Eduardo Lopez Hernandez reported his mother, Edis Lopez Collazo, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, vanished on April 6, 2023, from their home near Northwest 24 Avenue and 29 Street in Allapattah, according to police.

Miami Fire Rescue personnel had responded to the home on April 4, 2023, after Lopez Collazo fell and suffered minor head injuries, and Lopez Hernandez lied about his whereabouts, according to an arrest warrant.

On March 28, 2024, a detective visited Lopez Hernandez at home, and he reported that a man had told him his mother traveled to Cuba, but records showed the last time she was on the island was 2004, according to the warrant.

On May 8, 2024, a detective visited Lopez Hernandez at home again, and he called the same man who told him the “Santos” had told him his mother was in Cuba, referring to deities in Santería, an Afro-Cuban religion, according to the warrant.

Detectives reviewed the missing person’s financial records, found 2024 transactions at a supermarket, and surveillance video that showed Lopez Hernandez was illegally using his mother’s card, according to the arrest warrant.

Detectives estimated “the total losses” at nearly $18,600, records show. On Thursday, detectives arrested Lopez Hernandez at 11 a.m. at a gas station at Northwest 27th Avenue and 36th Street in Allapattah, according to a police officer’s arrest report.

During questioning, Lopez Hernandez, 66, confessed to disconnecting his mother’s phone, using her government benefits to pay for bills, and said he failed to provide her with “proper care or assistance” when they lived together, according to the arrest report.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Lopez Hernandez shortly after 10:10 p.m. on Thursday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, and he appeared in bond court on Friday, records show.

Lopez Hernandez faced a new charge of aggravated abuse of an elderly person or disabled adult. He also faced a warrant case on charges of organized fraud, theft from the elderly, identification fraud, and public assistance fraud, records show. His bond was $62,500.

Lopez Hernandez was released from prison on July 25, 2005, after he was sentenced to five years in prison in 2001 for a burglary of an unoccupied structure, cocaine possession, and using a counterfeit license plate, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.

These care packages that held goodies from the U.S. were seen as an expression of support during hard economic times — as well as one of pure love.

“Balik" and “bayan,” Tagalog for “return” and “homeland," respectively, was what President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. called the tourism initiatives he established in 1973. After declaring martial law a year earlier, he wanted to compel Filipino immigrants to come back and visit and further “legitimize his new dictatorial regime,” says Adrian De Leon, an assistant professor of history at New York University and author of “Balikbayan: A Revenant History of the Filipino Homeland.”

The balikbayan program proved “incredibly profitable” for the government as middle-class Filipino Americans came and spent capital.

“The dollar stretches way more,” De Leon says. “Bulk buying becomes a way through which overseas Filipinos are incentivized to maintain an economic connection to their homeland so that the government can take cuts from it and use it for like everything.”

The practice of shipping balikbayan boxes grew from there. Initially, canned meat like Spam was a staple of these boxes. Over time, small luxuries like skin-care products, clothes and candy became sought after, too. Then American entertainment like music cassettes and movies on Betamax were tossed in.

“What might have been letters being sent back home, now with the balikbayan box, you’re sending back American pop culture," De Leon says. “Filipinos are doing the work of American soft power for Filipinos at home.”

Sending balikbayan boxes has thrived as its own industry. There are a handful of shipping companies in the U.S. that market door-to-door delivery to the Philippines. Filipino immigrants visiting the country get quicker entry at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport through a designated “balikbayan lane.”

Jamming as many gifts as possible into a balikbayan box remains culturally ingrained in the Filipino diaspora. Filipino American comedian Rex Navarrete has typically made it a stand-up bit, advising: “One thing you should never pack in a balikbayan box is air.”

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

Dos semanas de cortes liderados por la Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), los sindicatos campesinos y los mineros han dejado a La Paz con mercados desabastecidos y hospitales sin reservas de oxígeno. Tres personas fallecieron por falta de auxilio médico, según el gobierno.

Sobre el final de la semana las protestas se tornaron violentas y varios sectores comenzaron a pedir la renuncia del mandatario, que no tiene mayoría en el Legislativo ni un partido fuerte que lo respalde.

“Los que están buscando destrozar la democracia irán a la cárcel”, advirtió Paz el viernes mientras los cortes de rutas se extendían a casi todo el país.

¿Qué se reclama?

La COB comenzó exigiendo aumentos de sueldos y los campesinos abastecimiento de gasolina. Los mineros, que la víspera se enfrentaron con la policía, negocian por separado sus demandas de acceso a más áreas de explotación al igual que los maestros públicos, que exigen mejoras salariales.

“Las demandas reivindicativas han sido atendidas en gran medida conforme a la realidad, pero hay fuerzas oscuras que buscan desestabilizar la democracia”, dijo el vocero presidencial, José Luis Gálvez, en alusión al expresidente Evo Morales (2006-2019).

Paz repite que heredó un “Estado quebrado”, pero sus adversarios le reprochan su lenta respuesta ante la peor crisis de los últimos 40 años con escasez de combustibles y una inflación que el año pasado bordeó el 20%.

“Estamos en la anomia, no se avanzó en la agenda de cambio”, dijo el expresidente Jorge Quiroga (2001-2002) al tiempo que advirtió que “hay un movimiento subversivo que quiere cortar un mandato fresco”.

El gobierno no ha apelado a la fuerza pública para despejar las carreteras y ha privilegiado el diálogo y la negociación, sin resultados hasta ahora.

Según organizaciones empresariales, las protestas y paralizaciones provocan pérdidas por más de 50 millones de dólares diarios y hay unos 5.000 vehículos varados en las carreteras.

¿Está Morales detrás de las protestas?

Desde 2024 Morales resiste en su feudo cocalero del Chapare, en el centro de Bolivia, una orden de detención por no presentarse ante la justicia para responder por el presunto abuso de una menor en 2016. El pasado lunes sumó otro pedido de arresto por la misma causa.

El Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS), que gobernó durante las últimas dos décadas primero con Morales y luego con Luis Arce (2020-2025), salió derrotado en los comicios del año pasado tras una cruenta disputa entre ambos exmandatarios.

“El gobierno y la derecha dicen que soy un cadáver político y que no tengo capacidad de movilizar a nadie, pero me siguen culpando… mientras no se atiendan las demandas estructurales como combustible, comida e inflación no se frenará la sublevación”, dijo Morales en la red social X.

A pesar de sus acaloradas declaraciones, los analistas creen que Morales ya no tiene poder de convocatoria y que está azuzando las protestas para evadir la justicia.

Paz sin respaldo partidario

Tras el fin del ciclo del MAS el sistema político boliviano quedó fragmentado y sin una fuerza dominante.

Paz ganó los comicios de forma sorpresiva y el Partido Demócrata Cristiano (PDC), con el que llegó al poder, se dividió en el Legislativo. A su vez, el mandatario mantiene una abierta pugna con su vicepresidente, el expolicía Edman Lara.

Paz arrancó con fuerza su mandato y se abrió al mundo para romper el aislamiento internacional del MAS. Así logró promesas de inversiones y créditos, pero no todos se han materializado.

Como primera medida puso fin al subsidio a los combustibles, lo que hizo subir el precio de la gasolina y del diésel, pero sin que se produjeran protestas en una población cansada de la escasez anterior. Pero el gobierno importó gasolina de baja calidad que desató protestas de los transportistas por daños a sus vehículos que forzaron la renuncia del ministro de Hidrocarburos.

La falta de dólares sigue castigando a la economía y las reformas estratégicas prometidas por Paz están demoradas.

El presidente de la petrolera estatal, Sebastián Daroca, dijo que el país “vive al día” con el combustible. Los opositores cuestionan que el mandatario no haya recortado el gasto público ni haya definido la suerte de empresas estatales deficitarias.

One of the people told the AP that the potential indictment is connected to Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of four planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was defense minister at the time.

All three people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The potential indictment — which would need to be approved by a grand jury — was reported earlier by CBS.

The AP reported in March that the U.S. Attorney in Miami had created a special working group of prosecutors and federal law enforcement to build cases against top Cuban officials amid calls by several south Florida Republicans to reopen its investigation into Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown. To date, the U.S. has convicted only a single person of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the shootdown.

As Trump seeks to wind down the war in Iran, speculation has been growing that he may soon turn his attention back to Cuba after pledging earlier this year a “friendly takeover” of the country if its leadership didn’t open up its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials, including Castro’s grandson, during a high-level visit to the island on Thursday.

Castro, 94, took over as president from his ailing brother, Fidel Castro, in 2011, and then handed power to a handpicked loyalist, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in 2019.

While he largely has avoided the spotlight since retiring in 2021 as head of the Cuban Communist Party, he is widely believed to wield power behind the scenes, a fact underscored by the prominence of his grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, who previously met secretly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

El diálogo entre los dos mandatarios se dio tras las tensiones que surgieron el mes pasado por el caso de los dos agentes de la CIA que murieron en un accidente de tránsito en el estado fronterizo de Chihuahua y las acusaciones por narcotráfico que hizo la fiscalía de Nueva York contra el gobernador oficialista del estado de Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha, y otros nueve funcionarios mexicanos.

Sin ofrecer mayores detalles de lo conversado, Sheinbaum dijo en un breve mensaje de su cuenta de X que tuvo un “cordial” y “excelente” diálogo telefónico con Trump en el que “reafirmamos el trabajo que estamos haciendo en seguridad y las pláticas sobre comercio”.

“Acordamos hablar nuevamente y continuar el diálogo con algunos de sus colaboradores, que en fecha próxima, visitarán nuestro país”, señaló la mandataria.

Sheinbaum y Trump sostuvieron el 23 de febrero una conversación telefónica luego de la operación militar en la que fue abatido el líder del poderoso Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”, que desató acciones violentas en al menos 20 de los 32 estados mexicanos y dejó 70 muertos cientos de autos y comercios quemados.

Las relaciones entre Washington y México se tensaron tras la muerte de dos agentes de la CIA quienes fallecieron el 19 de abril junto con dos funcionarios de la fiscalía de Chihuahua cuando la camioneta en la que viajaban cayó por un barranco en las montañas que unen Chihuahua —fronteriza con Texas— y el estado de Sinaloa, donde se había desmantelado un laboratorio clandestino de drogas sintéticas.

El incidente motivó una nota de protesta del gobierno de Sheinbaum que reclamó a Washington que no había sido informado de la presencia en el país de los dos agentes estadounidenses ni de sus actividades en el estado de Chihuahua gobernado por la oposición.

A finales de abril las relaciones se tensaron nuevamente luego que la fiscalía de Nueva York acusó de narcotráfico y tenencia ilícita de armas a Rocha, al alcalde de la capital de Sinaloa, un vicefiscal estatal, un senador oficialistas y otros funcionarios activos y retirados.

En medio de las tensiones políticas, los equipos negociadores de México y Estados Unidos han mantenido en los últimos dos meses diálogos previo a la revisión del tratado comercial que tienen con Canadá (el T-MEC) que será sometido a revisión a partir de julio y que se ha visto afectado por los aranceles que ha impuesto Trump.

More than a century after a U.S. Army chaplain pushed for “dog tags” to become standard issue for troops, they remain one of the most powerful links for grieving military families to their lost loved ones.

“What they’re searching for is connection,” said Air Force Chaplain and Maj, Benjamin Quintanilla Jr. at Dover Air Force Base, where U.S. casualties from the wars in Afghanistan and now Iran have been repatriated. “So these dog tags become just a sacred symbol.”

From the World Wars to Vietnam and conflicts in the Middle East, military identification tags have also been a symbol of Americans’ sacrifice in global conflicts.

It’s unclear why the small metal rounded rectangles — hanging on ball chains and listing name, rank, company and other information, depending on the era — are called dog tags, according to the Pentagon.

The need to identify those fallen in battle had been spotlighted by the American Civil War, when staggering numbers of soldiers were buried as “unknown” — such as 75% of the 17,000 Union troops at Vicksburg National Cemetery, according to the National Park Service.

At the end of the Spanish-American War, the 1898 conflict that propelled the United States into global power, Chaplain Charles C. Pierce, then in charge of the morgue in the Philippines, first requested that Army soldiers be issued tags.

By the U.S. entry into World War I, all combat soldiers were required to wear them. They were an official part of the uniform by World War II.

Today, advances in forensics make tags less crucial for identification. But the religious affiliation on them is still useful for chaplains in the battlefield to provide appropriate prayers to dying or fallen troops, Quintanilla said.

And it’s the symbolism of connection that makes them irreplaceable. Surviving families treasure the dog tags their loved ones wore — and the new ones placed in honor on the casket at dignified transfer ceremonies — so much that some keep wearing them or even have them tattooed.

For troops, they’re the simplest sign of belonging.

“I can trust somebody who is wearing the same identification as me,” said Quintanilla, who first joined the Air Force as a dental technician. “It means that I was a part of something greater than myself.”

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

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

They are ridiculous. They are addictively great. Comic books, of the superhero variety, are 100% American.

Compare the thin comic book to Europe’s graphic novels, and they come off looking flimsy, infantile. Compare the American comic to Japanese Manga and they appear innocent in their fixation with heroism; they hark back to a departed American age.

Once a nickel, a dime, a quarter, now the price of a latte, they are objects of America consumer capitalism. The comic is literature in junk-food version. Candy for the eyes, candy for the mind.

Yet what truly makes them American objects is what plays out in their 32 pages month after month, decade upon decade.

When the Fantastic Four took their fateful space journey in 1961 and “cosmic rays” transformed the quartet into unwilling superheroes, comics entered a weird realm where the all-powerful were also the unwilling, decidedly modern victims of science and circumstance.

Spider-Man, the Hulk, Wolverine (the list goes on) were given supernatural abilities that made them outcasts, obliging them to be flawed messiahs.

They were, by some quirk of the American character, bound to Peter Parker’s moral imperative: “With great power comes great responsibility." They are versions of an American Sisyphus, bound to saving us over and over again.

What could be more American — that might, when lashed to a sense of justice, eventually, makes right? So honorable, so naïve.

To this day, though the tone is darker, Marvel and DC, the two mammoths of comics, continue to reimagine the American character.

Once side attractions in a world of leading white men, Gwen Stacy, Jean Grey and Susan Storm have in recent years emerged as leaders to reinvigorate the Spider-Man, X-Men and Fantastic Four sagas. Absolute Wonder Woman has broken ground with beautiful art. Miles Morales is Spidey for a new generation.

Yet the central fissures remain.

Bruce Wayne can't connect with anyone other than his butler; he is the lonely individual in an atomized America. Steve Rogers bears the burden of representing the “Greatest Generation” from World War II. He is a Captain America forever out of place, even in his own land.

And could there be a more iconic tech magnate toying with humanity's fate than Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor and his delusions of grandeur? If only our world had a bespectacled Clark Kent keeping an eye on things. Just in case.

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

The weather pattern next week is on repeat with the daily chance of a few thunderstorms around and highs consistently in the upper 80s to near 90 degrees.

One of the people told the AP that the potential indictment is connected to Castro's alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of four planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was defense minister at the time.

All three people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

The potential indictment — which would need to be approved by a grand jury — was reported earlier by CBS.

The AP reported in March that the U.S. Attorney in Miami had created a special working group of prosecutors and federal law enforcement to build cases against top Cuban officials amid calls by several south Florida Republicans to reopen its investigation into Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown. To date, the U.S. has convicted only a single person of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the shootdown.

As Trump seeks to wind down the war in Iran, speculation has been growing that he may soon turn his attention back to Cuba after pledging earlier this year a “friendly takeover” of the country if its leadership didn’t open up its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials, including Castro’s grandson, during a high-level visit to the island on Thursday.

Castro, 94, took over as president from his ailing brother, Fidel Castro, in 2011, and then handed power to a handpicked loyalist, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in 2019.

While he largely has avoided the spotlight since retiring in 2021 as head of the Cuban Communist Party, he is widely believed to wield power behind the scenes, a fact underscored by the prominence of his grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, who previously met secretly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The great horned owl somehow made his way into the truck-mounted mixer in late October and was discovered by workers pouring concrete at a resort construction site. Lucky for him, a series of people gave a hoot about his predicament.

Workers hosed the bird down before it was wrapped in a towel. It took days for employees at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab to pick the concrete from the bird's face, chest and right wing, using forceps to carefully crack the dried debris and cleaning the feathers with toothbrushes and dish soap.

The owl started its long recovery at an aviary run by the organization, and employees anxiously waited for it to grow new feathers. But the bird didn't molt as predicted. In early May, he underwent a procedure called imping, which uses adhesive to graft donor feathers onto existing shafts.

“The first few feathers were extremely nerve-wracking, but as we got into the groove, the imping became more comfortable, and everything went smoothly,” said Bart Richwalski, a supervisor at the sanctuary.

Great horned owls typically have a downy coating that allows them to fly quietly as they hunt. But the concrete frayed the rescued owl’s feathers and caused it to make a whooshing sound while flying.

To prepare for the imping procedure, sanctuary staff examined the owl's feather patterns every few weeks and snipped damaged shafts in advance. The owl was anesthetized and the donor feathers from a similarly sized owl that had died were laid out nearby to replicate each wing. The staff then cut the feathers to the necessary length, lined them up and adhered them to the bird.

By the end of the 90-minute procedure, the owl had 10 new primary feathers and a secondary feather on his right wing. But then came the real test: could he fly silently?

The bird was placed in a large aviary to recover from the anesthesia and quickly took flight after awakening. Richwalski used a decibel meter to measure the sound of the owl's wingbeat and determined its flight was quiet enough for it to safely be released. The owl hovered for a moment while the aviary roof was retracted, gained speed and then flew out into the wild.

“It feels so, so good. I think my heart finally started beating again. The nervousness was starting to overtake the excitement, but once I saw him fly out that opening in the roof, it just was, it was a sight to see. It was so fun,” said Richwalski, who has cared for the owl since picking him up at the construction site.

Karla Bloem, executive director of the Minnesota-based International Owl Center, said imping has been practiced by falconers “for eons” and is a very effective treatment.

“I've never heard of it not lasting, because you use some pretty good stuff when you're doing imping,” said Bloem, who has studied great horned owls for nearly three decades.

She added that it would be OK if a couple of the grafted feathers fell out. The bulk of them just need to stay put until the owl can grow new ones in the coming summer months.

“And now it just needs to figure out, ‘whoa, I’m back in the big world again, hunting,’" she said. “Find a territory ... you know, find one of the opposite sex and settle down and have kids.”

Researchers in China used satellites and artificial intelligence to track and analyze oxygen levels in more than 21,000 rivers across the globe since 1985. They found oxygen levels have dropped an average of 2.1% since 1985, according to a study published Friday in Science Advances. That doesn't seem like much but it adds up and if it continues or accelerates, rivers in the Eastern United States, India and across the tropics could lose enough oxygen by the end of the century to suffocate some fish and create dead zones, the study said.

Basic chemistry and physics dictate that warmer water holds less oxygen, scientists said. Warmer water, which happens with human-caused climate change, releases more oxygen into the atmosphere.

If the oxygen loss rate continues at the current pace, the world's rivers on average will lose an additional 4% of their oxygen by the end of the century, and in some cases close to 5%, the study found. That's when oxygen loss — called deoxygenation — becomes problematic for fish and people who rely on rivers, according to the study's lead author Qi Guan, an environmental scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Nanjing.

More dead zones appear

Scientists worry that oxygen levels in rivers could fall so low that dead zones appear, as they have in the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay and Lake Erie. Those are areas where fish struggle to breathe and die.

“Deoxygenation is a very slow process. If we have a long period, the negative impact will attack the river ecosystems,” Guan said. “The low level of oxygen can cause a series of ecological crises such as biodiversity decline, water quality degradation and maybe some fish will die.”

University of Arizona geoscientist Karl Flessa, who wasn't part of the study, said in an email that losing oxygen in rivers means “a future of more stinky dead zones (hypoxia), especially during heat waves.”

Some rivers are in such bad shape that “a small change can tip them into the danger zone,” Flessa said. “if your favorite fishing hole gets too warm, oxygen levels will go down and there won't be any fish to catch.”

India, Eastern US and the Amazon are hot spots

Earlier this century, India's heavily polluted Ganges River was losing oxygen more than 20 times faster than the global average, the study said. Even with moderate-to-high increases in global carbon dioxide emission rates — not the implausible worst-case scenario — rivers in the Eastern United States, the Arctic, India and much of South America are projected to lose about 10% of their oxygen by the end of the century, the analysis showed.

Guan said he worries about tropical rivers especially, such as the Amazon in Brazil. Since 1980, the number of days with dead zone spots in the Amazon rose by nearly 16 days per decade, a study last year found.

Hydrology professor Marc Bierkens of Utrecht University in the Netherlands, said a study he and colleagues did last year showed oxygen stress in the world's rivers increased by 13 days every decade and dead zone occurrences increased by nearly three days a decade since 1980. As the world continues to warm, those numbers should jump even higher, said Bierkens, who didn't participate in the Chinese study.

Guan's study found several reasons for oxygen loss in the world's rivers, including nutrient pollution from fertilizer and urban runoff, along with dam construction, flow and wind issues. But nearly 63% of the problem is from warmer water, the study found.

Duke University ecologist and biogeochemist Emily Bernhardt, who wasn't part of the study, said “as rivers warm it becomes easier and easier for the same pollution problems as before to cause more severe, more long lasting or more widespread hypoxia and anoxia.” Anoxia is the total loss of oxygen.

“Water pollution reduction is more important than ever and will be harder as rivers warm,” she said.

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

The existence of the secret Israeli military facility was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which described it as a base housing special forces and serving as a logistical hub for the Israeli air force.

The reports of a secret base stirred up a furor in Iraq. Officials there have said that Iraqi army forces investigated reports of an unauthorized military force in the Nukhaib desert — a barren area to the southwest of the cities of Karbala and Najaf — in early March and came under fire while en route to the location.

Iraqi officials have confirmed the presence of a small, short-term unauthorized force in the desert, but have not said that it was Israeli. However, two Iraqi security and intelligence officials and a senior U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said that it was.

The U.S. official said of the Israeli outpost that “base is a strong word to describe it” and described it rather as a “temporary staging area or camp to support operations in Iran.”

The Iraqi intelligence official said that the Israeli force had set up tents in the area and "its objective was to monitor rocket launches and drone activity conducted by some Iraqi militias.” Iraqi authorities believe the force arrived via an airdrop operation but do not know when, he said. They also disputed the description of the military presence as a “base.”

A shepherd noticed the presence of the force and reported it to the authorities, officials said.

Representatives of the Israeli military declined to comment. The U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, triggering a regional war in which Iraq found itself caught in the crossfire. Iraq hosts a network of Iran-linked militias, which launched attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and elsewhere in the region and on Israel. U.S. and Israeli forces also struck militia sites in Iraq.

The Iraqi government, meanwhile, called on both sides to leave the country out of the conflict. The idea that an Israeli force could have been conducting military operations under their noses put Iraqi authorities in an embarrassing position.

On Tuesday, the Iraqi military sent forces into the desert, to the site of the alleged Israeli outpost, to show journalists that there was no indication of a long-term military presence there.

“We believe it was a small force that came and stayed for no longer than 48 hours,” said Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah, chief of the general staff of the Iraqi army during the visit.

Maj. Gen. Tahseen al Khafaji, a spokesperson for the Iraqi defense ministry, told the AP that on March 3, the military received information about “a small enemy force in a specific area in the Najaf desert,” and Iraqi forces went to check the site the next day.

“Within 25 kilometers, the force which went there faced an aerial attack, which led to the martyrdom of one of our fighters and injured two other fighters,” he said.

Al Khafaji said the Iraqi force pulled out after coming under attack but returned the next day and found no signs of a base and no forces present.

“It is believed that the force was there for a very short time and it was a very small force,” he said, adding that search operations “did not show anything that indicates that the force was stationed there for a long time in that area.”

Satellite images from Airbus DS taken March 8 and analyzed by the AP appear to show a human-made track dug out at the site, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of the capital, Baghdad. The track runs in a straight line in a dried-out lake bed from northwest to southeast and measures about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile). That’s long enough for takeoffs and landing for warplanes.

The nearest town, al-Nukhaib, sits about 45 kilometers (27 miles) to the northwest along a road running to the border with Saudi Arabia. That distance is far enough to likely have not drawn too much attention, though Iraq’s skies were filled with fighter jets from both the U.S. and Israel during the weeks of active war with Iran.

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Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.

The starting forward missed the final two games of the Knicks' second-round sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers after straining his right hamstring late in Game 2. He took part in some of practice when the Knicks returned on Wednesday, but sat out the portions when they went full speed.

But coach Mike Brown said Anunoby did everything with the team on Friday.

The Knicks would host Game 1 of the East finals on Sunday if Cleveland beats Detroit in Game 6 on Friday night. If that series goes the distance, Anunoby wouldn't have to be ready until Tuesday.

Anunoby is averaging 21.4 points per game in the postseason while shooting 61.9% from the field and 53.8% from 3-point range.

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

Thierry Frémaux, the festival's artistic director, brought out the award for Travolta just before the screening of his “Propeller One-Way Night Coach.” A visibly moved Travolta clutched his chest while Frémaux presented the trophy.

“You said this would be a special night, but I didn’t know it would mean this," Travolta said to Frémaux.

“This is beyond the Oscar!” exclaimed Travolta.

Clad in a white beret, Travolta walked the Cannes red carpet with his 26-year-old daughter Ella Bleu Travolta. The actor wrote, directed and co-produced “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” based on his own 1997 children's novel.

Cannes has sometimes previously surprised guests with an honorary Palme d'Or. It unexpectedly gave one to Tom Cruise in 2022. At this year's festival, the “Lord of the Rings” filmmaker Peter Jackson was given one in the opening ceremony. Barbara Streisand is to receive one later during the festival.

Several U.S. officials confirmed that 4,000 troops from the Army's 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division were no longer en route to Poland this week. The Trump administration had previously said it was cutting U.S. forces only in Germany, and the decision spurred questions and criticism in both Warsaw and Washington.

Two officials told The Associated Press that the deployments were canceled after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo directing the Joint Chiefs of Staff to move a brigade combat team out of Europe. One of them said the choice of which unit was left to military leaders.

Besides the Army combat team based in Fort Hood, Texas, the memo also led to the cancellation of an upcoming deployment to Germany of a battalion trained in firing long-range rockets and missiles, according to the two officials, who like the others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

Three U.S. officials said the changes were part of an effort to comply with a presidential order issued at the beginning of May to reduce the number of troops in Europe by about 5,000. The reasoning does not appear to have been well communicated because others based in Europe said they did not know if the halted deployment to Poland was part of the previously announced reduction.

Trump and the Pentagon have said in recent weeks that they were cutting at least 5,000 troops to Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized Washington’s lack of strategy in the war.

The drawdown reflects a growing rift between the administration and traditional European allies, with the U.S. leader repeatedly criticizing fellow NATO members for a lack of support for the Iran war.

Polish officials on Friday insisted that the U.S. withdrawal was not targeted directly at Poland but was a consequence of Trump’s decision to reduce the number of troops in Germany.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he “received assurances” that the decision was of a logistical nature and said it does not directly impact deterrence capabilities and Poland’s security.

Military officials say the decision to halt unit to Poland made recently

Joel Valdez, a Pentagon spokesman, said “the decision to withdraw troops follows a comprehensive, multilayered process” and he argued that it was “not an unexpected, last-minute decision.”

Speaking to Congress in a hearing Friday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s chief of staff, told lawmakers that discussions around the halted deployment occurred over the past two weeks but noted the decision itself was made in the past couple days.

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said he spoke with Polish officials on Thursday and they noted they were “blindsided.”

The move also left many U.S. military personnel in Europe in the dark about how the Trump administration was reducing forces. A U.S. official based in Europe said a meeting was called with 20 minutes notice on Monday to discuss the cancellation of the deployment to Poland.

At that time, troops had already been sent to Poland and some, still in the U.S., were told shortly before departure not to travel to the airport, that official said. Another official said most of the Army unit’s equipment had already made it to Europe and was sitting in ports.

Change to troop deployment to Poland draws bipartisan criticism

The reductions drew criticism from Democratic and Republican lawmakers about the move sending the wrong signal both to allies and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces this week have launched one of the deadliest attacks on the Ukrainian capital in the 4-year-old war.

At the House Armed Services Committee hearing Friday, LaNeve said he worked with U.S. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander in Europe of both U.S. and NATO forces, after Grynkewich received the instructions for the force reduction.

“I’ve worked with him in close consultation of what that force unit would be, and it made the most sense for that brigade to not do its deployment in theater,” LaNeve said.

Bacon called the decision “reprehensible” and said it was “an embarrassment to our country what we just did to Poland.”

Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, who chairs the committee, said the military is required to consult with lawmakers and that did not happen.

“So we don’t know what’s going on here,” Rogers said. "But I can just tell you we’re not happy with what’s being talked about.”

A State Department official said Friday at a security conference in Tallinn, Estonia, that the U.S. reductions in Europe were “right there in black and white” but also noted that “the U.S. isn’t going anywhere.”

“We’ll continue to work with the Pentagon and work with our partners to make sure we get the right fit and right mix of what’s happening here on the ground,” said Thomas G. DiNanno, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

NATO says the change in Poland won't affect defense

With the halted deployments, the U.S. military presence in Europe will now be at pre-2022 levels, before Russia commenced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, one U.S. official said.

European countries have been bracing for a U.S. reduction since Trump returned to the White House, with the administration warning that Europe would have to look after its own security, including Ukraine's, in the future.

A NATO official said the U.S. decision to cancel its rotational deployment to Poland would not impact NATO's deterrence and defense plans. Canada and Germany have increased their presence on the alliance's eastern flank, which contributes to NATO's overall strength, the official said, insisting on anonymity in line with NATO regulations.

