The leak is coming from a valve beneath a manhole cover and sending water down the side of the street, where it collects.

The city acknowledged the issue to Local 10 News, saying the valve has leaked in varying degrees every day since around 2018.

Albert Carbon, utilities director for the city of Fort Lauderdale, addressed questions about how the leak could continue for so long.

“I wasn’t here at the time and most of the staff that are in our management level weren’t making those decisions,” Carbon said. “Priorities – you can say over the last eight years, we have had significant amount of rains, we have had other pipelines that have caused major outages.”

The city says the repair is expected to stop the leak, but a permit is still needed before the work can move forward. There is no word yet on when that permit will be issued.

The city previously told Local 10 News that funding is in place for an emergency repair expected to cost $180,000. Crews are not sure what they will find once they begin working underground, making it unclear how long the project will take.

A grassroots volunteer group called Everyday Advocates helped bring attention to the leak, raising the issue with the city and highlighting it on the group’s Instagram page.

“One year – half a year is too long already,” Everyday Advocates co-founder Ben Swanson said. “But we’re going to keep pushing for accountability, and the more people that are pushing for accountability, the faster it probably will be.”

Co-founder Caleb Merendino said he believes the problem will ultimately be fixed but stopped short of saying it would happen quickly.

“It absolutely is going to get fixed,” Merendino said. “Unfortunately, the word ‘fast’ – I’m not sure if that’s applicable in this situation.”

Simmons had the first sack in the first quarter for top-ranked Texas against No. 14 Tennessee. He had another in the second quarter. Simmons then had sacks on back-to-back plays in the third quarter. His final sack came in the fourth, forcing a punt that led to the clinching touchdown drive in a 20-17 win.

By the end, Simmons tied the program record with five sacks in a game, first set by Shane Dronett in 1990.

“He’s the best defensive player in the country,” Cryer said.

Simmons also made another highlight that was going viral by halftime. He sacked Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon in the second quarter, then started celebrating in a way that drew an immediate flag. The official announced the unsportsmanlike penalty for “simulating” using the restroom.

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and some of Simmons' teammates made clear to him immediately that the edge rusher crossed a line.

“We took him out, we addressed it and put him back in,” Sarkisian said. “At that point, I’m not going to give the guy a death penalty over an unsportsmanlike conduct. We got to fix it though. That can’t continue.”

The 6-foot-3, 246-pound junior was remorseful after the game.

“I also do want to say I apologize for the celebration,” Simmons said. “I was definitely in that mode feeling myself. But it happens.”

Simmons more than doubled the two sacks he had coming into the game. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said Brandon, a freshman, could have helped himself getting rid of the ball faster and the offensive line could have been better.

“You combine all of that together, and you play a good person on the other side, you just cannot win that way,” Heupel said.

Simmons has 28 sacks in 33 career games at Texas. He set the tone for a defense that piled up 10 sacks to open the Longhorns' Southeastern Conference schedule.

“Five sacks was pretty cool,” Sarkisian said.

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

Nola (7-11, 4.54 ERA) struck out eight over six innings in his last start Wednesday and took the loss as Philadelphia fell to Milwaukee 4-1.

The Phillies lost the next two games headed into Saturday and saw their NL wild-card lead over Arizona whittled to one game. Arizona plays Saturday night against San Diego.

The Phillies are 9-13 in September. Their magic number remained at two headed into Saturday.

Philadelphia had a 6 1/2-game lead over Arizona for the third NL wild card on Sept. 1 before going into a tailspin. The Diamondbacks got hot and took a six-game winning streak into Saturday's game.

The Padres and Chicago Cubs have clinched wild-card spots.

Should the race come down to Sunday, the Phillies will be forced to throw ace Zack Wheeler, which would burn him for potential Game 1 or 2 starts in the NL Wild Card Series.

Mattingly said the Phillies only briefly flirted with the idea of bumping up Wheeler a day.

Nola skipped his usual bullpen session Friday so he could take the mound against the AL East champion Rays. Mattingly said the right-hander throws 40-to-50-pitch bullpen sessions between starts and might not go much longer than that Saturday.

“If anybody's built for this,” Mattingly said, “it's probably Nola. He's a guy that's probably more old-school than anybody.”

The Phillies are in a bind with All-Star lefty Jesús Luzardo still on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. Luzardo can be activated on Sunday and would be available to pitch if the Phillies need him.

The Phillies were shut out for the 12th time this season in Friday's 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay and have scored two runs over the last 27 innings. They have homered only once in their last 55 innings.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto entered in an 0-for-32 funk that’s dipped his average to .206.

NL batting leader and starting second baseman Luis Arraez is out indefinitely with a severely sprained left ankle. His absence sparked some lineup shuffling the last two games, with Bryce Harper back at first base and Bryan De La Cruz starting in right field. Bryson Stott was again at second base.

The Phillies could have clinched a wild card as early as Wednesday. They started Saturday — where heavy rain had a tarp on the field — suddenly in the conversation on the Philly sports scene as a team potentially poised to join the short list of worst collapses in franchise history.

Trea Turner was moved to the leadoff spot while Kyle Schwarber was dropped to second in the order.

“I just think there's pressure all the time,” Mattingly said ahead of the game. “I've always felt if you put pressure on yourself all the time to perform and hold yourself to a standard, this game is really no different than any other game. Obviously, we know there's a lot at stake. That's the beauty of kind of playing at a level all the time.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Starting her second round on the back nine at Pinnacle Country Club, Coughlin began with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole and didn't make a par until the par-4 first. She made the turn in 9-under 26, hitting a wedge to about 3 feet on the par-5 18th for her ninth birdie.

Coughlin made only one birdie the rest of the way, closing with six straight pars for a career-best 61. After shooting a 2-over 73 in Friday's opening round of the 54-hole event, she moved up 106 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 21st.

The LPGA single-round scoring record is a 59 by Annika Sorenstam in the second round of the Standard Register PING in Phoenix on March 16, 2001.

A three-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Coughlin is coming off a strong performance for the U.S. in a losing effort at the Solheim Cup. She played all five sessions, going 3-1-1.

The former Virginia player turns 34 on Sunday.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Leer en español

“I would say that Cuba and us will make a deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I don’t think we’ll need the military. Cuba’s failing very badly. We want to help Cuba. We want to open Cuba up to our people. We have great Cuban Americans who want to go back. We want to open Cuba up to our people.”

Trump’s comments come as his administration continues to increase pressure on Cuba. Earlier this week, Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that his administration is seeking a “fundamental change” in Cuba and said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was involved in negotiations with the island.

The United States has also intensified economic pressure on Cuba, including efforts that have largely blocked oil from reaching the island. Cuba has been dealing with fuel shortages and blackouts amid the pressure and problems with its infrastructure.

Cuban officials, meanwhile, have strongly criticized the U.S. measures while maintaining that Havana is open to dialogue with Washington.

Speaking at the United Nations, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the United States of threatening international law and intimidating other countries to prevent fuel from reaching Cuba.

“The economic warfare is aimed against the people,” Rodríguez said in Spanish. “It harms the Cuban people as a whole. It takes a toll on human lives. It causes individual and collective pain.”

Rodríguez has described U.S. actions as an “energy siege” and argued they amount to collective punishment of the Cuban population. The United States rejects Cuba’s characterization of its policies and says its pressure is directed at the Cuban government and intended to support greater political and economic freedom for Cubans.

Despite the sharp disagreement, Rodríguez said Havana remains prepared for dialogue if both governments are willing to meet, leaving open the possibility of talks as Trump publicly predicts the two countries will reach a deal.

“Yo diría que Cuba y nosotros llegaremos a un acuerdo”, dijo Trump a periodistas en la Casa Blanca. “No creo que necesitemos a los militares. Cuba está fracasando gravemente. Queremos ayudar a Cuba. Queremos abrir Cuba a nuestra gente. Tenemos grandes cubanoamericanos que quieren regresar. Queremos abrir Cuba a nuestra gente”.

Los comentarios de Trump se producen mientras su administración continúa aumentando la presión sobre Cuba. A principios de esta semana, Trump dijo ante la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas que su administración busca un “cambio fundamental” en Cuba y señaló que el secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio, estaba involucrado en negociaciones con la isla.

Estados Unidos también ha intensificado la presión económica sobre Cuba, incluidos esfuerzos que han bloqueado en gran medida la llegada de petróleo a la isla. Cuba ha estado enfrentando escasez de combustible y apagones en medio de la presión y los problemas con su infraestructura.

Funcionarios cubanos, mientras tanto, han criticado enérgicamente las medidas de Estados Unidos, al tiempo que sostienen que La Habana está abierta al diálogo con Washington.

Durante su intervención ante las Naciones Unidas, el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, acusó a Estados Unidos de amenazar el derecho internacional e intimidar a otros países para impedir que el combustible llegue a Cuba.

“La guerra económica está dirigida contra el pueblo”, dijo Rodríguez en español. “Perjudica al pueblo cubano en su conjunto. Cobra vidas humanas. Causa dolor individual y colectivo”.

Rodríguez ha descrito las acciones de Estados Unidos como un “asedio energético” y ha argumentado que equivalen a un castigo colectivo contra la población cubana. Estados Unidos rechaza la caracterización de Cuba sobre sus políticas y afirma que su presión está dirigida al gobierno cubano y tiene como objetivo apoyar una mayor libertad política y económica para los cubanos.

A pesar del fuerte desacuerdo, Rodríguez dijo que La Habana sigue preparada para el diálogo si ambos gobiernos están dispuestos a reunirse, dejando abierta la posibilidad de conversaciones mientras Trump predice públicamente que los dos países llegarán a un acuerdo.

El agua del océano cubrió partes de Hollywood Beach cerca de Minnesota Street la mañana del sábado, convirtiendo partes del popular Broadwalk en lo que parecía un río poco profundo.

“Siempre es molesto, sí lo es”, dijo un bañista. “Especialmente para el turismo, no queremos que nuestros turistas vengan y tengan esta experiencia en la playa”.

Los bañistas se vieron obligados a buscar cómo rodear las inundaciones mientras las olas gigantes empujaban el agua hacia arriba y sobre la arena.

“Encontramos una pequeña isla allí para pasar el rato”, dijo otro bañista. “Tuvimos que movernos un poco, pero encontramos una pequeña isla allí. No hay agua, estamos bien”.

Los vehículos continuaron pasando por áreas donde el agua no era especialmente profunda, mientras propietarios de negocios trabajaban para limpiar la arena y la suciedad de sus establecimientos.

A unas cuadras de distancia, las inundaciones se acercaron aún más a varias viviendas.

La propietaria Magda Montiel Davis compartió un video grabado con su teléfono celular que muestra el agua acercándose a los escalones de entrada de su vivienda en Garfield Street, cerca de A1A.

“Estaba atrapada adentro”, dijo Davis. “No podía salir por la puerta principal. No podía pasear a mi perro. No podía salir por la puerta lateral”.

Davis dijo que su vivienda junto a la playa fue construida en 1933 y que las inundaciones han empeorado progresivamente. Ella culpa a los desagües que, según afirma, no están funcionando correctamente.

También dijo que el agua ha causado daños dentro de su vivienda, filtrándose desde el espacio debajo de la casa y deformando sus pisos de madera de pino.

“Cuando me mudé aquí en 2021, no era ni remotamente así, ni remotamente”, dijo Davis.

Davis dijo que ha pedido ayuda repetidamente a la ciudad, pero no ha recibido respuesta.

“Hola, vengan, hablen conmigo, revisen los desagües”, dijo. “Silencio total, ni una palabra”.

Para la tarde, gran parte del agua había retrocedido.

Pero con más olas gigantes previstas durante los próximos días, los residentes están preocupados de que las inundaciones puedan regresar.

“Esto ocurre todo el tiempo y no es solo durante la marea alta”, dijo Davis. “No es solo durante la temporada de marea alta”.

Public jail records do not specify the date of Misael Ramos' alleged rioting, but Ramos' attorney said that his client was accused of “engaging in a riot on the 20th of September," the day of the protests over the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin.

Ramos denies any wrongdoing and will contest the charge, his campaign said in a news release.

“I didn't see any riots,” said Ramos' attorney, Edmund Skip Davis. “I saw people out there chanting and protesting.”

The arresting agency didn't immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press, and the details of the allegations against Ramos aren't yet clear. Ramos, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is running for city council in Austin.

Ramos was released during a news conference outside the county jail Saturday, with the crowd erupting in cheers. Ramos thanked those for being there, saying it was “one of the craziest mornings I have had in a long time.” He spoke of his surprise arrest and against federal immigration raids in the community.

“When we fight,” he said, to which those gathered replied, “we win!”

Garces Perez was shot and then taken to a detention center after an encounter with an immigration officer. An attorney for Garces Perez has said he was an asylum seeker and had a valid work permit.

Some Democrats have criticized the shooting, and the encounter has sparked protests in Austin, including a gathering outside the Texas Capitol on Monday night.

“Like the hundreds of Austinites who were shocked to hear news that an ICE officer shot someone in the back, Misael quickly joined people at the scene of the incident to offer his condemnation of the incident and show solidarity by holding the line in the protest, chanting, and amplifying the incident through campaign channels,” Ramos' campaign manager, Jeffrey Clemmons, said in a statement provided to AP.

Kristen Dark, a spokeswoman for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, confirmed in an email that Ramos was booked into the agency's custody around 9:30 Saturday morning on a charge of participating in a riot.

Dark said additional details would have to come from the Texas Department of Public Safety, which conducted the arrest. The agency didn't immediately respond to calls or emails from the AP.

Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery Sunday afternoon when ICE officers in an unmarked truck sideswiped his car twice, his attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch has said. He was shot and taken to a hospital, then released into ICE custody with a bullet still in his back, she said.

ICE and DHS haven’t said what led to the shooting beyond that Garces Perez was “the subject of a targeted vehicle stop.”

Leer en español

Ocean water covered portions of Hollywood Beach near Minnesota Street on Saturday morning, turning parts of the popular Broadwalk into what looked like a shallow river.

“It is always annoying, yes it is,” one beachgoer said. “Especially for tourism, we don’t want our tourists to come and experience the beach this way.”

Beachgoers were forced to find their way around the flooding as king tides pushed water up and over the sand.

“We found a little island there just to hang out,” another beachgoer said. “We had to move a little bit, but we found a little island there. No water, we’re good.”

Vehicles continued passing through areas where the water was not especially deep, while business owners worked to clean sand and dirt from their storefronts.

A few blocks away, the flooding came even closer to several homes.

Homeowner Magda Montiel Davis shared cellphone video showing water creeping toward the front steps of her home on Garfield Street near A1A.

“I was trapped inside,” Davis said. “I couldn’t go out my front door. I couldn’t walk my dog. I couldn’t walk out my side door.”

Davis said her beachside home was built in 1933 and that the flooding has gotten progressively worse. She blames drains that she says are not working properly.

She also said the water has caused damage inside her home, seeping up from the crawl space and warping her pine wood floors.

“When I moved here in 2021, it was nowhere near like this -- nowhere near,” Davis said.

Davis said she has repeatedly asked the city for help but has not received a response.

“Hello, come out, talk to me, take a look at the drains,” she said. “Radio silence, not a word.”

By the afternoon, much of the water had receded.

But with more king tides expected over the next several days, residents are concerned the flooding could return.

“It happens all the time and it’s not just during high tide,” Davis said. “It’s not just during high tide season.”

Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal came back to haunt England with his 74th-minute winner at Wembley.

Oyarzabal also scored the winning goal when Spain beat England in the final of the European Championship in 2024. On this occasion he calmly chipped goalkeeper James Trafford from close range to complete the world champion's comeback after trailing 2-1 at halftime.

England was punished for missing a penalty — to go 3-1 ahead — and for mistakes that led to Spain's first two goals.

“We couldn’t unfortunately convert the penalty, that may have been the decisive moment because I think then Spain would have maybe for the first time believed that their long run of unbeaten games ends here,” England coach Thomas Tuchel told broadcaster ITV Sport. “The third goal, I think, was the only goal that they really scored. The other ones there were too many individual big mistakes.”

In Spain's first game since beating Argentina in the World Cup final, its long-running unbeaten streak was put under serious threat. But Luis de la Fuente's team responded like champions to make a winning start to its Nations League campaign.

Lamine Yamal got Spain off to a flying start, needing less than two minutes to score when he dispossessed England defender Marc Guehi and fired low past Trafford into the far corner.

Spain dominated the chances and the scorer of the winning goal in the World Cup final, Ferran Torres, twice failed to make the most of opportunities when through on goal.

After surviving those scares England leveled through Antony Gordon after a swift breakaway in the 36th, combining with Jude Bellingham and sliding a low shot past Unai Simon.

England went ahead only four minutes later through Kane, whose header deflected off Marc Cucurella.

Early in the second half England had the chance to extend its lead when Rodri brought down Kane in the box and after VAR review was awarded a penalty. But Spain was let off the hook when Kane slipped during his run.

That miss proved even more costly when, on the hour, substitute Alex Baena curled a low shot into the corner to level the game again, with Nico O'Reilly guilty of losing the ball close to goal. Spain completed its comeback as Oyarzabal coolly converted from Baena's assist.

“We had a terrible start, the worst start possible. It makes it so difficult to be behind against this kind of team,” Tuchel said. “There will always be moments where you suffer against a team like this, the details matter. It matters that you take your chances and you reduce the decisive mistakes. This was not in our favor today.”

Modric's enduring class

Even at the age of 41, Luka Modric is still delivering for Croatia.

The veteran midfielder scored his nation’s opening goal in a 2-1 win away to Czech Republic.

Spain tops Group A3 ahead of Croatia on goals scored.

New Scotland coach Sebastien Pocognoli started with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia.

Zeki Amdouni scored two goals in Switzerland's 3-0 win away to North Macedonia, and Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat trick as Finland routed bottom-ranked San Marino 7-0.

___

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

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Decenas de millones de personas estaban en la trayectoria del meteoro, que, según el pronóstico, afectará la zona del Atlántico medio y Nueva Inglaterra durante todo el fin de semana. Cerca de 100.000 clientes en la región estaban sin electricidad el sábado.

El pronóstico no mostraba un alivio inmediato. Bob Oravec, meteorólogo principal del Servicio Meteorológico Nacional en College Park, Maryland, señaló que habrá “muchos vientos fuertes, muchas mareas altas y posibilidad de lluvias intensas durante los próximos días en el noreste de Estados Unidos”.

En Long Island, Nueva York, algunas personas recorrieron en kayak calles inundadas.

En el municipio costero de Surf City, en Nueva Jersey, Kenny Formica estaba sentado en su casa mirando cámaras de vigilancia que mostraban cómo el agua subía dentro de la marina de su propiedad. Que el agua entre al edificio es algo poco común, comentó Formica. La última vez que recuerda que ocurrió fue durante el huracán Sandy, que, indicó, causó más de 4 millones de dólares en daños a su negocio.

Formica señaló que antes de la tormenta, los trabajadores aseguraron las amarras de los muelles, retiraron objetos sueltos y equipos para ponerlos fuera de peligro, y estacionaron los camiones y montacargas de la marina en el punto más alto del predio. Para la mañana del sábado, incluso esos ya estaban casi rodeados de agua.

Formica contó que se despertó el sábado con mensajes de clientes que reportaban embarcaciones y motos acuáticas desaparecidas. Un cliente le envió un video alrededor de las 4:00 de la mañana en que se veía su bote de 7,6 metros (25 pies) luego que el viento lo arrancara de su elevador.

“Esto es como un bote de 8.000 libras y, ya sabe, un bote de 150.000 dólares — simplemente desapareció”, expresó Formica.

En Ocean City, Maryland, el fuerte oleaje provocó erosión en la playa, arrancó cercas junto a las dunas y estaba provocando inundaciones.

“En todos los canales, el agua está muy alta y está entrando a los patios traseros de la gente”, dijo Jay Boyd por teléfono.

Más al sur, Ellie Hodge estaba de pie en el umbral de su casa en Norfolk, Virginia, el sábado y observaba cómo los vehículos que pasaban dejaban estelas. La ciudad costera ha registrado inundaciones aisladas toda la semana debido al ciclón extratropical.

“Hemos visto autos quedarse atascados en la carretera, subiéndose a las aceras”, relató Hodge. “Ha estado bastante mal esta vez”.

Por tormenta, cancelan vuelos, conciertos y eventos deportivos

La tormenta obligó a muchas personas a cambiar de planes. Se cancelaron cientos de vuelos en el Aeropuerto Internacional Logan de Boston, al igual que la gran mayoría de los vuelos hacia los populares destinos turísticos de Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard y Nantucket.

Los Medias Rojas de Boston y los Cachorros de Chicago —ambos equipos de Grandes Ligas preparándose para los playoffs durante el último fin de semana de la temporada regular— tuvieron que reorganizar el calendario de su serie de tres juegos. Se enfrentaron en una doble cartelera el viernes en Boston para intentar evitar la tormenta. Luego, la MLB reprogramó el juego final del domingo para que se disputara en Florida, en la casa de los Rays de Tampa Bay.

Ed Sheeran canceló sus conciertos de alto perfil del viernes y el sábado en el Gillette Stadium en Foxborough, Massachusetts. También se cancelaron: un triatlón Ironman en Nueva York y el festival Oceans Calling de tres días en Ocean City, Maryland, que se había promocionado en internet como “una ola de música”.

Más al sur, el cierre de una carretera en la isla Hatteras, en Carolina del Norte, trastocó los planes de boda del sábado de Jayden Sink y Kimberly Laprad. La pareja de Virginia había logrado llegar a la isla antes de la tormenta, pero la mayoría de sus aproximadamente 45 invitados quedó varada al otro lado del cierre, reportó Island Free Press. Un campamento local ofreció un nuevo lugar, cabañas y un oficiante, y un DJ se ofreció como voluntario para poner música. Los organizadores invitaron a cualquiera que estuviera en la isla a ir a celebrar con la pareja el sábado por la tarde.

Autoridades piden a residentes actuar con cautela

Los ciclones extratropicales no son inusuales a medida que Nueva Inglaterra entra en el otoño, pero “esto podría ser un poco más temprano que el promedio para una gran tormenta”, indicó Oravec, del Servicio Meteorológico Nacional.

El lento desplazamiento de la tormenta podría agravar la erosión de las playas al someter la costa a un periodo prolongado de vientos fuertes y oleaje, explicó.

Autoridades estatales a lo largo de la costa este del país instaron a la población a actuar con cautela. La gobernadora de Nueva York, Kathy Hochul, dijo que las inundaciones costeras son la mayor amenaza, pero que la tormenta también traerá lluvias intensas, vientos potentes y olas de hasta seis metros (20 pies).

“La lluvia ya está en marcha y, aunque hasta ahora ha sido apenas media pulgada más o menos, anoten mis palabras: viene mucho más”, advirtió la gobernadora temprano el sábado.

En Long Island, la propietaria de un ferry, Stephanie Sherman, dijo que había pausado las operaciones entre Patchogue y la isla barrera de Fire Island.

“Ha sido una tormenta bastante salvaje”, comentó Sherman. “Pero nada que no hayamos vivido antes. Estas ocurren de vez en cuando”.

___

Lieb reportó desde Jefferson City, Missouri. Los periodistas de The Associated Press Allen G. Breed en Norfolk, Virginia; Kim Chandler en Montgomery, Alabama; y Annika Hammerschlag en Seattle contribuyeron a este despacho.

___

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

The Halloween attraction features haunted houses, scare zones, live entertainment and plenty of jump scares for both seasoned horror fans and first-time visitors.

Behind this year’s scares is 18-year-old creative director Luna Santos, who works alongside her father, The Horrorland founder Francisco Santos.

The father-daughter duo is welcoming South Floridians back for another spooky season filled with new attractions.

This year, The Horrorland features six all-new haunted houses and four scare zones.

The award-winning “Circus of Terror” live show is also returning.

Each night begins at 7:30 p.m. with a full-scale Monster Parade to set the mood before guests take on the park’s frightening attractions.

Everything from the haunted houses to the shows is included with general admission.

The Horrorland runs on select nights through Nov. 1 at Jungle Island in Miami.

After Brandon Lowe hit a foul popup starting the sixth, Hinch walked from the dugout toward the plate and pointed toward the seats. Genevieve Verlander, wearing a Tigers jersey with her dad's name and number, sprinted to the mound and hugged her father, who reached down to embrace her and started shaking and sobbing.

Hinch joined them about 25 seconds later for another hug, and then Verlander was surrounded by Tigers teammates who came to the mound. The 43-year-old right-hander, a 10-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner over 21 major league seasons, left the field for the final time, holding his daughter's hand, as the Comerica Park crowd gave him a standing ovation.

His wife, model Kate Upton, held 1-year-old son Bellamy while joining Justin and Genevieve for a group hug on the warning track in front of the Tigers dugout, and Justin high-fived teammates and doffed his cap to the crowd before descending the dugout steps with his family.

In all, there was a 5 1/2-minute wait until reliever Tyler Kinley threw his first pitch.

Verlander allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings with one walk and six strikeouts in his 91-pitch outing. He was making his second start of the year and first since March 30 in a season derailed by a sore hip and hamstring injury.

He entered 266-159 in his career and finished with a 3.33 ERA and 3,560 strikeouts, eighth on the career list.

Pittsburgh's fifth batter, 20-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, had not been born when Verlander made his debut for the Tigers on July 4, 2005.

Verlander received a standing ovation when he headed to the bullpen to warm up, and a longer one when he returned to the dugout before the first pitch. Academy Award winning J.K. Simmons, a longtime Tigers fan, announced him as part of Detroit’s starting lineup.

Verlander took the field for the first inning to another ovation — this one alone on the field as his teammates stayed in the dugout to give him the spotlight.

Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead against Verlander on solo homers by Lowe in the fourth and Nick Gonzales in the fifth, the first on a 89.7 mph fastball and the second on a curve.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Raleek Brown ran for 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and his 4-yarder with 5:41 left gave the Longhorns the winning margin in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Giannis Spetic had a pair of field goals.

“We win big games around here, we do,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I know we don’t win them all, but we won a lot of them. And what an incredible performance by our defense.”

It was a defensive day with Texas (4-0) dominating with 10 sacks, led by Simmons. The linebacker's day for the record books also will be remembered for his vulgar celebration after one sack. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct with the referee saying Simmons was “simulating” using the restroom.

“We took him out, we addressed it and put him back in," Sarkisian said. “At that point, I’m not going to give the guy a death penalty over an unsportsmanlike conduct. We got to fix it though. That can't continue."

Tennessee quarterback Brandon Faizon made it interesting late, capping an 80-yard drive with a 30-yard TD pass to Mike Matthews with 1:22 left. Linebacker Arion Carter recovered the onside kick, and Jelani McDonald batted away Brandon’s pass to Travis Smith Jr. on the final play in the end zone.

Sarkisian called it crazy in a game Texas also gave up a 57-yard punt return by Qua Moss for a TD. Sarkisian took a timeout that gave Tennessee a second chance at the onside kick after sending the first out of bounds.

“Next thing you know you're fighting to finish a game, which we were able to do,” Sarkisian said.

Arch Manning also made his first trip to Knoxville, where his uncle Peyton played for Tennessee in the 1990s.

Manning threw for 201 yards while being sacked six times. He also was intercepted once with the Longhorns needing the smothering defensive performance to help on a day with too many penalties, including two illegal forward passes by Manning.

