The top two women in the world rankings meet Saturday in the U.S. Open final, where Sabalenka will try to become the first player to win three in a row since Serena Williams from 2012-14.

Even if she does, Rybakina will pass her on Monday and become No. 1 in the WTA rankings. Sabalenka has held the top spot for 99 consecutive weeks, but Rybakina gained enough points to unseat her by reaching the semifinals in Flushing Meadows.

Rybakina got a start on cutting into the deficit by beating Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. The rematch Saturday makes this just the second time since the Australian Open became a hard-court event in 1988 that the same women will play in the finals of both tournaments. Stefanie Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario did it in 1994.

Rybakina also has won a Wimbledon title and is playing for her first U.S. Open trophy. To get it, she has to stop Sabalenka's 19-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows, where she hasn't lost since Coco Gauff beat her in the 2023 final.

Sabalenka won the two other meetings this season — both on hard courts — in Indian Wells and Miami. She leads their rivalry 10-7.

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

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Roosevelt Perdomo, Ridoel Averhoff, and Eugenio Corredor were at the Jackson Memorial Hospital’s intensive care unit.

On Sunday, a Boeing 767-300 cargo jet, operating as Prime Air Flight 7598, overran a runway at Miami International Airport and struck a van and an SUV.

Related report: After cargo jet struck van at Miami International Airport, survivor ‘was thrown into the air,’ attorney says

Perdomo, 36, and Averhoff, 32, were in the white 2012 Ford E-150 Econoline van at MIA. They were working for Professional Ocean Service Corp., a plane cleaning company.

Corredor, 79, was in the Toyota Corolla Cross SUV. The Hialeah resident, who was born in Colombia, was driving on Northwest 67th Avenue outside of MIA.

Joseph Carroll and Jaime Silva, the pilot and the co-pilot of the Boeing 767-300, who suffered minor injuries, remained under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Related report: Flight instructor says cargo plane co-pilot was good student, ‘very safety-conscious’

“​A pilot called for flaps to be set to 20 degrees, and the other pilot cautioned they were too fast. The other pilot made additional comments regarding the aircraft’s excessive speed," an NTSB investigator wrote on a report about findings on the jet’s cockpit voice and fight data recorders.

Investigators reported the pilots appeared to have attempted to abort the landing.

“No indication in the recorded data that speed brakes or thrust were deployed,” Chihoon Shin, the NTSB’s lead investigator, said during a news conference on Tuesday night.

Related report Victims killed in cargo plane crash were dedicated to their families, attorney says

Unable to stop, the jet, registered as N1997A, traveled for 1,300 feet “past the paved surface,” according to NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.

The jet stopped in an empty field with its nose in a parking lot for Tesla Robotaxis. Miami-Dade Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said a “complex fire” followed. A witness’s video showed one of the pilots climbing out of a window and using the firefighters’ ladder.

The five dead identified by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday were Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.

Related story: Attorney for 75-year-old worker killed in cargo plane crash: ‘This was an outstanding man’

The jet remained at the crash site on Saturday, as crews worked to dismantle it to collect evidence. One of four runways remained closed at MIA.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz asked travelers on Tuesday to check with airlines for the status of their flights. She also warned drivers that 67th Avenue was closed to the public from 25th to 32nd streets.

Homendy asked witnesses to share photos and videos with the NTSB team via e-mail at witness@ntsb.gov.

Cordero-Stutz asked the victims’ relatives to contact MDSO victims’ advocates at 305-471-1900.

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Roosevelt Perdomo, Ridoel Averhoff y Eugenio Corredor se encontraban en la unidad de cuidados intensivos del Hospital Jackson Memorial.

El domingo, un avión de carga Boeing 767-300, que operaba como vuelo 7598 de Prime Air, se salió de la pista en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami y chocó contra una furgoneta y un todoterreno.

Informe relacionado: Tras el impacto de un avión de carga contra una furgoneta en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami, el superviviente “salió despedido por los aires”, según su abogado.

Perdomo, de 36 años, y Averhoff, de 32, se encontraban en la furgoneta Ford E-150 Econoline blanca de 2012 en el aeropuerto de Miami (MIA). Trabajaban para Professional Ocean Service Corp., una empresa de limpieza de aviones.

