Ducks announced their decision Thursday on the 21-year-old Carlsson, who is now the NHL's highest-paid player under the five-year, $90 million deal extended by the Flyers one week ago.

“It’s going to be a special feeling, having this pressure,” said Carlsson, who wasn’t told the Ducks were matching the offer sheet until shortly before the decision was made public. “I always wanted to be a Duck. It’s my home, too. I’m just super excited to be back.”

Carlsson signed the Flyers' offer sheet as a restricted free agent after a year of fruitless negotiations with Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek, whose typical hardline approach in contract talks with his restricted free agents backfired tremendously this time.

Carlsson's new contract is worth much more than the league expected the Swedish youngster would get as a restricted free agent, and the $18 million average annual value is significantly more than he had already indicated he would accept. The deal surpasses the salary of Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov, who would have been the NHL's highest-paid player at $17 million.

Carlsson's first significant contract negotiations landed him a huge payday — and it might have affected the NHL's entire salary structure going forward, thanks to the Flyers' boldness. He emerged from the experience with excitement about the Ducks' future and no public qualms about the way everything went down.

“It’s a lot of business in hockey,” Carlsson said. “I knew it, obviously, but it’s more business than I thought. (The details are) something for my agent to answer more on, but (the offer sheet) was just too good to pass on. I think everybody understands that. I talked to my teammates a lot, and everybody was just happy for me and super-supportive with the decision I made.”

The Flyers failed to land their long-sought No. 1 center in unusual fashion by swiping Carlsson, but the attempt showed general manager Danny Briere’s determination to improve his roster at all costs. The Ducks would have received four first-round draft picks from Philadelphia if they hadn’t matched the offer sheet.

Future negotiations will reveal whether Briere significantly skewed the NHL’s valuations of young talent by offering more than nearly all observers thought Carlsson could get. The structure of Philadelphia’s offer sheet also front-loaded Carlsson’s contract with costly signing bonuses in another departure from many NHL contracts.

Fortunately for the Ducks, billionaire owner Henry Samueli didn't hesitate to make that hefty financial commitment.

“Matching the offer sheet was an easy decision, as Pat has intelligently left enough cap space to give us the ability to retain Leo,” Henry and Susan Samueli said in a statement. “We have extremely high expectations for Leo. We firmly believe he will continue his strong growth trajectory and become one of the truly elite centers in the league while continuing to make a strong impact in our community.”

Although the Ducks retained their most important young player, Verbeek’s inability to get a deal done before he was forced into it by Philadelphia seems almost certain to compromise Anaheim’s roster-building efforts for years to come. The Ducks have had a rough summer after ending their seven-season playoff drought with a second-round run that stamped them as a near-future contender.

After keeping the Ducks’ payroll well under the salary cap during his tenure, Verbeek will be spending Samueli’s money at the limit of the cap next season after signaling vulnerability to the league while he managed his crop of young talent.

Verbeek still hasn’t signed 41-goal scorer Cutter Gauthier, a restricted free agent who is not eligible to receive an offer sheet. Anaheim signed defenseman Pavel Mintyukov to a five-year, $36 million deal last week, again going well over the expected market rate for a restricted free agent who isn’t on Carlsson’s level of talent, but was widely rumored to be on the verge of signing an offer sheet.

Verbeek parted ways with four key defensemen from last season’s team — Jacob Trouba, captain Radko Gudas, Olen Zellweger and John Carlson — and hasn’t replaced them with any significant signings beyond journeyman Nick Jensen. Anaheim also traded Mason McTavish, a key component of its team for several seasons, to St. Louis for draft picks after the center regressed last season.

This pricey deal for Carlsson is the latest chapter in Verbeek's history of antagonistic negotiations with Anaheim's free agents.

Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale and McTavish all held out of training camp in recent years when they couldn’t get a deal done with Verbeek, who eventually signed all three — and later traded them all away. Verbeek did two of those deals with the Flyers, gaining praise for sending Drysdale in a package for Gauthier, but getting criticism from Ducks fans for giving up on the high-scoring Zegras last summer.

Carlsson was the No. 2 choice in the 2023 draft behind Connor Bedard, and he has emerged as one of the NHL’s top young playmakers.

Although he didn’t produce points at a rate commensurate with his new salary during his first three seasons, almost everyone believes Carlsson can become one of the best centers in hockey, so his deal might eventually look downright affordable.

He scored 67 points in 70 games last season despite being limited for a lengthy stretch by a leg injury, and he added 11 points in 12 games during his first postseason experience.

“I’m going to grow as a player, too,” Carlsson said. “I’ve done that every year so far. Trying to get away from these slumps I’ve been having during seasons. Trying to stay at the highest level I can all season long.”

Carlsson is expected to be an unrestricted free agent when this contract ends in 2031, putting him in line for another massive payday at just 26 years old.

___

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

The 24-year-old is the fifth player announced for the competition, joining Boston's Willson Contreras, Kansas City's Jac Caglianone, Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero and the New York Yankees' Ben Rice. The other three participants haven't been announced.

Walker is a first-time All-Star who is having a breakout season and his 21 homers rank fifth in the National League. The 2020 first-round draft pick is batting .294, has an .889 OPS and leads the big leagues with 70 RBIs.

He'll be the eighth Cardinals player to compete in the competition, joining Jack Clark (1985), Ray Lankford (1997), Mark McGwire (1998-99), Jim Edmonds (2003), Albert Pujols (2003, 2007, 2009, 2022), Matt Holliday (2010-11) and Carlos Beltran (2012).

A Cardinals player has never won the derby.

___

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

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Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the 2150 block of Northeast 169th Street after receiving reports of a child who had a “long fall” from a building.

North Miami Beach police said the child was found “alert and conscious” before being airlifted to a trauma center.

Police also confirmed that the child’s parent was at the scene, and no foul play is suspected at this time.

Sky 10 flew over the scene at about 9:45 a.m. as North Miami Beach police investigated. Authorities have not released the child’s identity or condition at this time.

A Local 10 News crew was at the scene, where the girl was seen on the floor and appeared to be in pain as a family member and neighbors assisted her.

Police said the incident remains under investigation.

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According to Fort Lauderdale police, officers responded to the 1300 block of Northwest 13^th Court shortly before 4:30 a.m. after receiving a ShotSpotter alert in the area.

While searching the Lauderdale Manors neighborhood, officers found the victim in his car, with a gunshot wound, authorities said.

Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim’s father identified him to Local 10 News as 32-year-old Matt Menard. He said his son leaves behind a 5-year-old daughter.

“Very devastating, we understand that. Like I tell you, but I try to be strong,” Philippe Menard said.

Matt Menard was parked outside his family’s home when he was shot.

Surveillance video shows him walking to the car just minutes before he was shot and killed.

Local 10 cameras captured at least three bullet holes in the driver’s side window of the vehicle.

A truck parked next to it was also hit by gunfire.

The sound of the shots startled neighbors.

“We were scared. We had turned off all our electronics because we didn’t know where it was coming from. Like it sounded really close,” neighbor Nevaeh Brown said.

Overnight, homicide detectives searched the street. K-9 units also swept the scene after daybreak.

The victim’s father told Local 10 News that someone set fire to his home’s plants last week, and just days later, someone fired shots at the house.

“We heard that at night, but we cannot come out to see. So when we call police, they come here, they take pictures,” Philippe Menard said.

Philippe Menard described his son as a bright young man who ran with the wrong crowd.

He’s now left wondering if last week’s incidents could be connected to his son’s killing.

“He went to a university -- the guy’s (more) knowledgeable than me,” Philippe Menard said. “I didn’t reach that level. I can’t tell him, ‘Hey, I talk to you and you listen.’”

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Fort Lauderdale Police Department or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

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Neighbors, speaking off camera, said they heard five gunshots.

Sky 10 flew above the scene near Southwest 196th Avenue and 308th Street after the shooting.

Deputies were spotted focusing their attention near a house, walking in the driveway, while other deputies talked to one another at the intersection.

Deputies say they found the victim, who had been shot, in the county swale in the front yard of the home.

The victim was conscious and told deputies that someone in a vehicle drove by, and shots were fired from that vehicle, hitting them, authorities said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics took the victim to the hospital, where he or she was listed in stable condition, authorities said.

Deputies have not confirmed whether the shooter was caught or what kind of vehicle they were in.

The singer, best-known for her chart-topping power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” died unexpectedly in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday. She was hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery. She had been placed in an induced coma for a period but was reportedly improving last month.

Some notable reaction:

Catherine Zeta-Jones

“My heart is broken with the news that our dearest Bonnie Tyler has passed away. Bonnie was married to my cousin and has been such a part of my life. We are photographed here together the night before my wedding. So sang and rocked it at my wedding. An extraordinary woman with vocals to match. A one of kind artist, who so easily could have been a comedian because she was one of the funniest people I ever met. Thank you Bonnie for the joy you brought so many. Sleep tight beautiful lady. We shall forever ‘Keep A Welcome In The Hillsides’ of Wales for you. Sending my love to Robert and the family. God Bless” — on Instagram

Rod Stewart

“We shared similar styles of vocalizing. She was a good pal, a true soul stirrer. I sing ‘It’s A Heartache’ every night on tour. I’ll miss you darling Bonnie.” — on Instagram

Bryan Adams

“Dear Bonnie Tyler passed today, she had such a great voice and I’ll always be grateful of her beautiful version of Straight From The Heart. Thanks Bonnie. RIP” — on X

Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves

“I'm so sad for Robert, Bonnie's extended family and the whole world who loved Bonnie Tyler. She was incredibly fun to tour with, always laughing, warm hearted and effervescent. There will never be a voice so instantly recognisable and distinctive. She will be so missed but like Bonnie, her iconic sons will be in our hearts forever.” — on Instagram

Kevin Bacon

“One of the great voices of rock. … I could not imagine chicken racing a tractor to any other song. RIP” — in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, referencing the use of Tyler's “Holding Out For a Hero” in his iconic 1984 film, “Footloose”

Tony Hadley

“So sad to hear about Bonnie Tyler. She was an incredible woman, so kind and friendly to me as a young artist. Over the years, we met several times and she was always the same Bonnie. Her voice was truly amazing and standing next to her you really got to feel her power. A beautiful legend. My sincere condolences to her lovely husband Bob, her family and her wonderful band at this very sad time.” — on Instagram

Sir Cliff Richard

“Another wonderful friend gone too soon. Bonnie’s infectious zest for life entertained so many around the world, and to be a good friend to all, including me. It is shocking news to wake up to you this morning and I send my love to her family at this very sad time. RIP Bonnie…. Cliff xx” — on Facebook

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.49% from 6.43% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.72%.

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

Mortgage rates have remained elevated after the average rate on a 30-year loan briefly dropped below 6% in February for the first time since late 2022. It then climbed in May to its highest level in nine months. The uptick in mortgage rates has weighed on home sales this year.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate increased to 5.82% from 5.79% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.86%, Freddie Mac said.

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

Expectations of hotter inflation amid higher crude oil prices have pushed up long-term bond yields relative to where they were before the war with Iran began in late February, causing mortgage rates to trend higher.

The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.55% at midday Thursday on the bond market, up from 4.49% a week ago. It was just 3.97% in late February, before the war broke out.

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now back to where it was two weeks ago.

While average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this time last year, uncertainty about their trajectory amid the war with Iran has kept many would-be homebuyers on the sideline.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes declined in the first three months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

Through the first half of this year, seasonally adjusted sales of existing U.S. homes are up only 0.7% compared to the same period in 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors.

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

Pogacar, who first wore the yellow jersey after winning at Les Angles earlier this week, made the most of the first big mountain trek of this year's Tour in the Pyrenees to stamp his authority, sending a clear message to his rivals that he remains in a class of his own.

The two-time world champion covered the final 43 kilometers (around 27 miles) alone, crossed the Stage 6 finish line 2 minutes, 38 seconds ahead of his main challenger, Jonas Vingegaard, and reclaimed the coveted jersey.

“I would say this one goes in the top five of my Tour de France victories," Pogacar said. “This is an incredible victory, and one of the sweetest for sure. I was not calculating seconds or minutes, I just wanted to go full gas all the way to the finish.”

Pogacar's teammate, Isaac del Toro, was third, 2:57 off the pace, ahead of Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas. Overall, Vingegaard lags 2:42 behind Pogacar, with del Toro in third place.

With his latest show of force, the UAE Emirates-XRG leader took a big step toward a record-equaling fifth Tour victory. Only Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have won five Tours.

Scorching heat and iconic ascents

The stage started in scorching heat and was marked by several unsuccessful attempts of breakaways early on. Pogacar's teammates, along with those of Vingegaard in Visma-Lease a Bike, set a fast tempo even before the day’s biggest climbs.

The last stage in the Pyrenees took riders through two iconic ascents, the Col d’Aspin and the Tourmalet.

Once Ben O’Connor managed to get away, he was allowed some freedom because he was not a threat in the general classification. He was first at the foot of Aspin and was caught with about 5 kilometers of the climb left.

Riders then tackled the grueling 17.1 kilometer ascent up the Tourmalet, the first HC climb of the 2026 Tour — which means Hors Catégorie (beyond classification), because it is the hardest level.

Overnight leader Torstein Træen was dropped before del Toro accelerated with his leader on his wheel about 4.5 kilometers from the summit. Træen later crashed on the descent and was assessed by the race's medical team before resuming his effort.

Pogacar then went solo, with Vingegaard digging deep to limit his losses. Pogacar reached the summit first, and Vingegaard tried to claw back his 30-second deficit in the downhill. But tucked into an aerodynamic position, his rival took the same risks and was even faster.

Pogacar had a lead of more than a minute as he tackled the final climb up to the finish line in the town of Gavarnie-Gedre. He never looked back and the gap kept increasing.

“I woke up at 7 this morning and my mind was going crazy,” Pogacar said. “I was really excited for today. I knew it was going to be a good day.”

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

But the way popular AI notetakers accomplish those tasks makes some people avoid using them. The technology turns everything said during meetings into data. Confidential personnel information, corporate strategies, trade secrets and remarks that could later be seen as incriminating — all of it could end up in the wrong hands.

“There are huge risks to the organization on AI notetakers,” Amy Dufrane, the chief executive of human resources training and certification provider HRCI, said. “I don’t think companies should use it at all.”

An AI notetaker is a software application or device that uses artificial intelligence, speech recognition and large language models to record, transcribe and summarize conversations. The tools are intended to save time and improve participation, but professionals in a number of fields say there are reasons to be wary.

Chief among them is uncertainty about where the collected data is stored and for how long. Privacy advocates worry the companies behind the AI notetakers are creating voiceprints without consent. Voiceprints — a type of biometric profile similar to a fingerprint but tuned to the unique intonations and characteristics of one’s voice — can be used to access restricted or confidential information, including the contents of bank accounts.

Some tech companies resell data from the notetaking tools they created or use confidential meeting transcripts and recordings to train their AI models. There’s also the risk that conversations between an attorney and client could become fair game in legal proceedings; a New York federal judge in February ordered a criminal defendant to provide prosecutors with documents he created for his lawyers because it already had been shared with a third party, which was Anthropic's Claude.

“People who use AI notetakers, they don’t always know where the data goes,” said Justin Daniels, an Atlanta-based corporate attorney at law firm Baker Donelson. “And in my context, if the data goes anywhere else and they’re not aware of it, that attorney-client-privileged conversation may not be attorney-client-privileged anymore.”

Here are some tips on the etiquette of kicking an AI notetaker out of a meeting, the risks of using one and how to protect yourself.

The first step when you join a meeting is check for bots

When you join a meeting, make it a habit to check whether an AI notetaker is present. It might appear as a meeting attendee, often labeled as an AI notetaker, or a pop-up message on the screen informing participants the meeting is being recorded. The latter could signal the presence of an AI notetaker.

Virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet let users know when recording is underway, but some meeting software does not make it clear when a notetaker is present, according to Thorin Klosowski, the Electronic Frontier Foundation's senior security and privacy analyst.

Participants also may use personal notetaking devices that are separate from the meeting platform, in which case the other attendees wouldn’t necessarily know a discussion was being recorded and transcribed.

“You hope the other person would tell you that they’re doing that,” Klosowski said. “Asking everyone for consent before doing a sensitive meeting would be the most polite approach to take.”

If you're unsure whether someone has deployed an AI notetaker, you can ask. You can also state at the beginning that a meeting is not authorized for recording.

A polite way to establish such a boundary is to say, “Our company policy is that this meeting cannot be recorded," Dufrane suggested. This relieves the employee, such as a salesperson who wants to make a good impression, of having to be the “bad guy,” putting the onus on the company instead, she said.

Another option is to allow the notetaker for part of the gathering but turn if off at the end to dedicate time for more delicate topics.

“I won’t start talking about anything substantive until it’s shut off, because I just don’t want to take the risk,” Daniels said.

Assert your privacy rights to protect voiceprints

Many AI notetakers determine unique acoustic signatures, or voiceprints, for each speaker in the room, said Chris Pluymers, associate attorney at The Dillon Law Group in East Lansing, Michigan. That’s how the companies distinguish one speaker from another, labeling them with monikers “Speaker 1” or “Speaker 2.”

One way voiceprints are used is to verify the identities of bank account holders over the phone. If bad actors got ahold of a person’s vocal signature, they could use it to access files, commit fraud or take over accounts, he said.

Laws in some states govern how voiceprints can be created and stored and provide rights that individuals can assert to object to the use of an AI notetaker during meetings they attend.

In Illinois, voiceprints are considered biometric identifiers, similar to fingerprints, and are covered under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, which requires written notice and informed consent before an AI notetaker or other agent collects voiceprints. The law also mandates a documented data retention schedule and destruction policy, Pluymers said. But most companies using the tools have none of those systems in place, Pluymers said.

“In the world of AI, the world of data and privacy, the world of biometric identification, I don’t think you can have such a lax approach to it,” Pluymers said. “I think getting out ahead of it is crucial.”

Under the Illinois law, employees can say they don't want to attend a meeting with an AI notetaker until they have assurances of where and why the data is being stored, and when it will be deleted, Pluymers said. They can also ask if there is a policy and written consent form to sign.

If an AI notetaker shows up at a meeting unexpectedly, a participant could say, “I prefer we keep this meeting without AI recording or transcript tools and I’d be happy to take my own notes and share a recap if that’s helpful,” Pluymers suggested. “Just being warm and genuine about it and asking them to respect your wishes.”

Know where your data goes

When working with AI notetaking apps, find out whether the companies that built them retain recordings, transcripts or metadata indefinitely or use them to train AI models, said Danielle Kays, a partner at Fisher Phillips who represents businesses on privacy and employment law matters.

“If there is some sort of speaker ID or voice recognition, really understand what that is and how it works,” Kays said.

