El incidente ocurrió alrededor de la 1:30 a.m., después de que la Policía de Fort Lauderdale recibiera una llamada sobre un navegante ebrio que chocaba contra otros botes.

Un video captó a testigos observando mientras el bote finalmente quedó amarrado a una parte del muelle. En el video, uno de los hombres parece apuntar con un arma al conductor del bote.

No está claro contra cuántos botes chocó el hombre.

El video también muestra daños en el bote que conducía, incluidos vidrios rotos y partes del casco destrozadas.

Leer en español

The crash happened at the Aliro Apartments near Northeast 142nd Street and 18th Avenue.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene.

Despite the damage, no injuries were reported.

It remains unclear what caused the driver to lose control and crash. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

El accidente ocurrió en los apartamentos Aliro, cerca de Northeast 142nd Street y 18th Avenue.

Equipos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue respondieron a la escena.

A pesar de los daños, no se reportaron personas heridas.

Aún no está claro qué causó que el conductor perdiera el control y chocara. Las circunstancias que rodean el incidente están bajo investigación.

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The investigation began early in the morning in the 2300 block of Southwest 46^th Avenue.

A Local 10 News crew was at the scene as a body was on the ground.

The scene has since cleared, but authorities have not yet disclosed how the person died.

Watch Local 10 News or refresh this page for updates.

La investigación comenzó temprano en la mañana en la cuadra 2300 de Southwest 46th Avenue.

Un equipo de Local 10 News estaba en la escena mientras un cuerpo se encontraba en el suelo.

La escena ya fue despejada, pero las autoridades aún no han divulgado cómo murió la persona.

The primary for governor could set the direction for both parties in the state. A longstanding rivalry between DeSantis and President Donald Trump broadly shapes the Republican contest, while moderate and progressive candidates compete to guide beleaguered state Democrats out of their electoral doldrums.

Eleven candidates are competing for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, including Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former investment firm CEO James Fishback and former state House Speaker Paul Renner.

Donalds has Trump’s endorsement and enjoys an overwhelming financial advantage over the rest of the field. He backed Trump over DeSantis in the 2024 presidential primaries and was considered as a possible Trump running mate that year.

Collins is a close DeSantis ally who says he is running to “protect the DeSantis legacy.” He was tapped by DeSantis to serve as lieutenant governor in August 2025. In his announcement, DeSantis said Collins, an Army Special Forces veteran who lost a leg to combat injuries, was “the Chuck Norris of Florida politics.” Nonetheless, DeSantis has not endorsed a candidate in the primary.

Six Democrats are running to succeed DeSantis, including former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly, state Rep. Dotie Joseph and former high school math teacher Dayna Marie Foster, who is backed by the state’s Democratic Progressive Caucus.

Jolly took an unlikely path to running for governor as a Democrat, joining the party in 2025 after leaving the GOP in 2018. He has a commanding fundraising lead over the rest of the field in spite of his past political affiliation. He has tapped former Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham as his running mate, and her name will appear alongside his on the ballot. Graham is the daughter of the late Bob Graham, the longtime Democratic U.S. Senator and governor.

Florida Democrats have faced a drought in statewide elections, particularly for governor. A Democrat last won the governorship more than 30 years ago. DeSantis was reelected in 2022 with a 19-point margin over former Gov. Charlie Crist, another former Republican-turned independent-turned Democrat.

In the U.S. Senate race, Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody faces minimal opposition for the party’s nomination. Moody was state attorney general in January 2025 when DeSantis appointed her to fill Rubio’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. She is now running to complete the final two years of Rubio’s term.

Her Democratic opponent in November will be either state Rep. Angie Nixon or retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman. Vindman, a former National Security Council staff member, was a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment in 2019. His brother, Eugene, was elected to Congress from Virginia's 7th District in 2024.

Nixon, along with Joseph in the race for governor, was among a group of Black state lawmakers who led unsuccessful Democratic efforts to block Republican redistricting plans in 2022 and 2026.

The new congressional boundaries Republicans enacted in May essentially eliminate four congressional districts currently or most recently represented by Democrats. Democratic U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor in the 14th District around Tampa and Darren Soto in the 9th District near Orlando are both running for reelection in their new Republican-friendly districts and will face the winners of crowded GOP primaries.

In South Florida along the Gold Coast, Republicans redrew the area with the hope of reducing the number of Democratic districts from five to three. Like Castor and Soto, U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz is running for reelection in a new Republican-friendly district, but he must first clear a primary challenge from union organizer and democratic socialist Oliver Larkin.

In another South Florida district, former U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is mounting a comeback bid after resigning from the 20th District in April. She’ll face U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the Democratic primary in the new 20th, which is no longer a majority-Black district.

Republican U.S. Reps. Randy Fine and Cory Mills face competitive primary challenges in the 6th and 7th Districts, respectively, while a crowded Republican primary to replace Donalds in the 19th District has attracted a lot of out-of-state interest. Former U.S. Reps. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Chris Collins of New York, as well as a former Illinois state senator, all seek the Republican nomination.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 7 p.m. local time, which is 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET. Most of the state is in Eastern time, and polls there close at 7 p.m. ET. A few counties are in Central time, and polls there close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, chief financial officer, agriculture commissioner, state Senate and state House.

Who gets to vote?

Only voters registered with a political party may participate in that party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary.

How many voters are there?

As of July 20, there were about 13.5 million registered voters in Florida. Of those, about 5.6 million, or about 42% were Republicans; about 4.1 million, or 30%, were Democrats and about 3.3 million, or about 25%, were not registered with any party. The rest were registered with other parties.

How many people actually vote?

About 1.5 million Republican primary voters and about 1.1 million Democratic primary voters participated in the 2024 U.S. Senate primaries.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 63% of the Republican primary vote and about 77% of the Democratic primary vote in the 2024 U.S. Senate primaries was cast early in-person or by mail.

As of Friday, about 663,000 Republican ballots and about 610,000 Democratic ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

Florida counties release all or almost all of their results from early in-person and mail voting in their first vote updates of the night, usually before releasing any results from in-person Election Day voting. Less than a third of counties release any in-person Election Day results in their first vote update.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 8 p.m. ET, just as the final polls closed in the state. The last vote update of the night was at 11:47 p.m. ET with about 99.9% of total votes counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Florida requires a machine recount in races where the vote margin is 0.5% or less of the total votes cast. A manual recount of overvotes and undervotes is then required if the machine recount results in a vote margin of 0.25% or less of the total votes cast. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 77 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

___

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

The number of people worth at least $100 million whom the Republican president has appointed to his administration is more than four times the combined total under the three previous presidents, according to a report from the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.

It’s the numbers for the Trump administration, in the context of previous administrations, that stand out in Public Citizen’s report, published on Monday. In all, 57 Trump officials are worth at least $100 million, including 17 ambassadors and the remaining 40 in senior posts across the executive branch.

Look no further than Trump's Cabinet. Eight of its 23 members fit the category, notably Treasury Secretary Howard Lutnick and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, both billionaires.

The president, himself a billionaire, has described his inclination toward appointing the ultrawealthy as deference to financial success. And yet, Trump, who owes his White House comeback to support from middle-income, working Americans drawn to his pledge to lower everyday costs, now faces a midterm election electorate decidedly less keen on his handling of the economy.

Presidents have long sought counsel from the nation’s wealthiest people and tapped some for high-profile administrative leadership roles. Likewise, presidents routinely reward wealthy and influential supporters with ambassadorships.

Among the most notable examples is Andrew Mellon, the aluminum, oil and banking tycoon who was among the handful of the nation’s wealthiest people in the 1920s and served as treasury secretary for three presidents.

The Trump officials worth at least $100 million include Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, who are also billionaires, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and special envoy Steve Witkoff, both worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

By comparison, Republican George W. Bush’s administration and Democrat Joe Biden’s each included five members worth $100 million or more. Democrat Barack Obama’s included three, the report states.

A government populated by so many of the economic elite presents potential problems, the report's authors said.

"When the people holding the reins of government are drawn overwhelmingly from the ranks of the ultra-rich, it leads to misplaced incentives and corruption, and begs the question, ‘Whose interests they are truly serving?” said Lisa Gilbert, Public Citizen’s co-president.

The list does not include Trump, whose net worth Forbes estimates at more than $6 billion. Nor does it include space and social media giant Elon Musk, who advised Trump last year on an effort to reduce the federal government's size, scope and workforce and is the world's wealthiest person, with a net worth Forbes estimates at about $860 billion.

Trump's views are well established: Financial success is evidence of executive mastery and negotiating strength.

“They have great competence, those people. Incredible competence. Some of the smartest business leaders,” Trump said last year in explaining why he put considerable weight on advice from business executives.

He has also pointed to investments by wealthy people as a signal of future economic growth. To encourage billionaires to deliver, Trump, in his first year back in the White House, pursued policies on artificial intelligence and financial regulation that could benefit wealthy people, along with tax cuts and reduced regulatory burdens for large-scale investments.

Still, last month, only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, down from 40% at the beginning of his second term and as his Republican Party faces headwinds in its attempt to hold both majorities in Congress in November.

Lighthouse Point police confirmed that the crash happened at approximately 9:25 p.m. Sunday in the 4900 block of North Federal Highway.

Police said officers responded to the scene and found that the crash involved a vehicle and a scooter.

Because of the severity of the injuries sustained in the crash, the investigation was turned over to BSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit, police said.

Lighthouse Point police said they assisted with traffic control while BSO investigators processed the scene.

Authorities have not released information about the person who was injured, the extent of their injuries or a description of the vehicle believed to have left the scene.

North Federal Highway has since reopened to traffic.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

A spokesperson for Burnham declined to comment, saying it was policy not to discuss “national security matters.”

Politico cited four unnamed officials in first reporting that Burnham thought he was messaging with Susie Wiles before he became suspicious and cut off communications.

Last year, the U.S. government investigated a series of messages that elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures in the U.S. received messages from someone posing as Wiles.

Soon after those incidents, the State Department warned U.S. diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using artificial intelligence. The warning followed the discovery that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. senator and a governor.

The FBI had warned of “malicious actors” misusing AI to impersonate senior U.S. government officials.

Burnham, who became prime minister less than a month ago, has tried to forge good ties with the White House. Trump initially warmed to Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, before souring on him.

The upcoming departures of Gov. Mark Gordon and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, along with U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman’s decision to run to replace Lummis, marks the first time in 32 years that Wyoming has had open seats for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House at the same time. The races for Wyoming Secretary of State and state Superintendent of Public Instruction are also open seats, with both incumbents seeking higher office.

All statewide elected offices in Wyoming currently are held by Republicans.

Gordon considered seeking a third term and challenging a state term limit law but ultimately decided against it. Four candidates now seek the Republican nomination to replace him: state Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, former state House Speaker and current state Sen. Eric Barlow, retired Marine Corps colonel and 2022 gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien, and professional bull rider and rodeo producer Curt Blake.

The Degenfelder and Barlow campaigns are on roughly even financial footing, with Degenfelder raising about $1.3 million and Barlow raising about $1.2 million. Bien raised about $192,000, while Blake reported raising no money.

President Donald Trump has endorsed Degenfelder. The winner will face Democrat Kenneth Casner in November.

Among the five Republicans running to replace Lummis in the U.S. Senate are Hageman, former Kirby Mayor Sam Mead and former environmental services business owner Jimmy Skovgard.

Hageman is in her second term in Congress. She was Trump’s pick in 2022 to defeat then-U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the president’s harshest Republican critics following the attack on the U.S. Capitol and his attempts to remain in office after his 2020 election defeat.

Trump has once again endorsed Hageman in her U.S. Senate bid. She has raised about $2.4 million for her campaign, nearly 10 times that of Mead, her closest competitor in fundraising.

The winner will likely face former Democratic state Rep. James Byrd, who is the only candidate in the two-person primary field to report raising any money for the campaign.

Nine active candidates are competing for the Republican nomination to replace Hageman in the U.S. House in what’s shaping up to be the most expensive contest on Tuesday’s ballot. The field includes former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, Senate President Bo Biteman, businessmen Steve Friess and Reid Rasner, and Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray.

Friess, Rasner and Gray have outspent the rest of the field, thanks to sizable loans each candidate has made to their campaigns. Friess, who is a son of the late Republican megadonor Foster Friess, loaned $3 million to his campaign. Rasner loaned about $1.9 million to his campaign, while Gray floated his campaign about $1.4 million.

Neither Trump nor Hageman have made an endorsement in the primary.

In the Democratic primary, former Democratic state Sen. Lisa Kinney, like Byrd in the U.S. Senate race, faces an opponent who has not raised any money.

About half of Wyoming’s 31 state Senate seats and all 62 state House seats are up for election in 2026. Democrats hold only eight seats across both chambers, giving Republicans overwhelming supermajorities. Republican members of the conservative Freedom Caucus movement hold an outright majority in the state House.

Laramie and Natrona counties, home to Cheyenne and Capser, respectively, are the state’s most populous and most influential in statewide elections. Campbell, Sweetwater, Fremont, Sheridan and Park counties also tend to play important roles in primaries. Albany and Teton counties are the most Democratic-friendly in the state and tend to have an outsized say in Democratic primaries. They were the only counties that Cheney carried against Hageman in the 2022 primary, before a 2023 law prohibited Democrats and Republicans from changing their party affiliation at the polls.

The winners of Tuesday’s Republican primaries will have an advantage heading into the general election in a state that’s only elected one Democrat statewide in more than 30 years. Wyoming is one of the most reliably Republican states in the country. It was Trump’s best state in 2024 and 2020 and his second-best state in 2016.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 7 p.m. MT, which is 9 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, secretary of state, treasurer, state school superintendent, state Senate and state House.

Who gets to vote?

Only voters registered with a political party may participate in that party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary. Voters registered with a party had been able to change their party affiliations at the polls on Election Day, but the 2023 law ended that practice.

How many voters are there?

As of August 1, there were about 272,000 registered voters in Wyoming, including about 212,000 Republicans, about 30,000 Democrats and about 25,000 voters not affiliated with any party.

How many people actually vote?

About 104,000 Republicans and about 10,000 Democrats participated in the 2024 state primaries for U.S. Senate. More Republicans voted in the 2022 primary for governor, with about 164,000 voters casting ballots, compared to about 7,000 in the Democratic primary. 2022 was the last statewide primary held before the law restricting party affiliation changes was enacted.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 30% of the Republican primary vote and about 52% of the Democratic primary vote in the 2024 state primary was from absentee ballots cast either in-person or by mail.

As of Friday, about 30,900 Republican primary ballots and about 4,300 Democratic primary ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

In recent elections, more than half of Wyoming counties released all their vote results in their first vote updates, regardless of vote type. Almost every county released at least some in-person Election Day vote results in their first vote updates.

Laramie County tends to release a significant amount of in-person Election Day vote before releasing any results from absentee voting.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 9:27 p.m. ET, or 27 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:58 a.m. ET with about 98% of total votes counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Recounts in Wyoming are automatic if the vote margin is less than 1% of the votes cast for the winning candidate. Candidates alleging fraud or error in the result may request and pay for a recount. The cost is covered by the affected counties if the recount changes the result. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 77 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

___

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

Although the state has long been safe Republican territory in federal elections, this year marks the third consecutive election cycle in which Alaska finds itself among a handful of states at the center of the fight for control of Congress.

At the top of the ballot, Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan faces a strong challenge from Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola in his bid for a third term. They are the most notable contenders among 16 candidates in the state’s all-party primary, in which the top four vote-getters will advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. The winner in November will be determined by ranked choice voting, as is the case for all Alaska general elections following a new law approved by voters in 2020.

Sullivan was first elected in 2014 after defeating Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, 48% to 46%. He won his 2020 reelection with 54% of the vote and a 13-percentage-point lead over his Democratic opponent.

Peltola was first elected in a 2022 special election to replace longtime Republican congressman Don Young, who died after almost 50 years in office. She defeated Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich in Alaska’s first statewide ranked choice voting election. She was elected to a full term later that year but lost her 2024 reelection bid to Begich, who is the nephew of the former U.S. senator.

Peltola has raised about $18.5 million for her campaign, compared with about $11.7 million for Sullivan. As of July 29, Sullivan had about $7.3 million in his campaign account, compared with about $4.6 million for Peltola.

The only other U.S. Senate candidate who reported raising any money was another Dan Sullivan, a former teacher who shares the same first and last name as the Republican incumbent. Republicans tried unsuccessfully to block the other Dan Sullivan from appearing on the ballot, accusing him of colluding with Democrats to help elect Peltola by confusing voters, which he and the Peltola campaign have denied. An Alaska court overturned efforts to boot the challenger from the ballot.

Sen. Sullivan will appear on the ballot as “Dan S. Sullivan” alongside the labels of “Registered Republican” and “Incumbent.” Challenger Sullivan will be listed as “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” without any party affiliation listed, although he filed for office as a Republican.

Nick Begich also faces a crowded field in his bid for a second term in the state’s lone congressional seat, but only commercial fisherman and former Bristol Bay Borough School Superintendent Bill Hill has emerged as a credible challenger. Hill is running as an independent, but he has the backing of several local union organizations as well as that of Anchorage pastor Matt Schultz, the top Democrat in the race before he suspended his campaign and endorsed Hill.

Begich raised about $5.5 million for the campaign, compared with about $1.3 million for Hill, and the incumbent sits atop a far larger campaign war chest.

Seventeen candidates are running to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Among them is former Gov. Bill Walker, who is running as an independent.

Republican candidates include former state Sens. Click Bishop, Shelley Hughes and Lesil McGuire, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, former state revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Edna DeVries, former state Attorney General Treg Taylor and business owner and conservative activist Bernadette Wilson.

Former state Sen. Tom Begich and former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins are the two Democrats in the race. Begich is the brother of Mark Begich and the uncle of Nick Begich.

Voters will also decide a statewide ballot measure that would impose contribution limits on state and local political campaigns. A 2021 federal court ruling lifted limits on what an individual could give a candidate.

Half of Alaska’s 20 state Senate seats and all 40 state House seats are up for election in 2026. Republican lawmakers outnumber Democratic lawmakers, but both chambers are organized by multiparty coalitions rather than along strict party lines.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. local time, which is midnight and 1 a.m. ET. Almost all polls in the state close at midnight ET, but one polling location in the Aleutian Islands closes at 1 a.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, state Senate and state House, as well as a statewide ballot measure.

Who gets to vote?

Any voter registered in Alaska may participate in the state’s all-party, top-four primary system.

How many voters are there?

As of Aug. 3, there were about 602,000 registered voters in Alaska. About 380,000 voters, roughly 63%, were either undeclared or nonpartisan voters; about 142,000, or 24%, were Republicans; and about 70,000, or 12%, were Democrats.

How many people actually vote?

Roughly 190,000 voters participated in the 2022 U.S. Senate and gubernatorial primaries. About 108,000 voters participated in the 2024 U.S. House primary.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 23% of the U.S. Senate primary vote and about 28% of the U.S. House primary vote in the 2022 state primary was cast early in person or by mail.

As of Thursday, about 18,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

A mix of vote results from in-person Election Day and early in-person voting are released in the first vote update of the night. Typically, nearly all in-person Election Day results and in-person early voting results are released by the last update of the night, with the bulk of mail voting results released in the days following election night.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 1:03 a.m. ET, or three minutes after final polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 4:58 a.m. ET, with about 89% of total votes counted. The count reached 100% on Sept. 1 at 6:57 p.m. ET, 12 days after the election.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Recounts in Alaska are automatic in the event of a tie vote. Candidates may also request and pay for a recount. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 77 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

___

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

The USS George Washington is replacing the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East amid growing concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed Lincoln. The move leaves the western Pacific without a key military asset as China shows more signs of aggression.

The BBC asked a U.S. court for help in getting documents and testimony to defend against his $10 billion defamation lawsuit. The request filed in federal court in Florida on Friday argues that Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. have “personal knowledge” and likely have records relevant to Trump’s claims.

The Latest:

Trump’s 60-day deadline for an Iran peace deal is expiring

The deal Trump signed at Versailles set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program. The deadline was Monday, and the two sides are even further apart.

Talks, such as they are, have focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting a U.S. blockade. Both were supposed to have happened under the interim deal. There has been no sign of any compromise on the strait, or that detailed nuclear talks have even begun.

The U.S., meanwhile, has no good options for getting out of the war it started alongside Israel. Acceding to Iranian control over the critical international waterway where global energy supplies moved freely before the war would be tantamount to admitting defeat. Escalating the deeply unpopular war would jolt the world economy and drive up prices ahead of U.S. elections.

Iran says deal with Oman over shipping through Strait of Hormuz is nearly final

Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran on Monday that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route,” and the sides are working to finalize details for the joint statement.

He did not elaborate, but details that have previously emerged suggest the deal would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through a route close to Oman. Ships would transit without paying fees or tolls during the interim period.

The U.S. has sought an acceptable deal on opening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports and it was not clear whether this would meet Washington’s expectations.

US Central Command chief visited aircraft carrier after Trump’s comments

Adm. Brad Cooper visited the USS Lincoln amid reports that its record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days is taxing the crew’s mental health and creating supply shortages. The Lincoln has been supporting Trump’s war against Iran, including the blockade on Iranian ports.

Cooper praised the carrier’s leadership on Sunday for making mental health and resilience a priority. His visit followed comments by Trump on Friday that their deployment is “not nearly long enough.”

Top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have requested a classified briefing on the ship’s situation. Republicans have been less outspoken.

Trump blames vandals for damaged grass where he held his July 4 celebration

Trump on Sunday said vandals are to blame for large swaths of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial — in the same spot where Trump had a stage built and hosted crowds for his July 4 celebration.

Trump made the accusation in a social media post without saying why he believes it’s the work of vandals instead of trampled turf from the Independence Day festivities. He posted a photo showing a once-grassy area by the World War II Memorial, now patchy and brown across much of the sprawling turf.

“Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to his renovation projects in the nation’s capital, often without evidence and sometimes despite opposing accounts from his officials.

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BBC seeks US help in getting Trump family testimony

The BBC asked a U.S. court for help in getting documents and testimony from members of Trump ’s family in connection with his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster, a court document showed.

Lawyers for the BBC argued that Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. have “personal knowledge” and likely have records relevant to elements of Trump’s claims against the broadcaster, according to a filing Friday in federal court in Florida.

The broadcaster has been unable to serve subpoenas because the three have Secret Service protection and other security personnel around them, the filing says.

Trump filed the lawsuit in December seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing it of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.

The allegations center on the way a 2024 documentary edited a speech Trump gave on Jan. 6, 2021, before protesters attacked the Capitol in Washington. The lawsuit accuses the BBC of “splicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump’s speech” to “intentionally misrepresent the meaning of what President Trump said.”

The BBC has apologized to Trump for the misleading edit, but said it had not defamed him.

▶ Read more

US pulls last aircraft carrier from Asia as Trump turns to Iran and Americas

The USS George Washington is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East amid growing concerns about mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed carrier. The Lincoln has had its time at sea extended from its original May return date to support operations against Iran.

The lack of a U.S. carrier in the Pacific may be short-lived if the Navy deploys another in the next couple of months. But it shows how the open-ended operations with Iran are running some American sailors ragged, analysts say, while the Trump administration further retreats from the Asia-Pacific region and focuses on the Western Hemisphere.

“The administration says that the Pacific is supposed to be the most important behind the Western Hemisphere,” said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Instead, the U.S. is “doing the exact opposite” of its previously expressed goal of pulling out of the Middle East.

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Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea

President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back annual joint military exercises with South Korea, saying the ally declined to help with the war against Iran and citing his good relationship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Trump said in a social media post that the exercises, which began Monday, are not only costly but “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he said “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in the White House.

“Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” Trump wrote. The president added that he recently asked South Korea’s president if they would join the U.S. in the “denuclearization” of Iran, “and they said, ‘No thanks!’”

The move is the latest example of the president appearing to turn against an ally in favor of a leader that previous administrations have cast as an adversary.

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According to KWPD, Officer Dustin Christina, 40, was off duty when authorities responded to the area of Peary Court around 5:10 a.m. after receiving complaints and found him sitting in the driver’s seat of a parked car.

Officials said a supervising officer investigated and determined there was probable cause to arrest Christina for DUI.

He was taken to the Monroe County Detention Center without incident on misdemeanor charges of DUI and refusal to submit to DUI testing, authorities said.

No other details were immediately released.

Europe is sweltering through one of its hottest and driest summers on record, which a recent study said was fueled by climate change.

Rain helps, but Belgian blaze is not yet under control

Belgium’s King Philippe interrupted his summer vacation to visit emergency services fighting the wildfire in the eastern High Fens, about eight kilometers (five miles) from the German border, as it spread east after moving into a pine forest on Sunday.

The fire in Liège province has burned an estimated 30 square kilometers (about 12 square miles), leaving blackened trees and smoldering ground. The scent of wood smoke drifted through the fog-drenched forest early Monday.

Dozens of firefighters were aided by aircraft sent from Norway, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands and local police with drones monitoring the fires after a much-welcomed cold front brought overnight rain.

“We managed to maintain the fire where the firemen are situated but there’s still a place which is totally inaccessible, where the fire is still going on in the direction of Monschau in Germany,” said Nicolas Yernaux, the spokesperson for the Wallonia regional public services.

He said overnight rains helped contain the blaze and dampen the possibility that smoldering fires will flare up again, but he said they did not significantly impact the center of the fire.

“Where it is burning, I am not sure it’s really helping,” he said.

Veterinarian Hugues Guyvot, who was involved in animal rescue efforts, said large animals were able to flee but smaller ones like frogs and mice likely burrowed and were baked underground in a landscape of peat bogs.

“Maybe it will take decades to recover from this fire,” he said.

Tourists have left the region and canceled reservations, said Thomas van Sante, the owner of the Mont Dragon hotel near the park where the fire was raging.

“There’s rain now but it is not enough,” van Sante said.

Precautionary evacuation orders remained in effect Monday for hundreds of residents.

Greece quickly extinguishes fire near main airport

In Greece, fire department investigators examined the area on the island of Salamina where a fast-moving wildfire on Sunday killed two people, injured another nine and destroyed several homes. The island lies just west of the Greek capital.

New wildfires broke out elsewhere Monday. Dozens of firefighters along with two water-dropping planes and two helicopters raced to tackle one in Spata, an area east of Athens that includes the main international airport. The fire department said the blaze was contained within 30 minutes.

Separately, the fire department said an 80-year-old man was arrested in the northern town of Kavala on arson charges for allegedly deliberately setting fire to dried vegetation. The arrest was among 302 fire-related arrests since Jan. 1 in Greece, including 31 for deliberate arson and 271 for negligence that sparked fires, the department said.

France says a fire in the southwest is under control

In southwestern France, authorities said a fire in the Landes region was under control after four days of battling the flames, allowing about half of the evacuated residents to begin returning home.

More than 600 residents evacuated last week as the fire burned about 17 square kilometers (6.6 square miles) during a prolonged spell of extreme heat. Some respite was on the way Monday as temperatures began to drop.

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Corbet reported from Paris. Elena Becatoros in Argostoli, Greece, contributed.

About 290 people have died, roughly 140 remain missing and nearly 4,000 others have been injured following the earthquake.

As communities in Colombia work to recover, aid from South Florida is making its way to some of the hardest-hit areas.

On Sunday night, a benefit concert at the Kaseya Center in downtown Miami brought together some of Latin America’s biggest music stars and a crowd hoping to support relief efforts in both Colombia and Venezuela, which is also recovering from devastating earthquakes.

Camilo Garcia, who is Cuban, said he wanted to attend and show his support.

“Loud, beautiful. People dancing. People screaming. Clapping. Everything was nice,” Garcia said of the concert.

He said the event demonstrated the importance of communities coming together following disasters.

“This is a great thing we’re doing for both countries,” Garcia said. “They needed this to get help from us, and we should help more people in the future like this.”

Relief supplies headed to Colombia

The support extended beyond the concert.

A plane loaded with medical supplies was preparing for its second relief flight from South Florida to Colombia.

Juan Rojas, president of Red Legacy Aviation, said the aircraft was headed to Pereira, near the center of some of the earthquake damage.

“This airplane is going to head down to Pereira, which is super close to the center of all the damage -- one of the cities that has suffered the most,” Rojas said.

Help Land Foundation is also among three organizations urgently collecting supplies for earthquake victims.

“We’re small but with big hearts,” founder Ender Urdaneta said. “For us, the important thing is making sure we’re helping those in need.”

The relief efforts come as rescuers in Colombia continue searching for survivors and those still unaccounted for nearly a week after the earthquake.

Kova, a Miami-based singer with deep musical roots, worked with Grammy-winning producer Teddy Riley on her debut single, “Bye Bye Bye.” Riley, known as the creator of New Jack Swing, has become a mentor to the young artist as she develops a sound blending pop, R&B and early-2000s nostalgia.

“I’m a huge 2000s girlie,” Kova said. “That’s my whole brand.”