Ben Hodges, former commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, said the move “reinforces the perception that the United States just does things without consultation with allies,” which ultimately “damages cohesion inside the alliance.” The decision would in the long run harm the U.S. defense industry as it reduces the trust of partners, he said.

Around 10,000 U.S. troops are typically stationed in Poland, the majority of them present in the country on a rotational basis. Only about 300 troops are permanently stationed in the country, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service.

Polish officials had hoped they would be spared from any cuts as Poland spends the most in NATO on defense as a proportion of its economy — around 4.7% in 2025. Hegseth has called it a “model ally” in NATO for spending so much on defense.

When Poland’s conservative president, Karol Nawrocki, visited the White House in September, Trump said he didn't intend to pull U.S. troops out of Poland. “We’ll put more there if they want,” Trump said at the time.

___

Burrows reported from Tallinn, Estonia, and Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland.

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The armed robbery was on Feb. 19 outside of a house along Southwest 57 Street, near South Pine Island Road, according to an arrest warrant.

Detectives identified the robbers as Aloni Bryant, also known as “M3;″ Charlie Blunt, also known as “Bra Bra;” and Jerome Brookin III, according to the warrant.

“One of the males in the back seat grabbed the seat belt and wrapped it around [the victim’s] neck, as the other male in the back seat began to punch him in the face,” a detective wrote, according to the warrant.

Brookin, 19, “had two black pistols and began to strike [the victim] in the face with them and pointed them at his head. The other two males also had firearms,” a detective wrote, according to the warrant.

The trio stole $1,000 through CashApp; an Hermes bracelet valued at $1,000; an iPhone valued at $1,100, Gucci sandals valued at $800; and the keys to his car, according to the warrant.

Records show Davie police officers arrested Brookin on April 14, Blunt, 36, on April 17, and Bryant, 19, on Wednesday, and corrections booked them at the Broward County Main Jail.

On Friday, corrections held the trio without bond. Blunt was at the Joseph V. Conte Facility, Brookin was at the North Broward Bureau, and Bryant remained at the main jail, according to inmate records.

The men are each facing a first-degree felony armed robbery charge, according to court records.

Broward County Circuit Judge Marina Garcia-Wood was set to preside over Blunt’s case. Circuit Judge Andrew Siegel was set to preside over Brookin’s case, and Judge Ernest Kollra was set to preside over Bryant’s case.

El robo a mano armada ocurrió el 19 de febrero frente a una casa en Southwest 57 Street, cerca de South Pine Island Road, según una orden de arresto.

Los detectives identificaron a los ladrones como Aloni Bryant, también conocido como “M3”; Charlie Blunt, también conocido como “Bra Bra”; y Jerome Brookin III, según la orden.

“Uno de los hombres en el asiento trasero agarró el cinturón de seguridad y lo envolvió alrededor del cuello de la víctima, mientras el otro hombre en el asiento trasero comenzó a golpearlo en el rostro”, escribió un detective, según la orden.

Brookin, de 19 años, “tenía dos pistolas negras y comenzó a golpear a la víctima en el rostro con ellas y a apuntarle a la cabeza. Los otros dos hombres también tenían armas de fuego”, escribió un detective en la orden.

El trío robó $1,000 USD a través de CashApp; una pulsera Hermes valorada en $1,000 USD; un iPhone valorado en $1,100 USD; sandalias Gucci valoradas en $800 USD; y las llaves de su auto, según la orden.

Los registros muestran que agentes de la policía de Davie arrestaron a Brookin el 14 de abril, a Blunt, de 36 años, el 17 de abril, y a Bryant, de 19 años, el miércoles. Posteriormente fueron ingresados en la cárcel principal del condado Broward.

Hasta el viernes, las autoridades mantenían al trío detenido sin derecho a fianza. Blunt estaba en el Centro Joseph V. Conte, Brookin en el North Broward Bureau y Bryant permanecía en la cárcel principal, según los registros de los reclusos.

Cada uno de los hombres enfrenta un cargo de robo a mano armada, un delito grave de primer grado, según registros judiciales.

La jueza de circuito del condado Broward Marina Garcia-Wood tenía previsto presidir el caso de Blunt. El juez de circuito Andrew Siegel tenía previsto presidir el caso de Brookin y el juez Ernest Kollra tenía previsto presidir el caso de Bryant.

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Jail records show Aaron Culpepper, 32, of the county’s Gladeview area, was arrested Tuesday by the Miami Police Department.

According to an arrest report, officers responded to the girl’s home, where she flagged them down.

An officer wrote that the girl was “crying uncontrollably and appeared to be in physical pain” when they arrived.

Miami Fire Rescue crews responded to the scene and evaluated the girl, the report states.

The victim, who is Culpepper’s niece, told investigators the incident began after they had a disagreement involving a shoe and a scooter, according to the report.

The dispute escalated after a cousin informed Culpepper, who then confronted the girl, the report states.

Police said the victim claimed that Culpepper grabbed her by the chest and shirt, grabbed her face, and struck her head multiple times against a wall. An officer said he “noticed a bump on the back of her head.”

Culpepper was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators, according to the report. His statement was redacted in the publicly released report, but he denied pushing the victim’s head into the wall.

The report states Culpepper’s mother gave officers a similar account of the confrontation, saying “all he did was jack her up.”

The girl was taken by her mother to the pediatric unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital for further evaluation, according to police.

Investigators said there may be surveillance video of the incident, though access was not immediately available.

They said they MPD’s Special Victims Unit and the Florida Department of Children and Families were notified, and crime scene investigators documented the victim’s injuries.

As of Friday, Culpepper was being held on a $5,000 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Aaron Culpepper, de 32 años, del área de Gladeview del condado, fue arrestado el martes por el Departamento de Policía de Miami.

Según un informe de arresto, los agentes respondieron a la casa de la niña, donde ella les hizo señales para detenerlos.

Un agente escribió que la niña estaba “llorando incontrolablemente y parecía estar sufriendo dolor físico” cuando llegaron.

Equipos de Miami Fire Rescue respondieron a la escena y evaluaron a la niña, señala el informe.

La víctima, quien es sobrina de Culpepper, dijo a los investigadores que el incidente comenzó después de un desacuerdo relacionado con un zapato y un scooter, según el informe.

La disputa escaló después de que un primo informara a Culpepper, quien luego confrontó a la niña, indica el informe.

La policía dijo que la víctima afirmó que Culpepper la agarró del pecho y de la camisa, le sujetó el rostro y golpeó su cabeza múltiples veces contra una pared. Un agente dijo que “notó un golpe en la parte posterior de su cabeza”.

Según el informe, a Culpepper se le leyeron sus derechos Miranda y aceptó hablar con los investigadores. Su declaración fue censurada en el informe divulgado públicamente, pero negó haber golpeado la cabeza de la víctima contra la pared.

El informe señala que la madre de Culpepper dio a los agentes una versión similar de la confrontación, diciendo que “todo lo que hizo fue sujetarla bruscamente”.

La niña fue llevada por su madre a la unidad pediátrica del Hospital Jackson Memorial para una evaluación adicional, según la policía.

Los investigadores dijeron que podría existir video de vigilancia del incidente, aunque el acceso no estaba disponible de inmediato.

Indicaron que la Unidad de Víctimas Especiales del Departamento de Policía de Miami y el Departamento de Niños y Familias de Florida fueron notificados, y que investigadores de la escena documentaron las lesiones de la víctima.

Hasta el viernes, Culpepper permanecía detenido con una fianza de $5,000 USD en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

The Canadian Olympian goaltender, and first woman to appear in an exhibition game of any of North America’s four major sports, has spent the past four years working in the NHL's Los Angeles Kings hockey operations department. And Rheaume’s hiring represents a homecoming for the 54-year-old, who spent 11 years in a developmental role for the Detroit-based Little Caesars youth hockey girls’ program.

“She brings an unmatched resume, a championship mindset and a lifelong commitment to growing the women’s game,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations, who oversees the hiring process.

“Her experience at every level of hockey, combined with her leadership and vision, makes her the perfect person to lead PWHL Detroit into its inaugural season,” Hefford added.

Rheaume’s hiring comes a little more than a week after the league announced Detroit as an expansion team. The PWHL has since added two more franchises in Las Vegas and Hamilton, Ontario, and is planning make one more addition in growing to a 12-team league for next season.

Of the PWHL’s nine GMs now in place, seven are women.

“I’m incredibly honored to join the PWHL and help build something special in Detroit,” Rheaume said. “The city has such a deep hockey tradition, and the passion for hockey here is truly special.”

Among her first duties is preparing for an expansion free-agent signing process tentatively scheduled to begin on May 28, followed by the league’s draft, which will be held in Detroit on June 17.

Rheaume is from Beauport, Quebec, and began making her international mark in the early 1990s by signing with Trois-Rivieres of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 1992, she tried out for the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, and allowed two goals on nine shots in one period of a preseason game against St. Louis. A year later, she made a second preseason game appearance against Boston.

Rheaume went on to win a silver medal representing Canada at the 1998 Nagano Games, the first to feature a women’s tournament. She also won gold medals at the 1992 and ’94 world championships.

___

AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey

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Online jail records show Kodak, whose real name is Bill Kapri, was arrested Thursday on charges of attempting to flee/elude law enforcement and resisting an officer without violence.

According to an arrest affidavit, the charges stem from an incident that occurred on Feb. 27 when Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies said Kodak failed to stop his vehicle for law enforcement and then fled from them.

The affidavit states that on that day, a deputy observed a pink Jeep Grand Cherokee obstructing traffic along Northwest 15th Street near Northwest 18th Drive in Pompano Beach.

Authorities said the SUV was stopped in the roadway, forcing other vehicles to cross into the opposite lane to continue driving.

A deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop after the SUV turned southbound onto Northwest 18th Drive. Investigators said the deputy activated emergency lights and sirens near Northwest 14th Circle, but the vehicle continued driving before eventually stopping near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

According to the affidavit, the driver, identified as Kodak, exited the SUV and spoke with the deputy. During the stop, authorities said several other individuals arrived in separate vehicles and approached the deputy while he was alone at the scene. One person allegedly claimed to be “security,” while another individual was reportedly seen with a gun visible on his waistband. Deputies said the approaching vehicles blocked traffic and interfered with the stop.

Investigators said that while the deputy was attempting to manage the scene and wait for backup, the rapper got back into the Jeep and suddenly sped away eastbound on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Authorities said the deputy recognized Kodak from prior encounters and public familiarity.

Investigators also noted that the SUV was registered to Kodak and that an Instagram story posted to the rapper’s verified account earlier that day appeared to show him wearing the same clothing described during the traffic stop, including a Spurs basketball jersey, gray beanie and jewelry.

Roughly 10 minutes later, detectives with the Pompano Beach Crime Suppression Team located the same Jeep near the I-95 overpass on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Authorities said the SUV eventually stopped in the parking lot of a business located at 1511 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

According to investigators, a different man — identified as Terrence Henley — exited the driver’s seat and allegedly attempted to walk away while holding the vehicle’s keys. Deputies detained Henley, and a K-9 unit later alerted to the presence of narcotics inside the SUV, the affidavit states.

During a search of the vehicle, detectives reported finding approximately 16 grams of oxycodone, roughly 3 grams of cannabis, $26,490 in cash and several pieces of jewelry, including items bearing the initials “SG,” which investigators associated with Kodak Black’s “Sniper Gang” brand. Authorities also recovered keys to luxury vehicles, including a Rolls-Royce and Bentley, from the SUV’s trunk.

Investigators said Henley’s physical appearance differed significantly from Kodak’s description earlier in the day and argued in the affidavit that the rapper intentionally transferred possession of the vehicle in an effort to evade law enforcement. The affidavit also notes Kodak’s prior Broward County arrests involving narcotics-related charges between 2022 and 2024.

Kodak’s arrest comes a week after he was arrested in central Florida on a drug trafficking charge, stemming from a 2025 investigation.

Kodak was initially being held at the Broward County Main Jail, but he was released Friday afternoon after posting a $3,500 bond.

He did not speak with reporters and used an umbrella to shield himself from cameras as he made his way to an awaiting vehicle with others.

In bond court earlier in the day, the judge ordered that he not possess any firearms, weapons or ammunition as he awaits trial.

According to a complaint unsealed Friday in federal court in Manhattan, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi sought to attack a New York City synagogue last month and provided an undercover law enforcement officer with photos and maps of Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, that he planned to target.

He is also accused of involvement in two recent attacks in Canada: an attack on a synagogue and a shooting at the U.S. consulate in Toronto in March.

Al-Saadi is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militant group, and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, both of which have been designated by the U.S. government as foreign terrorist organizations.

He is also charged with conspiring and providing material support for acts of terrorism and conspiring to bomb a place of public use.

Al-Saadi did not speak at his initial court appearance, but through his lawyer claimed that he is a political prisoner and a prisoner of war and that he is being persecuted by U.S. authorities for his relationship with Qasem Soleimani, the Revolutionary Guard leader who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in 2020.

Al-Saadi was not required to enter a plea. He will remain jailed but could ask for bail in the future.

Al-Saadi’s lawyer, Andrew Dalack, said Al-Saadi was arrested in Turkey and turned over to U.S. authorities. Al-Saadi has been kept in solitary confinement since he was brought to a federal jail in Brooklyn on Thursday night, Dalack said.

The leaders of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap were invited to testify next month before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a committee spokesperson confirmed Friday.

The hearing comes at an inflection point for social media as court cases, proposed legislation and increased advocacy place mounting pressure on the tech companies behind these platforms to protect children and teens who use them by making material changes to how they operate.

“Americans are realizing more and more every day that they cannot trust the CEOs at the helms of these companies because they do not put our safety first,” said Sacha Haworth, executive director of watchdog group The Tech Oversight Project. “If it feels like the pace is accelerating, it’s because it is.”

The CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies were last called to testify before the same committee in January 2024, when lawmakers grilled them on questions about the exploitation of children on their platforms and social media's effects on young people’s lives.

The June 23 hearing is titled “Examining Tech Industry Practices and the Implications for Users and Families: Is This Social Media’s Big Tobacco Moment?” The executives were invited by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican and the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sundar Pichai of Alphabet and Google, which owns YouTube, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok and Evan Spiegel of Snap received the invitations for the upcoming hearing. Meta declined to comment. Representatives from the other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In a hearing on Wednesday held by the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, senators heard from advocates and experts on children’s social media use, including parents who have lost their children to social media-related harms.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. said at the hearing, “I think it’s time for us, on a bipartisan basis, to call these CEOs back and to ask them what’s happened in two years, to talk to them about the losses that have occurred and ask them what they’re doing.”

Social media companies have disputed allegations that they harm children’s mental health through deliberate design choices that addict kids to their platforms and fail to protect them from sexual predators and dangerous content. This year, several state and federal court cases are heading to trial, and while the details of each case vary, they are seeking to hold companies responsible for what happens on their platforms.

Two court case verdicts that came days apart in March held social media companies, and Meta in particular, accountable for harm to children using its services. A California jury determined that both Meta and YouTube designed their platforms to hook young users without concern for their well-being. TikTok and Snap were also named defendants in that case, but they settled before the trial began.

The day before the California verdict was reached, a New Mexico jury determined that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

The date of the hearing has significance for advocates. In 2024, Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a resolution to designate June 23 as Social Media Harms Victim Remembrance Day. The resolution encouraged the “government, industry and community stakeholders to take action to prevent social media-related harm.”

The remembrance day was put forward by families who trace the death of their children to social media harms. The mothers of Carson Bride and Alexander Neville, who both died on June 23, lead the initiative. Carson died by suicide at age 16 after severe cyberbullying and Alex was 14 when a drug dealer connected with him on Snapchat and sold him the pill that killed him.

On Thursday, the NFL released the full 2026 schedule, including dates and times, for all 32 teams across the league.

Miami will host eight regular season games at Hard Rock Stadium and will play nine road contests in 2026.

The Dolphins’ social media team announced the official schedule release in a video posted on X, featuring rapper Rick Ross.

Mr. Ross wants to see you.

The 2026-27 schedule is here 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/Qa3nRDQ57F

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) May 14, 2026

The Dolphins will begin their first season under head coach Jeff Hafley on Sept. 13 against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium at 4:25 p.m. ET.

It remains to be seen whether the Dolphins will face rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who grew up in Miami and was selected No. 1 overall in April’s draft.

Following the Raiders, the Dolphins will remain on the West Coast and visit Levi’s Stadium to play the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 20 at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Miami’s home opener at Hard Rock Stadium will be Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET against the Kansas City Chiefs, highlighted by three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes continues to rehab from a torn ACL in his left knee late last season, but the expectation is that he will be ready for Week 1.

The Dolphins will have an early bye week in 2026, with their off week falling on Oct. 18, one week after they host Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals at Hard Rock Stadium.

Miami is one of five teams to not have a primetime game in 2026, joining the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Raiders, and Tennessee Titans.

The Dolphins also announced their three opponents for the preseason schedule.

Miami will travel to Washington on Friday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. ET before hosting the New York Giants on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 4 p.m., and the Atlanta Falcons on Friday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.

Fans can visit Dolphins.com and Ticketmaster.com/Dolphins to purchase single-game tickets, which are now on sale.

Here is the full Dolphins 2026 schedule:

• Week 1 at Las Vegas, Sept. 13, 4:25 p.m. ET

• Week 2 at San Francisco, Sept. 20, 4:25 p.m. ET

• Week 3 vs. Kansas City, Sept. 27, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 4 at Minnesota, Oct. 4, 4:05 p.m. ET

• Week 5 vs. Cincinnati, Oct. 11, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 6 Bye, Oct. 18

• Week 7 at New York Jets, Oct. 25, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 8 vs. New England, Nov. 1, 4:25 p.m. ET

• Week 9 vs. Detroit, Nov. 8, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 10 at Indianapolis, Nov. 15, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 11 at Buffalo, Nov. 22, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 12 vs. New York Jets, Nov. 29, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 13 at Denver, Dec. 6, 4:05 p.m. ET

• Week 14 vs. Chicago, Dec. 13, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 15 at Green Bay, Dec. 20, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 16 vs. Los Angeles Chargers, Dec. 27, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 17 vs. Buffalo, Jan. 3, 2027, 1 p.m. ET

• Week 18 at New England, (TBD Flex Game)

Quick nuggets on Dolphins 2026 schedule:

• It will be the third time in franchise history that the Dolphins play the Raiders to start a season (1966, 1975), including Miami’s first game as a franchise in 1966.

• Overall, the Dolphins will play nine games against seven different playoff teams from 2025, which is tied for the third most in the NFL behind the Denver Broncos (10) and Seattle Seahawks (10).

• The Dolphins will play five of their nine games against 2025 playoff teams on the road.

• Former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel returns to Hard Rock Stadium in Week 16 on Dec. 27 at 1 p.m. ET.

• Former Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returns to Hard Rock Stadium for the final exhibition game on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. ET.

• Hafley, Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and quarterback Malik Willis return to Lambeau Field in Week 15, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. ET.

Los registros de la cárcel en línea muestran que Kodak, cuyo nombre real es Bill Kapri, fue arrestado el jueves por cargos de intentar huir o evadir a las autoridades y resistirse a un agente sin violencia.

El arresto de Kodak ocurre una semana después de que fuera arrestado en el centro de Florida por un cargo de tráfico de drogas relacionado con una investigación de 2025.

No está claro por qué presuntamente huyó de las autoridades en Broward, pero Local 10 News solicitó una copia de su informe de arresto.

En el caso del centro de Florida, Kodak, de 28 años, enfrenta un cargo grave de tráfico de MDMA.

El arresto se deriva de una investigación de noviembre de 2025 realizada por la policía de Orlando después de que agentes respondieran a reportes de disparos cerca de Children’s Safety Village en Fairvilla Road en Orlando.

Según la orden judicial, los agentes llegaron y encontraron a varias personas reunidas alrededor de dos vehículos, incluyendo una SUV BMW y una SUV Lamborghini.

La policía indicó que los agentes percibieron olor a cannabis quemado proveniente de la BMW y realizaron una búsqueda del vehículo, donde encontraron cannabis y una pastilla rosada que dio positivo para MDMA. Durante la investigación, Kodak, de 28 años, quien actualmente vive en Fort Lauderdale, se acercó a los agentes y observó la búsqueda, según la orden judicial.

Los investigadores luego registraron la SUV Lamborghini y reportaron haber encontrado presuntos narcóticos, dinero en efectivo y armas de fuego dentro del vehículo.

Según la orden judicial, los agentes descubrieron una bolsa rosada que contenía una sustancia identificada posteriormente por el Departamento de Cumplimiento de la Ley de Florida (FDLE) como MDMA, junto con aproximadamente $37,000 USD en efectivo y documentos con el nombre de Kodak.

La orden judicial establece que los investigadores también compararon artículos encontrados dentro del vehículo, incluyendo una bolsa y un encendedor, con imágenes publicadas en las cuentas de Instagram de Kodak.

Las autoridades dijeron que funcionarios del FDLE confirmaron posteriormente que la sustancia recuperada de la bolsa era MDMA, con un peso aproximado de 25 gramos.

El rapero y otras personas en la escena negaron que la bolsa les perteneciera, sin embargo, cuando se le informó que había dinero dentro de la bolsa, Kodak intentó en múltiples ocasiones que los agentes le entregaran el efectivo, afirmando que pertenecía a su negocio, según la orden judicial.

Con base en la investigación, la policía de Orlando solicitó una orden judicial acusando a Kodak de tráfico de MDMA entre 14 y 200 gramos.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, Kodak permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal del condado Broward.

Más tarde en la mañana compareció ante un juez, quien ordenó que permaneciera detenido con una fianza de $3,500 USD. Si paga la fianza, no podrá poseer armas de fuego, armas ni municiones.

La portavoz de Miami Beach, Melissa Berthier, confirmó que la rotura ocurrió alrededor de las 3 a.m. cerca de Prairie Avenue y Dade Boulevard, al norte del centro de convenciones.

Sky 10 sobrevoló la escena alrededor de las 10:40 a.m., donde se observó a trabajadores removiendo el pavimento para acceder a la tubería principal mientras el tráfico pesado se acumulaba en el área.

Indicaron que solo un edificio residencial fue colocado bajo aviso de hervir el agua, mientras que el servicio en las áreas circundantes permaneció sin afectaciones.

Los funcionarios también exhortaron a los conductores a evitar la intersección mientras avanzan los trabajos de reparación.

Indicaron que se esperaba que las reparaciones concluyeran antes de finalizar el viernes.

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Local 10 News spoke with the Democratic congresswoman from South Florida on Friday at an event for the 5000 Role Models of Excellence project at Jungle Island in Miami.

Wilson, 83, had sparked concerns about her health after being absent in Washington for a full month, missing more than 40 votes on the House floor.

“(He said,) ‘You take care of everyone, but you’ve got to take care of yourself this time.’ So I’ve been postponing and postponing and postponing, and then I said, ‘stop.’ He said ‘Stop, we have to do this,’” the congresswoman said.

Wilson, who said she has stitches on her eye from the surgery, said she still needs to be cleared by her doctor, but hopes to return to the nation’s capital next Wednesday.

Local 10 News habló con la congresista demócrata del sur de Florida el viernes durante un evento del proyecto 5000 Role Models of Excellence en Jungle Island, en Miami.

Wilson, de 83 años, generó preocupación sobre su salud después de estar ausente en Washington durante un mes completo, perdiéndose más de 40 votaciones en la Cámara.

“(Él dijo,) ‘Tú cuidas de todos, pero esta vez tienes que cuidarte tú’. Así que seguí posponiendo y posponiendo y posponiendo, y luego dije: ‘basta’. Él dijo: ‘Basta, tenemos que hacer esto’”, dijo la congresista.

Wilson, quien dijo que tiene puntos de sutura en el ojo debido a la cirugía, señaló que todavía necesita recibir autorización de su médico, pero espera regresar a la capital del país el próximo miércoles.

The limits on “ assault firearms,” as they are described by the legislation, are among two dozen new restrictions and regulations on guns enacted by the Democratic governor in her first few months in office. That marks a sharp policy reversal from her Republican predecessor, who had vetoed many similar measures.

“Firearms designed to inflict maximum casualties do not belong on our streets," Spanberger said in a statement Friday. "We are taking this step to protect families and support the law enforcement officers who work every day to keep our communities safe.”

The new gun restrictions move Virginia closer to the likes of California, Illinois and New York, which similarly have full Democratic control of their legislatures and governors' offices. They also highlight a continued national divide on gun policy, as various Republican-led states have taken steps to relax firearm restrictions that they describe as an infringement on Second Amendment rights.

A dozen states now target semi-automatic firearms

The new Virginia law, which takes effect July 1, will make it a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine, for people to buy, sell, transfer, import or manufacture an “assault firearm.”

The measure defines that term to include semi-automatic rifles or pistols with a magazine capacity of more than 15 rounds. It also includes firearms with other characteristics, such as rifles capable of accepting a detachable magazine that have a second handgrip or a collapsible stock. The prohibition also applies to magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds. For most people, there’s no penalty for merely possessing such weapons.

Eleven other states and Washington, D.C., already have laws prohibiting the sale an manufacture of certain semi-automatic firearms, though the details vary. Hawaii, for example, prohibits certain semi-automatic pistols and high-capacity magazines, but not semi-automatic rifles.

Gun-rights groups challenge the Virginia law

Legal challenges came swiftly after Spanberger signed the legislation Thursday. The National Rifle Association, joined by other groups, sued in both federal and state court, asserting violations of the right to bear arms.

“The firearms and magazines banned in this law aren’t bizarre and unusual outliers, they’re among the most commonly owned guns and magazines in the country," said Adam Kraut, executive director of the Second Amendment Foundation, which joined the NRA in the federal lawsuit. “They’re owned in the tens of millions by peaceable Americans who use them overwhelmingly lawfully.”

The U.S. Department of Justice also vowed to sue to block the Virginia law from being enforced.

The Virginia measure would “infringe on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens to enjoy and use AR-15 rifles for lawful purposes by making it a crime to purchase and sell them,” Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the department’s civil rights division, wrote in an April letter to Spanberger.

Courts have upheld other bans on semi-automatic weapons

So far, laws restricting certain semi-automatic firearms generally have been upheld, including by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Virginia, Maryland and several additional states.

That appellate court twice upheld a Maryland law banning dozens of types of semi-automatic weapons, describing them a 2024 ruling as “military-style weapons" that are ill-suited for self-defense. It concluded that “the Maryland law fits comfortably within our nation’s tradition of firearms regulation.”

The U.S. Supreme Court last year declined to hear a challenge in that Maryland case. But gun-rights advocates remain hopeful of a different outcome in future cases, noting that three conservative justices on the nine-member court disagreed with the decision and a fourth expressed skepticism that such firearm bans are constitutional.

A change in governor leads to a change in laws

Former Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation each of the past two years that would have prohibited the sale of certain semi-automatic firearms.

But Youngkin's term ended in January, and he was succeeded by Spanberger. The transition presented a huge opportunity for advocates of gun restrictions, who already had support within the Democratic-led Legislature.

Spanberger, a former CIA officer and U.S. House member, had previously been a volunteer with Moms Demand Action, a group founded after a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut claimed the lives of 26 people in 2012. The group lists 20% of the Democrats in the Virginia House as its past volunteers.

"The fact that a former Moms Demand Action volunteer just signed an assault weapons ban in the home state of the NRA speaks volumes about how dramatically the political calculus around gun safety has shifted,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, the umbrella organization for Moms Demand Action..

Republican states act to expand gun rights

While Virginia tightens gun regulations, many Republican-led states have been expanding gun rights.

On the same day Spanberger signed the semi-automatic firearm restrictions, Missouri's Republican-led Legislature gave final approval to legislation creating a school ranger program that could let trained volunteers carry firearms in schools.

A law signed by Spanberger last month raised the age to purchase a handgun in Virginia from 18 to 21. By contrast, Republican West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a law last month lowering the age from 21 to 18 for carrying concealed guns without a state permit.

Yet another law signed by Spanberger last month opens new grounds for lawsuits against the firearms industry. That came shortly after Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a law limiting liability lawsuits against the firearms industry.

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Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier confirmed that the water main break happened around 3 a.m. at the intersection of Prairie Avenue and Dade Boulevard, north of the convention center.

Sky 10 flew over the scene around 10:40 a.m., where workers were seen digging up pavement to get to the water main as heavy traffic backed up in the area.

Berthier said only one residential building was placed under a boil water notice, while service in surrounding areas remained otherwise unaffected.

Berthier also confirmed that public works crews are “actively making repairs, which requires excavating a section of the roadway,” and said there is no sinkhole in the area.

Officials also urged drivers to avoid the intersection as repair work gets underway.

They said repairs were expected to be completed by the end of the day Friday.

“I really felt like my body was in a state of convulsion,” says Schoenbrun.

The day after the premiere of “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” a bold, bloody queer slasher film starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson, Schoenbrun and their co-stars were still buzzing from the ecstatic response. The movie, one of the most prominent American films in Cannes this year, gave the festival a gonzo jolt.

For Schoenbrun, the leading trans filmmaker of their generation, the film extends their intensely personal exploration of gender and the movies that defined their youth. But their first two films — 2024’s “I Saw the TV Glow” and 2021’s “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” — were the raw, burning products of Schoenbrun’s transition. “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” drawn from Schoenbrun’s happy, exploratory post-transition life, isn’t that.

It’s about desire and sex. It’s a biting satire of reboot-mad Hollywood. It’s a schlocky and subversive slasher movie homage. It’s a lot of fun, and quite tender, even when bodies are blood-spurting geysers.