Even when content is deleted, metadata about meetings can remain stored with the vendor, meaning sensitive business information could influence how the model behaves and in some cases could be memorized or reproduced, she said.

AI notetakers generate text, and that’s easier for outsiders to search through than video or audio files, according to EFF.

“Storing a bunch of video isn’t easy, it’s costly and hard to look through, but text is much easier to search and cheaper to store,” said Klosowski of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

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Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

The hotel on a tropical island off the country’s coast, owned by the country’s powerful President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is being used to house 17 migrants from countries including Angola, Mauritania and Ethiopia under an opaque third-country deportation deal with the Trump administration.

According to a statement from a coalition of international lawyers and interviews with two of the deportees, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, a man suspected of having Ebola was brought to the hotel last week by medical personnel in hazmat suits, and placed on a floor below the detainees.

The central African nation of Congo is currently battling a rare Ebola virus that has killed over 600 in an outbreak first announced in May. Cases have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda, but so far no cases — or even suspected cases — have been reported in Equatorial Guinea, which shares no border with Congo and is roughly 1885 miles (1,425 km) away.

However, two deportees told The Associated Press that they were told by a doctor in English that the man was a suspected Ebola patient and that they should be careful, but that they were provided no further details.

The lawyers group said in a statement that they had received “disturbing reports from multiple detained individuals that a person with a suspected case of Ebola was recently brought under quarantine into the same hotel complex where they are being held.”

One of the deportees said that a woman also was brought to the quarantine floor on Sunday and that medical staff had identified her as a suspected Ebola patient as well.

The AP saw videos showing medical personnel in full protective equipment appearing to transport patients to the hotel, which also served as an isolation center during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Things are getting worse every day,” one of the detainees said in an interview. “It’s very confusing, no one is coming to talk to us. No one is informing us of anything. The hygiene is unimaginable.”

Apart from those present at the moment, the detainees were provided with no masks, disinfectants or other basic protective supplies, nor informed of any measures to reduce the risk of exposure, lawyers and detainees said.

Under a series of often-secret agreements, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people it has deemed to be in the country illegally to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say, as part of a broad U.S. crackdown to deter illegal immigration.

Immigration lawyers said the Trump administration uses deportations to third countries as a legal loophole to indirectly force asylum seekers back to their home countries. Equatorial Guinea is one of at least eight other African nations that the U.S. has struck such agreements with.

Following an $7.5 million deal with Equatorial Guinea, President Obiang has turned a hotel owned by his family in Malabo on Bioko island into a detention center.

There are currently 4 women and 13 men held in the hotel, according to the lawyers. All of them have received orders from U.S. judges that should have protected them from being removed to their home countries, the lawyers said.

Earlier this month, rights lawyers filed a case against Equatorial Guinea before Africa’s top human rights body, accusing the central African nation of forcing deportees from the U.S. back to their home countries in violation of their rights.

The lawyers’ coalition said on Thursday that they also received “multiple reports that individuals with serious medical conditions are being denied adequate medical care while detained in government custody.”

Equatorial Guinea is one of the richest countries in Africa thanks to its oil resources. It is also rife with corruption and human rights abuses, according to U.S. officials.

There are virtually no critical voices in Equatorial Guinea, where the government has been accused by rights groups and the U.S. State Department of detaining, torturing and even killing those that dare to speak out.

The country’s largest foreign investors are U.S. businesses, and its military receives funding for training from the U.S. government.

Eric Trump celebró el cambio al informar en Instagram que el Trump Force One aterrizó la madrugada del jueves en el Aeropuerto Internacional Presidente Donald J. Trump, ubicado en el 1000 de James L. Turnage Boulevard.

“No hay una persona que haya hecho más por Florida y por nuestro país, y nadie merece más este increíble honor”, escribió Eric Trump en Instagram. “Como hijo y como alguien que vuela desde este aeropuerto casi todos los días, siempre me sentiré orgulloso de ver las iniciales DJT en mi pase de abordar”.

La nueva instrucción de la agencia federal indica: “Los pilotos, los controladores de tráfico aéreo y las partes interesadas del sector de la aviación deben utilizar DJT para la planificación y las operaciones de vuelo”.

Redes sociales relacionadas

📣EFFECTIVE TODAY: Palm Beach International Airport's three-letter location identifier has changed from PBI to DJT following the airport's official renaming to Donald J. Trump International Airport. 
 
FAA systems and publications reflect the new identifier. Pilots, air traffic… https://t.co/QVk1zZD5we

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) July 9, 2026

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Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded “an all-out search and rescue effort," urging a swift investigation of the incident and “strictly hold those responsible accountable.”

The blaze started in a factory at Huiteng shoe company in the city of Jinjiang, the city’s fire department said in a statement. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Jinjiang is known as China’s shoe capital.

There were 237 factory workers and two visitors in the building when the fire broke out. Authorities pulled out 213 people, two of whom were pronounced dead after being taken to hospital. Another 26 missing people were later confirmed dead, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.

Xinhua said the factory’s owner and others in charge have been taken into custody and the company’s accounts have been frozen.

Video by CCTV shows the facade of a building of several floors charred black and covered in white smoke. Earlier footage shows fires were burning on multiple floors and the building shrouded in thick, black smoke.

The fire started on the first level of a five-floor concrete-structured building, where a workshop and a warehouse were located. The burning materials included shoe components, which are highly flammable and helped the fire spread quickly, according to CCTV.

A local fire department official said in an interview with the state broadcaster that sole material piled up in stairwells made it much harder for the firefighters to reach the flames and put them out.

CCTV also said the fire department sent 183 people and 35 vehicles to the factory and that open flames were extinguished after about four hours. Xinhua later said more than 500 people joined the rescue and search operation.

Work safety has been a persistent problem in China. In May, an explosion at a fireworks plant in the city of Changsha in the central province of Hunan killed at least 37 people. In 2024, a fire at a refrigeration facility under construction killed 39 people in the city of Xinyu in the southeastern Jiangxi province.

Authorities have repeatedly ordered businesses to screen for workplace hazards. Official data show that 18,261 people died in nearly 20,000 workplace accidents across the country in 2025, down from the previous year.

Democrats need to pick a candidate to replace Platner on the ballot by July 27, according to state law. Whoever is selected will have less than four months before facing longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election. Potential candidates had already been teasing their interest before Platner, who denies the allegation, announced he intends to drop out. But a growing number began formally launching their campaigns Thursday.

The Maine Democratic Party has said it will hold a nominating convention to choose the replacement. The party says the convention will involve hundreds of delegates from across the state, but how and when that’ll take place remains unknown.

Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and Democrats are desperate for a candidate capable of defeating Collins while President Donald Trump is broadly unpopular.

These are some of the people who have shown interest in the Maine Senate race:

Troy Jackson

Jackson is Maine’s former state Senate president. He unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic nominee for governor earlier this year with the backing of Platner and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Shortly after Platner said he would quit the Senate race, Jackson launched his campaign, arguing that Mainers want “a progressive fighter." Our Revolution, the organization founded by Sanders, has since said it would back Jackson, 58.

Jackson released a statement with dozens of endorsements, many from current and former state and local officials, on Thursday.

Nirav Shah

Shah, former director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced Thursday he was vying to be the next Democratic Senate candidate. He came in second in this year’s Maine Democratic governor's primary and was seen as more of a moderate candidate compared with Jackson while running for governor. "To the movement that supported Graham Platner, my message is this: you have a place in this campaign," Shah, 49, said in a statement.

Dan Kleban

The co-founder of Maine Beer Company, Kleban also confirmed his candidacy on Wednesday after Platner's announcement. Kleban briefly entered the Senate race last year before dropping out when Gov. Janet Mills announced her candidacy. Kleban, 49, endorsed Mills, who later dropped out of the Democratic primary.

“I'm ready to fight for Mainers and bring a new generation of leadership to Washington,” Kleban said.

Shenna Bellows

Bellows is Maine's secretary of state. She announced Thursday that she's running for the seat, saying she's spent her career “taking on tough fights and doing the right thing," where she's served as a former civil liberties advocate and sparred with President-elect Donald Trump over ballot access.

This wouldn't be her first time running for political office. Bellows, 51, placed fourth in the state’s Democratic governor's primary in June. And in 2014, Bellows ran against Collins as the Senate Democratic nominee and lost in a landslide.

Jordan Wood

Wood, 36, initially attempted to run in the Maine Democratic Senate primary last year but dropped out to run in the state's 2nd District. He lost that race, coming in third to state Auditor Matt Dunlap. He's since said he's interested in running for the Senate again, and announced as of Thursday.

“To beat Susan Collins, we need a candidate who can provide a true contrast and run an unapologetically progressive campaign: Passing Medicare for All. Stopping ICE terrorizing our streets,” Wood wrote on social media on Tuesday.

Paige Loud

Loud filed paperwork to run for the Senate seat earlier this week. The 29-year-old social worker also ran in the state's 2nd District Democratic primary, but came in last during the state's first round of ranked choice voting.

Valli Geiger

Geiger, a previous Platner supporter and a state Democratic lawmaker, is another potential candidate. She hasn't announced her candidacy, but in an interview with MS NOW on Wednesday, Geiger, 70, said she would hire Platner's staff, whom she described as “deeply impassioned and confident young people.”

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Kruesi reported from Providence, R.I.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

Poco después de las 8:40 p.m. del miércoles, Treyvon Hall conducía un Dodge Challenger negro modelo 2018 cuando “no se detuvo” en la intersección de Northwest 18 Avenue y Northwest 84 Street, según el informe de arresto de un agente.

Según el informe, Hall chocó contra un Infiniti QX4 blanco modelo 1999 y su Dodge Challenger 2018 “continuó desplazándose hacia el norte y chocó” contra un Kia K5 modelo 2022 que “estaba estacionado sobre la acera oeste” de Northwest 18 Avenue.

Tras el impacto, el Infiniti QX4 modelo 1999 “chocó contra un árbol en la esquina noroeste de la intersección” y Hall “huyó de la escena a pie” y “saltó” una cerca, según el informe del agente.

Personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladó al hombre herido, cuya condición era crítica, al Centro de Trauma Ryder del Hospital Jackson Memorial.

Cuando los agentes localizaron a Hall, este “confesó ser el conductor” del Dodge, donde dijo que había dejado su teléfono celular, y preguntó si su hermano estaba bien, según el informe de arresto.

Los registros muestran que los agentes arrestaron a Hall a las 4 a.m. del jueves en West Little River y que fue ingresado poco después de las 5:10 a.m. en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Hall enfrenta dos cargos: resistirse a un agente sin violencia y abandonar la escena de un choque con lesiones corporales graves.

El editor de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Carson Merlo, colaboró en este reporte.

Ubicación

Seven years after her breakthrough at Wimbledon, the American player was on the verge of reaching her first final at the All England Club.

All she needed to do was execute what appeared to be a manageable put-away on her first match point.

The thing is, it's never that simple in a Grand Slam semifinal, especially toward the end of a decisive super tiebreaker on Centre Court — the sport's most hallowed venue.

Gauff fluffed a forehand drop-shot attempt into the net and her opponent Karolina Muchova went on to see out a drama-filled tiebreaker to win 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10) on Thursday.

On the match point, Gauff hit a well-placed serve down the T on the ad court and Muchova’s weak forehand return bounced before the service line — right in Gauff's attack zone. But Muchova’s shot had some topspin on it and kicked up higher than Gauff was anticipating.

“The bounce kind of caught me off guard,” Gauff said. “I just panicked a little bit.”

After the miss, Gauff ran her non-hitting hand over her face and practiced a full-swing forehand that perhaps she would have preferred in hindsight.

“People who don’t watch tennis are going to be like, ’Why did you do that?” Gauff said. “At the end of the day, that’s the choice I made. Was it the right one in that moment? Maybe not. But then also, if I make it, everyone’s going to say how clutch of a shot that was.

“That’s just tennis. You lose some points off margins.”

A ‘roller coaster’ for Muchova

Muchova also lost a match point before she came out on top when Gauff hit a forehand into the net.

“It was such a big fight,” Muchova said. “It was a roller coaster.”

Muchova will meet Linda Noskova in an all-Czech final on Saturday after Noskova beat Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4.

Clearly flustered after her miss, Gauff called for a ball to serve again before she realized it was time to change ends since it was 9-9.

“I’m going to think about it tonight,” Gauff said.

“I look at Roger (Federer, in the 2019 final) lost match points here, Jannik (Sinner) obviously at Roland Garros (in last year’s final). Every great champion has this happen in their career," Gauff added. "Maybe this is something I need to be on their level.”

Tracy Austin suggested on the BBC that Gauff looked like “she changed her mind three times as to where to hit that ball.”

But Gauff said, “Honestly, I didn’t change my mind too much. I feel like if I had to do it over, I probably would have gone for a slice forehand down the line.

“It’s a learning experience,” Gauff added. “I know I can do better and improve on that, and going with a higher-margin shot in a pressure moment, for sure.”

Diving like Boris Becker

On the point after Gauff's miss, Muchova produced a lob winner to set up her first match point, which she lost when she slipped to the grass and a passing shot from Gauff sailed by her.

But Muchova quickly set up another match point and produced a series of shots to the corners. Gauff, on the full run, reached the last ball but her forehand response landed in the net and Muchova covered her hands in disbelief.

“You’re up and down in 10 seconds. You have a match point, then match point down. It’s no time to think, but very nerve-wracking,” Muchova said. “I’m really kind of shaking and trying to sink it in.”

Earlier in the tiebreaker, Muchova produced a diving forehand volley winner at full stretch that brought back memories of the way three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker used to play. She ended up face down on the grass, her racket lying next to her, as the crowd roared.

There will be a third Czech champion in four years after Marketa Vondrousova in 2023 and Barbora Krejcikova in 2024.

Gauff's Wimbledon history

For Gauff, it was still her most successful Wimbledon. Previously, the seventh-ranked American had gone only as far as the fourth round three times – including as a 15-year-old in 2019 in her Grand Slam debut.

Gauff had had won six of her seven previous matches against Muchova.

But Muchova has been nearly unbeatable on grass this year and extended her record this season on the surface to 11-1 after a title in Bad Homburg, Germany. Her only loss on grass this year came against Madison Keys in the Berlin Open round of 16.

Muchova beat Gauff for the first time in April on clay in Stuttgart, Germany.

It was another hot day in London with the temperature soaring to 91 degrees Fahreinheit (33 Celsius), prompting spectators to fan themselves in the stands in an attempt to keep cool.

Muchova appeared to be struggling physically as the match wore on, bending over in exhaustion after one long rally and holding her abdomen in apparent pain during the final game.

“I’m OK,” Muchova said. “I just was trying to catch a breath.”

The men’s semifinals on Friday feature top-ranked and defending champion Jannik Sinner against seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic and French Open champion Alexander Zverev against British wild card Arthur Fery.

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Associated Press writer Mattias Karén contributed to this report.

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

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Shortly after 8:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Treyvon Hall was driving a black 2018 Dodge Challenger when he “failed to stop” at the intersection of Northwest 18 Avenue and 84 Street, according to a deputy’s arrest report.

Hall crashed into a white 1999 Infiniti QX4 and his 2018 Dodge Challenger “kept traveling north and struck” a 2022 Kia K5 “that was parked on the west sidewalk” of 18 Avenue, according to the report.

After the impact, the 1999 Infiniti QX4 “struck a tree on the northwest corner of the intersection” and Hall “fled the scene on foot” and he “jumped” a fence, according to the deputy’s report.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel took the injured man, whose condition was critical, to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

When deputies found Hall, he “confessed to being the driver” of the Dodge, where he said he had left his cell phone, and he asked if his brother was OK, according to the deputy’s arrest report.

Records show deputies arrested Hall at 4 a.m. on Thursday in West Little River, and corrections booked him shortly after 5:10 a.m. at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Hall faced two charges: resisting an officer without violence to his person, and leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

Location

“I found that in the previous iteration of the shell, I was having to wear protective earplugs quite a lot,” the cellist said. “There was a desire to make the stage clearer and a bit softer for us.”

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's summer home, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of the city, starts its season Saturday night with chief conductor Marin Alsop leading a program with pianist Yunchan Lim and flutist Lizzo. A crowd of up to 12,758 can fill the pavilion and lawn in Highland Park, Illinois.

Venue has hosted music for more than a century

Ravinia opened in 1904 and its first pavilion was built the following year. That one burned down in 1949 and was replaced the following year by a structure used through 2024 with only modest modifications.

A geometric Arts and Crafts style pattern found in the windows of the Martin Theatre, which dates to Ravinia’s opening, inspired the design of the stage ceiling and walls made of rigid foam clad with 3M vinyl. Threshold Acoustics consulted with Taylor and flute and piccolo player Jennifer Gunn.

“The 1950 pavilion is iconic, particularly the roof line,” Ravinia president Jeffrey Haydon said. “And so we want to have audiences return to the renovated pavilion feeling like it’s the new model version of the classic pavilion that they love.”

A total of 335,500 tickets for all events were sold for the 2025 season and 94 programs are scheduled for this summer.

The pavilion's capacity was lowered from 3,350 to 2,840 as wider seats were installed and made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. LED lights have lowered the stage temperature, and nine ventilation fans were installed to push hot air through the ceiling.

Alsop also hoped for a cooler sound.

“The amplitude — is that the right word? — of sound on stage can get very, very hot. It’s really loud sometimes and it’s especially loud in the area of the brass,” she said. “One of the big acoustical improvements that I hope they’ve addressed is trying to spread out that.”

Alsop first conducted at Ravinia in 2002 and became chief conductor in 2020. At the first rehearsal Wednesday, she led Mahler's Sixth Symphony, a work the CSO will perform on July 23. Acoustical panels over the stage were folded up midway through the practice session, softening the brass. Overall sounds were more diffused than before, when there were hot and cold spots.

“Ravinia Festival offers their patrons many different kinds of performances from classical music to big rock bands, recitals, occasionally movie nights with the orchestra playing along,” said Michael Barnes of Lohan Architecture, the design architect for the pavilion renovation. “The stage has to be very flexible in terms of how it is configured for those different kinds of performances. So the stage walls, some of them move.”

Outdoor venues have a more relaxed atmosphere

Haydon, who became Ravinia's president in 2020, planned the reconstruction with ideas he learned from previous outdoor venues where he worked, including the Aspen Music Festival, the Ojai Music Festival and the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. A women's locker room was built for the orchestra along with piano storage, practice rooms, offices and a new music library.

“We actually dug underground,” he said. “We expanded underneath the audience area, and we also dug out the crawl space of the adjoining administrative building to grab more space.”

A private concert was scheduled for this Friday for an audience of construction workers, the design team, elected officials, donors and staff of the festival and the CSO.