For Kova, working alongside Riley was an opportunity to learn from someone whose influence stretches across generations of R&B.

“Working with Teddy Riley was such a surreal experience,” she said. “Being in a room with such a legend who has so much aura, knowledge, and he’s iconic. He is a blueprint in music.”

But the upbeat sound of “Bye Bye Bye” came out of a difficult period in Kova’s life.

She said she walked into the studio at a low point and knew exactly what kind of song she needed to make.

“I was like, ‘OK guys, I need a good feel-good song,’” Kova said. “‘I need a song that feels like a bop that’s going to make me feel like I’m the baddest.’”

While the title may sound like a breakup anthem, Kova said its message goes beyond leaving a relationship behind.

“I’m also saying ‘bye bye bye’ to, like, my old identities, my old self, my old friendships, my old habits,” she said.

A musical calling

Music has been part of Kova’s life since childhood. Her mother was a singer in Russia, while her father was a music producer.

Initially, Kova wanted to take a different path.

“I wanted to stand out and I was like, I’m going to be the only one in the family that does not do music. I’m going to be a lawyer,” she said.

That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when time alone gave her an opportunity to reconnect with music.

“You know when something is just your calling, you can’t run from it,” she said. “And I fell in love all over again. I started to write. I started to sing.”

Now, Kova hopes to use her growing platform for more than her music. She has spoken openly about struggling with body image when she was younger and wants her brand to encourage self-acceptance.

“When I was younger I really faced body dysmorphia issues and not loving myself,” Kova said.

Her “Body So Tea” message, she said, is about reminding others to embrace who they are.

“I want to emulate that you are beautiful the way you are and you are special,” she said.

More music on the way

Kova is already preparing her next release, “Red Light Green Light,” which she describes as a blend of pop and house music.

“It’s a metaphor for, you know, that push and pull effect sometimes you have with someone,” she said. “So it’s a very flirty, sexy song.”

In September, Kova plans to perform both songs during her first showcase in Wynwood.

She is also working on additional music, with a potential EP on the horizon.

With two Democrats competing on the ballot, the seat in California’s 14th Congressional District is guaranteed to remain under Democratic control and further narrow an already fragile Republican majority in the chamber.

State Sen. Aisha Wahab and Bay Area Rapid Transit Board President Melissa Hernandez were the finalists in the June 16 special primary, in which the top two finishers regardless of party affiliation advanced to Tuesday’s special election. The two also will compete in the fall in a slightly redrawn district for a full term that begins in January 2027.

Wahab placed first in both the June 16 special primary and the June 2 primary for the full-term seat to replace Swalwell, who has denied the allegations against him. In both contests, Wahab led Hernandez by more than 20 percentage points.

Hernandez has more than doubled Wahab’s fundraising and spending for the campaign, but as of the end of July the two were on roughly even footing in terms of cash in the bank.

The race has also attracted the attention of several outside groups, including some affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel lobbying organization. United Democracy Project, a super political action committee backed by AIPAC, spent $1.2 million on the race in August in support of Hernandez and in opposition to Wahab, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Another group, Bold America, which has received funding from United Democracy Project, has spent about $1.7 million on the race since the special primary, also in support of Hernandez and in opposition to Wahab.

Collectively, outside groups have spent about $4.1 million on the race since mid-July. About $3.7 million was spent to benefit Hernandez’s campaign, compared with just shy of $400,000 to benefit Wahab’s.

The boundaries of the 14th Congressional District were redrawn as part of a new congressional map approved by voters in a 2025 statewide ballot measure known as Proposition 50. The map goes into effect for the full-term seat in January, while the winner of the special election will serve under the current boundaries for the remainder of the year.

Proposition 50 was placed on the ballot in response to mid-decade redistricting efforts led by President Donald Trump in several Republican-controlled states. While the plan created a congressional map more favorable to Democrats, no dramatic changes were made to the 14th District. Under the current boundaries, Democrats make up 50.4% of registered voters in October, compared with 17.6% for Republicans. Under the new boundaries, Democrats comprise about 49.7% of registered voters as of mid-May, compared with about 17.4% for Republicans.

In 2024, Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried the current 14th District with 65.8% of the vote in the presidential election against Trump. If the election had been held under the new boundaries, Harris would have received 65.4% of the vote.

Both versions of the district are contained entirely within Alameda County in the East Bay. The current district includes Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton and Union City, as well as parts of San Leandro, Fremont and Dublin.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. PT, which is 11 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare a winner in the 14th Congressional District special election.

Who gets to vote?

Any registered voter in the current version of California’s 14th Congressional District may participate in the special election.

How many voters are there?

As of May 2026, there were about 423,000 registered voters in the 14th Congressional District, including about 210,000 Democrats, about 73,000 Republicans and about 116,000 voters with no party preference.

How many people actually vote?

Nearly 124,000 voters cast ballots in the June 16 special primary. About 276,000 people voted in the regularly scheduled 2024 general election in the 14th District.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 98% of votes in the June 16 special primary were from absentee ballots delivered in person or by mail.

As of Wednesday, about 52,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election, about 32,500 from Democrats, about 7,800 from Republicans and the rest from unaffiliated or third-party voters.

When are early and absentee votes released?

In Alameda County, the first vote update of the night usually includes only results from mail voting, but the county typically still has a sizable number of mail ballots left to tally by the next morning.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the June 16 special primary, the AP first reported results at 11:17 p.m. ET, or 17 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 1:03 a.m. ET, with about 87% of total votes counted. The vote count reached 99.9% complete at 7:26 p.m. ET on June 18.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

There are no automatic recounts in California. Any registered voter may request and pay for a recount. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 77 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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

Russia has repeatedly battered the Ukrainian power grid since its all-out invasion more than four years ago. Moscow hopes to sap Ukraine’s will to fight by denying civilians light, heating and running water during the bitter winter months.

Ukrainian officials, who say Russia is “weaponizing winter,” fear Moscow will pursue its campaign through the coming winter, too.

Russian drones and missiles struck facilities in several regions of the country, with one asset hit multiple times during the week, Naftogaz said, reporting serious damage to equipment and production capacity. No employees were hurt in the attacks, the company said.

DTEK Group, a coal mining and power production company which says it is the largest private investor in Ukraine’s energy sector, also said a Russian attack started a fire at one of its mines, killing a 52-year-old man.

With troops largely bogged down by drones and robots along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line, both Russia and Ukraine are expanding their aerial campaigns and devising new long-range weapons.

Ukrainian long-range attacks on Russia killed seven people, while five civilians died in Ukraine after strikes by Moscow’s forces, officials said Monday as they collated overnight attacks.

Ukraine depended heavily on foreign military aid after Russia’s full-scale invasion of February 2022 but has gradually increased its domestically produced firepower, firing a salvo of more than 800 long-range drones at Russia on Sunday.

Ukraine also has successfully targeted depots owned by Wildberries, Russia’s main online retailer, as far as 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) from Ukraine’s border.

Russian forces have increasingly hit apartment blocks, ports, schools and hospitals, among other urban targets, killing close to 17,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. The death toll of 437 Ukrainian civilians in July was 70% higher than the same month in 2025, it said last week, as Russia's barrages intensified.

Russia has exploited Ukraine’s severe shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, which are the only way of countering ballistic missiles.

But Kyiv is swiftly innovating, with Ukraine now developing its own ballistic missile to hit back at Russia and working with European countries on developing more anti-ballistic air defenses.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

One person died in a landslide that struck an apartment building in the southern city of Geoje on Monday, the Interior and Safety Ministry said in a report. It said two people were injured in Geoje and two others in nearby cities.

The heavy rains that have pummeled southern South Korea since Saturday have forced about 390 people to evacuate to safe places and caused power outages at about 3,580 houses, the ministry report said.

In the Philippines, heavy monsoon rains flooded key streets and snarled traffic early Monday in the densely populated region of metropolitan Manila and a dozen outlying provinces, forcing the government to suspend government work and cancel classes at all levels starting at noon. Schools were asked to shift to online learning.

About three weeks of intermittent monsoon rains and a storm that lashed the main northern island region of Luzon two weeks ago left at least 23 people dead, mostly due to landslides and floods, and affected 5 million people, including nearly 25,000, who remained in government emergency shelters on Monday in several northern provinces, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

Among the dead were 10 people, including children, whose houses were buried by an Aug. 9 landslide in the northern mountain resort city of Baguio. Three others were dug out alive with injuries by rescuers from the avalanche of mud, rocks and debris that collapsed from a mountainside as people slept, officials said.

Trump cited his good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the decision, a likely bid to reengage with Kim, who views U.S.-South Korean military exercises as invasion rehearsals. But experts say the North Korean leader, now emboldened by his advancing nuclear arsenal and expanding military cooperation with Russia, won’t likely return to talks unless he is assured of serious U.S. concessions.

The 11-day, summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began Monday morning as scheduled and it wasn’t known which parts of the training were being downsized. Trump's announcement baffled many in South Korea, a key U.S. ally in Asia where national security is a top priority due to threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.

Trump orders military to ‘substantially reduce’ drills

Trump said in a social media post that the exercises are not only costly but “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he said “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in the White House.

Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the exercises. He added that he recently asked President Lee Jae Myung if South Korea would join the U.S. in the “denuclearization” of Iran, “and they said, ‘No thanks!’”

Trump’s move is the latest example of the American president appearing to turn against an ally in favor of a leader cast by previous administrations as an adversary. Trump and others in his administration also have railed against NATO allies over a perceived lack of support for his war against Iran, even as they seek to confront an increasingly aggressive Russia in the Baltic region.

The trust many South Koreans have in the U.S. has eroded following a tariff war instigated by Trump’s administration and his transactional approach to security.

South Korea hopes for talks between US and North Korea

The office of South Korea's president said later Monday that the government hopes “friendly relationship” between Trump and Kim would lead to “meaningful dialogue” between the U.S. and North Korea and start discussions on promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. It said that South Korea will make necessary diplomatic efforts for that.

South Korea and the U.S. are closely discussing practical and military contributions that can be made to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to South Korea's presidential office.

Lee is a liberal who espouses improved ties with North Korea. Since taking office last year, his government has taken proactive steps to improve ties with North Korea, including turning off front line loudspeakers that blared K-pop music and world news. On Saturday, Lee offered to hold talks to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The conservative People Power Party, the main opposition party, lambasted Lee for allegedly “turning a blind eye on the public's security concerns” caused by Trump's announcement and prioritizing hopes for U.S.-North Korea diplomacy.

North Korea has shunned any talks with South Korea and the U.S. and accelerated weapons testing activities since Kim's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with Trump broke down in 2019. Kim also has bolstered his diplomatic credentials by aligning with Russia over its war against Ukraine and taking steps to deepen cooperation with China.

In September 2025, Kim suggested he could resume talks with the American president if the U.S. drops “its delusional obsession with denuclearization” of North Korea. Experts say Kim likely aims to use his enlarged nuclear arsenal to win major concessions like extensive sanctions relief.

“Trump’s recent social media posts about Kim Jong Un suggest a willingness to reengage, but North Korea is busy profiting from Russia’s war against Ukraine while modernizing its own military,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Downsizing the U.S. and South Korean drills “can damage alliance coordination, slow the process of South Korea taking on greater responsibility for its own defense, and weaken deterrence against possible conflicts in Asia,” Easley said.

Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at Washington’s Center for a New American Security, said “reducing joint drills weakens military readiness over time against another potential North Korean attack.”

Military drills test tactics and anger North Korea

South Korea's military earlier said the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises this year would be similar to previous years in scale, with about 18,000 South Korean soldiers taking part.

The U.S. military said the drills would incorporate lessens from recent conflicts such as North Korea's battlefield experiences in the Russia-Ukraine front, while including a live-fire exercise to test joint precision targeting and maneuver, a wet gap crossing and distribution of prepositioned military equipment.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Friday accused the U.S. and South Korea of plotting more provocative drills this year and vowed to respond with “a new level of a deterrent.” Earlier this month, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the sea in a likely protest of the drills.

Duyeon Kim, the analyst, said North Korea uses U.S.-South Korean drills “for domestic propaganda purposes to create a false narrative of a hostile America and justify its nuclear weapons program.”

This is not the first time Trump has sought to suspend the drills. After his first summit with Kim in 2018, Trump unilaterally announced the suspension of the U.S.-South Korean summertime exercises, calling them “very provocative” and “tremendously expensive.”

Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said North Korea feels less urgency to return to talks with the U.S. and South Korea now than when it entered talks with its rivals in 2018, but is unlikely to completely ignore Trump's overture.

He predicted North Korea will likely say it has noted Trump's post but will wait for further action showing the U.S. intends to drop hostilities against North Korea.

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Meanwhile, the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the U.S. and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were at the start.

Here’s a look at the latest developments Monday in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Iran says it is near finalizing deal with Oman

Iran said it has reached an agreement with Oman over a plan for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between the countries, and the sides are now working to finalize details for a joint statement.

Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that “an understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route.”

He did not elaborate, but details that have previously emerged suggest the deal would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through a route close to Oman. Ships would transit without paying fees or tolls during an interim period.

The U.S. has sought an acceptable deal on opening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran effectively closed the strait — through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil supplies passed before the war — after Israel and the U.S. attacked the country on Feb. 28.

Baghaei conceded the talks with Oman have gone slowly, “but we had planned, and still plan, to finalize the understanding in the form of a package: the map plus a joint statement.”

Trump says US will bomb Oman if it gets in the way

Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst that the U.S. would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way,” using an expletive for emphasis.

Fox News did not provide audio of the interview.

This is not the first time that Trump has threatened Oman. In May, he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that “Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up.”

Trump also said the expiration of the 60-day deadline on talks to end the war was irrelevant and said there was no timeline, Yingst said. Trump said the U.S. has a back channel for talks with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Yingst added.

Kushner meets with Netanyahu over Gaza road map

Mideast negotiator Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the day after he had two-hour talks with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on disarmament.

Netanyahu last week rejected a 15-point, U.S.-backed road map to move the ceasefire deal forward in Gaza.

Hamas says it has agreed to the road map, which includes disarmament, and the group is urging mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to sign on.

But Israel, which under the road map must gradually withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal.

Israeli troops occupy about 60% of the strip, and Netanyahu has previously threatened to advance further.

Iraqi officials targeted by drone attacks

Two officials in northern Iraq were targeted in drone attacks that the regional counterterrorism service said were launched from the border with Iran.

One was fired at the office of Masoud Barzani, prime minister of Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, and the other targeted the home of a top regional intelligence official, the counterterrorism service said.

There were no casualties. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Since the beginning of the U.S.-Iran war, Iran and Iranian-backed Iraqi militant groups have launched regular attacks on U.S. military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq and on bases of exiled Iranian Kurdish dissident groups, but Monday’s direct attack on regional government buildings was unusual.

Barzani on X called the attack “a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region.”

U.S. forces currently stationed in the Kurdish region of Iraq have begun withdrawing ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline agreed upon between Washington and Baghdad to end the U.S. military presence in Iraq.

The 41-year-old superstar’s contract with Riyadh club Al-Nassr, signed in December 2022, expires next June, and he has told Vogue magazine that another is unlikely.

“This is probably my last year of football, and I want to leave a spectacular legacy,” Ronaldo said.

The Portugal forward, who has scored 976 career goals, married long-time partner, Georgina Rodriguez, earlier this month.

“I have my future all mapped out,” he said. “I have so many things to keep me busy that to tell you just one thing is hard. Because football could leave a big hole, you have to fill your time in various ways, not just one.

“And also have more fun, travel more, watch and play padel, which I really like, and continue to enjoy what I’ve earned — what we’ve earned. Because after all, it’s been 25 years with a lot of sacrifice.”

The 2026-27 SPL season is Ronaldo’s 25th as a professional. During his career, he has won five Ballon d’Or awards and five UEFA Champions League titles.

Ronaldo’s 28 league goals last season helped Al-Nassr become champion of Saudi Arabia in May to secure his first trophy since arriving in Riyadh, and a first league title for the club since 2019.

After returning from his wedding, he missed Al-Nassr’s first game of its title defense on Saturday, watching from the sidelines as it opened with a 3-0 win over Al-Fateh.

“Cristiano is here today, and he is always present with us,” Al-Nassr coach Ange Postecoglou said after the game.

Ronaldo could play against Al-Diriyah in the King’s Cup on Tuesday.

“The most important thing now is recovery, especially as we have only two days after this match,” former Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest coach Postecoglou said.

Ronaldo’s comments came days after long-time rival Lionel Messi revealed that, following his father’s death, he may soon retire.

“I don’t know how to carry on,” Messi, 39, said. “I used to just play football, and now I’m really not sure if I’ll carry on doing it for much longer.”

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The meeting followed Kushner's two-hour meeting with the Hamas leader in Egypt, as the U.S. presses for Israel’s approval of the road map. There is a lot at stake, including the lives of some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, reconstruction of the war-demolished enclave and future control over it.

Hamas says it has agreed to the road map, which includes disarmament, and the group is urging mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace to “compel” Israel to sign on. But Israel, which under the road map must gradually withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal.

Israeli troops occupy about 60% of the strip, and Netanyahu has previously threatened to control more.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Board of Peace Director Nickolay Mladenov were also in the meeting with Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting.

Israel did not immediately comment.

Meeting follows Kushner's conversation with Hamas

Kushner on Sunday met with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on disarmament, according to a regional official and a Hamas official, who both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey also were there.

The Hamas official said the Hamas leader demanded Israel halt its attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called “yellow line” dividing the territory before beginning implementation.

The yellow line was never precisely defined. Israeli forces have moved beyond it and now control about 60% of Gaza. In May, Netanyahu said the next step was to move to 70% control, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction.”

Regional neighbors increase pressure on Israel

Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a statement Sunday condemning Israel’s rejection of the road map, saying, “Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.” Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators.

The foreign ministers’ statement called on the Board of Peace and the U.S. to take “immediate and concrete measures” to keep any party from obstructing the plan’s implementation. Israel had no immediate response.

The White House referred questions about Kushner’s meetings to the Board of Peace, which did not immediately comment. The Tony Blair Institute also did not comment.

The visit sparks hope and doubt in Gaza

While some in Gaza hope that efforts to implement the road map will bring an end to the war sparked by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, others remained skeptical.

Mohammad Abu al-Qombuz cast doubt on all talks and visits currently taking place.

“A conference here and there, it is all lies. We need a definitive solution that would work for everybody,” said Abu al-Qombuz, who lives in a Gaza City tent camp, part of the territory's vast displaced population.

Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee daily operations in the territory. The committee has not yet entered Gaza.

But Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state and the road map entails the creation of a “credible pathway toward achieving Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” something Israel’s current government rejects.

Until the road map is agreed to, other elements of the ceasefire are on hold, including reconstruction and the deployment of international forces to separate Israeli forces from committee-controlled areas.

Netanyahu faces a challenging election on Oct. 27 as he tries to hold onto power with a coalition that includes ministers taking a harsh line on Gaza and it’s not clear whether he will take decisive steps on the ceasefire before then.

Also coming up is the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war.

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Frankel reported from Jerusalem, Magdy from Cairo and Shurafa from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Collin Binkley in Washington and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

The deadline was Monday, and the two sides are further apart than they were then.

Talks, such as they are, have focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting a U.S. blockade on Iran, both of which were supposed to have happened under the interim deal. There has been no sign of any compromise on the strait, or that detailed nuclear talks have even begun.

The U.S., meanwhile, has no good options for getting out of the war it started alongside Israel.

Acceding to Iran's latest demands would mean giving it control over a critical international waterway that carried a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas before the war — and would be tantamount to admitting defeat. Escalating the deeply unpopular war would further draw down U.S. supplies of advanced missile interceptors, jolt the world economy, and drive up gas prices ahead of U.S. congressional elections.

So both sides have dug in, hoping the other will blink first. So far, neither has.

The interim deal collapsed weeks later

The June deal, known as the Memorandum of Understanding, called for a halt to all military operations and set a 60-day deadline for an agreement to permanently end the war and resolve the longstanding dispute over Iran's nuclear activities.

It called for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened but gave Iran a vaguely defined role in facilitating traffic, leaving open the possibility it could charge fees after the 60-day deadline. Iran has seized on that clause to claim control over the waterway.

A week after the deal was signed, Iran began firing on vessels using a route along the coast of Oman, on the other side of the strait, that is overseen by the U.S. military and intended to bypass Tehran's control.

The U.S. responded by striking Iran, which retaliated by attacking Arab countries hosting American forces, like Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. The U.S. canceled waivers issued as part of the deal that had allowed Iran to sell its oil internationally and Trump restored a blockade of Iran's ports.

Each side accused the other of violating the June agreement, of which almost nothing remains.

The fighting eventually died down. A related truce in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah has mostly held, even as Israeli troops occupy large areas in the country's south. Lebanon's "territorial integrity and sovereignty" were to have been ensured under the June deal.

Iranian officials say they stopped negotiating with the U.S. in June, while acknowledging that messages have been relayed by intermediaries. Trump says the talks have continued, occasionally claiming progress after pulling back from threatening major strikes.

Pakistan, which played a key role in brokering the June agreement, noted last week that the deadline was Monday while expressing hope it would be extended.

“We are not closing the chapter,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said. “Pakistan is making all-out efforts to bring the two parties to the negotiating table.”

Iran's leaders think they can force Trump to give up the strait

Earlier this month, Iran issued a list of demands for reopening the strait, including the lifting of the American blockade, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from around Iran and the payment of reparations for damage inflicted in the war started by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28.

Even then, Iran has said it would control the strait — and potentially charge fees — through an agreement it is negotiating with Oman, and that the strait will not go back to being an open, toll-free waterway as it was before the war.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have meanwhile begun attacking Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, threatening another crucial trade route that had been used to relieve some of the pressure from the strait being closed.

Trump has rejected Iran's demands — saying it's Tehran that should pay war reparations and claiming the U.S. controls the strait. He appears to be banking on economic pressure — in the form of the blockade and longstanding sanctions — to bring Iran's rulers to their knees.

Iran's economy has been battered by the war and isolation, and inflation has soared. The crisis could stoke renewed anti-government protests, like those that were brutally crushed in January.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which rose immediately after the interim deal, is back to a small fraction of what it was before the war. Rising prices of fuel and other goods are expected to climb further the longer this continues with effects far beyond the Middle East.

The clock is still ticking for both sides.

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Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed.

El secretario de Defensa del presidente Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, anunció la semana pasada durante una visita a Panamá que Colombia, Guatemala y Honduras habían aceptado permitir que Estados Unidos lleve a cabo operaciones militares conjuntas contra grupos criminales en su territorio, después de Ecuador, que en marzo inició misiones similares con Estados Unidos. Guatemala, sin embargo, ha negado haber alcanzado un acuerdo de ese tipo.

Será “como lo que vieron con los ataques contra las lanchas del narcotráfico”, afirmó Hegseth durante un ejercicio militar en la selva de Panamá. “El mismo efecto en tierra. Y por eso estamos trabajando con Ecuador. Estamos trabajando con Colombia. Estamos trabajando con socios para llevar la lucha a las (organizaciones designadas como terroristas) en tierra”.

La ampliación marca una nueva fase en la campaña del gobierno de Trump para presionar a gobiernos de toda América Latina a alinearse con sus prioridades de seguridad y afirmar lo que denomina “dominancia estadounidense sobre el hemisferio occidental”.

Los votantes de toda la región respaldan cada vez más a líderes alineados con Trump, lo que le da a Washington socios más dispuestos. Pero críticos advierten que la expansión de la campaña militar de Estados Unidos eleva el riesgo de víctimas civiles y de una reacción contra Estados Unidos que podría perdurar más allá del gobierno republicano.

“Lo que está ocurriendo es un intento de legitimar un mayor uso del ejército de Estados Unidos en la región”, señaló Michael Shifter, experto en América Latina del centro de estudios Inter-American Dialogue. “Proyecta poder, demuestra superioridad militar y permite que Washington imponga su agenda. Esto no es cooperación; es, obviamente, una relación muy asimétrica”.

Escalada de ataques unilaterales contra embarcaciones a operaciones terrestres conjuntas

El ejército de Estados Unidos ha operado en América Latina durante generaciones, suministrando a aliados armas, inteligencia y entrenamiento para combatir el narcotráfico, mientras deja un legado problemático de apoyo a golpes militares y dictaduras.

Pero desde que Trump regresó al poder en enero de 2025, Washington ha adoptado su enfoque más intervencionista hacia la región en décadas.

Su gobierno ha designado a 20 grupos criminales latinoamericanos como “organizaciones terroristas extranjeras”, envió fuerzas de Estados Unidos a Venezuela para capturar a su presidente e involucró a agentes de la CIA en operativos contra laboratorios de droga en México. Ha matado a más de 200 personas en más de 60 ataques contra embarcaciones en el Caribe y el Pacífico oriental, ofreciendo poca evidencia de que los objetivos fueran “narcoterroristas” y generando dudas sobre la legalidad de los ataques.

Pero las operaciones de combate continuadas de Estados Unidos junto a fuerzas locales serían “nuevas y diferentes”, indicó William LeoGrande, especialista en América Latina de American University, al poner a prueba sensibilidades arraigadas sobre la soberanía nacional y la presencia de tropas de Estados Unidos.

Hegseth dio pocos detalles sobre cómo serían las operaciones conjuntas con Colombia, Guatemala y Honduras. Pero en Colombia, donde Abelardo de la Espriella —respaldado por Trump— asumió el cargo este mes, planteó la posibilidad de que fuerzas estadounidenses se sumen a ataques contra grupos armados, incluido el Ejército de Liberación Nacional, o ELN, el último gran grupo guerrillero de Colombia. Hegseth dijo que de la Espriella había solicitado una mayor participación militar de Estados Unidos.

“En cualquier lugar donde trafiquen drogas o amenacen al pueblo estadounidense o a nuestros socios, son un objetivo igual que ISIS o Al Qaeda”, sostuvo Hegseth, al equiparar a los narcotraficantes con grupos extremistas islámicos que dominaron durante décadas las prioridades de seguridad nacional de Estados Unidos.

De la Espriella prometió el sábado, tras un ataque con dron del ELN contra tropas, que los rebeldes pagarían un alto precio.

Preocupaciones por la presencia militar de EEUU

Ecuador se ha convertido en el caso más claro de participación militar directa de Estados Unidos, al lanzar redadas conjuntas con Washington pese a que los votantes rechazaron abrumadoramente las bases militares extranjeras en un referendo de noviembre de 2025. Una investigación de The New York Times halló que un ataque contra un supuesto laboratorio de drogas en marzo destruyó, en cambio, una finca ganadera.

El impulso para extender acuerdos de ese tipo ha ganado más tracción entre los aliados ideológicos de Trump en la región: líderes conservadores elegidos en los últimos meses con promesas de ofensivas agresivas contra el crimen.

Guatemala destaca como una excepción. Su gobierno progresista ha trabajado estrechamente con Washington en materia de seguridad pese a diferencias políticas. Pero el presidente, Bernardo Arévalo, ha negado haber acordado operaciones antidrogas conjuntas, al afirmar que serían ilegales sin aprobación del Congreso.

Honduras, Colombia y Ecuador no respondieron a solicitudes de comentarios sobre las declaraciones de Hegseth.

Un caso llamativo fuera de la nueva alianza antidrogas de Estados Unidos es México, un importante origen y punto de tránsito del fentanilo y otras drogas que ingresan a Estados Unidos. La presidenta progresista Claudia Sheinbaum ha cooperado estrechamente con Washington en seguridad, pero ha resistido la creciente presión para que el ejército de Estados Unidos tenga un papel en la lucha contra los cárteles en territorio mexicano.

“En última instancia, Estados Unidos tendrá que definir qué significa ‘operaciones conjuntas’ en cada uno de estos países. Puede descubrir bastante rápido que esto es algo con lo que la mayoría de los gobiernos —incluso gobiernos de derecha— se sienten bastante incómodos”, expresó Adam Isacson, analista de defensa de la Washington Office on Latin America.

"Sólo pueden ceder soberanía hasta cierto punto"

Observadores cuestionan si un enfoque más militarizado produciría mejoras de seguridad duraderas. Shifter dijo que la campaña podría servir en parte como una demostración de fuerza, apoyándose en la captura del expresidente venezolano Nicolás Maduro, mientras el gobierno de Trump busca compensar reveses de política exterior en otros frentes, incluido Oriente Medio.

Otros advierten que la estrategia conlleva el riesgo de víctimas civiles, particularmente en Colombia, donde grupos armados operan entre poblaciones civiles y a menudo funcionan como autoridades de facto en zonas fuera del alcance del Estado. En lugar de hacer retroceder a esos grupos, los ataques militares tienen más probabilidades de obligarlos a adaptarse, afirmó Jeremy McDermott, codirector de la organización investigativa InSight Crime, con sede en Colombia.