Tennessee (3-1) hadn't beaten The Associated Press' No. 1 team since 1985, and that drought continues.

“Up front we weren’t good enough,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. "Quarterback was not good enough. We didn’t play smart enough, but I’ll take the effort.”

The takeaway

Texas: The Longhorns have lots to clean up, particularly when it comes to penalties they can control. They piled up 11 for 115 yards with seven of those in the first half. Jermaine Bishop Jr. wiped out his own 22-yard punt return in the third quarter with a fair catch signal that officials caught.

Tennessee: The Vols came in 14th nationally averaging 516.3 yards total offense per game. They came nowhere near that with Brandon surviving a beating in his SEC debut. Brandon finished 17 of 29 for 145 yards. He didn't talk to reporters after the game.

Heupel said the freshman: "Didn’t get rid of it when he needed to get rid of it.”

Up next

Texas has a week off before playing Oklahoma in Dallas on Oct. 10.

Tennessee hosts Auburn on Oct. 3.

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

Nolo se arremolinaba lentamente al sur de la Isla Grande de Hawai el sábado, con vientos máximos sostenidos de 165 km/h (105 mph). El vórtice de la tormenta se encontraba a unos 235 kilómetros (145 millas) al sur del punto más meridional de Hawai y podría intensificarse hasta convertirse en una tormenta potencialmente mortal y catastrófica durante el fin de semana.

Los meteorólogos advirtieron sobre posibles inundaciones y deslaves, y se esperaba que partes de la Isla Grande registraran acumulados de lluvia de hasta 51 centímetros (20 pulgadas). También se preveían lluvias intensas en las otras islas de Hawai.

“No salgan si no tienen que hacerlo, por el peligroso entorno de inundaciones, pero también por los vientos fuertes", exhortó el viernes Michael Brennan, director del Centro Nacional de Huracanes. "Podemos sufrir la caída de árboles y líneas eléctricas”.

La organización humanitaria sin fines de lucro CORE y otros grupos pasaron la semana empacando y enviando suministros, como estufas de campamento y productos de higiene, por carga aérea desde Oahu hacia la Isla Grande para un centro comunitario de ayuda que ha estado activo desde el huracán Lala de agosto.

Los residentes aún se recuperan de Lala, que produjo lluvias intensas y vientos lo suficientemente fuertes como para arrancar de sus cimientos alrededor de 100 viviendas en la Isla Grande.

Hawai se prepara para llegada de extremo norte de Nolo

El presidente Donald Trump aprobó el viernes una declaración de emergencia para el estado de Hawai, autorizando a la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias a coordinar asistencia de todo el gobierno federal y a proporcionar apoyo de financiamiento para medidas de emergencia.

Autoridades de Hawai pidieron a los residentes que prepararan kits de emergencia, y el gobernador emitió una proclamación de emergencia, activando a cientos de integrantes de la Guardia Nacional de Hawai.

Funcionarios del condado Hawai en la Isla Grande instaban a los residentes de zonas propensas a inundaciones a considerar refugiarse en los albergues que se están habilitando u otros lugares.

Hawaiian Electric, la principal empresa de servicios públicos del estado, informó que las cuadrillas que habían estado ayudando a restablecer la electricidad en Kauai tras el huracán Lowell de este mes regresaron a Oahu, Maui y la Isla Grande en preparación para la tormenta.

Polo se fortalece en frente a costas de México

Por su parte, México está bajo la amenaza del huracán Polo, que se dirige hacia la península de Baja California después de llevar condiciones de tormenta a la costa suroeste. Polo registraba vientos máximos sostenidos de 249 km/h (155 mph) el sábado, pero se espera que se debilite gradualmente antes de tocar tierra el lunes.

Uno de los poblados en la trayectoria prevista de Polo es San Juanico, una pequeña comunidad pesquera en la costa del Pacífico de Baja California, donde el acceso a necesidades básicas ya es inestable.

El pueblo sólo ha tenido electricidad de tiempo completo desde hace un par de años, y aun así sufre cortes frecuentes. Sin energía, los residentes no pueden refrigerar alimentos ni bombear agua. La gasolinera más cercana está tan lejos que el combustible se almacena y se vende desde tanques en el pueblo y con frecuencia se agota si hay alta demanda.

Gloriely Robles Meza, encargada de un pequeño hotel en el lugar, señaló que la comunidad siente que la han dejado sola para prepararse ante la tormenta sin ayuda de las autoridades.

Añadió que le gustaría que las autoridades preposicionaran maquinaria pesada para despejar caminos, junto con generadores de emergencia por si acaso el poblado queda incomunicado.

Por ahora, indicó, el único plan es convertir la escuela primaria local en un albergue.

San Juanico ha vivido tormentas a finales del verano, pero Polo se siente diferente, afirmó Jeffrey Westman, un estadounidense a quien atrajo por primera vez hace 40 años el rompiente de surf de clase mundial del pueblo y que posee una propiedad allí.

Westman, de 63 años, se encuentra en Europa en este momento, pero se dice preocupado por los habitantes de San Juanico, en particular por su capacidad de recibir entregas de alimentos o llegar a supermercados más grandes si se corta el acceso por carretera.

Los caminos arrasados por el agua también podrían bloquear el acceso al centro médico más cercano, a unos 80 minutos en Ciudad Constitución.

Westman dijo que espera que Polo se comporte como algunas tormentas anteriores, perdiendo intensidad antes de llegar a la costa de Baja California. ___

Los periodistas de The Associated Press Dave Collins en Hartford, Connecticut; Gabriela Aoun Angueira en San Diego; Kathy McCormack en Concord, Nueva Hampshire; y Hannah Schoenbaum en Salt Lake City contribuyeron a este despacho.

___

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

Leer en español

Deborah Singleton said her 33-year-old son, Marcel Carter, was killed Thursday morning when the car he was riding in crashed into a utility pole and burst into flames.

“I just don’t know what to do, and I can’t see my son,” Singleton said. “They won’t let me see my son. And I just have to wait.”

Carter, a father of six young children, was in the passenger seat of the car, according to his mother.

“I just want to hold him,” Singleton said. “That’s all I want to do is hold my son. And tell him how much I love him.”

The crash happened around 4:45 a.m. Thursday in the 6500 block of Nova Drive. Witnesses said the car was a white Corvette.

Singleton said her son was close to home when the crash happened.

“He was right there at his house,” she said.

Police say the investigation is ongoing, leaving Singleton with questions about what happened.

“I have so many questions because there’s so many different stories that’s going on, you know, and people are speculating and they don’t know what happened,” she said.

The other victim has been identified as Brandon Kleinberg.

His mother shared with Local 10 a picture of her only child.

“He was a good person. He was loved. He was adored and he had lots of friends,” she said.

As Singleton waits for answers, she is also preparing to bury her son.

“If anybody would like to donate to help us bury our son, I would appreciate more than anything,” she said.

Singleton said the loss was unexpected and reminded her of how fragile life can be.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.

The Americans narrowly won the session, trimming the International lead to 8 1/2-5 1/2 heading into the afternoon foursomes matches.

The Internationals started the pivotal double session with their largest lead (7-3) since 1998, the only time they have won since the Presidents Cup began in 1994.

The morning could have gone better for the Americans. They had leads in all four matches, only to see them switch around as the Internationals led in two and were tied in another.

Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim went to 3-0 for the week with a crowd-shushing rally from 2 down to a 2-and-1 victory over Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark. Min Woo Lee and Sungjae Im won consecutive holes late to scratch out a halve against Justin Thomas and Jackson Koivun.

In the anchor match, the Internationals took a 1-up lead over Scheffler and Burns with four to play. They were looking to split the session, perhaps even win it.

But then Scheffler holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to square the match. Burns followed with a 7-iron over the water to a front pin that rolled out 4 feet away for birdie to take the lead. Burns closed out the match with an approach to 4 feet on the 17th for birdie.

“Just waiting for a putt to go in ... and it was an important one there because Ryo was on basically the same line as me,” Scheffler said. “So it was nice to hole that one and put some pressure on them. And then Sam ... pretty good irons shots there on the last couple of holes.”

That gave the Americans two wins and a halve in the four matches.

Even the one match the Americans dominated — Chris Gotterup and Cameron Young were 4-up through four holes when Young drove the par-4 fourth green and made a 30-foot eagle — got tight on the back nine when the Canadian duo of Nick Taylor and Corey Conners were 2 down.

Gotterup took over from there. He made a 50-footer on the 14th, only for Taylor to match him from 50 feet. Gotterup won the 15th with a 35-foot birdie putt, and he closed out the match on the 17th with a 35-foot birdie putt from just off the green.

“Still holding my putter, which is pretty much what I did on the back nine watching my partner hole everything,” Young said in his television interview after the match.

For the afternoon foursomes, U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker decided to sit out Scheffler, the No. 1 player in the world. International captain Geoff Ogilvy kept out Nico Echavarria and Christiaan Bezuidenhout from both sessions on Saturday.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Nolo was churning very slowly south of the Big Island with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph). Its center was about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south of Hawaii's southernmost point, and it was forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane through the weekend while traveling westward to the south of the islands.

While direct landfall by the storm's center was not expected, forecasters said it could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island expected to see rainfall totals up to 20 inches (51 centimeters). Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.

“Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.

The humanitarian nonprofit group CORE and other partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that has been active since August's Hurricane Lala.

Residents are still recovering from Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.

Hawaii prepares for northern edge of Nolo

About a dozen people were in the water Saturday morning at Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo on the Big Island, despite signs saying the strand was closed. Andrea Gill was out for her regular swim before heading back home to hunker down with family.

“I hope it stops just sitting there and moves and goes somewhere else,” Gill said.

Shop owners boarded up businesses, and events were canceled. Gill said storms are common, but hurricanes are rare. She was holding out hope that the islands might not get the full impact.

“We're used to lots of rain. We're not used to wind. So it's always a blessing when we don't get the wind from the hurricane,” she said.

President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the state Friday, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.

Hawaii officials told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating hundreds of Hawaii National Guard members.

Hawaii County authorities on the Big Island urged people in flood-prone areas to consider taking refuge at shelters or elsewhere.

Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell returned to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in preparation for the storm.

The Pacific has been unusually active this season, according to weather service lead forecaster Bob Oravec, with storm activity running above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season. He said that pattern is consistent with El Nino years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.

Powerful Polo on forecast path toward Mexico

Meanwhile Mexico was under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it headed toward the Baja California Peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast. Polo had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph), making it a Category 4 storm, but it was expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall Monday.

One of the towns in the hurricanes projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast where access to basic needs is already fickle.

“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”

The town has only had full-time electricity for a couple of years, and it still experiences frequent outages. Without power, residents can’t refrigerate food or pump water. The closest gas station is so far away that fuel is stored in and sold from tanks, and supply frequently runs out if there is high demand.

Robles Meza said the community feels left to brace itself for the storm without the help of authorities.

“We must prepare on our own — each of us protecting our homes and belongings,” she said, adding that she wished officials would pre-position heavy machinery for clearing roads, along with emergency generators.

For now, she said, the only plan is to convert the local elementary school into a shelter.

“While this is important, we also have other impacts to consider,” Robles Meza said, like what the town will do if it is cut off from help.

San Juanico has experienced late-summer storms, but Polo feels different, said Jeffrey Westman, an American who was first drawn to the town’s world-class surf break 40 years ago and owns a property there.

“During the last couple of years, the storms have felt big and strong and scary,” said Westman, 63, who was in Europe at the moment but worried for the locals, particularly about their ability to receive food deliveries or reach larger grocery stores if road access is cut off.

Washed-out roads could also block access to the closest medical facility, about 80 minutes away in Ciudad Constitucion.

Westman said hopes Polo behaves as some past storms have, losing intensity before reaching the peninsula.

“A lot of times they do start petering out,” he said. “I’m hoping that’s the case.”

___

Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.

Spooky season is here, and Local 10 News wants to see how you’re getting into the Halloween spirit.

If your home is decked out with creepy cobwebs, glowing jack-o’-lanterns, towering skeletons, haunted graveyards or other frighteningly fun decorations, send us a photo for a chance to be featured on air and on Local10.com.

All submitted photos will be featured in a special gallery below, so viewers can scroll through the creative, creepy and over-the-top decorations from around our community.

But the Halloween fun doesn’t stop there.

Local 10 will also select one “Spooktacular” home photo each evening to feature on air.

Whether your display is scary, silly, family-friendly or completely over the top, we want to see it.

Happy haunting, South Florida!

The center’s executive director and chief operating officer, Matt Floca, did not treat the roofing issues as priorities and in April halted a funded plan to address them, according to the letter Thursday signed by David Seide, a lawyer representing the anonymous whistleblowers.

Floca denied their allegations, saying recent investigations of the leaks exposed new hazards at the building.

In a September court declaration, Floca noted there were “acute risks to public safety" when the aging building temporarily closed its doors after an inspection of a deteriorating roof terrace canopy and a partial ceiling collapse. The former employees, however, claim those “acute” issues were known previously by Floca, who joined the Kennedy Center as vice president of facilities in 2024.

“More than one year ago, Mr. Floca had requested and received the needed funds to remediate the New Problems he references," Seide wrote, citing President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending bill that he signed in the summer of 2025. “Yet six months ago – with the funds in hand – he stopped the remediation process from moving forward.” In the legislation, Congress earmarked $257 million for the Kennedy Center.

The letter, first reported by The New York Times, is the latest in a series of tensions over an iconic Potomac River waterfront building that has become a focus of the Republican president in his remaking of the nation's capital in his second term. Trump has installed his own leadership to the center's governing board and had his name placed on the building before a judge ruled the new lettering was illegally added and ordered it removed.

The Trump-aligned board voted earlier this month to close the center indefinitely for repairs hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked its plans to return Trump’s name to the building.

Cooper has told the center that it must give 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it, as Trump has threatened. The Kennedy Center leadership also must file a status report no later than Friday on the temporary closure and emergency repairs.

Asked for a response to the whistleblowers' claims, a Kennedy Center spokesperson sent a written statement from Floca, who said the safety of patrons, artists and staff is his priority.

“The Kennedy Center has known for years that the roof overhang leaked," he wrote. "What we did not know until this summer was how far the damage had spread inside it.”

Floca added that rather than halting design plans in April as the whistleblowers alleged, he had reassigned the work to a more comprehensive plan because the contractor’s quote for the initial plans were nearly three times the expected cost.

“That was a change in the approach to procuring and delivering the work, not a determination that the work was unnecessary,” Floca wrote.

Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, wrote Floca on Thursday after receiving the whistleblower letter. Whitehouse said the documents showed Kennedy Center leadership had “hoarded” congressionally appropriated funding for repairs “while blaming previous leadership for the state of repairs.”

“My initial investigation into misconduct at the Center focused on cronyism and corruption, with documents demonstrating considerable excessive and self-serving spending under President Trump’s chairmanship," Whitehouse said. “The documents that I attach today seem to reveal deeper financial mismanagement.”

A spokesperson for the committee's Republican majority did not immediately reply to a request for comment Saturday.

Fritz’s only career victory over Alcaraz came during Team World’s win over Europe in last year’s Laver Cup and the American had his chances to beat the Spaniard again.

But Alcaraz served an ace on Fritz’s first match point and then used a drop shot to save another, and Alcaraz finally won it on his third match point when Fritz got to his drop shot but couldn't get it back.

“The drop shot is part of my game,” Alcaraz said. “So in those moments, in those really close and important moments, I tried to use it because it was a really good weapon for me in this match and obviously I’ve been practicing the drops since I was a little kid.”

Fritz played a clean match with only nine unforced errors to Alcaraz’s 30. But Alcaraz led 42-20 in winners — often bringing the O2 Arena crowd to its feet, as Roger Federer and Andy Murray applauded from the front row.

It was Alcaraz's first singles match since he lost to Ben Shelton in a U.S. Open quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m. He won a doubles match with Jakub Mensik on Friday.

Earlier, it was all Team World — which is captained by Andre Agassi — as Alex de Minaur had a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 11-9 comeback victory over Alexander Zverev and Learner Tien outlasted Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 2-6, 10-7.

In the final match of the day, Zverev partnered with Casper Ruud to beat Alexander Bublik and Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6 (7) in doubles.

Wins are worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points wins.

De Minaur draws blood

De Minaur had blood trickling down his right leg after a diving volley he produced in the match tiebreaker against Zverev.

“If you can notice, my blood is red as well,” De Minaur said, referring to the color of Team World's shirts. “It was a very tough match. A tough battle. I left it all out there and got fortunate in the end to get the job done and happy to give some points for Team World.”

Europe had led 3-1 after Friday's play.

“We were in the same position last year and it worked out pretty well for us,” De Minaur said. “We know we can do some damage. We know we’re the underdogs, but we also know that we can step out on this court and light it up.”

Zverev wasted a match point

Zverev served for the match in the second set but double-faulted to hand De Minaur a break and the Australian stormed back into it.

Early in the match tiebreaker, De Minaur leaped for a volley and ended up sprawled on the black court before popping back up as Zverev's reply sailed out.

A few points later, Zverev also went down in a worrisome moment but appeared uninjured after his feet slipped out from under him as he hit a backhand.

Zverev then wasted a match point when he played passively and chipped a forehand wide.

There was more caution from Zverev on De Minaur's first match point as the French Open and U.S. Open champion hit a weak overhead to let the Australian back into the point. De Minaur then produced a backhand up the line that Zverev couldn't get back.

How did De Minaur keep believing?

“Keep asking questions. Give yourself a chance. And you never know if you put the ball in the court, you might get lucky," he said. "So that’s what I did today.”

Zverev's defeat ended his nine-match winning streak after the second-ranked player had followed his U.S. Open title with two Davis Cup victories for Germany last weekend.

Tien's stamina

The day's opening match also had drama.

On Tien’s first match point, he produced a blistering forehand passing shot that Cobolli could barely get his racket on to conclude a 34-shot rally.

The 13th-ranked Tien was making his Laver Cup debut.

Europe has won the Laver Cup five times while Team World took its third title in last year’s edition of the Ryder Cup-style event.

Yannick Noah is Europe's captain.

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

Romaine, the senior transfer from Kansas State, became the first FBS player in 13 years with such quick pick-6s. They came seven seconds apart in the opening minute of the second quarter in the No. 11 Red Raiders' 49-14 win over the Bearkats on Saturday.

“Coach McGuire sent me a message just saying cut it loose and play free,” Romaine said. “And I just did a lot less thinking this game.”

The Red Raiders led only 7-0 before fellow linebacker Brock Gowlas leaped to deflect a pass thrown by Brett Holloway. Romaine, who had also jumped, then grabbed the ball out of the air and ran 15 yards for a touchdown with 14:54 left in the first half.

On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Bearcats starting quarterback Landyn Locke was back in the game, and his pass on first down was picked off by Romaine. That 31-yard return made it 21-0.

Navy’s Dashaun Peele returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Charlotte in 2024, but Romaine is the first FBS player with pick-6s on consecutive throws since 2013.

DeVon Edwards returned two interceptions for scores on consecutive throws late in Duke’s 38-20 win over North Carolina State on Nov. 9, 2013. Edwards also had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in that game.

Romaine had 184 tackles (110 solo) the past three seasons with the Wildcats. His only interception for K-State came in a game against Texas Tech last season when he had a cast on his left hand.

After winning their first Big 12 championship and going to the College Football Playoff last season, Tech had six defensive players taken in the NFL draft. That included All-America linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

McGuire, who felt that Romaine had been pressing, sent him a couple of texts and then spoke to him before the game.

“I said, ‘Man, I don’t need Jacob Rodriguez. He’s not coming back. I need Austin Romaine. There’s a reason we brought you here. Go out and be Austin Romaine, go be that guy,’” McGuire said. “And he showed up today, I thought he played free.”

When Gowlas batted the ball straight up in the air, Romaine went up and got it. On the next play, the Bearkats put a receiver in a motion while Romaine stayed where he was supposed to be on that play.

"I was in disbelief that I did it twice in a row,” Romaine said. “I just saw that slant coming across, and the ball was right there.”

The last time the Red Raiders had two pick-6s in the same game was when Kevin Curtis and Antwan Alexander both had one in a 58-0 win over Oklahoma State on Nov. 11, 2000. Romaine is the first Tech player with two in the same game.

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. Visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here.

“Does Berlin understand what this could lead to?’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asked in his speech at the U.N. General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders. “Didn’t they not learn the lessons of World War II?”

Lavrov was dismissive after the German and Russian foreign ministers met Saturday on the sidelines of the meeting, holding what’s believed to be the first such tête-à-tête since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“He simply reiterated his official public position condemning Russia,” Lavrov said. “You can judge for yourself whether that counts as dialogue or not.”

The meeting, at German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s request, came just before Lavrov addressed world leaders, where he also criticized the militarization of Japan. He made clear that Russia will veto any attempt by Germany and Japan for permanent seats on the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body. The two nations fought Russia, Britain and the United States in World War II.

A German delegation official said that during their meeting Wadephul called on Russia to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” toward Germany, Europe and the NATO alliance. Ties between Russia and Germany have soured in recent weeks, following an attempted drone attack last month at Leipzig airport — Germany has blamed the incident on Russia — and tit-for-tat responses that followed it.

Wadephul expressed openness to a better relationship but said it required a genuine willingness from Russia’s leadership to end the war in Ukraine, according to the official.

The German news agency dpa reported that the roughly 20-minute meeting took place in a room provided by the Russian side and ended with both ministers shaking hands.

Later, Lavrov said at a news conference that “nothing new" came from the conversation.

Then, Lavrov denounced the West in his speech

After the meeting, Lavrov went on to take the rostrum at the General Assembly, where he defended his country’s war in Ukraine and lobbed barbs at the West — including Germany. He made a point of blasting the notion of Germany or Japan gaining a permanent seat on the powerful U.N. Security Council. The United States has long supported permanent seats for those countries and India.

Criticizing NATO and the U.S. — though not President Donald Trump by name — Lavrov complained that the West “continues to try to maintain its privileges and to impose its own rules on everyone else” even as the geopolitical ground is shifting.

“A fairer, multipolar world order is emerging before our very eyes,” said Lavrov, whose country is part of the BRICS group of leading developing nations and other organizations that he portrays as more forward-looking and constructive.

Moscow has repeatedly sought to stress that it maintains a strong position on the global stage despite its 4½-year war on Ukraine and isolation from the West.

Writing on her personal Telegram channel, Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, said that “tens of diplomats” had come to meet Lavrov to “shake his hand and thank Russia.”

An overwhelming majority of General Assembly member nations have repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Wadephul noted in his own address to the assembly Saturday.

“Russia’s war targets the lives of millions of innocent people, the existence of the Ukrainian state and culture and the European peace order,” he said, urging Russia to negotiating toward ending the fighting.

Lavrov's speech came amid an intensifying aerial war. With front-line positions largely unchanged since last year, Russia has hammered Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones in recent months, while Ukraine’s long-range drones have targeted Russian oil refineries and businesses.

Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks killed four people Saturday, as Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack killed three.

Since Russia launched the war — which Moscow describes as a “special military operation” intended to ensure Russia’s security and the rights of Russian speakers — Western analysts have estimated that over 500,000 Russian troops have been killed and that Ukraine has recorded more than 500,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths. Neither country discloses its own casualty totals.

The backdrop has a wide impact on fuel, fertilizer and grain shipments

The war has had global repercussions for fuel, fertilizer and grain shipments — and for geopolitics, widening divisions between Russia and the West.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used his assembly speech Wednesday to press other countries to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts, and he echoed that message on social media Saturday morning.

“It is essential that our partners not forget: Russia is escalating every single day,” he wrote, adding that “the world must choose stronger responses to keep the war from spreading further.”

U.S. lawmakers passed a powerful sanctions bill aimed at Moscow last month. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law last week but hasn’t enacted the measures yet.

Now back in Ukraine, Zelenskyy told reporters in voice mail messages Friday that Washington is pushing for three-way, technical talks involving delegations — but not top leaders — from the U.S., Ukraine and Russia. He said Ukraine is waiting for the U.S. to propose a date.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, during a call earlier this month, discussed holding such a meeting in the near future, but there were no specific plans yet.

Speaking to reporters in St. Petersburg on Friday night, Putin decried recent Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia and on Russian-held areas of Ukraine. He said “proposals to resume the talks are all on the table,” but Moscow “will think carefully about what we need to do.”

Representatives from the three countries held three rounds of three-way negotiations early this year but achieved no significant breakthroughs.

___

Keaten reported from Geneva. Katie Marie Davies contributed from Manchester, England.

The students raised their bicycles in the air as they arrived in Kragujevac, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the capital Belgrade. The crowd waved Serbian flags and many cried as they lined up at the entry route for the students.

The students entered the Oct. 25 election race after leading nearly two years of protests triggered by a train station tragedy on Nov. 1, 2024, that killed 16 people in northern Serbia. The protests shook Vucic more than at any time since his party came to power in 2012.

The October vote is seen as a major test for Vucic. It will be held against the backdrop of heightened political tensions as the governing populists seek to remain in office despite widespread popular discontent.

Before coming to Kragujevac, the cycling students in the past 10 days traveled the country, each carrying a copy of Serbia's Constitution to symbolically insist on the rule of law.

Vucic plans to step down so he can run for prime minister

Vucic, who has been Serbia’s prime minister or president since 2014, has announced that he would resign the presidency on Sunday so he can formally pursue a bid to become prime minister if his Serbian Progressive Party wins the October vote.

Vucic on Saturday said he spoke on the phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin about a gas deal for Serbia, and organized a small farewell party for the employees in the presidency building. He plans to host a national boxing team on Sunday morning.

In Kragujevac, the joyful crowd danced, sang and cheered to show support for the youth-backed “Students' List” of experts, university professors, teachers and other non-partisan individuals who are running against Vucic's SNS party.

Ilija Srdanovic, a physician and university professor who tops the student-backed election ticket, said that “this country must never again have a boss.” He was referring to Vucic's increasingly authoritarian rule in Serbia.

During the protests, the students demanded accountability for the concrete canopy collapse in the city of Novi Sad, alleging that corruption led to flawed renovation work on the building. Their struggle for justice has morphed into a nationwide drive for change.

Vucic has pushed back hard against the protesters, sparking international concern over police violence and arbitrary detentions. He has accused the students and their professors of intending to “destroy the state” under unspecified foreign guidance.

“They (authorities) treated us as enemies,” one student told the crowd in Kragujevac. “They spied on us and accused us of being enemies.”

Serbia’s bid to join the European Union has stalled under Vucic, who has maintained close ties with both Russia and China. Previous elections in Serbia have been marred by multiple irregularities and violence.

Leer en español

It happened at around 11 a.m. in the 1300 block of North Drive.

Officials said the blaze began as an electrical fire in the home’s backyard.

No injuries have been reported.

Ocurrió alrededor de las 11 a.m. en la cuadra 1300 de North Drive.

Las autoridades informaron que el incendio comenzó como un fuego eléctrico en el patio trasero de la vivienda.

No se han reportado heridos.

The collection treated the house's Sicilian codes as an inheritance to be updated rather than abandoned: a trousseau passed from grandmother to granddaughter, including nubby tweed suits updated with leopard trim and skirt, youthful bloomers and bra tops cut from checked tablecloth print worn with sheer stockings, and lace slips embellished with fringe and beads.