Ensconced in auditoriums for much of the year, orchestras experience a different vibe when they head outdoors for the summer.

“It’s more family oriented,” Alsop said. “People come with their picnics and a lot of the musicians bring their families with them to picnic. So I think it’s a much more relaxed and receptive attitude.”

All Nolan films are epics in their own ways. But for “The Odyssey,” he knew he had to do something fitting of the Homeric poem and its foundational place in Western culture, something worthy of the biggest screens and the resources it would require. The goal was to make something accessible and realistic, which meant going to far flung locations, using real ships on real seas, and taking audiences into the cave with the Cyclops, inside the Trojan Horse and to the bleak expanse of Hades. Opening in theaters worldwide on July 17, it’s also the first feature to be shot entirely on IMAX film.

“We all know the title, we all know what it means, we know what it promises and hopefully for the audience coming to see the film, they’ll feel we made good on that promise because that’s the fun of ‘The Odyssey,’” Nolan said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “It’s the ultimate adventure story.”

“This is going to be really hard”

The journey would require a deep dive into Greek mythology, Bronze Age scholarship and many translations, a monthslong scouting expedition and a 91-day shoot spanning six months and six countries during which the cast and crew endured all manner of challenging weather, landscapes and the treachery of the open seas.

“The Odyssey” was an epic undertaking — the hardest film anyone involved had ever made. Matt Damon, who stars as Odysseus, said that Nolan warned him as much before they started filming.

“He told me it was going to be hard, which I kind of, I blew off at first. I’m like, ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s going to hard. And he said ‘no, no, this is going to be really hard,'” Damon said. “He did not disappoint.”

That was by design.

“I mean, it’s ‘The Odyssey,’” Nolan said. “This should be a difficult film to make, and it was.”

Unlike Odysseus’s extended journey home, the production was also efficient: They finished nine days early.

Making ‘The Odyssey’ relatable, and rejecting Hollywood tropes

When Hollywood movies take on the ancient world, they often fall back on familiar tropes — using accents, elevated language, 19th century orchestral scores and neoclassical touchstones to convey antiquity. Nolan wanted to do something different and found inspiration in the text of the poem, in which he observed an earthy sensibility that stood in contrast to the grandeur of the story.

“You want to question people’s assumptions about how things should be portrayed in movies and what those are based on,” Nolan said. “There’s a challenge to that and a risk to that.”

That meant making some bold choices, including colloquial language, American accents, and blending elements from various stories, including “The Iliad,” “The Aeneid” and “Agamemnon,” to give the audience more clarity. His Trojan Horse, which he’s been thinking about since he was briefly attached to direct “Troy” over 20 years ago, does not have wheels.

For the score, he challenged composer Ludwig Göransson to use bronze gongs, aulos and the lyre to create a new kind of soundscape, and to come up with a four-note theme where the last would be the pluck of a bow.

And paramount to this story of homecoming and coming-of-age, his characters needed to be relatable.

“The movie has so much scale,” said Tom Holland, who plays Odysseus’s son Telemachus. “There are times where it feels like you’re on this kind of action-adventure roller coaster, but he doesn’t sacrifice any of the heart and the intimacy between our characters.”

Among the large ensemble cast are many famous names: Anne Hathaway is Odysseus’s wife Penelope, Zendaya is the goddess Athena, Charlize Theron is the nymph Calypso and Lupita Nyong’o is Helen, and her twin sister.

Robert Pattinson, Nolan said, is “unleashing his inner Alan Rickman” as the villainous suitor Antinous.

“He’s continually saying to Telemachus, ‘I’m going to be your stepdad, I’ll be your daddy,’” Nolan said. “It was such a fascinatingly creepy and amusing basis for villainy.”

Leading the charge was Damon, an actor Nolan knew he liked working with after “Interstellar” and “Oppenheimer. ”

“You need somebody who will take the audience on this journey,” Nolan said. “With Matt, he’s able to combine that iconic sort of superhero thing with a very, very emotionally accessible and comprehensible person.”

Finding the real; Grounding the fantastical

The film begins with the words “a time of apparent magic,” a promise of what’s to come in this mythical world of gods, monsters, superstitions and natural phenomena. The pursuit of the real led them all over the world. Troy was constructed in Morocco, the cave of the Cyclops was found in foothills of Greece, Iceland’s black sands, shot in the midnight sun, are used for Hades and the island of Favignana, near Sicily, played Ithaca, where much of the cast and crew hiked 45-minutes every day before work to reach a 15th-century castle, 1,030 feet (313.9 meters) above sea level.

On the seas, they used a real ship, the Draken, a reconstruction of a 1,000-year-old Viking ship that production modified slightly to make it look more of the Mycenaean era. The actors learned to row. The ship’s crew played extras.

But Nolan’s love of in-camera effects doesn’t mean he rejects other kinds. “Tenet,” “Interstellar” and “Inception” all won Oscars for visual effects, after all. And in “The Odyssey” there are things that can’t be found in the natural world, from the six-headed Scylla to the Cyclops, the design of which was inspired by the Francisco Goya painting “Saturn Devouring His Son.” Bill Irwin, who brought the robots to life in “Interstellar,” delivered the performance.

“We knew we were going to need every trick in the book, from animatronics to puppetry to computer graphics,” Nolan said. “But I knew I needed a performer … He doesn’t treat the Cyclops as just a monster.”

What it adds up to is something that, miraculously for a 3,000-year-old tale, feels fresh.

“Chris has created something that’s totally new,” said Hathaway. “That’s a remarkable achievement.”

Odyssey-fever

Nolan productions always inspire a certain amount of hysteria, but excitement for “The Odyssey” reached a fever pitch. Initial screenings for the 70 mm IMAX showings — his favorite format — sold out in under an hour a year in advance. When all showtimes went on sale last month, ticketing sites crashed. High profile locations like the AMC Lincoln Square in New York and AMC CityWalk in Los Angeles are virtually sold out for weeks, and scalpers on eBay are attempting to sell tickets for more than $500. But the 70 mm IMAX screens account for only about 32 theaters out of thousands in North America — there are other ways to see the film, including 70 mm, digital IMAX and other large format presentations.

For Nolan, the audience is the north star; Entertaining is a responsibility he takes seriously. In fact, he said, a film isn’t really done until it reaches the audience: They’re the ones who finish the piece.

“The audience tells you what it is,” Nolan said. “And that means that for us, this is an exciting moment, but a very frightening moment, because it’s real. There’s nothing to hide behind. We made this film for a theatrical audience, and it goes out in the world as that. And we’ll see what the world makes of it.”

Pulisic has a bone bruise and a microfracture of his tibia and fibula, the U.S. Soccer Federation said Thursday. The diagnosis was made after an X-ray and MRI on Tuesday.

He would not have been able to play during the remainder of the tournament had the U.S. advanced.

Pulisic is expected to resume training before AC Milan's Serie A opener at Torino on Aug. 23.

Pulisic hit a leg of Belgium captain Youri Tielemans while attempting a shot in the 52nd minute of Monday's 4-1 round-of-16 loss at Seattle. He remained in the game but was hobbling and Sebastian Berhalter replaced him in the 59th minute.

Pulisic failed to score in the World Cup, missing one of the Americans' five matches because of a calf injury and leaving two other games early. He has 30 goals in 90 international appearances.

Pulisic, who turns 28 in September, is entering his fourth season with Milan.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

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Deputies said the incident happened on Sunday just after 8 p.m. at a hotel near the 400 block of Gulf Stream Way in Dania Beach.

According to detectives, the victim was in the parking lot loading items into her trunk when two people approached her and one demanded her car keys.

When the victim refused, deputies said the woman who made the demand then pulled a gun from her waistband and pointed it at the victim while asking again for her keys.

The victim took off running, according to detectives, and went into the hotel lobby to seek help from employees. At the same time, deputies said the subject with the gun walked to the hotel entrance, pointed the gun at the people inside and exchanged words with them before walking away toward Griffin Road.

Surveillance video released by BSO shows the victim running to the hotel lobby and speaking to the employees inside while the subject walks into the doorway of the hotel pointing the gun inside before appearing to speak with someone, then walking away.

The subject was seen wearing a light-colored jacket, black shirt, black shorts and black slides, deputies said.

Anyone with information or who thinks they recognize the subject in the video is urged to contact BSO Det. Daniel Cortes at 954-321-4296 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Los agentes informaron que el incidente ocurrió el domingo poco después de las 8 p.m. en un hotel ubicado cerca de la cuadra 400 de Gulf Stream Way, en Dania Beach.

Según los detectives, la víctima estaba en el estacionamiento guardando objetos en el maletero de su vehículo cuando dos personas se le acercaron y una de ellas le exigió las llaves del automóvil.

Cuando la víctima se negó, los agentes dijeron que la mujer que hizo la exigencia sacó un arma de fuego de la cintura y apuntó a la víctima mientras le volvía a pedir las llaves.

La víctima salió corriendo, según los detectives, y entró al vestíbulo del hotel para pedir ayuda a los empleados. Al mismo tiempo, los agentes dijeron que la sospechosa armada caminó hasta la entrada del hotel, apuntó el arma hacia las personas que estaban en el interior e intercambió algunas palabras con ellas antes de alejarse en dirección a Griffin Road.

El video de vigilancia divulgado por la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward muestra a la víctima corriendo hacia el vestíbulo del hotel y hablando con los empleados, mientras la sospechosa llega a la entrada del hotel, apunta el arma hacia el interior, aparentemente habla con alguien y luego se retira.

Según los agentes, la sospechosa vestía una chaqueta de color claro, camiseta negra, pantalones cortos negros y sandalias negras.

Cualquier persona con información o que crea reconocer a la sospechosa en el video debe comunicarse con el detective Daniel Cortes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward al 954-321-4296 o con Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

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The annual dust cycle not only plays into the hurricane season – with healthy loads of dust helping to fend off early tropical systems before typically dropping off in August – but also feeds marine ecosystems with essential nutrients and provides essential fertilizer to the soils of the Amazon rainforest basin near the eastern coast of South America.

For the larger dust outbreaks that travel all the way to the U.S. mainland, turning blue skies milky white and suppressing summertime thunderstorms, the mineral dust can reduce air quality and aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma, COPD, and chronic bronchitis in more vulnerable populations. It’s uncommon for dust concentrations to reach those unhealthy levels in the U.S. but it’s worth monitoring air quality levels for particularly sensitive groups.

The dust-free state of Florida

Florida has had a remarkably dust-free year until this week, recording by far its lowest levels of Saharan dust since satellites began regularly measuring these aerosols back in 2002.

The plot above tracks dust cover over the entire state through this past Tuesday (July 7^th), but doesn’t include the first major push of dust we began seeing Wednesday in South Florida that’ll spread into northern parts of the state today and on Friday. Another thicker surge of dust is expected to dull our sunny skies over the weekend – especially through Florida’s peninsula – and possibly reach coastal Texas by next Tuesday into Wednesday, according to forecasts.

Atlantic dust hits its highest levels of the year

Through the first week of July, the dust-heavy part of the tropical North Atlantic east of the islands and west of Africa has recorded its lowest dust concentrations to-date.

This week, though, the dust should top levels observed during an exceptionally strong outbreak the week of February 15^th, so far the most concentrated dust outbreak of the year. Of course, dust levels this time of year should be much higher than in February when dust levels are just coming out of seasonal lows.

Dust pouring cold water on the (already cold) Atlantic

The big dust outbreak this week will ensure the Atlantic stays dormant for the week ahead.

As we mentioned in Wednesday’s newsletter, the only outside shot of development in the next few weeks appears to be from an initially non-tropical low along a stalled front off the Carolinas late next week.

Models are ho-hum on its prospects in turning tropical, and so far they keep development odds very low (less than 10%), so it’s definitely not anything to be concerned with for now.

El ciclo anual del polvo no solo influye en la temporada de huracanes —ya que las cantidades adecuadas de polvo ayudan a repeler los primeros sistemas tropicales antes de disminuir normalmente en agosto—, sino que también alimenta los ecosistemas marinos con nutrientes esenciales y proporciona fertilizante esencial a los suelos de la cuenca de la selva amazónica cerca de la costa oriental de Sudamérica.

En el caso de las grandes tormentas de polvo que llegan hasta el territorio continental de Estados Unidos, tiñendo el cielo de un blanco lechoso y suprimiendo las tormentas de verano, el polvo mineral puede reducir la calidad del aire y agravar afecciones respiratorias como el asma, la EPOC y la bronquitis crónica en poblaciones más vulnerables. Si bien es poco común que las concentraciones de polvo alcancen niveles perjudiciales para la salud en Estados Unidos, conviene monitorear la calidad del aire para los grupos especialmente sensibles.

El estado de Florida, libre de polvo.

Florida había tenido un año notablemente libre de polvo hasta esta semana, registrando con diferencia sus niveles más bajos de polvo sahariano desde que los satélites comenzaron a medir regularmente estos aerosoles en 2002.

El gráfico anterior muestra la cobertura de polvo en todo el estado hasta el pasado martes 7 de julio ^, pero no incluye la primera oleada importante de polvo que comenzamos a observar el miércoles en el sur de Florida y que se extenderá hacia el norte del estado hoy y el viernes. Se espera que otra oleada de polvo más densa opaque nuestros cielos soleados durante el fin de semana, especialmente en la península de Florida, y que posiblemente llegue a la costa de Texas entre el martes y el miércoles de la próxima semana, según los pronósticos.

El polvo atlántico alcanza sus niveles más altos del año.

Durante la primera semana de julio, la zona del Atlántico Norte tropical, con alta concentración de polvo, situada al este de las islas y al oeste de África, registró sus niveles más bajos hasta la fecha.

Esta semana, sin embargo, se espera que los niveles de polvo superen los observados durante el brote excepcionalmente fuerte de la semana del 15 de febrero ^, que hasta ahora ha sido el brote de polvo más intenso del año. Por supuesto, los niveles de polvo en esta época del año deberían ser mucho más altos que en febrero, cuando apenas comienzan a recuperarse de sus mínimos estacionales.

Polvo echando agua fría sobre el (ya frío) Atlántico

La gran tormenta de polvo de esta semana garantizará que el Atlántico permanezca tranquilo durante la próxima semana.

Como mencionamos en el boletín del miércoles, la única posibilidad de que se produzca algún desarrollo en las próximas semanas parece provenir de una baja presión inicialmente no tropical a lo largo de un frente estancado frente a las Carolinas a finales de la próxima semana.

Los modelos no son muy optimistas sobre sus perspectivas de convertirse en un clima tropical, y hasta ahora mantienen las probabilidades de desarrollo muy bajas (menos del 10%), por lo que definitivamente no es algo de lo que preocuparse por ahora.

The newspapers allege the ChatGPT maker is hiding evidence important to what could be a landmark copyright infringement trial over how OpenAI and its business partner, Microsoft, built their AI technologies using millions of news articles. At issue is whether AI chatbots are unfairly competing as an information source, siphoning off web traffic without doing the journalistic work involved in gathering the news.

A filing Thursday in a Manhattan federal courthouse alleges OpenAI “chose obstruction” over releasing datasets and ChatGPT logs that could show how the AI system used copyrighted news content. The plaintiffs are asking the judge to penalize the company for "discovery misconduct” that could distort evidence, saying the recent deposition of an OpenAI employee contradicts the company's earlier claims.

New York Daily News attorney Steven Lieberman said OpenAI has been "making misrepresentations" for two years about its ability to search for copyrighted content in its AI training datasets and logs.

“This motion asks the court to punish OpenAI for hiding and destroying evidence showing how ChatGPT was trained on stolen journalism,” said Lieberman, who represents the Daily News and seven of its sister papers.

OpenAI has described its limitations in sharing ChatGPT logs as a measure to protect user privacy.

“As the Times’ case weakens and they’ve been forced to drop claims against us, they’re persisting with their efforts to invade the privacy of people who have nothing to do with this case, including by making these blatantly false allegations,” said a statement Thursday from OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri. "We’ll continue defending our users’ privacy and the long-established principles of fair use.”

The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft in late 2023, about a year after ChatGPT's debut sparked a commercial AI boom and began changing the way people search for information online. The threat to news publications became even more apparent when Google in 2024 introduced AI-generated summaries at the top of online search results, cutting off the advertising dollars that come when people click a link to the information's original source.

The Times has since been joined by other news organizations, including MediaNews Group-owned newspapers the Daily News and the Chicago Tribune, digital media publisher Ziff Davis and the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting.

OpenAI and other tech companies have argued the process of training their AI systems on digitized books, online articles and other writings found on the internet is protected by the “fair use” doctrine of U.S. copyright law. It's a theory being tested in dozens of lawsuits as visual artists, novelists, music record labels and other creative industries take AI companies to court, with mixed results.

In the case involving the biggest copyright settlement so far, OpenAI rival Anthropic agreed to pay book authors $1.5 billion for training its chatbot Claude on their pirated works — an amount that represents a small fraction of Anthropic's $965 billion market valuation as it prepares to become publicly traded.

The New York Times' arguments are different from those brought by book authors. In its original lawsuit and an amended complaint filed last month, it focused on the unfair competition of companies that “seek to free-ride on The Times’s massive investment in its journalism by using it to build substitutive products without permission or payment.”

The Times has already spent more than $28 million on fighting AI companies in court, according to filings with financial regulators that disclose its litigation costs. The costs include another lawsuit the newspaper filed last year against AI company Perplexity. Among the sanctions sought by the newspapers Thursday are attorney fees that would pay for the efforts to secure “improperly withheld” evidence.

The mounting costs come as a growing number of media organizations have signed licensing deals with OpenAI and other AI companies such as Google and Facebook parent Meta that typically pay the outlet a fee to be able to train AI systems on their news feeds or archives. The Associated Press was the first to announce such a deal with OpenAI in 2023.

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O'Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

The show, premiering Thursday and set in the late 1800s, follows the Ingalls family led by Charles and Caroline and their two daughters Mary and Laura — as they settle in the American frontier. It's adapted from a series of semi-autobiographical books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her own family's pioneer life. In 1974, Michael Landon co-created the TV series based on the books where he played Pa alongside Melissa Gilbert as Laura. It aired for nine seasons. In the new version, Luke Bracey plays Pa and Alice Halsey is Laura.

Sonnenshine says the same frontier spirit from back then is baked into how Americans see themselves, even today.

“This idea of rugged individualism is the cornerstone of American mythos,” Sonnenshine says. “It's still manifesting in our lives constantly … We're real go-getters.”

In “Little House,” we see the Ingalls family seeking land and opportunity as they move west. In real life, Sonnenshine says, those settlers often didn't understand what they were part of.