“Estados Unidos bombardea un campamento del ELN en Colombia o en Venezuela, ¿qué es lo primero que va a hacer el ELN? Van a desmantelar todos sus campamentos y se van a mover a las aldeas y a los pueblos”, explicó.

A largo plazo, dicen expertos, una participación militar más profunda de Estados Unidos podría poner a prueba hasta dónde están dispuestos a llegar los votantes al priorizar la seguridad sobre la soberanía, lo que potencialmente limitaría incluso a los aliados más cercanos de Trump.

“Todos estos presidentes, sin importar cuán de derecha sean, enfrentan presión para hacer algo sobre la seguridad y para dar una señal de que persiguen a los ‘malos’ que hacen que la gente se sienta insegura. Hay un amplio acuerdo en eso”, comentó Isacson. “Pero también saben que sólo pueden ceder soberanía hasta cierto punto antes de que la opinión pública empiece a volverse en su contra”.

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DeBre informó desde Buenos Aires, Argentina. Los periodistas de The Associated Press Sonia Pérez D. en Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala; Marlon González en Tegucigalpa, Honduras; y Astrid Suárez en Bogotá, Colombia, contribuyeron a este despacho.

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

President Donald Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced last week during a visit to Panama that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil, following Ecuador, which launched similar missions with the U.S. in March. Guatemala, however, has denied reaching such an agreement.

It will be “like you saw with the strikes on the drug boats,” Hegseth said during a military drill in the jungle in Panama. “Same effect on land. And so we’re working with Ecuador. We’re working with Colombia. We’re working with partners to bring the fight to the (designated terrorist organizations) on land.”

The expansion marks a new phase in the Trump administration’s campaign to pressure governments across Latin America to align with its security priorities and assert what it calls “American dominance over the Western Hemisphere."

Voters across the region are increasingly embracing Trump-aligned leaders, giving Washington more willing partners. But critics warn that the widening U.S. military campaign risks civilian casualties and a backlash against the U.S. that could outlast the Republican administration.

“What's going on is an attempt to legitimize the increased use of the U.S. military in the region,” said Michael Shifter, a Latin America expert at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank. “It projects power, demonstrates military superiority and enables Washington to impose its agenda. This is not cooperation, it’s obviously a very asymmetrical relationship.”

Escalating unilateral boat strikes to joint land operations

The U.S. military has operated in Latin America for generations, supplying allies with weapons, intelligence and training to fight drug trafficking, while leaving a fraught legacy of support for military coups and dictatorships.

But since Trump returned to office in January 2025, Washington has pursued its most interventionist approach to the region in decades.

His administration has designated 20 Latin American criminal groups as “foreign terrorist organizations,” sent U.S. forces into Venezuela to capture its president and involved CIA agents in drug lab busts in Mexico. It has killed more than 200 people in over 60 boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, offering little evidence that those targeted were “narco-terrorists” and drawing questions about the strikes’ legality.

But sustained U.S. combat operations alongside local forces would be “new and different,” said William LeoGrande, a Latin America specialist at American University, testing deep-rooted sensitivities over national sovereignty and the presence of U.S. troops.

Hegseth provided few details about what joint operations with Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras would look like. But in Colombia, where Trump-backed Abelardo de la Espriella took office this month, he raised the prospect of U.S. forces joining strikes against armed groups including the National Liberation Army, or ELN, Colombia’s last major guerrilla group. Hegseth said de la Espriella had requested greater U.S. military involvement.

“Anywhere you traffic drugs or you threaten the American people or our partners, you are a target just like ISIS or al-Qaida,” Hegseth said, equating drug traffickers with Islamic extremist groups that dominated U.S. national security priorities for decades.

On Saturday, following a drone attack by the ELN on troops, de la Espriella vowed the rebels would “pay a high price."

Concerns over US military presence in Latin America

Ecuador has emerged as the clearest case of direct U.S. military involvement, launching joint raids with Washington despite voters overwhelmingly rejecting foreign military bases in a November 2025 referendum. A New York Times investigation found that one strike on an alleged drug lab in March instead destroyed a cattle farm.

The push to extend such agreements has gained the most traction among Trump’s ideological allies in the region — conservative leaders elected on promises of aggressive crackdowns on crime in recent months.

Guatemala stands out as an exception. Its progressive government has worked closely with Washington on security despite political differences. But President Bernardo Arévalo has denied agreeing to joint anti-drug operations, saying they would be illegal without congressional approval.

Honduras, Colombia and Ecuador did not respond to requests for comment on Hegseth’s remarks.

A notable outlier from the new U.S. anti-trafficking alliance is Mexico, a major source and transit point for fentanyl and other drugs entering the U.S. Progressive President Claudia Sheinbaum has cooperated closely with Washington on security but resisted mounting pressure for a U.S. military role in fighting cartels on Mexican soil.

“Ultimately, the United States will have to define what ‘joint operations’ means in each of these countries. It may discover pretty quickly that this is something most governments — even governments on the right — are quite uncomfortable with," said Adam Isacson, a defense analyst with the Washington Office on Latin America.

'There is only so much sovereignty they can cede'

Observers question whether a more militarized approach would produce lasting security gains. Shifter said the campaign may serve partly as a show of force, building on the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as the Trump administration seeks to offset foreign policy setbacks elsewhere, including in the Middle East.

Others warn the strategy risks civilian casualties, particularly in Colombia, where armed groups operate among civilian populations and often function as de facto authorities in areas beyond the state’s reach. Rather than beating back those groups, military strikes are more likely to force them to adapt, said Jeremy McDermott, co-director of the Colombia-based investigative organization InSight Crime.

“The U.S. bombs an ELN camp in Colombia or in Venezuela, what is the first thing the ELN are going to do? They’re going to dismantle all their camps and move into the villages and towns,” he said.

In the long term, experts say, deeper U.S. military involvement could test how far voters are willing to go in putting security over sovereignty, potentially constraining even Trump’s closest allies.

“All of these presidents, no matter how far right they are, face pressure to do something about security and to make a show of pursuing the ‘bad guys’ who are making people feel unsafe. There is broad agreement on that," Isacson said. “But they also know there is only so much sovereignty they can cede before public opinion begins turning against them."

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DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press journalists Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Astrid Suárez in Bogotá, Colombia, contributed to this report.

The S&P 500 edged 0.1% higher, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.2%. Nasdaq futures gained 0.5%.

U.S. stocks hit an all-time high last week despite some recent downbeat data about jobs and, most notably last week, retail spending.

Americans unexpectedly pulled back on retail spending in July by the biggest amount in more than a year, according to the Commerce Department data released Friday

Walmart and Target both post second quarter earnings this week, with Target surging under new CEO Michael Fiddelke, a 20-year company veteran who took over in February. Home improvement companies Home Depot and Lowe's also report quarterly earnings this week.

The entire sector is wrestling with stubbornly high inflation and customers that are laser focused on prices.

The weak jobs and retail data has diminished the odds of any interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve. That's good for markets because it lowers the cost of credit, but it may also suggest slowing growth at a time when inflation is elevated.

The Fed has no good tool to fix a stagnating economy and high inflation at the same time, making so-called “stagflation” a worst-case scenario.

The Fed is set to report minutes from its July meeting on Wednesday, which will provide more details about its thinking on interest rates.

Oil prices rose Monday with Iran saying it is working with Oman on a plan to manage the transit of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

Global oil supplies have been squeezed because about 20% of the world's crude is transited through the strait on a typical day. Iran effectively shut down the strait after it was attacked by the U.S. and Israel in late February.

Brent crude, the international standard, rose 1.1% to $89.50 per barrel, while U.S.

In European trading, Germany's DAX dipped 0.9% at 26,416.57, while the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.2% to 8,622.43.

Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.1% to 10,751.53.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.7% to 69,220.25 after the Japanese government reported the economy grew slightly faster than forecast in the April-June quarter. In quarterly terms, the economy grew 0.3% in the second quarter of the year.

The U.S. dollar fell to 159.17 Japanese yen from 159.32 yen. The euro rose to $1.1600 from $1.1588.

Many residents on Flores island in East Nusa Tenggara province spent the day mourning victims and waiting for aid to arrive to communities still cut off by the deadly quake.

During Indonesia’s Independence Day ceremony in the capital Jakarta, President Prabowo Subianto asked participants to pray for people affected by disasters in East Nusa Tenggara and other parts of the country, while leading a nationwide moment of silence honoring the nation’s independence heroes.

More than 1,300 homes were damaged when the quake struck East Nusa Tenggara province on Saturday, with nearly 250 destroyed on Flores alone. Some 5,000 people were forced into temporary shelters and 213 people were injured, according to the National Disaster Management Agency or BNPB.

The province's governor declared a 14-day state of emergency on Sunday.

The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and residents fled in panic as tsunami warnings were issued but later lifted. Authorities have since recorded 1,576 aftershocks into Monday, though only a small proportion were felt by residents.

Thousands await aid amid devastation

Thousands of people on Flores camped outside collapsed homes under tarpaulin tents overnight into Monday, sleeping outside because of the danger of more aftershocks.

An Associated Press photojournalist saw widespread devastation across the island, with fallen trees blocking roads, giant boulders hurled down slopes by landslides, and homes left shattered or heavily damaged. Buildings collapsed onto parked cars.

For many residents, the disaster revived painful memories of a powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck Flores in 1992, killing about 2,500 people.

"My house is just rubble now,” said Rasyid Jafar, a clothing trader in the village of Reo, the hardest-hit area in Manggarai regency, ”We need food, medicine and clean water urgently.”

Nearly 1,500 military and police personnel have been deployed across the disaster zone, supported by 10 aircraft to distribute 275 tons of aid to the area as logistical challenges have slowed deliveries to some hard-hit communities, said Abdul Muhari, the BNPB's deputy chief, in a video statement.

Authorities set up two emergency field hospitals in the worst-hit town of Ruteng to treat earthquake victims after local hospitals were damaged, with two crisis management teams overseeing a health emergency operation center, Muhari said.

He also said rescue teams continue searching for victims in the affected areas, although no residents have reported any family members still missing.

Rescuers struggle to reach isolated communities

Aid workers reached tiny Palue Island, one of the areas closest to the earthquake’s epicenter, late Sunday, after a difficult sea and land journey through landslide-hit terrain, authorities said. Thousands of residents remained in urgent need of assistance after days of isolation.

"The roads are steep and many were blocked by landslides. It was a near-death journey,” said deputy police chief of Sikka regency, Marselus Yugo Amboro, whose team was among the first to reach the island with emergency supplies.

He said initial assessments revealed extensive damage, with one villager killed, two seriously injured and nearly 150 homes destroyed.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped arc of seismic faults and volcanoes.

In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake triggered a tsunami on the island of Sulawesi that killed more than 4,400 people. In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 quake off Sumatra unleashed a tsunami that killed about 230,000 people in a dozen countries, nearly 170,000 in Aceh province alone.

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Karmini reported from Jakarta. Associated Press journalists Edna Tarigan, Dita Alangkara and Andi Jatmiko, in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this story.

That’s true — with a caveat. Wasserman Schultz is seeking her 12th term by running in a new district after Republicans scrambled the state’s congressional map earlier this year.

The fallout pushed Wasserman Schultz, a former national party chair with powerful ties in Washington, to cross district lines from her Fort Lauderdale exurb and be the only white candidate against four Black candidates in an area of Broward County that has helped send Black Democrats to Congress since 1992. That’s yielded an uncomfortable fight following the U.S. Supreme Court decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act provisions undergirding minority voting strength and effectively cleared Old Confederacy states, including Florida, to reshape House districts.

“For her to come in like this is just another Broward seat, it's a complete erasure of our history, our fight for Black access,” said former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, 47, who resigned from the seat in April while facing an ethics investigation but now wants it back.

Another candidate, 27-year-old progressive organizer and substitute teacher Elijah Manley, said Republicans’ redistricting ploy is not Wasserman Schultz’s fault. But she “had other options,” Manley added, including running in her new home district, which was gerrymandered to include the more conservative Gulf Coast.

“Instead, she stabbed us in the back, trying to take away Black representation,” Manley said, pointing to Congressional Black Caucus warnings that it could lose more than a quarter of its 60-plus members this fall.

Wasserman Schultz, 59, is by far the best funded out of five Democratic candidates and benefits from Florida rules that do not require a majority to win primaries.

She argued that she can ably advocate for the whole region after representing wide swaths of Broward as a state and federal legislator across three decades. “I’m not air dropping myself into this district,” she told The Associated Press. “I have represented diverse communities. I know how to tailor my service to them and represent a district more broadly.”

A win by Wasserman Schultz would be a rarity

President Donald Trump started pushing Republican-run states to redraw House boundaries last year to help preserve the party's fragile majority. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded with an effort that clusters southeast Florida Democrats together, intending to reduce five Democratic seats to three. Broward, the state’s most Democratic county, situated between Miami-Dade and Palm Beach, now has just one presumed-Democratic district anchored in and around Fort Lauderdale.

Nationally, white lawmakers typically hold some of the 115-plus House seats where the voting-age population is majority non-white. Wasserman Schultz does it in her existing north Broward-Palm Beach district, which was drawn after the 2020 census to be 42% Hispanic, 18% Black and about 6% Asian American. White voters compose the remaining third.

But a white lawmaker is a rarity for majority or plurality Black districts, like the new Florida 20th. The district is 42% Black, 23% Hispanic and 4% Asian, the rest white. The Black share includes a large Caribbean population, most notably Haitian Americans.

Going into November, an Associated Press analysis found that Wasserman Schultz is the only white Democrat positioned to represent any of the remaining districts with a Black majority or plurality.

Cherfilus-McCormick said she can win, despite losing Black constituents she previously represented in Palm Beach County. She dismissed concerns over federal criminal charges accusing her of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds. She has pleaded not guilty and has denied alleged violations of House rules.

The criminal case and redistricting fit together, she insisted, and “the people see what’s going on — them trying to silence the only Haitian member of Congress and take away our voice.”

Manley, though, was more circumspect about Wasserman Schultz’s status as the favorite. He mused about upsetting the veteran congresswoman on Tuesday yet looked ahead to the 2028 elections, hoping Black Democrats rally around one candidate rather than four. The current field also includes former 2 Live Crew rapper Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell and real estate broker and former local elected official Dale Holness.

Von Howard, a Black resident of Plantation, said the choice was wrenching. He declined to disclose his vote but said he wanted someone who “understands the totality of the district.”

“If you're not of the people, and you just want this for the clout, in some instances, that could be a turnoff,” the 47-year-old said.

Broward NAACP President Marsha Ellison was more direct, without endorsing any candidate.

“The whole mission was to take away Black power, so we don’t have representation to understand our lived experience,” she said. “That may not be important to Debbie, but it’s certainly important to us.”

There's a debate over what representation means

Wasserman Schultz said she occasionally hears those concerns from voters. Her response is that “lived experience matters, but experience broadly matters" as well.

She notes her Appropriations Committee seat, which could be even more influential should Democrats win a House majority. She recalls programs impacting Black communities she helped create and fund since her first years in the Florida Legislature.

“I fight every single day to help improve the lived experience of the people that I represent,” she said.

Wasserman Schultz also said she’s worked to connect across race and culture in Broward. Because of her existing district makeup, “I spent six years learning Spanish,” to converse with individuals and in town halls, news conferences and interviews broadcast on Spanish-language stations.

“Out of respect,” she said, “anything I can do to inspire people’s confidence that the person representing them understands them.”

Wasserman Schultz is a recognizable figure

Several times outside of early voting sites, Black, white and Hispanic voters waved or stopped to talk to the congresswoman. Among them were Broward County sheriff’s deputies who wanted photos and a trio of women who lamented they had been drawn into a new Republican-leaning district.

Yusdefs Delgado, a naturalized citizen from Colombia, told Wasserman Schultz that he enjoys her social media posts but wants to hear more about policy and less about the president.

“We know Trump sucks,” he told her, smiling and confirming that he voted for her. “I don’t agree with her on everything, but she’s closest to where I am, and I trust her to try to do the right thing for us,” Delgado explained later.

Cherfilus-McCormick and Manley said that’s not enough given the environment after the Supreme Court decision, Trump’s attacks on diversity initiatives and his push to rewrite how the U.S. tells its history on race and racism.

“We’re not at a place in this country where we can be completely colorblind politically,” Manley said. “We’re just not.”

Wasserman Schultz said the new district “is drawn in a way that the plurality population has the ability to elect the person of their choice” — language that alludes to the now-diminished Voting Rights Act. Voters, she said, can “consider all of the qualities that matter to them.”

As for putting herself on the ballot again, she remained unapologetic.

“Trump and DeSantis did this to our community,” she said, adding, “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let them steal Broward’s political power, de-unify us and prevent us from standing up for our community’s values.”

___

Associated Press journalist Matthew Klein contributed from Washington.

Ukraine's drones have pummeled the giant depots belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, burning billions of dollars’ worth of merchandise and bringing the war home to the broad public.

The attacks on about 20 Wildberries facilities have underlined Kyiv’s ability to strike far and wide inside Russia and posed a new challenge to President Vladimir Putin nearly 4½ years into his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

They have badly shaken the empire built by Tatyana Kim, the country’s richest female entrepreneur, whose fortune has been estimated at $8.1 billion.

Hundreds of thousands of individual sellers have lost their merchandise, sending shock waves across Russia’s economy. Wildberries has drawn massive loans from VTB and other banks as it expanded and likely will have trouble repaying them, putting more pressure on the financial system.

An online giant began in a Moscow apartment

Kim, 50, was born in Grozny, the capital of the province of Chechnya, to an ethnic Korean family of an engineer and a teacher. She launched Wildberries in 2004 from her Moscow apartment soon after giving birth to her first child while working as an English teacher.

“The idea was born from my own needs, and turned out to be needed by hundreds of thousands,” said Kim, now a mother of seven. “If a product or service makes your own life easier, you’re on the right track.”

Wildberries initially sold clothing before expanding to appliances, household items, cosmetics, books and more. The platform with its distinct purple logo has become an undisputed leader in e-commerce, accounting for about half of all online orders in Russia. Businesses big and small use it to store, ship and deliver merchandise across the country's 11 time zones.

An estimated 500,000 to 800,000 sellers use Wildberries, often described as Russia's Amazon. After Western brands fled following the war in Ukraine, online retailers filled the void with merchandise from China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere.

The company also acquired a bank, expanded to tourism and even considered buying an airline.

In 2024, Kim divorced her husband, Vladislav Bakalchuk, triggering a fight for control of the company. Bakalchuk sought the support of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his feared paramilitary forces but eventually lost the battle, which peaked in a shootout at a business center near the Kremlin that left two people dead and several wounded.

Wildberries depots are easy targets

Unlike smaller competitors Ozon and Yandex Market, the company has prided itself on relying on about two dozen mammoth warehouses as the core of its vast logistical network, stockpiling the goods before shipping to about 100,000 storefront distribution points.

As Ukraine embarked on a strategy of long-range drone attacks deep inside Russia, it has expanded from striking military bases, oil refineries and other infrastructure to Wildberries warehouses, which provided particularly soft targets.

Since the first attack July 18 in Elektrostal, just east of Moscow, and in the southwestern Tambov region, Wildberries depots burned one after another in massive fires that flooded social media.

The depots, some as big as 300,000 square meters (about 3.2 million square feet) were unprotected. It took three days to extinguish the fire in Elektrostal, a key Moscow region hub.

On Sunday, Ukraine set ablaze another such hub in Podolsk, also near the capital.

Seven of Wildberries' 10 largest logistics centers have been knocked out of operation, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said. Wildberries did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“These are not military and high-value political targets, therefore they’re not especially secured, they’re not really built to be able to shrug off drone strikes,” said podcaster Mark Galeotti, a Russia expert who heads the Mayak Intelligence consultancy.

The strikes have stretched from the European part of Russia to Yekaterinburg, over 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) from Ukraine's border.

There's scarce public data, but some estimates indicate up to 20% of the company's total warehouse space has been destroyed, with assessments of losses running as high as $6 billion.

Kim said Wildberries’ sites have been “reinforced and strengthened” defensively, but the attacks continued. Some warehouses suffered only minor damage, and Ukraine tried to hit them again.

Wildberries said it's rearranging supply chains to create “partner hubs” for storing merchandise — a challenging process, given its dependence on big depots.

Attacks cause a ripple effect

Ukrainian officials have said Wildberries sells gear and technical components, including drones, to the military. Moscow denied it, but such dual-use items as drone components, flak jackets or thermal weapon sights remain available on the platform.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the attacks were designed to disrupt military supplies, breed popular discontent and cause a domino effect in the Russian economy by putting stress on major banks, including VTB and Sberbank, that made massive loans to Wildberries.

Wildberries’ debts were estimated at the equivalent of about $15 billion at the end of 2025.

Russia's small and medium businesses already have been hit hard by tax increases, regulatory hurdles and, most recently, a fuel crisis from attacks on oil refineries.

Chris Weafer, CEO of Macro-Advisory Ltd. Consultancy, said Monday the attacks have exacerbated Russia's business environment and are an attempt by Kyiv “to undermine public confidence.”

“There is a segment of the manufacturing sectors in Russia and elsewhere that are definitely suffering significantly from that,” he said.

Wildberries had recently changed its seller policy, exempting it from liability for stock damaged by a “force majeure” that includes drone attacks.

Kim pledged to support sellers with discounts on storage, free transfer of goods to other sites, discounted loans and other measures. Wildberries also issued some reimbursements that covered only a fraction of the losses.

Russia’s Central Bank has asked lenders to restructure loans to small and medium businesses that lost merchandise.

Meanwhile, many owners of Wildberries pickup points face lost revenue amid the plunging deliveries. Some vented frustrations on social media about going out of business.

The lost goods mean tens of thousands of small businesses can't continue to operate, service their loans or pay taxes. Many are pleading for government support.

Galeotti said the strikes reflected Kyiv's effort to bring the war home to Russia.

“It’s not just about seeing great clouds of black smoke over your cities because of some oil refinery on the outskirts being hit," he said. "You might be a small business whose inventory has just gone up in smoke in one of the Wildberries’ warehouses. Or else you just simply might be an ordinary consumer who just suddenly is no longer going to get the goods that you plan to buy.”

Some analysts warn the attacks could fuel stronger anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western fervor.

The Wildberries attacks have played into the hands of Russian hawks who urge escalating the war, said pro-Kremlin political expert Sergei Markov.

“It strengthens the view that it’s necessary to hit Europe,” he said. “And better sooner than later.”

Former President Dmitry Medvedev sought to stir up anger at Ukraine for trying to destroy an essential daily routine for millions.

“Our enemy is fighting not the Russian leadership or the army, but ordinary citizens,” he said.

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, is charged with murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang in the rapper’s death. He pleaded not guilty, but if convicted, faces life in prison.

The long-unsolved drive-by shooting gripped the hip-hop community, partly because no one was charged until Davis was indicted in 2023.

Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time, despite dying at 25. He was nominated for six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.

In recent years, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, had a street in Oakland named in his honor and inspired a character on the upcoming video game "Stranger than Heaven.”

Over the course of the trial, which could span weeks, prosecutors plan to call 35 to 45 potential witnesses, and the defense will call only a handful to testify.

Members of Shakur’s family are expected to be in the courtroom Monday. Shakur’s stepbrother, Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, recently told The Associated Press that sitting through the trial will be retraumatizing for the family, but it's important to be there.

“We’re gonna stand by Pac as we always have,” he said.

All eyes on Tupac

Along with Shakur's family, friends and fans traveled to Las Vegas to show their support during jury selection.

Darryl Harper, a veteran music producer who collaborated with Shakur at Death Row Records on songs released after the 1996 shooting, said he booked a plane ticket as soon as the latest trial date was set.

“He became a personal friend of mine as I worked with him almost every day of his last days here,” said Harper, who flew in from his home in Georgia.

Harper hopes the trial will reveal the truth about who was involved with the shooting.

“My prayer is that it’s the right person,” he said outside the court during jury selection. “If he’s the right person, then I’m glad that Tupac would get some kind of redemption finally. I think he deserves it.”

Shakur's cousins Kendrick Lesane and William Lesane flew in from Atlanta to watch jury selection. William Lesane said he wants someone held accountable.

“For me, justice has long left the station 30 years ago,” he said.

Prosecutors allege that Davis was the shot-caller

Prosecutors aren't claiming Davis pulled the trigger. Rather, they say he organized the shooting to get revenge after Shakur and his entourage beat up Davis' nephew at the MGM Grand hours before Shakur was shot.

The gunfire came from a white Cadillac that Davis was in with three others, all who have since died.

In 2008, Davis spoke to investigators looking into the deaths of Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace. During the investigation, Davis was under an agreement that what he said about Shakur's killing couldn't be used against him. But nearly 10 years later, Davis published a book with those details and participated in media interviews in which he laid out his role in the shooting.

The book and his public statements revived the Las Vegas investigation and became key pieces of evidence, prosecutors say.

"Had he decided to never write the book, he would not, probably, have ever been prosecuted for the crime,” prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo recently said.

Defense argues that the book is fictionalized

Davis' attorney Michael Sanft says Davis co-authored the book “Compton Street Legend” to make money, not to tell the truth. He argues it's impossible to tell which parts — if any — Davis wrote and which parts author Yusuf Jah penned.

Jah, who is on the list of potential witnesses, recently told an investigator that he didn't believe Davis fully read his own book, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say the book is sensationalized but that they'll show “what is true, what is exaggeration, and what is an outright lie,” they wrote in court documents.

Davis recently told Las Vegas television station Fox 5 that he actually wasn't there the night Shakur was shot. In his book though, he says he carpooled from Los Angeles to Las Vegas that night to watch the same boxing match Shakur attended. It describes where he stayed, and the events before and after Shakur was shot. ___

Associated Press journalists Ty ONeil in Las Vegas and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

States are seeking extensive financial damages that could, in theory, total as much as $1.4 trillion, plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram.

The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that get children addicted to its platforms. It also claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.

“Meta has harnessed powerful and unprecedented technologies to entice, engage, and ultimately ensnare youth and teens. Its motive is profit, and in seeking to maximize its financial gains,” the lawsuit says.

Dozens of states filed the lawsuit three years ago. The trial set to begin Tuesday in federal court in Oakland, California, features four of the states as plaintiffs — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey. The other 25 states are expected to have trials later.

Meta said it disputes the allegations, and the trial evidence will show its commitment to supporting young people. “We’ve listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement, and conducted in-depth research to understand the issues that matter most,” the company said in a statement.

States seek to land a major blow against Meta

For Meta, which already lost two pivotal cases over harms to children and teens this year, the stakes are high. The company reported a rare profit decline last month, in part due to $2.4 billion in legal expenses.

The $1.4 trillion figure, which Meta disclosed in a legal filing, is almost as high as the Menlo Park, California, company’s entire market capitalization — that is, the value of all its outstanding shares on the stock market. Paying it would inevitably put Meta Platforms in bankruptcy and perhaps put the company under state ownership.

“The state attorneys general are going for the gusto,” said Eric Goldman, a professor and co-director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law. “They are trying to set the definitive precedent in this case and they have asked for extraordinary damages and they are going to seek extraordinary structural remedies if they succeed.”

Meta calls the possible penalty “untethered to any claimed violation” by the states.

“A sanction of that size has no analog in the history of consumer protection enforcement,” Meta said in a July 6 filing with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

If Meta loses the trial, the court would have wide discretion over the size of any financial penalty, and legal experts say anything close to $1.4 trillion would be unlikely.

“It’s not plausible in the sense that Meta doesn’t have that much money and could not get it,” said James Grimmelmann, a law professor at Cornell Law School and Cornell Tech. “An award that large would put Meta into bankruptcy, wipe out its owners, and effectively result in the states owning Meta.”

As a practical matter, Grimmelmann added, “that seems extremely unlikely to happen.”

In other cases that have involved high potential damages for multiple individual offenses, he said courts have stopped short of imposing the maximum penalties. One example is the Anthropic artificial intelligence training case, where plaintiffs were claiming damages of $150,000 per book that Anthropic copied, but the penalty ended up being $3,000 per book, totaling about $1.5 billion.

Trial seeks to hold Meta accountable on state and federal statutes

The federal trial this week is more complex than one earlier this year, in Los Angeles, where a state court awarded $6 million in damages from Meta and Google’s YouTube to a single plaintiff, a young woman who testified she became addicted to social media as a child.

That case was a bellwether, or test case, picked from thousands of similar civil tort lawsuits to give both plaintiffs and the defendants an idea of how their arguments fare in court. The jury determined that Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design or operation of their respective platforms, and that the negligence was a substantial factor in causing harm to the plaintiff. They also determined each company knew their platforms could be dangerous when used by a minor and that they failed to adequately warn of that danger.

The Oakland case, meanwhile, has state attorneys general as the plaintiffs and centers on state and federal statutes they allege Meta violated, which lay out potential penalty amounts for each violation.