“This is the first movie that feels like it represents the fullness of who I am,” Schoenbrun says.

But Wednesday's moment of triumph in Cannes was hard-won. Ten years ago, Schoenbrun, now 39, was working in the film industry in a job they hated.

“The first time I came here, I just felt like, ‘Oh my, god. I can’t believe I’m in Cannes.’ I went to, like, ‘The Lobster,’ at the Palais in my boy tux. I was like: ‘This is it. I’ve done it,’” says Schoenbrun. “Then the next year I came back and I was so depressed. I decided to quit my job. If I’m depressed at Cannes, there’s something that needs to change. I know I want to be here but I need a better reason to be here.”

They pause and then smile. “I just can’t believe that it ended up working out.”

Einbinder (“Hacks”) plays Kris, an indie filmmaker hired to direct a reboot of “Camp Miasma,” a decades-spanning slasher series. Studio executives are looking for a fresh origin story. For Kris, it’s a dream job. Since seeing the first movie on VHS as an 8-year-old, she’s been obsessed with the movies.

While visiting the iconic camp of the film, she encounters Billy Presley (Anderson), the Final Girl from the first movie. Their unfolding relationship opens up both inspiration for the movie Kris (but not executives) wants to make, as well as her own sexual anxieties.

“I wanted to be part of a thing that I thought would be important to exist in the world,” says Anderson. “This film is really important and I think it’s going to rectify a lot of things.”

The film industry satire of “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” has some real-world echoes. Even though “TV Glow,” released by A24, was an indie event, Schoenbrun’s third film was turned down everywhere but Mubi, which releases it Aug. 7.

“It was kind of shocking to me that it was just pass after pass after pass,” Schoenbrun says. “You don’t know, in the way you never know as a trans person. You’re like: ‘Maybe there’s something about my otherness that you’re not into.’ Hollywood can feel like a mafia. I think it was a f---ing shame.”

For Schoenbrun, the kind of cultural assumptions about what’s mainstream can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Your movie is not commercial because they think it’s not commercial,” they say, citing the white men who dominate Hollywood executive ranks. “We’re in such a bled-dry moment. You can really feel it with the s--- that’s coming out.”

Einbinder, starring in her first film, was drawn to the deeply felt nature of Schoenbrun’s work.

“There is fiction around it, but Jane is a personal filmmaker and these movies are allegorical to their experience in many ways,” she says. “That affected me.”

Schoenbrun was determined to make it, regardless. “How much did they make the original ‘Friday the 13th’ for?” they asked. Remaining resolute was the key, just as it was for Schoenbrun in writing a soon-to-be-released 600-page fantasy novel — just as it was in changing their fate in Cannes 10 years ago.

“My movies are obsessed with this idea of what it takes to make something real,” says Schoenbrun. “I have a tattoo to make sure I wrote my book that says ‘Make it real.’ This is very much an ideology: We can remake ourselves and the world around us.”

El reporte surgió el mismo día en que el director de la CIA, John Ratcliffe, y otros delegados del gobierno de Estados Unidos viajaron a Cuba para una reunión de alto nivel con funcionarios cubanos.

Fotos publicadas en la cuenta de X de la CIA mostraron a Ratcliffe reunido con funcionarios cubanos durante la visita. Las autoridades cubanas dijeron que aceptaron la reunión para asegurar a los líderes estadounidenses que Cuba no representa una amenaza para Estados Unidos.

Para muchos en la comunidad cubana exiliada del sur de Florida, la presunta acusación representa un paso esperado desde hace mucho tiempo hacia la rendición de cuentas por el ataque de 1996, que mató a cuatro miembros de la organización humanitaria Hermanos al Rescate, con sede en Miami, después de que aviones militares cubanos derribaran dos aeronaves civiles sobre aguas internacionales.

“Ese es un buen paso, pero al mismo tiempo no concuerda políticamente que estén tratando de relacionarse con un régimen mientras intentan acusar a su líder”, dijo el exiliado cubano Ramón Saúl Sánchez.

Sánchez también pidió cautela hasta que surjan más detalles sobre las conversaciones de la delegación estadounidense con funcionarios cubanos.

“Hasta que conozcamos todos los detalles de la reunión, qué se propuso al régimen, qué respondieron, no podemos decir categóricamente que esto será bueno”, dijo Sánchez.

El acercamiento diplomático ocurre en medio de continuas tensiones entre Washington y La Habana. El secretario de Estado Marco Rubio acusó recientemente al gobierno cubano de bloquear esfuerzos de ayuda humanitaria.

“Hemos ofrecido distribuir $100,000,000 USD en ayuda humanitaria al pueblo a través de la iglesia y el régimen lo ha rechazado”, dijo Rubio en una entrevista reciente con Fox News.

El presidente cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel respondió diciendo que Cuba no rechazaría asistencia humanitaria legítima de Estados Unidos.

“Si realmente existe disposición por parte del gobierno de Estados Unidos de brindar ayuda en las cantidades que anuncia, no encontrará obstáculos ni ingratitud por parte de Cuba”, dijo Díaz-Canel.

Los acontecimientos también se desarrollan mientras Cuba enfrenta una creciente crisis económica y energética. Residentes en toda la isla continúan soportando apagones generalizados y escasez de combustible, lo que ha provocado nuevas protestas en varias comunidades.

El ministro de Energía y Minas de Cuba advirtió que las reservas de combustible del país casi han desaparecido.

“Petróleo crudo, fueloil, del cual no tenemos absolutamente nada; diésel, del cual no tenemos absolutamente nada”, dijo el ministro en declaraciones traducidas del español. “Lo único que tenemos es gas de nuestros pozos”.

Funcionarios cubanos dijeron que un envío de petróleo enviado por Rusia el mes pasado fue el único gran alivio de combustible de la isla desde enero, pero esas reservas ya se agotaron.

El evento está programado para comenzar a las 11 a.m., según información divulgada por la oficina del gobernador.

No se divulgaron de inmediato detalles adicionales sobre el tema o los temas de la conferencia de prensa.

Esta historia será actualizada. Vea Local 10 o actualice la página para obtener la información más reciente.

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The 20-year-old, known for promoting the controversial practice of “looksmaxxing,” had been charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm on April 29.

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Eric Peters, was seen in the video opening fire at the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area on March 26.

Peters was joined by co-defendant Andrew Morales in pleading no contest to the misdemeanor. Morales, 22, is better known as fellow influencer “Cuban Tarzan.”

Peters’ plea comes as part of a deal with Miami-Dade prosecutors.

Under the terms of the deal, Peters and Morales must complete 20 hours of community service ― which they can’t stream ― and take a wildlife safety course from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

If they violate the terms of their agreements, they could spend up to a year behind bars.

Neither Peters nor Morales had any comment after Friday’s court appearance.

Peters’ attorney, Jeffrey Neiman, said in a statement that his client has “accepted responsibility for his conduct and reached a resolution that appropriately reflects the circumstances of this incident.”

“Importantly, no individual was injured, and the alligator involved was already deceased prior to the events at issue. As part of the resolution, Braden will complete a firearms safety course, and adjudication has been withheld,” the statement reads. “He is committed to moving forward responsibly and ensuring nothing like this occurs again. We appreciate the professionalism of the State and the Court in resolving this matter.”

The alligator shooting charges came as part of a spate of publicized personal and legal troubles for Peters, which included an arrest in Fort Lauderdale on the same day as the Everglades incident and an apparent livestreamed drug overdose in Miami.

El joven de 20 años, conocido por promover la controversial práctica del “looksmaxxing”, había sido acusado de disparo ilegal de arma de fuego el 29 de abril.

Clavicular, cuyo nombre real es Braden Eric Peters, fue visto en el video disparando en el Área de Manejo de Vida Silvestre Everglades y Francis S. Taylor el 26 de marzo.

Peters estuvo acompañado por el coacusado Andrew Morales al declararse no culpable del delito menor. Morales, de 22 años, es mejor conocido como el también influencer “Cuban Tarzan”.

La declaración de Peters forma parte de un acuerdo con los fiscales de Miami-Dade.

Según los términos del acuerdo, Peters y Morales deberán completar 20 horas de servicio comunitario, las cuales no podrán transmitir en vivo, y tomar un curso de seguridad de vida silvestre de la Comisión de Conservación de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de Florida.

Si violan los términos de sus acuerdos, podrían pasar hasta un año en prisión.

Ni Peters ni Morales hicieron comentarios después de la comparecencia en corte del viernes.

El abogado de Peters, Jeffrey Neiman, dijo en un comunicado que su cliente “ha aceptado responsabilidad por su conducta y alcanzó una resolución que refleja apropiadamente las circunstancias de este incidente”.

“Es importante destacar que ninguna persona resultó herida y el caimán involucrado ya estaba muerto antes de los hechos en cuestión. Como parte de la resolución, Braden completará un curso de seguridad de armas de fuego y la adjudicación fue retenida”, señala el comunicado. “Está comprometido a avanzar de manera responsable y garantizar que algo así no vuelva a ocurrir. Agradecemos el profesionalismo del Estado y de la Corte para resolver este asunto”.

Los cargos por dispararle al caimán surgieron en medio de una serie de problemas personales y legales divulgados públicamente relacionados con Peters, que incluyeron un arresto en Fort Lauderdale el mismo día del incidente en los Everglades y una aparente sobredosis de drogas transmitida en vivo en Miami.

While the former Hollywood mogul has been convicted of other sex crimes on two U.S. coasts and remains behind bars, the mistrial leaves the New York rape charge in limbo after three trials. Weinstein appeared expressionless as court officers ushered him out in his wheelchair.

A majority-male Manhattan jury had been weighing whether Weinstein raped Jessica Mann, a hairstylist and actor. Weinstein’s lawyers argued that the encounter was consensual. It happened in 2013 during a fraught relationship between the then-married Weinstein and the decades-younger Mann.

The signs of Friday's stalemate emerged a few hours into the third day of deliberations, when jurors sent a note in the morning saying they “have concluded that they cannot reach” a unanimous verdict. Judge Curtis Farber instructed them to continue deliberating, a common step when a jury initially says it's stuck.

Jurors returned to their closed-door discussions for more than an hour before sending another note with the same message, adding: “We feel that no one is going to change where they stand.”

One juror, Josh Hadar, told reporters that nine people wanted to acquit Weinstein and three wanted to convict him.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo called it “a great day for our jury system.”

No immediate decision about a fourth trial

A hearing was set for June 24 to learn whether prosecutors will choose to go to a fourth trial. District Attorney Alvin Bragg said he was disappointed with the result but “we deeply respect the jury system.”

Bragg said his staff will consult Mann about another trial and also take into account what happens to Weinstein when he's sentenced in another case. Mann was not in court when the mistrial was declared.

As an Oscar-winning movie producer and studio boss, Weinstein was one of Hollywood’s most powerful figures and a significant Democratic donor before the long-suppressed sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations against him cascaded into public view in 2017. The revelations galvanized the #MeToo movement ’s demands for accountability for sexual misconduct, made Weinstein a pariah, bankrupted the studio and ultimately led to criminal charges against him in New York and Los Angeles.

He was convicted of some and acquitted of others. Yet Mann’s allegation lingered. Weinstein was convicted of the charge in 2020. Then an appeals court overturned that verdict, and jury deliberations broke down at a 2025 retrial. That paved the way for this year’s retrial.

Weinstein has said he was unfaithful to his then-wife and “acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone.”

Jury heard from Weinstein's accuser

Mann, now 40, met Weinstein at a Los Angeles party in early 2013, when she hoped to build a handful of acting credits into a big career. He took interest and soon showed that it wasn’t purely professional.

She said his initial, pushy overtures discomfited her, but she acceded to them and decided to develop a relationship with him.

She was staying with a friend at a Manhattan hotel in March 2013 when Weinstein showed up early for a planned breakfast and got a room over her objections, Mann testified. She said she accompanied Weinstein to the room to talk and made it clear she didn’t want sex.

“I said ‘no,’ over and over, and I tried to leave,” she told jurors during five days of intense testimony.

She said that Weinstein blocked her from leaving and grabbed her arms. Scared, she gave up protesting, complied with his demands to undress, and laid on a bed while he went into a bathroom, she told jurors. Then, Mann said, he raped her.

Mann told no one for years about the alleged rape. Nor did she mention it in her introspective, private writing two days later. In a note to herself, she grappled with conflicted feelings about becoming “emotionally attached” in a nonexclusive relationship with a man she didn’t name.

After Weinstein’s new lawyers confronted Mann with the note, she said she hadn’t needed to write down the allegation.

The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they choose to make their names public, as Mann has done.

Weinstein defense: Mann was supportive

Weinstein didn’t testify. In his lawyers’ telling, Mann was a willing partner in a close, supportive relationship with a show-business insider who opened doors for her, but she turned on him once he became an outcast.

In the months and years after the New York encounter, Mann kept seeing and communicating with Weinstein.

At times, she pulled away to pursue and preserve a relationship with a new boyfriend, according to her emails and testimony. At other times, she turned back to Weinstein, who validated her acting dreams, told her he was proud of her and responded caringly when her father was terminally ill.

“I love u. Anything u need,” Weinstein wrote.

Over the years, he helped Mann land a movie audition — it went nowhere — and a hairstyling job. She asked him for help with such things as a car problem and a club membership, though she declined a package his office tried to send in summer 2013, when she couldn’t make rent. Mann said she understood the envelope contained $1,000 in cash.

In one of her last emails to Weinstein, in February 2017, she wrote: “I love you, always do. But I hate feeling like a booty call.” When he responded by suggesting she was “joking” and should stop using his company email, she said it was a joke and apologized.

Eight months later, she saw the news reports that propelled his downfall and ultimately prompted her to go to police.

Mann never sued Weinstein, but after his 2020 conviction, she filed for and got about $500,000 from a sexual misconduct settlement fund set up during his company’s bankruptcy. The payout was mentioned at last year’s retrial, but the defense didn’t raise it this time after extensive arguments about what could and couldn’t be said.

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DeSantis, who spoke in front of a wall graphic that said “Supporting Safe Schools” signed House Bill 757, a school safety measure that expands Florida’s school guardian program and increases penalties related to gun offenses near schools.

The measure “requires sheriffs to assist public postsecondary educational institutions in implementing guardian programs,” and allows colleges and universities to participate in the program, according to the Florida Senate website. It also directs sheriffs to establish or coordinate guardian training programs under certain conditions.

It states the legislation further “creates a new offense” for discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school and requires individuals arrested for certain offenses to remain in custody until they appear before a judge for bail consideration.

It also places the new offense on the state’s Criminal Punishment Code severity ranking chart and gives education boards authority to adopt related rules.

Elias Rodriguez faces federal hate crime and murder charges in the killings of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum last May. Rodriguez shouted “Free Palestine” during the shooting and later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to his indictment.

The charges against Rodriguez include a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which allows prosecutors to pursue the death penalty.

“My message to anyone who seeks to commit political violence in this district -- D.C. is not the place. You will be held accountable and you will face the full wrath of the law,” Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said at an unrelated news conference Friday in which she revealed the Justice Department’s death penalty decision.

The hate crimes charges mean prosecutors will have to prove that Rodriguez was motivated by antisemitism when he opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were about to become engaged. Milgrim, 26, was a U.S. citizen and Lischinsky, 30, was an Israeli citizen working in the U.S.

Prosecutors have described the killing as calculated and planned, saying Rodriguez flew to the Washington region from Chicago ahead of the May 21 event at the Capital Jewish Museum with a handgun in his checked luggage.

Witnesses described him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots. He appeared to reload before jogging off, officials have said.

After the shooting, authorities say Rodriguez went inside the museum and said, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” according to court documents. He also told detectives that he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, describing the man as “courageous” and a “martyr.”

In Friday's court filing, prosecutors said Rodriguez's actions were “motivated by political, ideological, national, and religious bias, contempt, and hatred.” He “targeted individuals whom he perceived to have attended an event for young Jewish professionals ... to amplify the effect of his crimes,” they wrote.

Attorneys for Rodriguez didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Several weeks before Friday's announcement, defense attorneys had a meeting with Justice Department officials where they could present evidence that they believe would weigh against seeking the death penalty in the case.

The next court appearance for Rodriguez is set for June 30. A trial date hasn't been scheduled yet.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

The National Transportation Safety Board was leading the review in Akron, alongside the Federal Aviation Administration and Ohio State Highway Patrol, officials said.

The white and blue Piper PA-28-180 took off from Akron Fulton Airport at around 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, according to flight logs, staying aloft for about an hour before crashing into a residential area of the city and catching fire.

Dark black smoke could be seen towering into the air near the crash, which was first reported by witnesses at the nearby Firestone Country Club.

The house that was hit, and a second home, had to be evacuated due to the fire, according to the Akron Fire Department. No one inside the homes, nor any bystanders, were injured.

The Summit County Medical Examiner’s office said Friday that authorities had yet to identify the bodies of the two people who were killed or to notify their families.

The Highway Patrol said in a statement that investigators were continuing to review flight data, witness statements, and aircraft records to determine what happened. The NTSB has scheduled an update for Friday afternoon.

The nearby American Winds College of Aeronautics alerted staff, students and families on Facebook late Wednesday that all of its airplanes were safe. Denise Hobart, of the North East Ohio Pilots Association, said on behalf of the school that they were praying for the pilot, anyone on board and their families.

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The report surfaced the same day CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other U.S. government delegates traveled to Cuba for a high-level meeting with Cuban officials.

Photos posted on the CIA’s X account showed Ratcliffe meeting with Cuban officials during the visit. Cuban authorities said they agreed to the meeting to reassure U.S. leaders that Cuba does not pose a threat to the United States.

For many in South Florida’s Cuban exile community, the reported indictment represents a long-awaited step toward accountability for the 1996 attack, which killed four members of the Miami-based humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue after Cuban military jets shot down two civilian aircraft over international waters.

“That’s a good step, but at the same time it doesn’t reconcile politically speaking that they are trying to engage with a regime at the same time that they are trying to indict their leader,” Cuban exile Ramon Saul Sanchez said.

Sanchez also urged caution until more details emerge about the U.S. delegation’s discussions with Cuban officials.

“Until we know all the details about the meeting, what was proposed to the given regime, what they answered -- we cannot categorically say this is going to be good,” Sanchez said.

The diplomatic outreach comes amid continued tension between Washington and Havana. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently accused the Cuban government of blocking humanitarian aid efforts.

“We’ve offered to distribute $100 million of humanitarian aid to the people through the church and the regime has denied it,” Rubio said in a recent interview with Fox News.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel responded by saying Cuba would not reject legitimate humanitarian assistance from the United States.

“If there is truly a willingness on the part of the United States government to provide aid in the amounts it announces, it will encounter no obstacles or ingratitude from Cuba,” Díaz-Canel said.

The developments also unfold as Cuba faces deepening economic and energy crises. Residents across the island continue to endure widespread blackouts and fuel shortages, prompting renewed protests in several communities.

Cuba’s Minister of Energy and Mining warned the country’s fuel reserves have nearly disappeared.

“Crude oil, fuel oil, of which we have absolutely none; diesel, of which we have absolutely none,” the minister said in remarks translated from Spanish. “The only thing we have is gas from our wells.”

Cuban officials said an oil shipment sent by Russia last month was the island’s only major fuel lifeline since January, but those reserves have now run out.

There are 25 languages, from Albanian to Ukrainian, sung onstage this year at the sequin-drenched international music competition, which reaches its finale in Vienna on Saturday. Eurovision performers increasingly want to share their mother tongues with the world.

“It’s easier to talk about your feelings in your native language,” said singer Pete Parkkonen, half of the Finnish duo who are oddsmakers’ favorite to win with scorching voice-violin duet “Liekinheitin,” or “Flamethrower.”

“And the main language is love, obviously," he said.

Eurovision once mandated that acts perform in an official language of their country, but since 1999 they have been able to choose any language. For many in the years that followed, English was an obvious choice for artists seeking an international audience.

Cultural anthropologist Andrew J. Green of King’s College London found that 20 of the 26 Eurovision winners between 1999 and 2024 were in English, but that the number of non-English songs has been growing in the past decade.

In 2016 there were only three songs with no English, and four in 2017. This year, contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union says there are 12 songs with no English, 16 entirely in English and seven that are multilingual.

The 35 acts competing at this year’s contest — 25 of whom made it through to the final — sing in languages including Spanish, German, Croatian, Azerbaijani, Latvian, Lithuanian and Romanian.

Eurovision fans around the world are learning, and singing, words like “Jalla” — a Cypriot term meaning “more,” and the name of the song by Cyprus’ contestant Antigoni — and “ferto,” or “bring it,” the title of Greek contestant Akylas’ infectiously catchy party rap song about overconsumption.

“It’s so important, because we’re all here to communicate our cultures, our languages, who we are," Akylas said.

“Bella,” by singer Aidan from Malta, mixes English and Maltese lyrics, to the delight of fans from the Mediterranean island nation.

Joseph Pace, who traveled to Vienna to cheer for Malta, said it’s “amazing” to hear fans from other countries try to sing along in Maltese.

“That we will listen to our language on an international stage, on a huge competition like this, it’s amazing,” he said.

Then there are the songs that mix multiple languages.

“Michelle,” the ballad by Israel’s Noam Bettan, has lyrics in Hebrew, French and English. Rapper Satoshi includes shout-outs in Romanian, English, Italian, French and more on raucous crowd-pleaser “Viva, Moldova.” Italian crooner Sal da Vinci sings in both Italian and the dialect of his native Naples on “Per Sempre,” his smooth-as-silk Eurovision entry.

Even the infamously monolingual U.K. is getting in on the act, showing Brits can count to three in German with “Eins, Zwei, Drei” by techno enthusiast Look Mum No Computer.

“People want Eurovision to be different from other song contests,” said Dean Vuletic, an academic expert on the contest's history. “They look for meaning in Eurovision because it is a showcase of cultural diversity.

“It’s countries competing against each other. And we want to see meaning in their entries. We want to see them say something about the countries and the cultures that they are representing.”

Some performers say it’s still useful to use English. Ukrainian singer Leléka usually performs only in her native language, but wanted her song “Ridnym” and its message of hope and renewal to reach the widest possible audience.

“It really has a very deep message that means the world to me, and I really want people to understand it,” she said.

___

Hilary Fox and Philipp Jenne in Vienna contributed to this story.

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The 39-weeks-pregnant victim told investigators that as Shelly Munoz Andino, 27, washed her front porch at their apartment building at 834 NW Fourth St. that evening, she asked her “to please stop spraying water because she is pregnant and did not want to slip and fall,” an arrest report states.

The report states that Munoz Andino kept spraying and the victim asked her mother to get a broom out to sweep away the water.

According to police, the three women got into an argument and Munoz Andino sprayed both with the hose. The report states that she then took out a pink can of pepper spray from a fanny pack and sprayed both women in the face, pushing the pregnant victim as well.

Authorities said the two women went back into their apartment and Munoz Andino followed, spraying “two additional victims” in the face with the pepper spray.

Police eventually responded and arrived to find the pregnant woman “crying,” saying she “had visible redness to her face.”

Medics treated the victims at the scene, police said.

Authorities said Munoz Andino claimed she used the pepper-spray in self-defense because one of the women had a broom.

Police arrested her on charges of aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, a second-degree felony, and three misdemeanor battery charges.

As of Friday, she was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $10,500 bond.

La víctima, embarazada de 39 semanas, dijo a los investigadores que mientras Shelly Munoz Andino, de 27 años, lavaba el porche delantero de su apartamento en el edificio ubicado en 834 NW Fourth St. esa noche, le pidió “que por favor dejara de rociar agua porque está embarazada y no quería resbalarse y caer”, según un informe de arresto.

El informe indica que Munoz Andino continuó rociando agua y la víctima pidió a su madre que sacara una escoba para barrer el agua.

Según la policía, las tres mujeres comenzaron a discutir y Munoz Andino roció a ambas con la manguera. El informe señala que luego sacó una lata rosada de gas pimienta de una riñonera y roció a ambas mujeres en el rostro, además de empujar a la víctima embarazada.

Las autoridades dijeron que las dos mujeres regresaron a su apartamento y Munoz Andino las siguió, rociando a “dos víctimas adicionales” en el rostro con el gas pimienta.

La policía finalmente respondió y encontró a la mujer embarazada “llorando” y con “enrojecimiento visible en el rostro”.

Paramédicos atendieron a las víctimas en la escena, informó la policía.

Las autoridades dijeron que Munoz Andino afirmó que utilizó el gas pimienta en defensa propia porque una de las mujeres tenía una escoba.

La policía la arrestó por cargos de agresión agravada contra una víctima embarazada, un delito grave de segundo grado, y tres cargos menores de agresión.

Hasta el viernes, permanecía detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza de $10,500 USD.

Sánchez —quien dijo a The Associated Press que el sombrero se lo prestó el encarcelado expresidente Pedro Castillo — ha reivindicado en su recorrido por el país su pacto político con el exmandatario (2021-2022), quien cumple una sentencia de 11 años por conspiración para rebelión. En su campaña ha asegurado que si llega al poder indultará a Castillo.

El candidato de Juntos por el Perú indicó que el sombrero es un símbolo del “Perú profundo” y aseguró que vestirlo le ha granjeado “el desprecio” de una pequeña élite.

Durante los comicios generales del 12 de abril Sánchez llevó un desayuno a Castillo a la cárcel para expresidentes donde está recluido desde el 7 de diciembre de 2022, cuando el entonces mandatario fue destituido y encarcelado tras intentar disolver el Parlamento. Una cuñada, una hermana y un sobrino de Castillo postularon para diputados, mientras un hermano busca ser senador, todos por el partido de Sánchez.

El candidato, que fue ministro de Comercio Exterior de Castillo, ha criticado al presidente del Banco Central, Julio Velarde, al asegurar que el buen desempeño macroeconómico no se refleja en beneficios para el 25,7% de pobres de Perú y afirma que buscará justicia para los 50 muertos en las protestas tras la destitución de Castillo, propuestas que le han sumado votos de las regiones más pobres, en especial de las zonas rurales.

En lo que se refiere a la alta criminalidad —la principal preocupación de los peruanos— Sánchez promete derogar un conjunto de leyes que a ojos de los expertos facilitan los hechos delictivos. También se comprometió a fortalecer a la policía de investigaciones para acabar con la extorsión, que se ha quintuplicado en cinco años, y frenar los asesinatos, que se han duplicado en el mismo periodo.

Durante su campaña dijo que planteará mejorar un contrato de concesión sobre el mayor yacimiento de gas local que, según sostiene, no beneficia a Perú. También impulsará la renegociación con China, el primer socio comercial de Perú, de los contratos en minas de cobre para añadir transferencia de tecnología. Al mismo tiempo, promete acercar a Perú a los bloques comerciales BRICS y Mercosur.

El candidato de 57 años, que estudió psicología en la Universidad Mayor de San Marcos, también promete elevar los sueldos a los 400.000 maestros de escuelas públicas y más de 100.000 policías.

Sánchez afirma que los grandes planes de inversión en la minería, estimados en 60.000 millones de dólares, son bienvenidos a condición de que no contaminen las aguas de zonas agrícolas. En contrapartida se ha comprometido a apoyar la pequeña minería local y crear un banco minero que comprará el oro que extraiga.

Fujimori, candidata de Fuerza Popular, encabezó la votación con 17,18%, al contabilizarse el 100% de las actas de los comicios del 12 de abril que publicó el viernes en su página de internet la Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales (ONPE). Sánchez, de Juntos por el Perú, quedó segundo con 12,03%.

Sin embargo, el Tribunal Electoral de Perú anunció que recién el domingo proclamará a los dos candidatos que irán a segunda vuelta.

Fujimori, hija del fallecido exmandatario Alberto Fujimori, llega por cuarta vez a un balotaje presidencial en Perú.

A sus 50 años, la ex primera dama durante el gobierno de su padre (1990-2000) y excongresista busca romper su racha de derrotas presentándose como la mejor opción para imponer orden en un país agobiado por la creciente delincuencia.

Sánchez, quien fue ministro del sentenciado expresidente Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), pasó a la segunda vuelta tras ganar votos de los Andes y la Amazonía con promesas que incluyen la renegociación de contratos de explotación de recursos naturales y el aumento del salario de los maestros.

El candidato, que tiene más seguidores en las regiones rurales del interior de Perú, portó durante la campaña el sombrero de paja y ala ancha que le regaló Castillo al visitarlo en la cárcel donde cumple una sentencia de 11 años por conspiración para la rebelión.

Más del 70% de los electores no votaron ni por Fujimori ni por Sánchez en la primera vuelta, por lo que ambos candidatos deberán formar coaliciones si desean triunfar en el balotaje.

Fujimori ganó en 10 regiones ubicadas principalmente en la costa del Pacífico y la Amazonía. Sánchez se impuso en 11 regiones, en especial en los Andes y las zonas rurales. Ninguno triunfó en Lima, donde se concentra un tercio de la población peruana.

Aunque el conteo de votos concluyó el viernes, desde hace semanas Fujimori y Sánchez se mostraban seguros de haber pasado al balotaje. La víspera, incluso, cruzaron declaraciones sobre los lugares donde deberían realizarse los debates previos al balotaje del 7 de junio.

El viernes, en su primera declaración tras el fin del conteo, Sánchez dijo que “los trabajadores tienen derecho a ser dueños, empresarios, con una visión nacionalista que genere empleo y desarrollo humano”.

Fujimori no ha hecho aún comentarios, pero el jueves prometió desde la región Lambayeque, en la costa del Pacífico, que su eventual gobierno coordinará “con los diferentes gobiernos regionales y locales, sin mirar los colores políticos”.