“There was no CNN or up-to-date newspapers, telling you” what was really happening, she says. “They did not understand the politics of land ownership or these treaties that have been made or these reservations,” she said. In the show, we see Charles begin to grasp the politics at play as the family encounters the Osage Nation and their new neighbors — and keeps some of that to himself. Sonnenshine says “it's not out of malice, exactly” but because “knowledge did not flow as freely as it does now.”

Writers made keeping key events from originals a priority

As the Ingalls family builds their new life, we're introduced to various neighbors who help them do it. That includes an Osage family adjusting to their own new way of life as settlers claim parts of their land. Laura strikes up a friendship with an Osage girl, and there's a mutual respect among Charles and the Osage family patriarch.

“A lot of what this show is about is getting to know people that are not like you, all kinds of different people, because once you get to know people, that’s where all the change happens,” said Sonnenshine.

Mr. Edwards, a fan favorite from the books and series, helps Pa build the family's cabin. He's a rugged Civil War veteran with a heart of gold — grieving the loss of his own family, finding a new one in the Ingalls.

Staying true to characters like Edwards and including key events from the source material was a priority for Sonnenshine. She and her writers made a list of “iconic moments” with a checklist to follow. “We just crossed them off as we went along. ‘OK, we’ve found a way to incorporate this' or ‘Ma gets a chair,' which is very important, or 'great Pa builds a door.’” Building a door, says Sonnenshine, is “a whole chapter in a book.”

Trip Friendly, whose father Ed co-created the series with Landon and was an executive producer, controls the overall rights to the Laura Ingalls Wilder stories. He's an executive producer on the remake, and Sonnenshine says Trip is “very passionate about telling the story of the books.”

Pa is good but not perfect

Landon's portrayal of Pa made him arguably one of the most popular TV dads in the history of the medium. He was a devoted family man with strong morals and compassion for others.

Bracey had never watched the original which he says was beneficial to creating his own interpretation of the character.

“I didn't feel that burden,” said Bracey. “The intimidating factor has come after making it. When I’ve told people what I’ve done, and I’ve been told how important it is to them. That’s where it’s got intimidating.”

Bracey said it's refreshing to play a genuinely good person, who makes mistakes, but is good.

“There’s very few really good people in television and movies. I feel lots of times they have to have a dark secret or a checkered past or whatever,” he said.

Crosby Fitzgerald, who plays Ma, says that goodness is present off-screen too. “Working with Luke is incredible. He actually is like Pa in person. Just really lifted me up all the time. It's impossible to work on a set like this, especially with this legacy, and not be uplifted by the vibe.”

Sonnenshine says Season 1 is also about Laura learning that neither of her parents are perfect, particularly Pa. She comes to understand that “he does make mistakes and that’s OK.' And even Charles talks about that. I think that’s a more honest portrayal of fatherhood.”

Second season will add Laura's rival

Sonnenshine most recently wrote the adaptation for the hit film “The Housemaid” starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried and is writing its sequel. She was also a writer on “The Boys,” which was known for its explicit language and sex and graphic violence. It's not an exaggeration to say that writing for “Little House,” even on a streaming platform, is different.

“This is the first time I’ve ever written without using any curse words,” said Sonnenshine.

“I’ve usually done, like much darker material. So I always say, well, I’m in my family era right now.”

Filming on the show's second season is underway. Netflix recently confirmed the addition of another popular character from the originals. Willa Dunn has been cast as Laura's rival Nellie Oleson, whose father owns the general store.

“She’s here and she’s acting up a storm,” said Sonnenshine. “It’s really fun. People love that character. I think we’re doing a slightly different take on the character, which is also really fun. The book is our sort of touchstone and then building upon that for her and her family has been — it brings a new dynamic to the Ingalls family.”

Existing home sales fell 2.4% last month from May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.09 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. Sales rose 2.8% compared with June last year.

The latest sales tally fell short of the roughly 4.21 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

Home sales have been mostly hovering close to a 4-million annual pace going back to 2023, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

Sales have remained sluggish as mortgage rates have mostly trended higher in the months since the war between the U.S. and Iran started. Expectations of higher inflation amid surging oil prices have pushed up the long-term bond yields that lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans, causing mortgage rates to climb. Still, mortgage rates remain below where they were a year ago.

Despite the lackluster sales, home prices continued to rise nationally last month. The U.S. median sales price increased 1.8% in June from a year earlier to $440,600, an all-time high on data going back to 1999, NAR said. Home prices have risen on an annual basis for 36 months in a row.

First-time buyers accounted for 33% of home purchases last month, down from 35% in May and up from 30% in June last year. Historically, they made up 40% of home sales.

“Without a doubt, the affordability is a major challenge for people who want to become homeowners, which is the reason why we need more supply,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low.

Through the first half of this year, seasonally adjusted sales of existing U.S. homes are up only 0.7% compared to the same period in 2025.

Years of soaring home prices, especially in the early part of this decade when rock-bottom mortgage rates fueled a buying frenzy, have left many would-be homebuyers frozen out of the market. And a chronic shortage of homes for sale nationally, due partly to years of below-average new home construction, has helped prop up home prices even in a multiyear sales slump.

Many of the homes purchased last month likely went under contract in April and May, when the average rate on a 30-year mortgage ranged from 6.23% to 6.53% -- the highest level going back to late August, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac.

Those who can afford to buy at current mortgage rates or pay all cash are likely to encounter buyer-friendly trends in many markets. In June, median list prices fell 2.5% from a year earlier, the steepest annual drop on data going back to 2017, according to Realtor.com.

Still, housing market pricing trends vary widely regionally and locally. Consider, since peaking in 2022 at $449,000, list prices have come down 7.3% in the West and 3.5% in the South, but are up 10% in the Midwest and 12.6% in the Northeast, according to Realtor.com.

Meanwhile, home shoppers have more homes on the market to choose from than this time last year, although home inventory levels remain well below historical norms.

There were 1.56 million unsold homes at the end of last month, down 0.6% from May and up 1.3% from June last year, NAR said. That’s still well short of the roughly 2 million homes for sale that was typical before the COVID-19 pandemic.

June’s month-end inventory translates to a 4.6-month supply at the current sales pace. Traditionally, a 5- to 6-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

“We need to see 30%-40% growth in inventory,” Yun said. “We’re not seeing that, so inventory (is) still remaining relatively tight.”

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Brodie Dituri and his father, Peter Dituri, had traveled to Florida, where fishing had become a tradition during their family vacations.

“For the last couple of years, we’ve been going down there,” Peter Dituri said.

According to his father, Brodie never traveled without his fishing rod.

“He always has to bring his fishing pole with him. So any chance he sees water, he’s like, ‘Let’s go fishing,’” Peter Dituri said.

The attack happened at Nelson’s Fish Camp in Marion County after Brodie caught a fish. As he bent down to release it, an alligator suddenly grabbed his arm.

Peter Dituri said he immediately jumped on the alligator, trying to force its jaws open and free his son.

“There was no thought process. It was just instinct,” he said.

He later learned from responding officers that his actions may have prevented an even more tragic outcome.

“The officers all said that if I didn’t go on top of it and had caused it to roll, it would have pulled him into the water before rolling,” Peter Dituri said.

As Peter Dituri called for someone to dial 911, nearby bystanders rushed to help.

“From having nobody around to having people there, I can’t thank them enough,” he said through tears.

The family has since returned home to Pennsylvania, where Brodie is beginning what his father describes as a long physical and emotional recovery.

Doctors have discussed both hand transplant and prosthetic options. For now, Peter Dituri says his son is leaning toward using a prosthetic.

“He’s leaning in towards looking at the prosthetics,” he said.

The loss is especially difficult because Brodie’s right hand was his dominant hand, which he relied on while playing baseball and football.

The traumatic attack has also changed how the family views future trips to Florida.

Asked whether Brodie would want to return, his father said, “Right now, that’s absolutely not gonna happen. He is definitely afraid of Florida.”

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said the alligator believed to be responsible for the attack was captured and euthanized.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help with Brodie’s medical expenses.

Brodie Dituri y su padre, Peter Dituri, habían viajado a Florida, donde la pesca se había convertido en una tradición durante sus vacaciones familiares.

“Desde hace un par de años hemos estado yendo allí”, dijo Peter Dituri.

Según su padre, Brodie nunca viajaba sin su caña de pescar.

“Siempre tiene que llevar su caña de pescar. Así que cada vez que ve agua, dice: “Vamos a pescar””, dijo Peter Dituri.

El ataque ocurrió en Nelson’s Fish Camp, en el condado Marion, después de que Brodie atrapó un pez. Cuando se agachó para liberarlo, un caimán le sujetó el brazo de manera repentina.

Peter Dituri dijo que de inmediato se lanzó sobre el caimán para intentar abrirle las mandíbulas y liberar a su hijo.

“No hubo tiempo para pensar. Fue solo instinto”, dijo.

Más tarde, los agentes que respondieron a la emergencia le dijeron que sus acciones pudieron haber evitado un desenlace aún más trágico.

“Todos los agentes dijeron que si no me hubiera lanzado sobre él y hubiera provocado que girara, habría arrastrado a mi hijo al agua antes de girar”, dijo Peter Dituri.

Mientras Peter Dituri pedía que alguien llamara al 911, personas que se encontraban cerca acudieron rápidamente para ayudar.

“Pasamos de no tener a nadie alrededor a tener a muchas personas allí. No tengo cómo agradecerles lo suficiente”, dijo entre lágrimas.

Desde entonces, la familia regresó a Pensilvania, donde Brodie comenzó lo que su padre describió como una larga recuperación física y emocional.

Los médicos han hablado sobre la posibilidad de un trasplante de mano y del uso de una prótesis. Por ahora, Peter Dituri dijo que su hijo se inclina por usar una prótesis.

“Se inclina por considerar el uso de una prótesis”, dijo.

La pérdida es especialmente difícil porque la mano derecha de Brodie era su mano dominante, la que utilizaba para jugar béisbol y fútbol americano.

El traumático ataque también cambió la forma en que la familia ve los futuros viajes a Florida.

Cuando le preguntaron si Brodie querría regresar, su padre respondió: “En este momento, eso definitivamente no va a pasar. Le tiene mucho miedo a Florida”.

Funcionarios de la Comisión de Conservación de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Florida informaron que el caimán que se cree fue responsable del ataque fue capturado y sacrificado.

Se creó una página en GoFundMe para ayudar a cubrir los gastos médicos de Brodie.

En su actualización mensual, la NOAA indicó que el El Niño de este año, un calentamiento natural del Pacífico ecuatorial que altera los patrones meteorológicos en todo el mundo, tiene un 81% de probabilidades de volverse “muy fuerte” —la categoría más alta disponible— para el otoño. Debería ubicarse entre los Niños más intensos desde que la agencia meteorológica comenzó a registrarlos en 1950.

Sus mayores impactos —desde sequías hasta aguaceros y olas de calor— probablemente se sentirán con más fuerza en otoño e invierno, señalaron meteorólogos.

Este El Niño, que se formó apenas el mes pasado, ya pasó rápidamente la fase débil y ahora se considera moderado, sin indicios de que su fortalecimiento vaya a desacelerarse, según el pronóstico del gobierno. Las temperaturas del océano en partes del Pacífico que ayudan a indicar la fuerza de El Niño están en máximos históricos o cerca de ellos para esta época del año, en parte porque se suma al calentamiento del océano provocado por el cambio climático causado por el ser humano, dijeron meteorólogos.

“Es bastante extremo”, afirmó Emily Becker, científica de la Universidad de Miami que trabaja con el equipo del Niño de la NOAA. “No es algo sin precedentes, pero sí muy inusual”.

Becker comentó que rivalizará con el Niño de 1997-1998, mientras que otros meteorólogos pronostican que este podría ser aún más fuerte. El Banco Mundial indicó que el Niño que comenzó en 1997 provocó 23.000 muertes en desastres meteorológicos, elevó las tasas de pobreza en algunos países y les costó a los gobiernos hasta 45.000 millones de dólares.

“Este no es un Niño cualquiera”, manifestó Daniel Swain, científico del clima de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de California. No solo ya está batiendo récords para esta época del año, sino que, a diferencia de los Niños intensos del pasado, se presenta sobre un considerable calentamiento de fondo debido a la quema de carbón, petróleo y gas natural. “Quizá no veremos exactamente los mismos impactos de este evento que los que hemos visto en los históricos”.

Un Niño muy fuerte —según las temperaturas del océano en partes del Pacífico— no se traduce en un clima extremo aún más intenso, pero sí hace más probables esas condiciones, explicó Becker.

Becker indicó que aumenta las probabilidades de que gran parte del sur de Estados Unidos tenga un invierno más lluvioso. También incrementa la probabilidad de condiciones invernales más cálidas en el norte de Estados Unidos y Canadá.

El Niño suele amortiguar la temporada de huracanes en el Atlántico. La Universidad Estatal de Colorado, que fue pionera en los pronósticos de la temporada de huracanes, redujo drásticamente el miércoles su predicción del número de tormentas “debido a una mayor confianza en un El Niño fuerte o muy fuerte”. Los pronosticadores prevén que la actividad general de huracanes en el Atlántico estará “muy por debajo de lo normal”.

Entre los impactos globales que se vuelven más probables figuran una Indonesia más seca y un Pacífico oriental más cálido y húmedo, señaló Becker.

“El Niño también actúa como un ‘termostato’ del clima global al liberar años de calor acumulado almacenado en el subsuelo del océano tropical del Pacífico y volcarlo en la atmósfera, donde finalmente se disipa —pero no antes de calentar mientras tanto a todo el planeta”, escribió Swain en un blog.

Muchos científicos del clima pronostican que 2027 —debido al calor acumulado— romperá el récord de temperatura global máxima de 2024, establecido por el último Niño fuerte.

“Un Niño fuerte aumentaría las probabilidades de nuevos récords climáticos dramáticos en los próximos 6 a 12 meses”, afirmó Zack Labe, científico del clima en Climate Central. Podría dar una muestra de un mundo aún más cálido por venir, agregó.

___________________________________

La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de múltiples fundaciones privadas. La AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Encuentra los estándares de la AP para trabajar con organizaciones filantrópicas, una lista de las fundaciones y las áreas de cobertura que financian en AP.org.

__________________________________

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

Según una orden de arresto, Jose Maya, de 40 años, está acusado de colocar un dispositivo de grabación de video debajo de la puerta de un baño, el cual grabó a la víctima, de 23 años.

Los detectives dijeron que la víctima descubrió el dispositivo el 28 de junio y reportó el incidente a las autoridades el lunes.

Las autoridades dijeron que la víctima afirmó que comenzó a sospechar de Maya el año pasado cuando lo sorprendió acostado en el piso, justo afuera de la puerta del baño, mientras ella se duchaba.

La mujer dijo que, al salir de la ducha, notó un pequeño objeto negro debajo de la puerta del baño, pero al principio pensó que era un insecto porque no llevaba puestos sus anteojos ni lentes de contacto.

Según la orden, la víctima dijo que Maya se puso de pie rápidamente cuando ella abrió la puerta del baño y afirmó que estaba arreglando una luz nocturna con sensor de movimiento cerca del baño.

La orden señala que la víctima sospechó de la situación, pero inicialmente descartó el incidente.

Según la orden, la víctima continuó notando un pequeño objeto negro que aparecía debajo de la puerta del baño mientras se duchaba y le contó a su madre sobre sus sospechas.

Los detectives dijeron que la madre de la víctima sugirió colocar un teléfono celular en el cuarto de lavado para confirmar sus sospechas.

Según la orden, la víctima lo hizo y su teléfono celular captó a Maya colocando un dispositivo de grabación debajo de la puerta del baño mientras la víctima se duchaba.

Los detectives dijeron que la madre de la víctima confrontó a Maya el 28 de junio y él hizo algún tipo de admisión, aunque sus declaraciones completas fueron censuradas en la versión pública de la orden de arresto.

Los detectives dijeron que la madre de la víctima le informó que uno de los videos mostraba sus glúteos, mientras que las otras grabaciones estaban borrosas.

Los registros muestran que Maya fue ingresado en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight alrededor de las 7:50 p.m. del martes.

“El Departamento de Policía de North Miami Beach está al tanto del arresto de uno de nuestros capitanes. Seguimos comprometidos con la transparencia, la rendición de cuentas y el cumplimiento de los más altos estándares profesionales para nuestra comunidad”, indicó el NMBPD en un comunicado emitido el miércoles.

El jefe de la Policía de North Miami Beach, Juan Pinillos, dijo que Maya fue relevado de sus funciones mientras se resuelve el caso, además de una investigación interna.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Maya permanecía detenido en el TGK sin derecho a fianza.

Brittany Nicole acababa de celebrar su segundo cumpleaños en mayo.

Cristina López dijo que todo su mundo cambió el domingo. Estaba en el trabajo y su hija se encontraba con una niñera cuando la policía llegó para informarle que Brittany había muerto.

Las circunstancias aún están bajo investigación, pero López dijo que la niñera le pidió a un familiar de mayor edad que cuidara a la menor.

Ese hombre, quien según López padecía demencia, dejó a Brittany en el asiento trasero de un vehículo bajo el sol durante tres horas y media. Los médicos no pudieron salvarle la vida.

El incidente ocurrió el domingo en la cuadra 900 de Northwest 7th Avenue, en Hallandale Beach.

“Solo quiero justicia”, dijo López, frustrada porque nadie ha sido responsabilizado por la muerte de su hija.

Dijo que hizo todo correctamente al dejar a su hija al cuidado de una persona con la que nunca antes había tenido problemas.

Brittany era la única hija de López. Desde entonces, la familia creó una página en GoFundMe para ayudar a cubrir los gastos funerarios.

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It happened during the early morning hours on Wednesday along the 5200 block of Wiley Street in Hollywood, authorities said.

Police have since identified the suspect as Kevin Lamar Bryant, 38.

According to Hollywood police, officers responded to the home around 1:30 a.m. after receiving reports about a disturbance involving a man.

When they arrived, officers said Bryant barricaded himself inside, and then around 4 a.m., intentionally set a fire inside the home.

Crews with Hollywood Fire Rescue quickly responded and were able to extinguish the fire, which they said caused significant damage to the home which had previously been condemned.

Juan Benitez, who lives next door, said police officers banging on his door woke him up and helped him to safety.

“They said, ‘Get out of the house. The house is on fire,’” Benitez said. “It’s like something out of a movie, it’s unrealistic. First time something like that has ever happened to me.”

Police said they were able to remove Bryant from the engulfed home before taking him custody without further incident.

“He was just yelling nonsense,” said Benitez. “I couldn’t understand.”

According to HFR, Bryant suffers from severe mental illness and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

He appeared in bond court Thursday morning and was ordered held without bond.

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Brittany Nicole had just celebrated her second birthday in May.