Crocheted doilies, which if not inherited can be easily found in Italian markets, became demure skirts and dresses.

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana courted younger customers with the generational exchange, mixing glammed-up denim with gardening boots, while preserving their signature black dresses, lingerie looks and animal prints.

Outside the showroom, fans waved signs for K-pop star Choi San and Japanese actor Hikaru Iwamoto. But it was “J-Lo” that they chanted in anticipation as guests streamed out of the runway show.

Lopez, who has a decades-old relationship with the fashion house, joined the designers at Vogue World earlier this week wearing a Dolce & Gabbana strapless black tulle gown with sequin detailing.

During the runway show, the singer and actress watched the models attentively, where one glam piece stood out as worthy of a diva: a trailing animal print hooded cape with gold detailing and trimmed with faux fur and worn over baggy jeans.

The WNBA postseason begins Sunday with four first-round matchups. Clark's Fever face A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in a rematch of last season's semifinals. Reese and the Atlanta Dream will play the Washington Mystics. Bueckers' Dallas Wings will take on the Golden State Valkyries, and New York will face Minnesota in a 2024 WNBA Finals rematch.

Reese spent the first two years of her career in Chicago before going to the Dream in an offseason trade. She flourished in her new surroundings, once again leading the league in rebounding and continuing her emergence as one of the top defenders in the WNBA.

Bueckers has put together a solid season to help the Wings get back in the playoffs for the first time since 2023. She was fifth in the league in scoring and eighth in assists.

Here are others things to watch this postseason:

Building a contender in Golden State

The Valkyries have taken the WNBA by storm in their first two years of existence. Golden State became the first expansion squad to make the playoffs last year and is now the No. 2 seed in the postseason. The Valkyries have gone 17-5 at home this year, best in the league, in part because of the average crowd of over 18,000 they draw for games at Chase Center.

Golden State has done it with stellar defense. The Valkyries led the league in defensive rating, points allowed and 3-point defense. They also shoot the 3-point extremely well, making the most 3s on the season with 10.4 a game.

Playoff expansion

The first round of the playoffs is just a best-of-three. It's undergone a few iterations, including having the higher-seeded team host the first two games. Now each team is guaranteed at least one home game with a 1-1-1 format. The coaches would love to see the first-round series expand to a best-of-five format. As of now, only the semifinals is a best-of-five and the WNBA Finals is a seven-game series. Last season was the first the league had gone to a best-of-seven and Las Vegas swept Phoenix in four games.

“I just love the idea. I mean, look at these eight teams that are in the field. Great basketball, and you should go as long as you can. Like I said, that’s where the money is. So I would like to see that. Get a new commissioner and kind of get the competition committee on that type of thing, I think we’re all in favor of that,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Obviously there’s a lot of chatter about the three-game series. Actually this season it’s kind of rather disappointing to have just three games for these teams that are going to be playing each other, for sure. But that’s maybe the next step, the evolution of our league.”

Where to find the games

With the new media rights deal that began this season, the playoffs will be broadcast across ESPN, NBC, USA Sports, Amazon Prime and Peacock. From 2016 to last season, ESPN had the rights to all the postseason games.

ESPN, Prime and USA Sports will have the first round. ESPN, NBC and Peacock will have the semifinals. NBC and USA Sports will broadcast the WNBA Finals with games also streaming on Peacock. ESPN had shown every WNBA Finals from 2003-25.

Officials working the postseason

Roy Gulbeyan will be working his 27th consecutive playoffs this season dating to his postseason debut in 2000, according to the website “thewhistlewire”. The WNBA doesn't release how many postseason appearances officials have. Gulbeyan has been part of the league for 29 of its 30 years.

The league will have 17 officials work the postseason as well as three alternates.

“We are pleased to recognize this group of officials for their on-court achievements and their dedication to their craft with a selection to work the 2026 WNBA Playoffs,” said Bethany Donaphin, Head of WNBA League Operations. “Qualifying for the postseason and serving the game at this important part of the season is a goal for WNBA officials just as it is for players and coaches.”

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

CNN, a member of the U.S. network video pool that rotates duties shooting and sharing video coverage of the president, reported it had been scheduled to fly aboard the president’s plane Saturday for a visit to a midday game between the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the University of Texas. But White House guidance issued Friday night instead included Real America’s Voice, a conservative outlet.

The White House guidance was issued after journalists from CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, which Trump banned last week from the White House grounds, returned to the executive complex with TV cameras in hand after a judge handed the organizations a reprieve.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily struck down the president's ban in an overnight ruling early Thursday, but his decision dealt with “hard passes” to the White House grounds and didn’t directly address pool duties.

The judge’s temporary order also said nothing directly about Air Force One.

The spot meant for CNN on the flight has long been saved for a member of the U.S. network video pool; Real America’s Voice is not a part of that group. The White House did not respond to emails from The Associated Press requesting comment about the decision.

CNN declined to comment.

A written pool report Saturday morning confirmed there was “no TV pool” for the travel, though Real America's Voice celebrated its inclusion in the trip and said it would make feeds available to other news outlets.

“CNN is not here; we have taken over that responsibility. We are so excited to be here,” correspondent Taylor Mitchell said in a video that the outlet posted on social media.

On Saturday morning, the president addressed the broader debate in a post on social media, writing: “FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!! IT HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG, AT A TREMENDOUS COST TO OUR COUNTRY."

Fans at the game caught a low-altitude flyover as Air Force One came into town while the teams were warming up. The president’s motorcade arrived just as the national anthem was being sung, and the president was later shown on a jumbotron and greeted with cheers, according to a text pool report.

Media organizations believe the court decision covers the ‘pool’

Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, did not respond to phone calls or emails Friday evening or Saturday morning. Earlier Friday, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Boutrous said the plaintiffs believe the recent court ruling also covers the issue of pool access.

For a while Friday, the U.S. network video pool for the White House was back in operation for the first time since Trump banned the three news outlets in an extraordinary showdown over media access.

At noon on CNN, viewers could see Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, along with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Xi's wife. The banner along the bottom of the screen read: “Trump and China’s Xi Visit National Archives.” It was a routine report from a state visit — except that CNN had not aired live video of Trump in several days.

“As of now, all systems are go,” said a person familiar with the pool, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the fluidity of the situation.

Pool participants showed solidarity this week

The TV pool consists of five major U.S. broadcast outlets. When the White House banned CNN from the White House grounds, along with MS NOW and Politico, the other four pool providers declined to participate in a show of solidarity.

CNN did not comment directly Friday, referring instead to its editorial coverage. It did the same Saturday. But Brian Stelter, the network’s media analyst, posted on X Friday that CNN had a pool assignment at the National Archives event and that the White House had approved the network’s credentials.

The outlet on Saturday covered its exclusion from Air Force One, writing that the move “represents the Trump administration’s latest salvo against CNN and the broader White House press corps.”

Throughout his second term, Trump has increasingly targeted media outlets whose coverage irritates him, taking administrative or legal action against several. Early last year, he banished AP reporters from White House events because the organization wasn’t abiding by his executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The AP’s guidance says to acknowledge the new name when relevant.

The case is on appeal after a federal district judge ruled in AP’s favor.

The press pool was created decades ago by the White House Correspondents’ Association, a group of journalists who cover the president, to make sure a rotating roster always travels with the president. The pool distributes in-person reports and imagery to the broader press corps and is designed to hold the nation’s chief executive accountable on behalf of the American public.

The association did not respond to emails requesting comment.

___

AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck contributed.

City has reportedly been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges against the club, which could result in punishments such as a huge points deduction or even expulsion from English soccer's top division.

The club has always denied wrongdoing and Al Mubarak restated that stance in a letter to fans.

“The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,” he wrote.

“There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position."

Confidentiality conditions, he said, prevented him from revealing that information.

“While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed,” Al Mubarak said. “We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our club. We will not give them that opportunity.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to add his voice to the issue Friday when posting on X “114” seemingly in reference to the charges.

Mamdani is a fan of City rival Arsenal.

The Premier League accused City in February 2023 of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18.

Questions about the Abu Dhabi-backed club's financial dealings have hung over City after supposed leaked emails and documents, likely hacked, were published starting in 2018 by German magazine Der Spiegel. The documents allegedly showed City tried to mask the source of revenue from deals tied to Abu Dhabi, whose ruling family bought the club in 2008 and has overseen the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars on some of the world’s best players over the following two decades.

In 2020, UEFA ruled City had committed “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play regulations from 2012-16. But a two-year ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport because allegations were either rejected or found to have happened too long ago to be investigated.

The Premier League's case, which accused City of more than 100 breaches including providing misleading information about its finances and failure to co-operate with the investigation, has run for more than three years.

City has been the most dominant team in England over the last 15 years, winning eight Premier League titles since 2012 as well as the Champions League in 2023. Over the period in question — 2009-18 — City won the league three times, in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

___

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

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

“For us, it's devastating,” Whipps told The Associated Press on Friday, 40 years after his previous visit. “It doesn't mean we should give up.”

In the global power game of the United Nations General Assembly, small island states, like Palau, are often on the sidelines, offering moral advice to the mighty who don't always listen. After all, their countries are tiny. Nearly 11 Marshall Islands, or about 30 Tuvalus, could fit inside New York City, where the United Nations is housed.

Now, some of the little land they do have is disappearing.

“Sometimes," Whipps said, “you get drowned out.”

He was referring to unequal power dynamics, but it also applies physically. When it comes to climate change, many of the world's island nations have banded together to be heard better. Their voices play the role of a conscience to a warming world, pleading to stop carbon pollution before it's too late.

Warming world imperils small island states

In 2015, when the world was on the verge of signing the landmark Paris climate pact, it was small island nations that got the goal to limit global warming tightened from 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to 1.5 degrees (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. At the time, island nations said it was a matter of survival.

Now, scientists and the United Nations have conceded that the world is blowing past the 1.5 degrees mark — a temperature averaged over many years — in the next year or two. The best hope to keep this from happening permanently is for the world to reduce coal, oil and gas use to zero in coming decades, so that sometime this century, temperatures will go back down below the 1.5 degrees threshold, they said.

“Each fraction of a degree of warming increases the risk of irreversible sea level rise,” said Anna Rasmussen, chief negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States. “We absolutely cannot surrender our pursuits of 1.5.”

What does breaching 1.5 degrees mean? “Death,” said Joyelle Clarke, environment minister for the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, standing outside the U.N. Security Council.

This is unfair because small islands didn't cause climate change, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said during her speech to the General Assembly on Friday; big industrial nations did.

“We’ve seen schools destroyed by rising seas, salt water poisoning our wells and disease outbreaks linked to environmental change,” Heine told her fellow leaders. “This injustice must be addressed. Our communities deserve restitution.”

Small island states band together at U.N.

Earlier this week, the U.N. adopted a resolution that called for small island states to keep sovereignty and marine rights no matter what rising seas do. One of the major messages nation after nation gave: Despite rising seas, they are not going anywhere.

“The survival of our nations cannot be negotiated,” said Adão Soares Barbosa, special envoy on climate affairs for the Southeast Asian island nation of East Timor and chair of the Least Developed Countries Group on Climate Change. “We cannot absorb another year of promises without delivery.”

Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said his country may only have 26 square kilometers (10 square miles) of land, but it's responsible for 750,000 square kilometers (nearly 290,000 square miles) of oceans.

“Tuvalu's nationhood is not negotiable,” echoed Teo, who called climate change the “single greatest existential threat” to his country. “Our people should never be forced to choose between their homeland and their future.”

Marshall Island Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko said his people "have no other choice but to finally stay home, raise our own people, speak our own language and protect our own identity. We're not giving up.”

Clarke, from Saint Kitts and Nevis, said the rest of the world doesn't feel or see what island nations are going through.

“For many folks that look at the islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific, they see paradise. They see the two-week getaway — sun, sand, sea, adventure,” Clarke said. “The very beaches that you travel thousands of miles for and save up for your holiday, those beaches are disappearing.”

Clarke, who also works with her nation's youth, said “We’re seeing a generation that’s losing hope, that’s constantly facing despair, that are questioning, ‘Why should we care? Why should we do anything, when you all don’t care enough, and the world doesn’t care enough, about our future?'”

This issue hits home for Whipps from Palau, who has adult children but no grandchildren.

“The sad part is, some of the kids, you talk to them, and they don’t want to have kids, because they think, 'Why do you want to bring them to a world that’s faced with these problems?” he said. “That’s also something that we need to take responsibility for.”

___

Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott contributed to this report from New York.

___

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Han Zheng's speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday landed somewhat anticlimactically after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Trump for a state dinner and a visit to the National Archives. Most noteworthy about the address was the presence of Han himself: China has often used high-profile public events to position its rising leaders on the global stage.

“China has created two miracles at home, namely fast economic roles and long-term social stability,” Han said.

The closest he came to a pointed statement was when he mentioned protectionism. China and the United States have been engaged in a tariff spat for more than a year, though that has ebbed as the Trump administration delayed implementations, court battles played out and Trump seemed to soften his approach to Xi.

“Both history and reality prove that countries can hardly achieve development without an open and cooperative international environment," Han said. "Protectionism produces no winners.”

The lack of direct mention of Taiwan, something that often comes up in China’s U.N. speeches, was noteworthy, particularly given tensions between Washington and Beijing about the self-governing island's fate and defense. Beijing considers Taiwan a part of China.

Development positioned as the most important principle

Typically for China, Han put development at the top of the global agenda, saying much of the world order should be built around it to raise living standards everywhere. He also repeated a familiar refrain of the Chinese government: that development helps create peace.

China's signature initiative of the past decade, known as “Belt and Road,” is an effort to foster development in nations across the world — and, in the process, increase China's influence and soft power. Han said China has worked with three-quarters of the nations through Belt and Road projects.

China has long touted multilateralism as a cornerstone of a stable world, though it hasn't always followed that path in its own relations. The nation's constant refrain — stay out of our internal affairs — reflects its history of trying to secure the edges of the country that are distant from Beijing. That's a longstanding philosophy that dates to the construction of the Great Wall hundreds of years ago and continues today in the pressure points of Xinjiang and Tibet in its far west and Taiwan and Hong Kong off its east coast.

That refrain was reflected in Han's speech Saturday.

“Multilateralism is a choice made by humanity after going through scourges," he said. “We should settle the differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation, and oppose unilateral military actions that violate the U.N. charter and circumvent Security Council authorization.”

In terms of Iran, where the U.S. and Israel have been waging war since early this year, Han had this to say: “China holds that the sovereignty and security of countries in the Middle East, including the Gulf, should be respected.”

“We should safeguard the postwar international order," he said, but — in a statement that could be considered contradictory — he said the world should “reject the Cold War mindset and block confrontation.”

Han also spoke about empowering the Global South, a term used for emerging and economically struggling nations — many of which sit below the equator. Some larger nations have positioned themselves in recent years as leaders of the Global South, including China and India.

Han's presence has meaning, but perhaps not a lot of it

Given Xi's presence in the United States this week, many on-air pundits spent time ruminating about why he wasn't speaking at the U.N. It's not that unusual, though — particularly since Xi, in the grand scheme of things, had bigger fish to fry in Washington.

Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization, said there has never been “a convention” requiring the Chinese president to attend the U.N. General Assembly. Xi’s predecessors, including Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, attended major U.N. meetings only selectively, and Xi himself last addressed the body virtually during the pandemic in 2021.

Last year, Premier Li Qiang represented China. Senior diplomat Wang Yi has also spoken several time in recent years in various capacities; he was accompanying Xi this year on the Washington trip. And Han spoke in 2023.

“Both the premier and the vice president are sufficiently senior representatives that I would be cautious about interpreting the choice between them as a diplomatic signal in itself,” Wang Zichen said.

He added that China portrays the U.N. as an important global institution, so “it would be difficult to argue from the level of representation alone that China is becoming less interested in the U.N.”

Unlike Li's 2025 speech, which ventured into some personal observations about arriving in New York, Han played it straight. The closest he came to being flowery was in the context of multilateralism, and he quickly pivoted back to diplomatic language.

“Diversity has created splendor in the world,” he said. “Condescension and the self-centered mindset have no place in the interactions among different cultures. Promoting mutual trust, mutual respect, solidarity and harmonious coexistence is the right approach to take.”

___

Associated Press writer E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing contributed to this report.

Some were using scissors to level the high grass, an effort that should end hours before the game.

The Maracana's turf has been a concern for almost two weeks due to its poor shape amid a long season in Brazilian soccer. Local clubs Flamengo and Fluminense play there at least once a week.

Maracana workers were using mows and scissors, big and small, to perfect the turf for the game.

On Friday, the executive director of the NFL Players Association said both the NFL and the players union have had experts monitoring the field conditions for Sunday's game. The union’s experts are worried about loose turf leading to too much slipping.

Concerns are about the turf's traction and stability, which made the NFL reinforce its stitching. Earlier this week, field director Nick Pappas said he was confident players will have no trouble.

On Saturday, Pappas told reporters that the NFL made additional improvements since the union's concerns were raised.

“Things check out,” Pappas said. “No need to worry.”

The NFL has been playing in Brazil since 2024, but the two previous games were at the 48,000-seat NeoQuimica Arena in Sao Paulo. In the first year of the Brazil game, its turf was also criticized and forced players of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers to change their cleats to stop slipping.

The Maracana field is 100% natural grass, while the NeoQuimica Arena has a mixture between natural and synthetic that players in Brazil deem to be the country's best pitch.

The Cowboys and Ravens began their preparations in Rio on Friday following roughly 10-hour flights. Dak Prescott, his Cowboys teammates and their cheerleaders had their visit to the stadium in the morning.

Fans from Texas involved in a stadium tour were more worried about going to a Brazilian steakhouse for lunch than the turf conditions for Sunday's game.

“These boys have played in very bad conditions growing up, I am sure they will handle whatever challenges come,” said George Smith, 72, wearing a cap with the Cowboys' blue star and a Brazilian national team soccer shirt. “What concerns me now is making sure I get my beef today rather than tomorrow before the game.”

Throughout Rio’s glitzy southern end, where Copacabana beach lies, there were clearly more Cowboys than Ravens fans roaming around. Many fans were still arriving from other South American nations, as Brazil is for now the only country of the region to host NFL games.

Their game Sunday will be one of a record nine international contests on the NFL schedule this season.

Outside the Maracana, locals and tourists seem to be keener to go to the beach at 80 Fahrenheit degrees (28 Celsius) on Saturday than preparing for Sunday's game. Unlike Sao Paulo, Rio has a more touristic atmosphere that has drawn a new batch of football followers from South America.

“I came because of the NFL game, but I also came because of Rio,” said Chilean tourist Juan Olmedo, 61, a fan of the Denver Broncos. “This game being here has that extra element it didn't have in Sao Paulo. Those who went to Sao Paulo were there for the game and not much else.”

Tourist spots such as Sugar Loaf Mountain and the statue of Christ the Redeemer also welcomed American and local fans who are attending the game on Sunday. Maracana metro station was decorated with NFL themes.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Leer en español

Firefighters said they began lifesaving measures at the scene before taking the child to the hospital. The person’s age and what led to the incident were not immediately known.

Sky 10 video showed a piece of playground equipment wrapped in crime scene tape as police investigated at the park.

Miami Police are actively investigating.

Los bomberos dijeron que comenzaron maniobras para salvarle la vida en el lugar antes de trasladar al menor al hospital. La edad del menor y lo que provocó el incidente no se conocieron de inmediato.

Un video de Sky 10 mostró una estructura de juegos infantiles rodeada con cinta de escena del crimen mientras la policía investigaba en el parque.

La Policía de Miami está investigando activamente.

Leer en español

Cyber is a 5-year-old female husky.

Watch the video above and visit the Humane Society’s website to learn more about Cyber and other pets available for adoption.

Cyber es una husky hembra de 5 años.

Vea el video de arriba y visite el sitio web de la Sociedad Protectora de Animales para obtener más información sobre Cyber y otras mascotas disponibles para adopción.

Leer en español

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that can cause patchy or total hair loss.

Valerie Fuentes, who represents the NAAF and has lived with the condition for more than two decades, said it has a significant emotional and psychological impact beyond appearance.

“It takes a lot to get up in the morning, knowing that you don’t have any hair, and go out there and not feel judged,” Fuentes said. “Trying to still be your own person, move on with your life, go to work, knowing that you’re dealing with this.”

The NAAF’s walk was being held at Margaret Pace Park, located at 1745 N. Bayshore Drive.

“It’s very difficult, but I think today we’re here to celebrate. We’re here to show up as we are, and that’s my invitation for everyone,” Fuentes said. “My intention today is to create connection because it can be a very isolating disease. I used to hide a lot. I hid for 20 years. So, my intention today is for everybody to connect, to support each other, so that they can step out of the world and and do their thing.”

For more information about the NAAF, visit its website.

La alopecia areata es una enfermedad autoinmune que puede causar pérdida de cabello en parches o de forma total.

Valerie Fuentes, quien representa a la NAAF y ha vivido con esta condición durante más de dos décadas, dijo que tiene un impacto emocional y psicológico significativo más allá de la apariencia.

“Se necesita mucho para levantarse por la mañana, sabiendo que no tienes cabello, y salir y no sentirse juzgado”, dijo Fuentes. “Tratar de seguir siendo tú mismo, continuar con tu vida, ir a trabajar, sabiendo que estás lidiando con esto”.

La caminata de la NAAF se llevó a cabo en Margaret Pace Park, ubicado en 1745 N. Bayshore Drive.

“Es muy difícil, pero creo que hoy estamos aquí para celebrar. Estamos aquí para mostrarnos tal como somos, y esa es mi invitación para todos”, dijo Fuentes. “Mi intención hoy es crear conexión porque puede ser una enfermedad que causa mucho aislamiento. Solía esconderme mucho. Me escondí durante 20 años. Así que mi intención hoy es que todos se conecten, se apoyen unos a otros, para que puedan salir al mundo y hacer lo suyo”.

Para obtener más información sobre la NAAF, visite su sitio web.

Leer en español

You can’t blame people for wanting free candy, but there are other options.

Churches usually hold trunk-or-treat events, where families can drive through so children can get their candy fix.

Older kids can also dress up with their younger siblings, serving as both trick-or-treaters and chaperones.

What do you think? Weigh in in the comment section below.

No se puede culpar a la gente por querer dulces gratis, pero hay otras opciones.

Las iglesias suelen organizar eventos de “trunk-or-treat”, donde las familias pueden pasar en sus vehículos para que los niños reciban sus dulces.

Los niños mayores también pueden disfrazarse con sus hermanos menores, sirviendo tanto para pedir dulces como para acompañarlos y supervisarlos.

¿Qué piensa? Comparta su opinión en la sección de comentarios a continuación.

Leer en español

The crash happened on Northwest 11th Place, where the vehicle came to a stop after crashing into the house, leaving a hole and debris behind.

Video obtained by Local 10 from a nearby home shows the driver hitting several parked vehicles. The driver also hit both of Chris Vonwittke’s vehicles parked in his driveway.

“Me and one of the neighbors looked at him, it looked he didn’t know -- he thought it was a different day of the week,” Vonwittke said.

In one clip, the vehicle’s airbag can be seen deployed.

Neighbors said the driver had a sunshade covering the front windshield.

More video from neighbors showed police arriving at the scene as people came out of their homes to see what happened.

One neighbor said the driver appeared disoriented after the crash and did not know where he was.

Sunrise police said the driver lost control while experiencing a medical emergency. Paramedics took him to the hospital.

Police said the driver was conscious and breathing, and there were no injuries reported to the driver or anyone else in the neighborhood.

El accidente ocurrió en Northwest 11th Place, donde el vehículo se detuvo después de chocar contra la casa, dejando un agujero y escombros.

Un video obtenido por Local 10 de una casa cercana muestra al conductor chocando contra varios vehículos estacionados. El conductor también chocó contra los dos vehículos de Chris Vonwittke estacionados en la entrada de su casa.

“Uno de los vecinos y yo lo miramos, parecía que no sabía, pensaba que era otro día de la semana”, dijo Vonwittke.

En uno de los videos se puede ver la bolsa de aire del vehículo desplegada.

Los vecinos dijeron que el conductor tenía un parasol cubriendo el parabrisas delantero.

Más videos de los vecinos mostraron a la policía llegando al lugar mientras las personas salían de sus casas para ver qué había ocurrido.

Un vecino dijo que el conductor parecía desorientado después del accidente y no sabía dónde estaba.

La policía de Sunrise dijo que el conductor perdió el control mientras sufría una emergencia médica. Paramédicos lo trasladaron al hospital.

La policía dijo que el conductor estaba consciente y respirando, y no se reportaron heridos, ni el conductor ni ninguna otra persona en el vecindario.

Leer en español

Commissioner Kicia Daniel and Vice Mayor Marlon Bolton hosted the event at Waters Edge Park.

The giveaway began at 7:30 a.m. and was scheduled to run at the park, located at 7508 NW 61st St., until 9 a.m., while supplies lasted.

Residents were thrilled to get help at the pump.

“It’s my son’s birthday. He’s coming here from Orlando, and I’m gonna give him this card as a gift,” driver Sarah Tarver said. “It’s very expensive in Orlando. He was saying it’s up to $6 a gallon.”

Cards were limited to Tamarac residents.

La comisionada Kicia Daniel y el vicealcalde Marlon Bolton organizaron el evento en Waters Edge Park.

La entrega comenzó a las 7:30 a.m. y estaba programada para realizarse en el parque, ubicado en 7508 NW 61st St., hasta las 9 a.m., mientras duraran las existencias.

Los residentes estaban encantados de recibir ayuda para pagar la gasolina.

“Es el cumpleaños de mi hijo. Viene aquí desde Orlando y le voy a dar esta tarjeta como regalo”, dijo la conductora Sarah Tarver. “Es muy caro en Orlando. Él decía que cuesta hasta $6 USD por galón”.

Las tarjetas estaban limitadas a residentes de Tamarac.

Jordan Eugene Brown escapó del Palmetto General Hospital, ubicado en 2001 West 68th St., la mañana del jueves en Hialeah, hirió a una mujer mientras le robaba su auto y huyó a toda velocidad, según el teniente Eddie Rodriguez, portavoz del Departamento de Policía de Hialeah.

Brown condujo en sentido contrario varias veces y rebasó varios vehículos, incluido un autobús escolar. Las autoridades realizaron varias maniobras para intentar detenerlo. Poco después de la 1:10 p.m., el auto perdió el control y giró después de que un agente de la Patrulla de Carreteras de Florida lo impactara.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado Miami-Dade sacaron a Brown del auto y lo esposaron en Northwest 17th Avenue y 79th Street. Estaba descalzo, sin camisa y llevaba pantalones verdes.

El Departamento de Correcciones de Miami-Dade ingresó a Brown poco antes de las 8:45 p.m. del jueves en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según los registros de reclusos.

La mañana del viernes, Brown enfrentó 10 cargos en seis casos. Siete cargos correspondían a tres nuevos casos pendientes y los otros tres a tres casos con órdenes judiciales, según los registros judiciales del condado Miami-Dade.

En un caso, Brown enfrentó cargos de allanamiento con agresión y lesiones, robo o robo de auto y agresión contra una persona de 65 años o más. Tenía una orden de detención preventiva.

En un segundo caso, Brown enfrentó un cargo de huir y evadir a un agente de policía. En un tercer caso, enfrentó cargos de huida agravada al intentar evadir a la policía después de causar daños, agresión agravada contra un agente de policía y resistencia al arresto.