Perú sufre una larga crisis política que vio pasar a ocho presidentes en casi una década de enfrentamientos entre el Parlamento y el Ejecutivo y protestas sociales que dejaron 50 manifestantes muertos entre 2022 y 2023.

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Detectives arrested Janet Hernandez on Thursday after the woman’s son installed a Ring surveillance camera that recorded videos showing her carrying full garbage bags to her 2011 white Chevrolet SUV, according to the M-DSO deputy’s report.

“She was also captured taking a new generator, pottery, plates, cleaning items, and other random miscellaneous items from inside the residence and placing them inside her vehicle,” a deputy wrote, according to the report.

Hernandez, who was working for United Homecare at the victim’s home in Miami Lakes, published a video showing her wearing “a unique gold cross pendant that was also missing from the residence” on Facebook in March, according to the deputy’s report.

Hernandez faced charges of theft from the elderly and third-degree grand theft.

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

Los detectives arrestaron a Janet Hernandez el jueves después de que el hijo de la víctima instalara una cámara de vigilancia Ring que grabó videos en los que se le veía cargando bolsas de basura llenas hacia su SUV Chevrolet blanca modelo 2011, según el informe del agente de la M-DSO.

“También fue captada llevándose un generador nuevo, cerámica, platos, artículos de limpieza y otros objetos diversos del interior de la residencia y colocándolos dentro de su vehículo”, escribió un agente en el informe.

Hernandez, quien trabajaba para United Homecare en la casa de la víctima en Miami Lakes, publicó en Facebook un video donde aparecía usando “un distintivo colgante dorado en forma de cruz que también había desaparecido de la residencia” en marzo, según el informe del agente.

Hernandez enfrenta cargos de robo a una persona mayor y hurto mayor en tercer grado.

El editor de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Carson Merlo, contribuyó a este informe.

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Below are the restaurants that racked up 30 or more violations during inspections recently conducted.

These findings go far beyond minor oversights. From improper food temperatures and cross-contamination risks, to sanitation problems and unclean equipment, the violations point to major breakdowns in day-to-day food safety practices. When so many issues are documented at once, it signals a kitchen that is failing to maintain basic standards.

Customers deserve restaurants that take cleanliness, food handling, and public health seriously every single day.

**MAMA’S TACOS

710 WASHINGTON AVE.

MIAMI BEACH

INSPECTION DATE 5/8

33 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Cooked/heated time/temperature control for safety food not cooled from 135 degrees Fahrenheit to 41 degrees Fahrenheit within 6 hours. Observed cooked beef 51F. Per operator beef was cooked yesterday. A stop sale was issued.” Repeat Violation

“Ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety food marked with a date that exceeds 7 days after opening/preparation. Observe no date marking on cooked beef inside reach in cooler. Per operator, cooked yesterday.” Repeat Violation

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed cooked beef 51F. Per operator beef was cooked yesterday.” Repeat Violation

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed raw beef inside reach steam basin (76F - Hot Holding). Per cook, placed there around 10:00 and will be cooked. Explained to cook regarding temperature requirements, cook placed in cooler to cool down.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed cooked rice 120F - Hot Holding in rice cooker. Per operator cooked around 10am.”

“Establishment has no written procedures for employees to follow in response to a vomiting or diarrheal event where the vomit or diarrhea is discharged onto surfaces in the establishment.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed soiled counter tops where ready to use dishes, utensil holder, shelves housing dry storage around the kitchen and front area.” Repeat Violation

“Manager or person in charge lacking proof of food manager certification.” Repeat Violation

“No probe thermometer provided to measure temperature of food products. Observed when chef was asked, no thermometer on site.”

“Non-pitting surface rust on food-contact equipment. Observed accumulation of rust for shelf housing large food pans.”

“Required employee training expired for some employees.”

“Buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles. Observed accumulation of soil on microwave door handle, reach in cooler handles and oven handle.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Ceiling above handwashing and microwave in disrepair.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. Observed soiled ceilings, vents and exposed pipes in kitchen and ware wash area.”

“Cove molding at floor/wall juncture broken/missing. Observed missing from wall to 3 compartment sink.”

“Equipment and utensils not properly air-dried - wet nesting. Observed for metal food pans above 3 compartment sink.”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed reach cooler gaskets in poor condition and in disrepair.”

“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. Observed in kitchen, ware wash area and front counter area.”

“Floor tiles missing and/or in disrepair. Observed broken floor tiles in front area.”

“Food stored on floor. Observed plastic gallon of oil on the floor in the kitchen next to steam table.” Repeat Violation

“Hood ventilation system inadequate as evidenced by grease accumulation on walls/ceiling. Observed accumulation of grease stains on ceiling above kitchen.”

“Interior of oven/microwave has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris. Observed soiled interior of microwave and oven.”

“No Heimlich maneuver/choking sign posted.”

“No copy of latest inspection report available.”

“No handwashing sign provided at a hand sink used by food employees. Observed no sign for handwashing sink in kitchen. Also observe no sign for male and female employees.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed soiled door gaskets of reach in coolers in the kitchen. Observe soiled the exterior of reach in coolers and microwave.” Repeat Violation

“Old labels stuck to food containers after cleaning. Observed on clean food pan stored on shelf above 3 compartment sink.”

“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Observe for reach in cooler reach in coolers in kitchen.”

“Unsealed concrete floor in food preparation, food storage, ware washing area or bathroom. Observe in kitchen and ware wash area.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed in kitchen area.”

“Wet wiping cloth not stored in sanitizing solution between uses. Observed multiple wash cloths not in solution in the kitchen.” Repeat Violation

“Working containers of food removed from original container not identified by common name. Observed no label on two squeeze bottles on a counter on the cook line.”

**BAHAMAS FISH MARKET AND RESTAURANT

13399 SW 42ND ST.

MIAMI

INSPECTION DATE 5/7

31 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Vacuum breaker missing at hose bibb or on fitting/splitter added to hose bibb. Observed vacuum breaker missing at hose bib in food preparation area near 3 compartment sink and walk ins.” Repeat Violation

“Clam/mussel/oyster tags not maintained in chronological order according to the last date they were served in the establishment.”

“Clam/mussel/oyster tags not marked with last date served. Observed no dates on tags that are on file for three months.”

“Clams/mussels/oysters tag removed from original container prior to container being emptied. Observed raw oysters in a food pan inside walk in cooler with no tag.” Repeat Violation

“Establishment has no written procedures for employees to follow in response to a vomiting or diarrheal event where the vomit or diarrhea is discharged onto surfaces in the establishment.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed soiled prep counter tops, can opener, interior of reach in cooler at prep counters, soiled with food debris shelf housing ready to use plates under stream table, interior of reach in coolers.” Repeat Violation

“Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing. Observed a food strainer inside the handwashing sink in the kitchen. Operator removed.”

“Non-pitting surface rust on food-contact equipment. Observed an accumulation of rust build up on shelves housing clean food pans across of dry storage room, also observed on shelf housing pots and pans across of dishwasher machine.” Repeat Violation."

“Bathroom located inside establishment not completely enclosed with tight-fitting, self-closing doors. Observed for both male and female bathrooms.”

“Buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles. Observed soiled handles of reach in coolers in the kitchen area and for oven door handles.” Repeat Violation

“Ceiling not smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable in food preparation, food storage, or ware washing areas. Observed ceiling tiles not smooth above bar area where drinks and coffee preparation occur and secondary prep area.” Repeat Violation

“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Observed ceiling tile damage in dry storage area.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. Observed soiled ceiling tiles and vents in ware wash area, secondary prep area.”

“Cutting board has cut marks and is no longer cleanable. Observed cutting boards with deep grooves in the kitchen and in then back prep area across of walk in freezer.” Repeat Violation

“Equipment and utensils not properly air-dried - wet nesting. Observed wet metal food pans stored on top of each other on shelves across of dishwashing machine.”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed door frames, door gaskets and panels of walk in cooler and walk in freezer. Also observed broken door gaskets for reach in cooler across of handwashing sink in the kitchen. Observed ice chest cover and handle in poor repair, located in back prep area.” Repeat Violation

“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. Observed in kitchen and ware wash area, under equipment and under shelves near ware washing area.” Repeat Violation

“Floor tiles missing and/or in disrepair. Observed around kitchen and ware wash areas.” Repeat Violation

“Food stored on floor. Observed raw beef on the floor inside walk in freezer. Operator placed on the shelf.” Corrected On-Site Repeat Violation

“Ice buildup in reach-in freezer and/or walk-in freezer. Observed ice buildup up inside walk on freezer.”

“Interior of oven/microwave has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris. Observed interior of oven soiled.” Repeat Violation

“Light shield damaged/in disrepair. Observed missing light shield for ceiling light in dry storage area.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed soiled hand wash sink water knobs, soap dispenser, paper towel dispenser in the kitchen. Also observed soiled door gaskets of reach in coolers and for the walk in freezer and cooler. Also observed heavily soiled spray nozzle and hose near steam table.” Repeat Violation

“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Observed in reach coolers in kitchen area.” Repeat Violation

“Reach-in cooler shelves with rust that has pitted the surface. Observed for reach in cooler in the kitchen and also for reach in housing beverages at the central bar.”

“Stored food not covered. Observed uncovered raw fish, sauces and raw scallop inside reach in cooler at prep table.” Repeat Violation

“Unsealed concrete floor in food preparation, food storage, ware washing area or bathroom. Observed missing floor grouting in kitchen and food preparation area.” Repeat Violation

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed behind sink and prep sink in the kitchen, behind stove line, at dishwashing area.”

“Wet wiping cloth not stored in sanitizing solution between uses. Observed stored on top of prep counters in kitchen area.” Repeat Violation

“Wet wiping cloths used for occasional spills on equipment food- and nonfood-contact surfaces not clean. Observed on prep counters around kitchen.”

“Working containers of food removed from original container not identified by common name. Observe with no label margarine in plastic containers on a kitchen.” Repeat Violation."

**EN CANTONES RESTAURANT

11865 SW 26TH ST.

MIAMI

INSPECTION DATE 5/6

33 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Dented/rusted cans present. See stop sale. Observed accumulation of rust on five 2 lbs. canned tomatoes in the kitchen area.”

“Food placed in soiled container/equipment. Observed soiled food containers and covers being used for ready to eat food inside reach in cooler and walk in cooler.”

“Pesticide/insecticide labeled for household use only present in establishment. Observed household roach bait on shelf where bottle of lye water are stored by steam basin and another by oven and rice cooker.”

“Ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety food marked with a date that exceeds 7 days after opening/preparation. Observed egg rolls, sweet and sour chicken, rice with no date markings.”

“Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. Observed one live roach crawling on cardboard boxes near reach in cooler located before the kitchen.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed raw chicken sitting on soy sauce bucket (48F - per operator, took out of cooler half an hour ago). Operator placed in cooler to cool.”

“Vacuum breaker missing at mop sink faucet or on fitting/splitter added to mop sink faucet. Observed missing two vacuum breakers for two hose bibs at mop sink near exit door.”

“Establishment has no written procedures for employees to follow in response to a vomiting or diarrheal event where the vomit or diarrhea is discharged onto surfaces in the establishment.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed soiled and with rust accumulation the can opener. Observed soiled container buckets of soy sauce stored next to walk in, accumulation of grease and debris on rice cooker. Observed soiled shelves housing soy sauces and other sauces underneath single service item shelf near exit door. Also shelves behind prep tables housing different food items and canned food, shelves housing food pans and food equipment above three compartment sink. Observed soiled shelves where microwave is housing food items and food equipment.”

“Person in charge unable to answer basic Food Code questions pertaining to safe operation of establishment. PIC was unable to answer how calibrate probe thermometer.”

“Sink compartments of three-compartment sink too small to accommodate utensils or equipment. Observed 3 compartment sink cannot accommodate large cooking wok used for cooking.”

“Buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles. Observed accumulation of soil and grease on stove.”

“Ceiling not smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable in food preparation, food storage, or ware washing areas. Observed in kitchen, food prep and ware wash areas.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Observed on ceiling in kitchen area.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. Observed ceilings tiles and vents soiled above kitchen area.”

“Duct tape used to repair nonfood-contact surface. Observed for door gasket of walk in freezer.”

“Employee wearing jewelry other than a plain ring on their hands/arms while preparing food. Female employee wearing bracelet while cooking.”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed in poor condition door of walk freezer panel and walk in cooler door panel.”

“Exterior door has a gap at the threshold that opens to the outside. Observed for exit screen door.”

“Floor not cleaned when the least amount of food is exposed. Observed inside the walk in cooler and walk in freezer.”

“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. Observed underneath shelves where reach in cooler and microwave are, under stove and ovens, under prep tables throughout the kitchen.”

“Food stored on floor. Observed raw uncovered chicken on the floor next to exit door.”

“Ice buildup in reach-in freezer and/or walk-in freezer. Observed for walk in freezer.”

“Interior of oven/microwave has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris. Observe soiled interior of all the ovens.”

“No Heimlich maneuver/choking sign posted.” Repeat Violation

“No copy of latest inspection report available.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed heavily soiled door gaskets and door frame with black like substance on walk in cooler and freezer and reach in coolers. Observed soiled hood filters above stove. Observed soiled spray nozzle at ware wash area.”

“Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Observe for reach in across of stove.”

“Single-service articles stored on a soiled surface. Observed single service items stored on soiled wooden shelf near exit door and stove.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food thawed in an improper manner. Observed semi frozen raw chicken sitting in a sink basin thawing.”

“Walk-in cooler/freezer shelves with rust that has pitted the surface.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed soiled walls behind 3 compartment sink and ware wash areas, wall where can opener and exit door is.”

“Wet wiping cloths used for occasional spills on equipment food- and nonfood-contact surfaces not clean. Observed on prep table near 3 compartment sink.

**RINCON NICA RESTAURANT

4395 WEST 16TH AVENUE

HIALEAH

INSPECTION DATE 4/29

30 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Raw animal foods not properly separated from each other in holding unit based upon minimum required cooking temperature. Observed raw chicken stored on top of raw beef on shelf at walk in cooler.”

“Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. Observed Marinated raw pork (61F - Cold Holding); Marinated Raw Chicken (57F - Cold Holding); Cooked Pork (54F - Cold Holding) inside reach in cooler next to three compartment sink at kitchen area. As per operator for more than 4 hours. Operator discarded them during inspection.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed Marinated raw pork (61F - Cold Holding); Marinated Raw Chicken (57F - Cold Holding); Cooked Pork (54F - Cold Holding) inside reach in cooler next to three compartment sink at kitchen area. As per operator for more than 4 hours. Operator discarded them during inspection.”

“Wiping cloth sanitizer solution exceeds the maximum concentration allowed. Observed Sanitizer Bucket (Chlorine 200+ppm) at preparation table at kitchen area. Operator set up sanitizer bucket again Sanitizer Bucket (Chlorine 100ppm).”

“Establishment has no written procedures for employees to follow in response to a vomiting or diarrheal event where the vomit or diarrhea is discharged onto surfaces in the establishment.”

“No chemical test kit provided when using sanitizer at three-compartment ware washing machine or wiping cloths. Observed no chlorine test kit available at the time of inspection.”

“No probe thermometer provided to measure temperature of food products. Observed probe thermometer no working at the time of inspection.”

“Non-pitting surface rust on food-contact equipment. Observed under preparation tables at kitchen area.”

“Person in charge unable to answer basic Food Code questions pertaining to safe operation of establishment. Observed certified food manager unable to answer how to calibrate thermometer and the internal cooking temperature of chicken. Coached certified food manager during inspection.”

“Ceiling not smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable in food preparation, food storage, or ware washing areas. Observed all around kitchen area.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Observed ceiling tiles with water damage above walk in cooler door at kitchen area.”

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

“Employee personal items stored in or above a food preparation area, food, clean equipment and utensils, or single-service items. Observed employee purse and glasses stored on top of aluminum pans on storage shelf at kitchen area. Operator removed and stored properly during inspection.” Corrected On-Site

“Employee with no hair restraint while engaging in food preparation. Observed operator engaged in food preparation with no hair restraint. Operator put hair restraint during inspection.”

“Equipment and utensils not properly air-dried - wet nesting. Observed wet nesting under reach in cooler next to three compartment sink at kitchen area.”

“Equipment in poor repair. Observed reach in cooler with an ambient temperature of 51 degrees Fahrenheit next to three compartment sink at kitchen area.”

“Floor area(s) covered with standing water. Observed standing water on the floor under dry storage shelf at kitchen entrance.”

“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. Observed floor soiled with food debris and trash under dry storage shelf at kitchen entrance and all around kitchen area and front counter.”

“Food stored on floor. Observed three cases of green plantains stored on the floor at walk in cooler.”

“Hole in or other damage to wall. Observed hole on the wall behind stove at kitchen area.”

“Ice buildup in reach-in freezer and/or walk-in freezer. Observed ice buildup inside chest freezers all around kitchen area.”

“In-use tongs stored on equipment door handle between uses. Observed 1 tong hanging on oven door handle at kitchen area.”

“In-use utensil stored in standing water less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed clean utensils stored inside water at 78 degrees Fahrenheit on preparation table at kitchen area.”

“No Heimlich maneuver/choking sign posted. Provided to operator during inspection. Operator posted at office.”

“No copy of latest inspection report available.”

“No handwashing sign provided at a hand sink used by food employees. Observed on sink at women’s bathroom.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed reach in cooler gaskets soiled next to three compartment sink compartment at kitchen area.” Repeat Violation

“Stored food not covered. Observed Raw beef (40F - Cold Holding); raw chicken (43F - Cold Holding); raw fish (40F - Cold Holding); raw beef (39F - Cold Holding); beef belly soup (42F - Cold Holding); marinated raw pork (39F - Cold Holding) inside walk in cooler at kitchen area.”

“Walk-in cooler/freezer shelves with rust that has pitted the surface. Observed walk in cooler shelves with rust accumulation at kitchen area.”

“Working containers of food removed from original container not identified by common name. Observed salt container not identified on top of preparation table at kitchen area.”

A continuación se muestran los restaurantes que acumularon 30 o más infracciones durante las inspecciones realizadas recientemente.

Estos hallazgos van mucho más allá de simples descuidos. Desde temperaturas inadecuadas de los alimentos y riesgos de contaminación cruzada, hasta problemas de higiene y equipos sucios, las infracciones evidencian graves fallas en las prácticas diarias de seguridad alimentaria. Cuando se documentan tantos problemas a la vez, indica que la cocina no cumple con los estándares básicos.

Los clientes merecen restaurantes que se tomen en serio la limpieza, la manipulación de los alimentos y la salud pública todos los días.

**TACOS DE MAMÁ

710 WASHINGTON AVE.

Playa de Miami

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 5/8

Se detectaron 33 infracciones.

“Alimento cocinado/calentado con control de tiempo/temperatura para su seguridad: no se enfrió de 135 grados Fahrenheit a 41 grados Fahrenheit en 6 horas. Se observó carne de res cocida a 51 °F. Según el operador, la carne se cocinó ayer. Se emitió una orden de cese de venta.” Infracción reiterada

Alimentos listos para el consumo, que requieren control de tiempo y temperatura para su seguridad, con fecha de caducidad superior a 7 días desde su apertura o preparación. Se observó que la carne de res cocida dentro del refrigerador no tenía fecha de caducidad. Según el operador, se cocinó ayer. Infracción reiterada.

Se emitió una orden de cese de venta por manipulación indebida de alimentos que requerían control de tiempo y temperatura. Se observó carne de res cocida a 51 °F. Según el operador, la carne se cocinó ayer. Infracción reiterada.

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para garantizar la seguridad de los alimentos refrigerados a más de 5 °C (41 °F). Se observó carne cruda dentro de la tina de vapor (24 °C - Mantenimiento en caliente). Según el cocinero, se colocó allí alrededor de las 10:00 y se cocinará. Se le explicaron al cocinero los requisitos de temperatura y se colocó en el refrigerador para enfriar.”

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para alimentos seguros, excepto asados ​​de carne enteros, mantenidos calientes a menos de 135 grados Fahrenheit. Arroz cocido observado a 120 °F - Mantenimiento caliente en olla arrocera. Según el operador, cocinado alrededor de las 10 a. m.”

“El establecimiento no cuenta con procedimientos escritos que los empleados deban seguir en caso de un episodio de vómitos o diarrea en el que el vómito o la diarrea se produzcan sobre las superficies del establecimiento.”

“Superficie en contacto con alimentos sucia con restos de comida, moho o una sustancia viscosa. Se observaron encimeras sucias en las zonas donde se colocan los platos listos para usar, el soporte para utensilios y los estantes que albergan productos secos en la cocina y en la zona de atención al público.” Infracción reiterada

“El gerente o la persona a cargo carece de comprobante de certificación de manipulador de alimentos”. Infracción reiterada.

“No se proporcionó ningún termómetro de sonda para medir la temperatura de los alimentos. Se observó, al preguntar al chef, que no había ningún termómetro en el lugar.”

“Óxido superficial no corrosivo en equipos en contacto con alimentos. Se observó acumulación de óxido en estantes que albergan grandes recipientes para alimentos.”

“Para algunos empleados, la formación obligatoria para empleados ha caducado.”

“Acumulación de restos de comida/residuos de tierra en las manijas de las puertas de los electrodomésticos. Se observó acumulación de tierra en la manija de la puerta del microondas, en las manijas del refrigerador y en la manija del horno.”

“El techo/las baldosas del techo presentan daños o están en mal estado. El techo sobre el lavamanos y el microondas está en mal estado.”

“Techo, baldosas y rejillas de ventilación sucios con restos de comida acumulados, grasa, polvo o una sustancia similar al moho. Se observaron techos, rejillas de ventilación y tuberías expuestas sucias en la cocina y en la zona de lavado de utensilios.”

“La moldura de remate en la unión del suelo y la pared está rota o falta. Se observa que falta desde la pared hasta el fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

“Equipos y utensilios no secados al aire adecuadamente: acumulación de residuos húmedos. Observado en recipientes metálicos para alimentos sobre un fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

“El equipo se encuentra en mal estado. Se observaron juntas del enfriador de alcance en mal estado y deterioradas.”

“El suelo está sucio/tiene acumulación de residuos. Se observó en la cocina, la zona de lavado de vajilla y el mostrador de atención al público.”

“Faltan baldosas en el suelo o están en mal estado. Se observaron baldosas rotas en la zona frontal.”

“Alimentos almacenados en el suelo. Se observó un bidón de plástico de un galón de aceite en el suelo de la cocina, junto a la mesa de vapor.” Infracción reiterada

“El sistema de ventilación de la campana extractora es inadecuado, como lo demuestra la acumulación de grasa en las paredes y el techo. Se observó acumulación de manchas de grasa en el techo sobre la cocina.”

“El interior del horno/microondas presenta acumulación de una sustancia negra/grasa/restos de comida. Se observó suciedad en el interior del microondas y del horno.”

“No hay cartel de advertencia sobre la maniobra de Heimlich/asfixia.”

“No hay copia disponible del último informe de inspección.”

No había ningún letrero que indicara la ubicación del lavamanos en el lavabo utilizado por los empleados de la cocina. Tampoco se observó ningún letrero que indicara la ubicación del lavamanos en la cocina. Asimismo, no se observó ningún letrero que indicara la diferencia entre empleados masculinos y femeninos.

Superficie que no entra en contacto con alimentos sucia con grasa, restos de comida, suciedad, lodo o polvo. Se observaron juntas de las puertas sucias en los refrigeradores de la cocina. Se observó suciedad en el exterior de los refrigeradores y el microondas. Infracción reiterada.

“Etiquetas viejas pegadas a los recipientes de comida después de la limpieza. Observado en una bandeja de comida limpia guardada en un estante encima de un fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

“El interior/estantes del refrigerador tienen acumulación de residuos de tierra. Revise los refrigeradores de la cocina.”

“Piso de concreto sin sellar en áreas de preparación y almacenamiento de alimentos, lavado de utensilios o baños. Observar en la cocina y el área de lavado de utensilios.”

“Pared sucia con acumulación de grasa, restos de comida y/o polvo. Observada en la zona de la cocina.”

“Los paños de limpieza húmedos no se guardan en solución desinfectante entre usos. Se observaron varios paños de limpieza sin solución en la cocina.” Infracción reiterada

“Se encontraron envases de alimentos usados, retirados de sus envases originales, sin identificar por su nombre común. Se observó que dos botellas exprimibles sobre un mostrador en la línea de cocina carecían de etiqueta.”

**MERCADO DE PESCADO Y RESTAURANTE DE LAS BAHAMAS**

13399 SW 42ND ST.

MIAMI

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 5/7

Se detectaron 31 infracciones.

Falta el interruptor de vacío en la llave de paso o en el adaptador/divisor añadido a la llave de paso. Se observó la ausencia del interruptor de vacío en la llave de paso en el área de preparación de alimentos cerca del fregadero de tres compartimentos y las cámaras frigoríficas. Infracción reiterada.

“Las etiquetas de las almejas, mejillones y ostras no se conservan en orden cronológico según la última fecha en que se sirvieron en el establecimiento.”

“Las etiquetas de las almejas, mejillones y ostras no indican la fecha de último consumo. No se observaron fechas en las etiquetas archivadas durante tres meses.”

Se retiró la etiqueta de las almejas/mejillones/ostras del envase original antes de vaciarlo. Se observaron ostras crudas sin etiqueta en una bandeja de alimentos dentro de la cámara frigorífica. Infracción reiterada.

“El establecimiento no cuenta con procedimientos escritos que los empleados deban seguir en caso de un episodio de vómitos o diarrea en el que el vómito o la diarrea se produzcan sobre las superficies del establecimiento.”

Superficie en contacto con alimentos sucia con restos de comida, moho o limo. Se observaron encimeras de preparación sucias, abrelatas, interior del refrigerador en las encimeras de preparación, estante sucio con restos de comida que alberga platos listos para usar debajo de la mesa de servicio, interior de los refrigeradores. Infracción reiterada.

“El lavamanos se utiliza para fines distintos al lavado de manos. Se observó un colador de alimentos dentro del lavamanos de la cocina. El operario lo retiró.”

“Óxido superficial no punzante en equipos en contacto con alimentos. Se observó acumulación de óxido en los estantes que contenían recipientes limpios para alimentos frente al cuarto de almacenamiento en seco, y también en el estante que contenía ollas y sartenes frente al lavavajillas.” Infracción reiterada.

“El baño ubicado dentro del establecimiento no está completamente cerrado con puertas que se cierran automáticamente y ajustan herméticamente. Se observó tanto en los baños de hombres como en los de mujeres.”

Acumulación de restos de comida/suciedad en las manijas de las puertas de los equipos. Se observaron manijas sucias en los refrigeradores de la cocina y en las puertas de los hornos. Infracción reiterada.

“El techo no es liso, ni absorbente, ni fácil de limpiar en las áreas de preparación, almacenamiento o lavado de alimentos. Se observaron baldosas de techo irregulares sobre la zona de la barra, donde se preparan bebidas y café, y en la zona de preparación secundaria.” Infracción reiterada

“El techo/las baldosas del techo presentan daños o están en mal estado. Se observaron daños en las baldosas del techo en el área de almacenamiento en seco.”

“Techo/baldosas/rejillas de ventilación sucias con restos de comida acumulados, grasa, polvo o una sustancia similar al moho. Se observaron baldosas y rejillas de ventilación sucias en el área de lavado de vajilla y en el área de preparación secundaria.”

La tabla de cortar tiene marcas de cortes y ya no se puede limpiar. Se observaron tablas de cortar con surcos profundos en la cocina y en la zona de preparación trasera, frente al congelador industrial. Infracción reiterada.

“Los equipos y utensilios no se secaron correctamente al aire; estaban húmedos y apilados. Se observaron recipientes metálicos húmedos para alimentos apilados unos encima de otros en los estantes frente al lavavajillas.”

“Equipo en mal estado. Se observaron marcos de puertas, juntas y paneles de la cámara frigorífica y del congelador. También se observaron juntas de puerta rotas en el refrigerador ubicado frente al lavamanos en la cocina. Se observó la tapa y el asa de la nevera portátil en mal estado, ubicada en el área de preparación trasera.” Infracción reiterada

“Piso sucio/con acumulación de residuos. Observado en la cocina y en el área de lavado de utensilios, debajo de los equipos y debajo de los estantes cerca del área de lavado de utensilios.” Infracción reiterada

“Faltan baldosas en el suelo o están en mal estado. Se observó en la cocina y en la zona de lavado de vajilla.” Infracción reiterada

“Alimentos almacenados en el suelo. Se observó carne cruda en el suelo dentro del congelador industrial. El operario la colocó en el estante.” Se corrigió la infracción reiterada en el lugar.

“Acumulación de hielo en el congelador vertical y/o en el congelador industrial. Se observó acumulación de hielo dentro del congelador industrial.”

“El interior del horno/microondas presenta acumulación de sustancia negra/grasa/restos de comida. Se observó que el interior del horno estaba sucio.” Infracción reiterada

“Protector de luz dañado/en mal estado. Se observó que falta el protector de luz de la lámpara de techo en el área de almacenamiento en seco.”

Superficie que no entra en contacto con alimentos sucia con grasa, restos de comida, suciedad, lodo o polvo. Se observaron grifos, dispensador de jabón y dispensador de toallas de papel sucios en el lavamanos de la cocina. También se observaron juntas de las puertas sucias en los refrigeradores y en el congelador y refrigerador industrial. Asimismo, se observó una boquilla rociadora y una manguera muy sucias cerca de la mesa de vapor. Infracción reiterada.