Corredor, de 79 años, viajaba en una camioneta Toyota Corolla Cross. El residente de Hialeah, nacido en Colombia, conducía por la Avenida Noroeste 67, a las afueras del Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami (MIA).

Joseph Carroll y Jaime Silva, el piloto y el copiloto del Boeing 767-300, que sufrieron heridas leves, siguen bajo investigación por parte de la Junta Nacional de Seguridad del Transporte.

Informe relacionado : El instructor de vuelo afirma que el copiloto del avión de carga era un buen alumno y “muy preocupado por la seguridad”.

“Un piloto pidió que se ajustaran los flaps a 20 grados, y el otro piloto advirtió que iban demasiado rápido. El otro piloto hizo comentarios adicionales sobre la velocidad excesiva de la aeronave”, escribió un investigador de la NTSB en un informe sobre los hallazgos de las grabadoras de voz y datos de vuelo de la cabina del avión .

Los investigadores informaron que, al parecer, los pilotos intentaron abortar el aterrizaje.

“Los datos registrados no indican que se hayan desplegado los frenos aerodinámicos ni el empuje”, declaró Chihoon Shin, investigador principal de la NTSB, durante una rueda de prensa el martes por la noche.

Según un informe relacionado, las víctimas del accidente del avión de carga estaban dedicadas a sus familias, afirma su abogado.

Incapaz de detenerse, el avión, registrado como N1997A, recorrió 1.300 pies “más allá de la superficie pavimentada”, según la presidenta de la NTSB, Jennifer Homendy.

El avión se detuvo en un campo vacío, con la parte delantera apuntando hacia el estacionamiento de los robotaxis de Tesla. El jefe de bomberos de Miami-Dade, Ray Jadallah, declaró que se produjo un incendio complejo. Un video grabado por un testigo mostró a uno de los pilotos saliendo por una ventana y utilizando la escalera de los bomberos.

Las cinco personas fallecidas identificadas el martes por la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Miami-Dade fueron Rolando Alemán León, de 55 años; Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo, de 53 años; Julio C. Pineda, de 75 años; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, de 53 años; y Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, de 47 años.

Noticia relacionada : Abogado del trabajador de 75 años fallecido en accidente de avión de carga: “Era un hombre excepcional”.

El avión permaneció en el lugar del accidente el sábado, mientras los equipos trabajaban para desmantelarlo y recoger pruebas. Una de las cuatro pistas del aeropuerto MIA permaneció cerrada.

La sheriff del condado de Miami-Dade, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, pidió el martes a los viajeros que consultaran con las aerolíneas el estado de sus vuelos. También advirtió a los conductores que la Avenida 67 estaba cerrada al público entre las calles 25 y 32.

Homendy pidió a los testigos que compartieran fotos y vídeos con el equipo de la NTSB por correo electrónico a la dirección witness@ntsb.gov.

Cordero-Stutz pidió a los familiares de las víctimas que se pusieran en contacto con los defensores de las víctimas de la MDSO al 305-471-1900.

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Nubia Arelly Sanchez Lopez, 38, traveled from Ohio to Miami in June for cosmetic surgery. She underwent a Brazilian butt lift, liposuction and breast augmentation on June 16 at 305 Plastic Surgery in Doral, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office investigative report.

After the procedures, she was taken to Stevens Grandparents Inc., a six-bed assisted living facility in Miami-Dade County licensed to provide “limited nursing services.”

Three days after her surgery, Sanchez Lopez became dizzy, weak and fainted, according to an emergency suspension order issued by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

About 40 minutes later, she developed severe difficulty breathing.

AHCA said facility staff contacted an “on-call” nurse. At the nurse’s direction, staff checked Sanchez Lopez’s vital signs and recorded an oxygen saturation level of 58%. The nurse instructed staff to call 911.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded after Sanchez Lopez went into cardiac arrest. First responders found people performing CPR on her and took her to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in critical condition, according to the Sheriff’s Office report.

A hospital charge nurse told investigators that Sanchez Lopez suffered multiple cardiac arrests and that her stomach was “flooded with blood” before she was pronounced dead.

The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office determined Sanchez Lopez died from complications of cosmetic surgery and classified her death as accidental.

AHCA suspends facility’s license

Following the incident, AHCA issued an emergency suspension of Stevens Grandparents’ license and removed four other patients who were recovering from cosmetic procedures at the facility.

The agency cited several concerns about the facility’s care and response.