En un caso con orden judicial, enfrentó cargos de abandonar la escena de un accidente con daños a la propiedad, conducción imprudente y conducción imprudente con daños a la propiedad o a una persona.

Los detectives pidieron a cualquier persona con información sobre este u otros casos que llame a Crime Stoppers del condado Miami-Dade al 305-471-8477 para permanecer en el anonimato.

Deborah Singleton dijo que su hijo de 33 años, Marcel Carter, murió la mañana del jueves cuando el automóvil en el que viajaba chocó contra un poste de servicios públicos y se incendió.

“No sé qué hacer y no puedo ver a mi hijo”, dijo Singleton. “No me dejan ver a mi hijo. Y solo tengo que esperar”.

Carter, padre de seis niños pequeños, estaba en el asiento del pasajero del automóvil, según su madre.

“Solo quiero abrazarlo”, dijo Singleton. “Eso es todo lo que quiero hacer, abrazar a mi hijo. Y decirle cuánto lo amo”.

El accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 4:45 a.m. del jueves en la cuadra 6500 de Nova Drive. Testigos dijeron que el automóvil era un Corvette blanco.

Singleton dijo que su hijo estaba cerca de su casa cuando ocurrió el accidente.

“Estaba justo allí, en su casa”, dijo.

La policía dice que la investigación continúa, dejando a Singleton con preguntas sobre lo ocurrido.

“Tengo tantas preguntas porque hay tantas versiones diferentes de lo que está pasando, ya sabes, y la gente está especulando y no sabe qué ocurrió”, dijo.

La otra víctima fue identificada como Brandon Kleinberg.

Mientras Singleton espera respuestas, también se prepara para enterrar a su hijo.

“Si alguien quisiera donar para ayudarnos a enterrar a nuestro hijo, lo agradecería más que cualquier otra cosa”, dijo.

Singleton dijo que la pérdida fue inesperada y le recordó lo frágil que puede ser la vida.

Se creó una campaña de GoFundMe para ayudar a la familia con los gastos funerarios.

Gustavo Perez dijo que vio una camioneta pickup GMC Canyon Denali roja que circulaba hacia el sur por Northwest 87 Avenue antes de desviarse hacia los carriles en dirección norte.

“Volcó sobre el capó de mi auto. Vi el mismo parachoques pasar así de cerca de mí”, dijo Perez.

MDFR desplegó más de 20 unidades, incluidas dos unidades de rescate aéreo, poco antes de las 11 a.m. del viernes, según el registro público de llamadas activas del centro de despacho.

Personal de MDFR atendió y dio de alta a cuatro de los heridos en el lugar del choque y trasladó de urgencia a los otros dos a dos hospitales, según MDFR.

MDFR utilizó una unidad de rescate aéreo para trasladar a uno de los heridos al Centro de Traumatología Ryder del Hospital Jackson Memorial.

Un equipo de respuesta técnica abrió por la fuerza la puerta del lado del conductor de un sedán blanco que quedó atrapado entre la camioneta pickup GMC Canyon Denali y otra camioneta pickup roja.

Registro relacionado

Ubicación

Reporte de última hora

Esta es una noticia en desarrollo. La editora de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Sofia Mendez, y la editora sénior de asignaciones, Frine Gomez, contribuyeron a este reporte.

The seventh-ranked Svitolina had plenty of emotions running through her mind after she beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2 to seal a 2-0 victory over two-time defending champion Italy in the semifinals of the women’s tennis team event.

There was a semifinal match that Svitolina lost to Paolini in last year’s competition. And Svitolina has been one of Ukraine’s highest-profile athletes raising her political voice about Russia’s invasion of her country.

“Just a really special moment for us, for Ukraine,” Svitolina said. “We are going through difficult times back home — all the people. It’s just unbelievable to get for the first time in a final.”

At this stage last year, Svitolina was a set and 4-2 up before Paolini came back to beat her.

“It was a really tough loss for me last year here,” Svitolina said. “So I really had to be focused and really step up my game.”

Paolini was on a 10-match winning streak in the competition.

Earlier, Anhelina Kalinina had put Ukraine ahead 1-0 by beating Tyra Caterina Grant 6-3, 6-4 in Grant’s competition debut.

In Sunday’s final, Ukraine will face Czechia, which is led by Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova and No. 1 doubles player Katerina Siniakova.

Czechia beat Spain 2-0 in their semifinal Friday and also shut out Britain 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

Ukraine beat Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals.

Against Belgium, Svitolina had lost in singles to 217th-ranked Greet Minnen before Kalinina and Lyudmyla Kichenok won a decisive doubles match.

“I was very upset after the first day against Belgium. ... I felt like I didn’t play at my best,” Svitolina said. “I really tried to use this chance, get better with my game, with my performance. Thanks to the team that they really supported me in this way. We practiced, we worked on few things. ... Such an historical moment for Ukraine.”

Czechia, formerly known as the Czech Republic, stands second all time with 11 titles in the competition previously called Fed Cup. The United States, which did not qualify for the finals, has won a record 18 titles.

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

They were there to hear Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee for governor and the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama.

"Alabama has been under Republican control for almost two decades. We’re not getting any better,” said Jeff Scroggins, 61, a government contractor from Slocomb who was part of the crowd that came to Mural City Coffee Company and said he is voting for the Democrat.

Scroggins, who usually votes Democratic, called himself the “black sheep of the family” in supporting Jones this fall against Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, but said there are more Democrats and “stubborn independents” in the state than people realize.

Jones and other Democrats running in Alabama and neighboring states are banking on it.

“People want change," Jones said after an hour of talking with people who came to see him. “That is the real key. People are not satisfied with their government of Alabama.”

Democrats sense a shift among voters

Deep South Democrats, largely absent from statewide offices, are aiming for a comeback this year. They are seeking to mobilize Black voters who are angered about the Republican moves to dismantle minority congressional districts, as well as voters who are frustrated with high gas prices, the Iran war, data centers and other issues.

Jones is trying to win a rematch with Tuberville after the Republican ousted him in a 2020 Senate race. Jones would be the first Democrat since 1998 to win an Alabama governor's race.

In Mississippi, prosecutor Scott Colom is trying to unseat Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and become the state's first newly elected U.S. senator since 1946. In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is trying to reverse a losing streak in races for governor that began for Democrats in 2002. Elsewhere, Democrats are trying to pull off U.S. Senate upsets in Louisiana and South Carolina.

In Alabama, Jones' town halls have attracted hopeful Democrats, some independents and even a few Republicans. Their concerns mirror those of voters nationwide: the rising cost of living, worries over data centers and the affordability of healthcare, issues they say have gone unaddressed by the Republicans who control the state.

Some said state policies, including an abortion ban that makes no exemption for rape, have been too extreme. Others said some comments by Tuberville, such as calling Islam “a cult,” are embarrassing to the state.

Still, the math across the Deep South has been difficult for Democrats. Other than Jones’ victory in the special U.S. Senate election, the last Democrat holding statewide office in Alabama was defeated in 2012. Statewide Democratic candidates have hit a ceiling of around 40% of the vote in recent elections.

The results are similar in most other Deep South states. In Georgia, U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who is seeking reelection this year, offer a bright spot for Democrats.

Jones noted that Alabama saw a surge in the number of people voting in the Democratic primary. While about 58% of primary voters were Republican, the Democratic primary vote doubled since 2022. Some counties, including a tech hub in north Alabama, saw more Democratic votes than Republican.

Optimistic about their chances, Democrats are running candidates in all major state races for the first time in years.

“The numbers are there," Jones said. "It’s a question of getting those voters out.”

Republican gerrymandering creates a backlash

In nearby Troy, a crowd gathered on the campus of Troy University to hear Jones speak alongside Shomari Figures, one of Alabama's two Black U.S. House members. The district was substantially redrawn by Republicans after the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year gutted the Voting Rights Act.

Figures said there is an excitement he has not felt since Jones’ 2017 Senate victory. Figures won election two years ago after a federal court ruled that Alabama had been illegally diluting the voting power of Black Alabamians and ordered new district lines. The Supreme Court's reversal this year allowed state Republicans to reshape the district and substantially reduce the percentage of Black voters who align with Democrats.

Figures said the goal of the redraw was obvious: to reduce Black representation.

"But we are going to win it in November,” he said.

Figures has often emphasized the economic needs of the district at a time when affordability is one of the main topics of the midterms. He noted that the individual median income in Alabama is $34,000.

“Let that sink in — $34,000 before taxes, before rent, before water, before lights, before gas, before cellphone, before health insurance, before car insurance, before childcare, before food," he said.

Alabama is one of 10 states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, a decision that Jones and Figures said leaves thousands of working people without access to healthcare coverage.

Figures faces Trump-endorsed Republican Rhett Marques, a state lawmaker. Marques framed the race as “common sense” versus “craziness.” Both have raised about $1.3 million so far.

In Missi

ssippi, Colom looks to make history

Colom echoes many of Jones' and Figures' arguments in his bid against Hyde-Smith.

“We’ve been gifted an opportunity,” he said, pointing to Mississippi’s large base of Black Democratic voters, Hyde-Smith’s relatively low profile in her first full Senate term and voters’ frustrations over the economy.

With the largest share of Black voters of any state, Mississippi’s general elections have been closer for years than its immediate Southern neighbors. Trump won by double digits in each of his three presidential contests, but in 2023 Republican Gov. Tate Reeves managed to win reelection by a margin of just 3 percentage points.

Colom insists he can close the gap by increasing Black turnout and peeling off enough disenchanted white voters from Republicans. It is the same kind of electoral math that propelled Ossoff and Warnock in Georgia.

“For me, it can’t be just about getting a Senate majority,” Colom said. “It’s got to be about having a party that represents rural America again, suburban America, urban America — a party that makes sure we actually deliver for voters in ways that make their lives better, and we don’t come up with excuses as to why we can’t do it.”

Republicans say they aren't worried

Alabama's Republican Party chairman, Scott Stadthagen, said Democratic priorities, in his opinion, “are far outside the views of conservative Alabamians.” He said there has been previous chatter of a Democratic resurgence, and “each election cycle, we remain the brightest red state in the decidedly conservative southeastern United States.”

Tuberville has declined Jones’ challenge to debate. Expressing confidence about November, Tuberville said he is running “against an ideology that’s not very compatible with the people of Alabama.” He will appear with Trump at a rally in Mobile next week.

“I’ve been representing Alabama for six years, and we’ll turn it over to the voters here in about six, seven weeks and see what they say," Tuberville told reporters.

As the November election draws closer, Democratic candidates are attracting impressive crowds.

To Sam Phillips, who attended the rallies in Dothan and Troy, the crowds and energy felt different from previous election years.

“It doesn’t get any redder than here, and there was a whole lot of excitement in both places," the 67-year-old said. “So I feel optimistic.”

Gwendolyn Davis, a 67-year-old retired special education teacher, left the town hall in Troy with an armful of yard signs for Figures and Jones. She said she is determined to reach people who have been sitting out elections.

"If we don’t get people out to vote, it will be kind of heartbreaking,” she said.

___

Barrow reported from Atlanta.

Tens of millions of people were in the path of the nor'easter, which was forecast to affect the mid-Atlantic area and New England throughout the weekend. Electricity was knocked out to about 100,000 customers in the region at one point.

The forecast showed no immediate reprieve. There will be “a lot of high winds, a lot of high tides and heavy rain possibility over the next few days for the northeastern U.S.,” said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

The highest tides were likely to occur north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, from Saturday night into Sunday, creating the potential for widespread road flooding in coastal and bayside communities, the National Weather Service said.

“Anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

High waters overtake roads and businesses

In Long Island, New York, some people kayaked down flooded streets.

In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, Kenny Formica sat at home watching surveillance cameras showing water rising inside the marina he owns. Water getting inside the building is rare, Formica said. The last time he remembers it happening was during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which he said caused more than $4 million in damage to his business.

Ahead of the storm, workers secured dock lines, moved loose items and equipment out of harm’s way and parked the marina’s trucks and forklifts at the highest point of the property.

Formica said he awoke to messages from customers reporting missing boats and Jet Skis. One customer sent him a video around 4 a.m. showing his 25-foot (7.6-meter) boat after it had blown off its lift.

“This is like an 8,000-pound boat and, you know, a $150,000 boat — just gone,” Formica said.

In Ocean City, Maryland, heavy surf caused beach erosion and washed out fencing by the dunes.

“In all the canals, the water is up really high and coming into people’s backyards,” Jay Boyd said by telephone.

Farther south in Norfolk, Virginia, Ellie Hodge watched from her front stoop as passing vehicles left wakes. The coastal city saw isolated flooding all week because of the nor’easter.

“We've seen cars get stuck on the road, going up the sidewalks,” Hodge said. “It's been pretty bad this time around.”

Flights, concerts and sports events scrapped

The storm forced a change of plans for many people. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport, as were the vast majority of flights at the popular Massachusetts tourist destinations of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs — both gearing up for the playoffs during the final weekend of the regular season — shuffled the schedule for their three-game series, playing a doubleheader Friday in Boston to try to avoid the storm. Then the league rescheduled their Sunday finale to be played in Florida at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ed Sheeran canceled his high-profile concerts Friday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Also canceled: an Ironman triathlon in New York and the three-day Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland, which had been promoted online as “a wave of music.”

Farther south, a flooding-related highway closure on North Carolina’s Hatteras Island scrambled Jayden Sink and Kimberly Laprad’s wedding plans. The Virginia couple made it onto the island before the storm, but most of their roughly 45 guests were stranded on the other side of the closure, the Island Free Press reported.

A local campground offered a new venue, cabins and an officiant, and a DJ volunteered to provide music. Organizers invited anyone on the island to come celebrate with the couple Saturday afternoon.

The road to the island remained closed as state transportation workers assessed the situation.

“To folks on Hatteras, you are not on an island all alone,” Gov. Josh Stein said in a social media post. “North Carolina and county emergency responders are working hard to keep you safe and reconnected as quickly as possible.”

Officials urge caution

Nor’easters are not unusual as New England moves into the fall, but “this might be a little earlier than average for a big storm,” said Oravec, of the National Weather Service.

The storm’s slow movement could worsen beach erosion by subjecting the coast to a prolonged period of strong winds and waves, he said.

State officials along the East Coast urged people to use caution. Hochul said coastal flooding was the biggest threat, but heavy rains, powerful winds and waves as high as 20 feet (6 meters) were also expected.

In Long Island, ferry owner Stephanie Sherman paused operations between Patchogue and the barrier island of Fire Island.

“It’s been a pretty wild storm,” Sherman said. “But nothing that we haven’t experienced in the past. These happen every so often.”

___

Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed in Norfolk, Virginia; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Annika Hammerschlag in Seattle; and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed.

U.S. vaccination recommendations have become splintered in the past year, with federal officials and doctors' organizations disagreeing over guidance and even battling each other in court. But both sides have been exploring revisions in longstanding HPV vaccine recommendations.

“This would be a significant shift in terms of what has been communicated for many years about the best way to protect adolescents against HPV,” said Jason Schwartz, a Yale University vaccine policy researcher.

Here's a look at HPV shots, which debuted 20 years ago and may now be approaching a crossroads.

HPV is linked to thousands of cancer cases

HPV, human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S.

More than 40 HPV types can infect the genital areas of men and women, plus the lining of the mouth and throat. Certain strains are responsible for most cases of genital warts.

HPV also is a leading cause of the nearly 50,000 cancer cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year that affect those parts of the body. Indeed, about 90% of cervical cancer and anal cancers are attributed to HPV infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2006, federal health officials approved the first HPV vaccine, Merck & Co.'s Gardasil. A second vaccine was approved in 2009, GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix.

Both vaccines are approved for use in males and females, available for kids as young as 9 to adults in their 20s. But they were prioritized for 11- and 12-year-olds, because the shots work best if given before someone is sexually active.

HPV vaccination recommendations have changed before

Initially, in 2006, HPV vaccinations were recommended only for girls and given as a series of three shots over six months. Boys were added in 2011, a move largely intended to stop them from spreading a virus to girls that could cause cervical cancer.

Ten years ago, the government changed the dosing recommendations. It dropped the number of recommended doses from three to two after studies showed that amount offered sufficient protection. Research also suggested two doses worked better when spaced six to 12 months apart, meaning they could be given at annual checkups.

Since then, studies in multiple countries have shown dramatic decreases in infections, genital warts cases and precancerous cervical lesions.

In 2020, the American Cancer Society updated its guidelines for women, raising the age at which screenings should start to 25, from 21. The organization attributed the change to data indicating vaccinations had led to a drop in rates of cervical changes that are seen as precursors to cancer.

Evidence has continued to be favorable.

The University of Minnesota's Vaccine Integrity Project this year published a research review that found that HPV vaccines had lowered the risk of genital-area cancers in women. And a study published in April in the journal JAMA Oncology found vaccinated males are nearly 50% less likely to develop cancers of the head and neck, esophagus, anus or penis.

What's more, “the duration of protection is long,” said Angela Ulrich, who led the Vaccine Integrity Project review. "We have people who are 20, 30, 40 years old who are seeing protection from the HPV vaccine.”

HPV vaccination rates are lower than for other vaccines

A recent CDC report found vaccination rates against HPV were lower than the rates for some other shots adolescents get, at least partly because most states don't require HPV vaccinations as a condition of school attendance.

Still, the HPV vaccination rate has been flat for four years in a row, with about 63% of teenagers getting both doses.

It doesn't help that HPV shots are known to have a sharper sting. (Doctors have noted fainting is more common after HPV shots.)

Questions about pain are common, said Dr. Scott Hadland, who works at a Boston clinic that treats adolescents and young adults.

“Some of my patients tell me it hurts more than other vaccines they've received, but only for a moment,” he said.

Also not helping lately, perhaps, is the elevation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to U.S. health secretary. Before he was appointed to oversee federal health agencies last year, Kennedy was an attorney and consultant in lawsuits against Merck over the Gardasil vaccine, and falsely claimed the vaccine increases cervical cancer risk.

Research suggests one shot may be enough for girls

In January, Kennedy ordered the number of recommended HPV doses to be reduced to one, as part of a unilateral reduction of the childhood vaccination schedule.

That change was blocked by a federal judge’s order, but it actually is something that medical experts had been considering for some time.

The idea gained attention late last year with the publication of a study in Costa Rica that tracked more than 20,000 girls over five years. It found a single HPV shot provided about 97% protection against cervical cancer, similar to two doses.

A year earlier, in 2024, research developments prompted a CDC advisory committee to form a work group to explore the possibility of a revised recommendation. That work was interrupted when Kennedy dismissed the members of the committee.

The American Academy of Pediatrics — one of the medical groups that sued Kennedy — makes its own vaccination recommendations. It has been considering a guidance change, exploring questions such as whether one dose is sufficient for at least some people and at what age vaccination should begin, said Dr. James Campbell, chair of the organization's committee on infectious diseases.

Should kids get one shot or two?

Recommendations are evolving. But right now, experts advise that kids get two shots.

While there is evidence showing one shot was sufficient for girls in preventing cervical cancer, there is less evidence about other kinds of cancer in girls. Also lacking is data on whether one shot is sufficient protection for boys against the HPV-related cancers they are at risk for, according to the Vaccine Integrity Project review.

Whether the recommendation remains two shots or is changed to one, it's important that kids get vaccinated, Hadland said.

“The benefits are very clear. It prevents cancer,” he said.

___

The Associated Press’ health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

The undertaking is as robust as it is daunting, spanning several House committees. With majority power comes bigger budgets and staff, and the ability to investigate, subpoena and potentially course-correct what the Democrats say are widespread corruption and abuses of power. Impeachment of the Republican president and Cabinet officials is not off the table.

“There is a cost to the American people of the out-of-control corruption,” said Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is in line to become House speaker if Democrats win control at the Capitol.

“If folks have been stealing from the American people, shortchanging the American people or screwing over the American people,” Jeffries said, “we are going to hold the crooks accountable.”

Congress has enormous ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch as part of its power as a coequal branch of government, and a road map for the Democratic-run investigations has already been set by the almost daily letters lawmakers send to the administration and in amicus court filings.

Democrats are asking about the money-making by Trump and his family, whose wealth has grown dramatically since he returned to the White House in January 2025. They are investigating the potential civil rights violations of Americans killed protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and of detained immigrants being deported to faraway countries. They have fought the closing of the Kennedy Center, launched investigations into private funding of the America at 250 celebrations and tracked the shuttering of federal operations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development.

New questions emerge daily, including the Trump family’s recent acknowledgment that a weekend wedding party for the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. was partly funded by a Russian oligarch, with reportedly close ties to the Kremlin.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who is in line to become the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, characterized the issues involved as “gargantuan."

“We need to zero in quickly on the forms of systemic corruption that have cost the public huge amounts of money," Raskin told The Associated Press, “and where there are legislative cures available.”

Trump impeachments made history then. Could it happen again?

Jeffries will almost certainly be under pressure from the far left to move more swiftly to articles of impeachment against Trump, who during his first became the first president to be twice impeached by the House. Both times, he was acquitted by the Senate.

Impeaching the president a third time may not hold the currency that it once did. Democrats will more likely focus their impeachment efforts on Cabinet members. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already faces articles of impeachment from a Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, over his leadership at the Pentagon and his management of the Iran war.

“We haven’t ruled anything out,” Jeffries said recently about the tools available to Congress, “and we haven’t ruled anything in.”

The White House is likely to play hardball if confronted with investigations, and Democrats are bracing for an administration that potentially ignores subpoenas or refuses to turn over paperwork that lawmakers are demanding.

The Democrats are also reaching beyond the administration into various corporate and business entities for potential wrongdoing.

‘We’ll act like the Congress,' says one Democrat in line to lead a committee

Ranking Democratic lawmakers who are in line to lead committees if power shifts are beginning to chart the investigations they plan to tackle.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat now on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has outlined five priorities, including Trump family business dealings, the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and ICE operations.

“We’re already doing work,” Garcia told the AP.

He also mentioned the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as well as broader allegations of corporate corruption.

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, whose jurisdiction includes the State Department, said the committee plans to investigate Trump's international dealings, including around the Iran war.

He expects the committee will also look into the administration's Venezuela operations — from the military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific waters to the U.S. partnership with a private company to develop and access the South American country's oil.

Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the ranking Democrat at the Natural Resources Committee, which overseas the Interior Department and its National Park Service operations, has begun digging into Trump's “vanity projects,” including the demolition of the White House's East wing for a new ballroom and the president's proposed arch.

Huffman and other committee members have also been eyeing the Trump family's role in various minerals deals.

At the committee's last session before lawmakers recessed to campaign for the midterm elections, Huffman said that if Democrats take charge, he plans to call witnesses, put them under oath and follow the evidence where it leads.

"When people ask what will we do," he said he responds, “My answer is simple. We’ll use those tools. We’ll act like the Congress.”

Security checks on the stadium's perimeter went relatively smoothly with Tennessee officials opening the stadium 30 minutes earlier than normal. Fans got half-price off concessions as a reward for showing up early, and Tennessee faithful had the stands half full 90 minutes before kickoff and nearly packed an hour before.

Those in their seats were treated to a low-altitude flyover by Air Force One as the president came into town with the Volunteers and Longhorns warming up on the field below. Trump landed at 11:28 a.m. ET ahead of the noon kickoff, according to reporters traveling with the president.

Trump's motorcade arrived at Neyland Stadium just as the national anthem was being sung at 11:59 a.m. Trump pumped his first a couple times when shown in his seat on the videoboards with Tennessee's U.S. senators on either side. One of them, Marsha Blackburn, is running for governor of Tennessee.

The president's motorcade left at 2:07 p.m. with the game in the second half.

The president's visit didn't appear to affect communications between coaches and players on the field thanks to some coordination before Saturday's game.

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said earlier this week that teams had to be ready to lose all communication on their headsets between coaches on the field and the players “anytime (Trump) enters the stadium, leaves the stadium or changes locations within the stadium.”

ABC/ESPN reported Saturday that both schools worked with the Secret Service on audio channels in hopes of keeping communications clear, noting an official timeout for a serious disruption could be an option.

The Southeastern Conference matchup between the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 14 Volunteers in Knoxville already was one of the biggest games in the country this weekend. Trump came to watch Texas quarterback Arch Manning play for the first time in the stadium where his uncle Peyton became famous.

How a presidential visit can affect radio communications

Trump has attended more college football games than any recent sitting president, and he arrived in Knoxville in the midst of a midterm election season and a heated debate over the role of money in college sports that Congress is trying to resolve. He has attended national championship games and regular season contests in the SEC and Army vs. Navy.

He also attended Game 3 of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in June, went to the 2025 Daytona 500 car race, and presented the World Cup trophy to Spain at the final in July. And last year, he was the first president to attend a Super Bowl. He left the Super Bowl after halftime.

Headset communications emerged as the latest subplot surrounding this presidential visit. Coaches communicate with each other on their headsets throughout the game and also call in plays to the quarterback. Disruptions to those communications, from a deafening crowd, technical glitch or presidential security measure, can present problems for coaches and teams.

Coaches involved in last season's College Football Playoff championship between Miami and Indiana in New Orleans cited that game as an example of how Trump's movements affected them.

Trump left in the fourth quarter of a tense Indiana 27-21 victory. Sarkisian said Miami coach Mario Cristobal told him Trump's leaving at that point disrupted communications on the Hurricanes' final possession, which ended with a game-clinching interception.

Indiana coach Curt Signetti disputed Sarkisian's version of events around the final drive. But Cignetti noted communications briefly cut off in a key moment of the fourth quarter as Indiana was trying to protect its lead.

In his weekly radio show on Thursday, Cignetti recalled that when Trump left the game “around the 7-minute mark ... there were two or three plays we couldn't hear at all.”

That included a misdirection touchdown run by Miami's Malachi Toney.

“Communication device came back right after the (Toney’s) touchdown,” Cignetti said. “And we had no problem the rest of the game.”

According to the media pool report of Trump's movements at the game, the president left the stadium with “with just under 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter.”

The White House on Friday insisted Trump’s departure caused no problems for the teams.

“No, President Trump’s departure from the CFP championship in January did not cause headset or comms issues for the teams,” the White House posted on X.

It's unclear if Trump's presence at other games like the Super Bowl have created issues. An NFL spokesman declined comment Friday when asked if league officials work with the Secret Service when a president attends a game like the Super Bowl to minimize any impact on team communications.

Trump's visit to Neyland Stadium

University of Tennessee officials sent a midweek advisory encouraging fans to arrive “significantly earlier” than for a typical game. Neyland Stadium has an official capacity of 101,915 with this game the 30th consecutive sellout.

Fans were warned of the Secret Service conducting enhanced screening at the stadium gates and to "expect increased wait times as kickoff approaches.”

___

Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas.

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

The attack involving an explosives-laden vehicle occurred in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the provincial emergency service. Local police chief Safdar Baloch said most of those killed and wounded were security personnel and passersby.

The blast destroyed the sprawling checkpoint, and witnesses said gunshots were also heard after the attack.

Faizi said gunmen opened fire on an ambulance as emergency crews transported victims to a nearby hospital, killing a rescue worker and wounding two others. Two women and a child were among those killed in the suicide bombing, he said.

The Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it claimed by the TTP and the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group primarily active in neighboring Balochistan province.

The TTP is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, which returned to power in 2021.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, offered condolences to the victims’ families.