“El interior/estantes del refrigerador presentan acumulación de residuos de suciedad. Observado en refrigeradores del área de la cocina.” Infracción reiterada

“Estantes del refrigerador con acceso frontal presentan óxido que ha corroído la superficie. Se observó en el refrigerador de la cocina y también en el refrigerador para bebidas de la barra central.”

“Alimentos almacenados sin tapar. Se observó pescado crudo, salsas y vieiras crudas sin tapar dentro del refrigerador junto a la mesa de preparación.” Infracción reiterada

“Piso de concreto sin sellar en área de preparación de alimentos, almacenamiento de alimentos, área de lavado de utensilios o baño. Se observó falta de lechada en el piso de la cocina y el área de preparación de alimentos.” Infracción reiterada

“Pared sucia con grasa acumulada, restos de comida y/o polvo. Observada detrás del fregadero y del fregadero auxiliar en la cocina, detrás de la línea de cocción y en la zona de lavado de platos.”

“El paño húmedo no se guarda en solución desinfectante entre usos. Se observó que estaba guardado sobre las encimeras de preparación en la zona de la cocina.” Infracción reiterada

“Los paños húmedos utilizados para limpiar derrames ocasionales en superficies de equipos que entran en contacto con alimentos y en superficies que no lo hacen no estaban limpios. Se observó en las encimeras de preparación de alimentos en toda la cocina.”

“Envases de alimentos retirados de su envase original sin identificar por su nombre común. Se observa margarina sin etiqueta en envases de plástico en la cocina.” Infracción reiterada.”

**RESTAURANTE EN CANTONES

11865 SW 26TH ST.

MIAMI

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 5/6

Se detectaron 33 infracciones.

“Latas abolladas/oxidadas. Ver orden de cese de venta. Se observó acumulación de óxido en cinco latas de tomate de 2 libras en la zona de la cocina.”

“Se encontraron alimentos colocados en recipientes/equipos sucios. Se observaron recipientes y tapas sucias que se utilizaban para alimentos listos para el consumo dentro de refrigeradores y cámaras frigoríficas.”

“Se encontró en el establecimiento un pesticida/insecticida etiquetado únicamente para uso doméstico. Se observó cebo para cucarachas doméstico en un estante junto a una olla a presión, y otro junto al horno y la arrocera.”

“Alimentos listos para consumir, que requieren control de tiempo y temperatura para su seguridad, con una fecha de caducidad superior a 7 días después de su apertura o preparación. Se observaron rollitos de primavera, pollo agridulce y arroz sin fecha de caducidad.”

“Se detectó actividad de cucarachas, como lo demuestra el hallazgo de ejemplares vivos. Se observó una cucaracha viva arrastrándose sobre cajas de cartón cerca del refrigerador ubicado frente a la cocina.”

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para alimentos refrigerados seguros, mantenidos a más de 5 grados Celsius (41 grados Fahrenheit). Se observó pollo crudo sobre un cubo de salsa de soja (8 grados Celsius, según el operario; se sacó del refrigerador hace media hora). El operario lo colocó en el refrigerador para enfriarlo.”

Falta el interruptor de vacío en el grifo del fregadero para fregonas o en el adaptador/divisor añadido al grifo del fregadero. Se observó la falta de dos interruptores de vacío en dos grifos de manguera en el fregadero para fregonas cerca de la puerta de salida.

“El establecimiento no cuenta con procedimientos escritos que los empleados deban seguir en caso de un episodio de vómitos o diarrea en el que el vómito o la diarrea se produzcan sobre las superficies del establecimiento.”

Superficie en contacto con alimentos sucia con restos de comida, moho o una sustancia viscosa. Se observó el abrelatas sucio y con acumulación de óxido. Se observaron cubos de salsa de soja sucios almacenados junto a la cámara frigorífica, con acumulación de grasa y residuos en la arrocera. Se observaron estantes sucios que contenían salsa de soja y otras salsas debajo del estante para artículos de un solo uso cerca de la puerta de salida. También se observaron estantes sucios detrás de las mesas de preparación que contenían diferentes alimentos y conservas, y estantes que contenían sartenes y utensilios de cocina encima del fregadero de tres compartimentos. Se observaron estantes sucios donde el microondas contenía alimentos y utensilios de cocina.

“La persona a cargo no pudo responder preguntas básicas sobre el Código Alimentario relativas al funcionamiento seguro del establecimiento. Tampoco supo explicar cómo calibrar el termómetro de sonda.”

“Los compartimentos del fregadero de tres compartimentos son demasiado pequeños para acomodar utensilios o equipos. Se observó que el fregadero de 3 compartimentos no puede acomodar un wok grande para cocinar.”

“Acumulación de restos de comida/residuos de tierra en las manijas de las puertas de los equipos. Se observó acumulación de tierra y grasa en la estufa.”

“El techo no es liso, no es absorbente y se limpia fácilmente en las áreas de preparación, almacenamiento o lavado de utensilios de alimentos. Se observó en la cocina y en las áreas de preparación y lavado de utensilios.”

“El techo/las baldosas del techo presentan daños o están en mal estado. Observado en el techo de la zona de la cocina.”

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

Cinta adhesiva utilizada para reparar superficies que no entran en contacto con alimentos. Observada en la junta de la puerta de un congelador industrial.

“Empleado que lleva joyas distintas a un simple anillo en las manos o brazos mientras prepara alimentos. Empleada que lleva una pulsera mientras cocina.”

“Equipo en mal estado. Se observó que la puerta del congelador y la del refrigerador estaban en mal estado.”

“La puerta exterior tiene una abertura en el umbral que da al exterior. Observada para la puerta mosquitera de salida.”

“El suelo no se limpia cuando hay poca cantidad de comida expuesta. Observado dentro de la cámara frigorífica y el congelador.”

“El suelo está sucio/tiene acumulación de residuos. Se observó suciedad debajo de los estantes donde se encuentran el refrigerador y el microondas, debajo de la estufa y los hornos, y debajo de las mesas de preparación en toda la cocina.”

“Alimentos almacenados en el suelo. Se observó pollo crudo sin tapar en el suelo junto a la puerta de salida.”

“Acumulación de hielo en el congelador vertical y/o en el congelador industrial. Observado en el congelador industrial.”

“El interior del horno/microondas presenta acumulación de una sustancia negra/grasa/restos de comida. Observe que el interior de todos los hornos está sucio.”

“No hay cartel de maniobra de Heimlich/asfixia”. Infracción reiterada.

“No hay copia disponible del último informe de inspección.”

Superficies que no entran en contacto con alimentos sucias con grasa, restos de comida, suciedad, lodo o polvo. Se observaron juntas y marcos de puertas muy sucios con una sustancia negra en la cámara frigorífica, el congelador y los refrigeradores verticales. Se observaron filtros de campana extractora sucios sobre la estufa. Se observó boquilla rociadora sucia en el área de lavado de utensilios.

“El interior/estantes del refrigerador tienen acumulación de residuos de tierra. Revise el refrigerador ubicado frente a la estufa.”

“Artículos de un solo uso almacenados sobre una superficie sucia. Se observaron artículos de un solo uso almacenados en un estante de madera sucio cerca de la puerta de salida y la estufa.”

“Se observó un pollo crudo semicongelado descongelándose en un fregadero, a pesar de que el control de tiempo y temperatura era fundamental para la seguridad alimentaria.”

“Estantes de la cámara frigorífica/congelador con óxido que ha corroído la superficie.”

“Pared sucia con grasa acumulada, restos de comida y/o polvo. Se observaron paredes sucias detrás del fregadero de tres compartimentos y en las zonas de lavado de vajilla, así como en la pared donde se encuentran el abrelatas y la puerta de salida.”

“Los paños húmedos utilizados para limpiar derrames ocasionales en superficies de equipos que entran en contacto con alimentos y superficies que no lo hacen no estaban limpios. Se observó en la mesa de preparación cerca del fregadero de tres compartimentos.”

**RESTAURANTE RINCON NICA

4395 AVENIDA 16 OESTE

HIALEAH

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 29/4

Se detectaron 30 infracciones.

“Los alimentos crudos de origen animal no estaban debidamente separados entre sí en la unidad de almacenamiento, según la temperatura mínima de cocción requerida. Se observó pollo crudo almacenado encima de carne de res cruda en un estante de la cámara frigorífica.”

Se emitió una orden de cese de venta por manipulación inadecuada de alimentos que requerían control de temperatura. Se observó carne de cerdo cruda marinada (16 °C - refrigerada), pollo crudo marinado (14 °C - refrigerado) y cerdo cocido (12 °C - refrigerado) dentro de un refrigerador ubicado junto a un fregadero de tres compartimentos en el área de la cocina. Según el operador, los alimentos llevaban almacenados más de 4 horas. El operador los desechó durante la inspección.

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para alimentos refrigerados seguros a más de 41 grados Fahrenheit. Se observó carne de cerdo cruda marinada (61 °F - Refrigeración); pollo crudo marinado (57 °F - Refrigeración); cerdo cocido (54 °F - Refrigeración) dentro de un refrigerador ubicado junto al fregadero de tres compartimentos en el área de la cocina. Según el operador, permanecieron allí durante más de 4 horas. El operador los desechó durante la inspección.”

La solución desinfectante para paños de limpieza supera la concentración máxima permitida. Se observó un cubo de desinfectante (cloro 200+ ppm) en la mesa de preparación de la cocina. El operario volvió a colocar el cubo de desinfectante (cloro 100 ppm).

“El establecimiento no cuenta con procedimientos escritos que los empleados deban seguir en caso de un episodio de vómitos o diarrea en el que el vómito o la diarrea se produzcan sobre las superficies del establecimiento.”

No se proporcionó ningún kit de prueba química al usar desinfectante en la lavadora de vajilla de tres compartimentos ni paños de limpieza. No se observó ningún kit de prueba de cloro disponible en el momento de la inspección.

“No se proporcionó termómetro de sonda para medir la temperatura de los productos alimenticios. Se observó que el termómetro de sonda no funcionaba en el momento de la inspección.”

“Óxido superficial no corrosivo en equipos en contacto con alimentos. Observado debajo de las mesas de preparación en el área de la cocina.”

“La persona a cargo no pudo responder preguntas básicas sobre el Código Alimentario relativas al funcionamiento seguro del establecimiento. Se observó que el gerente de alimentos certificado no pudo explicar cómo calibrar el termómetro ni la temperatura interna de cocción del pollo. Se le brindó capacitación al gerente de alimentos certificado durante la inspección.”

“El techo no es liso, no es absorbente y se limpia fácilmente en las zonas de preparación, almacenamiento o lavado de alimentos. Se observó en toda la cocina.”

“El techo/las baldosas del techo presentan daños o están en mal estado. Se observaron baldosas del techo con daños por agua encima de la puerta de la cámara frigorífica en la zona de la cocina.”

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

“Artículos personales de empleados almacenados en o sobre un área de preparación de alimentos, alimentos, equipos y utensilios limpios, o artículos de un solo uso. Se observó un bolso y gafas de una empleada almacenados sobre bandejas de aluminio en un estante de almacenamiento en el área de la cocina. El operador los retiró y almacenó correctamente durante la inspección.” Corregido en el lugar

“Empleado sin redecilla para el cabello mientras preparaba alimentos. Se observó al operario preparando alimentos sin redecilla para el cabello. El operario se colocó la redecilla durante la inspección.”

“Equipos y utensilios no secados correctamente al aire: acumulación de residuos húmedos. Se observó acumulación de residuos húmedos debajo del refrigerador junto al fregadero de tres compartimentos en el área de la cocina.”

“Equipo en mal estado. Se observó un refrigerador vertical con una temperatura ambiente de 51 grados Fahrenheit junto a un fregadero de tres compartimentos en el área de la cocina.”

“Zonas del suelo cubiertas de agua estancada. Se observó agua estancada en el suelo debajo del estante de almacenamiento en seco en la entrada de la cocina.”

“El suelo está sucio y tiene acumulación de residuos. Se observó que el suelo estaba sucio con restos de comida y basura debajo del estante de almacenamiento de alimentos secos en la entrada de la cocina y en toda el área de la cocina y el mostrador frontal.”

“Alimentos almacenados en el suelo. Se observaron tres cajas de plátanos verdes almacenadas en el suelo de la cámara frigorífica.”

“Agujero u otro daño en la pared. Se observó un agujero en la pared detrás de la estufa en el área de la cocina.”

“Acumulación de hielo en congeladores verticales y/o congeladores industriales. Se observó acumulación de hielo dentro de los congeladores horizontales en toda el área de la cocina.”

“Pinzas en uso guardadas en la manija de la puerta del equipo entre usos. Se observó una pinza colgando de la manija de la puerta del horno en el área de la cocina.”

“Utensilios en uso almacenados en agua estancada a menos de 135 grados Fahrenheit. Se observaron utensilios limpios almacenados en agua a 78 grados Fahrenheit sobre la mesa de preparación en el área de la cocina.”

“No hay señal de maniobra de Heimlich/asfixia colocada. Se le proporcionó al operador durante la inspección. El operador la colocó en la oficina.”

“No hay copia disponible del último informe de inspección.”

“No hay cartel de ‘No se debe lavarse las manos’ en el lavamanos utilizado por los empleados de la cocina. Observado en el lavamanos del baño de mujeres.”

Superficie que no entra en contacto con alimentos sucia con grasa, restos de comida, suciedad, lodo o polvo. Se observaron juntas de refrigerador sucias junto al fregadero de tres compartimentos en el área de la cocina. Infracción reiterada.

“Alimentos almacenados sin cubrir. Se observó carne cruda de res (40 °F - Conservación en frío); pollo crudo (43 °F - Conservación en frío); pescado crudo (40 °F - Conservación en frío); carne cruda de res (39 °F - Conservación en frío); sopa de panceta de res (42 °F - Conservación en frío); cerdo crudo marinado (39 °F - Conservación en frío) dentro de la cámara frigorífica en el área de la cocina.”

“Estantes de la cámara frigorífica/congelador con óxido que ha corroído la superficie. Se observó acumulación de óxido en los estantes de la cámara frigorífica en la zona de la cocina.”

“Se observaron recipientes de alimentos retirados de sus envases originales sin identificar por su nombre común. También se observó un recipiente de sal sin identificar sobre la mesa de preparación en el área de la cocina.”

Testigos dijeron que escucharon una balacera alrededor de las 3 a.m. y un helicóptero cerca de las 5 a.m. en el área de Royal Palm Boulevard y Riverside Drive.

Theresa Zuniga, quien vive en el área, dijo que sintió miedo al escuchar el helicóptero sobrevolando.

“Este lugar es muy tranquilo”, dijo Zuniga sobre su vecindario.

Una lona que la policía suele usar para cubrir un cuerpo estaba en el suelo en el estacionamiento del complejo de apartamentos Coral Park East.

El Departamento de Policía de Coral Springs anunció que la cercana Somerset Academy estará “cerrada por el día” y pidió al público “evitar el área”.

Esta es una noticia en desarrollo.

Reporte de la madrugada

Redes sociales relacionadas

Republicans in Tennessee this month enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a Cohen's majority-Black district, reshaping it to the GOP’s advantage as part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to hold on to a slim majority in the November midterm elections.

“I don’t want to quit. I’m not a quitter. But these districts were drawn to beat me,” Cohen told reporters in his Washington, D.C. office.

Cohen is challenging the state’s redistricting effort in court and said that he would reenter the race if that lawsuit succeeded in restoring his old congressional district.

He lamented that Tennessee would likely shift to an entirely Republican congressional delegation after the next election, warning that it could also leave the state out of the loop once Democrats are able to regain the White House.

Redistricting targeted Cohen's district

Tennessee was the first state to pass new congressional districts after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities. But more Southern states could follow. Republicans in Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina also have taken steps toward redistricting.

Cohen has represented his Memphis-based district for about two decades, among the last of the white Democrats representing the South. He has been a longtime member of the House Judiciary Committee and has focused on strengthening voting access and civil rights.

“It’s unique in America that an African-American majority district has elected a white guy, and that we’ve got a great relationship, great amount of support,” said Cohen, who is also the first Jewish person to represent Tennessee in Congress.

He was facing a primary challenge from state lawmaker Justin Pearson, a Black Democrat who represents Memphis in the state's General Assembly. Pearson has said he will continue his campaign in the state's newly redrawn 9th Congressional District.

But Cohen predicted that it would be nearly impossible for Tennessee Democrats to win a seat in Congress with the new districts. He added there was a chance the redistricting effort could “backfire on the Republicans” but that would require an “unbelievable registration effort among Democrats” and a massive vote turnout effort.

Cohen vows to oppose Trump

Sitting in his congressional office with staff looking on, Cohen pointed to photos of Memphis and local projects that he had championed during his career and expressed worry that Memphis voters would no longer have a voice in Washington. He also recounted how he had worked with the state's Republican leaders to win funding during the Biden administration for a larger bridge to cross the Mississippi River into Memphis.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that Cohen was “a powerful champion for civil rights” and that “the City of Memphis, the Congress and the nation are better because of Steve’s commitment to making a difference.”

Cohen said that the Republican's redistricting effort was being done “for Donald Trump to get one more vote, he thinks, to stop them from being impeached.”

Still, he vowed to use his remaining time in Congress to try to mount opposition to Trump, calling the president “the greatest threat to democracy and to decorum and grace that we’ve ever seen.”

Like many lawmakers, Cohen has often attracted attention with colorful outbursts during congressional debates and hearings. During Trump’s first term, in 2019, Cohen brought a bucket of fried chicken to a House Judiciary Committee hearing at which then-Attorney General William P. Barr was a no-show.

“The message is Attorney General Bill Barr is not brave enough to answer questions from a staff attorney and members of the Judiciary Committee,” he said in a statement at the time.

While Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 as Congress tried to certify the results of the presidential election, Cohen screamed angrily at his Republican colleagues to “Call Trump. Call your friend. Tell him to do something.”

Cohen was among the first Democrats to join impeachment efforts for Trump in his first term, and he has signed on to articles of impeachment against Trump this year as well.

Memphis activists respond to new map

Meanwhile, Memphis activists grappled with the new political realities after the Republican-led legislature’s decision to divide the city’s longtime congressional district into three neighboring districts.

Advocates said they believed they could work with — and pressure — any lawmaker who will represent the city.

“Things are going to change. We’re aware of that,” said Tierney Macon, an activist with The Equity Alliance, a local civil rights group.

Macon, who protested at the Tennessee statehouse for days following the unveiling of the redrawn maps, said that activists aimed to hold the city’s new representatives in Congress accountable no matter their party.

“We just have to be engaged,” Macon said.

Demonstrations in the statehouse included chants accusing lawmakers of resurrecting Jim Crow, a system of state and local laws that for decades enforced racial segregation and disenfranchisement across the South.

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Lisa Mascaro and Matt Brown in Washington contributed to this report.

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At just 22 years old, the Miami musician, scholar and aspiring attorney has already overcome challenges that many could scarcely imagine. Yet through every obstacle, Plata has held tightly to his faith, his joy and his determination to live life fully.

As his tenor voice rises over piano keys, Plata is not simply performing music — he is telling the story of his life.

“God can turn what the world sees as adversity or an impossible situation into something that propels you forward,” he said.

Music has become both his passion and his testimony. But the melody of his life did not begin easily.

As an infant, Plata was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a rare form of retinal cancer that affected both of his eyes.

“I got diagnosed with bilateral retinal blastoma, a retina cancer in both eyes,” he recalled.

The cancer progressed so aggressively that doctors had no choice but to remove both of his eyes surgically.

“It had developed so much that really there was no other alternative than to eventually have both of my eyes removed via surgery,” Plata said. “What you see here today, these are prosthetics.”

Plata received his first set of prosthetic eyes when he was 3 years old in 2007. That same year, Local 10 first introduced viewers to the young boy and his family. The community responded with an outpouring of support, helping raise funds to cover the cost of the prosthetics.

More than a decade later, Plata still remembers that generosity.

“It truly means a lot to me,” he said. “I have so much gratitude in my heart.”

That gratitude has fueled a remarkable journey.

Over the years, Plata transformed his love of music into extraordinary talent, performing at professional sporting events, mastering multiple instruments and captivating audiences with his voice.

He now plays five instruments, including piano, drums and ukulele — an instrument he taught himself to play by ear.

His dedication and musical excellence eventually led him to the University of Miami’s prestigious Frost School of Music, where he earned a full vocal scholarship.

“It has been the best four years of my life, honestly,” Plata said.

Those years culminated in another milestone: graduating summa cum laude with degrees in vocal performance and political science.

And his journey is only beginning.

This fall, Plata will attend the University of Miami School of Law on yet another full scholarship after receiving the school’s Dean’s Merit Scholarship.

“It was this February that I found out that I was not only admitted to the school but I was being offered a dean’s merit scholarship,” he said.

Throughout every stage of his life — from childhood surgeries to standing ovations and academic honors — Local 10 has continued documenting the remarkable young man’s journey.

His story is one of perseverance, but also of faith.

Demonstrating that fulfillment comes from walking by faith, not by sight, as Plata says his blindness has never prevented him from seeing life clearly.

“God has a good sense of irony, I like to say,” he said. “I live in a physical darkness, but I can say that I do have the best light in the world.”

There are many people Plata credits for helping shape his success, including the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and the Doral Conservatory of Music, which helped develop his musical gifts. Above all, he honors his parents — his mother, Ileana, and his father, Silvio Sr., who has since passed away.

As Plata closes one chapter and prepares for another at law school, his story continues to inspire.

In three years, there is little doubt many will once again celebrate him — this time at his law school graduation.

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Con apenas 22 años, el músico, estudiante y aspirante a abogado de Miami ya ha superado desafíos que muchos apenas podrían imaginar. Sin embargo, a través de cada obstáculo, Plata se ha aferrado a su fe, su alegría y su determinación de vivir la vida plenamente.

Mientras su voz de tenor se eleva sobre las teclas del piano, Plata no simplemente interpreta música: está contando la historia de su vida.

“Dios puede convertir lo que el mundo ve como adversidad o una situación imposible en algo que te impulse hacia adelante”, dijo.

La música se ha convertido tanto en su pasión como en su testimonio. Pero la melodía de su vida no comenzó fácilmente.

Cuando era un bebé, Plata fue diagnosticado con retinoblastoma bilateral, una rara forma de cáncer de retina que afectó ambos ojos.

“Me diagnosticaron retinoblastoma bilateral, un cáncer de retina en ambos ojos”, recordó.

El cáncer avanzó de manera tan agresiva que los médicos no tuvieron otra opción que remover quirúrgicamente ambos ojos.

“Había avanzado tanto que realmente no había otra alternativa que eventualmente remover ambos ojos mediante cirugía”, dijo Plata. “Lo que ven aquí hoy son prótesis”.

Plata recibió su primer par de ojos protésicos cuando tenía 3 años en 2007. Ese mismo año, Local 10 presentó por primera vez a los televidentes al pequeño niño y a su familia. La comunidad respondió con una gran muestra de apoyo, ayudando a recaudar fondos para cubrir el costo de las prótesis.

Más de una década después, Plata todavía recuerda esa generosidad.

“Realmente significa mucho para mí”, dijo. “Tengo mucha gratitud en mi corazón”.

Esa gratitud ha impulsado un recorrido extraordinario.

Con los años, Plata transformó su amor por la música en un talento extraordinario, presentándose en eventos deportivos profesionales, dominando múltiples instrumentos y cautivando al público con su voz.

Ahora toca cinco instrumentos, incluyendo piano, batería y ukelele, un instrumento que aprendió a tocar de oído.

Su dedicación y excelencia musical eventualmente lo llevaron a la prestigiosa Escuela de Música Frost de la Universidad de Miami, donde obtuvo una beca completa de canto.

“Han sido los mejores cuatro años de mi vida, honestamente”, dijo Plata.

Esos años culminaron en otro logro: graduarse summa cum laude con títulos en interpretación vocal y ciencias políticas.

Y su camino apenas comienza.

Este otoño, Plata asistirá a la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Miami con otra beca completa después de recibir la Beca al Mérito del Decano de la escuela.

“Fue este febrero cuando descubrí que no solo había sido admitido a la escuela, sino que también me ofrecieron una beca al mérito del decano”, dijo.

A lo largo de cada etapa de su vida, desde las cirugías de la infancia hasta las ovaciones de pie y los honores académicos, Local 10 ha continuado documentando el recorrido de este extraordinario joven.

Su historia es una de perseverancia, pero también de fe.

Demostrando que la plenitud proviene de caminar por fe y no por vista, Plata dice que su ceguera nunca le ha impedido ver la vida claramente.

“Dios tiene un buen sentido de la ironía, me gusta decir”, dijo. “Vivo en una oscuridad física, pero puedo decir que tengo la mejor luz del mundo”.

Hay muchas personas a las que Plata atribuye haber ayudado a moldear su éxito, incluyendo Miami Lighthouse for the Blind y el Conservatorio de Música de Doral, que ayudaron a desarrollar sus talentos musicales. Sobre todo, honra a sus padres: su madre, Ileana, y su padre, Silvio Sr., quien ya falleció.

Mientras Plata cierra un capítulo y se prepara para otro en la escuela de derecho, su historia continúa inspirando.

En tres años, hay pocas dudas de que muchos volverán a celebrarlo, esta vez en su graduación de la escuela de derecho.

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At Optima Academy Online, a state-approved virtual school program, students attend class using VR headsets that immerse them in interactive learning environments — no traditional classroom walls required.

“When you put on the goggles, you log into your class,” said 10th grader Ryan Eddy.

For Ryan, virtual learning has become more than just an alternative to traditional school — it’s become a creative outlet.

“The VR helps a lot with trying to be creative,” he said.

What once sounded like the “classroom of the future” is now his everyday reality.

Ryan attends school virtually through Optima Academy Online, where students take classes in a fully immersive digital setting. His mother, Virginia Eddy, said the technology-driven format was one of the biggest reasons their family chose the program.

“One thing that attracted me was the virtual reality, the immersive learning,” she said.

Virginia explained she initially worried about Ryan’s safety and the distractions that can come with a traditional brick-and-mortar school environment. Since switching to virtual learning, she says she has noticed a dramatic difference in his focus and engagement.

“With this, I’ve noticed that he’s really just focused on school,” she said.

Now in his second year of virtual education, Ryan takes five to six classes a day. Some are live, teacher-led sessions, while others are self-paced and available on demand. Despite attending school from home, his mother says Ryan still maintains a healthy social life and participates in extracurricular activities, including playing baseball for a nearby school.

“It’s not homeschool — but it’s school from home,” said OptimaEd CEO Adam Mangana.

Mangana said the program was launched in 2021 with the goal of making online learning more immersive and engaging than traditional video conferencing platforms like Zoom. He compares the experience to the classic children’s television series The Magic School Bus.

“What we’re doing is essentially turning teachers into Miss Frizzle and taking students into the parts of a cell or back into ancient Rome,” Mangana said. “They’re doing this all in a social VR platform.”

According to Mangana, Optima Academy Online has quickly become one of the fastest-growing K-12 education models in the country. Through a partnership with the state of Florida, the program is tuition-free for students. The curriculum is state-approved, and the same technology is also being used in several elite private schools.

“This democratizes access and allows people to learn from anywhere in the state of Florida,” Mangana said.

While the rapid rise of AI and virtual reality in education may seem intimidating to some parents, Virginia Eddy said Ryan adapted quickly.

“The future is AI. The future is virtual reality,” she said. “He has that advantage, I feel, where he’s able to learn what you can’t learn in a regular school system.”

Mangana agrees that emerging technologies are reshaping education and says the focus should be on using them responsibly.

“AI and the metaverse are inevitable technologies,” he said. “These are things that most parents are already seeing impact their world. What we want is to create the proper guardrails.”

Currently, 228 K-12 students are enrolled in Optima Academy Online in South Florida.

En Optima Academy Online, un programa de escuela virtual aprobado por el estado, los estudiantes asisten a clases utilizando visores de realidad virtual que los sumergen en entornos de aprendizaje interactivos, sin necesidad de paredes de salón tradicionales.

“Cuando te pones los lentes, ingresas a tu clase”, dijo Ryan Eddy, estudiante de décimo grado.

Para Ryan, el aprendizaje virtual se ha convertido en más que una alternativa a la escuela tradicional: se ha convertido en una vía creativa.

“La realidad virtual ayuda mucho para tratar de ser creativo”, dijo.

Lo que alguna vez sonó como el “salón de clases del futuro” ahora es su realidad cotidiana.

Ryan asiste virtualmente a la escuela a través de Optima Academy Online, donde los estudiantes toman clases en un entorno digital completamente inmersivo. Su madre, Virginia Eddy, dijo que el formato impulsado por tecnología fue una de las principales razones por las que su familia eligió el programa.

“Una cosa que me atrajo fue la realidad virtual, el aprendizaje inmersivo”, dijo.

Virginia explicó que inicialmente le preocupaba la seguridad de Ryan y las distracciones que pueden surgir en un entorno escolar tradicional presencial. Desde que cambió al aprendizaje virtual, dijo que ha notado una diferencia dramática en su concentración y participación.

“Con esto, he notado que realmente está enfocado en la escuela”, dijo.

Ahora en su segundo año de educación virtual, Ryan toma entre cinco y seis clases al día. Algunas son sesiones en vivo dirigidas por maestros, mientras que otras son a su propio ritmo y están disponibles bajo demanda. A pesar de asistir a clases desde casa, su madre dijo que Ryan mantiene una vida social saludable y participa en actividades extracurriculares, incluyendo jugar béisbol para una escuela cercana.

“No es educación en casa, pero sí escuela desde casa”, dijo Adam Mangana, director ejecutivo de OptimaEd.