Cristina Lopez says her entire world shifted on Sunday. She was at work, and her daughter was with a babysitter, when police showed up to tell her Brittany was dead.

The circumstances are still under investigation, but Lopez says the babysitter asked an older relative to watch the child.

That man, who Lopez says had dementia, left Brittany in the back of a hot car for three and a half hours. Doctors were not able to save her.

The incident happened Sunday in the 900 block of NW 7th Avenue in Hallandale Beach.

“I just want justice,” Lopez said, frustrated that no one has been held accountable for her daughter’s death.

She says she did everything right by leaving her daughter with someone she’d never had a problem with before.

Brittany was Lopez’s only child. The family has since set up a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral costs.

No transfer portal needed, either. Just some savvy drafting by a college fantasy football team owner.

Yahoo Sports is expanding more into college fantasy football this season by launching leagues that feature players from Power Four conferences along with Notre Dame.

So fill that QB1 slot with Heisman Trophy favorites Manning or the Fighting Irish's CJ Carr. Grab Marshall or LJ Martin of BYU to round out the RB spots. Pick up Smith or Cam Coleman of Texas at receiver.

These stars of the college game today could help you win a fantasy title later this fall. Down the road, maybe even help your NFL fantasy team.

“This will be an interesting opportunity to really develop fandom not just of the sport, but also the players and the schools,” Ryan Spoon, president of Yahoo Media Group, said in an interview before Thursday's launch of the leagues. "The content ... is now available to make a really robust, awesome experience.”

There have been sites with college fantasy football leagues before. This takes it even more mainstream in this era of name, image and likeness. Yahoo is coming off a season in which it set all-time highs for most fantasy football users and teams.

“It's understandable to all fans," Spoon said, "not just the mega-college fan.”

A lot like NFL fantasy football, only not quite

The college fantasy format is similar to the NFL version. It starts with the draft, of course, and then head-to-head matchups (scoring begins Sept. 3).

The 18-player rosters feature the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC, along with Notre Dame. There’s another wrinkle, too, with an “offense” position in play. Go ahead and draft, say, Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin along with the Ohio State “offense.” That means bonus points for team TDs, total yards, field goals and a win, along with deductions for losses.

It’s a way to spice things up.

“We’ve run millions of permutations,” Spoon said of testing formats and game structure. “The variability is the awesome part of this.”

Iowa State running back Aiden Flora knows whom he would pick in a college fantasy draft.

“Might as well trust myself,” Flora said at Big 12 media days. "I feel like it's a thing that a lot younger people would love to do, even though I feel like a lot of them (would) just try to get the guys that they are cheering for.”

It’s also a way to keep up with players in this ever-changing college football landscape that includes the volatile transfer portal.

Martin, the AP Big 12 offensive player of the year last season, rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 TDs. He figures to be a high selection.

“I’m trying to go out there," he said, “and get as many yards as I can every time.”

A word of caution

One thing Brody Ruihley, a professor of sport leadership and management at Miami University (Ohio), cautioned was to keep in mind these are college students, first and foremost.

This is just fun and games.

NFL players have reported being contacted by fantasy football owners through social media in all sorts of ways.

“We need to remember that the college athlete is accessible in class, on campus, at poorly secured practices/games, and pretty much anywhere on a college campus. They are young adults still finding their way just like non-athlete college students," Ruihley wrote in an email. "Protection is and should be a primary function for state agencies when collegiate fantasy sport or sports betting is in play.”

Scrutiny has almost become part of the territory — no matter the level.

“If somebody drops the game-winning catch, you’ve got to know they’re going to hear about,” Arizona State running back Kyson Brown explained. “We’ve been kind of going through the same things those guys have been going through.”

Gambling in college football made headlines over the saga of former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. The Red Raiders had planned to let Sorsby play even after the Cincinnati transfer admitted he placed bets on Indiana games when he was a freshman with the Hoosiers. Sorsby ultimately abandoned a legal effort to regain his eligibility and is expected to enter next year’s NFL draft.

This is gameplay

Spoon stressed this was gameplay.

“Obviously, there’s a subset of users, which is much larger today than it was five years ago, that is choosing through other operators to also place wagers or predictions, whatever those might be. That’s not us,” Spoon said. “Every passing year college (football) becomes bigger and more interesting and fandom increases.”

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AP Sports Writers Stephen Hawkins and Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

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

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Speaking from Fort Lauderdale, JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty said the airline had been preparing for the opportunity for months as Spirit faced financial challenges.

“Fort Lauderdale is a fantastic opportunity for us. We knew, as most of the public knew, that Spirit was not great. They filed for bankruptcy twice, so we’ve really been preparing for this day over the last months,” Geraghty said.

The airline is increasing its daily operations in Fort Lauderdale from about 130 flights to roughly 150 flights by the end of the year. As part of the expansion, JetBlue is hiring across multiple departments, including recruiting former Spirit crew members.

“JetBlue’s growing in the Fort Lauderdale area. We’re now at 130 flights. We’re going to be growing to about 150 by the end, so we are hiring across most of our workgroups and hiring Spirit crew members,” Geraghty said.

For many former Spirit customers, one of the biggest questions is whether JetBlue’s fares will be as inexpensive as the ultra-low-cost carrier’s. Geraghty said JetBlue remains committed to offering affordable travel but cannot promise Spirit-level pricing.

“We want fares to be affordable, but we want to make sure we offer a great product, too,” she said, noting that fuel and labor remain two of the airline’s largest expenses.

Instead, Geraghty said JetBlue aims to provide added value through amenities included in its base fares, such as complimentary Wi-Fi, snacks, seatback televisions and additional legroom.

“We’re very mindful of the fact that we need to have affordable fares for flyers that maybe don’t want to purchase the higher or mid fares,” she said. “You get more free Wi-Fi, snacks, a little legroom (and) television.”

The airline is also expanding travel options for customers flying throughout the East Coast.

“For people who are flying up and down the East Coast, we will have 370 connecting opportunities to Fort Lauderdale,” Geraghty said.

As JetBlue continues its expansion, the airline hopes to attract both longtime customers and former Spirit flyers looking for new travel options through Fort Lauderdale.

Desde Fort Lauderdale, la directora ejecutiva de JetBlue, Joanna Geraghty, dijo que la aerolínea llevaba meses preparándose para esta oportunidad mientras Spirit enfrentaba dificultades financieras.

“Fort Lauderdale es una oportunidad fantástica para nosotros. Sabíamos, como la mayoría del público, que Spirit no estaba bien. Se declaró en bancarrota dos veces, por lo que realmente nos hemos estado preparando para este momento durante los últimos meses”, dijo Geraghty.

La aerolínea está aumentando sus operaciones diarias en Fort Lauderdale de aproximadamente 130 vuelos a cerca de 150 vuelos para finales de año. Como parte de la expansión, JetBlue está contratando personal en múltiples departamentos, incluido el reclutamiento de ex miembros de la tripulación de Spirit.

“JetBlue está creciendo en el área de Fort Lauderdale. Ahora tenemos 130 vuelos. Vamos a crecer hasta unos 150 para finales de año, por lo que estamos contratando en la mayoría de nuestros grupos de trabajo y contratando a miembros de la tripulación de Spirit”, dijo Geraghty.

Para muchos ex clientes de Spirit, una de las mayores preguntas es si las tarifas de JetBlue serán tan económicas como las de la aerolínea de ultra bajo costo. Geraghty dijo que JetBlue mantiene su compromiso de ofrecer viajes asequibles, pero no puede prometer precios al nivel de Spirit.

“Queremos que las tarifas sean asequibles, pero también queremos asegurarnos de ofrecer un gran producto”, dijo, al señalar que el combustible y la mano de obra siguen siendo dos de los mayores gastos de la aerolínea.

En cambio, Geraghty dijo que JetBlue busca ofrecer un valor agregado mediante servicios incluidos en sus tarifas básicas, como Wi-Fi gratuito, refrigerios, televisores en el respaldo de los asientos y espacio adicional para las piernas.

“Somos muy conscientes de que necesitamos tener tarifas asequibles para los viajeros que quizá no quieran comprar las tarifas más altas o intermedias”, dijo. “Obtienen más Wi-Fi gratuito, refrigerios, un poco más de espacio para las piernas y televisión”.

La aerolínea también está ampliando las opciones de viaje para los clientes que vuelan por toda la Costa Este.

“Para las personas que viajan de un extremo a otro de la Costa Este, tendremos 370 opciones de conexión hacia Fort Lauderdale”, dijo Geraghty.

Mientras JetBlue continúa su expansión, la aerolínea espera atraer tanto a sus clientes de muchos años como a los ex pasajeros de Spirit que buscan nuevas opciones de viaje a través de Fort Lauderdale.

David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea through one of his attorneys during his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was indicted last Thursday on a single felony count of property destruction.

Before the country's 250th independence celebrations, President Donald Trump launched a multimillion dollar renovation project for the Reflecting Pool, which was plagued by problems, including damage to its new coating. Trump, without providing evidence, has alleged the damage was caused by vandals.

Hearn has said he reached inside the pool to examine the peeled sealant and let go of a chunk when he was told to by a park worker. He is accused of causing more than $1,000 in damage.

“Every American should be alarmed about this prosecution,” defense attorney Norm Eisen said after the hearing. “It is not a crime to touch the Reflecting Pool.”

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, said vandalizing the nation's monuments and public spaces is “an affront to our shared history.”

“The law applies equally to everyone, and when it is broken, there are consequences," she said in a statement on Thursday.

Defense says prosecutors' evidence is ‘weak’

In front of a packed courtroom, D.C. Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean did not require Hearn to be supervised by the court while he is free awaiting a trial. A status hearing was scheduled for Aug. 5.

A prosecutor, Kevin Reddington, said the government wasn’t seeking any court supervision for Hearn, but just a “stay-away order” without specifying in court where it wanted to keep Hearn away from.

Mary Dohrmann, one of Hearn’s attorneys, urged the judge not to impose any conditions of court supervision, calling Hearn an “upstanding citizen and member of the community.”

“The government’s evidence is weak,” she added.

Supporters cheered after the hearing

Dozens of supporters, many carrying homemade signs, gathered outside the courthouse and chanted “Davey!” as Hearn left after the hearing. Hearn joined his attorneys in front of a bank of cameras and smiled to supporters but did not speak. He raised his right hand and pumped his fist as he left.

Adam Van Grack, who chaired the U.S. Olympic national governing body for canoe and kayak sports, joined the throng of supporters who cheered for Hearn after the hearing. Van Grack said Hearn has spent decades voluntarily maintaining National Park Service property that the canoeists used as a training course along the Potomac River.

“This is a person who has devoted his life to representing the United States on an international stage, caring for the community and protecting and caring for National Park Service property,” Van Grack said. “So the idea that he is a malicious destroyer of federal property shocks the conscience and makes no sense to anybody who’s ever known Davey Hearn.”

Hearn previously told The Associated Press that he was detained by National Guard troops and U.S. Park Police for five hours after stopping by the pool during a 64-mile (103 kilometer) bike ride on June 19. He said he reached in to examine newly peeled coating and briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool, but obeyed a park worker who told him to let go of it.

Pool project has been plagued by problems

The pool's renovation has been riddled with problems. Workers have used devices called nanobubblers to curtail an algae bloom. The devices infuse ozone into the water to kill algae and bacteria. Officials have said the pool most likely would need to be drained again for liner repairs after chunks of blue coating were seen floating at the surface.

Trump has claimed without substantiation that vandals dumped fertilizer into the pool and slashed the coating with a box cutter. Pirro, a former Fox News host who was appointed by Trump, said last week that six other people were arrested on misdemeanor charges related to the $16 million pool project.

Pirro accused Hearn of causing more than $1,000 in damage by ripping up recently installed sealant from the pool and acting belligerently toward an employee who told him to stop.

Hearn’s attorneys have said the charges against him are based on a “concocted narrative” and “should be alarming to every American.”

“This indictment reflects the administration’s effort to shift blame for their own failures,” the lawyers said in a statement. “The justice system exists to determine facts, not to provide political cover.”

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Associated Press writer Matthew Daly and AP video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

A weak disturbance in the upper levels of the atmosphere will move in Friday, which will work to overpower the dry air and give us scattered showers and thunderstorms. They could even linger into Saturday morning, but after that, the drier than usual weather returns for the rest of the weekend.

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According to Sunrise police, the vehicle theft occurred in the 2900 block of Northwest 60^th Avenue.

Police said a perimeter was established by officers and the suspect abandoned the vehicle, which rolled into a nearby canal.

“I saw them, like, abruptly stop. They came zooming from this way and this way. They were trying to corner the guys. I don’t know if they chased him,” Natalie Williams, who lives in the area said.

The suspect, nor any others, ever entered the water, authorities said.

Police confirmed that the suspect was taken into custody.

For Williams, it’s a new day, but the same story.

“Every other like two months always crime, police activity around here,” she said. “The crime has gotten so, so bad here.”

No other details were immediately released.

In its monthly update, NOAA said this year's El Nino, a natural warming of the equatorial Pacific that alters weather patterns across the globe, has an 81% chance of becoming “very strong” — the top category available — by fall. It should rank among the most intense El Ninos since the weather agency started tracking them in 1950.

Its biggest impacts — from droughts to downpours to heat waves — are likely to be most felt in the fall and winter, meteorologists said.

This El Nino, which formed only last month, already zipped past the weak stage and is now considered moderate with no indications of slowing its strengthening, the government forecast said. Ocean temperatures in key parts of the Pacific that help indicate the El Nino's strength are at or near record highs for this time of year, partly because it comes on top of ocean warming from human-caused climate change, meteorologists said.

“It's pretty extreme,” said Emily Becker, a University of Miami scientist who works with the NOAA El Nino forecast team. “Not unprecedented, but very unusual.”

Becker said it will rival the 1997-1998 El Nino, while other meteorologists predict this one could be even stronger. The World Bank said the El Nino that started in 1997 led to 23,000 deaths in weather disasters, increased poverty rates in some countries and cost governments as much as $45 billion.

“This is not a run-of-the-mill El Nino,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Not only is it already breaking records for the time of year, but unlike past super El Ninos, it is on top of considerable background warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. “We might not expect to see the exact same impacts from this event as we have seen in historical ones.”

A very strong El Nino — based on ocean temperatures in parts of the Pacific — does not translate to even more intense extreme weather, but makes those conditions more likely, Becker said.

It increases the chances for most of the southern U.S. to be rainier in the winter, Becker said. It also boosts the likelihood of a warmer winter conditions for the northern United States and Canada.

El Nino usually dampens Atlantic hurricane season. Colorado State University, which pioneered hurricane season forecasts, on Wednesday dramatically reduced its prediction for number of storms “due to increased confidence in a strong or very strong El Nino.” The forecasters predict overall hurricane activity in the Atlantic will be “well below normal.”

Global impacts made more likely include a drier Indonesia and a warmer and wetter eastern Pacific, Becker said.

“El Nino also acts as a 'thermostat' for global climate by liberating years’ worth of accumulated heat stored in the subsurface tropical Pacific Ocean and dumping it into the atmosphere, where it eventually dissipates–but not before warming the entire planet in the meantime,” Swain wrote in a blog post.

Many climate scientists are predicting that 2027 — because of pent up heat — will break the 2024 global high temperature record set by the last strong El Nino.

“A strong El Nino would raise the odds of dramatic new climate records over the next 6 to 12 months,” said Zack Labe, a climate scientist at Climate Central. It could give a taste of an even warmer world to come, he said.

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

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FBI agents are offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Khalid Ahmed Satary.

According to FBI officials, Satary is wanted for his alleged involvement in a $547 million health care fraud conspiracy that occurred between 2016 and 2019.

Authorities say during that time, Satary owned and operated several laboratories throughout the U.S. that are accused of billing expensive and medically unnecessary genetic tests to Medicare.

“Satary allegedly conspired with dozens of patient recruiters, telemarketing call centers, and telemedicine companies to utilize deceptive marketing campaigns and illegal kickbacks and bribes to generate cancer genetic test samples that reimbursed between $10,000 to $20,000 per sample,” the FBI said in a press release.

FBI officials say that Satary billed Medicare for a total of over $547 million while allegedly paying millions for illegal kickbacks and bribes to doctors and patient recruiters.

FBI supervisor Freddy Ortiz spoke about Satary on Tuesday in Miami.

“Satary has ties to Florida, Georgia, Texas and also the area of Israel and Palestine, Jordan and Dubai,” he said. “Any information you have, please contact 1-800-CALL-FBI.”

Ortiz added that they do not believe Satary poses a threat to public safety.

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Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said Fernando Guevara-Olvera, of Homestead, worked at Luna Wireless, a T-Mobile authorized retailer, located at 20519 Old Cutler Road, in Cutler Bay.

According to investigators, Guevara-Olvera was hired in November of 2025 as a sales representative and “developed an excellent reputation among customers” to the point where customers “often refused assistance from other employees because they believed he was the most knowledgeable sales representative at the location.”

Deputies said Guevara-Olvera “exploited that trust by implementing and continuing a fraudulent scheme over several months.”

According to MDSO, when customers would upgrade their cellphones and surrender their old ones, Guevara-Olvera would keep the phones instead of properly processing them as trade-in devices, after which he “entered information into T-Mobile’s sales system making it appear that the trade-in had been completed.”

Investigators then learned that the fraud didn’t stop there, as Guevara-Olvera would activate “unauthorized cellular lines on customer accounts, changing customers’ wireless plans without authorization, and adding additional equipment including Apple iPhones, Apple watches and Apple EarPods,” according to his arrest form.

Deputies said Guevara-Olvera would tell customers that any billing issues were due to T-Mobile system errors, and that he would even use his personal bank account to apply payments to customers, which “caused customers’ bank account balances to temporarily decrease, leading customers to believe their billing concerns had been resolved,” but after two or three days passed, they said the payments were returned or reversed.

According to authorities, the fraudulent activity occurred between November 2025 and February 2026. They said Guevara-Olvera resigned from his job on Feb. 28, before any of the fraudulent activity had been discovered.

Deputies said in the days and weeks that followed, customers began returning to the Old Cutler store in increasing numbers to report the missing credits and billing issues, to the point where management told investigators that “nearly every transaction processed by Guevara-Olvera required manual review and corrective action.”

It was determined by Luna Wireless that the business sustained customer courtesy-credit losses totaling $15,020.72 and inventory losses totaling $11,769.00 for a total combined documented financial loss attributed to Guevara-Olvera’s actions as $26,789.72, authorities said.

Members of MDSO’s Organized Crime Bureau said they located Guevara-Olvera on Tuesday and took him into custody without incident.