AHCA said some vital signs taken after Sanchez Lopez arrived at the facility were not documented in her medical record. The agency also said her resident file did not contain postsurgical care instructions.

The emergency order further stated that staff members working during the incident did not have valid first aid and CPR certifications.

According to AHCA, the facility had a policy requiring residents, rather than staff, to call 911. The agency said the policy was intended to avoid potential financial liability.

Sanchez Lopez’s husband, Kevin Diaz, told investigators that “someone” used his wife’s cellphone to make the 911 call.

Questions over postsurgical recovery facilities

Stevens Grandparents was licensed as an assisted living facility with a “limited nursing services” license.

Before Sanchez Lopez’s death, State Rep. Felicia Simone Robinson, D-Miami Gardens, introduced legislation seeking to create a separate regulatory framework for postsurgical recovery homes.

“This person should not have died. All of the signs were there,” Robinson told Local 10 News.

Simone Robinson’s bill, House Bill 81, would have created a specific licensing category for postsurgical recovery homes, including requirements involving staffing, medical oversight and penalties for violations.

The bill was filed in October 2025 and received its first reading in January 2026. Simone Robinson said the bill was never heard.

Robinson said an assisted living license is not appropriate for facilities caring for patients immediately after major surgery.

“Although the place was licensed, it wasn’t the appropriate license,” Robinson said. “They need to have at minimum a nurse, LPN on the low scale, preferably an RN.”

Robinson said she intends to continue pursuing legislation addressing postsurgical recovery facilities.

Facility had prior citations

State inspection records show Stevens Grandparents had previously been cited for deficiencies, including during an inspection in March 2023 and additional inspections in June, September and November 2025.

Florida corporate records identify Zenen A. Bernal as an officer of Stevens Grandparents Inc. State health care records also identify Bernal as the administrator, financial officer and 100% controlling owner of another six-bed assisted living facility, Angelina ALF LLC.

When Local 10 News visited the Stevens Grandparents property, Yani Gil said she was a realtor involved in selling the property and had worked as an assisted living consultant.

Gil’s name also appears in state records connected to Bernal and his businesses dating back to 2024.

Gil disputed AHCA’s findings and defended Stevens Grandparents.

“They have their version of what they saw,” Gil told Local 10 News. “That’s not grounds to shut down. You can’t shut down without an investigation.”

AHCA and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office investigated the circumstances surrounding Sanchez Lopez’s death and the conditions at the facility.

Questions about the surgeon

Local 10 News contacted 305 Plastic Surgery seeking information about Sanchez Lopez’s postsurgical care and whether the practice recommended Stevens Grandparents as a recovery location. No representative agreed to speak on the record.

The surgeon identified in the Sheriff’s Office report, Dr. Fermin Morales, is also the subject of a separate administrative complaint filed by the Florida Department of Health in 2025 involving another patient and an unrelated procedure.

According to the Department of Health complaint, that patient died following a 2023 cosmetic procedure performed by Morales. The complaint alleges Morales violated Florida’s rules governing gluteal fat grafting.

The complaint is an allegation by the state and is separate from the investigation into Sanchez Lopez’s death. State records show Morales’ Florida medical license remains active and do not show a final disciplinary finding related to that complaint.

Sanchez Lopez’s family declined to comment.

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Sherman Kemp vanished on Friday after a transfer out of the Federal Correctional Institution Miami’s satellite camp at 15801 SW 137 Ave., according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Kemp, who gained notoriety with a “Stop [Expletive] Snitching” video in Baltimore and was convicted in Maryland and Pennsylvania, was supposed to arrive at 9 p.m. on Friday at the FCI Jesup in Georgia, according to the FBOP.

The U.S. Marshals Service asked anyone with information about Kemp’s whereabouts to call 786-988-6594.

This is a developing story.

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Demaria participated in the Ruck To Remember, an annual tradition by members of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps to honor the first responders of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

“A lot of people from our generation don’t realize how impactful it was,” Demaria said.

The attacks killed 2,977, including 441 emergency responders in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Exposure to the toxic dust from Ground Zero also caused suffering.

“Coming out here every year, and sort of taking time to carry the weight, makes us really think about it,” Sophia Martin said.

Members and supporters of the Veterans Student Group, Miami Ruck Club, G5 Athletics, and the Wounded Warrior Project also participated.