“And there’s a lot of them because it’s four different states and at least three different kinds of statutes. There’s a child privacy statute, there’s a false advertising statute and there’s unfair competition statutes,” said Rebecca Allensworth, a professor at Vanderbilt University Law School.

Meta has added safety tools — but states want more

An outcome that leads to changes in how Facebook and Instagram operate could be as consequential as any financial penalty.

Meta has introduced a slew of new features in recent years designed to protect minors. In 2024 it launched teen accounts on Instagram, which are private by default and come with messaging and content restrictions, and parental controls. The company also uses artificial intelligence to determine if kids under 13 are using Instagram or if teenagers are lying about their age to access adult accounts.

Safety advocates have called on the company to do more. A New Mexico judge earlier this month ordered new safety measures on the platforms including time limits for minors, AI chatbot restrictions, and mandatory warnings on the platforms, but his order applied only to users in the state.

“These AGs have a real chance at fixing the product,” Laura Marquez-Garrett of the Social Media Victims Law Center said Friday in a virtual discussion with advocates hosted by the Tech Oversight Project. “For these companies, this is a real point of reckoning. As these cases go forward, this is a leap forward, folks, not a step.”

During jury selection last week, prospective jurors were asked whether and how much they believe Meta has contributed to the youth mental health crisis. While many agreed that it did, they also put responsibility on parents, and said things like climate change and the state of the world are also causing children's and teenagers' mental health issues.

___

AP Technology Writer Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report.

That idea drew the two-time Oscar nominee to “The Magic Faraway Tree,” a family adventure about Tim, a stay-at-home father whose family is forced to reconsider life after his wife, Polly, quits her job. They move to the countryside, where their children discover the magical Faraway Tree and its ever-changing worlds, sending the family into a series of fantastical adventures. The film, based on Enid Blyton’s children’s books, arrives in U.S. theaters on Friday.

For Garfield, the story’s themes of nature, imagination and community feel especially timely as technology increasingly shapes everyday life. “I think people are craving connection and community and a kind of reconnection to the earth and to each other,” he said.

Garfield said he became passionate about the project after reading Simon Farnaby’s screenplay. “I really just adore his sense of whimsy and heartfeltness and magic and joy,” he said. “I felt very, very passionate about it.”

Tim’s journey reflects the film’s larger ideas about finding wonder outside the routine and distractions of modern life. For Garfield, that sense of wonder extends beyond fantasy. “I think it’s all around us,” he said. “There are so many things to be in awe of on this planet.” The film, he said, is ultimately about recognizing that “there’s magic in the ordinary” as well as in the extraordinary.

Garfield, whose credits include playing Spider-Man, says he is drawn to roles with an element of play, community and the natural world. He focuses on “anything that keeps me awake to the remembering of the connection that we have to each other, the connection we have to nature, how we are all interconnected,” he said.

Garfield grew up reading Enid Blyton’s “The Famous Five” with his brother but did not read “The Faraway Tree” series as a child. His mother introduced him to another beloved literary adventurer: Bilbo Baggins, the hero of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”

“Any underdog story, really, those are the ones that get me,” Garfield said.

Another childhood escape was the video store. Garfield remembers being fascinated by the rows of VHS tapes and the possibilities behind their covers. The habit has survived in a new form in adulthood: spending an evening browsing streaming services without picking anything, enjoying the feeling of looking “into the windows of all these imaginary worlds.”

That may help explain why Garfield welcomes the resurgence of VHS and other analog technology among younger audiences.

“I dig that,” he said. “The regression to analog is looking good to me.”

Panettiere’s father, Skip, announced the actor’s death in a statement provided to ABC News.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen,” his statement said.

No cause of death was announced.

In a statement, police in Greenville, South Carolina, said officers and emergency medical personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive female at the Judson Mill Lofts southwest of downtown shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday. Live-saving measures were performed, but Panettiere was pronounced dead at the scene.

There were no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances, police said, adding they were called to the apartment complex by an acquaintance of Panettiere who called 911. The Greenville County Coroner's Office was to perform an autopsy.

A publicist for Hayden Panettiere did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press.

Panettiere, who would have turned 37 on Friday, began her career as a child actor in commercials and soap operas.

Her role as a cheerleader with superpowers in “Heroes” propelled her to fame in 2006, with the series revolving around the mantra “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”

“I think ‘Heroes’ is really hot because it’s just a really great combination of everything that people love — they love reality, they love sci-fi and things like X-Men where they get to dream of something bigger,” Panettiere told The Associated Press in 2008. “And at the core of it are these human stories that people can relate to, very rugged. And it’s just grabbed everyone in every age group.”

She went on to win three Teen Choice Awards for that role and was a Grammy Award nominee for a children’s spoken word album recorded a few years after the release of the animated movie “A Bug’s Life.”

Panettiere later played a brash country upstart opposite Connie Britton on “Nashville,” which aired on ABC for four seasons before being canceled and revived on CMT. She did her own singing in the show, which scored some hits on country charts, spawned U.S. tours and earned Panettiere two supporting actress Golden Globe nominations. Panettiere had 11 songs recorded for “Nashville” appear on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts during the show’s run, including two featuring Britton.

Panettiere's younger brother, Jansen, who was also an actor, died of a heart condition in 2023, at age 28.

She had been open about her struggles with alcohol addiction and depression, including after the birth of her daughter with Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.

In an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty after her memoir came out in May, Panettiere talked about the custody arrangement for her 11-year-old daughter, who lives full-time with Klitschko in Ukraine. News of the 2018 decision prompted headlines about Panettiere giving up custody of her daughter.

“I think there’s been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child,” she said. “That could not be farther from the truth.”

Panettiere said Klitschko suggested their daughter live with him full-time when the child was 2, as Panettiere struggled with mental health challenges and addiction. She said she was in a “horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse” while “just trying to find my way back, my way out of the darkness.”

She entered rehab in 2015, while filming “Nashville.”

“I was the one who put myself in the first treatment center. I was drowning,” she said in a 2023 interview with Women’s Health magazine.

On Shetty’s podcast, Panettiere recalled the explosion of her fame when she was cast on “Heroes,” including the first time she was tracked by the paparazzi. When she’d imagined the moment as a younger actress, she’d planned to look chic.

Instead, she said, “it was just sheer terror.”

Panettiere also appeared in two of the “Scream” movies, starred as the title character in the 2009 film “I Love You Beth Cooper” and played the young daughter of a football coach in “Remember the Titans.” She had spoken positively about her experience filming “Remember the Titans,” saying she felt so similar to the character she played — Sheryl Yoast, the opiniated, football-loving daughter of Will Patton’s Coach Bill Yoast.

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Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

The incident happened around 1:30 a.m. after Fort Lauderdale police received a call about a drunk boater crashing into other boats.

Video captured witnesses watching as the boat eventually became tied up to a portion of the dock. In the video, one of the men appears to point a gun at the boater.

It’s not clear how many boats the man crashed into.

Video also shows damage to the boat he was driving, including shattered glass and portions of the hull torn apart.

In another clip, people on board can be seen sitting while everyone involved waits for police to arrive.

Fort Lauderdale police’s DUI officer was part of the investigation.

Police identified the man as Michael Bender and said he was charged with boating under the influence.

However, Bender is not in custody. Police used a not-in-custody probable cause filing and are awaiting toxicology results to determine his blood alcohol level.

Trump made the accusation in a social media post without saying why he believes it's the work of vandals instead of trampled turf from the Independence Day festivities. He posted a photo showing a once-grassy area by the World War II Memorial, now patchy and brown across much of the sprawling turf.

“Look what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

“Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!” he added.

Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to his renovation projects in the nation's capital, often without evidence and sometimes despite opposing accounts from his officials. Trump lashed out at U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro this month after her office concluded that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was the result of poor construction and not the work of vandals, as Trump claimed.

Authorities on Friday announced an arrest in connection with vandalism at the World War II Memorial, after the words “Clean hands dirty $” were found painted on the monument and bubbles filled a fountain. Pirro said felony charges are being brought against Melissa L. Farris.

Charging documents in that case make no mention of the grassy area Trump is highlighting in his new claims. Authorities said Farris had previously been arrested for camping on federal property a few blocks from the World War II Memorial, but not the area cited by Trump.

That stretch of lawn is instead where a large stage was built and crowds gathered to hear from Trump and watch fireworks at a July 4 event celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary. Trump claimed without providing evidence that more than 400,000 people attended the event before a storm hit the area and delayed his remarks.

Photos from the time, taken by a streaming webcam atop the Washington Monument, show a large bandstand and seating areas covering nearly the entire lawn Trump now says has been vandalized. Associated Press photos from the days that followed showed workers removing the structures, revealing brown, damaged grass underneath.

On Aug. 1, Trump posted a different photo of the same area that appears to show the numbers “86 47” — which federal officials have said constitutes a threat against Trump — emblazoned into the grass. He cited it as evidence refuting Pirro's conclusion, calling it “a pure case of VANDALISM, that included the grass."

“There may have been some contractor difficulty, but the major damage was caused by VANDALS!” he wrote.

Those numbers are not visible in the photo Trump posted to social media on Sunday.

The NFL's active leader in sacks has agreed to a one-year contract for what will be his third team in three seasons, and second consecutive NFC East home. Miller is expected to arrive on the West Coast on Monday.

Dallas has only have two full practices remaining in its annual three-week California excursion. The Cowboys break camp before their second preseason game at Arizona on Saturday. Camp practices will resume in Texas next week.

Miller, who has 138 1/2 sacks over 14 seasons, dropped the quarterback nine times in his only season with Washington a year ago. He joined the Commanders after he was cut by Buffalo in a salary cap move.

The 37-year-old went to high school south of Dallas and starred at Texas A&M before Denver drafted Miller second overall in 2011. He was the Super Bowl MVP when the Broncos won the 2015 title with a dominant defensive performance against Seattle. Miller won another championship with the 2021 Los Angeles Rams.

Miller was The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with 11 1/2 sacks in his NFL debut 15 years ago and was an All-Pro three times in his first six seasons. His stint with the Bills was plagued by injuries and a Dallas domestic violence case that led to a four-game suspension.

Even though Miller has been mostly a backup the past three seasons, the nine sacks with the Commanders were his most since he had 9 1/2 in his second Super Bowl-winning season. The Rams acquired him from the Broncos in a midseason trade.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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“Wow. Amazing. Amazing,” Castillo said.

Castillo, 33, is from Venezuela and is now a U.S. citizen. Standing at the polls, he said the moment felt special because he knew his vote counted.

“Super special for me. I am feeling my vote is counting,” he said.

Castillo was one of many voters taking advantage of early voting across Broward and Miami-Dade counties Sunday.

The Davie Cooper City Branch Library was one of 21 early voting locations across Broward. Hundreds of people showed up throughout the day to make their voices heard in the primary elections.

Premi Sterlin, 20, of Hollywood, brought her family with her to vote early.

“I got out here and voted early, I brought my family with me,” Sterlin said. “Bring your friends, bring your people, just get out here and vote. You don’t gotta worry about it getting too packed on actual voter day, you can come out early, they gave us a good week.”

As voters arrived, they were met by crowds of campaign volunteers making their final push to sway their votes.

Sterlin said she had not had many problems, but the number of volunteers calling out to voters was a little intimidating.

“I haven’t had many problems with anything,” she said. “I am a little intimidated by the amount of people screaming at me when I got out of the car though, telling me who to vote for. I think one thing we could do is clean that up.”

Still, for voters like Castillo, the day was about gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to participate in American democracy.

“That’s my feeling. Believe me, I am enjoying this time, I don’t have words to make you feel what I’m feeling,” he said.

“I’m emotional just hearing this.”

“Yeah, yeah. Yeah. For me it’s amazing. That’s why I’m using the sticker with pride.”

For Phoenix Mercury fans, that case is already closed: She's undeniably the G.O.A.T.

Taurasi was inducted into the Mercury Ring of Honor on Sunday at halftime of a game between the Mercury and Portland Fire, with the franchise retiring her No. 3 jersey and celebrating a superstar who has become synonymous with basketball in Arizona for more than two decades.

“This place has made me who I am,” Taurasi said just before her banner was unveiled in the arena's rafters. “You guys let me grow, you let me fall, you let me get back up and gave me the space to become who I am today. Through the championships, all the good times and all the bad times, the loyalty you have given me is something I will take with me forever.”

Two decades of excellence in Arizona

Taurasi, 44, played for the Mercury from 2004 to 2024 and won just about every championship and award that is possible for a player.

She's the WNBA's career scoring leader (by more than 2,000 points), an 11-time All-Star, a six-time Olympic gold medalist, a five-time scoring champion, a three-time WNBA champion, a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, the 2009 regular-season MVP and the 2004 Rookie of the Year.

She said Sunday's honor ranks up there with her biggest accomplishments.

“Today's a big one,” Taurasi said before the game. “Today feels different. When your number goes up there, you can't use it anymore, it's done. So if there was any little competitiveness still in me, I think today it goes up in the rafters with the number and it feels really good.”

More than the sheer numbers, she's remembered for her fierce personality that resonated in Arizona, helping turn the Mercury into one of the WNBA's premier franchises. Taurasi was surrounded on Sunday by friends and family, including her wife, Penny Taylor, and their two children.

She said she's lucky to have 20 years of friendships to celebrate — including her long relationship with the “X-Factor," which is the nickname for the team's loyal fan base.

“When I walk into (the arena), I don't see strangers, I don't see employees,” Taurasi said. “I see friends, I see people I go to dinner with, I see people I text regularly with. This isn't just something where I showed up and said, 'Well, let's see what we can do here and then leave.'"

“I treated this like my extended family. I think that's why walking in today — I'm really emotional.”

Thousands of fans celebrate

Hundreds of fans had gathered in downtown Phoenix more than two hours before the game — many wearing the No. 3 jersey Taurasi donned for two decades — even on an August afternoon with temperatures topping 105 degrees. Some took pictures in front of a mural featuring Taurasi on the side of the arena.

The announced attendance was 16,513, a sellout and a testament to how much the WNBA has grown since she debuted with the Mercury in 2004 after a stellar college career at UConn.

A string of tributes flowed throughout the evening, including from Suns star Devin Booker, former teammate Brittney Griner and recent football Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Larry Fitzgerald. Three-time WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes and 23-time gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps were also in attendance.

Taurasi’s name was in lights several feet off one of the baselines, with some real, live goats grazing on hay. There was also a “Goat Plush Toss” where game staff threw toy goats into the stands.

The celebration continued during a postgame ceremony that featured video tributes from Lisa Leslie, Paige Bueckers, Magic Johnson and LeBron James and in-person praise from several others, including a poem from her wife, Penny.

At the end of the evening, Taurasi stepped to the microphone one more time. It took her a little while to start speaking — the crowd gave her a 45-second standing ovation.

Her roughly 30-minute speech was half serious and half comedy routine, drawing multiple laughs from the thousands who stayed.

“Tonight feels like the end and the beginning of so many things in my life,” Taurasi said. "Driving to the game today, I didn't know if I was going to suit up and play, whether it was my funeral or a celebration.

“I've come to realize — it's all of it. And it's amazing.”

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

If so, the Fever looked playoff-ready in their 95-91 overtime win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.

The Fever showed impressive depth with four players scoring 18 or more points. Perhaps of more importance, Indiana responded to a major challenge from an Atlanta team that began the day one-half behind the Fever for the important fourth-place spot in the playoff standings. The top four teams receive home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“Coming into each night, we know how important that win is to hopefully get home-court advantage in the playoffs,” Clark said.

Atlanta led 72-64 entering the fourth quarter. Indiana held the Dream to nine points in the final period of regulation.

Despite giving the Fever an overall grade of only “B-minus” for the game, Clark had praise for her team.

“Just proud of our group,” Clark said. “Super resilient. ... Obviously, this was a big one.”

Clark scored 26 points with nine assists. After scoring only five points in the first half, Kelsey Mitchell had an important layup late in overtime to finish with 20 points. It was Mitchell's 19th consecutive game scoring at least 20.

“Kelsey struggled from the floor in the first half, and she found it in the second half,” White said. “I think that’s part of her growth, which is knowing to stay with it, that it’s going to come.”

White said Clark and Mitchell “were both terrific” and said Clark was effective in creating scoring opportunities for her teammates.

“The way that she’s getting us into offense, the way she’s using the floor to give her teammates shots ... she’s allowing the game to flow, and she’s doing a great job of finding her teammates in that,” White said. “The way she does that, it opens things up for her.”

Makayla Timpson delivered Indiana's first three field goals of overtime to score a career-high 20 points. Aliyah Boston added 18 points with 14 rebounds.

Clark said Atlanta, which had 32 points from Allisha Gray and 15 points with 14 rebounds from Angel Reese, “is a team that will be scary in the playoffs. They're great at what they do. They have a lot of different weapons.”

The Dream also had the support of a sellout crowd of 17,044 at State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and also the usual site of Dream games when Clark and the Fever are in town.

“For us, these are the games you get up for, that’s what’s fun about competition,” Clark said. “You know, you want to play the best. It brings out the best in you. Obviously, that’s been a challenge and we’re really good at that.”

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Hernández hit his team-leading 18th home run of the season to make it 1-0 with two out in the eighth. Agustín Ramírez reached on a throwing error by Elly De La Cruz, Xavier Edwards singled, and Sanoja walked to load the bases.

Griffin Conine took ball four, which Reds catcher Jose Trevino challenged, but the call was confirmed and Ramírez scored from third.

Ramírez added a double in the ninth, which was followed by Sanoja’s three-run homer to make it 7-1.

Reliever Josh Ekness (1-1) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh. Eury Pérez pitched the first six innings and allowed two hits. He walked five and struck out five.

Pinch-hitter Tyler Stephenson hit his 12th home run of the year for Cincinnati.

Reds reliever Tejay Antone (2-2) gave up two hits and two runs, one earned. Starter Nick Lodolo pitched the first five innings, giving up three hits, striking out two and walking two.

Up next

Marlins RHP Janson Junk (6-7, 4.41 ERA) starts against Phillies LHP Cristopher Sanchez (15-4, 2.54) on Monday in Philadelphia.

Reds RHP Rhett Lowder (4-8, 5.15) starts Monday to kickoff a home series against St. Louis. The Cardinals haven’t announced their starter.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Niland's daughter, Haven, said he died Saturday morning in McKinney, a Dallas suburb.

Niland made 111 starts in 124 games over nine seasons with Dallas. He played for Philadelphia for one year before retiring after the 1975 season.

Niland made the Pro Bowl for six straight years from 1968 to 1973. He was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1969, 1971 and 1972.

He helped protect Roger Staubach when Dallas beat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in the Super Bowl on Jan. 16, 1972.

Niland, a Massachusetts native, starred at Iowa before he was taken by the Cowboys with the fifth overall selection in the 1966 draft. He was inducted into the Hawkeyes' Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

He is survived by Shaughn, his wife of more than 30 years, and daughters, Jordan and Haven.

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Get ready for temperatures to soar Monday. Highs could reach near-record levels, with Miami potentially reaching 95 degrees. The record is 96 degrees.

Tuesday, Miami could tie the record high of 96 degrees.

Rainfall will be hard to come by, and limited rainfall could exacerbate drought conditions this week.

Spieth and Keith Mitchell, who was up to his knees in water on the 18th trying to salvage his postseason, narrowly missed out advancing in the PGA Tour postseason Sunday, losing a chance to be guaranteed to play in all the $20 million signature events in 2027.

One birdie over his last three holes would have done it for Spieth. Mitchell would have needed to shave two shots from his score. He made bogey from the water on the 18th.

“I just feel like I’m kind of getting back to playing really good golf, like it’s close to kicking off, and I’m not going to play a tournament for a long time,” Spieth said after closing with three straight pars for an even-par 70.

Spieth came into the first playoff event at No. 54 and was projected to need something around the top 15 — depending on others around him — to make it to the BMW Championship for the first time since 2023.

He made it through the worrisome stretch of holes — Nos. 11 through 14 at the TPC Southwind — with a pair of bogeys and a 30-foot birdie putt.

“If you can get through there unscathed, you know you're looking at some opportunities on the other side,” Spieth said.

But he tugged his tee shot on the 15th far enough to the left that it found the water, leading to bogey. His chip from behind the green on the par-5 16th was too strong and rolled off the green, and he missed a 15-foot birdie putt. He missed a birdie from about that distance on the 17th.

Needing a birdie on the 18th, he went from a patch of dirt right of the fairway just over the green, still a putter in hand from 35 feet. He started walking before the long birdie putt finished short of the cup, giving him a par.

“I just didn’t execute enough shots and ... a couple bounces could have gone one way or the other,” he said. “I needed to be almost flawless today.”

Mitchell, who has never been among the top 30 to reach the Tour Championship in his nine years on the PGA Tour, started at No. 49 this week and was on the bubble seemingly all week. He said he never looked at a leaderboard until walking off the 17th green.

If he was safe, he could have played out to the right, away from the water, knowing a bogey wouldn't hurt him. But he was right on the projected bubble of top 50. He took on the shot. He thought it was ideal, but it barely cleared the water, and hopped below the hazard line on the bank of grass.

For Mitchell, there was no option. He removed his shoes and rolled up his pants, took his stance in the water up to his calves and gave it a shot. It bounced short and took a hop to the left, riding the bank down into the water. He did well to make bogey for a 72. In the end, even a par would have left him less than a point short of Matt McCarty at No. 50.

“I thought it was perfect when I hit it. Caught a little bit of a gust, and it came up that short,” Mitchell said. “The second shot was obviously interesting, and I just didn’t play it far enough right.”

The new points system that puts an emphasis on season performance means the postseason is not nearly as volatile. Sungjae Im, who started at No. 53 and started the final round tied for second, comfortably advanced.

Mitchell was the only one from the top 50 to fall out.

Maverick McNealy came in at No. 50 and was on the bubble all afternoon, played bogey-free on the back nine with two birdies for a 69 to tie for 19th — same position as Spieth — to secure his spot among the top 50. McCarty figured he was out when he tied for 63rd in the 69-man field. He made it on the number when Mitchell and Spieth couldn't catch him.

“I think the top 50 number is probably the most important number on the PGA Tour right now,” McNealy said. “I’m excited to get to St. Louis and just take a Hail Mary swing to see if I can get into the Tour Championship, which is the goal every year.”

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“Wow. Increíble. Increíble”, dijo Castillo.

Castillo, de 33 años, es originario de Venezuela y ahora es ciudadano estadounidense. Frente al centro de votación, dijo que el momento fue especial porque sabía que su voto contaba.

“Muy especial para mí. Siento que mi voto cuenta”, dijo.

Castillo fue uno de los muchos votantes que aprovecharon la jornada de votación anticipada en los condados de Broward y Miami-Dade este domingo.

La biblioteca Davie Cooper City Branch Library fue uno de los 21 centros de votación anticipada en Broward. Cientos de personas acudieron durante el día para hacer escuchar su voz en las elecciones primarias.

Premi Sterlin, de 20 años y residente de Hollywood, llevó a su familia para votar anticipadamente.

“Vine a votar temprano y traje a mi familia conmigo”, dijo Sterlin. “Traigan a sus amigos, traigan a su gente, simplemente salgan a votar. Así no tienen que preocuparse por que esté demasiado lleno el día de las elecciones; pueden venir antes, nos dieron una buena semana”.

A medida que llegaban los votantes, eran recibidos por grupos de voluntarios de campaña que hacían un último esfuerzo por convencerlos.

Sterlin dijo que no había tenido mayores problemas, aunque la cantidad de voluntarios llamando a los votantes le resultó un poco intimidante.

“No he tenido muchos problemas con nada”, dijo. “Pero sí me intimida un poco la cantidad de personas gritándome cuando me bajo del auto, diciéndome por quién votar. Creo que eso es algo que se podría mejorar”.

Aun así, para votantes como Castillo, la jornada estuvo marcada por la gratitud y el valor de poder participar en la democracia estadounidense.

“Ese es mi sentimiento. Créeme, estoy disfrutando este momento. No tengo palabras para hacerte sentir lo que yo estoy sintiendo”, dijo.

“Me emociona solo escucharte decir eso”.

“Sí, sí. Para mí es increíble. Por eso llevo esta calcomanía con orgullo”.

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The death toll has risen to over 290 people, with 140 still missing and nearly 4,000 injured.

A relief flight is taking off from South Florida on Sunday, sending much-needed supplies to survivors.

The pilot, Juan Rojas, is making his second flight back to Colombia, this time carrying about 2,000 pounds of medical supplies.

“We’re aiming to go to three cities,” he said. “This airplane is going to head down to Pereira, which is super close to the center of all the damage, one of the cities that has suffered the most. We’re gonna center most of this help to them. Then tomorrow we’re taking seven doctors to Quibo.”

Organizers said a portion of the supplies will help children who are in one of the hardest hit areas of Colombia.

“The idea is to not only use the plane to bring the assistance to Pereia, but also Quibo, and do that local flight to move rescuers from one city to the other,” said Help Land Foundation Founder Ender Urdaneta.

La cifra de muertos aumentó a más de 290 personas, mientras unas 140 permanecen desaparecidas y casi 4,000 resultaron heridas.

Un vuelo con ayuda humanitaria partirá este domingo desde el sur de Florida con suministros destinados a los sobrevivientes.

El piloto Juan Rojas realizará su segundo viaje a Colombia, esta vez transportando unas 2,000 libras de suministros médicos.

“Nuestro objetivo es llegar a tres ciudades”, dijo. “Este avión va a dirigirse a Pereira, que está muy cerca del centro de toda la devastación y es una de las ciudades que más ha sufrido. Vamos a concentrar allí la mayor parte de esta ayuda. Luego, mañana llevaremos a siete médicos a Quibdó”.

Los organizadores señalaron que una parte de los suministros estará destinada a ayudar a niños que se encuentran en una de las zonas más afectadas de Colombia.

“La idea no es solamente utilizar el avión para llevar la ayuda a Pereira, sino también a Quibdó, y realizar ese vuelo local para trasladar a rescatistas de una ciudad a otra”, dijo Ender Urdaneta, fundador de Help Land Foundation.

Según la Policía de Key West, el agente Dustin Christina se encontraba fuera de servicio cuando las autoridades acudieron alrededor de las 5:10 a.m. al área de Peary Court tras recibir varias quejas y lo encontraron sentado en el asiento del conductor de un vehículo estacionado.

Las autoridades dijeron que un supervisor realizó una investigación y determinó que existía causa probable para arrestar a Christina por DUI.

El agente fue trasladado sin incidentes al Centro de Detención del Condado de Monroe, informaron las autoridades.

No se dieron a conocer de inmediato más detalles sobre el caso.

Los investigadores cerraron parte de la cuadra 2700 de Arthur Street después de que se reportaran disparos durante una sesión nocturna en un estudio alrededor de las 2:30 a.m.

Al llegar al lugar, los agentes dijeron que encontraron a dos hombres con heridas de bala.

Según familiares de una de las víctimas, un hombre de 23 años se encontraba dentro de una vivienda durante una sesión en un estudio cuando alguien que estaba en el lugar sacó un arma y comenzó a disparar.

La familia señaló que el joven recibió múltiples disparos en el abdomen, una mano y una pierna.

La policía informó que el sospechoso permaneció en el lugar y fue detenido.

Una camioneta BMW plateada fue remolcada desde el exterior de la vivienda donde ocurrió la balacera.

For a player who has endured five runner-up finishes in nearly seven months of close calls, Scheffler had reason to wonder what was next to go wrong. He asked caddie Ted Scott as they walked over to take a penalty drop, “When is this going to stop happening?”

Almost immediately, as it turned out.

Scheffler drilled a mid-iron to 10 feet for birdie two holes later. He holed a 20-foot birdie on the next. A two-shot lead at the start quickly turned into a runaway. He closed with a 4-under 66 for an eight-shot victory, the largest margin in 68 years at the TPC Southwind.

“I felt like I had some close calls this year, so it was nice to finish the tournament off,” Scheffler said.

It helped to post a 61 in the second round and keep the lead going into Sunday. This was his 11th straight time he converted a 54-hole lead into a win.

This victory was the 21st of his career — all since 2022 — and it ended nearly seven months without a title during a season that has been marked by astonishing consistency but only one trophy to show for it from his season opener at The American Express in the California desert.

“I felt like a week like this was coming,” Scheffler said. “I felt like I was on repeat all year just being like, ‘Hey, I’m playing solid. I’m close.’ It feels good to be answering some different questions at the end of this week.”

He finished at 17-under 263, eight shots clear of his Dallas neighbor Si Woo Kim, who closed with a 68 to finish eight shots behind. The previous record was John Cook winning at TPC Southwind by seven shots in 1996.

Scheffler has now won 10 of his 21 tour titles by four shots or more.

Sam Burns, one of Scheffler's best friends in golf, played with him in the final group and took double bogey on the par-5 third hole. He shot 73 and tied for third with Alex Noren (69).

“I don't think it would have mattered if I played well,” Burns said. “He was going to be tough to beat today.”