Zardari described the targeting of civilians and law enforcement personnel as “highly condemnable” and called for intensified action against the Pakistani Taliban, which he accused of carrying out “heinous and brutal acts” with foreign support.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing TTP members to operate from Afghan territory and have demanded that Kabul prevent cross-border attacks. Afghan authorities deny permitting their territory to be used for attacks against other countries.

Saturday’s bombing came two days after fighting along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border killed at least 13 Afghan Taliban fighters, according to Pakistan’s government. The clash followed Pakistani strikes this week on suspected militant hideouts inside Afghanistan.

The renewed hostilities threaten mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia aimed at securing lasting peace between the neighboring countries.

Dera Ismail Khan is near South Waziristan, a former militant stronghold where Pakistan’s military has conducted several operations in recent years.

Militants frequently target security forces in the region. In December 2023, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the main gate of a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, killing at least 23 security personnel in one of the area’s deadliest attacks. Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a small militant group believed to be an offshoot of the TTP, claimed responsibility.

___

Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

For now though, lower humidity and lots of late-September sun will allow us to enjoy being outside both today and tomorrow and although we’ll see highs near 90 degrees the lower humidity will make it feel more bearable.

It might not be a completely dry weekend however as the seabreeze will try to kick up a few very late-day showers mainly near the coast.

Otherwise, our rain chances are pretty low until moisture returns by next week and we get back into that familiar rainy weather pattern again.

There’s a high risk of rip currents at the beaches and a small craft advisory for the boaters as large swells roll down the east coast from a big storm up in the northeast this weekend.

They also agreed to continue cooperating through a Board of Trade focused on selected bilateral issues. The White House said the board began operating this week.

The summit produced no major breakthroughs, but analysts said the steps toward greater cooperation were important because they established working groups that could help prevent disputes from escalating.

Xi returned to Beijing on Saturday, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. During the visit, Trump displayed unusual warmth toward Xi, despite having escalated a trade war with China the previous year that had global repercussions.

The two sides agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on strengthening crisis communications and preventing crises between the two militaries, China’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday in its readout. The one-page statement from the Chinese side was light on details.

Both sides will set up a communication mechanism for artificial intelligence -related incidents, to discuss related risks and benefits, with an AI-specific dialogue scheduled for November.

Trump indicated on Saturday that there would be limits on what the U.S. would share with China and said that Washington would not slow its AI efforts.

The “United States of America is not going to be putting on brakes,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “They want to stop our progress because we’re leading China by a lot and we’re going to keep it that way.”

He added: “I would rather not integrate because we’re leading by a lot. When you’re leading, you don’t open it up to each other. We’re leading by at least a year, maybe a year and a half. Some people say two years. I’m not looking to open it up.”

The statement from China said both sides will continue to work together on the pledge to reduce reciprocal tariffs on roughly $30 billion worth of goods. During the summit, the two leaders agreed to extend a trade truce by two months. The White House statement said China agreed to import at least 10 million metric tons of coal from the U.S. in 2027 and 2028.

Most of the reduction in tariffs is aimed at non-sensitive goods, such as agricultural products or holiday decorations.

The statement from the White House also said the two sides continued to work on American concerns about rare earths supply, “with the goal of ensuring shipment levels return to appropriate levels.” China put export controls on rare earths last year in response to the U.S. tariffs, cutting the supply sent to the U.S. and other countries.

Both sides agreed to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, and then later at the G20 at the Trump National Doral Miami golf club in Florida.

Both governments said Iran should honor its stated commitment not to develop nuclear weapons. They also said no country should charge tolls on international waterways, an apparent reference to the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has fallen significantly since the U.S. war with Iran began.

The U.S. statement welcomed China’s decision to impose export controls on two additional precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl. Both sides also noted recent arrests in fentanyl-related cases.

Although the summit did not resolve the countries’ fundamental differences, analysts said the incremental progress was noteworthy.

“Personal diplomacy between the two leaders is important, but the emphasis on working-level engagement, military-to-military dialogue and crisis-management mechanisms suggests an effort to make that stability more durable and institutionalized,” said Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization.

___

Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report.

The intensifying aerial war between Moscow and Kyiv came as U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would “settle” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has struck Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, glide bombs and jet-powered drones while front-line progress has slowed, some 4½-years after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

“It is essential that our partners not forget: Russia is escalating every single day. If the Russians have chosen to make their strikes even more brutal, the world must choose stronger responses to keep the war from spreading further,” Zelenskyy wrote on Saturday.

He listed “numerous strikes on residential homes” in the cities of Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, and the Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions.

Two women in Zaporizhzhia died when they were trapped beneath the rubble of their home, Zaporizhzhia’s regional military administration said. A separate Russian attack on the city of Sumy also killed two people, local officials said.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, two people were injured overnight in the Kyiv region after a Russian drone strike sparked a fire at a warehouse in the Boryspil district. Russian drones also struck several districts of the capital, injuring four people and damaging residential and office buildings, officials said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that the attack on Kyiv damaged a data center supporting mobile internet services and Starlink satellite communications.

Drones target Russian refineries

Separately, Ukraine continued to target Russian oil refineries and industrial sites with long-range drones. A Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region killed three people and wounded two, local officials said Saturday.

Regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram that the attack sparked fires at two industrial sites but provided no further details.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said that Kyiv had damaged the region's Ilsky oil refinery.

Ukrainian attacks also killed three people overnight in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Moscow-installed regional head Yevgeny Balitsky said Saturday, according to Russian state media.

Trump says he hopes Zelenskyy will ‘settle’ with Putin

Trump commented on Saturday on his meeting with Zelenskyy at the U.N. General Assembly, saying that he hoped the Ukrainian leader would “settle” with Putin.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Zelenskyy told journalists that he trusted the White House could help end Russia’s invasion of his country, even as attacks by both sides intensified.

While campaigning for reelection in 2024, Trump claimed he could broker an end to the war almost immediately. The conflict has continued, but Trump said Saturday that Zelenskyy and Putin were “going along” and that “someday, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, maybe before the heavy winter, they’ll make a deal.”

“You know what I want him to do? Make a deal,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy. “I want him to settle with Putin, and I want Putin to settle with him.”

While in New York, Zelenskyy also appealed to the United Nations for countries to deprive Russia of revenue through sanctions and trade restrictions, denying Moscow the money it needs to prolong the war. Despite years of diplomatic efforts, however, there has been no breakthrough toward ending the conflict.

___

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

At issue is how someone can prove they are too medically frail to work. While federal regulations say the state can take the recipient's word for it for the first year, at least six states are requiring documentation immediately. There is a continuing push in other states to follow suit eventually.

Advocates say that could create problems, especially for new applicants to the joint state-federal health insurance program for lower-income people.

“Someone may not be able to work, but they can’t see a doctor because they can’t afford it. So they’re now applying for Medicaid,” said Jennifer Tolbert, director of state health policy and data at the research organization KFF. “But Medicaid is saying you need documentation from a provider.”

As some Republican-led states take a tougher-than-required approach to implementing the federally mandated changes, Democrats in 25 states are suing and asserting that the rules are too harsh.

Some say documentary evidence is necessary to avoid fraud

The Medicaid changes are projected to save the federal government $887 billion over the next decade and result in 7.5 million fewer people with health insurance, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s 2025 estimate.

The conservative Foundation for Government Accountability has been pushing states not to make it too easy for people to avoid work requirements, saying able-bodied adults are pushing enrollment and costs higher.

Jonathan Ingram, vice president of research and policy at the group, has been encouraging states not to take a beneficiary’s word for it, a process known as self-attestation.

“Self-attestation is fraud-by-design,” he said via email. “It is a policy developed by bureaucrats to maximize enrollment at the expense of program integrity.”

Self-attestation comes under penalty of perjury, so people who lie can be subject to criminal charges — though such charges are rare.

Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio all have laws or policies that bar self-attestation to qualify for the work requirement exception starting next year.

Republican Missouri state Rep. Darin Chappell said he worked with the Foundation for Government Accountability to craft a proposed amendment that would have enshrined Medicaid work requirements in the state constitution. It would have required “documentary evidence” of work or reasons for exemptions, specifically prohibiting self-attestation.

The amendment passed the Missouri House but died without a vote in the Senate. Chappell plans to try again next year.

“If someone has a debilitating physical ailment — or mental ailment for that matter — something that prohibits them from working, that’s totally legitimate,” he said. “But we’re not taking anybody’s word for it. I don’t mean to shock you none, but people do tend to lie about such things.”

Most nondisabled beneficiaries under 65 already work

The new mandate applies to up to 20 million lower-income adults without children at home who are enrolled in Medicaid through an optional expansion in 40 states and the District of Columbia. The requirement does not apply in the 10 states, mostly in the South, that did not expand Medicaid.

Beneficiaries will have to work or volunteer at least 80 hours each month or be in school at least half-time to qualify, with exceptions for situations including medical frailty.

The law had said medically frail people include those who have substance use disorders, disabilities or serious medical conditions. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a rule in June that went further and was stricter than states and providers expected, saying someone’s condition must “significantly impair” their ability to work, volunteer or attend school as required for an exemption.

Currently states generally decide once a year whether Medicaid recipients still qualify for benefits. The new law will require it to happen twice for most enrollees.

States will be allowed to accept self-attestation just once each time a person enrolls starting in 2028. After that, documentation would be required at least every 12 months to verify that they still have the condition and that it still prevents them from being able to work.

The government expects states to rely increasingly on third-party data — on things such as workers’ compensation claims or prescription information — to help make determinations. For conditions that do not show up in the databases, states can require a doctor's certification, a disability award letter or other proof.

While states have been ramping up the use of this information, the work requirements are still a big change, and many will first have to spend millions of dollars improving their computer systems.

States are already struggling in some cases to make changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance food program, or SNAP, that are required under Trump's law, including an expanded work requirement.

In Arizona, for example, enrollment plummeted by 55% from April 2025 to April 2026 — the biggest drop in the country — with more than 400,000 fewer people getting benefits now. Last month, the state said that was largely due to difficulties in putting in place new federal requirements that resulted in higher call volumes and additional verification.

Patient advocates worry aid will be denied to qualified people

Ingram said some of the concerns about ending self-attestation are overblown and people can get diagnoses to support their inability to work at many places, including charitable clinics and federally qualified health centers. He also noted that Medicaid allows retroactive coverage for doctor visits that happen before enrollment.

Patient advocates say it's not that simple.

“The added paperwork, the hoops you have to jump through lead to coverage loss,” said Nate Crippes, a lawyer at the Disability Law Center in Utah, where a law allows self-attestation to qualify for the work requirement exception on a provisional basis.

An added challenge is that most people in the Medicaid expansion group in his state have a mental health or substance use disorder diagnosis — or both.

“We’re choosing to make people with health conditions jump through a bunch of hurdles,” said Camille Richoux, health policy director at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.

It can be tricky if states decide to rely partly on patient diagnosis codes to determine whether recipients are able to work.

Lucy Dagneau, senior director of the state and local campaigns team at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said the codes do not indicate the severity of a condition. For example, some patients with a specific cancer can continue working, she said, but others who are in more advanced stages cannot.

“Our fear is by that banning self-attestation, unfortunately, the state lawmakers who pass those laws are going to have a hand in more people losing coverage in their state than would have,” she said.

____

Associated Press writers David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed.

Ireland is due to play Israel in Debrecen, Hungary in the first of those games Sunday, but the team’s press conference and training session Saturday were delayed by more than five hours as the players again held discussions among themselves in the team hotel over whether they should play.

Bazunu takes a stand

Gavin Bazunu later confirmed on social media that he had left the squad. He said he felt it would be “wrong to participate” in the games “based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.”

The 24-year-old reserve goalkeeper stressed his stance was “not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region. There are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them.”

David Courell, the CEO of the Football Association of Ireland, said at a long-delayed press conference earlier that an unnamed player's “discomfort with fulfilling this fixture” had caused deliberations for the rest of the squad. He said a vote was taken among the players and that “a significant majority” favored continuing with the games.

“Based on that, the association took the decision on behalf of Irish football that this fixture would continue as we have always intended to fulfill the fixtures,” Courell said.

Bazunu, who reportedly told the team Friday night that he did not want to play, was not mentioned in the press conference, but Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said a player was leaving.

“All the rest of the players are training today,” Hallgrimsson said. “It’s an ongoing discussion and we haven’t come to a kind of conclusion on this, but we are going ahead, the game is going ahead, we’re going to train. And there will be more discussions tonight and probably tomorrow."

Black armbands

Courell said the players were uncomfortable dealing with questions “that are not about football” so they had requested not to have to deal with media obligations around Sunday's match.

“They also have the intention of wearing black armbands in recognition of all lives lost in the conflict," Courell said. "And also there will be elements of the pre-match ceremony that will not be partaken in.”

He added that both the players and the FAI will be making a “significant contribution” to charity from both match fees – neither of which is open to Irish fans – and from Ireland's game against Austria in Dublin on Oct. 1.

Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ said last week it will only provide stripped-back coverage of the games vs. Israel to meet contractual obligations — with no studio presentation, commentary on the international feed, or analysis — while it will also not accept advertising or sponsorship around either game.

RTÉ also announced last week that Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for a second year over Israel's participation.

Pressure builds

The Ireland team has been coming under increasing pressure at home, where affinity with Palestinians is strong, to boycott the two games against Israel — Israel's “home” game Sunday and Ireland’s “home” game in Backa Topola, Serbia on Oct. 4.

The FAI said in June that Ireland's home game was moving to a neutral venue for “operational reasons” and that no fans will be present. That followed widespread calls to boycott the match, and the FAI's own motion the previous November calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions.

“There’s a huge support – probably in Europe the biggest support – for Palestine in Ireland,” Hallgrimsson said. “And there’s been protests since the draw (in February) not to play this fixture. There’s been a protest from day one not to play the fixture in Ireland and that’s the pressure that the players will feel and the association will feel. I felt that pressure growing day by day and it’s getting almost to a breaking limit now.”

Ireland midfielder Jason Knight said after Thursday’s 1-0 loss in Kosovo that the players were in a difficult situation and that he didn’t think the matches should be going ahead.

Hallgrimsson previously said “we’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel” — drawing a furious reaction from the Israeli soccer federation, which accused the Icelandic coach of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy.”

The FAI had resisted calls to boycott the matches, arguing the team could be hit with punishing sanctions by UEFA. Ireland is co-hosting the 2028 European Championship with England, Wales and Scotland.

More than 160 Irish sportspeople signed an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the fixtures.

There were protesters outside the team hotel in Dublin last week calling on the players to boycott the games. The SIPTU trade union displayed a huge poster in central Dublin beside the River Liffey asking the players to “Go with your conscience!” and “Don't play with genocide” beside an image of a blood-splattered ball.

Former Ireland coach Brian Kerr said the FAI had “lost the respect of the Irish people” for going ahead with the games.

“The Irish people and the soccer-going public don’t want the games to be played,” Kerr said. “I think they’ve made their opinions clear over the last year. The FAI back in November actually went to UEFA and requested that Israel be put out of the tournament on a principle. And yet they went against that principle.”

UEFA did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday's developments.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The Vatican estimated that 800,000 people attended — about 200,000 more than the number who had registered in advance. The turnout testified to the church’s lasting influence in France despite declining attendance and secularizing trends that have emptied churches across Europe.

The American pope greeted the flag-waving, cheering throngs from his popemobile during a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) parade along the grand boulevard leading to the Place de la Concorde for Mass, essentially the heart of Paris and a symbol of the French republic.

In his homily, Leo asked the crowds not to keep their faith to themselves, but to instead “let it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and their thirst satisfied.”

“From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France,” he said.

Although a security blanket shut down central Paris to road traffic, the partylike atmosphere drew people of multiple faiths and no faith at all. The fervor spanned generations. People brought dozens of babies and young children from the crowd for Leo to caress on the head as he rode slowly past aboard the popemobile.

“The message of Pope Leo goes well beyond Catholic people; he speaks about social justice, for example,” said Leontine Joseph, 42, a fervent Catholic who came with two friends of Moroccan origin who grew up in Muslim culture.

An appeal to persevere against the trends

Leo has sought to encourage French Catholics to persevere in their faith “even amid the thorns” of a secular world during his four-day visit. It began on Friday with his arrival and prayer at the restored Notre Dame, the first by a pope since the cathedral's devastating 2019 fire. It continued Saturday night when Leo arrived in Lourdes in southern France, one of the Catholic Church’s most-visited shrines.

At the Catholic Institute of Paris on Saturday morning, the pope said he was surprised by the number of new converts in recent years.

“We must recognize, welcome and protect the small flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in the darkness of the night, the tiny seed that strives to grow even amid the thorns,” he said.

Adult baptisms in France each year have tripled since 2016, hitting 13,000 this year. But statistics and experts caution that the uptick, which has also been recorded in secular Spain, doesn’t counteract the overall downward trend.

In 1980, there were 513,000 baptisms in France; in 2024, a total of 186,000.

The pope is a crowd-puller

The rivers of people who crammed central Paris and their joyful enthusiasm rivaled other communal but non-religious moments of celebration that marked France in recent decades. Huge crowds celebrated on the Champs-Elysées when France won the soccer World Cup in 1998 and again in 2018.

Many on Saturday didn't identify as Catholics, but came to hear the pope's message.

“People are seeing a lot of really terrible images. This kind of event reminds people of what is really important in life,” said Thierry Chen, a 40-year-old Parisian startup entrepreneur who is not Catholic. “You see a lot of different people here, so it’s not just about one race, religion or nation, but about a common belief in humankind.”

Sylvane Le Goff, 68, who lives in the Paris region, came with her 10- and 12-year-old grandchildren to “give them unforgettable memories.” Le Goff, who was raised Catholic but is not practicing, said she wanted to open her grandchildren’s minds.

“It’s not only about seeing the pope but it also is about his message of peace and unity, values I’d like to share with them,” she said.

Leo has clearly been impressed by the numbers and enthusiasm, especially at a Friday night vigil that kept the 71-year-old pope out until nearly 11 p.m. after a packed first day.

Some 80,000 young people filled the national stadium for an extravaganza of fireworks and a theatrical retelling of French Catholic history.

“Thank you for your courage! Thank you for your presence,” Leo said to raucous cheers, speaking off the cuff in French. “Thank you for your faith. You are the saints of France!”

Mass adds a new chapter for historic Paris square

The imposing stage erected for the Mass, capped with a golden cross, and rows upon rows of choir singers, clergy and others who prayed under the pope’s gaze on Place de la Concorde marked a new chapter for the history-steeped square.

It was an execution site during the French Revolution. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were guillotined there. For many in France, it embodies the Republic and traditionally stages Bastille Day celebrations. In 2024, the Paris Olympics gave it a blast of modernity, using it for break dance, skateboard, BMX and 3X3 basketball events.

Organizers of the Mass said it was the only area in central Paris that could accommodate such crowds.

But the choice was criticized by supporters of France’s strict form of secularism in public life based on a 1905 law separating church and state. They argued that the site represents the Republic, and that other places such as the Invalides, a complex of buildings where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass with 240,000 people in 2008, would have been more appropriate.

Leo’s Mass came as a birthday present for Jean-Claude Farnabe, who turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning securing a spot.

A lifelong Catholic, Farnabe attends Mass in the Paris suburb of Suresnes every Sunday.

“There are more and more converts,” he said. “Many youngsters are interested in faith and in God. Every Sunday, I see new people, people aged between 25 and 40, who are getting baptized.”

___

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

“No comment,” the pontiff replied with a beaming smile when a reporter on his plane to France asked whether the surprise sprung Thursday by the long-suffering team was miraculous and “Do you have anything to do with that?"

But the Chicago-born and raised lifelong fan of the White Sox left no doubt that he was thrilled, by adding: “Great things happen in Chicago."

The pontiff's oh-so-diplomatic answer was perhaps because he's had experience of how perceived papal rooting for one team or another can land him in hot water.

In June, he said “the pope is for all teams" but rubbed soccer fans in Barcelona the wrong way by adding that he personally roots for Real Madrid, inserting himself into one of the biggest rivalries in club football.

Real Madrid proudly posted the video of the moment, and social media filled with comments about how the club is “the team of God.”

Again being careful not to overtly take sides, the pontiff also showed on the papal plane that he keeps a keen eye on basketball, too.

In response to another question, Leo said that “the voice of the people of God” will be cheering loudly for Villanova University — where he studied mathematics in the 1970s — when his alma mater and Notre Dame play a men’s and women’s season-opening basketball doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1.

“They tell me that the people coming to the match, 90% are Villanova and 10% Notre Dame, so the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side,” Leo said.

The Catholic schools are promoting the matchup as a celebration of their shared mission and heritage. Long before he became the first pope from the United States, Robert Prevost graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the Augustinian school near Philadelphia.

The 71-year-old pontiff's sporting interests extend to tennis, too.

“I consider myself quite the amateur tennis player,” he said in a 2023 interview with the Augustinian Order, although the newly made cardinal added that his church responsibilities weren't leaving him much time to get out on court.

As pontiff, Leo likes to spend Mondays and Tuesdays at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo in the hills outside Rome — where he plays tennis with his secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, and goes swimming and horseback riding, too.

Last year, Leo granted a Vatican audience to top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner. But he declined Sinner's offer of a quick volley.

The pope looked around at the antiques and said, “Better not.”

___

Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield in Paris contributed.

The European Amputee Football Federation, or EAFF, inaugurated the new Conference League in Bucharest. The games were held Thursday and Friday, and the final concluded on Friday when Maccabi Haifa FC of Israel was crowned the winner after beating Scotland’s Ayr United 4-0.

The victory meant a lot to Ben Binyamin of the team from Israel. Back in 2023, the Israeli player had his right leg blown off during the Hamas attack on the Tribe of Nova music festival, which left him fearing he would never play soccer again.

“I am very happy that we won this tournament, we won without conceding a single goal,” he told The Associated Press. “Football itself for us is our physiotherapy, our life, and our second family. It helps us in life. It gives us strength.”

Four teams participated in the tournament: FCSB of host nation Romania, Maccabi Haifa FC of Israel, Ayr United of Scotland and Panathinaikos AC PwD of Greece.

“We are very satisfied, very happy to bring pride to the country,” Binyamin added.

Inspired by the European club competition model in able-bodied soccer, the EAFF described the new league as a “historic milestone” that represents “another important step in the development of European amputee football.”

“The Conference League creates an international opportunity for clubs from countries where domestic amputee football leagues are not yet established,” it says on its website.

Played in a seven-versus-seven format, on 60-meter (196-foot) by 40-meter (131-foot) fields, amputee soccer is a game for amputees and people living with limb defects. Players have one leg and a pair of crutches, while goalkeepers have both legs but one hand or arm.

Established in 2015, the EAFF aims to help people with amputations or limb defects gain access to amputee soccer throughout Europe. The World Amputee Football Federation was established in 2002 and a World Cup is held every four years.

The new league hopes to attract more spectators to amputee soccer and gives teams opportunities to build international relationships. The EAFF also organizes a Nations League, Champions League, Europa League, and holds other initiatives like women’s and junior camps.

Iain Matthew, manager of the Scottish team, told the AP that while his team’s 0-4 loss to Maccabi Haifa was disappointing, the league itself offered valuable experience for his players.

“The competition is great for smaller nations … to get European football experience,” he said. “I think we could have played better, we could have defended better, but you’ve got to praise your players for what they’ve done over the week.”

___

McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England.

In one of the closest finishes in years, Russell held off Max Verstappen by just .196 of a second to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday, ending a three-month wait for a victory.

Russell cut Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli’s standings lead from 81 points to 66 as the Italian recovered from 16th on the grid to finish fifth.

“My teammate’s had an incredible season. He’s been pretty flawless throughout, but now we’re getting to crunch time,” Russell said. “If I continue delivering performances like I’ve done this weekend, no matter what happens towards the end of the season, I’ll be happy."

A dramatic finish with the checkered flag in sight

Russell started on pole, built a big lead and it seemed like he'd cruise to victory from there, given his vast margin over the field in qualifying the day before.

But then mayhem erupted behind him. Russell had to defend on two safety-car restarts before facing a dramatic late challenge from Verstappen, who charged through the field from eighth to second and nearly chased down Russell on the last straight.

“Every race since the (mid-season) break I have gone from strength to strength and I feel more like myself again,” Russell said.

A last-lap crash by Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas forced Russell and Verstappen to slow and the Dutch driver hunted down Russell right after that, closing fast as the finish line approached.

Verstappen ultimately was less than two-tenths of a second behind as he remains winless this year for the first time since his rookie 2015 season.

“I lost the boost, I had no power. Thought he was going to get us,” a relieved Russell said after securing his third win of the season.

Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar was third on his return from a wrist fracture which had been causing him pain earlier in the week. “I am completely satisfied even if it is a bit numb,” he said.

On a miserable day for McLaren, defending champion Lando Norris was taken out in a crash started by Franco Colapinto before Oscar Piastri went off-track defending third place and ended up 14th.

Antonelli helped by a fast car and good luck

Antonelli started 16th after a qualifying crash but ended up fifth as he limited the damage to his title lead, swerving to avoid a three-car crash ahead of him and later overtaking Lewis Hamilton.

The Italian had a lucky day as he benefited from a string of mistakes from drivers ahead, without being swept up in their incidents.

Antonelli swerved to avoid a three-car crash which took out Norris, caused by Alpine’s Colapinto plowing into his own teammate Pierre Gasly.

McLaren’s day got even worse when Piastri locked up his wheels while in third and defending from Hadjar. The Australian went off track and dropped all the way to 15th, helping out Antonelli in the process.

Ferrari lacked the pace to mount a serious challenge with Charles Leclerc fading to fourth from second on the grid, and Hamilton sixth.

Arvid Lindblad was seventh for Racing Bulls after he tipped his teammate Liam Lawson into a spin while reacting to the crash caused by Colapinto.

“I love getting taken out by my teammate, that’s pretty sick,” Lawson said.

Esteban Ocon was eighth for Haas, which appears set to drop him for 2027, with teammate Oliver Bearman ninth and Carlos Sainz, Jr. 10th for Williams.

F1 heads to Malaysia next week for a race still branded as the Bahrain Grand Prix. It's a replacement event after races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off earlier this year because of the Iran war.

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

The west-coast based Dockers dominated play in the third quarter but the Lions came back Saturday to beat the Dockers 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) before a capacity crowd of 100,023 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Brisbane made it consecutive Australian rules football titles last year with a a 47-point win over Geelong.

On Saturday, the teams were tied 43-43 at halftime, with each team kicking six goals worth six points each and seven “behinds” worth one point each in the opening half. The Dockers led by 10 points after three quarters.

Logan Morris put the Lions in front with a minute left, then kicked the sealing points.

Fremantle, a port city where the Swan River meets the Indian Ocean just south of the state capital Perth, joined the league in 1995. The Dockers are still seeking their first AFL title.

Two weeks ago, 100,021 spectators crammed the same stadium to watch the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia, won 27-7 by the San Francisco 49ers over the Los Angeles Rams.

Britain-based and Melbourne-born pop star Kylie Minogue provided the pre-game entertainment Saturday.

Australian Rules football is a often dynamic contact sport played by teams of 18 on an oval field and involves plenty of kicking. It was established in and around Melbourne in the 1850s and is one of the most popular sports in Australia. The top-tier national league, the AFL, features 18 clubs.