Related links

• The 9/11 Commission report
• Federal 9/11 investigation

Demaria participó en Ruck To Remember, una tradición anual de los miembros del Cuerpo de Entrenamiento de Oficiales de Reserva para honrar a los socorristas de los ataques del 11 de septiembre de 2001.

“Muchas personas de nuestra generación no se dan cuenta de lo impactante que fue”, dijo Demaria.

Los ataques dejaron 2,977 personas muertas, incluidos 441 socorristas, en la ciudad de Nueva York, el Pentágono y Shanksville, Pensilvania. La exposición al polvo tóxico de la Zona Cero también causó sufrimiento.

“Venir aquí cada año y tomarnos un tiempo para cargar el peso nos hace pensar realmente en ello”, dijo Sophia Martin.

Miembros y simpatizantes de Veterans Student Group, Miami Ruck Club, G5 Athletics y Wounded Warrior Project también participaron.

Enlaces relacionados

• El informe de la Comisión del 11-S
• Investigación federal del 11-S

Sherman Kemp desapareció el viernes después de un traslado desde el campamento satélite de la Institución Correccional Federal de Miami, ubicada en 15801 SW 137 Ave., según la Oficina Federal de Prisiones.

Kemp, quien ganó notoriedad con un video de “Stop [Expletive] Snitching” en Baltimore y fue condenado en Maryland y Pensilvania, debía llegar a las 9 p.m. del viernes a la FCI Jesup en Georgia, según la FBOP.

El Servicio de Alguaciles de Estados Unidos pidió a cualquier persona con información sobre el paradero de Kemp llamar al 786-433-6340.

Esta es una noticia en desarrollo.

Xi said China has approached relations with India from a “strategic and long-term perspective” and called for the two countries to draw on each other’s strengths, support one another and pursue common development.

He also urged “high-quality cooperation” between the two countries, saying China and India, as major members of the Global South, should promote a more multipolar world and contribute to global peace and stability.

Modi thanked Xi for China’s cooperation in hosting the summit. China will host the summit next year.

The two leaders held talks in China last year during Modi's visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional political, economic and security group founded by China.

The summit marks Xi’s first visit to India since 2019 and yet another effort toward a cautious thaw between the rival neighbors, six years after a deadly border clash badly damaged ties.

A military clash in 2020 killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese along a grueling frontier in the cold desert region of Ladakh. It turned into a long-running standoff in the rugged mountainous area, where each side has stationed tens of thousands of military personnel backed by artillery, tanks and fighter jets.

India and China have since taken steps to ease tensions, but deep mistrust remains.

The two nuclear-armed powers still dispute some parts of their border, while India’s large trade deficit with China, restrictions on Chinese investment and technology and their competing strategic interests in Asia continue to weigh on relations. India has also significantly expanded military infrastructure along its disputed frontier with China, while Beijing has built roads and defensive positions on its side of the contested border.

Xi’s visit is expected to test whether the recent thaw can translate into a broader stabilization of ties.

Since their 1962 war, the economies of both countries have grown substantially, but China has far outpaced India and runs a large trade surplus with its neighbor. Their growing economic rivalry has added to longstanding territorial and strategic differences.

India has sought to capitalize on China’s rising labor costs and strained ties with the United States and Europe to position itself as an alternative base for foreign manufacturers. New Delhi has also viewed China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative with concern and has strongly opposed it.

At the same time, India’s growing strategic partnership with the U.S. has raised concerns in Beijing, which views the relationship as part of efforts to counter China’s rise.

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Associated Press journalist Zheng Liu in Beijing contributed to this report.

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Hernandez, who was working nearby, said he heard the dogs barking and the woman’s cries for help near the 200 block of Northwest Ninth Terrace.

“I saw the two dogs on top of her ... I was able to run over at them and scream and they luckily let go,” Hernandez said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel reported finding the woman with injuries to the back of her head, neck, right arm, and right ankle.

“Her skull was showing. She had holes in her arms and her legs and the back of her legs,” said Cobi Brooks, a witness. “She was really tore up ... I hope she survives.”

MDFR used a helicopter to fly the woman to the Jackson South Medical Center.

The woman, who had to undergo surgery, remained hospitalized on Saturday morning, and her condition was stable.

Miami-Dade County Animal Services seized the two dogs.