Scheffler won $3.6 million from the prize fund, and he clinched an additional $23 million in bonus money for being No. 1 in the FedEx Cup through next week's BMW Championship. No one can catch him. No one is particularly close in the game at the moment, even when he's not piling up trophies.

Scheffler now has two victories, five runner-up finishes and five other top 4s in another stellar year that until Sunday was marked by his lack of winning compared with previous years. The TPC Southwind was the course he had played the most times without winning, and the FedEx Cup playoffs opener had been the only postseason tournament he had yet to win. All that changed.

Scheffler's most recent start was another runner-up finish at the 3M Open in Minnesota, another rally that came up short. But it was those two weeks at home that made the difference.

“I felt like I found something just getting my hands on the club,” he said. “I had a really good kind of prep week coming in, probably the best I played at home over the course of this year. I didn’t really feel like I needed to be on the range hitting balls. I was just getting out playing, competing.”

More than a few of those games were with Kim, who earlier this year said of Scheffler, “He calls me ATM.” Kim moved to a career-best No. 13 in the world.

Im wound up with a 75 to tie for fifth, but it was enough for the South Korean to move from No. 53 into the top 50 who advance to the BMW Championship next week in St. Louis. Im kept alive his chances of reaching the Tour Championship every year since he was a rookie in 2019.

Im bumped out Keith Mitchell, who stood in the water left of the 18th fairway to play a shot from the bank as he tried to give himself his best chance. That shot tumbled into the water, he made bogey and narrowly missed out.

So did Jordan Spieth, who needed to close with four pars to reach the BMW Championship for the first time since 2023, and finished with a bogey from the water on No. 15 and three pars for a 70.

The top 50 who advance also are assured of playing all the $20 million signature events next year.

Scheffler put himself squarely in the mix for a fifth straight PGA Tour player of the year during a season in which no one has stood out based on titles alone. The body of work has been impressive, and Scheffler still has two tournaments remaining.

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With his dad on the bag, Whaley fulfilled Andy Whaley's unwavering belief and capped the tournament victory of his life at Merion with a father-son embrace that put an exclamation point on a career that at one point seemed destined to dry up on English soil.

“He can actually see me happy, and I can see him happy coming off the golf course,” Whaley said.

Whaley played with double gloves, needed an umbrella, was stung by a wasp at rainy Merion Golf Club and still pushed through the inconveniences to cap a tremendous tournament and hold off Jay Leng Jr. to win the U.S. Amateur on Sunday.

Whaley should keep the rain jacket.

The 22-year-old Englishman gets to soak up the spoils that come with winning amateur golf's greatest prize.

With the sky finally clear on the rain-slogged course, Whaley sank his final putt for birdie to win the 36-hole final 4 and 3 and hugged it out with his caddie — his father. Whaley's mother ran out to join them for a family embrace while Andy gripped the famed wicker basket flagstick.

“This week it just clicked,” Andy Whaley said. “I can’t explain it. I don’t know why.”

His son broke down in tears as he held the Havemeyer Trophy and dedicated the win to his father, who never gave up on Jack, even as he kept missing cuts as a teenager.

“As we were driving back, I was looking at my dad with some of the names that are on this thing,” Whaley said after his win. “I never thought my name would among such impressive people.”

Whaley made a rapid rise from NAIA star to Florida State to amateur champion the college senior now has an exemption into the 2027 US Open, and the 2027 British Open at St. Andrews and the Masters should he remain an amateur. He wore his Florida State Seminoles cap and team colors for the championship round.

Whaley won the seventh U.S. Amateur held at Merion and is the first Englishman winner since Matt Fitzpatrick at Brookline in 2013.

Whaley shook off a wasp sting on the fourth fairway in the afternoon session before he rallied his way to the title. Leng, a Stanford junior, held a 2-up advantage through the first 18 holes after both players bogeyed the par-5 18th on an overcast and windy round.

Whaley pointed to a spot on his right ankle where the wasp got him and left him throbbing for the next two holes.

“I had to pull this stinger out,” Whaley said with a laugh.

Maybe the stinger will be immortalized down the line at Merion.

The U.S. Amateur does hold a special place in Merion history. Take a look at the rock near the 11th hole tee box at Merion and one of the grandest holes in golf is marked.

“On September 27, 1930, And on this hole, Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., completed his ‘Grand Slam’ by winning the U.S. Amateur Championship.”

It was on that hole where Bobby Jones closed out Eugene Homans 8 and 7 in the 36-hole final and clinched golf’s only season Grand Slam with a win at the U.S. Amateur.

Ben Hogan also has a plaque that honors his 1-iron on the 18th hole of the 1950 Open.

“It's a huge honor to be part of the names of all the famous people,” Whaley said.

Aaron Rai used double gloves months earlier in his PGA Championship victory at nearby Aronimink Golf Club, just as Whaley did months later.

Whaley made the change after he sliced one out of bounds on six because the rain affected his grip.

“It seemed to work, so I kept going,” Whaley said.

Merion is set to host the US Open in 2030, 2040, and 2050, alongside the U.S. Women’s Open in 2034 and 2046.

Consider, Whaley will be only 46 years old in 2050.

Whaley is No. 90 in the world amateur golf ranking, while Leng is at No. 23.

Leng gets pretty nice consolation prizes. He also earned a spot on the 2026 U.S. Walker Cup team, in the Masters and the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach next year, provided he is still an amateur.

The other five players named to the Walker Cup team were Kihei Akina, Ryder Cowan, Josiah Gilbert, William Jennings and Stewart Hagestad.

“It shows I can compete with the best,” Leng said. “I can compete with anyone, honestly. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Trump said in a social media post that the exercises, which began Monday, are not only costly but “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he said “has been unthreatening and respectful” during his time in the White House.

“Therefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!” Trump wrote. The president added that he recently asked South Korea’s president if they would join the U.S. in the “denuclearization” of Iran, “and they said, ‘No thanks!’”

The move is the latest example of the president appearing to turn against an ally in favor of a leader that previous administrations have cast as an adversary. Trump and others in his administration have also railed against NATO allies over perceived lack of support for his war against Iran, even as they seek to confront an increasingly aggressive Russia in the Baltic region.

It is also a sharp turnaround from how his administration has viewed South Korea in recent months.

In May, Hegseth praised the longtime ally for its “commitment to increase defense spending" and its "leadership in assuming primary responsibility for the security of the Korean Peninsula" during a meeting at the Pentagon.

“It demonstrates alliance burden-sharing that all of America’s partners would do well to follow," the defense secretary added.

What the US military says about the joint exercises

The 11 days of exercises involving 18,000 South Korean soldiers were designed to beef up readiness against North Korean threats.

The U.S. military has said the summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises reinforce “the role of the alliance as the linchpin for regional peace and security” and reaffirm “the ironclad commitment between the United States and the Republic of Korea to defend their homelands.” The exercises are one of the two main combined drills conducted by the South Korean and U.S. militaries annually, along with their springtime training.

U.S. and South Korean forces were expected to practice joint operations in complex scenarios, including a live-fire exercise to test joint precision targeting and maneuver, a wet gap crossing, and distribution of prepositioned military equipment, according to the U.S. military. South Korea's Defense Ministry confirmed that the exercises began on Monday as planned.

The joint training started days after North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing activities in defiance of U.N. bans.

Trump's decision was sharply criticized by Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, who said that “hollowing out these joint exercises is shortsighted and a mistake” in a social media post made just hours after the president's own post. Earlier this month, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan detected the launches of two ballistic missiles from North Korea in what were the North’s first ballistic weapons testing activities since late June. The missiles landed in the waters off North Korea’s east coast.

North Korea threatens strong response

North Korea has been pushing hard to enlarge its nuclear and missile arsenals since Kim’s high-stakes diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Experts say Kim likely believes a bigger weapons arsenal would increase his chances for wresting more concessions from the U.S. in future negotiations.

North Korea on Friday threatened unspecified stern steps against the U.S. and South Korea, describing their military drills as a “a rehearsal for an aggressive war” that are triggering greater instability in the region.

The warning was typical of the harsh rhetoric that North Korea often deploys ahead of major U.S.-South Korean military exercises. Experts say North Korea has often used its rivals’ drills as a pretext to ramp up testing activities to modernize weapons and promote public support for the reclusive North Korean leader.

Trump met with the North Korean leader three times during his first term to discuss the country’s nuclear program, most recently in 2019. Since returning to office, Trump has expressed interest in continuing those discussions. In September 2025, Kim said he held “good personal memories” of Trump and suggested he could return to talks if the U.S. drops “its delusional obsession with denuclearization” of North Korea.

Trump's announcement came a day after he posted a photo of himself standing next to North Korea's Kim, writing that the two leaders get along great “despite the unfriendly look on this particular picture.”

This is not the first time that Trump has sought to end the exercises. During his first term he also issued a surprise announcement that called the war games “provocative.”

“We will be stopping the war games, which will save us a tremendous amount of money, unless and until we see the future negotiation is not going along like it should,” Trump told reporters after his 2018 meeting with Kim in Singapore.

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Associated Press writer Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

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Investigators shut down a portion of the 2700 block of Arthur Street after gunfire rang out inside a home around 2:30 a.m.

When they arrived, officers said they found two men with gunshot wounds.

According to family of one of the victims, a 23-year-old man was inside a home during a studio session when someone inside pulled out a gun and started shooting.

They said their family member was shot multiple times in his abdomen, hand, and leg.

Police said the suspect remained at the scene and was taken into custody.

A silver BMW SUV was towed away from outside of the home where the shooting occurred.

La céntrica iglesia se llenó de fieles y mascotas para la misa. El cura leyó un centenar de nombres de mascotas y sus familiares humanos que participaron de la celebración. Algunas señoras llevaban una foto de sus mascotas fallecidas.

“Las mascotas no sólo son fieles compañeras, alegran nuestras vidas y son parte de la familia”, manifestó el sacerdote Sandro Arana.

Con lágrimas en los ojos, la joven Priscila Belmonte le dijo a The Associated Press que tiene en casa 12 animales: 7 perros y cinco gatos. “Mi madre es muy católica y amante de los animales. También alimenta a los perros de la calle. Que Dios los proteja siempre”, expresó.

Cerca de allí, en el cuartel de la Unidad Táctica de Operaciones Policiales, el comandante Martín Gálvez agasajó a los canes de la institución, los cuales acompañaron a la policía durante duras protestas recientes en La Paz.

“Siempre hay amigos de cuatro patas que nos acompañan en estas operaciones, y por eso les estamos agradecidos”, señaló. En premio recibieron alimento especial y casas nuevas.

En medio de abundantes ladridos, muchos dueños presumían a sus canes en las plazas, vestidos con elegantes trajes y coloridos atuendos. Todos iban sujetos con correas. No faltó alguno con frac, e incluso hubo quienes buscaron bronca con los rivales.

Por su parte, la alcaldía de la ciudad preparó un “show de talentos” en una avenida céntrica y organizó un concurso de perros con alguna habilidad.

Instituciones de salud publica aprovecharon la ocasión para promocionar la vacunación y, sobre todo, concientizar acerca de la tenencia responsable de canes, enfatizando el cuidado, respeto y bienestar de los animales caseros. Algunos activistas promocionaron la adopción de perros abandonados.

En su homilía, el sacerdote Arana recordó que San Roque fue un peregrino francés del siglo XIV que regaló sus bienes a los pobres y curaba a enfermos de la peste en Italia. Se le llamó el santo de los perros porque, al enfermar él mismo y aislarse en un bosque, un can le llevaba pan y le lamía las heridas.

San Roque también es el santo patrono de la ciudad de Tarija, en el sur de Bolivia, que el domingo celebró su festividad religiosa. El santo fue sacado en procesión por las calles, seguido de autoridades y danzarines en el mayor día festivo en esa ciudad.

The alarming milestone at Lake Powell, reached Saturday, comes about a week after the river’s other major reservoir, Lake Mead, also hit a historic low. Plummeting water levels pose a major threat to the Colorado River Basin, which is a key resource for wildlife, hydropower and more than 40 million people in seven U.S. states.

The historic lows come as the federal government and states that rely on the river — California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado — struggle to reach agreement on a long-term management plan for the dwindling resource. Persistent overuse combined with a record-dry winter and rising temperatures have been depleting both Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

Lake Powell’s elevation dropped to 3,519.91 feet (1072.9 meters) above sea level on Saturday, dropping just slightly below a previous record set in April 2023, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The lake is more than 20 feet (6.10 meters) lower than it was at the start of the year, USBR data shows.

The reservoir is now about 30 feet (9.1 meters) away from the point at which turbines would stop producing hydroelectric power. Federal officials warned in April that a “major intervention” would be necessary to avoid reaching that threshold by the end of this year.

USBR in July proposed a 10-year plan that includes major potential water cuts for Arizona, California and Nevada.

The crisis has been in the making for years. Both reservoirs are at the lowest they have been in nearly seven decades, and levels may continue to drop, USBR data shows.

The last time their combined storage was this small was in May 1957 when Glen Canyon Dam that holds back Powell was being built, according to a recent paper published by a group of academics and retired water officials. Powell began to fill in 1963.

The depletion has also impacted Lake Powell’s substantial tourism industry, forcing marinas in the reservoir to adapt. Boat ramps have closed or moved, new ones are being added and marinas have been temporarily relocated to deeper waters.

El sismo del pasado lunes, que tuvo su epicentro en el municipio de San José del Palmar, departamento del Chocó, registra un balance provisional de 289 muertos, 4.187 heridos y 143 personas de las que aún no se tiene rastro, informó el mandatario en una rueda de prensa.

Desde la Base Naval de Buenaventura, donde realizó un recorrido de inspección, De la Espriella enfatizó que “la instrucción es atender esa emergencia con los desaparecidos porque lo más importante aquí es salvar vidas”.

Tras calificar de dramática la situación escolar por la afectación a los 2.838 centros educativos, el presidente afirmó que las clases serán virtuales, aunque no precisó una fecha para el reinicio del ciclo.

De la Espriella también se comprometió a entregar los recursos financieros necesarios para el área de salud, reforzar los equipos médicos, así como el traslado oportuno de los “casos de mayor complejidad” a hospitales con mayor capacidad.

En tanto, en el sexto día de labores de búsqueda y rescate desde que ocurrió el temblor, el capitán Roni Kaplan, vocero de la Fuerza de Defensa israelí, aseguró en su cuenta de X que “se va cerrando la ventana de esperanza de encontrar gente bajo los escombros con vida”, pero alentó a las familias afectadas: “estamos haciendo lo imposible, los abrazamos con el alma”, escribió.

El equipo israelí -uno de los tres avalados por el gobierno de Colombia para efectuar esas tareas junto a Estados Unidos y Ecuador- informó que la víspera, en Cali, en el Valle del Cauca, recuperaron cuatro cuerpos bajo los escombros de un edificio.

El puesto de mando unificado se mantiene reunido para evaluar la situación tras el potente terremoto que dejó además 186.000 personas afectadas, 26.945 viviendas destruidas, daños en otras 127.557, y 66 edificios colapsados, informó la Unidad Nacional de Gestión de Riesgos.

El recientemente posesionado presidente de Colombia afronta uno de los más grandes desafíos al inicio de su gobierno y ha declarado desastre nacional y la emergencia económica.

The clubs have agreed to a deal for Rodri worth 76.5 million euros ($88.5 million), a person with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details of the deal have not been made public.

Neither City nor Barcelona have made any official comment about the transfer.

The 30-year-old Rodri has played for City since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2019. He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in 2023 and won the Ballon d'Or as the world's best player the following year after being part of Spain's European Championship-winning team.

He was an integral member of Spain's team that won the World Cup last month and won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

Rodri had one year left on his contract with City.

His departure would further weaken City's midfield, with Bernardo Silva having left and joined Real Madrid this summer.

Rodri did not play Sunday in City’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield. He is currently recovering from minor back surgery that he underwent after the World Cup.

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The ferry capsized in strong waves on Tuesday. Police on Sunday said the death toll had risen to 84, from 72 the previous day as more bodies were recovered. Zimbabwe’s disaster management agency has said 77 people were rescued.

Estimates had put the number of passengers as high as 153 on a ferry authorized to carry 90 people, but the latest official figures now suggest the number of passengers could be even higher.

Police in the southern African country said “search efforts are still underway in a bid to recover victims identified as missing.”

The aging ferry was traveling from the town of Kariba to rural and fishing communities in the country’s northwest, where roads are damaged and public transportation is scarce.

Among the dead are 18 children, with the youngest just 1 year old. According to police, 16 of the victims were aged 10 or younger.

Kariba is the world’s largest human-made lake by volume, created by damming the mighty Zambezi River in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It stretches more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) and is up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) wide in places.

Zimbabwe and Zambia share the lake, with their border running through its middle.

Arenado pulled himself out of a 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning Sunday with what was described as left trunk discomfort.

He only hopes it's not too serious, especially when the Diamondbacks are vying for a playoff spot. They came into the day in a three-way tie with San Diego and Philadelphia for the final two NL wild-card spots.

“I am worried,” Arenado said. “I’ve never had that before, so I don't know what it is.”

Arenado said he initially felt the pain while bending over in the batter's box and it felt worse after he swung. He slowed up noticeably while running to first and quickly decided to leave the game.

“I felt a little bit of pain in my intercostal area,” he said in the clubhouse afterward, pointing toward his left rib cage. “I don't know. It just didn't feel right. I haven't really felt that before, so I had to get get taken out of the game.”

With the team heading to Boston for the start of a three-game series on Monday, Arenado will have as MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

“It doesn't feel great,” he said. "I felt it before the at-bat, but it didn’t feel like pain or anything. Then, when I swung, I was like ‘ahh.’ It wasn’t getting drastically worse, but it doesn’t feel right. So I thought I would let them know.”

That raised the concern of manager Torey Lovullo.

“The last thing he wants to do is take himself out of the game,” Lovullo said. “That's just his mentality. He's ferocious. He wants to play every inning of every game. When I got that news, it wasn't great.”

While expressing cautious optimism that the injury isn't serious, Lovullo was taken aback when told by the media that Arenado described it as an intercostal issue, referring to the muscles between the rib cage.

“That's news to me,” the skipper said. “If he's concerned, then that will ramp up my concern. We care about each other in this clubhouse.”

The 35-year-old Arenado, an eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, has made a big impact in his first season with the Diamondbacks. He is hitting .241 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs after being acquired in a salary-dump trade with St. Louis during the offseason.

“He's having a tremendous year," Lovullo said. "I thought about giving him the day off, but he hit two home runs yesterday and had a really nice day. He didn't want it, nor did he ask for it, but it's one of those things where you're got to be careful in different situations. He's just been playing hard, but something didn't feel right, so he spoke up.”

Arenado said he's used to the normal aches and pains at this stage of his career, especially when playing the day after a night game.

“It's a day game, so it's hard to get going," he said. "You always feel things that don't feel quite loose, but you get loose as the game goes on. I didn't feel it hitting it the cage today getting loose for the game. I didn't really feel anything until I bent over to put my leg guard on. Then I felt a little something swinging and that was it.”

Arenado was replaced by Ildemaro Vargas, who homered in the seventh to tie the game at 2, before Atlanta's Matt Olson hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the frame.

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Las autoridades informaron que se puso en marcha una misión de búsqueda y rescate en la que participaron Defensa Civil, la Guardia Nacional y un helicóptero de la Guardia Costera, después de que, al parecer, inundaciones repentinas arrancaran de sus cimientos varias viviendas habitadas en las comunidades costeras de Na’alehu y Wai’ohinu, cerca del extremo sur de la isla.

“Lo que hace que esto sea muy difícil es que hay agua corriendo, hay escombros y hay rocas en la carretera, y está oscuro”, dijo la mañana del domingo el alcalde del condado de Hawai, Kimo Alameda.

Al menos una persona murió en un accidente vehicular en el área de South Point de la Isla Grande, indicó el sábado el gobernador Josh Green.

La mañana del domingo, Honolulu enfrentaba la peor parte del clima, a medida que las condiciones de tormenta tropical se extendían hacia el oeste a través de la cadena de islas. El Departamento de Bomberos de Honolulu había realizado decenas de intervenciones relacionadas con el clima hasta las 2 de la mañana del domingo, hora local, incluidas 58 denuncias de árboles caídos, 39 techos arrancados por el viento, 12 líneas eléctricas caídas, 12 situaciones de cables con arcos eléctricos y un rescate de un nadador, según un comunicado de la ciudad.

Una advertencia de inundaciones repentinas abarcaba todo el estado, de acuerdo con el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. La lluvia intensa, los deslizamientos de lodo, los árboles caídos, las inundaciones activas y las líneas eléctricas caídas figuraban entre las mayores amenazas, señaló la mañana del domingo el experto del servicio meteorológico Stephen Parker.

“Básicamente, lo mejor que se puede hacer ahora mismo es quedarse en casa un poco más”, afirmó. “La tormenta no durará para siempre y, una vez que se limpien ese tipo de amenazas, será seguro volver a salir”.

Más de 200.000 hogares y negocios estaban sin electricidad la mañana del domingo en las tres islas más grandes de Hawai, según el rastreador de servicios públicos poweroutage.us. Al menos tres hospitales operaban con energía de generadores, dijo el gobernador.

Olas poderosas azotaban la costa de la Isla Grande mientras Lala pasaba lentamente. Al quedarse a poca distancia de tocar tierra, su pared del ojo no se debilitó y sus vientos golpearon las laderas de las montañas. Los cauces crecieron con escorrentías de rápido desplazamiento mientras bandas pluviales soplaban casi de lado.

Qué sigue para Lala

Había advertencias de tormenta tropical vigentes para las islas de Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai y Niihau, lo que elevaba la posibilidad de inundaciones destructivas e incluso de incendios forestales avivados por vientos fuertes en los lados más secos de las islas.

Parker explicó que la lluvia más intensa de la mañana del domingo caía sobre Lanai, Moloka’i y Oahu, mientras que los vientos más fuertes eran ráfagas de más de 161 km/h (100 mph) en el imponente volcán Mauna Kea, en la Isla Grande.

A las 5 de la mañana del domingo en Hawai, Lala se encontraba centrada a unos 125 kilómetros (75 millas) al sur de Honolulu y sus vientos con fuerza de tormenta tropical se extendían hasta unos 220 km (140 millas) desde su centro.

Los pronosticadores esperan que Lala vuelva a adquirir fuerza de huracán a mitad de semana, una vez que esté bien al oeste de la cadena de islas.

Algunos lugares de mayor altitud en la Isla Grande, dominados por Mauna Kea, han recibido hasta 89 centímetros (35 pulgadas) de lluvia. Eso basta para aflojar laderas empinadas donde algunos de los 210.000 habitantes de la isla viven fuera de la red eléctrica en viviendas improvisadas.

A medida que se acercaba el huracán, se abrieron refugios, se cancelaron eventos y se instó a los ganaderos a dejar su ganado en los pastizales en lugar de en estructuras que podrían derrumbarse. Muchos residentes aún lidian con las secuelas de las devastadoras inundaciones de marzo y estaban tomando precauciones.

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La periodista de The Associated Press Jennifer Sinco Kelleher contribuyó desde Honolulu.

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

Cameroon finally won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday with a 3-0 victory over tournament debutant Malawi.

Marie Ngah Manga headed two goals and Naomi Eto scored the other while Cameroon kept Malawi’s Chawinga sisters in check to claim its first win in the final at the fourth attempt.

The Indomitable Lionesses, who failed to qualify for the previous edition of the tournament, had lost on their last three appearances in the final – all to 10-time winner Nigeria.

“I feel like it’s a dream because you know Cameroon have been working hard to have this moment and today for us to be champion of Africa is a very, very wonderful thing,” Ngah Manga said.

FIFA's under-fire president, Gianni Infantino, attended the game along with CAF President Patrice Motsepe.

Infantino later helped Motsepe hand out medals to the top three teams. Algeria defeated Morocco in the third-place decider on Saturday.

Infantino also posed with Motsepe and Samuel Eto’o, the president of the Cameroon Football Federation, for a photo with Cameroon forward Monique Ngock after she received the player of the tournament trophy.

Cameroon too strong

Malawi made the better start but suffered a double blow when Ngah Manga headed the opener from close range in the 21st minute, shortly before Eto – who had her back to goal – turned brilliantly to send the ball inside the right post.

Eto was also involved in the first goal, forcing a save from Malawi goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo before Ngah Manga scored.

Malawi failed to muster a response and Ngah Manga effectively sealed the result on a break when Eto got to the ball before Sikelo and produced a perfect cross for her teammate to head her second goal of the game and fifth overall in the tournament.

Cameroon substitutes ran onto the field to celebrate with their teammates.

The Chawinga sisters had pushed Malawi after the break. Tabitha Chawinga felt she should have had a penalty, but a VAR check deemed otherwise. Then she drew a good save from Michaely Bihina, and her sister Temwa went close from the rebound.

Cameroon veteran Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné went on in stoppage time and duly scored, only to have the goal ruled out for offside. The 37-year-old Onguéné was part of the Cameroon team that lost the final at home to Nigeria in 2016. Despite her disallowed goal, this time she could celebrate.

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Moroccan state broadcaster Medi 1 TV said 294 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were arrested Saturday while attempting to enter Ceuta. Authorities also arrested 61 Moroccans accused of facilitating the migration attempts, the broadcaster reported.

The attempted crossings followed a surge in social media posts calling on migrants to make their way to Ceuta, a Spanish city on Morocco’s northern coast. In response, Moroccan and Spanish authorities beefed up security presence and limited movement toward the area.

The latest attempt comes two weeks after tens of thousands of would-be migrants, driven by poverty and misinformation, rushed toward Ceuta in one of the deadliest migration crises to hit the region. At least 90 people died on both sides of the border, according to official numbers, while human rights groups reported higher figures.

The interior ministry did not respond to AP’s questions about the latest arrests or the number of security personnel deployed around the border to prevent a new migration push.

A senior Moroccan diplomat previously said that more than 20,000 Moroccan security personnel are deployed along the border with Ceuta each day, at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. The diplomat was not authorized to be publicly named speaking about the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Thousands of migrants from across Africa and beyond travel to Morocco each year, fleeing conflict, poverty and instability and seeking a route into Europe. Many attempt to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish exclave on Morocco’s northern coast, hoping eventually to make their way to mainland Spain and better economic opportunities.

The full episode can be seen at the top of this page.

He died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday night, agent Mike Maguire said Sunday. He had been in hospice care.

On Aug. 8, the New York Yankees released a social media post in which John wrote that he wanted to say goodbye to everyone, including friends and fans who followed him throughout his career, saying, “I will never forget you.”

The Yankees called John “a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favorite of Yankees fans.”

John was a four-time All-Star with a record of 288-231 and a 3.34 ERA during a career that stretched from 1963 to 1989. He pitched for Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees, the California Angels and the Oakland Athletics.

“Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can’t be overstated,” Stan Kasten, Dodgers president and CEO, said in a statement. "His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.”

The left-hander was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, a death knell for pitchers' careers to that point.

John allowed Dr. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers’ team physician, to replace the ligament with a tendon from his right forearm. Jobe gave the surgery 100-to-1 odds of being successful.

John was a great pitcher, but his elbow surgery made him a baseball legend

The procedure had been done on others before, although it was usually performed on wrists and hands. John was the first pitcher to have it done on his elbow.

More than 2,600 big leaguers and thousands more amateurs have since had UCL reconstructions, better known as Tommy John surgery. It’s been a godsend for many of baseball’s greatest stars, including two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and even Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper.

“If you put it in dollars and cents, I think there’s no question that Tommy John is the most valuable reconstructive procedure there is,” Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache told The Associated Press in 2024.

Born Thomas Edward John Jr. on May 22, 1943, in Terre Haute, Indiana, he was a top baseball and basketball player at the city’s Gerstmeyer High. He graduated in 1961 as valedictorian but did not give the commencement speech because of a stutter. Despite being recruited by the University of Kentucky to play basketball, John chose baseball and signed with Cleveland.

“The day I left for my first job as a pitcher, my father looked at me & said, ‘Good luck, Tommy. Just remember one thing: whether you make it big in the big leagues or you don’t, you’ll always just be Tommy John from Terre Haute, Indiana.’ I’ve never forgotten those words,” John wrote in his Aug. 8 post.

John recorded 2,245 strikeouts but never led either league in wins or strikeouts. He had the second-most wins of any pitcher since 1900 not to be elected to the Hall of Fame. From 1995 through 2009, John was on the Hall of Fame ballot, but he never received more than 31.7% of the votes, falling well short of the 75% required for election.

“Tommy was a wonderful person who competed to the utmost and did what no player had ever done to save his career, in conjunction with the esteemed Dr. Frank Jobe,” former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti posted on X. “The HOF is missing Tommy John.”

John won more games after his eponymous surgery

Known for his longevity, John was the opening day starter for both the 1966 Chicago White Sox and the 1989 New York Yankees. He won 124 games before his UCL repair and 164 after. His final appearance came days after his 46th birthday.