___

See AP’s full sports coverage here

Meanwhile, Iranian media outlets said the country's president has left New York after the United Nations gathering of world leaders that included Iran's indirect talks with the United States. And Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted another missile it blames on Iran -backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen.

Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here.

Trump rejects Iran proposal to reopen the Strait

Iran offered this week to reopen the strait and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the U.S. lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

But on Saturday, Trump rejected the proposal saying Iran wanted to make a deal because it was “losing so badly.”

“They want to make a deal and I think that’s fine,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before leaving for a college football game. “I’d like to make a deal, too. But that deal would not be acceptable.”

Iran effectively closed the strait after the U.S. and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic in late February, and the number of ships passing through has dropped significantly because of Iranian threats and attacks on vessels in the waterway.

Iranian outlets say the country's president has left New York

Semiofficial media outlets in Iran reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian has left New York for Tehran after the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders.

Pezeshkian's speech to the gathering pushed back against Trump's latest threat to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic, but he ended by saying Tehran remains open to diplomacy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists Friday night that under Tehran's proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

Iran's president says supreme leader, still unseen in public, has no health issues

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS that, from his viewpoint as a physician, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has “no specific ongoing health issues” despite not being seen or heard in public since the war with the U.S. and Israel began in February.

The interview will air Sunday.

In the transcript CBS released, Pezeshkian described his most recent meeting with Khamenei as lasting over seven hours. “But, of course, he was healthy enough to be able to withstand those hours of that situation. From a medical standpoint, he’s completely healthy,” the president said. When asked whether the supreme leader’s face and legs have recovered, Pezeshkian responded, “Yes.”

Khamenei’s father and other family members were killed on the opening day of the war.

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a missile fired by Houthis

Saudi Arabia’s military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, claimed early Saturday that a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen was intercepted and destroyed. He said it was fired toward the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.

The Associated Press couldn’t immediately verify that independently. There was no immediate statement of responsibility, though it can take days for the Houthis to issue one.

A regional body representing Arab Gulf states, the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned the latest Houthi attacks as a “grave escalation and threat to regional security” and urged the international community to respond.

Iraq seeks exemptions to US sanctions on Iranian airlines

Iraq said it is in direct contact with the U.S. to secure exemptions from sanctions on Iranian airlines as Washington continues economic pressure on Tehran.

The Iraqi prime minister’s office said the aim is to get exemptions for certain airports, noting flights for humanitarian reasons such as medical treatment, education and religious pilgrimages.

Many pilgrims in neighboring Iran visit sites such as Karbala and Najaf.

Trump again posts a map calling key waterway ‘Trump Strait’

Before rejecting Iran's proposal Saturday, Trump posted an image on his Truth Social platform of the Strait of Hormuz labeled “Trump Strait." It is not the first time he has tried to antagonize Iran in this way.

The White House on Friday said only that U.S. officials were having positive and constructive conversations with mediators on the Iran war. Earlier in the week, Iran and the U.S. participated in hours of indirect talks.

Israeli settlers seize more water sources in the West Bank

Israeli settlers have intensified efforts to seize natural springs and heritage sites in the occupied West Bank. The springs are vital for drinking water, tourism and agriculture and increasingly inaccessible to the 2.8 million Palestinians living there.

In the Jordan Valley, settlers cut a water pipe to a Palestinian village, redirecting it to a pool they named after Herod, the Roman-appointed king of Judea. Israeli rights groups say the move is part of a broader effort to claim heritage sites.

The struggle for water access highlights the ongoing contest for control of the West Bank, where Palestinians have faced shortages since 1967.

___

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

His thing is esports.

Meet Yuki Kurihara, the Japanese elementary school student who defeated Kang Dongshin of South Korea 10-2 on Saturday in the final of the Puyo Puyo Champions puzzle game at the Asian Games.

He defeated Tanarak Wongkitikun of Thailand in the semifinals, 10-1. The Thai player is a relative old-timer at 28.

“I’m really happy,” Kurihara said. “The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy.”

He said he also liked the little mascot doll he was given for winning.

“The plush toy is super cute, and it’s cool that it is gold-colored too.”

Kang, the loser in the final, praised Kurihara,

“It’s obvious that my opponent was skilled and above my level,” Kang said. “His technical ability and accuracy are incredible.”

Kurihara is believed to be youngest-ever gold medalist in the Asian Games, which date from 1951 in New Delhi, India. And he’s certainly the youngest in these Asian Games.

Japanese media has reported he trains eight hours daily and still keeps up his grades in school.

Esports was held in the Asian Games for the first time three years ago in Hangzhou, China. It was so popular that tickets were sold by lottery. It's also an audience favorite in Japan.

Youth is being served at the Asian Games. Kamus Wong is a 12-year-old competing for Hong Kong in skateboarding, and 13-year-old Yu Zidi of China won three gold medals in swimming.

A relative senior citizen, 17-year-old Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi set a world record on Thursday in the 200-meter breaststroke.

___

See full AP coverage of Asian sports here

Los principales canales de Bangkok se llenaron con la lluvia acumulada, que superó los 20 centímetros (7,8 pulgadas), informaron funcionarios el sábado. Las aguas de la inundación se extendieron por la ciudad, en particular en las zonas central y oriental, bloqueando caminos y paralizando el tránsito.

El Departamento Meteorológico de Tailandia advirtió que las fuertes lluvias continuarían en la mayor parte del país hasta el domingo, y atribuyó la situación a un intenso sistema de baja presión sobre la región central y al fortalecimiento de las condiciones del monzón del suroeste.

Más de 84.000 personas en 21 provincias de todo el país se vieron afectadas por las inundaciones hasta el sábado, especialmente en la región central. Las autoridades enviaron mensajes de alerta de emergencia mediante el sistema de difusión celular a las personas en las zonas afectadas, indicó el gobierno.

Bangkok sufrió aguaceros durante gran parte del viernes y la lluvia intensa persistió hasta el sábado. En fotos y videos podían verse importantes vías anegadas y autos abandonados después de que los conductores no pudieron avanzar a través del agua que subía.

El gobernador de Bangkok, Chadchart Sittipunt, manifestó que se esperaba lluvia intensa hasta el sábado, pero que las inundaciones deberían retroceder una vez que disminuyan las precipitaciones. Los funcionarios municipales trabajan para drenar el agua lo más rápido posible.

Se habilitaron varios refugios para alojar a los residentes obligados a evacuar, mientras que se abrieron algunas instalaciones gubernamentales para ofrecer estacionamiento de vehículos, señalaron funcionarios.

———

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

Thailand’s Meteorological Department warned that the deluge, which has been pouring since Thursday afternoon, would continue in most parts of the country through Sunday.

Accumulated rainfall in many areas of Bangkok since Thursday exceeded 30 centimeters (11.8 inches), officials said. Floodwaters spread across the city, particularly in the central and eastern parts, blocking roads and stopping traffic.

Although not all parts of Bangkok were submerged, the city declared all 50 districts a flood disaster area to help authorities respond quickly. More than 200 shelters were set up across the city and about 4,200 people have moved in, according to Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt.

More than 84,000 people in 21 provinces nationwide were affected by flooding as of Saturday, especially in the central region. Authorities sent emergency warning messages through cellphones, the government said.

Hwang Hwan-chung, who flew from South Korea and has visited Bangkok a dozen times, said he had never seen such “crazy” weather, adding that he couldn’t find a taxi.

Sukanya Tongsuk, a resident, said the current flooding was similar to the last time Bangkok was hit in 2011.

Meanwhile, Dutch resident Bjorn Franken, who has lived in the capital for two years, said he was able to cope although one event he wanted to attend had been canceled.

Many businesses in Bangkok closed on Saturday due to flooding.

Cars crawled along waterlogged roads in parts of Bangkok, and bikers were seen pushing their motorcycles. Authorities said some regional bus services from Bangkok to the eastern provinces were suspended.

Phetchaburi Road, one of the capital’s busiest, was unusually quiet as vehicles were turned back by floods. Some were left partially submerged.

Residents made their way through murky waters, carrying fresh water and food. Some were barefoot and others wore rubber waders, while several wrapped plastic bags around their feet to keep dry.

Air traffic control authorities confirmed flight operations were normal, but some flights might face delays.

Chadchart said despite the heavy rain, flooding should recede once the rain subsides, as city officials work to drain floodwaters as quickly as possible.

But for the 2.8 million Palestinians who live in the territory, those springs and the stone reservoirs they fill are increasingly out of reach as Israeli settlers — encouraged by a hard-line government facing reelection — have stepped up efforts both to seize the springs and other heritage sites.

In one case this summer, water from a natural spring to the Palestinian village of Fasayil was illegally diverted to an ancient pool nearby. Whoever siphoned the water used it to fill up that pool, declaring it a new tourist attraction named after Herod, the Roman-appointed king of Judea.

Agreements reached in the 1990s indicate the pool is located in Area C, meaning it is under full Israeli military control. Research by Dror Etkes, who runs the settlement watchdog group Kerem Navot, determined the land was privately owned.

Palestinian farmer Saad Nemer, from Fasayil, said the water being cut off has devastated his fields, adding that his family has documents that prove ownership of the land. COGAT, Israel’s military body that oversees civil issues in the West Bank, acknowledged the water was diverted “without authorization” and said it would investigate.

Other swimming areas in the West Bank have also become sites of conflict. An Israeli father of six was shot and killed last week by a Palestinian at a spring in the northern West Bank, where he was bathing with his oldest son ahead of the Yom Kippur holiday.

Israel funds Jewish heritage projects in the West Bank

Israel has occupied the West Bank since it captured the territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, from Jordan and Egypt in the 1967 war. Since then, it has built a network of settlements for more than half a million Israelis on land Palestinians seek for a future independent state.

The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal. Earlier this month, during a rise in settler violence and other actions that have displaced Palestinians, the British government accused Israel of turning “a blind eye” to what it described as “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank — perpetrated by settler terrorists.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the violence but blamed it on a “handful of rioters” in the occupied West Bank he said do injustice to the “law-abiding settler public.”

The push to take over and claim heritage sites is part of this wider effort, according to Israeli rights group B'Tselem, which said in a report this month that such designations are used to “elevate the historical, cultural, and religious ties of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to the West Bank.”

The decision by settlers to name the pool near Fasayil after Herod was an attempt to “brand” the site as part of Jewish history, said Alon Arad, executive director of Emek Shaveh, an Israeli group that opposes the politicization of archaeology in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Archaeologists have never studied the site, so it's unclear when it was built. Other ruins in the area date to Herod's reign in the first century B.C.E., according to excavations conducted by the archaeology unit of Israel’s Civil Administration, a branch of the military that manages day-to-day affairs in the West Bank.

At the beginning of October, after the Jewish holidays, the pool will be drained so that the administration’s archaeologists can complete a full survey of the site, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said in an interview with The Associated Press.

He praised the group that originally diverted the water and said about $1 million has been earmarked by the government to rehabilitate the site. That is out of at least $166 million he said is now allocated for excavations and infrastructure at more than 100 sites he claimed are connected to Jewish heritage in the West Bank.

“We’ll turn this place into the Garden of Eden,” Eliyahu said during a visit to the pool, which is near the Petzael settlement.

There is “no such thing as a Palestinian nation” he added, before leaping into the water.

Fields dry up as water is seized

The struggle for water access in this strip of fertile land reflects a wider contest for control of the West Bank, and in particular the Jordan Valley, which Palestinians consider the breadbasket of their hoped-for future state and Israelis view as key to protecting their eastern border.

Palestinians have faced water shortages and restrictions since Israel took control in 1967. Interim peace accords in the 1990s recognized their water rights but preserved a system that allocated some 80% of water pumped from the main aquifer for Israeli use.

Now, soaring attacks by settlers are exacerbating the problem. Settlers have damaged, destroyed or seized approximately 160 water and sanitation structures, including pipelines and cisterns, in Palestinian communities in 2026, according to a July report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The attackers are increasingly targeting shared water infrastructure and have disrupted supply to all or large parts of several Palestinian communities, the report said.

In Al Auja, in the Jordan Valley, the seizure by settlers of the local natural springs has forced some Palestinian farmers to abandon their fields.

Murad al-Juba, 53, once grew an abundance of fruit and vegetables, including cantaloupes, eggplant, bananas and tomatoes. But after settlers encroached, harassing residents and diverting the spring water, he said he has been unable to plant.

“All these farms depend on the spring, but today, the spring is gone, because the settlers took it,” Juba said.

More recently, “settlers have completely taken over” the spring's waterfall and turned “the area into a quasi-military zone,” said mayor Hani al-Njoum, adding it has been devastating for local tourism and agriculture.

“This land was bountiful,” Juba said. “Today, it is a desert.”

___

Bwaitel reported from Al Auja, West Bank.

Last month’s floods have destroyed everything once more.

With his home in a designated danger zone and no clear idea of where his family will resettle, Prassan is staying with his wife and children at a relative’s house and mulling another stint overseas.

“This flood has taken everything,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”

A month after devastating floods swept through parts of Nepal, thousands are displaced like Prassan and rescuers continue searching for thousands others missing, including many believed trapped in six hydropower project tunnels. The disaster has left the government facing a long and costly recovery, with families confronting the loss of loved ones, homes and livelihoods.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah used his first address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday to highlight the flooding as a warning about the growing climate risks facing the Himalayan region.

“The disaster was not just a local tragedy, but a warning to the world,” Shah said. “I ask you today: Have we really heard that warning?”

Shah also called for greater international support for Nepal’s recovery and stronger regional cooperation to prepare for climate-related disasters.

“Climate change does not recognize borders. Glaciers and floods do not travel with stamps and passports,” he said.

DNA testing delays final rites for some families

Nepal’s disaster management agency said 1,453 bodies had been recovered and 5,644 people remained missing. Only 112 bodies had been handed over to relatives, while 1,333 were temporarily buried pending identification. In neighboring China, officials reported 261 foreign nationals among the missing.

Tents have been set up at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu, where relatives can provide DNA samples to help identify the dead. Authorities are comparing the samples with DNA collected from recovered remains.

Laboratory officials declined to provide details, citing privacy concerns, but said experts from India, China, the United States, Singapore and South Korea were assisting with the work.

Rabi Kumar Thapa Magar, a hydropower worker who lost his wife, brother, sister-in-law and mother, said he identified his wife from a photo of the dead — but authorities had buried her body before the family could see it.

Authorities declined to release the body pending DNA matching, a process they said would take at least a month. The family later performed symbolic final rites using an effigy.

Families grieve children lost in the floods

Many others are still processing the grief.

Pasang Maya Tamang, 32, who lost her young son in the floods, said she still dreams of him pleading for help.

“The body of my son has been recovered but I was not able to see him for the last time. I am very sad about that. I hear in my dreams him saying why I left him alone,” Tamang said at a shelter home in the flood-affected town of Nuwakot.

Her son had gone to school with a neighbor when the flood hit. By the time she learned what had happened, the school had already been swept away. His body was recovered three days later in a southern district, but she was unable to travel there to see him.

The Aug. 26 flood hit in the morning, around the time students were arriving at schools or making their way there. Some children's bodies were later recovered still wearing ties bearing their school’s logo, said Asta Man Dangol, a resident in Nuwakot.

"The older students were able to run uphill and escape, but the little ones who were not able to run fast ... were swept away," he said.

Crews work to reconnect communities cut off by the floods

The Nepal government estimates reconstruction and recovery will cost $4.77 billion. Nearly 33,000 people have been affected, and about 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed.

The recovery is now focused on restoring roads and bridges cut off by the floods, particularly in remote areas where damaged infrastructure has made it difficult to deliver aid.

Ishmita Shah, a roads engineer, said crews have been working with Nepal's army since the second day after the floods to reopen routes in affected areas.

Shah said bridges were being built to improve access to the worst-affected areas and make it easier to transport relief supplies. But the work remains difficult, with more bad weather expected in the coming days, she said.

“The upcoming few days are going to be very challenging because of the weather, but we are fully prepared for that too,” she said.

And with starting running back Turbo Richard out with an injury, Beebe gladly showed everyone what he could do.

On a night the Hoosiers looked nothing like the defending national champs, Beebe carried 24 times for 203 yards, scored one touchdown and his late 70-yard burst set up Josh Hoover's game-sealing 1-yard score with 1:56 to go as No. 5 Indiana held on for a 29-23 victory over Northwestern. Beebe was so good, he even earned the highest praise from coach Curt Cignetti.

“That guy’s got a lot of heart,” Cignetti said. “Boy, he’s got as much heart as anyone that’s been in this program the last three years. Not only didn’t he step in, he played and fortunately they couldn’t tackle him. It was all grit and heart.”

The Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) extended the Football Bowl Subdivision's longest active winning streak to 20 games and the longest home winning streak to 19 — barely.

Northwestern was within 15-13 early in the fourth quarter and had two chances to tie because of a pass-interference call on its first 2-point attempt. But the Hoosiers stopped quarterback Aidan Chiles on a designed run to preserve the lead.

Following a facemask penalty on third-and-19 that gave Indiana a first down, Beebe ripped off a 39-yard run and then ran for a 4-yard TD with 9:39 left to make it a two-score game. After Northwestern cut the deficit to 22-20, Beebe ran 70 yards to the Wildcats 5-yard line. Six plays later, Hoover scored.

Northwestern fell just short of beating a defending national champion for the first time since 1971 and a top five foe for the first time since 1959.

“Our guys kept battling, our coaches kept battling, but the frustrating thing was — I have all the respect for Indiana — but we beat ourselves,” Wildcats coach David Braun said. “We should be coming out of here with the win.”

They certainly had Indiana befuddled in the second half, right down to the final minute.

Jackson Kleather made a 42-yard field goal with 58 seconds left to make it a one-score game, but the Wildcats (2-1, 0-1) couldn't recover the onside kick.

Hoover was 19 of 29 for 201 yards and a touchdown, Charlie Becker had seven catches for 98 yards and Beebe had his second 100-yard game of the season after Turbo Richard left with a lower right leg injury in the first half.

Chiles was 22 of 29 for 293 yards and touchdowns. He also rushed for a score.

The Wildcats opened the game with a goal-line stand, but Chiles fumbled the snap on their first offensive play and Rolijah Hardy tackled him in the end zone for a safety.

Indiana made it 5-0 on Nico Radicic's 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter and extended the margin to 12-0 with Nick Marsh's 8-yard TD catch with 5:04 left in the first half.

But that's all the Hoosiers could muster in a half in which they held Northwestern to 51 total yards and minus-5 yards on the ground.

The takeaway

Northwestern: The Wildcats couldn't get anything right offensively in the first half, but coordinator Chip Kelly turned Chiles loose in the second half and it got them back into the game. The failed 2-point try and the defense's failure to get off the field coast them late.

Indiana: Poll voters penalized the Hoosiers last week, dropping them one spot after a 38-0 rout of Western Kentucky. And this was as vulnerable as Indiana's defense has looked in more than a year. Whether it's an aberration is unclear, but it's likely the Hoosiers will drop in the AP Top 25 again.

Injury report

Richard appeared to suffer a lower right leg injury when he was tackled out of bounds in the second quarter though no penalty was called. Indiana is also missing RB Khobie Martin with a broken arm. The Hoosiers also lost linebacker Hardy in the second half, and he walked from the field straight to the locker room. Cignetti did not provide any postgame updates.

Northwestern played without injured cornerback Braden Turner and lost cornerback Josh Fussell on the game’s first series. He was in street clothes and on crutches before the first quarter ended. Chiles also left for one play after he apparently suffered a dislocated finger on his nonthrowing hand.

Up next

Northwestern: Has another big test next Saturday, hosting No. 13 Penn State.

Indiana: Visits winless Rutgers next Saturday in its first away game of the season.

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

Activistas por los derechos humanos alegan que dichas leyes forman parte de un andamiaje legal con el que se pretende restringir la libertad de expresión e información en el país sudamericano.

Las partes se reunieron en Caracas con el propósito de diseñar una agenda conjunta para fortalecer la democracia y restituir derechos fundamentales tras casi tres décadas de gobiernos socialistas.

En un comunicado, dieron a conocer la decisión conjunta de acompañar el anuncio del gobierno de la presidenta encargada, Delcy Rodríguez, de continuar y ampliar “el levantamiento de medidas administrativas” que durante años han restringido el acceso a numerosos portales de noticias, páginas web y medios electrónicos. Dicha restricción se llevó a cabo bajo el argumento de que su contenido atentaba contra la paz y la estabilidad del pueblo venezolano.

En el comunicado, leído por el influyente presidente del Legislativo, Jorge Rodríguez —hermano de la presidenta encargada—, y la exdiputada Dinorah Figuera —quien lidera a un grupo de exlegisladores opositores que en su momento intentaron destituir al expresidente Nicolás Maduro—, destacaron que el acuerdo forma parte de los “aportes realizados en esta mesa de diálogo” para “fortalecer la libertad de expresión, el pensamiento plural y el derecho a la información”.

Washington es el principal impulsor de los diálogos. Después de deponer y capturar a Maduro y su esposa en un audaz operativo militar el 3 de enero de este año, el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump propuso un plan de “tres fases” para Venezuela, el cual incluye la estabilización, la recuperación y la transición democrática. Maduro fue trasladado a Nueva York, donde enfrenta un juicio por el presunto delito de narcotráfico.

Desde 2004, los gobiernos del ahora fallecido presidente Hugo Chávez (1999-2013), y de Maduro (2013-2026) —su sucesor y heredero político—, promulgaron una serie de leyes que regulan férreamente la difusión y recepción de mensajes en los medios de comunicación y que derivaron en su cierre, algunos de ellos tras la imposición de multas millonarias. También permitieron ordenar el bloqueo de numerosos medios radioeléctricos y digitales, locales y extranjeros.

En agosto de 2024, Maduro ordenó bloquear el acceso a redes sociales, entre ellas X, como parte de una serie de empeños de su gobierno para tratar de suprimir el intercambio de información entre las personas que cuestionaban que él hubiera ganado los comicios presidenciales de ese año, en particular después de que la oposición presentó pruebas creíbles de que su candidato había sido el ganador.

El 17 de septiembre del presente año, la presidenta Rodríguez le ordenó al organismo regulador de las telecomunicaciones en el país autorizar a las empresas proveedoras de internet en Venezuela rehabilitar en sus infraestructuras varios dominios y portales informativos.

La organización no gubernamental Ve Sin Filtro --dedicada a monitorear, documentar y denunciar la censura digital en el país-- reportó en redes sociales que, después del anuncio, apenas habían sido rehabilitados 17 dominios, 15 de ellos sitios de noticias, mientras que 177 sitios web seguían bloqueados.

Ve Sin Filtro denunció entonces que “sigue la censura contra muchos medios", páginas de organizaciones no gubernamentales y de "iniciativas políticas”, entre otras.

Horas antes del cierre del segundo ciclo de conversaciones, la mandataria ordenó “levantar las medidas administrativas" contra un grupo de plataformas y portales web que aún permanecen bloqueados, indicó el Ministerio de Comunicaciones.

Las delegaciones en diálogo también acordaron conformar un Consejo de Revisión de Credenciales y Requisitos de los postulados al Tribunal Supremo de Justicia.

En el primer ciclo de conversaciones se acordó renovar en su totalidad el máximo tribunal, entre otras medidas. Estas incluyen renovar y ampliar el comité de postulaciones para la designación de los 32 magistrados que lo componen, así como conformar un consejo de revisión de credenciales y requisitos de quienes se postulen al TSJ, con el fin de evitar irregularidades en la designación de los magistrados, dijeron entonces los delegados en un comunicado conjunto.

Los adversarios de Chávez y Maduro han acusado al oficialismo de designar con su abrumadora mayoría a los magistrados entre sus aliados, con el fin de asegurarse el control del máximo tribunal. En los últimos 27 años éste se ha convertido en un actor decisivo en la trama política venezolana, con una gran cantidad de sentencias desfavorables a los críticos de los gobiernos socialistas.

Por su parte, el oficialismo ha dicho que los nombramientos de magistrados principales y suplentes se hicieron bajo “estricto cumplimiento” de las leyes.

The AI giant's models accessed publicly available information on two websites operated by the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as U.S. Census Bureau data, the company revealed Friday. OpenAI did not find any use of SEC credentials, access to accounts or nonpublic information, changes to SEC data or systems, or evidence of a compromise or vulnerability, the company said.

The disclosure comes at a time of heightened global concerns about AI systems escaping human control and hacking into external websites, as well as industry calls for a slowdown on AI development, which OpenAI has said it supports.

OpenAI spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement that the lab is continuing to conduct a review of “misaligned model activity" — meaning when AI systems behave in undesired ways — and is notifying organizations when it identifies potential impacts to their systems.

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman said on social media Friday that there is an “extensive and ongoing review related to our agents’ use of internet access during training and evaluation.”

AI evaluator and research lab Transluce said Friday that through an independent investigation it also found that agents appearing to originate from OpenAI attempted a rudimentary hack on a Department of Education website for the department’s civil rights office, which did not succeed.

The Department of Education's “system operations reviews" found "no evidence of any impact to our website or databases,” a department spokesperson said Friday.

A Transluce spokesperson said as part of its investigation, it came across data on the open web that revealed fresh details about some previously identified OpenAI agents' activities on U.S. government websites and brought it to OpenAI's attention.

Transluce found “additional rogue activity, some of which is not clearly attributable to OpenAI," targeting other government agencies, including the Justice Department and the Commerce Department, as well as some state government websites in California, Maryland, Illinois, Texas and New York. The models were “using sites in unintended ways and sometimes violating explicit usage policies,” Transluce said in a statement.

OpenAI said it is reviewing Transluce’s report.

If OpenAI notifies organizations it identifies as being impacted by unexpected model behavior, that does not mean there was a security incident, the company said, and could identify a design issue or security weakness that impacted organizations want to address.

Most of the activity OpenAI said it has reviewed so far has involved routine research tasks where agents accessed public web content to answer questions, including government websites seen as authoritative sources of public information.

Several companies have disclosed incidents in recent months when they say their models have behaved unpredictably or hacked into other organizations' websites or systems. OpenAI disclosed in July that two of its most capable AI models were responsible for the cyberattack targeting AI startup Hugging Face.

Altman said in his social media post Friday that the Hugging Face incident “is still the most severe event we’ve seen.”

That incident stirred widespread panic in the industry and beyond about AI models going rogue, and several competing AI labs made similar disclosures in the days and weeks that followed. OpenAI most recently shared six reports of “unexpected or concerning” behavior in AI models and introduced a framework for tracking, probing and disclosing instances of what it called misalignment.

___

Huamani reported from Los Angeles.

The Lightning were looking for their first win over the Wildcats in 11 years.

Western led 6-0 in the second quarter before Mason Mora added to the lead. Mora bounced off defenders and raced 52 yards for the touchdown, making it 12-0.

Cypress Bay started to come back in the third quarter. Oomarion Beal aired it out to Zachary McKenzie for a touchdown, and the extra point made it a two-point game.

The game went into overtime, with Western getting the ball first. The Wildcats went for it on fourth down, but Jack Saeder was picked off in the end zone.

Cypress Bay was stopped on third down but went for the game-winning field goal. Nicolas Budejen knocked it through to give the Lightning the win.

Cypress Bay improved to 6-0 with its first win over Western in 11 years.

Chaminade also rolled to a win over St. Andrews.