Related report: Woman, 63, injured in dog attack in Homestead, cops say

Hernandez, quien trabajaba cerca, dijo que escuchó a los perros ladrar y los gritos de auxilio de la mujer cerca de la cuadra 200 de Northwest Ninth Terrace.

“Vi a los dos perros encima de ella, pude correr hacia ellos y gritar, y por suerte la soltaron”, dijo Hernandez.

Personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue reportó que encontró a la mujer con heridas en la parte posterior de la cabeza, el cuello, el brazo derecho y el tobillo derecho.

“Se le veía el cráneo. Tenía agujeros en los brazos y las piernas y en la parte posterior de las piernas”, dijo Cobi Brooks, testigo. “Estaba realmente destrozada, espero que sobreviva”.

MDFR utilizó un helicóptero para trasladar a la mujer al Jackson South Medical Center.

La mujer, quien tuvo que someterse a una cirugía, permanecía hospitalizada la mañana del sábado y su condición era estable.

Servicios para Animales del condado Miami-Dade incautó a los dos perros.

Reporte relacionado: Mujer de 63 años resulta herida en ataque de perros en Homestead, dice la policía

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Officer Kenia Fallat, a spokeswoman for the Miami Police Department, said the teen suffered lacerations to the head, and the three others were shooting victims.

“The circumstances surrounding the incident appear to be domestic-related,” Fallat said.

Police officers and fire rescue personnel responded to the house at about 6:30 a.m. at the corner of Northwest 17th Avenue and Third Street, near LoanDepot Park.

Fire rescue personnel rushed the man to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. His condition was critical, and the teen’s condition was stable, according to Fallat.

Police officers handcuffed a man and detained him in the back of a patrol car. Orange cones and crime scene tape blocked the entrance to a corner house.

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

This is a developing story. Local 10 News Assignment Editor Mariana Ortiz contributed to this report.

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Some gamers celebrate with Mario Kart racing challenges and Xbox gaming giveaways.

Old franchises like Grand Theft Auto, slated to release the VI sequel on Nov. 19, and Resident Evil Requiem continue to have demand.

Subnautica, Slay the Spire, Mewgenics, and Mina the Hollower still have loyal fans.

Let us know what you think in the poll above or comment section below.

Algunos jugadores celebran con desafíos de carreras de Mario Kart y sorteos de videojuegos de Xbox.

Franquicias antiguas como Grand Theft Auto, que tiene previsto lanzar la secuela VI el 19 de noviembre, y Resident Evil Requiem continúan teniendo demanda.

Subnautica, Slay the Spire, Mewgenics y Mina the Hollower todavía tienen seguidores fieles.

Déjanos saber qué piensas en la encuesta de arriba o en la sección de comentarios de abajo.

Policías y personal de rescate de bomberos respondieron alrededor de las 6:30 a.m. al área de Northwest 17th Avenue y Third Street, cerca de LoanDepot Park, en el vecindario de Little Havana.

Policías esposaron a un hombre y lo detuvieron en la parte trasera de una patrulla. Conos anaranjados y cinta de escena del crimen bloquearon la entrada de una casa en una esquina.

Personal de rescate de bomberos reportó que trasladó de urgencia al hombre, quien sufrió heridas de bala, al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital.

La condición del adolescente era estable después de sufrir laceraciones, según personal de rescate de bomberos.

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

Esta es una noticia en desarrollo. La editora de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Mariana Ortiz, contribuyó a este reporte.

Ubicación

La mujer caminaba cerca de la cuadra 200 de Northwest Ninth Terrace cuando los perros, descritos como pitbulls, la atacaron, según la policía de Homestead.

La policía dijo que un testigo reportó haber visto a los perros encima de la mujer e intervino, ahuyentándolos.

Indicaron que la mujer sufrió múltiples heridas por mordeduras en la parte posterior de la cabeza, el cuello, el brazo derecho y el tobillo derecho. Estaba alerta y hablando con los socorristas, pero parecía estar posiblemente en estado de shock, según los socorristas.

La policía dijo que fue trasladada al Jackson South Medical Center, donde actualmente está siendo sometida a una cirugía y se encuentra en condición estable.

Indicaron que los dos perros fueron asegurados y posteriormente incautados por Servicios para Animales del Condado Miami-Dade.