According to his arrest form, Guevara-Olvera spoke to detectives and admitted to some of the crimes, but said he believed his former manager was blaming him for things that he was not responsible for despite deputies advising him that the business had provided specific details “itemized by customer, transaction date and affected account.”

A further alleged admission by Guevara-Olvera was redacted from his arrest form.

As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of grand theft and organized fraud with his bond listed as “to be set.”

U.S. applications for jobless aid in the week ending July 4 ticked down by 2,000 to 215,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 220,000 new applications.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the U.S. job market.

In its more comprehensive June jobs report last week, the government reported that employers pulled back on hiring in June, adding only 57,000 jobs. That’s less than half the previous month’s total and a sign that companies remain cautious. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though that decline is mostly because many out-of-work people gave up looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed.

June’s tepid hiring comes after a relative surge in job gains the previous three months, countering concerns that the war in Iran could trip up an already wobbly labor market.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

Among the companies that have trimmed their workforce recently are Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks and Walmart.

Earlier this week, Microsoft said it was cutting 4,800 jobs, about 2.1% of its global workforce, including a large number of workers at its Xbox video game business.

Thursday’s layoffs data showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which softens some of the week-to-week swings, fell by 3,750 to 218,750.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending June 27 rose by 8,000 to 1.81 million, also a historically healthy figure.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was working toward securing legal status in the U.S. and knew what to do if stopped by ICE, his son said.

Federal officials said they were stopping the vehicle in an immigration enforcement operation. Ronaldo Salgado said his father may have been scared that the people in unmarked vehicles were coming to steal the tools he had used for 35 years to build homes so he could send his three American sons to college.

“He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE. He deserved to live a quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father and a job creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American dream,” Salgado said during a news conference.

The shooting happened Tuesday in Magnolia Park, a neighborhood that has been a hub for Houston’s Mexican American community for a century. On Wednesday night, hundreds of people marched through the neighborhood chanting “ICE out of Houston!”

Federal officials say their vehicle was rammed but don’t provide evidence

Salgado Araujo was shot after he ignored commands and attempted to ram an officer who fired his weapon in self-defense, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. ICE officers were targeting him because he was living in the country without legal permission, according to the department, which oversees ICE. The man’s car struck an ICE vehicle, the department added.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said Salgado Araujo had no criminal convictions.

Houston firefighters said he was shot in the abdomen. He died at a hospital.

Three other men appeared to be detained as Salgado Araujo lay moaning on the ground, according to his son, who said one of them was his uncle.

Daniel Tirado was one of the other men in the van and called his wife briefly to say they were being followed, Tirado’s stepdaughter Juana Degollado told The Associated Press.

“What he remembers is that an ICE agent shot Lorenzo and the van door was closed,” Degollado said.

Tirado wasn’t able to contact his family until Wednesday morning, and the call lasted only five minutes, his stepdaughter said. They haven’t been able to get additional information from ICE or the FBI.

Jose Rojas was also detained, according to his stepdaughter Griselda Silva. The 51-year-old Mexican national had lived in the U.S. for decades without legal status or a criminal record, she said.

ICE has not released the names of the people detained.

Federal officials have not released video or images of the shooting or the vehicles. Salgado on Tuesday joined civil rights groups and Democratic officials in urging federal authorities to release all the footage and other information it has on the shooting.

In several other shootings involving federal officers, initial descriptions by immigration officials have sometimes been contradicted later by video evidence.

Civil rights groups say ICE can’t be trusted with the investigation

The federal crackdown has created a country where officers think they can “shoot and explain later,” League of United Latin American Citizens President Roman Palomares said.

The league offered a $5,000 reward for information and videos from witnesses. Ronaldo Salgado and several civil rights organizations called for an independent investigation. Some begged anyone with videos to not turn them over to ICE.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Salgado Araujo’s family and the community deserve the truth, but federal authorities are exclusively handling the investigation.

ICE and DHS representatives have not responded to repeated requests for additional comment Wednesday.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin took over the department in March aiming to keep it away from the controversies that marked the tenure of his predecessor, Kristi Noem.

The shooting was at least the eighth death resulting from an encounter with federal immigration officers since the start of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Son says his father worked hard for decades

Ronaldo Salgado said his mother was told something bad had happened to his dad around 7 a.m. Tuesday. After frantically looking for him at his job site and finding his empty van, he saw a video.

“I recognized him, not from his appearance but from his voice crying for help as he lay on the street,” Salgado said.

Salgado Araujo met his wife as a teenager in Mexico. She made his lunch before he left for the day. He would listen to music and pet his dog on his porch, Salgado said.

Salgado said his dad had started the process of obtaining his work permit.

“We dotted every I, crossed every T, filled every document, attended every appointment,” Salgado said. ”He was close to obtaining his legal status.”

Salgado Araujo had biometric scan and fingerprints done earlier this year and had carefully studied what to do if ICE pulled him over.

“Had my father seen an emblem of ICE or an emblem that says anything about a law enforcement agency, my father would have complied,” his son said.

Crowd marches in Houston, and Mexico’s president criticizes the killing

On Wednesday night, a large crowd marched through the city’s streets, with some waving Mexican flags or holding a banner that said “Abolish ICE,” while others held signs with Salgado Araujo’s face on it.

The crowd started feet from where Salgado Araujo was shot and held a ceremony in his memory and prayer. They also filmed a video for his family of the crowd chanting, “You’re not alone!” Garcia announced that she and other lawmakers sent a letter Wednesday to DHS demanding answers.

Meanwhile, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that the country is “preparing legal measures” over the killing of Salgado Araujo because “we cannot allow the mistreatment of our brothers and sisters in the United States.”

In April, Sheinbaum expressed concern about the deaths of Mexican nationals in U.S. immigration detention, saying her government would support lawsuits filed by detainees over poor conditions or by the families of those who died. She raised the detainees’ deaths to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and said she was considering an appeal to the United Nations.

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Brook reported from New Orleans and Collins from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press reporters Hallie Golden in Seattle; Gisela Salomon in Miami; Rebecca Santana in Washington, D.C.; and Ryan J. Foley in Omaha contributed.

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This story has been corrected to show Sheinbaum’s comments about possibly approaching the U.N. were made in April.

Arthur Fery honed his game by playing three years of college tennis for Stanford University, where he was a two-time All-American.

Now he's the first former Stanford player to reach the last four at Wimbledon since John McEnroe's eighth and final Wimbledon semifinal in 1992, when McEnroe was beaten by eventual champion Andre Agassi.

Stanford University coach Paul Goldstein flew in for the occasion and was watching inside Centre Court when Fery eliminated French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli in straight sets in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

“Arthur always displayed an emotional maturity and a wisdom beyond his years,” Goldstein told The Associated Press. “When I worked with him at school, it always felt like it was as much of a peer-to-peer relationship as it was coach-to-student relationship with a 25-year age gap between us.”

As a sophomore in 2021-22, Fery became Stanford’s first No. 1 ranked singles player since Bob Bryan nearly quarter century before him.

Before Fery signed for Stanford, Goldstein came over to see him play in the Wimbledon junior tournament in 2019. Fery reached the third round in singles and the semifinals in doubles.

“Just a highly intelligent person, certainly plays the game with a high tennis IQ as well,” Goldstein added. “His game was at an elite level from an early age. A very independent thinker, he just approached the game with a high level of professionalism from the time he got to school.”

Still, Fery’s 58-16 singles record over his three years at Stanford didn’t make anyone think he would make the jump to a Grand Slam contender.

In what has been labeled a “Ferytale,” Fery faces French Open champion Alexander Zverev on Friday for a spot in the championship match — with Sunday’s final to be played on Fery's 24th birthday.

Ranked No. 114, Fery is the outlier in the semifinals among No. 1 and defending champion Jannik Sinner — who will meet seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic (No. 8) in the other semifinal — and No. 3 Zverev.

“What you’re seeing on display this week is a level of poise and composure that is beyond words,” Goldstein said. “Pick your superlative and multiply it by 100.”

Fery is now coached by Jeroen Benard and Benoit Foucher.

“Full credit to Arthur and his team for what they are accomplishing this year,” Goldstein said. “I am privileged to be an observer. And supporter.”

Academics led Fery to Stanford

Fery, who was also an Academic All-American at Stanford, said he selected the school in Palo Alto, California, because of the academics.

“Because it was going to give me a great backup plan if tennis didn’t work out,” Fery said. “It was just a great mix between academics and a super-strong tennis program.”

Fery majored in science, technology and society at Stanford.

“It helped me mature, gave me a bit of time without too much pressure," Fery said. "Just develop personally more than tennis-wise."

Fery doesn’t need to worry about his tennis career fizzing out anymore. He's the first wild card to reach the men’s singles semifinals at the All England Club since Goran Ivanisevic’s run to the Wimbledon title in 2001.

Bryan brothers

Bryan and his identical twin brother, Mike, developed into the sport’s best doubles team after their time at Stanford during the late 1990s. They credit Stanford with preparing Fery to handle the pressures of playing on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

“When we went to the University of Georgia, there were 6,500 barking dogs eating us alive,” Bob Bryan said. “We went to Spain (for Davis Cup) and played in front of 30,000 in a soccer stadium, it wasn’t that bad. So college tennis prepares you for these environments.”

The Bryans and Goldstein were teammates at Stanford as players, winning two national championships together. Bob Bryan beat Goldstein in the 1998 NCAA singles final.

The Bryans — who have a total of four Wimbledon titles between them — got Goldstein a last-minute pass into Wimbledon when he came over.

“We’ve met Arthur a few times in Palo Alto,” Bob Bryan said. “We compared him a little bit to (former U.S. Open finalist Kei) Nishikori: Same build, beautiful backhand, can change direction. He was a quiet leader at Stanford. But all the players really respected him and they knew his ability. I don’t think it’s a big surprise to anyone that knows Arthur."

Critical time for college tennis

Fery’s breakthrough coincides with several college tennis programs being cut in recent months as Division I schools choose to redirect resources to fund direct payments to athletes in football and basketball.

With elite D1 tennis programs populated by foreigners, there’s also a debate about introducing regulations to reserve spots on teams for American players.

There were 36 players in this year's men’s and women’s singles at Wimbledon with college experience.

“This is another validation and example of how college tennis is being played at the highest level,” Goldtsein said. “More and young people are globally seeing this as a viable pathway towards making an impact at the professional game.”

Added Bob Bryan, “The level is off the charts. There’s definitely a place for college in between the (World Tennis) juniors and pro tennis. I think anyone coming out of the juniors should go test their level collegiately and to see if they’re ready for the pros.”

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AP Sports Writer Ken Maguire contributed.

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This story has been corrected to show that Fery's quarterfinal opponent was Flavio Cobolli.

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

Iran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Kuwait and Qatar and accused the U.S. of striking near its sole nuclear power plant.

Back-and-forth attacks, including on Wednesday, have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire, but Thursday’s appeared bigger all around. And Trump’s mixed messaging — approving back-to-back military strikes while insisting they don’t mean a return to full-scale war — is fueling uncertainty about what comes next.

Here's the latest:

Iran’s foreign minister speaks to regional leaders about the escalating tensions with the US

Abbas Araghchi said on his Telegram channel on Thursday that he spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Oman. He also spoke with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been one of the main mediators in the war.

Araghchi repeated Iran’s assertion that the U.S. has violated the interim peace deal reached last month. The U.S. says Iran violated the deal by firing on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The diplomatic outreach suggested efforts may be underway to reduce tensions.

Tarps go up as part of Trump’s restoration project to the front of the White House

Crews have draped tarps over the towering stone columns on the north side of the White House, where work is underway to scrape away decades of paint.

The new tarps on the building’s façade are partially see-through. They feature images of columns designed to cover the actual ornate stone columns beneath.

Scaffolding went up several days ago for work on the columns. It is the latest in dozens of projects Trump has led to remake the White House to his own tastes – including a massive ballroom and helipad on the South Lawn.

The White House hasn’t provided details on what is being done to the columns or how much it will cost. But Trump said on Monday: “We’ve taken about 150 years of paint off of the columns” and added that, “If you don’t strip the paint off, it gets worse and worse and worse.”

Ships are still going through the Strait of Hormuz but the situation remains volatile

Bridget Diakun, senior risk and compliance analyst for maritime data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence, said in a news briefing that ships were still passing through the strait as of Wednesday, but Lloyd’s is still reviewing the numbers since some passages are “dark,” when ships stop broadcasting signals that show their location.

“The situation does remain really volatile,” she said.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence said preliminary data shows there were at least 576 transits in June, up from 233 in May, but down from 3,131 in June 2025.

Non-Iranian traffic in June included 264 outbound vessels and 137 inbound ships.

Outbound ships included bulkers, crude oil tankers and product tankers. Inbound ships included crude oil tankers, product tankers, bulk carriers and gas carriers.

In June, there was an even split between “dark” transits and online transits that broadcast their locations.

Germany reaches a deal with the US to buy long-range Tomahawk missiles, Merz says

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the agreement on the long-range cruise missiles, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory, was reached this week on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey’s capital, Ankara.

“This will close an important strategic gap in our defense, and at the same time, we will work to develop our own European systems and station them in Europe,” Merz told parliament after returning from the two-day summit.

The deal struck with the Trump administration amounts to broader export of American know-how to some of its major allies in Europe, whose security posture has been upended by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Former Olympian pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool damage case after Trump alleged vandalism

The former Olympic canoe racer pleaded not guilty Thursday to deliberately damaging the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a politically charged case that his defense attorneys and other Trump administration critics have derided as an abuse of prosecutorial power.

David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea during his initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was indicted last Thursday on a single felony count of property destruction.

Trump ordered a multimillion-dollar renovation of the Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary this month, but the project has been plagued with problems. Workers have used chemicals to curtail an algae bloom. Trump has said the pool likely would need to be drained again for liner repairs after chunks of blue coating were seen floating at the surface.

Trump has claimed without substantiation that vandals dumped fertilizer into the pool and slashed the coating with a box cutter.

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Ukraine says its Patriot production will take months

During Wednesday’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump said the U.S. will meet a longstanding request from Ukraine and give it a license to make the Patriot air defense systems. He also praised Zelenskyy for doing “an amazing job” — a sharp change in tone from past criticisms of the Ukrainian leader.

But setting up domestic production of the mobile, surface-to-air systems will take many months, said Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister.

A production license would typically come with technical process documentation, training for specialists, supplier contacts and foreign consultants to help launch manufacturing, Beskrestnov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The main obstacle would be time, rather than Ukraine’s technical or organizational capacity, he added.

Eswatini receives 11 people deported from the US as part of migration crackdown

The southern African kingdom of Eswatini has accepted a fourth group of people deported from the United States under a bilateral agreement to host third-country nationals, with 11 people arriving this week, the government said Thursday.

Acting government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli said the group, predominantly from African countries, would remain in the kingdom temporarily while their rights were protected.

“The government reaffirms that, during their temporary stay in the Kingdom, the fundamental rights of the third-country nationals will be respected and protected in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Kingdom’s international obligations,” Mdluli said in a statement.

Under a series of often-secret agreements that are part of a broad U.S. crackdown on immigration, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to nearly two dozen countries that are not their own, advocates say.

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Global markets are mixed and oil prices rise as Iran and US launch new attacks

Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.1% before the opening bell Thursday, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.1%. Nasdaq futures were up 0.5%.

Oil prices inched up again Thursday, with Brent crude, the international standard, rising 64 cents to to $78.66 per barrel. It briefly topped $80 on Wednesday. Before the Iran war began, Brent oil was trading at around $72 a barrel. Earlier optimism over an interim peace deal recently brought it back to prewar levels.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 54 cents to $74.06 a barrel.

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New attacks raise questions about what comes next in the Iran war

President Donald Trump says he believes the ceasefire with Iran is over. He says he’s not sure he wants a deal anymore and says the U.S. should “finish the job.” But he also insists continued attacks don’t mean a return to war or long-term action.

The confusion and uncertainty in Trump’s mixed messaging and his approval of back-to-back military strikes leave major questions about what comes next in the conflict, just weeks after difficult diplomacy to reach even an initial deal between the longtime adversaries.

The whipsawing rhetoric could be a strategy to increase the pressure on Tehran to stop attacking ships transporting oil and natural gas in the Strait of Hormuz and bend to U.S. demands on its nuclear program — something Trump has tried before.

Whether it’s a negotiation tactic or a signal of an escalation in fighting, mediators are scrambling to save the interim deal and the actions risk further inflaming tensions.

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Watson, 42, pleaded guilty last Thursday to aggravated battery in connection with the violent confrontation on Dec. 29, 2024, at Elevation Fitness on North Miami Avenue.

According to arrest documents, Watson told responding officers he was working out when the victim approached him and said he wanted to fight.

Surveillance video from inside the gym captured Watson beating the victim with his weightlifting belt. The video also appears to show a couple other men joining in on the attack.

“Next time I’m going to kill that mother****er, straight up,” Watson is hearing telling responding police officers in bodycam footage, also released Wednesday. “Because I’m sick of this shit, like me defending myself. Even having to f***ing sit here right now. You know how pissed off I am that I get attacked in the f***ing gym and this is f***ing happening?”

WARNING: The following video contains explicit language. Viewer discretion is advised.

“I’ve got respect for you guys, but f*** that,” Watson continued. “You guys saw a mother****er attack me and I’m sitting here like I’m in f***ing trouble. I’m leaving.”

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors offered Watson a sentence of 21 months in prison, including time already served, followed by seven years of probation and mental health treatment.

During last Thursday’s hearing, Watson’s attorney argued the circumstances leading up to the fight were unusual.

“There’s been a lot that’s been argued in this case about stand your ground,” defense attorney Eric Clayman said. “What’s unique is you have an alleged victim that sought somebody out because of his presence online. This guy bought a plane ticket, came through New Jersey, showed up at the gym for the sole purpose of confronting Mr. Watson. That turned into something else.”

Records show that Watson is a convicted felon and is also facing multiple unrelated criminal charges in Broward County, including charges of felony battery, aggravated assault, witness tampering and allegations related to domestic violence involving his girlfriend.

Watson is scheduled to return to court on July 27 for sentencing in the Miami-Dade case.

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The facility is where, according to families, dozens of immigrants who were previously held at Alligator Alcatraz are now being detained.

Local 10 News has received multiple messages from families of immigrants detained there. One detainee also called the station from inside the facility.

The man said detainees have gone without air conditioning during the summer heat.

Judith Castellanos said her husband, Marlon Cervelo, is one of dozens of detainees who were transferred to the facility after Alligator Alcatraz recently shut down.

She said detainees have had to sleep in their underwear because of the heat.

Another woman named Annett said her husband, Daikel Dumont, who was also previously held at the detention facility in the Everglades, is now at the downtown Miami facility as well.