Mangana dijo que el programa fue lanzado en 2021 con el objetivo de hacer que el aprendizaje en línea fuera más inmersivo y atractivo que plataformas tradicionales de videoconferencia como Zoom. Comparó la experiencia con la clásica serie infantil de televisión The Magic School Bus.

“Lo que estamos haciendo es básicamente convertir a los maestros en Miss Frizzle y llevar a los estudiantes al interior de una célula o de regreso a la antigua Roma”, dijo Mangana. “Todo esto lo hacen en una plataforma social de realidad virtual”.

Según Mangana, Optima Academy Online se ha convertido rápidamente en uno de los modelos educativos K-12 de más rápido crecimiento en el país. A través de una alianza con el estado de Florida, el programa es gratuito para los estudiantes. El currículo está aprobado por el estado y la misma tecnología también se utiliza en varias escuelas privadas de élite.

“Esto democratiza el acceso y permite que las personas aprendan desde cualquier lugar del estado de Florida”, dijo Mangana.

Aunque el rápido crecimiento de la IA y la realidad virtual en la educación puede parecer intimidante para algunos padres, Virginia Eddy dijo que Ryan se adaptó rápidamente.

“El futuro es la IA. El futuro es la realidad virtual”, dijo. “Él tiene esa ventaja, siento yo, de poder aprender lo que no se puede aprender en un sistema escolar regular”.

Mangana coincide en que las tecnologías emergentes están transformando la educación y dijo que el enfoque debe estar en utilizarlas de manera responsable.

“La IA y el metaverso son tecnologías inevitables”, dijo. “Son cosas que la mayoría de los padres ya están viendo impactar su mundo. Lo que queremos es crear las barreras de protección adecuadas”.

Actualmente, 228 estudiantes de K-12 están inscritos en Optima Academy Online en el sur de Florida.

Ofcom said X's public commitments include restricting access in the U.K. to accounts operated by or on behalf of terrorist groups that the country has banned.

The platform also promised to review suspected illegal terrorist and hate content within 24 hours on average, and to assess 85% of the material no more than 48 hours after users have flagged it, officials said.

A spokesperson for X in the U.K. did not respond to a request for comment.

In response to concerns from some civil society groups that X failed to follow up after illegal content was flagged by users, X will engage with experts on how to improve its reporting systems, Ofcom said. X will submit quarterly performance data over a 12-month period so the regular can compare its performance against these targets.

The regulator said there's evidence that terrorist content and illegal hate speech is “persisting” on social media sites and that it expects tech companies to take “firm action.”

“This is of particular importance in the U.K. following a number of recent hate motivated crimes suffered by the country’s Jewish community,” Oliver Griffiths, director of Ofcom's online safety group, said.

Britain’s Jewish community, which numbers about 300,000 people, has faced growing attacks online and in the streets, including a string of arson attacks and a double stabbing that have sparked fear and anger among Jews.

X and Musk's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok faced intensifying global scrutiny earlier this year over after Grok, which can be accessed through X, pumped out nonconsensual deepfake images.

Ofcom responded by launching an investigation into whether Grok failed to protect users from illegal content, which Griffiths said was ongoing.

The Grok controversy also resulted in European Union regulators targeting X over whether it has done enough to contain the spread of illegal content. French prosecutors, meanwhile, sought charges last week against Musk and X including denial of crimes against humanity.

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Witnesses said they heard a shooting shortly before 3 a.m., and a helicopter flying over at about 5 a.m. near Royal Palm Boulevard and Riverside Drive.

Police officers used a white tent and a tarp to cover the victim’s body near the garbage area of Coral Park East, a community of townhomes.

There was also crime scene tape near the pool of a neighboring apartment building at the Coral Springs Tower Club community, and there appeared to be an assault rifle in the water.

Police officers also used crime scene tape to block access to a sports utility vehicle with blood marks.

Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 to remain anonymous.

The all-Republican court dealt a blow to Gov. Greg Abbott and state Republicans in their efforts to severely punish the more than 50 Democrats who bolted for New York, Illinois and Massachusetts in a bid to stop a vote on the maps during a special session.

The Texas redistricting effort kick-started cascading efforts by both parties across the country to redraw voting maps ahead of this year's midterm elections: Republicans, pushed by Trump, seek to hold their slim majority in Congress as Democrats try to counter them.

Those efforts have gained new intensity after the U.S. Supreme Court further weakened the Voting Rights Act by no longer allowing race to be considered in how congressional and other districts are drawn.

In Texas, Abbott had argued in a lawsuit filed directly to the state’s highest civil court that state Rep. Gene Wu, the leader of the House Democratic caucus, and others had effectively abandoned their office.

If successful, they hoped to wield a new hammer to threaten lawmakers considering any future quorum breaks.

Wu had argued that he was not abandoning his office, but was exercising a right to dissent.

In denying Abbott’s request, the court opinion written by Justice James Blacklock noted that the Republican-majority Legislature had adequately resolved the problem itself through measures such as fines against the missing lawmakers, and it noted they eventually returned on their own within a few weeks.

“In the end, a quorum was restored in two weeks’ time, without judicial intervention, by the interplay of political and practical forces,” Blacklock wrote.

“Courts have uniformly recognized that it is not their role to resolve disputes between the other two branches that those branches can resolve for themselves,” the opinion said.

If the issue rises again and the Legislature cannot effectively compel lawmakers to return, the court may someday consider whether the courts should step in, the opinion said.

“When Greg Abbott threatened to arrest and expel us for denying him a quorum, we told him he should ‘come and take it.’ He tried!” Wu said in a statement Friday. “Abbott was wrong, weak, and after all his bluster, he couldn’t come and take a damn thing.”

Wu and the other lawmakers eventually returned to Texas, and the new map was passed and signed into law by Abbott.

Wu had argued that because he had returned to the Capitol and the map was eventually signed into law, there was no longer any reason for the court to weigh in.

If lawmakers leave again, the governor will bring the same issue back to the court, Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said Friday.

“No elected official has the right to abandon their duties, flee the state and shut down the people’s business,” Mahaleris said. “Governor Abbott’s legal action is what brought derelict Democrats back to Texas to do their jobs and pass the Big Beautiful Map.”

The state constitution requires that at least 100 of the 150 House members be present to conduct business, and the quorum break effectively shut down a special legislative session Abbott had called to address redistricting and other issues.

And Texas has a history of walkouts.

In 2021, the court ruled that the Texas Constitution enables the possibility of a quorum break but also allows for consequences to bring members back.

Last year's Democratic walkout was the third since 2003, when lawmakers bolted to stop a vote on a redistricting bill. They did it again in 2021 over an elections bill. In both cases, they were temporary victories as Democrats eventually returned and the Republican majority in the Legislature ultimately passed both measures into law.

El informe indica que los investigadores vincularon a Jean Felix Fuentes-Gonzalez, de 39 años, con el asesinato de Rudy Quesada el 2 de febrero de 2024 mediante evidencia balística, pruebas de ADN y similitudes entre el homicidio en Miami y una balacera anterior en un motel de Hialeah que Quesada sobrevivió meses antes de su muerte.

La policía de Miami informó que los agentes respondieron alrededor de las 12:45 a.m. del 2 de febrero de 2024 al Ernesto Motel, ubicado en 4001 W. Flagler St., en referencia a una persona baleada.

Los agentes dijeron que encontraron a Quesada inconsciente en el suelo afuera de la habitación 18 del motel con múltiples heridas de bala. Personal de Miami Fire Rescue lo declaró muerto en la escena aproximadamente a las 12:59 a.m., según el informe.

La policía indicó que la novia de Quesada, Katherine Lopez, abrió la puerta de la habitación del motel cuando los agentes tocaron, pero dijo a los investigadores que no sabía del tiroteo. Posteriormente fue llevada a la estación de policía para ser interrogada.

Las autoridades dijeron que, durante una entrevista horas después, Lopez dijo a los detectives que mantenía una relación con Quesada y vivía con él en el motel.

También dijo a los investigadores que Quesada había sido baleado anteriormente múltiples veces en Hialeah por un “sospechoso desconocido”, según el informe.

Esa balacera anterior ocurrió el 10 de agosto de 2023 en el Hialeah Airport Motel, ubicado en 131 W. Fifth St.

Según los investigadores, los agentes que respondieron a esa balacera encontraron a Quesada con múltiples heridas de bala dentro de una habitación del motel. Fue trasladado al Ryder Trauma Center del Hospital Jackson Memorial, sometido a cirugía y sobrevivió.

La policía dijo que un video de vigilancia de la balacera en Hialeah mostraba al pistolero usando un gorro verde tipo skully, gafas de sol, guantes de trabajo de color claro y zapatos de dos tonos. Los investigadores dijeron que el sospechoso llegó y huyó en un vehículo robado.

Según el informe, Quesada dijo posteriormente a los detectives que durante el forcejeo logró quitarle el gorro skully al tirador. Los detectives dijeron que recuperaron el gorro, junto con mechones de cabello, en la escena.

Las autoridades dijeron que su investigación posteriormente conectó a Fuentes-Gonzalez con ambas balaceras.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade dijeron que realizaron una parada de tráfico el 24 de junio de 2025 en una gasolinera U Gas en Miami y recuperaron una pistola Polymer 80 de 9 mm de una Toyota Tacoma registrada a nombre de Fuentes-Gonzalez. Los investigadores dijeron que el arma coincidía con los casquillos recuperados en la escena del asesinato en Miami.

Indicaron que Fuentes-Gonzalez y Lopez estaban dentro del vehículo en ese momento y fueron arrestados por cargos relacionados con narcóticos.

Los detectives también confirmaron que Fuentes-Gonzalez y Lopez mantenían una relación de más de cinco años y vivían juntos en el suroeste de Miami-Dade, a pesar de tener un “historial reportado de violencia doméstica”.

Los investigadores señalaron que la vivienda estaba cerca del lugar donde fue abandonado el vehículo robado utilizado en la balacera de Hialeah.

Según el informe, los detectives también descubrieron que Fuentes-Gonzalez había sido arrestado por la policía de Miami en septiembre de 2023 en un caso no relacionado de vehículo robado mientras presuntamente usaba una peluca larga negra, un gorro negro tipo skully y ropa similar a la utilizada por el tirador en Hialeah.

Durante ese arresto, los agentes recuperaron un revólver, gafas de sol, guantes de trabajo y tenis de dos tonos que, según los investigadores, eran “consistentes con los artículos utilizados en la balacera de Hialeah”.

Las autoridades determinaron posteriormente que el revólver coincidía con un proyectil recuperado en la escena del crimen en Hialeah, según el informe.

Los investigadores también dijeron que Fuentes-Gonzalez fue arrestado nuevamente en octubre de 2023 después de que la policía lo encontrara dentro de un vehículo robado estacionado en el Ernesto Motel, el mismo lugar donde Quesada sería asesinado más tarde.

Según el informe, pruebas del laboratorio criminalístico de Miami-Dade confirmaron que el ADN recuperado del arma homicida coincidía con Fuentes-Gonzalez. Pruebas adicionales encontraron posteriormente que la sangre recuperada de un zapato dentro de su mochila coincidía con el ADN de Quesada, dijeron los investigadores.

El informe también indica que un análisis de fibras realizado por el Departamento de Cumplimiento de la Ley de Florida encontró que las fibras recuperadas en la escena de la balacera en Hialeah eran “consistentes” con la peluca recuperada de Fuentes-Gonzalez durante su arresto en 2023.

Fuentes-Gonzalez ya había sido acusado en relación con la balacera de Hialeah, pero las autoridades ahora añadieron un cargo de asesinato en primer grado por la muerte de Quesada.

El ciudadano chileno ha permanecido encarcelado desde el 15 de marzo y continúa detenido sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Los registros de la cárcel muestran que también tiene una retención migratoria.

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The report states that investigators tied Jean Felix Fuentes-Gonzalez, 39, to the Feb. 2, 2024 killing of Rudy Quesada through ballistic evidence, DNA testing and similarities between the Miami homicide and an earlier Hialeah motel shooting that Quesada survived months before his death.

Miami police said officers responded around 12:45 a.m. Feb. 2, 2024, to the Ernesto Motel, located at 4001 W. Flagler St., in reference to a person shot.

Officers said they found Quesada unresponsive on the ground outside Room 18 of the motel with multiple gunshot wounds. Miami Fire Rescue personnel pronounced him dead at the scene at approximately 12:59 a.m., according to the report.

Police said Quesada’s girlfriend, Katherine Lopez, opened the motel room door when officers knocked but told investigators she was unaware of the shooting. She was later taken to the police station for questioning.

They said during an interview hours later, Lopez told detectives she had been in a relationship with Quesada and was living with him at the motel.

She also told investigators that Quesada had previously been shot multiple times in Hialeah by an “unknown suspect,” according to the report.

That earlier shooting occurred on Aug. 10, 2023, at the Hialeah Airport Motel, located at 131 W. Fifth St.

According to investigators, officers responding to that shooting found Quesada suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside a motel room. He was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, underwent surgery and survived.

Police said surveillance video from the Hialeah shooting showed the gunman wearing a green skully cap, sunglasses, light-colored work gloves and two-toned shoes. Investigators said the suspect arrived and fled in a stolen vehicle.

According to the report, Quesada later told detectives that during the struggle he removed the skully cap from the shooter’s head. Detectives said they recovered the cap, along with hair strands, from the scene.

Authorities said their investigation later connected Fuentes-Gonzalez to both shootings.

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies said they conducted a traffic stop on June 24, 2025, at a U Gas station in Miami and recovered a Polymer 80 9 mm gun from a Toyota Tacoma registered to Fuentes-Gonzalez. Investigators said the gun matched shell casings recovered from the Miami murder scene.

They said Fuentes-Gonzalez and Lopez were both inside the vehicle at the time and were arrested on narcotics charges.

Detectives also confirmed that Fuentes-Gonzalez and Lopez had been in a relationship for more than five years and lived together in southwest Miami-Dade despite having a “reported history of domestic violence.”

Investigators noted the home was near where the stolen vehicle used in the Hialeah shooting had been abandoned.

According to the report, detectives further discovered that Fuentes-Gonzalez had been arrested by Miami police in September 2023 in an unrelated stolen vehicle case while allegedly wearing a long black wig, black skully cap and clothing similar to those worn by the Hialeah shooter.

During that arrest, officers recovered a revolver, sunglasses, work gloves and two-toned sneakers that investigators said were “consistent with items used in the Hialeah shooting.”

Authorities later determined that the revolver matched a projectile recovered from the Hialeah crime scene, according to the report.

Investigators also said Fuentes-Gonzalez had been arrested again in October 2023 after police found him inside a stolen vehicle parked at the Ernesto Motel — the same location where Quesada would later be killed.

According to the report, Miami-Dade crime lab testing confirmed that DNA recovered from the murder weapon matched Fuentes-Gonzalez. Additional testing later found that blood recovered from a shoe inside his backpack matched Quesada’s DNA, investigators said.

The report also states that fiber analysis conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found that strands recovered from the Hialeah shooting scene were “consistent” with the wig recovered from Fuentes-Gonzalez during his 2023 arrest.

Fuentes-Gonzalez had previously been charged in connection with the Hialeah shooting, but authorities have now added a first-degree murder charge in Quesada’s killing.

The Chilean national has been jailed since March 15 and remains held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Jail records show he also has an immigration hold.

Speaking to reporters as he flew back from a trip to China, Trump said Xi told him he would give serious consideration to the case of Ezra Jin Mingri, pastor of an underground church detained in China in October in what observers have called an escalating crackdown on religious freedom.

“He said he’s gonna strongly consider the pastor," Trump said.

Trump said that the case of Lai, founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy Apple Daily who was accused of anti-China activities, was much more difficult for the Chinese president. “He told me that would be a tough one,” Trump said.

The families of both Jin and Lai said they appreciated Trump for raising their cases with Xi.

Jin's Zion Church is among the largest so-called underground or house churches that are unregistered with the Chinese authorities. They defy Chinese government restrictions requiring believers to worship only in registered congregations.

His daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, said Friday that the family and supporters are “overjoyed” to hear what Trump had said about her father.

“It’s truly nothing short of miraculous!” she wrote to The Associated Press in a message. “We could not be more grateful to President Trump and his skillful administration for pressing the case!”

Despite Trump's far less optimistic tone on Lai, the former media mogul's daughter, Claire Lai, said she also was grateful to Trump and his administration for the commitment shown to her father’s release.

“He has earned his reputation as liberating the unjustly detained and I am confident he and his administration will be the ones to free my father,” she said in a message to the AP.

She called this moment an opportunity for Xi to do “the only just and honorable thing” for Lai and to show a gesture of good will to the world by releasing a man she said had dedicated himself to Hong Kong.

Activists say Beijing is becoming less willing to release prisoners who have confronted the government over human rights under Xi’s rule. In 2017, the Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo died at a hospital in northeast China even after foreign governments urged China to release him for cancer treatment abroad.

Before his arrest, Lai, 78, was critical of Xi and the ruling Communist Party. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February under a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 that has virtually silenced dissent in Hong Kong.

Lai was found guilty of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and conspiring with others to publish seditious articles. His pro-democracy Apple Daily was shut down during a crackdown following massive anti-government protests that rocked the city in 2019.

Observers said Lai’s plight symbolizes a decline in freedoms that Beijing had promised when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Foreign governments, including the U.S. and U.K., have raised concerns about Lai for years. But the Hong Kong government insists his case had nothing to do with press freedom.

On Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said Lai had been a key planner of anti-China activities that aimed at destabilizing Hong Kong, and said that the city’s affairs are China’s internal affairs.

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Tang reported from Washington. AP journalist Emily Wang in Washington contributed.

In a Friday morning social media post, Trump said the National Garden of American Heroes would be built in West Potomac Park, a space near the National Mall that includes the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. The area is also home to several fields and volleyball courts regularly used by local sports groups.

Trump described the area in his post as a “totally BARREN field of Prime Waterfront Real Estate along our Mighty Potomac River.”

The president has said the garden would commemorate America's 250th anniversary with sculptures recognizing 250 prominent Americans who have made significant cultural, political and other historical contributions to the country. He first raised the idea during Fourth of July celebrations in 2020 and has framed it as a response to protests that resulted in the removal of controversial monuments, including those that commemorated slave owners and Confederate leaders.

In the final days of his first term, Trump, a Republican, signed an executive order naming 244 people including Ronald Reagan and Jackie Robinson who should be honored with statues in the garden. The idea languished under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, but Congress provided $40 million under Trump's big tax and spending cuts law last year to procure the statues included in his executive orders.

That may not be enough, however, to constitute the type of approval typically needed for major projects on or near the National Mall. Federal law requires projects and memorials to get a sign-off from multiple design and planning groups.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the garden will “ be built to reflect the awesome splendor of our country’s timeless exceptionalism.”

“President Trump continues to beautify and honor our Nation’s Capital during America’s historic semiquincentennial celebration,” he said.

He didn't comment on whether the administration was seeking the relevant approvals or had already awarded contracts for the statues.

Washington's monumental core is one of the nation's most closely regulated spaces, with the goal of protecting sight lines and preventing new construction that would undermine the area's history. Between the approvals process, design disputes and funding challenges, changes in the area can take years — or even decades — to reach completion. One of the newest additions near the National Mall, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, took 21 years to finish after Congress initially approved it in 1999.

Trump and his supporters have shown little interest in following such procedures. He moved quickly this month to drain and repaint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. He suddenly demolished the East Wing of the White House last year to build a ballroom. Trump's name has been added to the facade of the Kennedy Center, which he plans to close later this summer for a two-year renovation.

Just this week, workers began preliminary surveys and testing of the proposed site of a triumphal arch Trump is seeking between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Part of the site was fenced off, and pink flags typically used as survey markings were planted in the grass.

And the Trump administration is moving forward with plans to transform East Potomac Park from an accessible public golf course into what Trump has described as a “U.S. Open-caliber course.” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Thursday released a design plan for the new course that he said would provide “championship-quality golf at affordable, highly discounted rates.”

The plan provided few details on how open the park, which is frequently used by local runners and bikers, would remain to the general public.

Virtually all of the projects have become subject to litigation.

That goes some way to explaining this month's showdown with a champion kickboxer in Egypt on May 23. Just don't expect to see him in the ring with YouTube star Jake Paul anytime soon.

“I don't know because Jake (is) my friend now,” Usyk told The Associated Press when discussing the potential of following Anthony Joshua and taking on the influencer-turned-prizefighter. “With Jake (a) fight is not possible, I think.”

Not that Usyk — the unified heavyweight world champion — is dismissive of the growing trend for boxers to take on ever more unusual and lucrative fights against opponents from different sports or different worlds entirely.

Jake and his brother Logan Paul found fame as YouTubers with millions of followers on the video-streaming platform and have gone on to fight legendary boxers Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather also fought UFC champion Conor McGregor and kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa.

In December, Jake Paul took on his most audacious challenge yet when he was knocked out by Joshua, the former two-time heavyweight champion.

The fight demanded attention around the world because, unlike Tyson and Mayweather, Joshua is 36 and still competing at the top of the sport for the biggest titles. Jake Paul was knocked out in six rounds and said his jaw was broken in two places.

Usyk says he understands the appeal of such fights, even if they are criticized by some boxing purists.

"It’s a media fight aimed at drawing even more people into professional boxing and combat sports in general. You know how it was when we were kids watching movies. ‘Who’s stronger, (Jean-Claude) Van Damme or Chuck Norris? Or (Sylvester) Stallone, or someone else?’

“Everything that happens in today’s world is a show, it’s all like a movie. And we are simply actors in that movie.”

The undefeated Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) is 39 and nearing the end of his career. He is planning three more fights ending with his “last dance” against Tyson Fury, who he has already defeated twice.

First up, however, is a title defense against Rico Verhoeven at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.

The 37-year-old Verhoeven is a champion kickboxer from the Netherlands, who has only fought once professionally as a boxer in 2014. He won that fight and is 66-10 with 21 KOs as a kickboxer.

Usyk describes it as another “very good media fight” even if he has had to defend his decision to take on such a boxing novice, rather than leading challengers for his belts like WBO champion Fabio Wardley.

“Rico is the absolute world champion in kickboxing and I am in boxing. For the fans, that’s not bad,” Usyk said. “Most people don’t really understand professional sports. They just watch the picture, and people want bread and circuses. We, in turn, went through a certain period of conquering and achieving results. Now we’ll make some noise for a while and then return to specifically boxing opponents because there is a certain plan that we are building for ourselves.”

Even if many people see the fight as a mismatch, Usyk says his preparations are as serious as ever and he has been working on cognitive training techniques to further improve his skills.

According to the British Psychological Society, cognitive training is about treating the brain like a muscle and regularly exercising it via methods such as games or problem solving.

Usyk says it speeds up his decision-making in the ring.

“Boxing is not chess — you have to think quickly in there,” he says.

He has taken a role as chief discipline officer for language learning app Promova, which he says he incorporates into his training regime.

“For example, someone says a word to me in Ukrainian and I have to answer in English, or he says something in English and I have to translate it. All of this keeps intensifying, and your head feels like it’s exploding,” he said.

With all that brain training, getting into the ring is almost a relief.

“In the ring, when I’m boxing, for me, that’s where I’m really ecstatic," Usyk said. "I don’t like training. I don’t like doing this incredible work every single day. But I know it will simply help me perform better in the ring.”

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Associated Press reporter Illia Novikov in Kyiv contributed to this report.

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

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

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Online jail records show Jeffrey Lamar Eubanks, 52, faces charges of vehicular homicide, disobeying a red light and careless driving.

According to Hallandale Beach police, the crash occurred at about 11:40 p.m. on April 14 in the 1800 block of South Ocean Drive.

Detectives said Eubanks was driving northbound at about 65 mph in a 35 mph zone and then failed to stop at a red light before striking the victim, who was crossing the roadway in the marked crosswalk.

Police said Eubanks turned himself in on Thursday.

He appeared in court Friday morning and was ordered held on a $30,000 bond. The judge also ordered that if he posts bond, he is not allowed to leave the tri-county area and is not allowed to drive.

At the time of publishing, Eubanks was being held in the Broward County Main Jail.

Los registros de la cárcel en línea muestran que Jeffrey Lamar Eubanks, de 52 años, enfrenta cargos de homicidio vehicular, no obedecer una luz roja y conducir de manera negligente.

Según la policía de Hallandale Beach, el choque ocurrió alrededor de las 11:40 p.m. del 14 de abril en la cuadra 1800 de South Ocean Drive.

Los detectives dijeron que Eubanks conducía hacia el norte a unas 65 mph en una zona de 35 mph y luego no se detuvo en una luz roja antes de atropellar a la víctima, quien cruzaba la vía en el cruce peatonal marcado.

La policía indicó que Eubanks se entregó el jueves.

Compareció ante la corte la mañana del viernes y se ordenó que permaneciera detenido con una fianza de $30,000 USD. El juez también ordenó que, si paga la fianza, no podrá salir del área de los tres condados ni conducir.

Al momento de esta publicación, Eubanks permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal del condado Broward.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said contradictory messages have “made us reluctant about the real intentions of Americans.”

“We are in doubt about their seriousness,” he told reporters in New Delhi, adding that negotiations would move forward if Washington was ready for a “fair and balanced deal.”

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week dismissed Iran's latest formal proposal as “garbage.” While Iran was said to include some nuclear concessions, Trump has said he wants to remove highly enriched uranium from the country and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

With talks between Iran and the U.S. at a standstill during the shaky ceasefire, tensions remain high and threaten to tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict.

Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway where a fifth of the world’s oil passed through before the war, and America is blockading Iranian ports.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who finished talks on Friday, agreed the strait needs to be reopened.

In Washington, the second and final day of talks between Israel and Lebanon were underway Friday, the U.S. State Department said. While a key objective is extending the tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that's due to end on Sunday, both sides continue to trade strikes.

The Israeli military said Friday it struck Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon after reporting hostile aircraft alerts and launches from across the border. Lebanon’s health ministry said nearly 40 people were wounded in Israeli strikes near the coastal city of Tyre. One strike “leveled” a primary health center and also damaged the neighboring Hiram Hospital, wounding six medical staff members, the statement said.

China could play a diplomatic role, Iran says

Araghchi said Friday that Iran would welcome diplomatic support from other countries, particularly from China, citing Beijing’s previous role in facilitating the restoration of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Beijing has shown little public interest in U.S. requests to get more involved, even though Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Xi had in their conversations offered to help.

Pakistan said Thursday it was continuing diplomatic efforts to help ease regional tensions. But it declined to disclose details of the discussions or say whether the U.S. had formally responded.

“The clock on diplomacy has not stopped. The peace process is working,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.

Iran says uranium is a sticking point

Trump has demanded a major rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities while Iran says it has a right to enrich uranium.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with Trump on Feb. 28, also wants Iran’s highly enriched uranium removed from the country.

Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that the issue of its enriched uranium stockpile is one of the most difficult subjects in negotiations with the U.S.

Russia has previously offered to take the stockpile if Iran is willing to give it up. Araghchi said Russia’s proposal was not currently under active discussion, but could be revisited.

“When we come to that stage, obviously we will have more consultations with Russia and see if the Russian offer can help or not,” he said.

Chinese company says its ship was taken into Iranian waters

A Chinese private security company said it lost communication Thursday with a ship it was operating as an offshore work platform — the same day the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that a ship anchored off the United Arab Emirates coast had been seized.

Sinoguards said it had “been informed through relevant channels" that the vessel Hui Chuan was taken into Iranian waters for documentation and compliance inspection by the authorities.

The company's emailed statement said there was no indication of any injuries on the ship and that it was cooperating.

The security company and the U.K. maritime center did not say who was behind the seizure. It happened as a senior Iranian official reiterated his country’s claim of control over the Strait of Hormuz and another said it had a right to seize oil tankers connected to the U.S.

The U.S. seized vessels in the Gulf of Oman last month and on Friday the foreign minister of Pakistan said it had secured the return of 11 Pakistani nationals and 20 Iranian citizens who were aboard those vessels. “All individuals are in good health and high spirits,” said the foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, said.

UAE speeds up construction of oil pipeline

The United Arab Emirates is speeding up the completion of a new pipeline that will allow the Gulf federation to export more oil without routing it through the Strait of Hormuz.

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, directed state oil company ADNOC to accelerate work on the pipeline, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said Friday.

The oil company already runs a pipeline designed to carry 1.5 million barrels a day from its oil fields to the port of Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman.

The new pipeline, expected to double the company’s export capacity through that port, will become operational next year, the media office said.

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Schreck reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press reporters Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; Koral Saeed in Abu Snan, Israel; Matthew Lee in Washington; and Mae Anderson in New York contributed.

The Oslo District Court said that the verdict in the case of Marius Borg Høiby will be delivered on June 15.

During six weeks of court proceedings that ended on March 19, prosecutors sought a prison sentence of seven years and seven months for Høiby, who denies the rape allegations.

Høiby, 29, is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit by a previous relationship and the stepson of Crown Prince Haakon, the heir to Norway’s throne. He is charged with 40 offenses in total, including four counts of rape between 2018 and 2024.

Defense lawyers for Høiby, who has no royal titles or official duties, said that there was no evidence to support the rape charges. He has, however, admitted to lesser offenses, including drug possession, transporting 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) of marijuana in 2020, traffic violations and breaches of a restraining order involving a former partner. He has also partially admitted to acts related to violence and threats but disputes key aspects of those allegations, including intent.

The defense team has said that a maximum sentence of 18 months would be appropriate for the charges he has admitted to. It argued that Høiby has lived under extraordinary media pressure due to his royal connections, which they said has shaped public perception of the case.