“While his incredible longevity and post-surgery achievements changed the fortunes and trajectory of countless athletes around the world, it also overshadowed his excellence as a pitcher,” the Yankees said in a statement. “We pause to remember the totality of his legacy — his competitiveness and skill, his penchant for conversation, his kind and gracious nature, and his stature as an athletic and medical pioneer.”

John made his major league debut on Sept. 6, 1963, pitching one inning in relief for Cleveland.

He was traded to the White Sox in 1965 and worked his way into the starting rotation. The following year, he tied for the American League lead with five shutouts and in 1967, his six shutouts led the AL.

In 1971, he was traded to the Dodgers.

In 1974, John had a 13-3 record and led the National League in victories going into the All-Star break. He was pitching against the Montreal Expos when he permanently damaged the UCL in his left arm. After a month, the injury had not improved.

During the four-hour surgery on Sept. 25, 1974, Jobe made holes in the humerus and ulna bones of John’s left arm and used anchors to insert the tendon in a figure-eight pattern.

At first, John’s left hand was shriveled and he lacked feeling in several of his fingers because of damage to the ulnar nerve. Jobe performed a second procedure to reroute the nerve that was necessary to John’s full recovery.

John’s arm was in a cast for four months. He had recovered the full range of motion in his left arm by spring training of 1975 and spent that season resting, healing and rebuilding strength in his arm. John worked with fellow Dodgers pitcher Mike Marshall, who had a doctorate in kinesiology, on learning a different grip.

That September he made five appearances during an offseason instructional league, working his way up to seven innings by his final game.

John resumed pitching for the Dodgers in 1976 as the fourth starter in their rotation. He allowed three runs in five innings and took the loss in his first start against Atlanta, the first time any pitcher had started a game following UCL reconstructive surgery.

John donated the original cast from his surgery to the Smithsonian Institution in June 2022. His teammates on the 1974 Dodgers signed it, as well as Jobe and the team’s Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully.

The procedure has become so widely known that in 2019, Merriam-Webster added the term to its dictionary.

John made 31 starts for the Dodgers in 1976, posting a 10-10 record, a 3.09 ERA, 91 strikeouts, 61 walks and 207 hits allowed in 207 innings.

In 1977, he won 20 games for the first time in his career, finishing with a 20-7 record. He finished second behind Philadelphia’s Steve Carlton in voting for the NL Cy Young Award.

John and his family had mixed feelings about the legacy of his operation

Over 50 years later, Tommy John surgery is as much a part of baseball as peanuts and hot dogs. Advanced training methods are helping pitchers of all ages throw harder than ever. They take comfort knowing a torn UCL won’t necessarily end their careers.

“I am sick my name is attached to a surgery happening in kids more than pros,” John tweeted in July 2018.

John’s oldest son, Tommy III, became a chiropractor who wrote a book suggesting ways to prevent young athletes from having to undergo major sports-related surgery similar to what his father endured.

After his pitching career ended, John worked as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and Yankees in the 1990s. He managed the Bridgeport (Connecticut) Bluefish from 2007-09.

John was hospitalized in December 2020 because of COVID-19 and later had Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which a person’s immune system attacks their nerves. John told the New York Post in May 2022 that he was paralyzed in his lower extremities for several months.

John and his wife Sally Simmons had four children: Tamara, Tommy III, Travis and Taylor, who died of a prescription drug overdose at 28 in 2010. The couple divorced in 2013.

Besides his children, he is survived by his second wife, Cheryl, and son-in-law Patrick Mannelly, a retired NFL long snapper who played 16 years for the Chicago Bears.

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Frank Gounder era uno de los residentes de Indianápolis que evaluaban los daños el domingo, que además resultó ser su cumpleaños número 37.

El carpintero, que vive en el golpeado lado norte de la ciudad, a menos de 1,6 kilómetros (1 milla) del río White, estaba en casa mientras las aguas de la inundación avanzaban por su entrada hasta que alcanzaron unos 0,61 metros (2 pies) de profundidad en la casa y en su taller.

Ahora solo le queda revisar materiales empapados y muebles hechos a mano en diversas etapas de elaboración para ver si hay algo que pueda salvarse.

“Es mucho. Antes de que el agua entrara realmente en mi casa y viera que iba a ocurrir, empecé a entrar en pánico, a enojarme”, dijo. “Pero cuando que te das cuenta de que no puedes hacer nada al respecto, simplemente tienes que soltarlo y seguir, o si no, vas a sentirte abatido”.

Lloran a las víctimas de la tormenta

Entre quienes murieron desde que comenzaron las tormentas el 11 de agosto había un niño de 4 años, tres hombres y tres mujeres, informó Liz Woods, portavoz del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional del estado.

Entre las últimas víctimas confirmadas estaba un ciclista de 31 años que fue hallado muerto a primera hora del domingo en un agujero que se abrió en una carretera arrasada en el condado de Henry, al este de Indianápolis.

El forense del condado de Henry, Brian Clark, dijo que el hombre, James Briar, al parecer rodeó una barricada y cayó en la carretera derrumbada.

Autoridades del condado de Jennings, en el extremo sur del estado, indicaron que el menor falleció el martes cuando un árbol se desplomó sobre su dormitorio debido a los fuertes vientos.

“Obviamente, esto es inesperado”, declaró a la filial local de ABC el subjefe adjunto del condado de Jennings, Cody Low. “No hay nada que podamos decir que vaya a mejorarlo. Vamos a salir adelante como comunidad”.

Entre las otras víctimas está un joven de 19 años cuyo cuerpo fue recuperado el sábado. Autoridades del condado de Delaware, ubicado al este de Indianápolis, señalaron que Matthew Morey había saltado con amigos desde un puente hacia las aguas embravecidas del río Mississinewa tres días antes.

Familiares y amigos se reunieron a principios de la semana en el puente para recordar al recién graduado de secundaria, que iba a estudiar en la Universidad Purdue, y para advertir sobre los peligros de los ríos crecidos.

“No hay palabras que puedan aliviar el dolor de perder a un hijo”, dijo el jefe de la policía del condado de Delaware, Tony Skinner, el domingo en un comunicado. “Nuestros corazones están con la familia, amigos, compañeros de clase y todos los que conocieron y amaron a Matthew”.

La oficina de Skinner también confirmó que Stephanie Sallee y su perro fueron hallados muertos en un campo de maíz el viernes, cerca del automóvil de Sallee. Se cree que la mujer, de 58 años, conducía por una carretera inundada cuando el vehículo fue arrastrado.

En publicaciones en redes sociales, la familia de Sallee la recordó como una mujer dulce, amable y “vivaz” que adoraba a sus nietos y a otros familiares jóvenes.

Las labores de recuperación están en marcha

En Indianápolis, la crecida del río White alcanzó su punto máximo en las primeras horas del domingo antes de empezar a bajar, según el Departamento de Obras Públicas de la ciudad.

La agencia reabrió las compuertas contra inundaciones de la ciudad el domingo, aunque instó a los residentes a ser cautelosos al regresar a los vecindarios dañados por la inundación. Los refugios de emergencia seguían abiertos después de que se evacuaran cientos de viviendas a lo largo del río y sus canales. Los equipos de primera respuesta utilizaron botes para rescatar a personas atrapadas por el rápido crecimiento de las aguas.

Las labores de recuperación también estaban en marcha en otras partes del estado.

“Debo admitir que es una buena mañana”, dijo Christine Altman, presidenta de la junta de comisionados del condado de Hamilton, durante una sesión informativa el domingo. “No hay lluvia y el agua ha comenzado a bajar”.

Añadió que el condado, ubicado justo al norte de Indianápolis, se libró sin pérdidas de vidas, aunque las autoridades evaluaban si un puente con daños importantes por la inundación podía repararse o si era necesario reemplazarlo por completo.

Mientras las zonas del norte de Indiana empezaban a secarse, se esperaba que un grupo de tormentas atravesara las regiones central y sur en las siguientes horas del domingo, con la posibilidad de lluvias intensas, inundaciones repentinas y vientos dañinos, advirtió el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional.

Casi 130.000 clientes de servicios públicos en todo el estado seguían sin electricidad hacia la tarde del domingo, por debajo de un máximo de alrededor de 300.000, según el rastreador en línea PowerOutage.us.

Las tormentas provocaron inundaciones históricas en Indiana

Las fuertes lluvias han azotado Indiana durante la última semana, lo que provocó que los ríos alcanzaran su nivel máximo y establecieran nuevos récords, mientras que varias carreteras y puentes sufrieron daños graves o fueron arrasados por completo por las potentes corrientes.

El río White alcanzó un nivel de más de 24 pies (7,32 metros) en las comunidades de Anderson y Noblesville, superando récords establecidos en 1913.

El alcalde de Indianápolis, Joe Hogsett, afirmó que la inundación fue la peor que la ciudad ha visto en más de 30 años.

La oficina del gobernador Mike Braun indicó que, en otras partes del estado, se han realizado más de 350 evacuaciones y decenas de rescates y verificaciones de bienestar, incluso en una comunidad de casas móviles para personas mayores al norte de Indianápolis.

El presidente Donald Trump aprobó el sábado la solicitud de Braun de asistencia federal por desastre para colaborar en la respuesta a las inundaciones y las labores de recuperación.

Las lluvias torrenciales y las inundaciones destructivas estuvieron entre los efectos de las tormentas severas que han causado estragos en la región centro-norte y más allá en los últimos días.

Tornados, lluvias intensas e inundaciones repentinas provocaron daños graves en comunidades desde Illinois hasta el oeste de Pensilvania.

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Marcelo informó desde Nueva York.

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

The talks aim to salvage the plan for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territory shattered by war.

At stake are the lives of some 2 million people in Gaza and reconstruction of the crowded enclave now largely controlled by Israeli forces, more than 10 months since the ceasefire ended major military operations. A meeting between Kushner, fellow envoy Steve Witkoff and Hamas leaders in Egypt last year helped clinch the ceasefire, whose progress until now had been stalled over the key issue of Hamas’ disarmament.

The more than two-hour meeting in Egypt with Hamas' Khalil al-Hayya was confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas official, both speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Kushner was one of a trio of envoys meeting with al-Hayya, with officials from mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey also there.

Hamas in a statement later called on mediators and the U.S.-created Board of Peace overseeing the ceasefire to “compel” Israel to approve the road map for next steps.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week rejected the 15-point plan in a rare public show of defiance against the Trump administration, Israel’s closest ally.

Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair and the Board of Peace director, Nickolay Mladenov, are to meet with Netanyahu on Monday, according to a source familiar with the plans and a diplomatic source. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a closed-door meeting.

Regional powers accuse Israel of obstructing peace efforts

Several regional powers including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates issued a statement condemning Israel’s rejection of the road map, saying that “Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.” Other signers included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the ceasefire mediators.

The foreign ministers' statement called on the Board of Peace and the U.S. to take “immediate and concrete measures” to keep any party from obstructing the plan’s implementation.

Kushner’s meeting with the Hamas leader aimed at ensuring the militant group’s commitment to the road map, particularly disarmament, before his meeting with Netanyahu, the regional official said.

The Hamas official said the group is committed and waiting for mediators to start the 14-day negotiation period to work out a timetable for implementation. That period requires all parties' approval of the road map to begin.

The Hamas official also said the Hamas leader demanded that Israel halt its attacks on Gaza and withdraw to the so-called “yellow line” dividing the territory before beginning implementation. The yellow line was never precisely defined. Israeli forces have moved beyond it and now control about 60% of Gaza.

In May, Netanyahu said the next step was to move to 70% control, with Israel “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction.”

The White House had no comment on the talks

The White House referred questions about Kushner's meetings to the Board of Peace, which did not immediately comment. The Tony Blair Institute did not comment.

Under the road map, Hamas would hand over weapons to the Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee daily operations in the territory. The committee has not yet entered Gaza. But Hamas has linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government rejects.

The road map involves Hamas gradually giving up its weapons while Israeli forces halt attacks and begin withdrawing from Gaza. But Netanyahu says Israel will not retreat from any position in Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed.

That stance leaves other elements of the ceasefire, including reconstruction and the deployment of international forces to separate Israeli forces from committee-controlled areas, on hold.

Netanyahu faces a challenging election on Oct. 27 as he tries to hold on to power with a coalition that includes ministers taking a harsh line on Gaza, and it's not clear whether he will take decisive steps on the ceasefire before then. Also coming up is the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that sparked the war.

Netanyahu's Likud party on Sunday responded to the statement by regional powers by claiming that “Arab states want to topple” Netanyahu so that centrist challenger Gadi Eisenkot and center-left party leader Yair Golan "will give them everything they want. That will not happen.”

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Frankel reported from Jerusalem and Anna from Lowville, New York. Collin Binkley in Washington and Sylvia Hui in London contributed.

The U.S. men beat Italy 46-26 to secure a sixth straight title and the women missed out on a fourth straight title after losing 27-20 to Canada.

“Gold is the only standard,” said men's quarterback Nico Casares, who threw two touchdown passes. “That's our motto. That's what we play by, that's what we live by.”

The U.S. women started strongly but it was tied 14-14 at the break after Caroline Moquin-Joubert caught quarterback Sara Parker's pass at the end of the first half. Parker set up Frederique Morneau at the start of the second half as Canada took control.

The U.S. had a fourth down, yards from the line, with three seconds left, but could not make the final play count. It was Canada's third title and first since beating the U.S. in the 2014 final.

“I feel so happy, I can’t believe it,” Parker said after hugging her mother. ”Literally the best day ever.”

The International Federation of American Football ran the championship tournament, which doubled up as a qualifier, in the German city of Düsseldorf.

The top two men’s and top two women’s teams earned a spot at the 2028 Games, along with the U.S. men's and women's teams because they already qualified as hosts.

Sunday's two other finalists — the Italian men and Canadian women — earned an Olympic spot by reaching the final against the U.S. teams, meaning that the bronze-medal games decided who joined them.

Mexico women cried with joy after a 20-19 win over Great Britain — which rallied from 20-6 down — for the women’s bronze and an Olympic spot.

But Mexico's men lost 34-26 in overtime to Canada, which claimed an Olympic spot.

Rules of the game

Flag football was among five sports given Olympic status for the 2028 Games back in 2023, with the game played five-on-five in two 20-minute halves, no tackling and an emphasis on speed and elusiveness.

The NFL has said it plans to launch women’s and men’s professional flag football ahead of the Olympics. ___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

El presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva habló ante más de 10.000 simpatizantes en el estadio Vila Euclides, a las afueras de la ciudad de Sao Paulo, donde alcanzó notoriedad política hace 47 años como dirigente sindical de los metalúrgicos durante la dictadura militar del país entre 1964 y 1985.

El senador Flávio Bolsonaro, uno de los hijos del expresidente conservador Jair Bolsonaro, se reunió con miles de votantes en la playa de Copacabana, en Rio de Janeiro. Su padre, bajo arresto domiciliario tras su condena por un intento de golpe de Estado, no asistió.

El domingo fue el primer día en que los candidatos pudieron hacer campaña en Brasil.

Lula advierte contra la injerencia extranjera

El presidente de Brasil reiteró que no quiere injerencia extranjera en las elecciones del país. Sus aliados han acusado al gobierno de Estados Unidos de intentar impulsar la candidatura de Bolsonaro con medidas como aumentar los aranceles a las exportaciones brasileñas y revocar la visa del embajador de Brasil en Washington.

Al referirse a las vastas reservas brasileñas de minerales raros, Lula afirmó: “Nadie (en el exterior) va a explotar nuestros minerales. Vamos a explotarlos en beneficio del pueblo brasileño”.

Ambos candidatos buscan atraer el voto femenino

Lula, que busca su cuarto mandato no consecutivo, y Bolsonaro intentaron atraer a las votantes, que representan casi el 53% de los 158 millones de electores habilitados en Brasil, según el tribunal electoral del país.

Lula manifestó que “los hombres tienen que aprender desde la infancia que no son mejores que las mujeres. Tenemos que ser iguales”, mientras la primera dama, Rosângela da Silva, estaba a su lado y asentía. Ella fue una de las principales oradoras del acto en Sao Bernardo do Campo, donde Lula vivió gran parte de su vida.

Lula indicó que presentará su plataforma en un plazo de 10 días, con más detalles sobre sus políticas para beneficiar a las mujeres, incluidas iniciativas educativas y medidas para prevenir y castigar la violencia contra las mujeres.

Bolsonaro, con su madre y su esposa a su lado, dijo a sus seguidores que trabajaría para combatir la violencia contra las mujeres.

Bolsonaro busca diferenciarse de su padre

En su discurso, Bolsonaro prometió combatir el crimen y eliminar lo que describió como “ideología” de izquierda de las escuelas brasileñas. Cada estudiante “tiene derecho a soñar con ser Elon Musk algún día”, sostuvo.

Antes de su aparición en la playa de Copacabana, Bolsonaro, de 45 años, afirmó durante una transmisión en vivo que ha recibido 1.800 amenazas de muerte, sin aportar pruebas. El legislador señaló que llevaba un chaleco antibalas.

Su padre fue atacado por un hombre con un cuchillo mientras hacía campaña para la presidencia en 2018, y sufrió hemorragias internas y lesiones intestinales.

Jair Bolsonaro eligió a su hijo para enfrentarse a Lula como candidato del Partido Liberal. La campaña del Bolsonaro más joven ha enfrentado dificultades desde su inicio, con partidos políticos moderados manteniendo distancia.

El legislador de 45 años, que guarda un parecido físico con su padre, buscó claramente establecer su propia identidad.

“Sé que me parezco a él. Pero es difícil comparar al hijo de Pelé con Pelé”, expresó, en referencia al futbolista tricampeón del Mundial que murió en 2022.

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

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke with nostalgia to more than 10,000 supporters at the Vila Euclides Stadium outside Sao Paulo — a city where he rose to political fame 47 years ago as a metalworkers union leader during the country's 1964-1985 military dictatorship.

The 80-year-old, wearing a hat after a skin cancer diagnosis, insisted Brazil needs more of his policies.

Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of former President Jair Bolsonaro, gathered with thousands of voters on the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. His father, under house arrest following his conviction for an attempted coup, did not attend the rally.

Lula echoed his own earlier comments denouncing foreign interference in Brazil's politics. His allies have accused the U.S. government of seeking to boost Flávio Bolsonaro's bid with measures such as raising tariffs on Brazilian exports and revoking the visa of Brazil's ambassador to Washington.

Speaking about Brazil's vast reserves of rare minerals, Lula said “no one (abroad) will tap our minerals. We are going to tap them for the benefit of the Brazilian people.”

Bolsonaro argued that he is “the only one who can sit with the United States, with China, with Israel, with the Middle East, with India and with Argentina to make the best and biggest trade deals for our nation.”

His party's convention was attended by Argentina's President Javier Milei. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several members of the Trump administration have expressed support for him.

Voters' attention is expected to perk up after TV ads start

Sunday was the first campaign day the 13 candidates in the running but many voters are expected to pay more attention once campaign ads start airing on TV and radio at the end of the month.

“It looks like we are starting slow this time,” said 68-year-old Flávio Alves, a Lula supporter who lives on the same street where the rally was underway. “We all expect a narrow election, but now Lula is in government, things are different.”

Four years ago, Lula beat incumbent Jair Bolsonaro with 50.9% of the vote.

Another presidential candidate, Ronaldo Caiado, a former state governor and an agribusiness leader, toured the surroundings of Brazil’s capital Brasilia and reinforced his anti-Lula credentials.

Another Lula opponent, Romeu Zema, met voters and attended a Catholic ceremony in the countryside of Minas Gerais, considered a bellwether state for the elections — a state he had governed until recently.

Both top candidates appeal to women voters

Lula, who is seeking his fourth nonconsecutive term, and Bolsonaro each reached out to women voters, who account for nearly 53% of Brazil’s 158 million eligible voters, according to the country’s electoral court.

“Men need to learn from childhood that they are no better than women. We need to be equal,” said Lula, as first lady Rosângela da Silva stood by his side, nodding. She was one of the event’s main speakers in Sao Bernardo do Campo, where Lula lived a large part of his life.

Lula said he will launch his platform within 10 days, with more details to come about his policies to benefit women, including education initiatives and policies to prevent and punish violence against women.

Sen. Bolsonaro, with his mother and wife by his side, told supporters he would work to fight violence against women.

Flávio Bolsonaro seeks to distinguish himself from his father

In his speech, the younger Bolsonaro vowed to fight crime and to remove what he described as left-wing “ideology” from Brazilian schools. Every student “has the right to dream of being Elon Musk someday," he said.

Before his appearance on Copacabana beach, 45-year-old Bolsonaro said during a live broadcast that he has received 1,800 death threats, without offering evidence. The lawmaker noted that he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

His father was attacked by a man with a knife as he campaigned for the presidency in 2018, suffering internal bleeding and intestinal injuries.

Jair Bolsonaro chose his son to stand against Lula as the Liberal Party’s candidate. The younger Bolsonaro's campaign has faced headwinds since its start, with moderate political parties keeping their distance, a public rift with his stepmother and difficulties in finding a running mate.

The 45-year-old lawmaker, who bears a physical resemblance to his father, clearly sought to establish his own identity.

“I know I look like him. But it is hard to compare Pelé’s son with Pelé,” he said, referring to the three-time World Cup-winning soccer player who died in 2022.

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

De la Espriella took office earlier this month just days before the 7.4 magnitude quake struck. He was backed by Trump in Colombia's closely contested presidential election, which was decided in a runoff on June 21, and has sought to emphasize his connections with the U.S. leader.

On Saturday night, de la Espriella wrote on X that he spoke with Trump and thanked him for aid sent by the U.S. in response to the earthquake. He added that he “asked him to consider the temporary suspension of the high tariffs that affect Colombian products, in order to provide relief to our businesspeople, who are facing very difficult times due to the effects of the earthquake.”

There has been no immediate response from the Trump administration to de la Espriella's request. The U.S. has offered a total of $26.5 million in earthquake aid, including food, shelters and health supplies, according to the U.S. State Department.

The earthquake that struck Monday morning devastated parts of western Colombia, hitting cities including Pereira, Cali and Quibdo. Cities along the country's Pacific coast were hit particularly hard. The president declared the quake a natural disaster.

The government has said that 143 people are missing, while other civilian-run databases put the number in the thousands.

The natural disaster, whose epicenter was in one of the poorest regions of the country, Choco, has so far left 3,937 people injured, according to the government. In addition, it destroyed 14,705 homes and damaged another 81,536.

In Cali, Colombia's third biggest city, workers searched for the more than 70 people reported missing in that city. Hope remained alive even after the key 48 to 72 hour window to find survivors beneath the rubble has long passed.

“Miracles do happen” even though more than 120 hours have passed since the earthquake struck, said Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder from the unified command post. "We are working where we know there are still victims; we are working in the hope of rescuing people alive.”

Mariota, 32, will miss the remainder of the preseason, but Quinn is "optimistic that he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season.”

Mariota was injured during Washington's preseason opener against Miami on Friday night. Starter Jayden Daniels did not play against the Dolphins.

Quinn said the Commanders don't plan on bringing in another quarterback at this time. The only other QBs on the roster are Sam Hartman and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis.

“It will allow more reps over the next couple of weeks with Sam (Hartman) and Athan (Kaliakmanis) in that spot," Quinn said.

Quinn said Mariota's injury has impacted his thinking for how much Daniels and other starters will play for the remainder of the preseason, but he has yet to make any decisions. He plans to re-evaluate after two straight days of padded practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“I’ve got a bunch of situations that I’m trying to work through — two minutes, four minutes, some goal-line stuff,” Quinn said.

"This is our most heightened training camp block coming up, so I’m excited to see that. We haven’t gotten to the planning of the game yet.”

The Commanders' next preseason game is on Saturday against the Lions before concluding the preseason on Friday, Aug. 28 against the Ravens.

Washington did receive promising news elsewhere on the injury front, as starting center Nick Allegretti and tight end John Bates are expected to return to practice on Tuesday. Cornerback Trey Amos remains out with an ankle injury, while running back Jeremy McNichols will miss a few weeks with a quad injury, according to Quinn.

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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

“Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie” and “The End of Oak Street,” one targeted to very young children and the other an original PG-13 rated action movie, battled for third place in their first weekend in theaters. According to studio estimates on Sunday, the Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor movie had the slight edge, with a projected $21 million to the animated pups’ $20.5 million.

Neither stood a chance for first, however, while “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” continues to cast its sticky web around audiences three weekends into its historic run. The Sony Pictures release added another $70 million from theaters in the U.S. and Canada, bringing its domestic total to a staggering $785.8 million, making it the fourth-biggest domestic release ever. With $118.7 million from overseas markets, it surpassed $2 billion globally, only the eighth movie ever to achieve that landmark (not accounting for inflation) and the second-fastest to do so. “Avengers: Endgame” did it in 11 days in 2019. “Brand New Day” took about 18.

“The Odyssey,” now in its fifth weekend, also managed to stay in second with a $23.2 million weekend that pushed its domestic total to $504.7 million. With $98 million from international showings, propelled by $36.6 million from its first few days playing in China, Christopher Nolan’s epic has now made over $1.2 billion globally.

“The End of Oak Street” came in ahead of expectations with around $21 million from 3,446 locations. It also made $26 million from international screenings, adding up to a $47 million global opening against a reported $80 million production budget.

The film, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, stars McGregor and Hathaway as suburban parents in 1982 whose neighborhood is mysteriously transported to prehistoric times. It was well-received by critics and currently carries an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences gave it a less enthusiastic B CinemaScore. According to PostTrak exit polls, just over half the opening weekend audience said they would “definitely recommend” to friends.

Family audiences showed up for “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie,” which Paramount Pictures released in 3,545 theaters in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. Carrying a PG rating, it’s the third theatrically released Paw Patrol movie since 2021. The opening weekend audience gave it an A CinemaScore. Globally, it has a running total of $69 million.

The Katseye documentary “Katseye: Wild Hearts” rounded out the top five with $4 million from only 724 screens. Several other newcomers also managed to get places in the top 10: “Six: The Musical Live” opened in sixth place with $3 million, followed by “The Brink of War” with $2.7 million. The Tamil-language romance “Vishwanath & Sons” made $1.6 million to take 10th place.

The Matthew McConaughey crime thriller “The Rivals of Amziah King” opened outside of the top 10 with just over $1 million from 632 theaters. The young Anthony Bourdain biopic “Tony,” meanwhile, made $706,676 from 37 theaters in its second weekend. The A24 release is expanding in the coming weeks.

The box office is strong with the summer season, now over, accounting for over $4.2 billion in ticket sales — about 5.7% ahead of the pre-pandemic summer of 2019. Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, noted that the number to date is only about $130 million shy of the record 2013 summer, which was led by “Iron Man 3” and “Despicable Me 2.”

While this summer might not surpass 2013, which ended with just under $4.8 billion, Dergarabedian said, “This is going to be a top five summer of all time.”

The year overall is just under $6.9 billion.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:

1. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” $70 million.

2. “The Odyssey,” $23.2 million.

3. “The End of Oak Street,” $21 million.

4. “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie,” $20.5 million.

5. “Katseye: Wild Hearts,” $4 million.

6. “Six: The Musical Live,” $3 million.

7. “The Brink of War,” $2.7 million.

8. “Toy Story 5,” $2.3 million.

9. “One Night Only,” $2 million.

10. “Vishwanath & Sons,” $1.6 million.

Frank Gounder was among the Indianapolis residents assessing the damage Sunday, which also happened to be his 37th birthday.

The furniture maker, who lives on the city’s hard-hit north side, less than a mile from the White River, had been at home as floodwaters crept up his driveway until they were about 2 feet deep (0.61 meters) in the house and his workshop.

Now he’s left to pick through waterlogged materials and handmade furniture in various stages of completion to see what, if anything, could be salvaged.

“It’s a lot. Before the water had actually gotten into my house and I saw that it was going to happen, I started freaking out, getting mad,” he said. “But after you realize you can’t do anything about it, you kind of just have to let go and just continue, or else you’re just going to be miserable.”

Storm victims mourned

A 4-year-old boy, two men and three women were among those who had died since the storms began Aug. 11, said Liz Woods, a spokesperson for the state Department of Homeland Security.

Officials in Jennings County, in the southern end of the state, said the boy was killed Tuesday when a tree crashed through his bedroom during strong winds.

“This is obviously unexpected,” Jennings County Deputy Chief Cody Low told the local ABC affiliate. “There’s nothing we can say that is going to make it any better. We’re going to push through this as a community.”

The other victims included a 19-year-old man whose body was recovered Saturday. Officials in Delaware County, located east of Indianapolis, said Matthew Morey had jumped off a bridge into the rushing waters of the Mississinewa River with friends three days earlier.

Family and friends gathered earlier in the week at the bridge to remember the recent high school graduate, who was headed to Purdue University, and warn of the dangers of swollen rivers.