She said the lack of air conditioning is not her only concern.

According to Annett, detainees are drinking water from the metal sinks in their cells.

Families also raised concerns about cockroaches inside the facility.

Local 10 News reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but a spokesperson was unable to answer questions.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons provided the following statement:

“FDC experienced a problem with one of its chillers that supplies air conditioning to the facility. The facilities department immediately identified the issue and began repairs. The AC malfunction has since been rectified, and the AC continues to function as intended.”

A 2020 infrastructure report shows the facility has experienced air conditioning issues for years.

Local 10 News cameras found a portable chiller unit outside the facility that was running. A Bureau of Prisons spokesperson later confirmed it has been there for three years to help cool the facility.

One family member described the detention center as “another Alcatraz.”

When asked how the conditions compared to what her husband had described at Alligator Alcatraz, Annett said he told her the downtown Miami facility is worse.

Families said they want detainees to be treated humanely.

“They’re human and they’re not being treated as human,” Annett said.

Asked about her biggest fear, she said she is afraid something will happen to her husband while he is inside the facility and that no one will be held accountable.

The Federal Detention Center houses more than just ICE detainees.

Data obtained by Local 10 News from the Bureau of Prisons showed that just over 1,300 inmates are currently being held at the facility.

Regarding concerns about access to water, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said the facility experienced a water pressure issue last week. While it was being resolved, inmates were provided bottled water.

As for the reports of cockroaches, the spokesperson said the agency would not comment on anecdotal accusations, but added that the facility has a pest control service.

Dozens of Santas, Mrs. Clauses and elves from around the world have descended on Denmark's fourth-largest city for the Nordic nation’s annual World Santa Claus Congress, a colorful midsummer tradition for decades.

First staged at an amusement park near Copenhagen in 1957, the congress moved to Aalborg on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula two years ago. This year, the Santa suits looked a little stifling under the Danish summer sun.

The event, which marks its 70th anniversary next year, was created to entertain children, but became a popular gathering for Santas who appear in stores and shopping malls during the Yuletide season.

The gathering offers a chance for professional Santas — not the real one, of course! — to swap stories, compare beards, sharpen their craft and compete in lighthearted contests months before anyone checks naughty-or-nice lists for the Christmas rush.

The packed agenda features events like gingerbread eating, gift wrapping, balloon modeling, and several noisy parades.

“The grandmas say: ‘Oh, it’s too early to come here’," said organizer Peter Gislund, himself a Santa Claus in Aalborg during the Christmas season. “The kids say: 'Hooray! Santa’s here already'.”

Christmas as a state of mind, not just a season

Over the years, the annual four-day gathering has attracted Santas and Mrs. Clauses from as far away as Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States.

Most of the three dozen or so Santas and Mrs. Clauses at the congress this week hail from Scandinavia, but some flew in — like Paradise Yamamoto from Tokyo.

“This is very fun, so many children … Ho, ho, ho!” said Yamamoto with a laugh after parading through Aalborg waving a Japanese flag and dancing to the song "Feliz Navidad” — one of many Christmas classics played during the event.

Robert Hercz, a 64-year-old Norwegian Santa from Oslo, said that despite their different nationalities, all Santas on hand share “a gene” — for generosity and spreading joy.

“You have it or you don’t,” said Hercz, who was attending the congress for the first time. “We have the true Santa spirit. And it’s all about giving, sharing, and putting a little bit of joy in people’s hearts.”

It’s not all ho-ho-ing and belly rubs.

“When Santas are together, they always mingle and talk a little bit,” said Gislund. “Maybe I put a little bit of sparkle in the beard and so on. That’s the good part of meeting some Santas from all over the world.”

For Simon Brøns, a 33-year-old Danish Santa, the event is proof that the festive spirit isn’t just for Christmas.

“Christmas is not a season. It’s a feeling you have in your stomach," he said with a smile. "So if you want, you can have Christmas the whole year.”

The forecast team, led by Dr. Phil Klotzbach, now predicts 2026 could rival some of the least active seasons this century, and its bottom-line forecast for Accumulated Cyclone Energy or ACE – the seasonal scorecard that considers the overall strength and duration of storms – would be the third lowest in 30 years if it materializes, behind only the well-below-average 2013 and 1997 hurricane seasons.

The team calls for 4 hurricanes, but only one major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane this season. Over the past three decades, only the 1997 and 2013 seasons ended with fewer than two major hurricanes. 2013 is the only hurricane season since 1994 to record no Category 3 or stronger hurricanes.

No Atlantic hurricane season in the reliable records (since 1950) has gone hurricane-less and generally two hurricanes is the floor, even for the least active seasons. The most active seasons like 2005 and 2020 have recorded as many as 15 hurricanes in a single season (15 and 14 hurricanes respectively in 2005 and 2020).

The lower overall numbers suggest lower chances of a U.S. hurricane hit this season, but the below-average forecast certainly doesn’t let the U.S. off the hook. Even in very inactive hurricane seasons, big hurricanes can strike (see Hurricane Andrew in 1992 for a South-Florida-specific example). That said, overall odds of at least one major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricane making landfall in the continental U.S. are cut by more than half this year – from 43% in a typical season to 17% in 2026.

Playing by El Niño’s rules

If you’ve read any of our newsletters in recent weeks, the lower predictions shouldn’t come as a surprise. The driving factor behind the downward predictions is increasing confidence that we’ll have a strong to very strong El Niño in place for the peak months of the season, which will keep storm-busting wind shear high, especially in the western part of the tropical Atlantic where hurricanes often hit their stride.

Long-range seasonal forecast models can struggle with El Niño predictions during the spring months but that wasn’t the case in 2026. If anything, forecast models seem to have underdone forecasts out of the gate, and El Niño conditions are already transitioning from moderate to strong levels, with additional strengthening expected into the fall and winter, when El Niño traditionally peaks.

Nada for the near future

Mum’s the word across the tropical Atlantic for the foreseeable future. We’re seeing one of the biggest dust outbreaks of the season so far, and as we discussed in Tuesday’s newsletter, wind shear will stay prohibitively high for the next few weeks.

The only dark horse development contender isn’t until the end of next week with a frontal low off the Carolinas. Models keep those odds very low (less than 10%), and it’s not anything we need to be concerned with for now.

Magician Dennis Watkins is bringing his world-renowned “Magic Parlour” to Miami for an intimate engagement at the Arsht Center.

This isn’t the typical birthday party magician as Dennis is a master of the sleight of hand and mentalism, or mind reading. It truly is an art that takes years of practice and commitment to master.

For Dennis, his show always begins with an intention.

Local 10’s Jason Carter spoke to Dennis about what people can expect to see at the show. You can learn more in the video above.

Click here for ticket information.

Felix is on standby for a curative bone marrow transplant, one that can only happen if doctors have 50 units of her rare blood type on hand.

Since then, there have been many who have answered the call for donations, a list that now includes Local 10’s Eric Yutzy, who ran straight from the anchor chair Wednesday to a recliner at the OneBlood Donation Center, located at 3615 Hollywood Blvd.

“When I read the words on Monday morning, in real time I said, ‘I can do this! That’s me!’” he said.

Doctors said they now have 30 confirmed units of compatible blood, with only 20 more needed for Felix’s procedure.

For those who may be apprehensive or who don’t love needles, Yutzy described the experience.

“It is a slight discomfort for major gain,” he said. “Yeah, it pinches a second, but someone like Gigi is going through sickle cell and that’s agonizing all the time. If this is all it takes to help her somehow, it’s totally worth it.”

There is a serious need for blood in general, but Susan Forbes of One Blood said having a diverse blood supply is especially important to treat patients with specific needs.

“Only 4% of African Americans are donating blood,” said Forbes. “Yet, they’re the most likely match for sickle cell patients. It primarily impacts African Americans and those of African descent. The best blood match for sickle cell patients is gonna be from someone of the same ethnicity.”

Added Yutzy: “I understand there’s hesitation and a history of skepticism. But in the same breath, the benefit for people who need the blood to chase their own dreams -- we gotta get that number higher than 4%.”

Felix says she’s filled with gratitude for donors like Yutzy.

“I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who saw my story and chose to donate,” she said. “This is such a surreal experience, and it just makes me happy and thankful that people care enough to go and do this for me. It means a lot.”

Anyone who wishes to donate blood can visit any OneBlood location.

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According to an arrest warrant, Jose Maya, 40, is accused of planting a video recording device under a bathroom door, which recorded the 23-year-old victim.

Detectives said the victim discovered the device on June 28 and reported the incident to law enforcement on Monday.

Authorities said the victim claimed she first became suspicious of Maya last year when she caught him lying on the floor immediately outside the bathroom door as she was showering.

The woman said that as she exited the shower, she noticed a small black object underneath the bathroom door, but she initially thought it was an insect because she wasn’t wearing her glasses or contact lenses.

According to the warrant, the victim said Maya quickly stood up as she opened the bathroom door, and claimed that he had been fixing a motion-activated night light near the bathroom.

The warrant states that the victim was suspicious, but initially dismissed the incident.

According to the warrant, the victim continued noticing a small black object appearing underneath the bathroom door as she showered and told her mother about her suspicions.

Detectives said the victim’s mother suggested placing a cellphone in the laundry room to confirm her suspicions.

According to the warrant, the victim did so and her cellphone captured Maya placing a recording device under the bathroom door while the victim was showering.

Detectives said the victim’s mother confronted Maya on June 28 and he provided some kind of admission, although his full comments to her were redacted from the publicly released warrant.

Detectives said the victim’s mother told her one of the videos showed her buttocks, while the other recordings were blurry.

Records show Maya was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at about 7:50 p.m. Tuesday.

“The North Miami Beach Police Department is aware of the arrest involving one of our captains. We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and upholding the highest professional standards for our community,” the NMBPD said in a statement Wednesday.

North Miami Beach Police Chief Juan Pinillos said Maya has been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the case along with an internal investigation.

Maya posted a $7,500 bond on Wednesday and walked out of jail later in the evening.

In bond court earlier in the day, Miami-Dade County Judge Mindy Glazer ordered that he stay away from the victim and said he is not permitted to have any weapons or ammunition.

“Jose Maya has been arrested and charged, but an arrest is merely an allegation, not a definitive judgment of guilt,” Maya’s attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, said in a statement to Local 10 News. “Like every individual accused of a crime, our client is presumed innocent unless the State presents evidence beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

“We are committed to thoroughly reviewing all the evidence, challenging the allegations through the judicial process, and vigorously defending our client in court.”

World Athletics excluded all athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus from its international events in March 2022, days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

It kept that suspension in place at a council meeting last week. Since then, the International Olympic Committee has eased its restrictions on Russia ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — something the Kremlin hailed as an “important step” — and recommended other sports bodies do the same.

“Russian Athletics notes that World Athletics’ decision affects the fundamental interests of athletics in Russia and restricts Russian athletes’ right to compete, on grounds that Russian Athletics considers discriminatory," the Russian track federation said in a statement.

"Russian Athletics continues to pursue all available legal measures to protect the interests of Russian athletes.”

World Athletics vowed to defend the case.

“We take note of the Russian athletics federation’s appeal to CAS, and we will be strenuously defending our position," it said in a statement. CAS confirmed it has received “a request for arbitration” without giving details of when it could be heard.

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said last week his organization discussed options for “a conditional pathway back into international competition” for Russian and Belarusian athletes, but opted against.

“We presented options for the council to consider on this matter, however, the original decision remains on the sanctions that protect the integrity and fairness of our competitions, with no tangible movement towards peace negotiations having materialized,” he said.

Russia hasn't competed under its own flag at a world athletics championships since 2015, when the Russian track federation was suspended over widespread doping.

A program allowing its athletes to compete under a neutral flag was ended in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine. World Athletics' original doping suspension was lifted in 2023.

No Russians competed in Olympic athletics at the 2024 Paris Games because the qualification system is overseen by World Athletics, even though the IOC allowed neutral athletes in other sports.

Volleyball changes policy

Volleyball became the first major Olympic team sport to welcome Russia back since the IOC decision. Its governing body, the FIVB, said in a statement Wednesday that it plans to allow back Russian teams and players at all levels.

“This approach reflects the FIVB’s commitment to protecting the fundamental right of athletes to access sport regardless of their nationality,” it said. It's not yet clear if those teams will play with Russian national symbols, though.

“The display of the Russian flag, anthem, colors or any other identifications will be at the discretion of the FIVB and the European Volleyball Confederation and decided in due time in consultation with the relevant international sports organizations to guarantee the full participation of the athletes,” the FIVB added.

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In the video, officers with the Sunrise Police Department are seen with their guns drawn Tuesday morning, screaming at the driver to stop the car.

Detectives say the vehicle was stolen and they attempted to stop the driver as he sped into an apartment complex off Northwest 60th Terrace in Sunrise.

Authorities said the car had been stolen from the 2900 block of Northwest 60th Avenue.

Police say the car rolled into a body of water after the suspect abandoned it and attempted to run away.

Eventually, officers said they took a minor into custody, but authorities have yet to release his identity or what charges he may be facing.

In his first Balenciaga couture show — and the fashion house's biggest statement since it revived its haute couture line in 2020 — Piccioli sent out ballooning gowns and hooded feather cocoons on Wednesday, then closed with model Gigi Hadid engulfed in rooster feathers.

For his bow, he walked out flanked by his entire atelier in white coats, to a standing ovation.

The debut capped a four-day season ending Thursday that came down to three things: flesh, fantasy and the machine.

Across 30 houses, five showing for the first time, designers bared the body and made it vanish, fled into make-believe as a heat wave gripped the city, and reached for particle accelerators and lab-grown silk while insisting couture still belongs to the human hand.

Couture — handmade, made-to-measure clothing that can cost as much as a house and reaches only a few hundred clients worldwide — is the industry’s laboratory and its loudest advertisement, a halo for the perfumes, handbags and ready-to-wear that pay the bills.

It matters more than usual this year: Luxury is clawing out of a two-year slump, and major houses are betting on newly installed designers — Piccioli, Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel and Silvana Armani at Armani Privé — to re-energize it.

Cate Blanchett opened the celebrity run at Armani Privé, while Pedro Pascal and Tilda Swinton sat front row at Chanel.

Bodies are covered, armored or erased

The first question was what couture could do to the figure: expose it, armor it, inflate it or make it disappear.

Silvana Armani, showing her second Armani Privé collection since her uncle Giorgio died last September, titled the show “Boudoir” but sidestepped the obvious.

Rather than join the sheer-everything trend, she played cover against reveal: embroidered teddies under tuxedo jackets, a bomber unzipping from the hem to expose a strip of midriff, animal prints muted until they read as texture.

At 57 looks — about half the founder’s usual count — it was the week’s most restrained take on skin. Blanchett signaled it on arrival, in a plunging velvet suit beside Lou Doillon, Rosamund Pike and Anna Wintour.

Daniel Roseberry pushed further at Schiaparelli at the Petit Palais under the title “The Call of the Void.”

He treated flesh as raw material: corsets molded into lifelike torsos, silicone gills up a bare back, a latex jacket rigged with inflating tentacles.

The techniques came from a workshop that makes lifelike silicone infants for films barred from using real newborns.

Models walked a runway where even the prettiest look, a prom dress beaded in putty-pink pearls, carried an edge of menace.

Piccioli and Iris van Herpen went furthest, erasing the body outright.

At Balenciaga, it meant 3D body scans to build new mannequins, leather and cashmere molded by hand, volume inflated until the wearer became pure outline, from balloon-hemmed gazar to a strapless gown carrying 24,150 shreds of gazar.

Van Herpen dissolved the figure into some 30,000 hand-blown glass beads on sheer tulle.

Fairy tales in a heat wave

The second fixation was make-believe. The shows unfolded against a Middle East conflict, jittery markets and the heat wave outside.

Elie Saab staged a masked ball, drawing on Truman Capote’s 1966 black-and-white bash and the old-Hollywood glamour of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

As luxury shoppers drift toward casual clothes, Saab pushed the other way with velvet corseted gowns, New Look waists, and tuxedos and capes cut for women as well as men, part of a menswear line the house is expanding.

Zuhair Murad took fantasy into a darker garden, with velvet roses, night larks, butterflies and feathered capes moving through deep green, burgundy and black.

Stéphane Rolland turned the mood to mourning.

He staged his show at the Olympia, the Paris hall where Dalida performed, and dressed the collection almost entirely in white in tribute to the singer nearly four decades after her death — satin macramé, ostrich feathers, agate and diamonds.

At Chanel, Blazy turned the Grand Palais into a fairy tale: beanstalks rising through the floor, heels shaped like pea pods and golden eggs.

At Dior, Anderson built a sculptural fantasy around American artist Lynda Benglis: crushed pleated hats, sheer tasseled fans and a wedding-gown finale trailing feathery fronds.

Hand versus machine

The third preoccupation was technology — and what survives of the handmade in an era when software can generate any image.

Schiaparelli made the case in the materials themselves: baked fish scales, pools of paint set into sheets and silicone shaped by hand, a collection that read as an argument for the made-by-hand against the machine-made.

Van Herpen went literal. She sent a dress through a particle accelerator, froze it and planned for the model to discharge lightning on the runway.

The charge escaped early, burning branching channels through the fabric before the show.

Balenciaga paired lab-grown Amsilk silk, which the house says is stronger than steel, with its all-human, white-coated bow to end the show.

By Thursday, the pattern was clear: couture in 2026 wanted the impossible — a body without a body, fantasy with commercial purpose, and machines that still bowed to the hand.

Now Francesca Hong, a single mother who has worked as a dishwasher and line cook, is trying to do the same with her campaign for governor in Wisconsin, a swing state known for razor-thin election margins where winning over moderate, independent voters is crucial.

Hong's candidacy has turned the Democratic primary on Aug. 11 into the latest test of just how far left voters are willing to go in the November midterms.

“We do this in Wisconsin, we’re going to change politics across the country,” the 37-year-old Hong said as she headed into the final month of campaigning. "People who are frustrated and have a lot more to lose — and I’m one of those people — are ready to coalesce around someone they can believe in.”

John Ravdabaugh, an undecided independent voter, came away impressed after hearing Hong speak at the retirement home where he lives. Even though the democratic socialist label concerns him, Ravdabaugh said he would consider voting for Hong.

“Every system reaches a point where change is necessary,” he said.

Whoever wins the primary will advance to almost certainly face Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, one of the most conservative members of the House, who has President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Tiffany has only token opposition in the primary.

The governor's race is integral to Democrats’ hopes of earning full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010, and it will send a signal about where the country's politics are headed by shaping a key political battleground that helps decide presidential campaigns.

Trump-backed Republican d

erides Democratic rivals as ‘crazy’

Tiffany has focused much of his criticism on Hong and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, another Democratic candidate for governor.