While the trial has played out, Mette-Marit separately has faced scrutiny this year over her connections with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. That has raised questions over her judgment, though she is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Las autoridades dijeron que operadores del 911 recibieron una llamada alrededor de las 11:45 a.m. reportando que un hombre había sido baleado y se dirigía hacia un hospital.

Agentes respondieron y localizaron a la víctima al norte de Sheridan Street y 56th Avenue en Hollywood. Funcionarios dijeron que el hombre sufría una herida de bala.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue trasladó a la víctima a un hospital local con heridas que no fueron consideradas de gravedad, dijeron las autoridades.

Según los investigadores, la balacera pudo haber ocurrido cerca de Mary Saunders Park en West Park.

Detectives de la Unidad de Crímenes Violentos de BSO investigan las circunstancias de la balacera.

No se divulgaron de inmediato más detalles sobre la víctima.

Cualquier persona con información sobre la balacera debe llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 654-493-8477.

La liberación de Readon ocurre mientras la iglesia New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church le da públicamente la bienvenida de regreso.

Un volante que circula en internet anuncia un servicio religioso “Readon Returns” programado para el domingo de 8:45 a.m. a 10 a.m. en 2801 NW 170th St. en Miami Gardens. El volante muestra a Readon usando un traje junto a las palabras “Readon Returns” y lo identifica como “Pastor Eric Readon”.

Los registros judiciales muestran que Readon se declaró culpable en junio de 2025 de explotación de una persona mayor después de que fiscales lo acusaran de tomar ilegalmente el control de la casa de Fuller y venderla sin que Fuller se diera cuenta de lo ocurrido. Fuller, quien tenía casi 80 años cuando comenzó la investigación, confiaba en Readon como pastor y asesor espiritual.

El caso atrajo amplia atención después de que Local 10 News comenzara a investigar las acusaciones de que Fuller efectivamente perdió la propiedad de su casa de muchos años mientras estaba bajo la influencia de Readon.

Los reportes durante varios años detallaron acusaciones de que se firmaron documentos transfiriendo la propiedad y que la casa fue vendida posteriormente, dejando a Fuller sin la vivienda que creía seguir poseyendo.

Como parte de un acuerdo negociado, Readon fue condenado a 364 días de cárcel, seguidos de 15 años de libertad condicional. También se le ordenó pagar $180,000 USD en restitución a Fuller.

Readon se entregó el 15 de julio de 2025 para comenzar a cumplir la condena. Debido a que los reclusos pueden recibir crédito por tiempo cumplido y reducciones de condena, su liberación en este momento, después de cumplir 303 días de una sentencia de 364 días, es consistente con la condena impuesta.

Durante procedimientos judiciales anteriores, los fiscales argumentaron que Readon utilizó su posición de confianza para explotar financieramente a Fuller. Más adelante, Readon intentó retirar su declaración de culpabilidad alegando que su abogado lo presionó para aceptar el acuerdo y no preparó adecuadamente el caso para juicio.

Ese intento fue rechazado por la jueza del circuito de Miami-Dade Christine Hernández, quien determinó que la evidencia demostraba que Readon aceptó el acuerdo de culpabilidad de manera consciente y voluntaria. Hernández señaló extensas comunicaciones entre Readon y su abogado antes del acuerdo y dijo que la evidencia no respaldaba las acusaciones de que había sido obligado a aceptarlo.

La jueza también señaló que Readon le dijo al tribunal durante la audiencia de declaración de culpabilidad que entendía el acuerdo y que nadie lo había amenazado ni presionado para aceptarlo.

Ahora, tras su liberación, Readon parece estar listo para regresar al ministerio.

El volante de la iglesia promoviendo el servicio del domingo incluye la dirección de Northwest 170th Street asociada con New Beginning Missionary Baptist Church en Miami Gardens e invita a los fieles a asistir al evento que marca el regreso de Readon.

No está claro qué rol formal tendrá Readon en la iglesia en adelante ni si alguna condición de su libertad condicional restringe sus actividades. Tampoco está claro cuánto de la restitución ordenada por el tribunal a Fuller ha sido pagada.

Local 10 News estuvo frente a la vivienda en la cuadra 2300 de Northwest 34th Avenue mientras hollín negro cubría la entrada principal de la casa.

Un hombre que es dueño de la vivienda junto a su esposa dijo a Brett Knese de Local 10 que el incendio comenzó alrededor de las 4:30 a.m.

“Como a las 4:30, 4:45, mi esposa escuchó un ‘estallido’”, dijo el propietario. “Ella dijo que acababa de ir al baño y escuchó un ‘estallido’. Claro, no pensamos nada al respecto. Le dije: ‘Déjame revisar’. Caminé hacia la sala y la impresora era lo único que se estaba quemando. Traté de echarle agua. No ayudó. En cinco minutos, lo único que veía eran llamas y humo negro”.

Funcionarios de Bomberos y Rescate de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward dijeron que los bomberos lograron controlar el incendio unos 20 minutos después de llegar.

El propietario dijo que han vivido allí por más de 20 años y que recientemente terminaron algunas renovaciones en el interior de la casa.

Dijo que están agradecidos de haber salido ilesos, pero devastados por los daños dejados por el incendio.

La causa oficial del incendio sigue bajo investigación por parte de la Oficina del Jefe Estatal de Bomberos.

La Cruz Roja ahora está asistiendo a la pareja desplazada.

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Local 10 News was outside the home in the 2300 block of Northwest 34^th Avenue as black soot covered the front entrance to the home.

A man who owns the home with his wife told Local 10’s Brett Knese that the fire erupted around 4:30 a.m.

“At about 4:30, 4:45, my wife heard a ‘pop,’” the homeowner said. “She said she had just went to the restroom and she heard a ‘pop.’ Of course, we didn’t think nothing about it. I said, ‘Let me go check it out.’ Walked in the den, the printer was the only thing burning. I tried to throw water on it. It did not help. Within five minutes, (all I saw) was flames and black smoke.”

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue officials said firefighters got the blaze under control about 20 minutes after arriving.

The homeowner said they have lived there for over 20 years and just finished some renovations to the interior of their home.

He said they are grateful to be able to walk away safe, but are devastated about the damage left behind.

The official cause of the fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The Red Cross is now assisting the displaced couple.

Season 4 of “The White Lotus” will be set around the Cannes Film Festival, bringing one the most acclaimed TV series into the heart of cinema’s French Riviera playground. The Hôtel Martinez, one of the iconic luxury hotels that line the beach in Cannes, will be a central location in Mike White’s HBO series, fictionally renamed the White Lotus Cannes.

Shooting has begun along the Riviera. But four days into the Cannes Film Festival, “The White Lotus” production has yet to materialize in town. The festival runs to May 23, so there’s still plenty of time. But the prospect of it turning into a live backdrop for “The White Lotus” may be unlikely.

As tantalizing as the prospect of cast members — including Steve Coogan, Heather Graham, Kumail Nanjiani and Rosie Perez — mixing into red carpet premieres during the festival may be, Cannes is vigilant about keeping attention focused on its film selections.

Representatives for HBO and festival organizers declined to comment.

When cameras turn on Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival has often been an irresistible setting for movies and series. A trip to Cannes made for some of the best moments in the French series “Call My Agent!” Some movies have been shot guerrilla-style around the festival, like the 1996 cameo-rich mockumentary “Cannes Man.”

But most have relied on a mix of exterior footage shot from the event with staged interior scenes apart from the festival. “Mr. Bean's Holiday,” the 2007 comedy that culminates with Mr. Bean bumbling into Cannes, is, surprisingly, among the most seamless recreations.

Some of this season's “White Lotus” cast members are appearing in Cannes on their own, for other projects they're a part of. Vincent Cassel walked the red carpet Thursday night for the premiere of Asghar Farhadi's “Parallel Tales.” Laura Dern, who joined the cast after the departure of Helena Bonham Carter, is attending later in the festival for the documentary “Dernsie,” about her father, Bruce Dern.

After location scouting, producers settled on the Martinez and another hotel south of Cannes in Saint-Tropez: the Airelles Château de la Messardière. It will be renamed the White Lotus du Cap. In real life, the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, in Antibes, can function like a swanky satellite to Cannes during the festival, and hosts the annual amfAR gala.

Last month, “The White Lotus” producer David Bernad said the setting for Season 4 came out of a trip he and White took to the Cannes Film Festival in 2021.

“We went to dinner and we had a really specific experience with a waiter and a maître d’, and it was the stereotype. It was a very funny moment,” Bernad said at the Canneseries Festival. “And I think that it suddenly unlocked what the show is and the dynamics of the show.”

Their festival experience convinced them to bring “The White Lotus” to Cannes.

“The energy around it was so intoxicating and this season will have elements of that,” said Bernad. “It’s really about the people’s stories, them navigating Cannes, and the ups and downs of the festival. It’s the beating heart of everything in this season.”

A plum role for the Martinez

Meanwhile, the Martinez awaits its close-up. But the Hyatt-owned hotel, which first opened in 1929, is already at the heart of the festival. Like several of the other hotels on the Croisette, the Martinez hosts waves of stars for the festival. Glamour shots on its spiral staircase are an indelible feature of Cannes. Hordes of onlookers camp outside its doors hoping for a glimpse of a celebrity or an autograph.

“We are the biggest player in town in terms of the number of rooms,” says Michel Cottray, general manager of the Martinez. “The film festival started in 1946, but we have ever since been fully engaged and in complete partnership with the festival.”

On nights during the festival, the Martinez's lobby swells with attendees in formal wear heading to the evening premieres. Often, that includes casts and filmmakers who pile into the official festival motorcade that ferries them down the Croisette to the Palais des Festivals.

Right now, keeping that nightly ritual humming, and catering to its A-list guests, is the main concern of the Martinez. “The White Lotus” will come later.

“We are gearing up to the shooting,” Cottray says. “I think it will be in a couple months’ time and then it will be a big experience for all of us. But we are ready for that.”

Some floors of the hotel will be completely sold out and inaccessible to the public during the shooting. Filming will take place throughout the Hyatt-owned hotel. “It will be things happening a bit everywhere,” said Cottray.

Cottray spoke in the hotel’s Michelin-starred La Palme d’Or restaurant, where movie memorabilia adorns the vintage yacht-styled interiors: the boxing shorts from “Raging Bull,” a plate from “Titanic,” the ice pick from “Basic Instinct.”

In the same room, the Martinez every year hosts a private dinner at the beginning of the festival for the jury that will decide the Palme d’Or. This year, that includes Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård and jury president Park Chan-wook. A meal is always tailored to the president of the jury. For the South Korean filmmaker of 2003 thriller “Oldboy,” octopus was naturally on the menu.

Hosting such a crowd — and with such a classic murder weapon near at hand, too — sounds straight out of “The White Lotus.”

“There are always unexpected issues happening,” says Cottray. “We have to react quickly. I will not drop names, but, clearly, we are ready for the unexpected.”

Según el teniente de la FHP Alex Camacho, el choque entre el camión de plataforma y un camión de carga ocurrió en los carriles en dirección sur de Okeechobee Road, en la intersección con Krome Avenue.

Camacho dijo que el camión de carga estaba detenido en una luz roja cuando un camión de plataforma amarillo se estrelló contra la parte trasera.

Las autoridades informaron que el conductor del camión de plataforma fue declarado muerto en la escena, mientras que el otro conductor no resultó herido.

Dos carriles en dirección sur de Okeechobee Road fueron cerrados tras la colisión.

Las identidades de las personas involucradas en el choque no fueron divulgadas de inmediato.

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According to FHP Lt. Alex Camacho, the crash between the flatbed truck and a box truck occurred in the southbound lanes of Okeechobee Road, at the intersection with Krome Avenue.

Camacho said the box truck was stopped at a red light when a yellow flatbed truck crashed into the back of it.

The driver of the flatbed truck was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other driver was not injured, authorities said.

Two southbound lanes on Okeechobee Rd were closed after the collision.

The identities of those involved in the crash were not immediately released.

Georgia's current secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, became a household name when he defended the state's election results against Trump's false claims about widespread voter fraud and resisted the president's urging to help “find” enough ballots to win the race.

Now that Raffensperger is stepping down to run for governor, election oversight is a key issue in the race to replace him. Some Republican candidates are endorsing the same distortions that Trump did six years ago. The president has stocked the federal government with people who echo his conspiracy theories, and election denial has spread through state offices as well.

A looming deadline over vote counting

The race comes at a time when lawmakers have made a contradictory mess of state law governing how votes are counted. Gov. Brian Kemp on Wednesday called lawmakers into special session on June 17 for redistricting but also to address a looming deadline on voting.

Georgia’s touch-screen voting machines print a paper ballot that includes a human-readable list of voters’ selections and a QR code that a scanner reads to count votes. Lawmakers two years ago passed a law saying QR codes could not be used for the official vote count after July 1 of this year.

However, they've failed to agree on an alternative method since then, causing uncertainty and the potential for lawsuits over Georgia elections until that's sorted out.

While the special session may resolve the question temporarily, the next secretary of state will likely be involved in implementing a new voting system by 2028.

The shadow of the 2020 election

Gabriel Sterling, who was one of Raffensperger’s top aides, is the only Republican secretary of state candidate actively defending the state’s 2020 election results.

He rose to prominence by imploring Trump to help discourage threats of violence against election workers, and he said in a recent Atlanta Press Club debate that the state has “the best and safest elections in America.”

But others continue to echo Trump’s claims.

Vernon Jones, who was elected as a state representative and DeKalb County CEO as a Democrat and then switched parties to become a Republican and fervent Trump supporter, is maybe the harshest critic.

“I believe there were many irregularities. I believe violations have taken place,” Jones said, adding, “I stand with those who believe there was election fraud.”

Kelvin King, a general contractor who previously ran for U.S. Senate and is married to State Election Board member and conservative commentator Janelle King, is only a little more reserved.

“I think 2020 is still in question to be frank with you,” King said.

State Rep. Tim Fleming said he believes there were some “irregularities" in 2020 and that “great strides” have been made to address the issues. He said he's “not running on conspiracy theories” and is focused on the future.

What they're saying

Fleming said he believes he and his fellow lawmakers need to find a “temporary fix” during the special session to remove the QR code from the ballot in a way that is “least disruptive for the county elections officials.” But ultimately, he said, he also wants to see the state move to hand-marked paper ballots, a position supported by many other Republicans.

Fleming previously worked for the secretary of state's office while Brian Kemp, now the outgoing Republican governor, held the position. He led a study committee on Georgia's election system last summer, but the committee produced only the briefest of reports.

Jones and King and Ted Metz, who has previously run for governor and secretary of state as a Libertarian, have criticized Raffensperger's record as secretary of state. They have decried what they say is incompetence, which he denies, and a lack of transparency and are calling for a switch from touch-screen voting machines to hand-marked paper ballots. They have extended that criticism to Sterling, who oversaw the implementation of the state's current voting system and continues to defend it.

Sterling, for his part, has insisted he is best positioned to beat a Democrat in the fall. He endlessly repeats the refrain that he has defended Georgia's election laws and policies against attacks from “Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden's Justice Department and the woke world.”

Cole Muzio, president of Frontline Policy, a Christian conservative group, said he believes Jones has “traction” in the closing days of the race, but said he believes that in any runoff, rank-and-file Republicans are likely to rally behind anyone who is opposing Jones. Muzio said despite Jones’ outspoken pro-MAGA position, questions about his party switch could intensify in a runoff, particularly over Jones’ switch from vociferously defending legal abortion to opposing it.

The Democrats

On the Democratic side, the candidates have stressed protecting the right to vote and fighting attacks on the state's elections.

The Democrats running for secretary of state include certified financial planner and political organizer Cam Ashling; Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett; nonprofit founder Adrian Consonery Jr; and former Fulton County State Court Judge Penny Brown Reynolds.

No coffeehouse employees are affected, the company said. The cuts will impact employees in support functions like marketing, human resources and supply chain management. No international employees are affected for now, but Starbucks said it is also reviewing its corporate structure outside the U.S.

Starbucks said it’s also closing underused offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago and other cities. The Seattle-based company recently announced that it's opening a corporate office in Nashville, Tennessee, that will employ up to 2,000 people within five years.

Starbucks expects to the moves to result in $400 million in restructuring charges, including $120 million in employee separation benefits.

Starbucks has been trying to reduce costs and complexity under Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol, who joined the company in 2024. Last year, the company laid off 2,000 corporate employees and closed hundreds of stores in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Niccol said last month that the simplified structure is helping the company innovate more quickly. Starbucks is also investing in its remaining stores to improve customers' experience. It plans to redesign 1,000 U.S. stores this year to give them a cozier, more comfortable feel, and it's also hiring baristas to ensure faster service during busy times.

The efforts appear to be paying off. In the January-March period, Starbucks said its U.S. same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, jumped 7%. Niccol called the quarter “the turn in our turnaround.”

“Our focus now is on sustaining our momentum and making our results repeatable and durable, all while delivering a healthy cost structure that supports profitable growth,” Niccol said during a conference call with investors. “It’s how we turn progress into consistent results.”

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said China reserved the right to buy as many as 750 Boeing aircraft as part of a deal reached during the summit. The White House did not specify the types of planes or provide any other details.

Neither the Chinese government nor Boeing issued statements confirming the purchase agreement, which would mark a significant breakthrough in a market that was once central to the U.S. aerospace company's long-term growth.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg was among a large group of American CEOs who joined Trump during the president's trip to Beijing, seeking to sell products and services to China.

Trump said the potential aircraft deal also would benefit General Electric, which he said would supply 400 to 450 engines to China. GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp also joined the president on his trip. The company did not immediately comment on the agreement.

While there were some hopes that the summit would result in concrete announcements of deals, the trip ended with a lot of uncertainty about what the two sides agreed on, said Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund.

“I think we really have to wait until we hear numbers from Boeing or from the Chinese,” Glaser told a media briefing Friday, saying there had been little concrete information about any trade agreements from the summit, including on Chinese purchases of U.S. exports such as soybeans, liquefied natural gas and beef. “All that we have is really what the president has told the world that China has agreed to.”

Since Trump returned to the White House, his administration has made Boeing a focus of its plans to revive U.S. manufacturing. A visit to the Middle East a year ago culminated in major aircraft agreements, including a Qatar Airways order for up to 210 Boeing jets in what the planemaker described at the time as its largest-ever widebody aircraft order. Saudi Arabia also placed commercial jetliner orders during the trip.

Other major Boeing agreements have followed meetings between Trump and foreign leaders. In August, Korean Air formalized a roughly $50 billion deal to buy more than 100 Boeing aircraft, spare engines and long-term maintenance services during South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Washington. The following month, a day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Trump in Washington, Turkish Airlines said it planned to add 225 Boeing aircraft to its fleet.

In another win for Boeing, the biennial Dubai Air Show opened in November with hometown airline Emirates ordering 65 of Boeing’s upcoming 777-9 aircraft. Days later, FlyDubai, the lower-cost sister carrier of Emirates, announced it had ordered 75 additional Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly a third of the narrowbody airliners Boeing delivered went to China. But the company's business there plummeted as U.S.-China relations soured.

China was the first country to ground the 737 Max in 2019 after two of the then-new models crashed less than five months apart in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing 346 people. Chinese airlines did not resume Max flights until January 2023, much later than carriers in many other countries.

Last month, Ortberg expressed confidence that any broad U.S.-China trade agreement to emerge when Trump and Xi met would be a “meaningful opportunity” for Boeing.

“President Trump has been very focused on supporting us in international campaigns, and he’s been very successful in doing that,” Ortberg told investors.

Ortberg took over as Boeing's CEO in 2024, a calamitous year for the company. In January of that year, a panel known as a door plug blew off a 737 Max shortly after takeoff from Portland, Oregon. Boeing faced mounting financial pressure as it came under intensifying scrutiny over alleged production and quality failures.

Months later, the U.S. Justice Department revived a criminal case against Boeing tied to the two fatal Max crashes, although prosecutors later reached an agreement with Boeing to dismiss the case, committing the company to an additional $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for victims’ families and internal safety and quality improvements.

Then an eight-week strike stretching through the fall by machinists who assemble the 737 Max in Washington state disrupted production and added to the company’s financial strain.

—- Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Kelvin Chan in London contributed to this story.

Monica Elfriede Witt, 47, was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2019 on charges of espionage, including transmitting national defense information to the government of Iran. She remains at large.

Witt “allegedly betrayed her oath to the Constitution more than a decade ago by defecting to Iran and providing the Iranian regime National Defense Information and likely continues to support their nefarious activities,” Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division, said in a news release Wednesday.

“The FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts.”

It wasn't immediately known why the FBI was bringing attention to Witt's case. The United States and Iran have been at war since Feb. 28.

Witt served in the Air Force between 1997 and 2008, where she was trained in the Farsi language and was deployed overseas on classified counterintelligence missions, including to the Middle East. She later found work as a Defense Department contractor.

The Texas native defected to Iran in 2013 after being invited to two all-expense-paid conferences in the country that the Justice Department says promoted anti-Western propaganda and condemned American moral standards.

Before that, Witt had been warned by the FBI about her activities, but told agents that she would not provide sensitive information about her work if she returned to Iran, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, Witt placed at risk "sensitive and classified U.S. national defense information and programs,” the news release said.

“Witt allegedly intentionally provided information endangering U.S personnel and their families stationed abroad. She also allegedly conducted research on behalf of the Iranian regime to allow them to target her former colleagues in the U.S. government,” it said.

The pop-up skating experience is taking over the venue through June 14, offering themed nights, food and cocktails, and a mix of old-school and modern Miami culture.

“What we wanted to do was keep the authentic feel of a skating rink and keep it classic with the music,” said Alex Macis, chief operative creative for Bayskate Miami. “It’s how we grew up, it’s a culture that’s really dear to us.”

Bayskate co-founder Marcos Macis said the concept began a decade ago in Bayfront Park as a way to activate public spaces.

“It was an idea to activate public spaces,” he said. “For those who don’t understand the Miami skate culture, there is a deep-rooted skate culture in Miami. So it’s not a disco themed experience. It’s actually a Miami experience.”

The 20,000-square-foot air-conditioned space features rotating themes each night, including TropiBass on Thursdays, disco nights on Fridays, Miami freestyle on Saturdays and open-format skating on Sundays.

“So Thursday nights we have TropiBass, which is a Latin fusion and Miami bass type thing. On Fridays we have our disco night, on Saturday we have our Miami freestyle night and on Sunday it’s kind of an open format,” Marcos Macis said.

Organizers said the experience also includes food and drinks, including wood-fired pizza and margarita flights.

“You’re going to have quality food, quality cocktails, we have margarita flights, wood oven fired pizza,” Alex Macis said. “We’ve got a mix of old school and new school so it’s going to be a good experience.”

Bayskate runs Thursday through Sunday, with ticket prices starting around $25, according to organizers. A $100 season skate pass is also available.

“Ticket prices start at around $25, $15 for kids during the day,” Marcos Macis said.

The founders say the goal is to keep skating accessible for all ages and skill levels.

“The thing is roller skating when we grew up is always something that is so inclusive, regardless of age or gender everybody was enjoying themselves in the same spot,” Alex Macis said.

“Bring your family, friends, date night, couples, families. I think we have a little bit for everybody. Hope to see you soon,” he added.

Click here for more information on how you can purchase tickets or book a party.

1 package beef ramen

neutral oil for sauteing, like grapeseed or canola, as needed

6 ounce skirt steak, cut into thin strips

½ cup snow peas, ends trimmed, cut into 1/3rds

½ cup snap peas, ends trimmed, cut into 1/3rds

3 scallions, whites and light green, thinly sliced

For the sauce:

¼ cup Oyster sauce

¼ cup Soy sauce

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 tablespoon Sesame oil

Cook the noodles in water until al dente, about 1 minute less than package instructions. Drain.

While the noodles cook, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat in a wok or tall-sided, large sauté pan. Sauté the beef for 1-2 minutes until it begins to caramelize. Add in the snow peas and snap peas and the cooked noodles. Stir to combine then add in the sauce. You can add a little of the flavoring packet to boost the flavor if desired. Sauté for 1-2 minutes to marry flavors. Add in the scallions and serve immediately.

The annual Legacy Ceremony was held at SEED School of Miami, a tuition-free boarding school with a 24-hour learning environment.

Graham was recognized for his work helping guide students in future projects. The SEED School is now 12 years old and has a 100% college acceptance rate.

Graham, who overcame many challenges growing up, said he quickly recognized how special the school is.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Local 10 News’ Clay Ferraro was at Miami Dade College’s North Campus for the first-ever Champions Gala.

The event honored middle school and lower school athletes with an awards show that had the feel of the Oscars.

Ferraro also delivered a speech to the athletes about the importance of youth sports in his life and the life of his family.

1 package shrimp ramen

neutral oil for sauteing, like grapeseed or canola, as needed

½ pound 16/20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

½ block firm tofu, drained and cubed

1 cup bean sprouts

4 scallions, whites and light green, thinly sliced

¼ cup salted roasted peanuts, lightly chopped

For the Pad Thai sauce:

¾ cup tamarind concentrate

¾ cup palm sugar, finely chopped

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup fish sauce

½ cup water

Prepare the Pad Thai sauce:

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce and mix well.

Cooking the Pad Thai:

Cook the noodles according to package instructions, however, cook 1 minute less than advised.

While the noodles cook, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat in a wok or tall-sided, large sauté pan. Add the shrimp and sauté for 1-2 minutes until they start to turn pink. Add the cooked noodles, tofu, and bean sprouts into the wok. Stir to combine, add as much Pad Thai sauce as desired and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. You can add a little of the flavoring packet to boost the flavor if desired. Top the scallions and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.

1 package chicken ramen

1-2 slices American cheese

scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

jammy poached eggs, for serving (see recipe below)

Following the package of chicken ramen, cut cooking time by 1 minute. When ready, add 2 slices of American cheese and the scallions just after adding the chicken flavor packet and mix together. Add the jammy eggs cut in half (recipe below) and serve while piping hot.

For the jammy eggs:

4 eggs

large ice bath

Bring a large saucepan of water to a rapid boil. Carefully add the eggs to the boiling water. Set your timer for 7 minutes.

While the eggs are boiling, prepare your ice bath. Fill a large bowl with ⅔ ice and cover it with cold tap water. Set aside.

At the 7-minute mark exactly, carefully remove the eggs one by one with a slotted spoon. Transfer each egg immediately to the ice bath and allow the eggs to sit in the ice bath for about 5 minutes.

Carefully peel each egg.

Slice the peeled eggs in half. Marinate in the recipe below for up to an hour.

Optional marinade for the eggs:

2 tablepsoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Mix together until sugar is dissolved.

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Witnesses said they heard a shooting shortly before 3 a.m., and a helicopter at about 5 a.m. near Royal Palm Boulevard and Riverside Drive.

Theresa Zuniga, who lives in the area, said she was scared when she heard the helicopter flying over.

“This place is very calm,” Zuniga said about her neighborhood.

Another resident, Samiir Syne, said it’s usually a safe area.

“It’s bizarre, I think it’s a safe area, and the fact that it was right there,” she said.

A man was fatally shot, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a spokesperson for the Coral Springs Police Department.

A white tent and a tarp covered a body near the garbage area of Coral Park East, a community of townhomes. Danny Raymonvil, who lives in the area, said he saw the man dead.

“It’s just unfortunate this person had to lose their life like that,” Raymonvil said.

According to neighbors, it took SWAT a few hours to find the possible shooter.

“They were pretty much trying to see if he’s in the building still, if he’s in this area,” said neighbor Storm Whittaker.

There was crime scene tape near the pool of a neighboring apartment building at the Coral Springs Tower Club community. There appeared to be an assault rifle in the water.

The Coral Springs Police Department announced that the nearby Somerset Academy will be “closed for the day” and asked the public to “avoid the area.”

Police told Local 10 News it has notified the family but has yet to release the man’s identity.

The victim’s family declined to speak.

Early morning report

Related social media

Location

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis answered more questions about the future of the detention center, though he still did not give a definitive yes or no on whether it will shut down.

DeSantis defended Florida’s involvement in hosting the immigration facility in the middle of the Everglades.

“We did it because we were asked to do it and I’m happy that we saved Floridians from having to face 22,000, many of whom would have done, I think, some bad things,” DeSantis said. “Well, they may not always keep them. We always said it was going to be temporary. They haven’t told us they don’t want it anymore.”

The governor also made it clear he would prefer the federal government handle immigration enforcement entirely.

“I would rather not have anything to do with this,” DeSantis said. “I’d rather just have our laws enforced, our border secure and have the federal government handle 100% of it. That would be fine with me. I know if Florida didn’t stand up, this job wasn’t going to get done the way it needed to get done.”

Earlier Thursday morning, Local 10 News was exclusively there as detainee Justo Bentacourt reunited with his family after spending six months at the detention center.

Bentacourt said he has heard from staff inside the facility that the detention center will shut down.

“That’s what he said,” Bentacourt said. “I have to see it first before I say it’s closed and it never closes.”

Attempts to deport Bentacourt to both Cuba and Mexico failed because of his health condition. This week, a judge granted his release after he spent more than 180 days in detention.

“January 23rd, they were supposed to send me home,” Bentacourt said. “Cuba didn’t accept me. Mexico didn’t accept me. Why are you letting me stay over there -- for what? For nothing.”

Vendors paid by the state confirmed to Local 10 News that they have been notified the detention center will close next month to allow time for logistics and related operations to wrap up, with the goal of shutting it down before hurricane season.

Local 10 News reached out to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and received a statement attributed to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.

“FEMA is working closely with the Florida Division of Emergency Management and the State of Florida,” the statement said. “Reimbursement requests are in process. Updates will be provided as the process continues.”

Now, a child who was destined to end up in a wheelchair with possible heart and respiratory problems has the chance to be able to run and play.