Delaware County officials also said they recovered the body of Stephanie Sallee and her dog in a cornfield on Saturday, not far from her car. They believe the 58-year-old had been driving on a flooded road when the vehicle was swept away. In a statement shared with local news outlets, her family remembered her as a compassionate and loving person who adored her grandchildren and other young relatives.

Recovery efforts are underway

In Indianapolis, flooding from the White River peaked early Sunday morning, with high water levels expected to hold for a few hours before beginning to recede, according to the city Department of Public Works.

The agency said it would reopen the city’s floodgates Sunday and that emergency shelters remained open after hundreds of homes along the river and its canals were evacuated. First responders used boats to rescue people stranded by rapidly rising floodwaters.

Recovery efforts, meanwhile, started in earnest as parts of the state began drying out.

“I must admit it is a good morning,” Christine Altman, president of the Hamilton County board of commissioners, said during a Sunday briefing. “It’s not raining, and the water is receding.”

She said the county, located just north of Indianapolis, escaped without any loss of life, though officials were assessing whether a significant bridge damaged in the flooding could be repaired or if it needed to be completely replaced.

Heavy rain and flash flooding were still possible across portions of the central part of the state throughout the day, the National Weather Service warned.

The weather service urged residents to check river and weather forecasts and “stay out of dangerous, fast moving waters” as heavy rain has caused significant flooding along most rivers and creeks across central Indiana. Roads and bridges across the state have also been seriously damaged or washed out by the rushing waters.

Nearly 130,000 utility customers statewide remained without power as of Sunday afternoon, down from a peak of around 300,000, according to the online utility tracker PowerOutage.us.

Storms brought historic flooding to Indiana

Heavy rains hammered Indiana over the past week, causing rivers to crest and setting new records.

The White River crested at more than 24 feet (7.32 meters) in the communities of Anderson and Noblesville, surpassing records set in 1913.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the flooding was the worst the capital city has seen in more than 30 years.

Gov. Mike Braun’s office said more than 350 evacuations and scores of rescue and welfare checks have occurred elsewhere in the state, including at a senior mobile home community north of Indianapolis.

President Donald Trump on Saturday approved Braun’s request for federal disaster assistance to help with flooding response and recovery efforts.

The drenching rains and destructive flooding were among the impacts of severe storms that have wreaked havoc across the Midwest and beyond in recent days.

Tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding brought serious damage to communities from Illinois to western Pennsylvania.

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Marcelo reported from New York.

Both candidates joined host Glenna Milberg on the latest episode of “This Week in South Florida”, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.

He joined host Glenna Milberg on the latest episode of “This Week in South Florida”, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.

He joined host Glenna Milberg on the latest episode of “This Week in South Florida”, and their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.

Lawyers for the BBC argued that Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump, Jr. have “personal knowledge" and likely have records relevant to elements of Trump's claims against the broadcaster, according to a filing Friday in federal court in Florida.

The broadcaster has been unable to serve subpoenas because the three have Secret Service protection and other security personnel around them, the filing says.

Trump filed the lawsuit in December seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing it of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.

The allegations center on the way a 2024 documentary edited a speech Trump gave on Jan. 6, 2021, before protesters attacked the Capitol in Washington. The lawsuit accuses the BBC of “splicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump’s speech” to “intentionally misrepresent the meaning of what President Trump said.”

It added that the editing was "a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

The BBC has apologized to Trump for the misleading edit, but said it had not defamed him.

The latest court filing said that Trump's family members had knowledge of issues that were relevant to Trump's argument “that it would be materially false to imply that he incited violence" on Jan. 6, 2021.

It cited that Donald Trump, Jr. and Ivanka Trump were both present in the Oval Office when Trump was still revising his speech, adding that Donald Trump, Jr. spoke directly with his father after violence had broken out at the Capitol.

The filing says the BBC asked Trump to accept the subpoenas on his daughter and son-in-law's behalf or to direct the Secret Service to allow the subpoenas to be served, but he refused. The broadcaster asked the court to allow the subpoenas to be served by email and certified mail.

The judge has given Trump's legal team until Friday to respond to the BBC's request.

Trump's legal team said that “the BBC is simply trying to distract away from their own obvious liability.”

“The BBC intentionally defamed President Donald J. Trump, and now the BBC is seeking to harass him, his family, and supporters by abusing the deposition process," according to the team.

A trial has been provisionally set for February in the case.

Last week, a federal judge in Florida granted Trump a temporary reprieve from an order that he provide details of his business empire’s financial performance as part of the lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Roy Altman agreed to put that order on hold while he considers an amended complaint from Trump that would narrow his claim that he suffered damage to both business and reputation.

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Associated Press journalists Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

Medal ceremonies were postponed to Sunday, when West Midlands Police said a man in his 30s had been arrested on suspicion of fraud. Governing body European Athletics added “it is safe to attend the stadium” Sunday night for the concluding session of the week-long championships.

Police said in a statement that around 8:15 p.m. Saturday “concerns were raised after a man was found in an area of Alexander Stadium with the wrong accreditation.”

“As a precaution, security measures were put in place and transport for the championship staff and athletes were suspended,” the statement said. “This then led to delays to transport from the stadium for the wider public.”

Police said there was “no immediate risk to the public," and that the man remained in custody Sunday for questioning.

Fans had waited in long lines while transport was suspended. Just past 11 p.m. Saturday, organizers posted an apology on social media for “significant delays” and that bus service would “gradually begin to take place.”

“The safety and wellbeing of our spectators, athletes, workforce and the wider championships family will always be our first priority,” Birmingham 2026 said in a statement.

The stadium is located outside the city center.

“We recognize that the delays presented challenges for those affected and would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and cooperation throughout the evening,” organizers said.

European Athletics said the local organizing committee has worked closely with authorities “to ensure that all necessary measures are in place” for Sunday night.

“Any issues connected with last night have now been fully resolved,” it said Sunday. "Everything possible has been done to guarantee the safety and smooth running of tonight's competition.

“Fans can be reassured that it is safe to attend the stadium for the closing night of the championships.”

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See full AP coverage of European sports here

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Their investigation appeared to be focused on an area behind Truth Lounge and Nightclub and the Star America Food & Deli located along the 2600 block of Oakland Park Blvd.

Local 10 News’ cameras spotted detectives walking around the property examining the scene left behind after the apparent shooting.

Several evidence markers were left along the pavement, and bullet casings were scattered on the ground.

Officers quickly left the scene around 5:30 a.m. but have not provided any official information regarding the incident.

La investigación parecía concentrarse en un área detrás de Truth Lounge and Nightclub y Star America Food & Deli, ubicados en la cuadra 2600 de Oakland Park Boulevard.

Las cámaras de Local 10 News captaron a los detectives recorriendo la propiedad y examinando la escena tras el aparente tiroteo.

En el pavimento quedaron varios marcadores de evidencia y se observaron casquillos de bala esparcidos en el suelo.

Los agentes abandonaron rápidamente la zona alrededor de las 5:30 a.m., pero hasta el momento no han proporcionado información oficial sobre el incidente.

Ocho días después de la suspensión temporal de las exportaciones de aguacate desde el estado occidental de Michoacán hacia ese país y del despliegue de más tropas en la región, las autoridades estadounidenses levantaron por completo la alerta de seguridad que motivó el paro y para el fin de semana, las huertas ya recuperaban su actividad, las empacadoras trabajaban a toda máquina y los inspectores agrícolas volvían a certificar la fruta para asegurar que no tenían plagas antes de cruzar la frontera.

En Michoacán, principal productor de aguacates de México y una región donde operan cuatro cárteles designados como terroristas por el gobierno de Donald Trump, unos estaban contentos por recuperar sus jornales diarios; otros esperanzados ante la posibilidad de que baje la violencia y las extorsiones, y algunos temían que la tranquilidad solo fuera pasajera.

“Vamos a estar seguros un rato hasta ver qué más ocurre”, comentaba Valentín Rodríguez, un empresario veterano del sector.

Muchas amenazas posibles en un estado violento

La alerta estadounidense agarró a Isidro subido a un árbol de una huerta de Santa Ana Zirosto, una zona de cerros bajos y verdes de alta actividad delictiva al oeste del estado. No hubo explicaciones, solo el grito del capataz para que pararan el corte.

El jornalero, de 39 años y dos décadas como cortador, sabía que eso significaba empezar a buscar otro trabajo hasta que la situación se normalizara o mantener a la familia sólo con lo que sacaba su esposa de una pequeña tienda.

En una empacadora a más de 150 km (90 millas) de allí, en Tacámbaro, el ingeniero de turno recibió el mensaje de madrugada. La planta quedaba desde ese momento en una especie de cuarentena. Todos sus accesos precintados.

Unas 200,000 personas que emplea el sector aguacatero en Michoacán se quedaron en vilo.

Las autoridades no aclararon qué amenaza detonó la alerta, pero en un estado donde operan numerosos cárteles locales que, además de la droga, tienen en la extorsión uno de sus principales negocios, las posibilidades son muchas.

Algunos empresarios asumen las extorsiones como parte obligada de sus costes de producción. Uno de ellos contaba recientemente a AP que paga al crimen organizado un peso por kilo exportado y vende cada día a Estados Unidos unas 90 toneladas, es decir, pagos diarios de más de 5,000 dólares.

Solo en marzo, México vendió diariamente a Estados Unidos casi 4,800 toneladas.

También hay robos de camiones llenos de aguacate en las carreteras del oeste del estado. E incluso algunos jornaleros se han visto detenidos y golpeados por hombres armados sin saber la razón en una zona limítrofe con Jalisco, contó uno de ellos que pidió el anonimato por miedo.

La industria del aguacate en manos de EEUU

En el pasado, los inspectores han sufrido agresiones y hasta retenciones temporales que provocaron parones similares al de la semana pasada. En alguna ocasión las amenazas surgieron cuando detectaban una plaga para que no la denunciaran, dijo un funcionario conocedor de la actividad de los técnicos y que pidió el anonimato por seguridad. La embajada no suele ofrecer detalles.

Ahora los inspectores tienen menos presencia en las huertas –cerros aislados por donde los hombres armados campan a sus anchas— y concentran la mayor parte de su actividad en las empacadoras.

“Si dice Estados Unidos que por temas de seguridad nos niegan los servicios técnicos, imposible exportar; si dice que ahora no es seguridad, que es un tema fitosanitario, igual”, explica Rodríguez, quien produce, empaca y comercializa. “Estamos a lo que el mercado y el gobierno de Estados Unidos quieran hacer con la industria”.

No falta el matiz político, agregó el empresario. México tuvo prohibido exportar aguacates a Estados Unidos durante ocho décadas “por un famoso gusano que encontraron en 1914 en un hueso”, recordó. El veto se levantó en 1997 cuando su producción nacional no podía ya abastecer la creciente demanda.

Un esquema de certificación seguido al milímetro

Estados Unidos compra más del 80% de los aguacates mexicanos para la exportación, lo que significa que miles de toneladas viajan cada día hacia el norte, sobre todo a principios de año cuando el consumo de guacamole crece en vísperas del Super Bowl. Para que ese volumen se mueva la palabra clave es “certificación”.

Isidro es un cortador “certificado”, que sabe como desinfectar los utensilios de corte antes de usarlos, manipular el aguacate con rapidez y delicadeza y alertar de cualquier mancha o daño en la fruta. Lo es también su cuadrilla y las huertas en las que trabaja que, entre otras cosas, deben tener comedor y baño para los jornaleros.

Jesús Méndez, su supervisor, revisa las cajas —todas con los datos necesarios para poder rastrearlas— antes de subirlas al camión, que esperará a que todos los de la zona estén listos para salir en convoy hacia el empaque con patrullas acompañándolos para evitar robos.

Al llegar a las plantas empacadoras, las verificaciones continúan —de calidad, de pulpa, de plagas— antes de que los aguacates empiecen a correr por las cadenas mecanizadas que los separan por tamaños hasta que decenas de manos los acomodan en cajas.

Una vez completamente etiquetados y precintados, los camiones salen camino de la frontera. A la menor alerta, todos los lugares por los que pasó esa fruta quedan paralizados.

Sigue el miedos pese al regreso de actividades

El aumento de más de 1,500 militares para vigilar la franja aguacatera y una docena de arrestos en el estado aliviaron al sector, pero sólo a medias.

Luis Manuel Soto, productor y empacador de 36 años del oeste de Michoacán, confía en que haya mejoras pero, de momento, no las siente.

Contó que en 2024 hombres armados le sacaron de su vehículo amenazando con matarle si no les pagaba y quitaba una denuncia por extorsión e intento de despojo de sus huertas. En julio de este año las amenazas regresaron aunque una persona involucrada en el caso previo está ya condenada.

“Me dejaron la cruz fúnebre y… un mensaje textual que decía que tenía los días contados”, explicó desde una localidad cercana a Morelia, la capital michoacana. Las amenazas continuaron vía telefónica y ahora su vida transcurre entre la atención esporádica a sus huertas, la gestión a distancia de sus negocios y proyectos sociales y las visitas a la fiscalía pidiendo protección.

En Santa Ana Zirosto y sus alrededores, la población celebraba el refuerzo militar.

“Tanto nos tranquiliza como nos da un poquito de susto (por) si eso pueda traer algunas confrontaciones con alguno de los grupos pero ojalá sea para bien”, dijo Méndez que todavía recuerda un día que tuvo que dejar el trabajo porque las balas cruzaban de un cerro a otro por encima de la huerta en la que estaba.

De momento, tras la reactivación de actividades, las bromas y risas corrían entre sus trabajadores encaramados en las copas de los árboles de aguacate.

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The Chetu Foundation hosted the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA Walkathon, which took place at Markham Park, located at 16001 W. State Road 84.

It’s part of Akshaya Patra Foundation’s Walk to Feed Millions of Dreams, which is a 15-city walkathon held in honor of India’s Independence Day weekend.

Local 10’s Isabella Martin was there, and her full report can be seen at the top of this page.

La Fundación Chetu organizó la caminata de Akshaya Patra Foundation USA, que se realizó en Markham Park, ubicado en 16001 W. State Road 84.

El evento forma parte de Walk to Feed Millions of Dreams, una caminata que se celebra en 15 ciudades en honor al fin de semana de la Independencia de India.

Isabella Martin, de Local 10, estuvo presente en el evento. Su reporte completo puede verse en la parte superior de esta página.

English soccer’s annual season curtain-raiser between the reigning champions in the Premier League (Arsenal) and FA Cup (City) offered a chance for an early assessment of the two teams most likely to challenge for the big trophies this campaign.

While Arsenal delivered a statement performance — not least by scoring after 23 seconds through Riccardo Calafiori — at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, there might be some early concerns for City and Maresca at the start of the post-Pep Guardiola era.

Kai Havertz headed home the second goal in the 28th through the grasp of City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and Martin Odegaard ran unchallenged into City’s area, before sitting down Donnarumma with an outrageous dummy and slotting a finish into an unguarded net in the 48th.

Playful chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” came from Arsenal’s jubilant supporters toward Maresca for part of the game in which City rarely threatened opposition goalkeeper David Raya. Erling Haaland — only just back in training after the World Cup — was substituted in the 53rd minute after having just seven touches.

“The goal we conceded after 30 seconds affects the game,” Maresca said.

“It’s a defeat that hurts us, but it’s only the beginning.”

It was the perfect preparation for Arsenal ahead of the beginning of its Premier League title defense — at home to Coventry on Friday.

“I think we showed our level today, that we are ready,” Odegaard, Arsenal's captain, said. “We are serious and we want to do it again.”

City launches its league campaign two days later at home to Bournemouth and it remains to be seen if Maresca reacts to this defeat by changing his team around.

“It's part of any transition, for things to not be perfect in the beginning,” newly appointed City captain Ruben Dias said. “You need to keep on working … and there's going to be lots of challenges along the way.”

Explosive start by Arsenal

Calafiori ran on to Myles Lewis-Skelly's threaded throughball to give Arsenal an explosive start and score the first goal in the opening minute of the Community Shield since 1968. On that occasion, Bobby Owen netted for City against West Bromwich Albion.

Arsenal went on to record the biggest margin of victory in the season curtain-raiser since 2014, when the Gunners also beat City 3-0.

No Rodri but Grealish plays

Rodri, Spain's World Cup-winning captain, wasn't with the City squad in Cardiff as he continues his recovery from minor back surgery to the backdrop of a potential move to Barcelona.

His absence leaves a huge hole in Maresca's midfield that might only have been partially filled by Elliot Anderson following his $155 million move from Nottingham Forest.

One interesting selection by City's new manager was Jack Grealish, who came on at the start of the second half for his first appearance for the team in more than a year. Does it suggest his career at City could be reignited after he was sent on loan to Everton last season?

Maresca did little to clear up the situation.

“While he’s here with us, it’s my duty to help him,” he said.

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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Los candidatos incluso emitieron sus propios votos durante la jornada de votación anticipada del sábado, al tiempo que defendían por qué merecen el apoyo de los electores.

Con el tiempo corriendo, quedan apenas unos días para las elecciones primarias de Florida, y los candidatos realizaron actos en distintas partes del sur del estado.

Entre las contiendas está la carrera por el Senado de Estados Unidos.

La competencia por la nominación demócrata ha sido reñida.

El teniente coronel retirado Alex Vindman, quien ganó notoriedad nacional como testigo en el primer juicio político contra el presidente Donald Trump en 2019, reunió a simpatizantes en Wilton Manors mientras busca mantener el impulso hasta el final.

“Se trata de asegurarnos de que financiemos Medicare. De garantizar que las familias trabajadoras no vivan de cheque en cheque, que puedan tener un poco más de facilidad, y de cuidar a la próxima generación de jóvenes”, dijo Vindman.

Su rival, la representante estatal Angie Nixon, encabezó una caminata por La Pequeña Habana mientras su campaña busca movilizar a los votantes.

“Realmente me importan las personas. Y estoy presente. Sé lo que enfrentan los floridanos porque lo he vivido junto a ellos toda mi vida. Nací y crecí aquí”, dijo Nixon.

Es muy probable que quien gane esa primaria se enfrente a la actual senadora republicana de Estados Unidos, Ashley Moody.

Local 10 habló con Moody en un centro de votación anticipada ubicado en una biblioteca de Hialeah.

“A tres días de una elección primaria realmente se siente la energía. La gente está entusiasmada y solo espero que todos estén verificando dónde les corresponde votar el martes y salgan a hacerlo”, dijo Moody.

En Coral Gables, la candidata a directora financiera del estado, Annette Taddéo, emitió su voto junto a la alcaldesa del condado de Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava.

“Francamente, como la mayoría de los floridanos, estamos hartos. Ya no podemos permitirnos vivir aquí; se está volviendo una locura lo caro que es todo”, dijo Taddéo.

Mientras tanto, el vicegobernador Jay Collins, quien aspira a la gubernatura, se unió a simpatizantes durante la votación anticipada en Pembroke Pines.

Cuando se le preguntó en qué sería diferente del gobernador Ron DeSantis, Collins mencionó sus años de servicio en las Fuerzas Especiales del Ejército como Boina Verde.

“Somos muy similares, no creo que se pueda aislar una sola diferencia entre uno y otro, pero sí creo que es importante señalar dónde mi experiencia es distinta. Porque mi historia es la historia estadounidense. Y eso, por sí solo, inspira a muchos, pero ahora importa más que nunca porque somos un solo pueblo”, dijo Collins.

El congresista Byron Donalds ha encabezado las encuestas y la recaudación de fondos en la contienda por la gubernatura.

El empresario James Fishback y el ex presidente de la Cámara de Representantes de Florida, Paul Renner, también compiten en esa carrera.

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir made the statement while speaking to a former Gaza-held hostage, Rom Braslavski, on Braslavski's podcast. The two were discussing Israel's recovery from the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, when Ben-Gvir criticized Israel's recent drawdown of strikes in Gaza.

“It’s no secret, I disagree with the prime minister," he said. “I think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night. Not just those who pose an immediate threat — there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn’t live. They’re not even people.”

In the past, similar statements by Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials were widely condemned. Many have been presented to the U.N.’s world court as evidence of genocidal intent. Israel denies it has committed genocide in Gaza.

Israel’s domestic media has made scarce mention of the statement, highlighting how once-fringe ideologies like Ben-Gvir’s are surging in the leadup to Israeli elections Oct. 27.

Figures like Ben-Gvir have become more popular among Israelis since Hamas’ brutal attack in 2023, when the militants killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage. Many hostages have recounted long-term starvation, physical and psychological abuse and, in some cases, sexual abuse.

Ben-Gvir oversees Israel's police force and prisons

Ben-Gvir does not have power over the country’s military and cannot order strikes on Gaza. But, after operating for decades within Israel's far-right fringe, he is now one of the most influential people in the country.

He has substantial control over key parts of Israel’s security apparatus, running the country’s prisons — where thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank are incarcerated — as well as the national police force.

He has previously boasted of lessening food rations for Palestinian prisoners. Israel’s top court ruled in 2025 that the prison service under Ben-Gvir was depriving Palestinians of a minimum subsistence diet.

Ben-Gvir criticizes drawdown of Israeli strikes in Gaza

Until recently, Israel was striking Gaza nearly every day, attacks that have killed over 1,250 people since an October truce deal came into effect, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel's military, which says the strikes have targeted Hamas militants, appeared to ease off on the attacks in a quiet concession to U.S. President Donald Trump after Netanyahu rejected the president’s latest attempt to move the truce forward.

Israeli media last week reported that the authority for carrying out strikes has now been limited to the army’s chief of staff, raising the ire of right-wing lawmakers such as Ben-Gvir.

Ben-Gvir advocates mass emigration, expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza

In the same taped appearance, the lawmaker advocated for mass emigration of Palestinians from Gaza — a proposal that international lawyers say could amount to ethnic cleansing — and resettlement of Gaza by Israel.

Twenty years ago, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling a block of 21 Jewish settlements known as “Gush Katif” and pulling out its forces.

“I see all of Gaza as ours,” said Ben-Gvir in the interview. “Settlements not just in Gush Katif but throughout Gaza, encouraging as much emigration as possible, sending them to their countries, and for the terrorists, no emigration, nothing, just to kill them one by one.”

Trump’s latest proposal involves Hamas gradually giving up its weapons while Israeli forces halt their attacks and begin withdrawing from Gaza. Hamas accepted the deal, although the group linked the surrender of its heaviest weapons to the creation of a Palestinian state, something Israel’s current government and most of its political class adamantly reject.

Netanyahu says Israel will not retreat from any of its positions in Gaza until Hamas has been completely disarmed. The stance leaves other elements of the ceasefire, including the deployment of international forces and any reconstruction of the devastated territory, on hold.

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Candidates are even casting ballots themselves during early voting Saturday and making the case they deserve your vote.

As the clock ticks, there are just days left until Florida’s primary elections, with candidates appearing across South Florida Saturday.

That includes the race for U.S. Senate.

It’s been a competitive race for the Democratic nomination.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Alex Vindman, who gained national attention as a witness in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial in 2019, rallied supporters in Wilton Manors as he looks to keep momentum to the finish line.

“It’s about making sure we’re funding Medicare. It’s about making sure working families aren’t working paycheck to paycheck. Have a little bit of an easier go, and it’s about taking care of the next generation of young people,” Vindman said.

His competitor, state Rep. Angie Nixon, led a walk through Little Havana as her campaign aims to turn out the vote.

“I actually care about people. And I show up. I know what Floridians are facing because I’ve been facing it with them for my entire life, I’ve been born and raised here,” Nixon said.

The winner of that primary will very likely take on incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody.

Local 10 caught up with Moody at an early voting location at a Hialeah library.

“Three days out from a primary election you can really feel the energy, folks are excited and I just hope that everybody is looking and seeing where this polling place is for Tuesday and get out to vote,” Moody said.

In Coral Gables, chief financial officer candidate Annette Taddéo cast her ballot alongside Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

“Frankly like most Floridians we are fed up. And we can no longer afford to live here, it’s getting just crazy how expensive it is,” Taddéo said.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who’s running for governor, joined supporters at early voting in Pembroke Pines.

Asked how he’d be different from Gov. Ron DeSantis, Collins mentioned his longtime service in the Army Special Forces as a Green Beret.

“We’re very similar, I don’t think you can really isolate one thing versus the other, but I think it’s important to point out where my background’s different. Because my story’s the American story. And that itself is inspiring to many but it matters now more than ever because we are one people,” Collins said.

Congressman Byron Donalds has led polling and fundraising in that governor’s race.

Businessman James Fishback and former House Speaker Paul Renner are also running in that race.

“It was incredible, to see green and the tricolors all over the course,” the Irishman said. “The support kept me going. It was much appreciated. It was just a roar, ‘Go Ireland, go Paul.'"

Whether waving flags or roaring for their athletes, Irish fans have made their mark at the European championships in Birmingham. Ireland's athletes have taken note, as have broadcasters and organizers.

“It feels like a home championships,” O’Donnell, who finished 43rd, told The Associated Press.

The official Instagram account of the games, Birmingham 2026, posted: “Beginning to think the Irish fans are the best fans in Europe!" In another post, it added: “From Dublin to Birmingham and everywhere in between, they follow their athletes across the world, and the noise they bring is unmatched.”

Kate O'Connor won the heptathlon on Saturday to double Ireland's gold tally. Mark English had won the 800-meter final on Thursday, followed minutes later by a silver medal for Rhasidat Adeleke in the 200 meters. Andrew Coscoran picked up a bronze in the 1,500.

Husband-wife duo Eoin Murphy and Emma McNelis of Dublin were in Alexander Stadium to see O’Connor complete her heptathlon victory.

“It feels like there’s as many Irish as British here — at the stadium,” McNelis said as they watched the marathon.

Murphy bought an Irish flag at the Dublin airport for their weekend trip. For him, Coscoran's bronze was the highlight "because it was so surprising. He was in the middle of the pack for most of it.”

In interviews with Athletics Ireland, Irish competitors marveled at the support they’ve received in Birmingham.

O’Connor described the experience as “probably the closest we’ll ever get to a home games.”

“It’s a championships that I’ll obviously never forget for winning gold but also never forget the roars, the cheers, the support,” she said. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”

“Seeing so many kids as well out there that are screaming for autographs and photos," O’Connor added, "it kind of makes you realize the effect that you have on the country by, I don’t know, running, jumping, throwing, doing all those events as well as you can.”

Ireland's medal haul for the championships stayed at four. Sarah Healy and Sophie O’Sullivan competed in the 1,500 final Sunday night but finished outside the top three.

National pride is a big factor

In an annual survey, champion boxer Katie Taylor regularly tops the list as Ireland’s “most admired athlete” despite boxing not ranking among the favorite sports. Gaelic Games topped the list just ahead of soccer, with rugby third and "athletics/tennis" fourth in the 2025 edition of the Teneo Sport and Sponsorship Index.

Athletics stars from this week will likely get some love in the next version.

Adeleke was second to Taylor in the 2024 survey after winning a gold medal and two silver medals at the 2024 European championships in Rome.

This week, the 23-year-old Adeleke said she felt like she was home thanks to the Irish fans.

“Definitely trumped any other nation that was out there. So loud, so supportive,” she said.

Adeleke's silver on Thursday came shortly after English's gold.

“Twenty minutes, two medals. That’s a great night out for us.”

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See full AP coverage of European sports here

Fewer clouds means more sun which means hotter weather so look for highs in the mid-90s through the middle of the week which will put us near record highs each day. The dust is expected to thin a bit by Wednesday so rain chances will come back into the forecast later in the week although chances will still be lower than normal for mid-August.

A Heat Advisory is in effect today from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. so avoid strenuous activities during the peak heating of the day and drink lots of water to avoid heat related symptoms.

The beach is the place to be but get under a shady palm tree. There’s currently no activity in the Atlantic to be concerned about and no tropical activity is expected through the next seven days.

His ability to paint portraits of the then-leader Pol Pot was why he was kept alive.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, a U.N.-backed tribunal that sought to try Khmer Rouge leaders for genocide and other crimes against humanity, said he died late Friday due to age-related illness.

“The passing of Mr. Bou Meng represents the loss of an important historical witness to the grave crimes committed during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, particularly to the history and tragedy that took place at the former S-21 Security Centre,” referring to the prison, also known as Tuol Sleng, where he had been held for almost two years starting in 1977.

The Khmer Rouge group that ruled Cambodia from 1975–79 was accused of genocide for causing the deaths of so many of their countrymen from executions, starvation, and lack of medical care due to its radical policies. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect, and executions.

An estimated 16,000 women and children were kept at S-21 over the course of nearly four years before being killed. Now it serves as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, named after the high school it had been before the Khmer Rouge takeover.

Bou Meng, along with two other survivors, artist Vann Nath and mechanic Chum Mey, testified in 2009 at the trial of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who had been the S-21 commandant.

Duch was found guilty of crimes against humanity, torture, and murder in 2010 and ultimately received a sentence of life imprisonment. He died in prison in 2020 at the age of 77.