“This November, the choice is common sense or crazy,” Tiffany posted on social media in June. Tiffany included screenshots of a Barnes post where he voiced support for cutting prison populations by half and Hong's posts where she advocates for defunding and abolishing the police.

As a candidate, Hong has not backed away from her calls to defund and abolish the police. Hong also supports increasing taxes on the wealthy and creating a state-owned bank to help pay for free health care and free child care, a $20 minimum wage, and a moratorium on data center construction.

Hong dismisses concerns that she’s too liberal to win over key independent voters in a state Trump carried twice and narrowly lost a third time.

“I worry that’s a miscalculation of where voters are at in our state, that we’re underestimating what people want,” Hong said in an interview.

There's a history of socialism in Milwaukee

Last month, democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary for mayor of Washington, setting herself up to clinch the office in November.

Then three congressional candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another democratic socialist, defeated establishment-backed politicians.

And just last week, democratic socialist Melat Kiros beat U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the Colorado primary, a stunning victory for the 29-year-old, first-time candidate against an incumbent who took office before she was born.

But those victories have been in either congressional or mayoral races in large urban centers, a far different landscape than Wisconsin.

In 1910, during socialism’s heyday in the United States, Milwaukee sent the first socialist to Congress and was the first major American city to elect a socialist mayor. Milwaukee elected two more socialist mayors before 1960.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, perhaps the best known democratic socialist, won all but one county in Wisconsin in the 2016 Democratic primary. In 2023, two state lawmakers from Milwaukee revived the socialist caucus in the Legislature, which had been dormant since 1935.

Hong, the first Asian American elected to the state Assembly in 2020, is one of four members of that caucus.

Barnes, 39, served four years in the state Assembly before his four years as lieutenant governor under Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. In 2022, Barnes came within 27,000 votes of ousting Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

“I’ve been around longer than anybody fighting these fights,” said Barnes, who grew up in Milwaukee and is vying to become Wisconsin's first Black governor.

He played down the idea that democratic socialists are surging.

“People aren’t looking for labels, necessarily,” he said. “People are looking for bold solutions.”

Longtime Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki, who is not working for any of the Democrats running this year, said Barnes has an advantage as the most well-known candidate in the race.

“I have believed from the day since Mandela Barnes got into the race, he's the favorite,” Zepecki said. “It is his race to lose.”

Hong rival leans into electability argument

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a former nurse and health care executive who is also running for the Democratic nomination, said she'll have broader appeal in November. She cites her experience in the private sector and her flipping of a state Assembly seat in a conservative Milwaukee suburb, and she emphasizes her ideas for lowering costs for working people.

“I’m not worried about other candidates in this race,” Rodriguez said in an interview. “What I’m worried about is making my argument to Wisconsinites about why I’m the best person to lead the state, how I am going to fight for them."

She launched a $1 million television ad campaign this week that features her in nursing scrubs talking about taking on Tiffany and lowering health care costs.

Other Democratic candidates are state Sen. Kelda Roys, who has the endorsement of the statewide teachers union, and Joel Brennan, a former top aide to Evers.

Missy Hughes, the state’s former economic development director, dropped out of the race in June and endorsed Rodriguez. David Crowley, the top elected official in Milwaukee County, dropped out this week and also backed Rodriguez.

Mainstream Democrats worry about winning in November

More moderate Democrats worry that nominating Hong could hurt them in the general election, especially in Wisconsin where independent voters are key in statewide races that are often decided by tiny margins.

Neera Tanden, who leads the Center for American Progress, said "it’s especially important in the age of Trump” to select viable candidates.

“In Wisconsin, whoever wins the general election will be the person overseeing elections in 2028 and whether people are seated in 2029.”

Evers won his two races for governor by just over 1 percentage point in 2018 and just over 3 points in 2022. Trump won Wisconsin by less than a point in 2024, and lost by less than a point in 2020.

Dave Smith, 72, a retired doctor from Madison who heard Hong speak Tuesday, said the democratic socialist label will be tough for voters of his generation to accept.

“The platform, much of that resonates well,” said Smith, who is undecided whom he will vote for in the Democratic primary. “My vote will likely go to who is the most electable in the fall.”

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Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.

“I think the consumer is worse than what we had anticipated, and it’s driven mainly by gas prices,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said Thursday during a conference call with investors.

PepsiCo's shares fell 4% in morning trading Thursday.

The food and beverage giant said its net revenue rose 6.4% to $24.2 billion for the April-June period. That was better than the $23.9 billion Wall Street expected, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

PepsiCo began cutting prices on value brands like Santitas last year as U.S. customers grew increasingly exasperated after years of price hikes. In February, ahead of the Super Bowl, PepsiCo slashed U.S. prices on Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and Tostitos chips by up to 15%, which boosted snack demand in the first quarter.

But in the second quarter, as gas prices rose, PepsiCo’s snack sales volumes were flat in North America, while its beverage volumes fell 4%. Laguarta said impulse purchases at gas stations and convenience stores were particularly hard hit.

Laguarta said the company is working with those stores to entice customers with more affordable pack sizes and meal bundles.

“Will it change in the coming months? It all depends on the price of gas. So clearly that’s something that is beyond our control,” Laguarta said.

Americans’ attitudes toward the economy have improved slightly as gas prices declined, but their outlook remains mostly negative. And hostilities in Iran have begun to escalate again, driving gasoline prices higher over the past two days.

Sales were stronger overseas, and its overall snack volumes rose 3% while beverage volumes rose 2%. World Cup -themed products, including limited-edition Lay's flavors like Portuguese Chorizo and Onion, boosted sales, particularly in Europe, the company said.

PepsiCo, based in Purchase, New York, said it will continue to invest in making its products more affordable. The company is also trying to meet consumer demand for healthier products. In March it introduced Doritos Protein and Gatorade Lower Sugar, which has no artificial flavors or colors.

The company said it's working with retailers to add shelf space for its products, which should help boost sales in the second half of this year.

Net income more than doubled in the second quarter to $2.98 billion. Adjusted for one-time items, the company earned $2.20 per share, ahead of analysts' forecast of $2.19.

According to the Congolese health ministry, suspected cases have now been recorded in the provinces of Tshopo and Haut-Uele, signaling the continued spread of the disease beyond the epicenter in Ituri.

A Congolese government report, published late Wednesday, said two new cases were suspected in Kisangani, in Tshopo province. The minister did not say how many cases were suspected in Haut-Uele. The total number of confirmed cases across the country has now reached 1,759.

The report said one of the two suspected cases in Tshopo was linked to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri province, where the first cases were reported, while the other case “has no apparent geographical connection to known outbreaks.” Authorities were investigating.

The Africa Centre for Disease Control said on Thursday that the latest outbreak is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on the continent.

The Congolese authorities declared a fresh Ebola outbreak on May 15, after the disease had been transmitting for weeks without official detection, according to the World Health Organization. The latest outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Last week, clinical trials for treatment began after researchers launched a highly anticipated study in the hope of fighting the virus.

Efforts to contain the virus have also been hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, and an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak.

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Justin Kabumba reported from Goma, Congo.

Tyler died unexpectedly in a hospital in Portugal where she was being treated for an illness, her family said Thursday in a statement on her website. She was hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery. She had been placed in an induced coma for a period but was reportedly improving last month and expected to make a good recovery.

“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for,” her family said.

Tyler earned three Grammy nods and in 2013 represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she came in 19th. She was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II, thanks mainly to “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which has had more than 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017 and 2024.

The song spent four weeks at No. 1, and when Stereogum reevaluated it in 2020, the music outlet declared it an “extinction-level event rendered in musical form.”

“It’s pop music as heart-pounding, chest-thumping, blood-gargling, heavens-falling passion explosion. It’s sheer spectacle. It’s fireworks and lasers and lightning and thunder. It soars and swoops and barrel-rolls,” the site said.

The song has never really gone away: it was covered by the English singer Nicki French in 1995, and the band Westlife in 2006. Cate Blanchett sang it while hitting Billy Bob Thornton with her car in 2001’s “Bandits,” it appeared in a wedding scene in 2003’s “Old School” and One Direction sang it in 2010 on a U.K. version of “The X Factor.”

Early life

Tyler was born — as Gaynor Hopkins — a coal miner’s daughter in public housing with an outside toilet in Skewen, Wales, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) outside Swansea. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers.

She adored the Beatles and her first album was “A Hard Day’s Night.” The first song she bought, at 13, was “Hippy Hippy Shake” by the Swinging Blue Jeans and she watched “Top of the Pops” religiously, according to her memoir, “Straight From the Heart.”

She would record “Top of the Pops” on a reel-to-reel two-track recorder and write down the lyrics of songs she loved. Her favorites were by Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding.

“I used to sing them into my hairbrush for hours and hours, and that’s how it all started for me. I fell in love with singing just from doing that. Looking back, even then my voice had a husky tone to it, but I didn’t think much of it. I thought everyone’s voices were different from each other’s,” she wrote.

In 1976 she had to have surgery to remove nodules on her throat, leaving her with that trademark vocal sound. Changing her name to Sherene Davis, she was fronting a soul band when she was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell, who brought her to London for demo sessions. Then she waited for a label until RCA said it was interested.

Under her new RCA-sanctioned name Bonnie Tyler, her debut album “The World Starts Tonight” in 1977 contained her first chart hit, “Lost in France,” and she was nominated for a breakthrough artists award at the Brit Awards. She then had a No. 3 hit in 1978 with “It’s a Heartache,” but soon drifted. She then signed with Sony and saw Meat Loaf perform “Bat Out of Hell” on the BBC. Impressed, she requested to work with Meat Loaf songwriter and producer Jim Steinman.

‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’

Steinman introduced her to his song “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which would become the debut single for her fifth studio album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” He borrowed one of the song’s lyrics — “Turn around, bright eyes” — from his 1969 musical “The Dream Engine,” written when he was a student at Massachusetts’ Amherst College. He told her the song was from a prospective musical version of “Nosferatu.”

“Jim liked to put down a basic rhythm track, do nine takes of the song, choose the best one and then put the kitchen sink on there, like Phil Spector used to,” Tyler told The Guardian in 2023. “He gave me a cassette to listen to in my hotel and we both preferred take two.”

Featuring E Street Band members Roy Bittan on piano and Max Weinberg on drums, “Total Eclipse” is a rumination on lost love: “Once upon a time there was light in my life/But now there’s only love in the dark,” she sings.

The video, a staple of early-days MTV, was shot in a frightening gothic former asylum in Surrey, where the guard dogs apparently wouldn’t set foot in the rooms downstairs where they used to give people electric shock treatment. The visuals included slow-motion tossed doves, candles, dancing ninjas, dancing greasers, Tyler in frighteningly big shoulder pads, fencers, gymnasts, wind machines and shirtless boys wearing swim goggles being doused with water.

“Faster Than the Speed of Night” earned a Grammy nomination for best rock vocal performance — losing to Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” — and Tyler got another nod for “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in the best pop vocal performance category, losing to Irene Cara’s “Flashdance — What a Feeling.”

After the ‘Eclipse’

Tyler never reached such dizzying heights again but stayed current with such movie soundtrack singles as “Holding Out For a Hero” — from 1984’s “Footloose” — and “Here She Comes” from “Metropolis” also in 1984.

Her 2019 disc “Between the Earth and the Stars” featured duets with Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and Status Quo’s Francis Rossi, and she ended that year performing a Vatican Christmas concert before Pope Francis.

In 2013, she switched gears to make a country-flavored record in Nashville, “Rocks and Honey,” which included the Vince Gill duet “What You Need From Me” and a little ballad called “Believe in Me,” written by American songwriter Desmond Child and British songwriters Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. “Believe in Me” was picked to represent the United Kingdom at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden.

“It was an absolutely wonderful atmosphere there,” she told the San Francisco Examiner in 2023. “I was being interviewed every 15, 20 minutes, and when I walked out onstage behind the British flag, I thought the roof was going to come off! It was awesome, just awesome!”

In 2017, she joined Joe Jonas’ band DNCE for a performance on the cruise ship Oasis of the Seas as part of a “Total Eclipse Cruise.” When the moon passed in front of the sun, they played “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

Tyler was married to property developer and former Olympic judo competitor Robert Sullivan.

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Associated Press writer Brian Melley in London contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Tyler was honored by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, not 2023.

Levin has learned from recent experience that being identified as a Jew, especially one who lived in Israel, can trigger uncomfortable questions from fellow Democrats. Or worse. So, she introduces herself by her middle name, Shelly, which she said feels safer.

“I don’t really feel comfortable in leftist circles anymore,” said Levin, a former librarian. “I just want to be a Jewish American who has a connection to Israel. But I feel like I can’t do that. And it’s very frustrating. And sometimes a little scary.”

Nearly three years after the war in Gaza began with Hamas' attack on Oct. 7, 2023, intensifying criticism of Israel within the Democratic Party has left Levin feeling “politically homeless.”

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that most Jewish adults don't feel well represented by political leaders at a troubling moment for many in their community. Most Jewish Americans, 63%, say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the U.S. At the same time, few believe that either party is doing a good job supporting Jewish people in the United States.

The new survey of 1,022 Jewish adults — including people who identify as Jewish by religion and religiously unaffiliated people who identify as Jewish through culture, ethnicity or family background — offers a rare detailed accounting of a key demographic that sits at the very center of some of the nation’s most divisive political debates.

It indicates that many Jewish adults feel isolated at a moment when antisemitism is a growing concern across the political spectrum and support for Israel has become a flash point in both parties. The survey found that many Jewish adults, 36%, say supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important to their Jewish identity, while another 26% say it's “somewhat” important.

Just 15% of Jewish adults say that the Democratic Party supports Jewish people in the U.S. “extremely” or “very” well, while another 33% say the party supports them somewhat well. About 41% say the Democratic Party supports the Jewish community “not very well” or “not well at all.”

Jewish adults even feel worse about President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, although not by much — a noteworthy finding considering that Jewish Americans overwhelmingly identify as Democrats. About half of Jewish adults say Trump and Republicans don't support Jewish people in the U.S. well.

The poll also suggests a sense of isolation. Despite the Jewish community's widespread concerns about antisemitism, Americans overall are far less concerned, with only 38% of U.S. adults saying prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem.

Some Jewish adults feel ‘lost politically'

Nearly three years after the war in Gaza began, it's not just Jewish Democrats who are re-examining their political loyalties.

Max Sacher, a 27-year-old Jewish Republican from Austin, Texas, said he was generally pleased with Trump’s support for the Jewish community until he saw the president’s latest diplomatic attempt to end months of conflict with Iran. Trump launched the war in partnership with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“It’s one of the most embarrassing documents I’ve read. It basically cedes everything to Iran,” said Sacher, who is a graduate student in finance. “I feel very lost politically. I used to have a home. Now I feel like I’m on an island in modern-day politics.”

Jewish voters made up 3% of the 2024 electorate, according to AP VoteCast. They overwhelmingly voted Democratic, with 66% casting ballots for Vice President Kamala Harris and 33% for Trump.

On some key questions, Jewish adults see things differently than Americans overall.

U.S. adults in general are more likely than Jewish adults to see Trump as “extremely” or “very” supportive of Jewish people in the United States. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump is highly supportive of Jewish people, compared to about 2 in 10 Jewish adults.

Most Jewish adults, 77%, say there is more prejudice against Jewish people compared with three years ago, before the Hamas attack.

Ellen Kuberski, a 72-year-old Jewish Democrat from Chicago, scoffed when asked about Trump. She described a “general disgust and hatred” for the Republican president. But she’s also upset with the Democratic Party, which she says has been much more supportive of the Palestinians than Israel or American Jews in recent years. She was especially upset when progressive activists were protesting against Israel even when the Israeli hostages were still captive in Gaza.

“I tend to be more in line with the far left in just about everything else. But now the far left is attacking the Jewish community," she said. “There’s enough antisemitism in the world that we don’t need politicians on what’s supposed to be on our side coming out with that crap.”

Jewish Americans are split on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Trump

The Jewish community is divided over some of the people at the forefront of the Israel debate. However, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who is a vocal critic of Israel, is more popular among Jewish adults than Netanyahu or Trump, who promised to be "the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House.”

About 4 in 10 Jewish adults, 44%, view Mamdani “somewhat” or “very” favorably, while a similar share, 39%, view him “somewhat” or “very” unfavorably. About 2 in 10 Jewish adults don’t know enough to say.

Kylle Epstein, a 24-year-old Jewish Democrat from Clearwater, Florida, cheered Mamdani and like-minded Democrats who have won recent congressional primary elections in New York.

“I think Mamdani is absolutely phenomenal. He makes Democrats think,” Epstein said, calling for "new blood in the party."

On Netanyahu, only about one-third of Jewish adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable opinion of the Israeli prime minister, while about 6 in 10 have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable view, including 42% who have a “very” unfavorable opinion. About 1 in 10 don’t know enough to say.

Jewish adults have a slightly more negative view of Trump than Netanyahu, with a similar share, 29%, saying they view Trump favorably.

Meanwhile, the poll found that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of the nation's most prominent Jewish Democratic officials, is still unknown by many Jewish adults.

About 4 in 10 Jewish adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable opinion of the Democratic governor, while about 2 in 10 have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable opinion. About 4 in 10 don’t know enough to say.

Many think the US is too supportive of Israel

In interviews, many Jewish adults indicated that their Jewish heritage does not mean they want the U.S. government to provide unconditional support of Israel.

In fact, about 4 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “too supportive” of the Israelis, similar to U.S. adults overall, although about 3 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “not supportive enough” of Israel, compared to only about 2 in 10 U.S. adults.

At the same time, about 4 in 10 Jewish adults say the U.S. is “not supportive enough” of the Palestinians, similar to U.S. adults.

The issue is salient for Jewish adults in a way that it's not for many Americans. About 6 in 10 Jewish adults say Israel is an “extremely” or “very” important issue to them personally, compared to only 35% of U.S. adults.

“Jews and Israel are connected, but they’re not synonyms,” said Levin, the former librarian from Los Angeles.

She said that the lack of understanding on both sides has fueled a rise of antisemitism, even in a city packed with Democrats.

She was walking along Los Angeles' famed Olvera Street with her husband last month when they came across a spray-painted sign on the sidewalk that read, “Death to Zionists," alongside an upside down triangle that has been associated with Hamas.

Levin said it's getting harder and harder to support Democrats, although she doesn't think she could vote Republican.

“I mostly shake my head a lot and try to breathe,” she said.

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Sanders reported from Washington.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

The AP-NORC poll of 3,040 adults was conducted June 11-17 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The poll included interviews with 1,022 Jewish adults. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points and the margin of sampling error for Jewish adults is plus or minus 5.0 percentage points.