Clinton Jean-Pierre took the handoff and ran it in for a touchdown as the Lions got rolling.

St. Andrews was able to move the ball early, but Keion Thomas came up with a nice pass breakup.

Chaminade went on to win 48-3.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the terms of Curry's contract. Curry was eligible to command up to $136 million, so he is giving his team a discount as he backs up his longstanding commitment to finish his career with the Warriors.

Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy said last month he was optimistic of getting something done with the two-time MVP and NBA career leader in 3-pointers.

“We couldn’t be more excited about reaching an agreement with Stephen and extending his historic career with the Warriors,” Dunleavy said in a statement. “There has never been a better face to a franchise in professional sports history, both on and off the court, than Stephen Curry with the Warriors. He embodies everything this organization strives to represent through his legendary play on the court, his unique leadership and sacrifice, and his unmatched impact in the community.”

The 38-year-old Curry will complete a $62.6 million extension he signed for the 2026-27 season in August 2024 before the new contract takes him through 2029 — which would be his 20th season.

If he plays that 20th year, he would join Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas, the late Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Udonis Haslem of Miami as the only the players in NBA history to play 20 or more seasons with one franchise.

Curry averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals while playing 30.9 minutes but was limited to 43 games last season.

He missed more than two months with a nagging right knee injury before he finally came back in early April. He had initially hoped to return after the All-Star break.

Curry has won four NBA titles with Golden State, most recently in 2022.

“We’ve been incredibly blessed to experience 17 years of Stephen’s artistry and are thrilled that our fans will continue to have the opportunity to watch him perform and write additional chapters to his illustrious story,” Dunleavy said.

ESPN first reported Curry's new deal.

___

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

Incumbent Congressman Jared Moskowitz and political newcomer Pia Dandiya met with voters on Friday, with national Democrats bringing money and manpower to the state.

National Democrats had largely written off Florida in the last few elections. Now, they are back, seeing signs that Florida’s red tide may be turning.

The roundtable with Moskowitz was a long one. The Democratic incumbent met with Hispanic voters over croquetas, saying he believes they are ready to turn away from rising costs and the kind of immigration enforcement they never expected.

“Republicans are doing everything they can to talk about something other than the economy, but every month the bill comes due,” Moskowitz said.

Moskowitz is the Democratic incumbent, though Florida’s Republican Legislature redrew his district and three others to favor Republicans.

His challenger is former Boca Mayor Scott Singer, who is running on a Trump-leaning agenda.

“They drew these four seats thinking these would be easy pickups for them,” Moskowitz said. “The reason they are spending all this money against me is they have seen the numbers.”

U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said she is in Florida because the path to the majority runs through the state, including Florida’s 25th Congressional District.

DelBene is the campaign chair for Democrats in Congress. Her appearance is part of a show of national support Florida Democrats have not had in the better part of a decade, working to protect the incumbent here and support the challenger in another district.

Dandiya, a former teacher and public policy staffer at the White House and Apple, is running against Republican businessman Casey Askar for the open District 22 seat.

“The through line to all these parts of my service journey — how do we create a democracy where that American dream my family lived is actually in reach for others,” Dandiya said.

DelBene also spoke at Dandiya’s roundtable, pointing to issues including tariffs, what she called “the big ugly bill” and the war in Iran.

One of the hallmarks of these Florida midterms has been the lack of big debates. There has been a lot of drama and finger-pointing about who will and who won’t debate and why.

But in the end, Florida voters will not be seeing the candidates side by side debating the big issues.

La decisión pone fin a la operación, oferta, intermediación y publicidad de las apuestas. La medida provisional del ejecutivo entra en vigor de inmediato, pero necesitará la aprobación del Congreso en un plazo de 120 días para mantenerse vigente. Prohíbe nuevos depósitos en cuentas y da a los usuarios de plataformas de apuestas hasta el 5 de octubre para retirar sus fondos.

El gobierno de Lula también ha redactado un proyecto de ley para establecer delitos penales relacionados con las apuestas de cuota fija —el tipo más común y dominante de apuestas deportivas en línea—, como promoverlas y usar datos personales para captar apostadores.

“Tomé la decisión de adoptar una medida dura, drástica y necesaria”, declaró el mandatario a periodistas en Sao Paulo. “Es como el cáncer: o se extirpa el tumor, o el tumor nos mata”.

Lula también había criticado a la industria de las apuestas anteriormente esta semana en la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas, al acusarla de “transformar la adicción en ganancia” y de “destruir hogares”.

Las encuestas indican que una prohibición cuenta con un amplio respaldo entre los brasileños. El senador Flávio Bolsonaro, principal rival de Lula en las próximas elecciones, acusó al actual mandatario de adoptar una “medida electoral”.

El presidente de Brasil ha criticado con dureza las apuestas en línea al menos desde abril, cuando pidió una prohibición. La reacción en contra creció durante la Copa Mundial de la FIFA, cuando los anuncios eran omnipresentes y se disparó el número de personas que apostaban.

Se estima que las apuestas y el juego le cuestan a la sociedad brasileña 38.800 millones de reales (7.000 millones de dólares) al año, y aumentan el suicidio y la depresión, según un estudio de 2025 del Instituto de Estudios para Políticas de Salud, una organización sin fines de lucro.

El banco central del país estimó el año pasado que los brasileños gastan alrededor de 30.000 millones de reales (5.700 millones de dólares) en apuestas cada mes. Esa cifra incluía el gasto de beneficiarios del programa federal de asistencia pública Bolsa Familia, que fue bloqueado en esas plataformas el año pasado.

Los legisladores, incluidos muchos del Partido Liberal, al que pertenece Flávio Bolsonaro, anularon en octubre del año pasado una orden de Lula para aumentar impuestos a las apuestas en línea y a los casinos virtuales.

El juego es ilegal en Brasil, pero el país abrió las puertas a las apuestas en línea en 2018 durante la presidencia de Michel Temer. El fenómeno se aceleró bajo la mirada del expresidente Jair Bolsonaro, padre de Flávio Bolsonaro.

En diciembre de 2023, Lula firmó una ley para regular y gravar a las empresas de apuestas por primera vez. Meses después, su gobierno bloqueó más de 2.000 sitios web de apuestas en línea que fueron catalogados como irregulares, incluidos algunos vinculados a organizaciones criminales como el Primer Comando de la Capital, de Sao Paulo, y el Comando Vermelho, de Río de Janeiro. Fue parte de un impulso nacional para regular el sector.

Lula y miembros de la administración federal han hablado de prohibir las apuestas en línea como algo necesario tanto para cerrar una sangría para la economía del país como para abordar un problema de salud pública, ya que muchos brasileños son adictos y atraviesan dificultades financieras por gastar su dinero en estas plataformas.

Analistas de negocios señalan que los ingresos de las apuestas deportivas, uno de los modelos de apuestas prohibidos el viernes, se estiman en más de 4.000 millones de dólares al año en Brasil, uno de los mayores mercados del mundo.

Antes de la medida del viernes, los principales clubes de fútbol de Brasil dieron la voz de alarma después de que, según se informó, empresas de apuestas advirtieran a los clubes que los patrocinios terminarán de inmediato si el gobierno prohibía las apuestas.

Los clubes afirmaron que la medida podría significar “el fin del fútbol brasileño”, una afirmación de la que se burlaron algunos usuarios de redes sociales en el país.

___

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

Alabama sued the social media company in 2025 claiming that the platform had negative effects on the mental well-being of youths.

The lawsuit argued that TikTok's “addictive properties” — namely its algorithm that curates highly specific content catered to users' interests — were harmful to children and that the company knew of those harms.

Through the settlement, TikTok will make several platform-level changes for teen users in Alabama, including the option for teens to select a non-personalized content feed.

The platform will also bar cosmetic procedure filters for teens, implement a two-hour daily time limit and ban nighttime use from midnight to 6 a.m. Young users in Alabama will also be prompted to take a “productive pause” after 15 minutes of continuous use, and again at 60 and 90 minutes.

In addition to the platform changes, TikTok will pay Alabama $100 million in restitution and remediation, which will likely go toward funding youth mental health services and other programs. If enough other states reach qualifying settlements with TikTok within a specific time frame, Alabama could receive up to an additional $183.8 million.

The platform-level changes outlined in the settlement agreement are roughly similar to changes Meta agreed to make when it reached a settlement this summer to resolve similar claims that were filed by nearly every state, including Alabama. Meta had called on TikTok and its other chief competitor, YouTube, to join it in adopting similar standards, but TikTok had not publicly responded.

Katherine Robertson, chief counsel in the Alabama Attorney General’s office and the Republican nominee to be the state’s next attorney general, acknowledged the similarities with the Meta agreement and told The Associated Press on Friday: “There's been a war on childhood coming from a million different directions.”

“We recognize that parents and youth are fighting a battle against a bunch of different platforms,” Robertson said. “They’re manipulating kids to get addicted to their product, essentially.”

The settlement also outlines more robust and user-friendly parental controls, stronger age verification measures TikTok must take, and stronger content moderation protocols. Teen accounts will also be set to private by default.

A spokesperson for the TikTok USDS Joint Venture said Friday in a statement that TikTok’s priority has “always been fostering a safe and positive space where people can be creative, discover what they love, and connect with their community. This builds on our commitment and core objective to continually enhance our robust safety tools to protect teens.”

Alabama would have been the first state to argue its claims against TikTok in front of a jury. The trial was scheduled to begin Monday.

TikTok has settled several lawsuits with similar claims filed by individuals before they went to trial, most notably in the landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles earlier this year. The jury in that case found that YouTube and Meta designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well-being.

TikTok also reached a $400 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice in August, ending a 2024 lawsuit alleging the company violated federal children’s privacy laws.

———

Associated Press writer Kim Chandler contributed to this report from Montgomery, Ala.

In a scathing letter Thursday to Andrew Boutros, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, prosecutor Sheri Mecklenburg wrote that she was “retiring under protest.”

“You have forced me to choose between remaining silent while my professional reputation is destroyed and prematurely surrendering my cherished career," Mecklenburg wrote in the letter obtained by The Associated Press. "I choose the latter.”

Mecklenburg accused Boutros of “laying responsibility at my feet for a felony prosecution that you personally directed over my objection that the case was better suited to misdemeanor charges.”

“I was a convenient target to be scapegoated and publicly vilified,” she wrote.

Boutros’ office did not immediately return a request for comment on the letter. Joel Bertocchi, an attorney for Mecklenburg, declined to comment.

During protests last fall against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the Chicago area, Boutros' office moved to press felony charges against six people for allegedly conspiring to impede an officer during a protest at an immigration detention facility in the Chicago suburb of Broadview.

A grand jury twice refused to indict the group after Mecklenburg, an attorney on the case, presented them with evidence.

In the following months, the charges fell apart, and in May, Boutros dismissed the case altogether. It was among a string of cases in which the Trump administration leveled charges at anti-immigration enforcement protesters that did not ultimately stick.

The protesters, who have come to be known as the “Broadview Six,” have accused Mecklenburg of prosecutorial misconduct in her interactions with jury members, and have asked U.S. District Judge April M. Perry to consider sanctions on her. Perry is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case Oct. 1.

In a motion filed Thursday, Mecklenburg informed the court of her retirement and asked to appear as an independent party in the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office had previously barred her from filing “anything on her behalf” and told her she “could be disciplined or terminated if she did so," the motion read.

Terence Campbell, an attorney for Andre Martin, one of the former defendants, said Mecklenburg's “forced resignation letter raises a number of serious factual disputes" between her account and that of Boutros' office about why the case was brought.

___

Mayes-Osterman 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.

Trump's Office of Management and Budget described the funding cut as focused on “the most harmful government spending.”

Most of the cuts are focused on Health and Human Services programs that serve refugees and unaccompanied minors accused of being in the country illegally. The administration says the funds are no longer necessary because illegal border crossings have diminished considerably.

Also targeted for cuts were a Department of Education program for migrant students, a Department of Justice office focused on reducing racial tensions, a business development initiative for minority entrepreneurs, housing counseling services from the Housing and Urban Development Department and a series of grants from the Health and Human Services Department that the administration called “outright harmful and blatantly ideological.”

A White House press release announcing the funding rescissions notes that some of the organizations are led by people who worked in the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama.

Trump’s move was condemned by Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican in a tough reelection campaign and chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Collins said in a statement that the action came without warning or consultation. She also said she would work to address with colleagues “these illegal actions.”

“Not only is the delay itself an impoundment that was not reported to Congress, but also it is a usurpation of Congress’s appropriations powers,” Collins said. “OMB is an agency of the executive branch. It does not get to decide which programs are worth funding."

Under federal law, Congress has 45 days to review the president’s proposed spending cuts before they take effect. But Trump made that all but impossible by announcing them with just five days left in the federal fiscal year and the House out of session through the November election. The Government Accountability Office, which is an arm of Congress, says the maneuver known as a “pocket rescission” is illegal.

Collins called it the latest attempt by OMB to “undermine Congress’s Constitutional power of the purse.”

A year ago, Trump issued a pocket rescission for the first time in nearly 50 years by blocking $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to block those rescissions, saying that Trump’s authority over foreign affairs weighed heavily in its decision. This year, Trump is targeting domestic spending.

The use of a “pocket rescission” fits into a broader pattern by the Trump administration to exert greater control over the U.S. government, eroding Congress’s power.

What was essentially the last pocket rescission occurred in 1977 when then-Democratic President Jimmy Carter rescinded it, and the Trump administration argues it’s a legally permissible tool, despite some murkiness, since Carter had initially proposed the clawback well ahead of the 45-day deadline.

The administration has also fired federal workers, imposed a historic increase in tariffs, and started the war in Iran without going through Congress, putting the burden on the judicial branch to determine the limits of presidential power.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, described the White House action as “theft from the American people, plain and simple.”

“These are funds Congress has delivered on a bipartisan basis and should be helping people—not cut off by a president more focused on building a ballroom than investing in families,” Murray said.

Murray said that in recent spending negotiations, Democrats fought to include language to prevent the administration from usurping Congress’ power on spending decisions, but Republicans have declined to go along.

“While Trump spends tax dollars on ads promoting himself, Congress needs to reassert its powers to help people, and it’s past time Republicans join us in that fight,” she said.

In addition to immigrant services, the White House said it was rescinding $70 million for what it called “woke” international education programs, $28 million in grant funding for Health and Human Services research programs, and $9 million in debt relief for foreign countries that fund climate change policies. Another $10 million was being withheld from a minority business development program.

Scott was reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to lift restrictions on the SAVE, a Department of Homeland Security database to verify voters’ eligibility for the midterm election on Nov. 3.

“If everybody in the government complies with the law and is cautious about how this tool is used, there should be no problem,” Scott said, adding that its use is voluntary.

The court’s emergency order grants President Donald Trump a temporary victory. Justices Ketanji Brown, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.

Scott said he is concerned that SAVE may wrongly exclude eligible voters.

“There will be people who are in fact U.S. citizens who are also in this database, and that’s what makes it such an imperfect tool,” Scott said.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. The database has long been seen to fall under federal privacy laws, she wrote, and there are real risks that legitimate voter registrations could be mistakenly revoked.

“The harm caused by burdening or disenfranchising even a few lawful voters outweighs the nonexistent harm that the Government experiences when it is prevented from taking an action that it likely lacks the authority to take,” Jackson wrote.

The plaintiffs pledged to do “everything in our power” to ensure the district court decision stands.

Trump administration tool has wrongly flagged some legal registrants

The SAVE program was created under an immigration law mandating that DHS help federal, state and local agencies prevent government benefits from going to noncitizens. The Trump administration last year moved to significantly expand its search abilities. Since then, at least 67 million registrations have been scanned through the program, but critics worry it could end up purging valid voters from the rolls.

Some registrants have already been wrongly flagged. In Travis County, Texas, for example, officials said they investigated 97 voters flagged by SAVE as apparent noncitizens and found that at least 10% of them — and likely up to 21% — were U.S. citizens. The county urged the Supreme Court to reject the administration’s appeal, while the state of Texas submitted its own brief defending the database.

In Denton, Texas, north of Dallas, voter Anthony Nels was disappointed that the Supreme Court allowed the continued use “of a system that harms people’s constitutional right to vote.”

Last year, after Texas ran its voter registrations through the SAVE system, Nels, 29, was flagged as a potential noncitizen, even though the South Africa native had become a U.S. citizen more than a decade ago. His local election office temporarily canceled his registration while he obtained a new passport to replace an expired one.

“This just seems like another illegitimate way to affect upcoming and future elections,” he said in a text to The Associated Press.

Stephen Richer, the Republican former top election official in Arizona’s largest county, said the Supreme Court’s ruling could be a positive step “if used responsibly.”

“That being said, the SAVE program has been shown time after time to be a highly-imperfect tool, so election administrators should only use it as a starting point, not as a definitive indicator of citizenship,” he wrote on social media.

SAVE is one piece of the administration’s crusade against noncitizen voting

Even though the use of the SAVE program was blocked for months ahead of Friday’s ruling, the administration has said in court filings that it has continued using Social Security Administration data “in certain cases to verify information and help determine whether illegal voting may have occurred.”

DHS in August launched its own investigation to find noncitizen voters on state rolls, according to a federal whistleblower statement that said the effort is rushed, filled with errors and potentially violates state laws. DHS has defended that investigation as being conducted “diligently and professionally.”

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also suggested over the summer that there could be as many as 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote across four states, an unsubstantiated claim that puzzled state election officials who said the numbers dramatically exceeded their own findings.

The effort to create a national voter list is among numerous steps Trump has taken during his second term to try to overhaul the way elections are run. Most of those steps have been blocked by various courts, in part because the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, but provides no such power to the president. In mid-September, the Supreme Court rejected a bid from Trump to restrict mail ballot procedures before the midterms.

Trump has remained fixated on the idea that massive numbers of noncitizens are voting in U.S. races, but all evidence says otherwise.

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Georgia’s secretary of state found that 20 of the state’s 8.2 million registered voters were not U.S. citizens. In Ohio, prosecutors secured indictments against nine people for voting as noncitizens over the span of 10 years. The state has some 8 million registered voters. Even with the Trump administration laser-focused on the issue in his second term, DHS said its investigations into potential noncitizens on voter rolls nationwide had led to 160 arrests.

Those numbers are supported by a mountain of research at the national and state level that has found the percentage of noncitizens on voter rolls is a tiny fraction of the nation’s nearly 228 million registered voters.

___

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas, and Whitehurst reported from Washington.

The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Kansas Livestock Association said in a statement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have prompted delays in the shipment of thousands of cattle, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue. The groups say ICE operations have disrupted operations at feedlots, dairy processors, feed and grain companies, and transportation hubs.

Scarlett Mabinger, the vice president of communications for the Kansas Livestock Association, said they have received multiple calls from their members reporting an increase in absences at their southwest Kansas businesses after these communities noticed an increase in federal immigration officers this week.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed their presence in Kansas but said they are not conducting worksite raids.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement that ICE has been “targeting heinous criminals,” but he didn't give a breakdown on the number of people arrested.

Several meatpacking plants in the Kansas cities of Dodge City, Liberal and Garden City typically process thousands of cattle every day, but Mabinger said some had to shut down temporarily and send cattle back to feedlots.

“So then they’re having to be returned back to the feed yard to wait, which, of course, causes an animal health issue, causes financial issues," she said.

The Kansas Livestock Association did not receive reports of arrests happening at worksites, but community members started noticing the arrival of officers on Tuesday.

Amy Soberanes, a 25-year-old community organizer in Dodge City, Kansas, has been helping deliver food to people who are afraid to leave their homes. She said cleaning crews stopped showing up at some locations, forcing plants to close.

“I have worked with so many moms who have told me that they don’t know what they’re gonna do because their provider has been taken,” Soberanes said. “I have seen kids cry to me because their mom and dad are gone. It brought a lot of hurt, and a lot of pain, and a lot of trauma for our community."

Several of the Kansas cities where ICE enforcement appears to have increased have large Hispanic populations. Their populations have risen in the last decade from new immigrant arrivals, mostly from Cuba and Haiti, according to federal data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.

Voters in these counties heavily favored Donald Trump in the last election, with more than 65% casting ballots in favor of the Republican Party.

Republican politicians, who typically have sided with Trump on immigration, are making careful pivots in their messaging.

Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican incumbent in a tight race against a Democrat, and Sen. Jerry Moran said they were both concerned and urged the federal administration to coordinate with local authorities. “Secretary Mullin assured me these warrants are only for the purpose of arresting individuals who have been charged with criminal activities,” Moran said in a statement shared on social media.

The administration has repeated claims of targeting immigrants with criminal histories, but recent data suggests more than half of those arrested in July had not been convicted of any crimes and were not facing any criminal charges. Less than a quarter of those arrested had been convicted of a crime.

Members of the Kansas Livestock Association are urging federal officials to conduct more targeted enforcement actions and provide more transparency.

Beef prices have soared to record highs in the past year, largely thanks to the smallest national herd in 75 years. The Trump administration has made efforts to bring down prices, like allowing some beef imports without high tariffs and reopening the border to cattle from Mexico, which had been closed because of an outbreak of a pest that can be deadly to cattle called the New World screwworm.

“If it continues for a long enough period of time, then it could therefore lead to increased prices, because we are not processing the amount of beef that consumers are currently demanding,” Mabinger said.

——————————

Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas.

Leer en español

Jordan Eugene Brown escaped Palmetto General Hospital, at 2001 West 68th St., on Thursday in Hialeah, hurt a woman while stealing her car, and sped away, according to Lt. Eddie Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Hialeah Police Department.

“It’s a crime punishable by life in prison if you are found guilty,” Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer told Brown in court on Friday about the felony charge of burglary with assault or battery, robbery, and carjacking.

During the chase that followed, Brown put lives at risk as he drove the wrong way several times and passed several vehicles, including a school bus.

Law enforcement performed several maneuvers to try to stop him. Shortly after 1:10 p.m., the car spun out after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper struck it.

Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office deputies pulled Brown out of the car through the window and handcuffed him at Northwest 17th Avenue and 79th Street. He was barefoot, shirtless, and wearing green pants.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Brown shortly before 8:45 p.m. on Thursday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to inmate records.

On Friday morning, Brown faced 10 charges in six cases. Seven charges were in three new pending cases, and the three others were in three warrant cases, according to Miami-Dade County court records.

In one case, Brown faced charges of burglary with assault and battery, robbery or carjacking, and battery on a person 65 or older. He had a pre-trial detention hold.

In a second case, Brown faced a charge of fleeing and eluding a police officer. In a third case, aggravated fleeing while attempting to elude police after damage, aggravated assault on a police officer, and resisting arrest.

In a warrant case, Brown faced a charge of leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. In the two other warrant cases, he faced charges of reckless driving and reckless driving with damage to property or person.

Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.

Afternoon report

Thursday report

• Police pursuit ensues after man escapes Hialeah hospital, steals car in parking lot

Balogun's suspension for the red card was lifted after President Donald Trump spoke to FIFA leadership, allowing him to play against Belgium in the round of 16. Balogun was the top scorer for the Americans with three goals when he received the red card in a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32.

“At the time, I didn’t fully understand the criticism,” Pochettino said Friday ahead of the U.S. match Saturday against Peru. ”But now, with the benefit of time and looking back on it, the truth is that you have to learn from things, from mistakes. And I think sometimes the things that happen during a tournament have to stay there."

FIFA lifted the suspension, allowing Balogun to play in the round of 16, an extraordinary move that triggered praise from Trump and outrage from Belgium. It appeared to be the first time since 1962 that a red card during a World Cup didn’t result in a suspension.

Pochettino said Friday that the entire energy changed after the suspension was lifted. Analyzing that game now is difficult considering "it was not the best environment to go to compete in a World Cup,” he said.

Belgium beat the U.S. 4-1 to reach the quarterfinals, and Balogun had little impact in the loss.

Pochettino signed a four-year contract to remain as coach through the 2030 World Cup. The first roster of his second term as coach was announced last week. Balogun, who hasn’t played for Monaco this season after a possible transfer to Everton fell through, is not on the current U.S. roster. Pochettino cited a leg injury.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

In his first speech to the U.N. Security Council since his election as high commissioner for refugees last December, Barham Salih told its 15 members that they have “a unique responsibility to help make peace possible.”

“For the millions of people forced from their homes – and the millions more who should never have to flee – I urge you to use that responsibility,” the former refugee, who was president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022, told the meeting on the sidelines of the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders.

Salih stressed that humanitarians, like those working for the refugee agency known as UNHCR, deal every day with the consequences of conflict, but they can’t create peace. That responsibility under the U.N. Charter is entrusted to the Security Council which is charged with maintaining international peace and security.

The refugee chief ticked off conflicts that have forced people to flee.

The war in Sudan remains the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 12 million people inside and outside the country, he said. “As long as this war continues, people will continue to flee,” he said.

In Congo, Salih said, “generations have now lived through cycles of conflict and violence,” now compounded by an escalating Ebola crisis. In Ukraine, he said, war has displaced millions inside the country and sent millions more fleeing to other countries.

Generations of refugees from disputed Western Sahara, which Morocco claims, have grown up in camps near Tindouf in neighboring Algeria “facing uncertainty and limited prospects while awaiting a political solution,” he said.

In the latest Mideast escalation, Salih said, UNHCR has mobilized resources and staff to help more than 130,000 Yemenis who have fled recent hostilities and remain in the country, and over 3,700 who have sought safety in Djibouti.

The refugee chief acknowledged that a goal he launched earlier this year to reduce the number of refugees in long-term displacement who rely on humanitarian aid by half by 2035 “is ambitious.” But he stressed that “it must be, because keeping people alive year after year while they remain unable to rebuild their lives cannot be our end goal.”

Success can’t mean becoming better at keeping people caught in war alive for another year, or establishing a new camp in response to a 50-year emergency, he said, and it can’t mean having children inherit displacement from their parents.

“Success must ultimately mean creating the conditions in which people no longer need us,” Salih said. UNHCR’s ambition must be “to prevent displacement where we can, resolve it where it has occurred, and create the conditions in which people can rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.”

___

Edith M. Lederer has been covering international affairs for The Associated Press for more than a half century.

Sean Ian Thompson, 25, and Dareon Publien, 18, were accused of breaking into a home at about 6 p.m. on Thursday in the area of Northwest 19th Avenue and Eighth Street.

Thompson and Publien were armed when a man who had used Airbnb to rent the home fired at them and injured Publien, according to police.

Police officers found Publien was shot in the torso, and fire rescue personnel took him as a trauma alert to the Broward Health Medical Center, according to police.

Thompson faced charges of attempted murder and home invasion. A judge denied him bond.

But the General Assembly's leader and health officials sought Friday to make sure that the lurking possibility of another worldwide disease emergency stays on the agenda.

COVID—19 sometimes “feels like a fever dream” of lockdowns, overwhelmed hospitals, shuttered schools, economic disruption, personal tragedies and Zoom calls, General Assembly President Khalilur Rahman said as he opened a day-long meeting on pandemic preparedness, prevention and response. He recalled his own sleepless nights when his daughter, a physician, treated coronavirus patients during the crisis.

“Sometimes it is easier to pretend that it never happened,” Rahman said, but “we cannot erase COVID-19 from our memories. Quite the opposite. We have to take a hard look at that period, at where we succeeded and where we failed.”

It's all the more important at a time when history’s fastest-growing Ebola outbreak is spreading in Congo, he noted.