In 2010, Bou Meng testified that painting larger-than-life images of Pol Pot and portraits of other communist icons helped save his life.

It took three months to complete his first outsized work. Kaing Guek Eav then ordered him to make three more Pol Pot paintings and portraits of other communist leaders. These included Mao Zedong of China and North Korea’s Kim Il Sung, as well as one mocking Ho Chi Minh, the father of Vietnam’s communist revolution.

“I was ordered to paint a picture of Ho Chi Minh’s head on the body of a dog,” Bou Meng told the U.N.-backed tribunal. Cambodia’s archenemy was neighboring Vietnam, which eventually invaded to oust the Khmer Rouge in 1979.

Youk Chhang, head of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which has collected voluminous archives about the Khmer Rouge tragedy, said on Sunday that Bou Meng’s life journey for justice has been documented and “will not be forgotten by genocide history around the world.”

“I urge action to preserve stories of the millions who survived the Khmer Rouge and provide them with both mental and physical health support,” Youk Chhang told The Associated Press in a text message.

Like many who were taken to Tuol Sleng, Bou Meng had joined the Khmer Rouge in its war from 1970–75 to unseat a pro-American government, but was detained in one of its many internal purges after victory. He was brutally tortured before being assigned his painting duties.

Bou Meng’s first wife was arrested with him and disappeared from the prison, and presumably was executed. He never found their two children, who were taken to the countryside, where they were likely killed.

In his later years, Bou Meng, who remarried, often spent his days at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, where he sold copies of a book about his experience.

Gov. Josh Green said no one is believed to have died when the homes washed away. Earlier, a search-and-rescue mission was launched in the coastal communities of Na’alehu and Wai’ohinu, near the Big Island’s southern tip.

He spoke at a news conference as the storm continued to punish the islands with strong gusts and pounding rain, reaching a total of nearly three feet (one meter) in places.

Cynthia Channels, a local organizer who works with unhoused people and families in need, has been driving around Oahu in her pickup truck, assessing damage. For her, the wind has been the worst part of the storm.

“The winds are really bad, people’s shingles are falling off the roofs,” Channels said.

Green said its not clear if a vehicle wreck that killed one person Saturday in the South Point area of the Big Island was storm related.

Storm hits islands with flooding and power outages

Honolulu, on Oahu, was bearing the brunt of the tropical storm conditions spreading westward over the island chain. The Honolulu Fire Department had received more than 600 weather-related responses by noon local time Sunday, including 147 reports of downed trees. There were also roofs blown off, downed power lines and one swimmer who had to be rescued, a city statement said.

Much of the state remained under a flash flood warning, though the National Hurricane Center downgraded the Big Island to a flood advisory Sunday.

“Basically, the best thing to do right now is just stay home for a bit longer,” weather service meteorologist Stephen Parker said. “The storm won’t last forever and once those kind of threats get cleaned up, it will be safe to be out and about again.”

More than 200,000 homes and businesses were without power by midday, according to the utility tracker poweroutage.us. That included nearly two-thirds of customers on the Big Island. At least three hospitals were operating on generator power, the governor said, adding damage to roads and several small bridges was making some places hard to reach.

“Everyone is safe and healthy,” said Green, a medical doctor who previously worked in emergency departments of remote hospitals on the Big Island. “But boy, a lot of work ahead.”

Powerful waves pounded the Big Island’s coast. Just missing landfall, the eyewall didn’t weaken, and its winds pounded mountainsides as bands of rain blew nearly sideways. The storm came three years after the state experienced the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century.

Lala isn’t losing strength as wind and rains lash Hawaii

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Oahu, Kauai and Niihau, raising the possibility of destructive flooding.

The heaviest rain Sunday was falling on Lanai, Moloka’i and Oahu, while the highest wind gusts topped 100 mph (161 kph) at the towering Mauna Kea volcano on the Big Island, Parker said.

As of 11 a.m. in Hawaii, Lala was centered about 140 miles (220 kilometers) west of Honolulu with top sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. The storm was moving west-northwest at about 16 mph (28 kph).

The advisory said the storm's strength is expected to change little through Monday and forecasters expect Lala could become a hurricane again on Tuesday or Wednesday when it has moved well west of the island chain.

Some higher-altitude places on the Big Island, dominated by Mauna Kea, have been hit with as much as 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain. That’s enough to loosen steep slopes where some of the 210,000 islanders live off the grid in improvised housing.

As the hurricane approached, shelters were opened, events were canceled and ranchers were urged to leave their cattle in pastures rather than structures that might collapse. Many residents are still dealing with the aftermath of devastating floods in March and took precautions.

A beloved bakery is damaged

The Punalu’u Bake Shop on in Naalehu, Big Island, a tourist hotspot and major local employer, was severely damaged. Zachary Kennedy, the manager of the Hawaiian sweet bread bakery, said water rushed through their factories and retail store, leaving behind around three feet (1 meter) of mud.

“This is a different level of damage, it’s literally catastrophic,” Kennedy said.

Kate McLellan, a resident on Oahu’s North Shore, was still waiting for the worst of the storm after her power went out Sunday morning, glued to the weather network.

In March and April, her community was hit by back-to-back storms with heavy rain and high winds, keeping residents on high alert. Memories of that storm were “giving that same uncertainty and hesitation and panic and anxiety,” McLellan said.

Nicole Clark has been sheltering in place on Kauai and is prepared to stay there after her school was canceled Monday for her kids because of a tree blocking a road. Still, she said she’s inspired and comforted by the sense of community established across Hawaii during storms like this.

“It’s a good feeling during hard times,” Clark said.

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Associated Press writers Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Geoff Mulvihill, Alexa St. John and Ed White contributed.

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

Hunt had already won two individual titles — the 100 and 200 — and added a third gold Saturday in the women’s 4x100 relay at Alexander Stadium.

The team of Jeremiah Azu, Dina Asher-Smith, Zharnel Hughes and Hunt won Sunday in a time of 39.97 seconds. Germany was second in 40.11 and Spain third in 40.42.

On the anchor leg, Hunt pulled away from Gina Lückenkemper to cross the line for gold.

“Oh my gosh, I'm over the moon,” Hunt told the BBC. “To finish it off with some of my best friends in the sport ... to do it all together is incredible.”

Asher-Smith won her career eighth European championships gold and became the competition's most decorated athlete with her 11th medal, moving one ahead of the late Polish sprinter Irena Szewinska.

This was the debut of the mixed 4x100 relay in the European championships.

“It’s good to get to try something new,” Asher-Smith told the BBC, although she added, “I was absolutely terrified.”

Four in a row for Duplantis

Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis earned his fourth consecutive European championship title by clearing 6.15 meters.

Duplantis is the world record holder — he vaulted 6.31 meters in March. That was his 15th world record. He first broke it in 2020 and has eclipsed his mark by 1 centimeter each time since.

The two-time reigning Olympic champion watched on as Greek rival Emmanouil Karalis (6.00) lost momentum after getting over 6.10 but knocking the bar off on his way down. Karalis took his second straight silver at the championships. France's Baptiste Thiery (5.85) earned bronze.

Italy wins medal table

Bragging rights were on the line in the last event of the week-long championships when Britain and Italy were tied at nine golds each atop the medal table.

The Italians pulled out the victory in the men's 4x400 relay final, and the home team settled for silver. That means Italy topped the table with 10 golds and an overall 22 medals, three more than Britain's total.

Italy also topped the medal table two years ago in Rome.

In the penultimate event of the championships, the Dutch women's 4x400 relay team won gold when star Femke Broeders-Bol held off Britain's Emily Newnham down the stretch. It was the third straight women’s 4x400 relay championships title and Broeders-Bol's sixth career gold at the championships.

In the women's 1,500 final, Britain's Georgia Hunter Bell improved on her silver medal from two years ago by crossing the line first in 4:07.78.

Larissa Iapichino had added to Italy's gold tally by winning the women's long jump, leaping 7.00 meters for the title.

Memorable marathons

Amanal Petros made sure there was no photo finish this time.

The German won the men’s marathon on Sunday morning by a whopping 7 seconds, less than a year after missing out on gold in a photo finish at the world championships in Tokyo.

Petros crossed the finish line in Birmingham in 2 hours, 9 minutes, 11 seconds — breaking the championships record in the process. Italy’s Pietro Riva took silver with his 2:09:18, three seconds better than Israel’s Gashau Ayale.

Last September, the Eritrean-born Petros settled for silver behind Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu in the closest marathon in world championships history. Both men were officially clocked at 2:09:48, but it was determined that Simbu crossed the line a fraction sooner.

In the women’s marathon Sunday, Finland’s Alisa Vainio dominated the field to finish in 2:22:26, nearly five minutes ahead of silver medalist Lili Anna Vindics-Toth of Hungary. Britain’s Abbie Donnelly took bronze. Vainio broke Christelle Daunay’s championship record from 2014 by almost three minutes.

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See full AP coverage of European sports here

That's because California Democrats sliced Kiley's district six ways as payback for Republican redistricting in Texas and elsewhere. The chunk of the district that Smull, who identifies as a conservative, lives in is now grafted onto an overwhelmingly Democratic seat based in the state's wine country.

During a recent lunch at a cafe in Lincoln, a onetime agricultural town that has morphed into a bedroom community on the edge of Sacramento's exurban sprawl, Smull was heartbroken to hear she can no longer vote for Kiley.

“He believes in the same things I do,” Smull said. “It feels sneaky and underhanded.”

Republicans started the redistricting competition. Democrats might finish it

Democratic voters in several other states know how Smull feels.

President Donald Trump last year told GOP-controlled states to redraw their maps before this year's midterm elections to increase the number of winnable seats for Republicans in order to help the party hold onto the U.S. House. The effort was turbocharged by a U.S. Supreme Court decision this spring that neutralized a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and cleared the way for Republicans to redraw more seats across the South that had elected Black Democrats.

Democratic-leaning and heavily minority communities from Texas to Tennessee have been split into multiple congressional districts that dilute the Democratic vote by stretching deep into conservative areas.

In the future, it is likely that more Republican voters in other states will go through what Smull and other conservatives in Northern California are facing. Democrats in Maryland, New York, Illinois and other strongholds have pledged to retaliate in time for the 2028 elections and split Republican-leaning districts the way their California counterparts did Kiley's.

Democrats have been hindered nationally by stricter rules against partisan line-drawing in their states, but California showed a way around that. California Democrats won voter approval last year to redraw the state's congressional map, originally made by an independent commission, and formed five new Democratic-leaning seats.

‘We have zero voice,’ says voter angry at the Democratic drive for a new political map

Kiley's is one of them. The reworked political lines led the two-term congressman to leave the Republican Party and run as an independent in the slightly Democratic-leaning district that now includes his home.

He spoke out against partisan gerrymandering, even unsuccessfully trying to force the Republican-led House to allow a vote on a bill to ban mid-decade redistricting.

“We've seen partisan divisions really spin out of control in really harmful ways, and I think exhibit number one is the redistricting wars,” Kiley recently told a group of voters in the suburb of Citrus Heights.

Democrats contend Kiley's party switch is purely a political trick to survive in a more liberal district. They note he still caucuses with House Republicans, has voted for many of the GOP's priorities, including Trump's sweeping budget and tax cut bill last year, and that political organizations run by House Republicans are spending money to back his reelection.

Even some of Kiley's supporters think the election was a factor in the congressman's decision to become an independent.

“My original thinking was he did it because of redistricting — maybe it'd help him get reelected,” said John Coburn, a 68-year-old retired business owner, at the Citrus Heights event.

Coburn is furious at the Democrats’ redistricting and hopes Kiley wins. Coburn does not care that they did it in retaliation for Texas, where Republicans at Trump's directive revised that state's map to carve out up to five new winnable conservative seats.

“I don't care about Texas, I live in California,” Coburn said, adding that “40% of the state is Republican, and we have zero voice. Zero. It's not how our Founding Fathers intended.”

For Democrats in the district, a rare political opportunity

In an interview, Kiley said his switch to independent was no political gambit. If he wanted to stay in the House, he argued, he could have had an easier time staying in the GOP, moving to a more conservative district that included parts of his old one and running in a Republican primary there.

"I could have gone there and run and played the same game these other politicians are playing,” he said.

Kiley said he is caucusing with Republicans to avoid losing his seats on committees and that in the next Congress he will try to change rules so independent members do not lose committee seats because they do not caucus with one of the two major parties.

Among his backers, he noted, is onetime Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang, a former technology entrepreneur who co-founded a centrist party for independents.

The Democrat running against Kiley, former state Sen. Richard Pan, scoffs at his rival's newfound independent status.

“He was a MAGA champion when he first ran for Congress, and now he's trying to say ‘I’m not,'” Pan told a crowd at a senior community in Roseville, referring to Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement.

Earlier that day, Pan swung by the Placer County Democratic Party office, tucked away on the second story of a brick shopping arcade in Lincoln's compact downtown.

Placer is a Republican county that stretches from the Sacramento suburbs to the northwestern shores of Lake Tahoe. The entire county is in Kiley's current district, but it will be divided among three districts in the new map.

Kathleen Crawford, chair of the county Democratic Party, was enthusiastic about the county getting carved up.

“It's worth it, because we have an opportunity to get Democratic representation, which has been missing from our county,” Crawford said. “I've been here 15 years, and this is my first real opportunity to elect a Democrat.”

A never-ending cycle that cuts out ‘the little people’

Lincoln's downtown is flanked by fruit, vegetable and flower farms, as well as new subdivisions. The community and its neighboring suburbs have become a destination for people fleeing the San Francisco Bay Area's housing prices. That has helped change the once solidly conservative area into a political battleground where skilled mapmakers can draw winnable seats for Democrats.

Ed Church, a 61-year-old risk manager, was eating lunch at Simple Pleasures cafe in Lincoln when he contemplated Kiley's shift. A Democrat, Church has not been a Kiley fan and he was bemused by the congressman's move.

“If that's how he'd been initially and not so MAGA, I probably could have supported him,” Church said of Kiley's independent status. Now Church, as a Lincoln resident, is in a purely Democratic district and will not have a say in Kiley's fate in November. His main criteria in the election will be “who's going to stand up to Trump?”

Across the street at a gun store, Wesley Johnson, 43, who considers himself a conservative independent, said he was dispirited by the state's redistricting.

“I feel Northern California is not represented fairly,” Johnson said. “San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles control everything.”

He acknowledged Republicans were doing the same thing in states they controlled and said he did not know how it could stop.

“You're just cutting out the little people,” Johnson said.

William Franklin was buried at the graveyard of St. Pancras Old Church following his death in 1813, more than three decades after he was forced to leave America because of his service to the country his father fought so hard to win independence from.

His burial in the capital of what was then the British Empire is a reminder that the Revolution was as much a civil war as it was the founding act of the United States of America. It is also, historians say, a reminder that the conflict that destroyed friendships and ripped apart families 250 years ago continues today.

“Now especially, I think it is important for people to understand that American history is 250 years of everybody disagreeing with each other,” said James Taub, associate curator at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

“The American Revolution is an ongoing event. We are living it, right still to this day,” he said. “And we’re all taking part in it in one way or another.”

America's creation story is anything but simple

After President Donald Trump’s Great American State Fair in Washington, after the band concerts and barbecues and fireworks that marked Independence Day celebrations across the U.S., the country is still faced with the task of forming a more perfect union out of the anger and confrontation that have filled the period since the Republican returned to the White House in January 2025.

It is a messy process that started amid the wreckage of the Revolution.

Often simplified as the tale of the plucky patriots who banded together to defeat the mighty British Empire, the revolution was more accurately an eight-year war fought by people who once saw themselves as British against the armies of their former sovereign.

As much as one-third of the population remained loyal to King George III and at times during the war loyalist Americans were the biggest contingent of troops in the British forces. Enslaved Black people fought on both sides of the conflict, as did Indigenous people.

People based their allegiances on who they thought was more likely to deliver freedom and justice.

That complicated reality played out in the Franklin family.

A revolution for the colonies and a tear in the Franklin family's unity

When Ben Franklin flew a kite into a thunderstorm in 1752 to demonstrate that lightning was essentially a massive electrical spark, young William Franklin was by his side.

Five years later, father and son traveled to London together after Ben Franklin was sent to the capital of the British Empire to represent Pennsylvania’s colonial government. As Ben Franklin settled into his home at 36 Craven St., which today serves as a museum of the Founding Father’s life in London, William studied law and married. Both enjoyed London's culture and nightlife.

William Franklin returned to America and became governor of New Jersey in 1763, a post he would hold for the next 13 years.

But father and son came into increasing conflict when Ben Franklin returned to Philadelphia in 1775. While the elder Franklin backed growing calls for independence as a member of the Continental Congress, William rejected the authority of Congress and continued to represent the king.

William Franklin was arrested by the emerging American government's forces as “an enemy of the country’s liberty” in January 1776 and imprisoned until October 1778, much of the time in solitary confinement. After his release in a prisoner exchange, he became a leader of the loyalist community in the British stronghold of New York City.

Following the defeat of British forces, William Franklin sailed for London in 1782. He is believed to have had only one brief meeting with his father between his arrest and Ben Franklin’s death in 1790.

Franklin warned his son about the risk from the royal ties

The bitter split came about even though Ben Franklin repeatedly warned his son that if he did not step down as royal governor, the new government would arrest him, said Daniel Mark Epstein, who chronicled the relationship in his book “The Loyal Son: The War in Ben Franklin’s House.” But William Franklin would not relent.

“He was absolutely not gonna budge,” Epstein said. “He was the last governor to leave his office, and he had to be dragged away literally in irons.”

Epstein sees the Franklin story as cautionary tale for the angry citizens of 21st-century America, a country marked by easy access to guns and falling educational standards. By contrast, colonial America was a highly literate society where 90% of the population could read and people were more likely to argue out their problems than resort to violence.

Yet still the colonies’ differences with Britain descended into war.

“Our educational system has failed us here,” Epstein said. “We’re really in a terrible crisis in terms of education. People find it very, very difficult to have rational arguments because they don’t have the language and yet there’s this crazy availability of weapons.”

Taub takes a broader view, seeing echoes of the conflicts that ignited the Revolution in the tensions of today.

He said Americans need to understand the complexities of the Revolutionary era so they can see how unique the Declaration of Independence was in 1776 and why so many other countries have since modeled their founding documents on it.

“It makes me feel better about us today,” he said. “And I think it will show that we’re just part of 250 years of an ongoing story and 250 years of an ongoing mission that was laid down, a cause that was laid down by people in 1776.”

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Part of a series of stories exploring life in the United States as the country marks its 250th anniversary. Click here for more. Take a look at some of the objects that have come to define America here.

The thieves bypassed alarm and security systems on Saturday evening at the MuMe museum, making off with three of the five surviving panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych, dated to 1473, as well as the double-sided panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the dead Christ in Pietà, which was removed from an armored display case, the news agency LaPresse reported.

They removed all five panels of the San Gregorio Polyptych from their frame, but abandoned two behind a wall while fleeing.

Art expert Alberto Fiz estimated the value of the stolen works at 70 million euros ($81 million) to 80 million euros ($92 million).

“We are devastated by what happened. They were two of Antonello da Messina’s most important and best-known works. It is a tremendous loss for the museum, the city, the community and the art world,” MuMe director Marisa Mercurio told the ANSA news agency.

Mercurio said the theft occurred just before 10 p.m., and that the alarms were working and the guards were on site. She described the works as central to the region's heritage.

“These are not merely works by Antonello da Messina,” she told Sky TG24. “They are works that hold considerable significance in terms of our identity, as well as, of course, their artistic and cultural value, because they are works by our very own Antonello da Messina.”

Messina’s top culture official, Enzo Caruso, called the theft “more than a loss” and “a disaster.”

“Messina without Antonello is deprived of the very essence of the greatest artist of the European Renaissance,” Caruso told Sky, calling for the swift recovery of the stolen works.

Caruso noted that international interest in the artist had intensified since Italy’s Culture Ministry acquired Antonello’s devotional painting “Ecce Homo” for $14.9 million through negotiations with Sotheby’s in New York earlier this year.

Lynda Albertson, an art-crime analyst, said the works are instantly recognizable, impeding any effort to sell them through reputable channels.

“Stealing an Antonello may be far easier than selling one. If these are ordinary thieves, they will soon discover that — to their cost,” Albertson, who is the chief executive of the ARCA art crimes research association, told the Italian daily La Repubblica. She said such famous artworks often pass from one criminal to another, serving as collateral for other illicit activity.

The museum was closed Sunday while investigators gathered evidence. Neither museum officials nor the Carabinieri could immediately be reached for comment.

The Ferragosto holiday, which marks the feast of the Assumption of Mary, marks the height of the Italian summer holiday season, and was being celebrated in Messina with a procession that culminated in prayers and a blessing in the main Piazza Duomo around the time of the heist.

The theft comes just days after police in the northern Italian city of Parma announced that they had recovered three stolen artworks by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth about 10 million euros ($11.5 million). Five people have been detained in the March 22-23 theft from the Magnani Rocca Foundation in Parma province.

The fifth Corgi Race Vilnius drew dogs and their owners to the Lithuanian capital's Vingis park on Saturday for what organizers said was the biggest edition yet. There were competitors from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Estonia, Germany, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, the United States and Britain — the country most closely associated with the breed, famously a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

“In the first year, we gathered 40 corgis from one city. This year, it’s 150 from nine countries, and for the first time we have a participant from the place where the breed originated,” organizer Edvinas Miskas said.

“We call Vilnius the European capital of corgis, and when people from the breed’s homeland start coming to us rather than the other way around, that title begins to sound a little more serious.”

Ninety-four dogs took part in the main running event, competing in qualifiers, semifinals and the final.

In the final, which pitted corgis against each other over 25 meters (82 feet), the winner was American competitor GG, short for Gustave the Girl Dog. Another U.S. entrant, Mr. Corgington, finished a close second. Lithuania's own Moka, a two-time former champion, was third.

But much of the program dispensed with speed to explore the other skills of the dogs — and their owners.

There was a costume parade featuring 38 corgis in diverse outfits including a dinosaur suit, a dress and doggy sports gear. Amigo swept both the four-judge jury and the public Facebook vote for a flawless costume entry with a knight-like look.

In the “smartest nose” challenge, dogs searched for hidden treats. Latvian corgis Tora and Rusty shared the win.

And then there was the loudest bark competition. The first British competitor, 12-year-old Pembroke Welsh corgi Duke from Sedbergh in northwest England, didn't participate in the main race because of his stately age but was a hopeful in the barking stakes after, as his owner put it, training for his whole life.

It was Mr. Corgington who won the loudest bark contest, though.

He was one of the most traveled competitors. The final race offered him a rematch after he finished second against GG at a major race at Emerald Downs in Auburn, Washington — her second consecutive win there.

Half of the corgis registered in Vilnius this year were taking part for the first time. But six veterans — costume winner Amigo, Foksas, Foksis, Madeira, Bulka and Dziugas — have attended every edition.

Cerca de 30 kilómetros cuadrados (12 millas cuadradas) ardieron en las Altas Fagnes, una gran reserva natural en el este de Bélgica, en lo que los medios describieron como uno de los peores incendios forestales en la historia reciente del país.

Unos 600 residentes de municipios cercanos de Waimes y Bütgenbach, en la provincia de Lieja, cerca de la frontera con Alemania, recibieron instrucciones de evacuar el sábado, cuando los vientos cambiaron y el humo se extendió por la zona. Las autoridades también aconsejaron a los turistas que se marcharan, y se abrió un gimnasio cercano para recibir a los evacuados.

El gobernador provincial de Lieja, Hervé Jamar, señaló en un comunicado el domingo que se ha desplegado a más de 250 efectivos de emergencia, incluidos más de 100 bomberos belgas y alemanes, además de agentes de policía y militares y personal de protección civil. También intervinieron helicópteros de extinción operados por la policía federal de Bélgica y Holanda.

Dos muertos en incendios ocurridos en una isla griega

En Grecia, dos personas murieron el domingo en un incendio forestal en la isla de Salamina, al oeste de Atenas, dijeron los bomberos griegos.

Los cuerpos fueron recuperados en el pueblo de Peristeria, donde fuertes vientos alimentaron el incendio, que se propagaba rápidamente. Se informó de un segundo incendio en la zona de Selini. Embarcaciones de extinción y de la guardia costera evacuaban a los bañistas en el área.

Unos 260 bomberos respondían a los incendios, entre ellos, 15 equipos terrestres, 10 aeronaves y ocho helicópteros.

La isla había sido clasificada el domingo en riesgo alto de incendios forestales, con vientos cercanos a fuerza de vendaval. “Estas condiciones permitieron que el incendio alcanzara rápidamente proporciones peligrosas y se propagara con rapidez en siete minutos hacia zonas residenciales cercanas”, dijo el general de brigada de bomberos Vasileios Vathrakogiannis.

Las condiciones secas alimentan incendio récord en Bélgica

Según datos del Sistema Europeo de Información sobre Incendios Forestales, el incendio ha superado con creces a uno ocurrido en 2011 que quemó casi 14 kilómetros cuadrados (5,4 millas cuadradas) en la misma zona y había sido el mayor registrado hasta ahora en Bélgica.

Nicolas Yernaux, portavoz del Servicio Público de Valonia, dijo que las condiciones eran mucho peores esta vez. “Lidiamos con algo mucho más profundo porque tenemos un suelo muy seco”, afirmó.

René Dahmen, ingeniero jefe del Departamento de Naturaleza y Bosques, dijo que el incendio seguía propagándose el domingo en un área a la que era difícil acceder para los equipos.

“En el flanco oriental, hay una línea de al menos un kilómetro de largo donde el fuego avanza lentamente hacia un bosque municipal”, dijo Dahmen. “Esa es la primera prioridad ahora”.

El ministro del Interior, Bernard Quintin, dijo en X que los bomberos lograron evitar que el fuego se propagara hacia el oeste y hacia la ciudad alemana de Monschau.

En Alemania, las autoridades locales advirtieron el domingo que el incendio estaba a unos 1,5 kilómetros (poco menos de una milla) de la frontera.

Algunos agricultores de Bélgica y de Alemania llenaron camiones cisterna con agua extraída de un lago cercano antes de dirigirse hacia la zona del incendio para ayudar a los bomberos.

Países europeos envían aeronaves de extinción

Bélgica activó el mecanismo de protección civil de la Unión Europea para recibir asistencia de otros países, dijo en X la comisaria de la UE Hadja Lahbib, encargada de la gestión de crisis.

“Las Altas Fagnes están ardiendo. Bélgica no lo enfrenta sola”, dijo Lahbib. Suecia envió dos aviones cisterna y se estaban desplegando tres helicópteros, dos de Países Bajos y uno de República Checa.

El incendio se produce tras semanas de un clima inusualmente caluroso y seco. La combinación de brezales y turberas en las Altas Fagnes ha complicado los esfuerzos por contener las llamas.

Bélgica sufrió otro episodio de calor intenso esta semana, con temperaturas que alcanzaron alrededor de 37 grados Celsius (98,6 grados Fahrenheit) en varias partes del país el viernes.

Incendios forestales arden en Francia y Reino Unido

En Francia, los bomberos que combatían un incendio forestal en un pinar en la región suroccidental de Landas no enfrentaron grandes rebrotes durante la noche, dijo el prefecto de Landas, Gilles Clavreul. Las autoridades estimaron el área total quemada en 17 kilómetros cuadrados (6,6 millas cuadradas), mientras que unas 650 personas habían sido evacuadas de sus hogares.

Fue el tercer gran fuego en los vastos pinares del suroeste de Francia este verano, tras otros dos a finales de julio. Un enorme incendio forestal en el vecino departamento de Gironda quemó unos 420 kilómetros cuadrados (162 millas cuadradas) y obligó a evacuar a unas 220.000 personas en su avance hacia la costa atlántica y la zona de Burdeos.

En Reino Unido, los equipos de emergencia combatían 14 incendios forestales en el sur de Gales con el apoyo de personal militar. Las autoridades advirtieron que, aunque la ola de calor está remitiendo, las condiciones de sequía significan que el riesgo de incendios forestales sigue siendo alto.

Los incendios arrasaron esta semana más de una docena de viviendas en West Midlands, en el centro de Inglaterra, mientras las autoridades registraban el día más caluroso del año el jueves, cuando las temperaturas alcanzaron 38,1 grados Celsius (100,6 grados Fahrenheit).

En Alemania, los bomberos lograron importantes avances contra un incendio forestal en el bosque de Hürtgen, lo que permitió que unos 2.000 residentes evacuados de Gey regresaran a casa el sábado. Las autoridades dijeron el domingo que no había llamas abiertas y que los equipos habían establecido un cordón despejado alrededor del área afectada para evitar que el fuego se propagara.

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Corbet informó desde París. Los periodistas de la AP Sylvia Hui en Londres, Geir Moulson en Berlín y Colleen Barry en Milán, Italia, contribuyeron a este despacho.

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