That dream is a reality thanks to an innovative gene therapy, and one South Florida hospital is leading the way.

Nine-year-old Ka’Lee loves to climb and run and play outdoors, but when he was just a toddler, his mother, Carmen Stinnett, knew something wasn’t quite right.

“I knew because I have four children and they always met their milestones,” she said. “So I knew something was different. I knew something was wrong.”

That mother’s intuition led to a frightening diagnosis.

Ka’Lee has duchenne muscular dystrophy, a potentially deadly genetic disorder that causes patients, as they get older, to become weaker and lose their ability to walk.

But now there is hope for children like Ka’Lee in the form of a new therapy that restores some of the genes these children are missing.

It’s called ELEVIDYS, a one-time infusion with big results.

“With gene therapy, you are trying to correct the underlying gene problem,” said Dr. Migvis Monduy, of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. “It’s not a cure for this particular disease, because the dystrophin gene is one of the bigger ones in the body. It’s too big to replace altogether.”

The gene therapy has been approved for children 4 years and older.

For Stinnett and Ka’Lee, a mother’s intuition, an early diagnosis, and innovative medical technology has been a winning combination.

“Before, he didn’t run. He runs now,” Stinnett said. “He walks a lot better; he has more stability. It’s really helped him a lot.

“I am happy and blessed. I was so happy he got the gene therapy. I was worried and concerned, but this has been life changing.”

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital was one of the first hospitals in the country to offer the therapy.

Monduy also said that because early diagnosis is vital, starting in 2027 in Florida, newborns will be tested for duchenne muscular dystrophy in the hospital.

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Kristi House is a Miami-based non-profit that provides trauma-informed care to trafficking victims.

Miami-Dade County’s law enforcement community and prosecutors are gearing up for the FIFA World Cup and launching an awareness campaign.

“(We are) getting people to literally care about one another in society,” said Philippa King, Deputy CEO of It’s a Penalty.

Passengers flying into Miami International Airport on major carriers, including American Airlines, will see a video on their flight regarding trafficking safety.

“A young boy saw the film and called out,” said King. “One life we helped.”

A spokesperson for Uber said they are rolling out in-app resources and education material for drivers, another key group who can help in this multi-agency effort that includes front line workers from TSA, hotel and hospitality workers to stadium staff.

“Hotels can be exploited by traffickers who want to hide in the shadows,” said Glenn Sampert, general manager of InterContinental Miami by IHG.

Officials spoke about some of the signs to look out for, including women who defer to a man and seem overall attached to them and who don’t have access to paperwork or money to purchase items.

HOW TO REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY

Call: 305-349-7867 (305-FIX-STOP)

If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888

Text: 233733 (BEFREE)

humantraffickinghotline.org

National Center of Missing and Exploited Children

1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

Cyber tip line: itsapenalty.org

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Now they believe he is missing somewhere in the city, or nearby.

Miami Beach police have issued a missing persons advisory for Torres, who was believed to have stayed at a hotel near Harding Avenue and 73rd Street last week.

“He’s absolutely enamored with Miami,” said grandmother Michelle Lowe-Christensen. “As an autistic person, he becomes very fixated.”

Lowe-Christensen has been posting videos that have gone viral on TikTok about her missing grandson. She is now in South Florida to look for him.

She told Local 10 News that Torres left his job at a car wash early last week and booked a last-minute flight to Miami, after a layover in Denver.

When Torres did not arrive home where he lives with his father in Austin, and never answered phone calls, the family began tracking his phone. They said they also have access to his iMessages and his bank account.

The 18-year-old is high-functioning but trusting, the family said.

“He does not see fear. He sees all people as friendly,” Lowe-Christensen said.

They believe he went to Dadeland Mall on Friday and said bank records show he bought clothing.

Later in the evening, his phone pinged in the Brickell area, then in downtown Miami Saturday morning, Lowe-Christensen said.

The tracking apps then went dark.

Miami Beach police are asking anyone in the community who might have seen Torres to call them at 305-673-7900.

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It happened Sunday afternoon in the area of Northeast 142nd Street and Sixth Avenue in North Miami.

Police said they arrived to the scene to find one man bleeding profusely from his hand while holding another man against a fence.

According to authorities, the man bleeding, Bryant Toletino, is the victim in this case.

He is even heard telling the suspect, 31-year-old Ariel Alvarez, not to act like the victim.

Police said Toletino was attacked by Alvarez with a machete.

Authorities said the victim was visiting a friend and Alvarez was outside the apartment. They knew each other from the neighborhood, cops said.

The two men were engaged in a conversation, and then, Toletino said Alvarez just lost it.

Police said Alvarez told them he was acting in self-defense, but they said surveillance video told another story.

Jail records show Alvarez is facing a felony charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

As of Thursday, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as “to be set.” He was also placed on an immigration hold.

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Authorities said 911 dispatchers received a call around 11:45 a.m. reporting that a man had been shot and was on his way to a hospital.

Deputies responded and located the victim north of Sheridan Street and 56th Avenue in Hollywood. Officials said the man was indeed suffering from a gunshot wound.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue personnel transported the victim to a local hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, authorities said.

According to investigators, the shooting may have occurred near Mary Saunders Park in West Park.

“It’s surprising. A very quiet neighborhood. BSO is already around here,” said a mother who was picking up her child from an afterschool program at the park hours after the incident.

Detectives with BSO’s Violent Crime Unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

No other details about the victim were immediately released.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 654-493-8477.

The auction on eBay was intended to revive an event that Buffett hosted for more than two decades that raised $53 million for the GLIDE Foundation homeless charity in San Francisco. This year's auction that wrapped up Thursday night also raised month for Curry's Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation that he established with his wife, Ayesha.

The anonymous winner paid $9,000,100 to win a private lunch with Buffett and the Currys in the 95-year-old investor's hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, next month.

"We’re overwhelmed with gratitude for this opportunity, which reflects a shared belief that when different generations and institutions come together with purpose, we can create deeper and more lasting impact for the people who need it most,” the Currys said in a statement.

The Buffett auctions started in 2000 and continued every year until the pandemic prompted a couple years off. Starting in 2008, every winning bid for lunch with the investing giant topped $1 million. He discontinued the event after someone paid $19 million for a lunch in 2022.

A follow-up auction in 2024 raised $1.5 million for a lunch with software titan Marc Benioff, but that version of the event didn't last.

Buffett reached out to the Currys earlier this year to ask them to join the lunch auction this year. Curry missed 27 games this year before returning to help the Golden State Warriors down the stretch.

Buffett stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in January after six decades of leading the conglomerate. He remains chairman, but just sat through his first annual shareholder meeting — sitting in the audience instead of leading the event from stage.

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• MDSO: Mother arrested after son, 6, shoots himself with her gun
• Miami Gardens man busted after depositing stolen checks worth over $50K
• After 6 months in Alligator Alcatraz, Miami-Dade father reunites with family
• Man accused of molesting girl, 12, on way to Miami Gardens school
• Mother, daughter facing felony charges for allegedly defrauding dental clinic both worked for: Cops
• Residents say they’re trapped in construction zone as Memorial Regional expansion grows
• South Florida officers sue Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, claiming details in ‘The Rip’ are too real
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• One evacuated passenger tests positive for hantavirus and another develops symptoms on flight home

Sen. Bill Cassidy is running for a third term but first must overcome a Republican primary field that includes state Treasurer John Fleming and U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, who was endorsed by Trump in January.

The primary is the president’s latest opportunity to exact retribution from his perceived political enemies, including fellow Republicans he considers disloyal. Cassidy has been near the top of that list since his vote more than five years ago to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial following the insurrection by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump was acquitted.

Louisiana is not among the states Democrats are targeting in their effort to retake the U.S. Senate. A Cassidy defeat in the primary would likely result in a Senate GOP caucus even more unified behind Trump and further demonstrate the strength of the president’s grip on the party.

Voters will also decide primary contests for state Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and state school board, along with five proposed state constitutional amendments.

Louisiana’s primaries for U.S. House were postponed after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s current congressional map, which includes a majority Black district that favors Democrats. U.S. House races will still appear on ballots, but any votes cast in those contests will not be counted.

In another key departure from previous Louisiana primaries, contenders in Saturday’s contests will run in separate party primaries, rather than in one jungle primary in which all candidates appear on the same ballot. State lawmakers adopted the new system for certain offices in 2024, but the law didn’t go into effect until 2026.

U.S. House races were originally slated to use the new primary system under the 2024 law, but state Republicans on Thursday adopted legislation to reinstate the jungle primary for U.S. House races, citing a compressed schedule after the Supreme Court decision. Just as in previous cycles, the jungle primary will be held on Nov. 3 alongside the general election.

East Baton Rouge Parish, home to Baton Rouge, and Jefferson and Orleans Parishes in the New Orleans area are the most populous in the state, but St. Tammany Parish, north of New Orleans along the Mississippi border, contributed the most votes in the 2016 and 2024 Republican presidential primaries.

Caddo Parish in the northwest, home to Shreveport, and Lafayette Parish also tend to play a bigger role in Republican primaries than in Democratic ones.

Trump narrowly won a four-way primary in 2016, powered in part by a large margin in Jefferson Parish and overcoming losses in East Baton Rouge and Caddo Parishes to Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. He swept the state eight years later in the 2024 primary against former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who had dropped out of the race by the time of the primary but was still posting stronger-than-expected showings in other states.

Cassidy’s previous victories in 2014 and 2020 were under the old primary system, in which his main opposition on the ballot came from Democrats.

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

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. local time (CT), which is 9 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, state Supreme Court, state Public Service Commission and state school board, as well as five statewide ballot measures.

Who gets to vote?

Registered party members may vote only in their own party’s primary. In other words, Democrats can’t vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may participate in either primary. Voters registered with other parties may only vote on nonpartisan contests.

How many voters are there?

As of May 1, there were about 3 million registered voters in Louisiana. Registered Democrats and Republicans numbered about 1.1 million each, with registered Democrats at a slight advantage. About 813,000 voters were not registered with any party. The remainder were registered with other parties.

How many people actually vote?

Louisiana’s new primary system is closer in format to the 2024 presidential primaries than to previous state primaries. About 192,000 votes were cast in the Republican primary and about 167,000 in the Democratic contest. Each primary represented about 6% of registered voters.

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

About 41% of the Republican primary vote and about 45% of the Democratic primary vote in 2024 was cast before primary day.

As of Thursday, about 255,000 ballots had already been cast in Saturday’s election, about 44% from Democrats and about 41% from Republicans.

When are early and absentee votes released?

Results from early and absentee voting are usually released by each parish in the first vote update, as separate totals from in-person Election Day vote results.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the 2024 general election, the AP first reported results at 9:32 p.m. ET, or 32 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 11:56 p.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

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

How do recounts work?

There are no automatic recounts in Louisiana, but a candidate may request and pay for a recount of absentee and early votes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Saturday, there will be 42 days until the June 27 primary runoff if needed, 171 days until Nov. 3 general election and the rescheduled U.S. House jungle primaries and 210 days until the Dec. 12 runoff.

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

Ratcliffe met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services, and discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues. A CIA official confirmed the meetings to the AP.

Ratcliffe was there “to personally deliver President Donald Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,’’ the CIA official said.

An official statement from Cuba’s government noted that Thursday’s meeting “took place ... against a backdrop of complex bilateral relations.”

While the U.S. stressed that Cuba cannot continue to be a “safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere,” the Cuban delegation insisted that the island presents no threat to U.S. security. Cuban officials also took issue with the nation’s continued inclusion on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

Rodríguez Castro previously secretly met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of a Caribbean Community summit in St. Kitts in February. While he’s never occupied a government post, he served as his grandfather’s bodyguard and later as head of Cuba’s equivalent of the Secret Service.

U.S. and Cuban officials also met earlier this year in Cuba. The ongoing meetings between U.S. and Cuban officials mark the first U.S. government flights to land in Cuba other than at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay since 2016.

Thursday’s meeting comes weeks after the Cuban government confirmed that it had recently met with U.S. officials on the island as tensions between the two sides remain high over the U.S. energy blockade of the Caribbean country and as Cuba’s power grid has collapsed and energy to its eastern provinces has been cut. The U.S. blockade of fuel to the island has heightened its economic woes, with reduced work hours and food spoilage as refrigerators stop working.

Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department reiterated that the U.S. will provide Cuba with $100 million in humanitarian assistance and support for satellite internet “if the Cuban regime will permit it.”

In late January, Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba. Though Trump also has threatened to intervene in the country, and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said recently that his country was prepared to fight if that should happen, sources told the AP earlier this month that military action is not imminent.

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

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Tucker reported from Washington, D.C.

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This version is corrected to show that the U.S. aid offer is $100 million.

At a Seattle sports bar on a recent Saturday night, hundreds of very tall people got to experience something rare: blending in. Women in their highest heels craned their necks to look at someone taller. Men who usually duck under doorways looked ordinary. For once, nobody had to explain why they don’t play basketball.

Welcome to Tall Tour, a traveling meetup drawing thousands across the United States to celebrate the one physical trait that has made them stand out — for good and ill. Since launching last summer, the tour has visited 19 cities, with crowds swelling from an initial 30 people in Tampa, Florida, to some 4,000 in Orlando, according to organizers. Seattle drew around 750, they said.

“You’re walking around and there’s people your height and people taller than you when you thought you were just this giant freak,” said Tyler Bergantino, the tour’s 6-foot-9 founder who wears a size-16 shoe. “That’s something that I think is very healing for tall people.”

The concept emerged almost accidentally. Bergantino, 32, a former software salesman turned TikTok creator, posted a casual invitation on social media while traveling through Texas. He wanted content. Instead, he sparked a movement.

“It created itself,” he said. “I can’t really take credit for it.”

Each stop follows a similar format: Tall people gather, take photos, share recommendations for shoe shopping and swap stories about hitting their heads on door frames and cramming into airplanes.

For many women, the night’s biggest draw is the speed dating component and the hope of meeting someone comfortable dating a taller woman — whether that means matching their height, exceeding it or simply being open to it. Many bonded over the shared challenge of navigating a dating culture that still favors petite women.

“Dating as a tall woman, you feel like you’re intimidating to people,” said 25-year-old Ksenia Protasenko, who's 6 feet tall. “There’s this association with you being a warrior type, but it’s not true. It’s tough to have your height as the first thing people notice about you because it feels like people are not really seeing any vulnerable parts of you.”

Protasenko said men often ask whether she plays basketball. She usually has a reply ready.

“I tell them, ‘Yeah, sure,’ even though I don’t,” she said. “Then I ask them if they play mini golf. That seems to straighten them right up.”

Crowning the royalty of the tall

The highlight comes when organizers crown the tallest man and woman in attendance. In Seattle, those titles went to a mother and son. Susan Mullendore, 44 and 6-foot-5, stood beside her son Grayson, 19 and 7 feet tall, as the crowd erupted.

“As a mom, just seeing Grayson having this experience meant the world to me,” Susan said. “To be able to be crowned with him was really special. It was nice to have our height celebrated.”

For Grayson, a college freshman, the evening offered something rare: a feeling of normalcy. When in public, he said, strangers make comments and photograph him without asking. “People think that because we’re tall they can say whatever they want or do whatever they want, like we’re zoo animals almost,” he said.

At Tall Tour, the dynamic flipped.

“It was insane to feel small for once,” he said, noting the event's 7-foot-3 and 7-foot-4 co-hosts known as the Tall Boys. “It was so surreal to be able to have a conversation and look people in the eyes.”

That commonality runs deeper than shoe size. Attendees describe a lifetime of social hyper vigilance — raising their voices a few pitches to sound less intimidating, slowing down around corners so they do not startle strangers, slouching to fit in.

“You’re hyper-fixated on making sure that people don’t see you as a threat,” Bergantino said.

Tall people often feel isolated and out of place, particularly around puberty, he said, noting he reached 6-foot-9 at age 16. But at Tall Tour, people can finally feel what it’s like to fit in.

“It heals a portion of your inner child,” he said. “Everyone’s walls come down, and it’s like we’re all one family.”

Susan knows the feeling.

“Sometimes you just want to go through the airport and be left alone. And that doesn’t happen for us. We usually get a lot of whispers,” she said. “We get it. It’s shocking to see tall people. But sometimes it does get old.”

The challenges extend beyond social awkwardness. Finding clothes and shoes that fit can be a mission. Susan, who wears a size-14 shoe, orders clothes from a specialty brand in the United Kingdom. To fit in his dorm bed, Grayson added a mattress extender and three sheets of plywood for support. He still hangs off the edge.

What began as a meetup has become a fast-growing business

Bergantino quit his sales job two years ago and now runs Tall Tour full time with a small team that includes his brother, who handles video and social media, a chief executive officer and a chief operating officer.

Even celebrities have taken notice. Seven-foot-6 basketball player Mamadou Ndiaye attended the Los Angeles event and the team has been in contact with 7-foot-1 NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

Future plans include expanding speed dating, launching a fashion show featuring height-inclusive brands and models, and adding spinoffs such as Tall Tour at Sea. International stops in Canada, Dubai, London, Australia, the Netherlands and Japan are also on the wish list. Bergantino says he wants to build “the tall-person ecosystem” — advocacy for exit row seating, better clothing options and even a phone app.

For now, the reward comes in smaller moments, like watching women in heels celebrate the height that once caused shame.

“The most joy of the day comes from the Tall Queen when she gets her crown and everyone’s going crazy,” he said. “It gets me every time.”

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Tall Tour will run through May with two more stops in Houston and Dallas, Texas. Follow Annika Hammerschlag on Instagram.

The Long Island Rail Road that serves New York City’s eastern suburbs has been negotiating for months on a new contract with labor officials representing locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and other train workers.

A strike was temporarily averted in September when President Donald Trump’s administration agreed to help. Those efforts ended without a deal, giving both sides 60 days — ending 12:01 a.m. Saturday — to again try to resolve their differences before the union was legally allowed to go on strike or the agency could lock out workers.

Five labor unions representing about half the train system’s 7,000-person workforce warned this week that Saturday’s deadline was approaching.

The LIRR is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, carrying about 250,000 customers each weekday. LIRR workers last went on strike in 1994, for about two days. Workers nearly walked out in 2014 before then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo reached a deal with unions.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the LIRR and other area transit systems, has said it will provide free but limited shuttle buses during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The agency says the shuttles will depart from designated LIRR train stations to subway stops in the New York City borough of Queens.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has urged LIRR riders to work from home, if possible, as the free shuttles are meant for essential workers and those who cannot telecommute. The Democrat, months earlier, slammed the LIRR unions for “greedy asks” that threaten to “destabilize the local economy.”

But there have been signs of progress in negotiations this week.

Months ago, the MTA had proposed to the unions a 9.5% wage increase over three years, in line with what the system’s other unionized workers have already agreed to. The unions, however, held out for another yearly salary increase of 6.5%, for a total raise of 16% over four years.

But following Wednesday’s closed door meetings, Gary Dellaverson, the MTA’s chief negotiator, said the agency offered the unions what it said would effectively amount to a 4.5% raise in the fourth year of the contract. That offer, he said, was in line with what federal officials had recommended and would come in the form of lump sum payments rather than wage increases, as the union sought.

“The difference between those two positions is not unbridgeable,” Dellaverson said in a news conference. “It is describable simply in terms of money. There are no longer any complexities involved with the parties.”

Kevin Sexton, a spokesperson for the unions, acknowledged Wednesday that there was “positive movement” toward a settlement but dismissed the notion that a deal was close as “far-fetched.”

“We would like to reach an agreement that reflects the rising cost of living,” he said. “Anything short of that amounts to a cut in real wages.”

Spokespersons for MTA didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment Thursday, but the union said the two sides were expected to continue talks later that night and reconvene Friday if there was still no deal.

Susanne Alberto, a personal trainer from Long Island, said she’s already made plans with her Manhattan clients to hold virtual sessions in the event of a shutdown.

She said the union likely has the upper hand, even if she believes raises should be based on job responsibilities and not made across the board.

“The MTA is going to cave, and they know that,” Alberto said. “Why don’t they just do it now instead of waiting until virtually millions of people get inconvenienced?”

Rob Udle, an electrician who takes the LIRR at least five days a week, said he’ll likely use his vacation days rather than navigate the “nightmare” of commuting into Manhattan if the rail service shuts down.

A union member, he sympathized with the unions’ affordability concerns, but said he didn’t agree with their strongarm tactics.

“I get it, the cost of living is going up and stuff like that,” Udle said while waiting at Penn Station for a train home. “But they shouldn’t hold everybody hostage to do it. There’s a better way. You’re affecting a lot of other people.”

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The first reference to the rail system has been updated to correct to Long Island Rail Road, from Long Island Railroad.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

Speaking a day after the body of a fifth member of the dive group was recovered on Thursday, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said despite the poor weather conditions everything possible would be done to bring the victims home.

The cause of the deaths remained under investigation. The recovery operation is expected to resume on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, the searches are suspended due to bad weather, but we will do everything possible to recover the bodies of our compatriots," Tajani told a political event in Italy.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry said the dive group had “apparently died while attempting to explore caves at a depth of 50 meters (164 feet)” in the Vaavu Atoll on Thursday.

The victims were identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate ecology professor at the University of Genoa, her daughter Giorgia Sommacal, marine biologist Federico Gualtieri, researcher Muriel Oddenino and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti, according to the Maldivian government.

Benedetti’s body was recovered on Thursday.

Montefalcone’s husband, Carlo Sommacal, said he believed something unexpected must have occurred and ruled out recklessness on her part.

“Something must have happened,” he told Italian TV channel Rete 4. He said his wife was a disciplined diver who carefully weighed risks before each descent. He recalled her telling him at times: “This one I can do, you can’t.”

Cave diving is a highly technical and dangerous activity that requires specialized training, equipment and strict safety protocols. Risks increase sharply in overhead environments and at depth, particularly when conditions deteriorate. Experts say it’s easy to become disoriented or lost inside caves, particularly as sediment clouds can sharply reduce visibility.

Diving at 50 meters also exceeds the maximum depth recommended for recreational divers by most major established scuba certifying agencies, with depths beyond 40 meters considered technical diving, which requires specialized training and equipment. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters.

Sommacal said his wife survived the 2004 tsunami while diving off Kenya, resurfacing with other experienced divers despite the danger, and later returned to diving after a lengthy recovery from serious health complications. “She had two lives — one on land and one in her environment, the water,” he said.

Maldivian presidential spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef said eight divers took part in Friday’s search and, working in pairs, explored the depths and drew up a map to continue the mission on Saturday.

He said Benedetti’s body was found near the mouth of the cave and authorities believed the remaining four had entered the cave.

Two Italians — a deep-sea rescue expert and a cave diving expert — are expected to join the recovery effort, Shareef said.

Italian officials said around 20 other Italians who were on the same expedition aboard a vessel named the “Duke of York” were safe. Italy’s embassy in Colombo was providing assistance to those onboard and had contacted the Red Crescent, which offered to deploy volunteers to help provide psychological aid.

The vessel was searching for safe harbor from poor weather conditions, and was waiting for conditions to improve before returning to Male, the Italian ministry said.

Greenpeace Italia, the environmental organization, paid tribute to Montefalcone as a passionate advocate for marine protection, saying it would miss “her professionalism and her advice immensely” and “that special light she had in her eyes when she spoke about the wonders of the sea and the importance of protecting them.”

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology offered condolences for all the victims. It said Montefalcone had been widely recognized for her work studying and protecting the marine environment.

The Italian ministry said it was coordinating with Divers Alert Network, a specialist diving organization, to support recovery operations and the repatriation of the bodies.

It said the cave entered by the five divers is divided into three large chambers connected by narrow passages. Recovery teams explored two of the three chambers, but the search was limited due to considerations over oxygen and decompression.

On Saturday, they will explore the third chamber, the ministry added.

Italian officials and the honorary consul are in contact with the victims’ families to provide assistance.

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Zampano reported from Rome. Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi and Krishan Francis in Colombo contributed to this report.

Although Starmer vowed to fight on after a bruising week in which one Cabinet member resigned, dozens of lawmakers called for the prime minister to quit and his new policy proposals were largely ignored, some observers believe it’s only a matter of time before he steps aside.

The message of the past week “is that Labour seems to have made up its mind that Keir Starmer is going to have to go,” said Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. “And he’s going to have to go reasonably quickly, and he’s going to have to be replaced by someone who can, unlike him, connect with the public.”

Cabinet resignation adds pressure on Starmer

Weeks of speculation about Starmer's future broke into open rebellion Thursday when Health Secretary Wes Streeting resigned in preparation for a possible leadership bid and the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, declared his intention to return to Parliament. Former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced she had cleared up a tax issue that forced her to resign from the Cabinet last year, thus freeing her up as well.

Starmer is under growing pressure to step down after Labour performed dismally in local and regional elections last week, hemorrhaging votes to both the anti-immigrant Reform UK party on the right and the Green Party on the left. The electoral drubbing cemented doubts among many party members about Starmer’s judgment, vision and leadership less than two years after he led Labour to a landslide victory.

But the potential contest to unseat him is on hold for now as the party waits to see if Burnham can win a special election for a seat in Parliament that would allow him to enter the race. If he returns to the House of Commons, Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer.

On Friday, Labour's executive body approved Burnham to run for the seat that became available when a Labour lawmaker resigned to make way for the Greater Manchester mayor. That election is expected to be in the next five or so weeks.

As and when a challenge to Starmer emerges, Labour’s National Executive Committee will set the timetable for any leadership election. The most recent contest lasted three months.

The government’s borrowing costs rose Friday and the pound weakened on investor concern about continued disarray in Westminster. The pound has dropped 1.3% against the U.S dollar this week.

Starmer's supporters urge rivals to think again

Housing Secretary Steve Reed on Friday appealed to party members to step back from the brink of a divisive leadership contest that he said would prevent the government from tackling issues like the cost of living crisis and bolster the prospects of Reform UK.

“This weekend people just need to take a breath, look at what’s gone wrong this week, and come back next week ready to do what we said we’d do — country first, party second — and focus on delivering the change we were elected to deliver,” he told the BBC.

That plea came after a week of political jockeying that overshadowed everything else in Westminster.

The infighting reached a crescendo on Thursday morning when Streeting resigned. While praising Starmer’s “courage and statesmanship” in international affairs, Streeting said he had lost confidence in the prime minister’s leadership because of missteps on domestic issues.

“Where we need vision, we have a vacuum. Where we need direction, we have drift,” Streeting wrote in a stinging resignation letter.

“Leaders take responsibility, but too often that has meant other people falling on their swords,” he added. “You also need to listen to your colleagues, including backbenchers, and the heavy-handed approach to dissenting voices diminishes our politics.”

Opportunity knocks for the popular mayor of Greater Manchester

Streeting stopped short of putting himself forward as the best candidate to lead the party at the next general election, suggesting Starmer should step aside to allow a “broad” field of candidates to debate the future of the party.

That seemed to be a nod to Burnham, a former Cabinet minister who left Parliament in 2017 to run for mayor of Greater Manchester. Burnham has been looking for a way to return to the House of Commons so he can challenge Starmer for the top job.

Josh Simons, a Labour lawmaker from Northern England, provided that opening on Thursday by resigning his seat explicitly to make way for Burnham. But that was only the first step for Burnham. Before he can return to Westminster, Burnham must win a special election to represent Makerfield, a community where Reform UK posted strong results in last week’s local elections.

Burnham acknowledged those challenges on Thursday when he announced his candidacy for the seat.

“I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times,” he said in a statement.

Longet's nephew, Bryan Longet, announced her death in a social media post on Thursday. “You have been a true inspiration in my life and you will always be," he wrote. "Another star in the sky. Thank you for everything, my aunt.”

Reached by phone by The Associated Press, he confirmed Longet had died but did not reveal the cause of her death.

Longet was a native Parisian who had been acting since childhood. She appeared in numerous TV shows, recorded such hit albums as “Claudine” and was widely known for the bossa nova-style ballad “Nothing to Lose,” a highlight of the 1968 movie “The Party” that starred Longet and Peter Sellers.

At the time, she was married to singer Andy Williams, whom she had met in the early '60s while dancing in a Las Vegas revue. But by the mid-1970s, she and Williams were divorced and she was living near Aspen, Colorado, with Sabich, who had competed for the United States in the 1968 Olympics.

On March 21, 1976, a day that would long be scrutinized, she shot him at their home with a Luger pistol that she would contend he had been showing her and fired accidentally. Sabich, 31, died of a single shot to his abdomen; Longet had accompanied him in the ambulance to the hospital.

Her trial in Aspen attracted worldwide attention. Williams was among those present, escorting her to and from the courthouse, paying for her legal fees and otherwise supporting his former wife and the mother of their three children.

“I thought it was unfair, I thought she was innocent, I thought it was an accident,” Williams told “CBS This Morning” in 2009.

Longet had been charged with reckless manslaughter, but law enforcement officials made such critical errors as taking a blood sample from Longet without a warrant. After four days of deliberation in January 1977, the jury found her guilty of negligent homicide. She was given two years’ probation, fined $250 and sentenced to 30 days in jail, eventually served on dates of her choosing.

Longet's career in entertainment was effectively over, though, and for a time she was the subject of mockery in popular culture, from a skit on “Saturday Night Live” to the Rolling Stones rocker “Claudine,” which featured a taunting refrain, “Claudine's back in jail again.” (The song was unreleased for decades).

Longet later married her defense attorney, Ron Austin, and lived with him in Aspen. After Sabich's family filed a $1.3 million lawsuit in 1977 against her, the two sides reached a settlement that barred Longet from ever discussing Sabich or the trial.

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Associated Press writer Samuel Petrequin in London contributed to this report.