Since the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, various new international funds, collaboratives, scientific programs and agreements have arisen to tackle pandemic threats better. But the international community is navigating divides about the issue — and they were clear Friday, when countries couldn't reach consensus on a declaration that was intended to cap the special pandemic meeting.

Rahman said General Assembly members would consider the document in future.

The draft declaration, obtained by The Associated Press, reiterates an intent to scale up preparedness and improve coordination within countries and among them.

The document calls for enhancing financing, boosting lab capacity and promoting increased medication and vaccine access. Other provisions of the wide-ranging draft endorse trying to counter vaccine hesitancy and health-related misinformation, making all policies gender-equal and ensuring universal access to family planning and sexual health services by 2030.

Proponents said the proposed document would improve much-needed collaboration, risk monitoring and preparedness for a threat that doesn't stop at any one country's borders.

“That declaration can help the world move forward,” said former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, co-chair of Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response, a group created after COVID-19 emerged. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference that the document “includes important commitments to concrete, measurable and urgent action to address gaps.”

Countries from South Korea to Cape Verde to Guatemala expressed support for the declaration, facilitated by Armenia and Rwanda.

It's “an expression of solidarity and international cooperation," said Burundian Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana, speaking on behalf of a group of African nations. A Caribbean countries’ association also backed the document.

But it fell flat with some other nations.

In statements during Friday's multi-part meeting, the European Union said that the document didn't do enough to foster financing accountability and efficiency, among other complaints. Germany called for a stronger focus on prevention.

The U.S. objected to mentions of "divisive ideologies" and of a prospective separate arrangement for countries to share virus samples and in turn get tests, medicines and vaccines.

That potential deal is under negotiations as a follow-on to a pandemic agreement that WHO member countries approved last year. The United States has withdrawn from the World Health Organization and wasn’t part of finalizing the pandemic treaty.

Not far behind him at Medinah, British Open champion Ryan Fox wasted no time — he never does — in making three big putts on the last four holes for another close win, another full point.

It was like that all afternoon, and the result was familiar but no less stunning.

The Internationals swept the foursomes session for the second straight time, taking a 7-3 lead and putting the Americans in a hole they haven't seen in the Presidents Cup since 1998. That also happened to be the only time the International team won this competition.

Adam Scott, who set a Presidents Cup record Friday by playing in his 56th match, recalls the sweep at Royal Montreal in 2024 and what followed — the Americans won six of the eight matches on Saturday and rolled to another victory.

“If we take something from Canada, it’s not to celebrate too hard at this point,” Scott said.

But there was a confidence about this International team the Australian found inspiring going into the double session of fourballs and foursomes on Saturday.

“From where I sit, if any of the guys were lacking belief, they should have it now,” Scott said.

Scott and Christiaan Bezuidenhout never trailed in a 3-and-2 victory over Justin Thomas and Cameron Young. Hideki Matsuyama holed two big putts as he and Sungjae Im beat Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman by the same margin. The fifth match was the first point of the day for the Internationals, Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim beating Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, 4 and 3.

U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker kept reminding everyone there were 20 points still on the table and if it were a football game, it wouldn't even be halftime. He also recognized his Americans have never faced a deficit this large in the Presidents Cup.

“We’re not going to be able to get it back in one session. We’re not going to be able to get it back in one match. It’s going to be a slow, steady process to try to turn this thing around,” Snedeker said. “From where we are right now, we need to do it session by session, point by point.”

Taylor, in his first Presidents Cup at age 38, showed his clutch gene. This is the Canadian who chipped in for eagle to set up a playoff win at the Sony Open, who won a playoff in the Phoenix Open, and who most famously holed 72-foot eagle putt in a playoff at the Canadian Open.

He and Corey Conners were 1 up against Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns going down the 18th, where Taylor pushed his drive right into the rough and was blocked by trees. Conners could only get it back to the fairway, still farther away from the second shot for Scheffler.

“I wasn't sure if I could hit that close, to be honest,” Taylor said. “But it came out perfect. It was a nice feeling walking up that it was a kick-in.”

Burns had a chance to make birdie and halve the match, and he dropped to his knees when the putt rimmed around the cup.

Fox and Min Woo Lee were in an equally tight match, with the Americans taking their first lead on the 12th hole. Fox holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th to square the match, and he made a birdie putt from 20 feet on the par-3 16th to go 1 up. They halved the last two holes, with Fox making a 4-footer for par on the 18th.

“I’ve holed a couple of good putts this year, I think,” Fox said with a smile. “I felt it pretty early today with the putter.”

The other matches weren't close. Neither was the entire session.

“We obviously had a great day. Didn’t expect that to happen, but I guess we’ve got experience from 2024 having a Friday like that,” International captain Geoff Ogilvy said. “It’s obviously enjoyable to have a day like that on the golf course, but we reset tomorrow and start again.”

Saturday is pivotal in this format. After two days of one session each, there are four matches of fourballs in the morning and four matches of foursomes in the afternoon, and 12 singles to decide it on Sunday.

“There's no scenario where you ever want to get swept,” Thomas said. “But if we're going to do it, I would say Friday sounds a little bit better than any of the rounds tomorrow.”

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Leer en español

Gustavo Perez, who was involved in the crash, said he saw a red GMC Canyon Denali pickup truck heading southbound on Northwest 87 Avenue at a high speed.

Perez said the red GMC Canyon Denali pickup truck careened into the northbound lanes of 87th Avenue, and there was a head-on crash and a chain reaction.

“He rolled over on my hood. I saw the same bumper come this close to me,” Perez said.

MDFR deployed more than 20 units, including two air rescue units, shortly before 11 a.m. on Friday, according to the public record on dispatch’s active calls.

MDFR personnel assessed and released four people at the scene of the crash and rushed the two injured to two hospitals, according to MDFR.

MDFR used air rescue to take one of the injured to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

A technical response pryed open the driver’s side door of a white sedan that was trapped between the GMC Canyon Denali pickup truck and another red pickup truck.

Related record

Location

Breaking news report

This is a developing story. Local 10 News Assignment Editor Sofia Mendez and Senior Assignment Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.

Enough moisture will linger Friday night for a spotty shower or two across the area. Otherwise, Miami-Dade and Broward counties can expect partly cloudy skies and light north winds. Temperatures are forecast to slip into the mid-70s overnight.

Saturday will feature sunshine, scattered clouds and a subtle north breeze. Though a stray shower is not completely out of the question, the north wind will usher in drier air across the region. Temperatures will make a run for the upper 80s.

Sunday will offer sunshine, scattered clouds and light north winds. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 70s Sunday morning, which should feel quite nice with less humid air across the region. Highs are forecast in the upper 80s, which is seasonable. The rain chance will be low.

In the first season of the big deal, Guerrero said during an interview with the Dominican television program “Grandes Ligas” that he was being paid for what he had done in the past, not what he was going to do in the future. A clip of the interview for a show to be aired Oct. 4 became public on Wednesday.

“They didn’t pay me because I’m going to hit 40 every year,” Guerrero said. “They paid me for what I already accomplished. People are confused about that, but I think the same way they do. Like, sometimes I even say to myself ‘Bro, they gave you all that money and you’re out here doing nothing.’ I try.”

After days of criticism, Guerrero was contrite.

“The main reason I’m here is because I regret my comments the other day,” Guerrero said Friday through a translator. “I feel from my heart that my fans, my teammates, they needed an apology from me and that’s what I’m here for. Obviously, I’m also here because I’m just going to tell everyone that I’m going to continue to keep working hard to make my contract a great one.

“I just gave it some thought and I felt like the comments I made the other day is not what I really wanted to say, and I really feel that everyone, my fans, everyone deserves an apology from me and that’s the main reason I’m here today.”

A six-time All-Star, Guerrero entered Friday with a .285 career average, 192 homers, 647 RBIs and an .840 OPS.

He hit eight postseason home runs last year to help the Blue Jays reach Game 7 of the World Series, which it lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 11 innings.

Guerrero has slumped to a .263 average with nine home runs and 56 RBIs this year, slowed by a back injury, concussion and right hamstring tightness. His home run and RBI totals are career lows for a non-shortened season.

“It’s been a disappointing year for me,” Guerrero said. “I couldn’t help my team more to accomplish our goal, which is hard for me.”

Guerrero’s deal is the third-largest in total dollars behind Juan Soto’s $765 million, 15-year contract with the New York Mets and Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Guerrero’s contract also includes a record $325 million signing bonus that protects the money from a possible work stoppage.

Guerrero said he had spoken to his father, Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, and apologized to his Blue Jays teammates.

Asked about his comments after Wednesday’s loss at Baltimore, which eliminated Toronto from postseason contention, Guerrero had said he stood by his remarks.

__

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The justices halted a federal appeals court ruling that would have revived the Republican-friendly map for the November elections, which will determine control of Congress. There were no noted dissents.

The Supreme Court instead let stand a decision by the Missouri Supreme Court, which ruled earlier this month that a citizen petition prevents the new map from being used unless first approved by voters in a November referendum. The decision means Missouri residents will vote under the same congressional districts used in the 2024 and 2022 elections.

“At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos,” the high court wrote in an unsigned opinion. “The District Court and Court of Appeals should not enjoin or otherwise prohibit the use of the 2022 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri.”

Republicans had hoped the new House map — which already was used in the August primaries — could help them win an additional seat as part of a nationwide redistricting battle pushed by Trump to gain an edge in the midterms.

The new map had targeted a district held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

“I think my reelection prospects shot up significantly,” a jubilant Cleaver said after the Supreme Court ruling.

A panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled Monday that switching districts between the primary and general elections would violate the U.S. Constitution. The panel directed a district judge to bar Missouri from using anything other than the new map but delayed the order's effect until next Monday to allow time for an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Republican Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins described the high court's decision as “a disappointing blow to representative democracy,” but added, “I appreciate the final clarity.”

The legal wrangling has caused confusion for more than a million potential Missouri voters — nearly 1 in 4 statewide — who were shifted from one district to another, resulting in different candidates on their ballots. Absentee voting began Tuesday under the 2022 congressional districts. Thousands of ballots already had been mailed, and some already have been cast.

A decision from the Supreme Court is “a big sigh of relief," said Kansas City election director Shawn Kieffer. He added, "We just want it over, so we can do our job properly.”

Republican redistricting focused on Kansas City

Republicans currently hold six of Missouri's eight House districts. At the urging of Trump and Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, Missouri lawmakers last September passed revised districts that were intended to help them win seven seats in the midterms.

The redistricting significantly reshaped a Kansas City-based district held by Cleaver. It shed parts of Kansas City to neighboring districts with Republican incumbents and stretched the remainder of Cleaver's 5th Congressional District far eastward into rural Republican areas.

The result was about 59% of potential voters were new to the district, according to an Associated Press estimate. The ripple effects also shifted some voters in most of Missouri's other congressional districts.

Cleaver was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Republican state Sen. Rick Brattin won a six-way Republican primary under the revised districts. They remain the candidates for the general election, even though the district boundaries have reverted to their prior lines.

Cleaver said the court ruling affirms the people's right to use to referendum petitions against state legislative actions they don't like.

“We just received a healthy dose of encouragement that the voice of people in the United States still matters," he said.

Brattin was a plaintiff, along with Republican Rep. Bob Onder and two other voters, in a federal lawsuit that led to the 8th Circuit's ruling and the last two appeals to the Supreme Court.

Brattin denounced Friday's decision as “a travesty,” calling the switching of districts after the primary “the most unprecedented form of voter disenfranchisement in American history.”

Missouri's redistricting prompted a big legal fight

At least 16 lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts related to Missouri's congressional redistricting. The battle has been the longest and most complex among roughly a dozen states that sought to change their U.S. House districts over the past year.

Missouri's new map survived most of the lawsuits, including ones contending that mid-decade redistricting violated the state constitution and that the new districts ran afoul of requirements to be compact. In one case, the Missouri Supreme Court allowed the new districts to be used while election officials worked to verify petition signatures seeking to put the map to a statewide vote.

Hoskins waited until the legal deadline on Aug. 4 — the day the new districts were used in the primaries — to reject the petition. He asserted referendum petitions aren't allowed for congressional redistricting.

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Sept. 3 that the referendum petition was valid. It ordered Hoskins not to use the new map and to instead use the districts adopted in 2022, after the last census. The U.S. Supreme Court let that ruling stand on Sept. 8. But minutes later, U.S. District Judge Stephen Clark issued a conflicting order in favor of the new map.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 10 blocked Clark's order from taking effect. That day, the Missouri Supreme Court held Hoskins temporarily in contempt for telling local election authorities to use the new map after Clark's order.

But that wasn't the end of the matter. The 8th Circuit, hearing an appeal of Clark's blocked order, ruled in favor of the Trump-backed map Monday. That's what led to the latest decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Richard von Glahn, executive director of People Not Politicians Missouri, said the group was pressing forward with its campaign to persuade voters to permanently reject the new map in the November referendum.

“We have said from the beginning, people, not politicians will be the final deciders on this DC power grab," he said in a statement.

___

Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court and redistricting at https://apnews.com/hub/redistricting.

1 pound raw shrimp (21/25 size), peeled and deveined

cornstarch, for tossing

salt and pepper, to taste

For the batter:

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 COLD bottle of beer, lager

neutral oil for frying

Place the shrimp in a bowl, season with salt, pepper and toss with a little cornstarch (a couple teaspoons) to help coat the shrimp.

Make the batter by mixing the flour, baking powder, chili powder, salt and pepper with a little beer at a time until you get a nice smooth batter.

Keep very cold.

Heat 1-2 inches of oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to 350˚F. Working with a few shrimp at a time, dip them into the batter and gently lower them into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on all sides. Remove and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Season with a little salt while warm.

Serve the tacos topped with a little cilantro slaw, chipotle mayonnaise and like wedges on the side.

For serving:

Cabbage and Cilantro Slaw:

¼ head green cabbage, shredded

juice of 1 lime

¼ cup cilantro leaves

salt

Combine all ingredients.

Chipotle Mayonnaise:

½ cup sour cream

½ cup mayonnaise

zest of 1 lime

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotles

1 teaspoon honey

whisk together until smooth

Warm flour tortillas

Lime wedge

1 pound chicken breast or combination of breast and thighs, poached in chicken stock and pulled into medium chunks (discard skin and bones)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 yellow onion, minced

3 tablespoons aji amarillo paste (Adjust to taste depending on your spice preference)

2 slices white bread, crust removed and soaked in 1 cup milk, smash and mix into a mush/puree (drain and discard any excess milk after soaking

salt and pepper to taste

heavy pinch dried oregano

½ cup evaporated milk

½ cup grated parmesan

steamed rice, for serving

To garnish:

toasted chopped walnuts

hard boiled eggs

black olives

In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the olive oil.

Add the aji amarillo and mix well. Whisk in the bread paste. Add the evaporated milk whisking. Simmer until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Fold in the shredded chicken and cheese. Season well with salt and pepper, add the oregano. Allow to warm through.

Serve over rice with garnishes.

For the steak braise:

2 pounds skirt steak, cut in half

32 FL ounces beef stock

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 small yellow onion, peeled, cut in quarters

1 green bell pepper, seeded and stemmed, cut in quarters

3 garlic peeled garlic cloves, smashed

1 tablespoon sazon / complete seasoning

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 whole allspice berries

2 bay leaf

rice, for serving

black beans, for serving

Cut the skirt steak into 4 pieces. Add the steak and all other ingredients in a medium-size pot. Make sure the liquid completely covers the meat. If needed, add a little more water to cover.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the meat is very tender and easily shredded with a fork, at least 2½ hours. Meat should be able to be easily pierced with the tip of a knife and have no resistance. Make sure that the liquid in the pot never goes below the meat, add water if needed.

Once the meat is tender, remove the meat from the pot. Allow to cool then shred and set aside.

Strain the broth and reserve for the ropa vieja base. Discard any solids left from the straining process.

For finishing the Ropa Vieja:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 red bell peppers, julienned (cut into thin strips, not too fine)

1 large red onion, julienned (cut into thin strips, not too fine)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon sazon / complete seasoning

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon ground coriander

⅛ teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup crushed canned tomatoes

8 ounces red wine

+cooked meat

+strained sauce

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1 teaspoon kosher salt (season to taste)

Heat oil, add onions and peppers and cook until soft and tender but not browned.

Add garlic and spices, mix until fragrant.

Add crushed tomatoes and allow to cook down for 2-3 minutes. Add ONLY THE shredded meat from the ropa steak cooking procedure, stir.

Add the red wine, cook down. Add the reserved strained broth from the ropa steak cooking procedure, capers and salt.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the meat is VERY tender, is no longer chewy and the sauce thickens a bit, about 1 - 1 ½ hours.

The runway was transformed into a luxury Gucci boutique, where Cardi B, wrapped in white faux fur, and Donatella Versace, wearing a stole from Demna’s first Gucci collection, sat on cushioned sofas. Brand ambassador Jannik Sinner took a seat beside Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

Models broadcast nonchalance as they strolled through the boutique, casting their eyes over jewelry cases, shelves of handbags and racks of ready-to-wear.

At a moment when the luxury business is struggling, the setting made the commercial imperative unusually explicit: These were clothes intended not merely to project an image, but to move from rack to wardrobe. And the runway offered flexible propositions for eager consumers.

“Gucci is about luxury that wants to be seen,” Demna wrote in show notes.

A bold silhouette made the first pitch, before the details became apparent. Men’s suits had exaggeratedly broad shoulders, while pagoda shoulders shaped women’s jackets and dresses. Collars were turned up, adding to the attitude. The styling remained Italian: cropped pants and elongated loafers with no socks for him, a cinched trench coat over a blouse and skirt for her.

References to Alessandro Michele’s eccentricity and Tom Ford’s sexualized silhouettes were less stark than in Demna’s debut. Instead of asking customers to embody one of his sharply drawn Italian “famiglia” archetypes, the collection proposes borrowing elements without becoming captive to them.

Layering made those identities harder to pin down. Low-slung trousers held precariously in place by three belts suggested the swagger of a maranza, or troublemaking urban youth. But a bourgeois tartan skirt of an impeccably groomed Milanese woman was destabilized by a leather bomber worn over a plaid shirt and finished with an oversized necklace.

The collection’s strongest looks had undoubted commercial appeal: A double-breasted navy peacoat paired with high-heeled equestrian boots — with spurs for a Demna flourish — and a rugby shirt with Gucci stripes for him layered under an Oxford shirt and Gucci logo jacket.

Moschino puts fashion back on the street.

At Moschino, Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo brought the cult credibility they built at Sunnei to their debut as creative directors, taking up founder Franco Moschino’s legacy of intellectual wit.

Their debut show was set on the top floor of a parking garage overlooking the 2026 Olympic ice hockey venue just as the setting sun created a pinkish sky in the background.

The runway was flanked by hundreds of people in their own clothes walking in the opposite direction throughout the show, creating a stream of personal styles that situated the collection among everyday wardrobes.

The house’s irony remained, but it felt less dependent on quirk and gimmick than in recent iterations. Grass fringe punctured the preciousness of luxury, while cartoonish graphics functioned more as art than as characters or caricatures.

Still, humor came through the clothes themselves: exaggerated side bustles brought Marie Antoinette proportions to skirts worn like denim, while padding turned the enhanced backside to suggest a female ideal. It was still recognizably Moschino, but the joke didn’t overwhelm the clothes.

Fans who look to Moschino for novelty bags shaped like milk cartons or cooking pots may be disappointed by the pared-down aesthetic. The bag of the season was a very practical, large bucket bag and the only nod to novelty was a bag shaped like a cat that perched on a model's shoulder.

The designers said they are forging a modern version of the fashion house that isn't stuck in previous decades.

“We want Moschino to become a cultural loudspeaker again,” Rizzo said. “We have the same urgency in terms of creativity and breaking walls, but it's 2026.”

But the legal battle between Trump and some of the media that cover him is far from over.

Here are some things to know about the White House press corps, lawsuits over press access, and the increasingly contentious relationship between the president and the Fourth Estate.

Trump said unfavorable press coverage prompted the ban

Last week, Trump said he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over what he called unfavorable coverage and “fake news.” Some journalists with those organizations had their White House press passes revoked, prohibiting them from White House grounds.

The affected news organizations sued, and several other news outlets and press associations filed legal briefs and released statements supporting them.

The president's attorneys later argued in court that the outlets' coverage threatened national security, but they didn't detail how the coverage put the nation at risk. Court filings cited letters the administration sent each outlet outlining stories it found problematic and dangerous, but the judge found that the standard they described was too vague to justify the ban.

Attorneys for the news organizations called the ban a blatant First Amendment violation and a clear case of ‘viewpoint discrimination’ — government action that penalizes speech because of the viewpoint expressed.

The news organizations scored a temporary win, but the case is not over

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a temporary restraining order early Thursday, ordering the White House to reinstate the banned journalists' press credentials. That order lasts 14 days.

There will likely be another round of court filings and legal arguments over the next several days before the judge decides whether to issue a longer-lasting ruling called a preliminary injunction.

Preliminary injunctions are also temporary, often designed to last until a lawsuit is resolved one way or another.

Two constitutional rights are at play

Kelly’s temporary order focused less on whether the news outlets enjoy a First Amendment free press right to White House access and more on whether their Fifth Amendment due process rights may have been violated.

Existing case law is clear, Kelly wrote. Members of the press corps are entitled to fair notice from the government about why their credentials may be revoked, as well as an opportunity to state their case to the government on why their credentials should be preserved.

Kelly wrote that he issued the temporary restraining order because it’s likely the news outlets will be able to demonstrate they weren’t given proper notice or a chance to respond.

The press pool serves as the public’s eye on the president

The work of the president occurs around the clock and often in spaces too small to accommodate every journalist who covers the executive branch. The White House Correspondents' Association — a group of journalists who cover the president — created the press pool decades ago to ensure that a rotating roster of journalists traveled with the president wherever he goes.

The pool typically follows the president almost everywhere, including aboard Air Force One, at state dinners, in the Oval Office and on the golf course. The pool traditionally represents print and wire reporters, photographers and radio and television journalists.

The effort is designed to hold the nation’s chief executive accountable on behalf of the American public, providing information on the president’s activities and the work of the executive branch. The pool is always near the president so journalists can document unexpected developments.

The pool distributes in-person reports and imagery to the broader press corps. They also share their notes, video and audio with other news outlets, congressional offices and interested parties.

The White House video pool consists of five major U.S. television broadcasters that take turns shooting and sharing video. When the White House banned CNN — which belongs to the pool — the other four pool members declined to participate in a show of solidarity. For days, the pool provided no live video of the president. By Friday, the video pool was back in operation.

Trump's relationship with the pool has grown increasingly tumultuous

For decades, the White House Correspondents' Association selected the members of the pool, but that changed Feb. 25, 2025, when the White House announced its officials would pick the pool members — effectively giving the executive control over coverage of the American presidency.

The White House almost always selects journalists who are outwardly favorable to Trump as part of the mix.

To show his displeasure with a news organization's coverage, Trump has hurled personal insults at journalists or tried to exclude outlets entirely. In some cases, the news organizations sue in response.

During Trump's first term, the White House suspended the credentials of Jim Acosta, who was a CNN correspondent at the time. The same judge handling the lawsuit from CNN, MS NOW and Politico also decided Acosta's case, ordering the White House to restore his credentials.

Last year, Trump barred Associated Press journalists from some events and kicked the news agency out of the press pool after it refused to accede to the president's demands to change its style from “Gulf of Mexico” to “Gulf of America.”

AP sued, and that case is ongoing, though a preliminary ruling from a federal appeals court said Trump could ban the wire service from some highly restricted areas such as the Oval Office or Air Force One.

___

Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press journalists Jocelyn Noveck in New York and Laurie Kellman in London contributed.

“I wish it had healed a little quicker,” he admitted, “but it did not.”

The tension between Blaney and Carson Hocevar, who delivered the haymaker that left Blaney with the black eye last weekend, has apparently eased a little bit quicker. Blaney called the on-track incident that led to a pit-road fracas “just a racing” thing, upon further reflection, the kind of stuff that happens at a fender-to-fender track like Bristol Motor Speedway.

“It's kind of the opposite of how I normally am. I get fired up quickly but I calm down really quickly,” Blaney explained. “These things happen. The on-track, it happens really, really fast. You're making decisions in a split-second of a moment, and sometimes you can be skewed or not skewed on what you think happened, and then you know, watching the incident, pretty 50-50, I thought.”

The incident last Saturday night unfolded 41 laps before Joey Logano captured the checkered flag.

Blaney had just taken second with a pass around the outside of Hocevar, who countered by steering his No. 77 Chevrolet down the track. Blaney moved to block him, Hocevar stayed on the gas, and the result sent the No. 12 Ford spinning into the wall.

It was a big blow to Blaney, who had led a race-high 202 laps, and his hopes of winning a second Cup Series championship.

“It's just kind of built,” said Blaney, who now trails Kyle Larson by 52 points in the Chase for the championship. “A couple of rough finishes back-to-back and you realize, man, this is not going the way I thought it was going to go.”

Hocevar ended up third behind Logano and Larson last weekend.

But as he brought his car to a stop along pit road, Blaney was there waiting, and despite standing several inches shorter than the 6-foot-4 Hocevar, went right after him with a shove. Hocevar responded with two overhand rights, the first knocking Blaney’s hat off and the second connecting with his cheek, sending one of NASCAR's most popular drivers to the ground.

Blaney scrambled to his feet and threw a left hook that clipped Hocevar’s own hat before team members could intervene.

“We've been cool and stuff. I think Ryan is one of the coolest guys in the garage,” Hocevar said. “I didn't want to hit him, and looking back, I 100 percent see where he wanted to just throw a shove in there and yell. But in the moment you're not going to see that.”

Hocevar said he had no regrets over what transpired on pit road.

“I don't think so. My dad is probably the least controversial person I ever met in my life. He's got a local business so he freaks out if he gets a bad Google review. I texted him and was like, ‘Sorry about that.’ He was proud that I defended myself,” Hocevar said. “If we were racing anywhere lower than second, I think, you know, I maybe look at it differently, but I think Blaney does, too.”

With a brazen driving style, the 23-year-old Hocevar has made plenty of enemies — and, yes, quite a few fans — during his third full Cup Series season. It was just a few weeks ago he spun out Brad Keselowski during the Southern 500, leaving the frustrated former champion to declare: “His day is coming, and it's coming hard. Watch out, Carson.”

Turned out his day came at Bristol, only it was Blaney — not Keselowski — trying to deliver the punishment.

NASCAR seems to be leaning into the brewing feuds, too. Promotional posters for the race at World Wide Technology Raceway, which came on the heels of the Darlington dust-up, declared: “A Rivalry Worth Watching: Hurricane Hocevar vs. Bad Brad Keselowski.”

So it wasn't entirely surprising that NASCAR chose not to punish Blaney or Hocevar this week.

“We’re not going to encourage fighting, but what we are going to encourage is passion,” NASCAR chief executive Steve O’Donnell said during an appearance on Kevin Harvick’s podcast Monday. “Blaney’s showing his passion, showing his fire.”

Blaney called it the right decision by NASCAR, and not just because it kept the series from digging into his pocketbook.

“I would fully understand getting slapped with a penalty if I went over and initiated a punch or something,” Blaney said. “I initiated a confrontation, Carson defended himself. I'm glad they didn't do anything. They just let it simmer. I thought it was the right call.”

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here