Los detectives dijeron que no se están realizando arrestos en este momento. Las autoridades indicaron que permanecerán en la escena como medida de precaución hasta que la mujer salga de cirugía.

No se divulgaron de inmediato más detalles sobre el ataque.

No Atlantic hurricanes have formed yet this year and none are likely to form for at least another week, even though this would normally be the peak of the season, according to the National Hurricane Center. Only five relatively weak and brief tropical storms have spun up this season.

On Saturday, 2026 set a record for the longest a season has begun without a storm that has reached winds of 74 mph (119 kph) to qualify as a hurricane — at least in the satellite era, said Nick Novella, a meteorologist at the government's Weather Prediction Center. Before the 1950s there were a few years where no hurricanes were recorded this late in the season, but meteorologists don't trust those records because ocean monitoring wasn't complete.

Overall hurricane activity using a measurement that factors in the number of storms, their strength and how long they last is also at a post-1950 record low, according to Colorado State University hurricane expert Phil Klotzbach. Storm activity in the Atlantic is only 7% of normal for this time of year.

People shouldn't let down their guard because it just takes one storm, even during an El Nino, to be catastrophic. Several experts pointed to 1992, which kicked off late but nastily with devastating Hurricane Andrew.

El Ninos spawn storm-stunting conditions

“It’s really staggering, just how inhospitable the Atlantic is to anything that could form a tropical cyclone right now,” said Kristen Corbosiero, a University at Albany atmospheric science professor. “Anything that tries to form is just getting this triple whammy” of winds that decapitate a storm, dry air that starves it and downward pushing winds that basically stomp it.

Those three forces are classic impacts of El Nino, the natural and temporary warming of parts of the equatorial Pacific that warps and warms weather worldwide, five experts told The Associated Press.

"It's just hammering the Atlantic. It’s just impressive,” Klotzbach said. “We haven’t even had anything really even close to a hurricane.”

The biggest El Nino effect in the Atlantic is record-strong wind shear, which is when strong easterly winds hit a storm system at low levels while strong westerly winds push it the other way at upper altitudes. The result is that they “tear apart” the storm, Corbosiero said.

In the area between Africa and the Caribbean where the strongest storms normally form and head west, that wind shear is about 45 mph (74 kph) more than what a tropical cyclone can withstand, Corbosiero said. That's an unheard of level, she said.

“Their heads are cut off before they even have a chance,” said University of Miami hurricane expert Brian McNoldy.

Keep an eye on the Gulf

The one area where wind shear hasn't been high has been the Gulf of Mexico and those storms tend to really get going later in the season, so there could still be some strong ones coming to that region, Corbosiero and others warned.

Along with the dry air that starves the storm, African dust is choking it and there are fewer “seeds” of stormy weather that could develop, all classic El Nino signs, the experts said. And in the Atlantic, high pressure is pushing the air downward, which also hinders storms from forming, they said.

This is all despite warm waters — the world's oceans have been record hot for 100 days — that normally feed storms. It shows the power of El Nino to overcome that, Klotzbach said.

The trouble is the Atlantic waters, while warm, haven't warmed up nearly as quickly as the atmosphere above, which got hotter quickly as part of El Nino, said Massachusetts Institute of Technology meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel. His research found what matters more than just the water temperature is the difference in temperature between the air and the water; because hurricanes are powered by the flow of heat from the ocean to the air, the higher that is, the less storm activity there will be.

The waters of the Atlantic are a few months behind the atmosphere in feeling the El Nino effect. But next year, as the El Nino winds down and cools closer to normal, the warm water will persist, which will increase the odds for next season to be extra busy, Emanuel said.

The opposite issue in the Pacific

Just as El Nino traditionally dampens Atlantic hurricane season, it tends to rev up tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific, with moist air and little wind shear. And so far this year, storm activity in the eastern Pacific is nearly double normal, with hurricanes lasting much longer than usual. In the central Pacific, activity is about 40% more than normal.

“It's just a party out there, one right after the other in the eastern Pacific,” Klotzbach said.

While the Atlantic has had only five small tropical storms, there have been 16 named storms in the eastern Pacific and 20 in the central Pacific.

Hawaii has been hit twice. El Nino tends to push storms farther west than other years, Corbosiero said.

Because scientists have long known about El Nino's effects on storm activity in both oceans, forecasters months ago predicted a slow Atlantic hurricane season.

“I don't think anyone really foresaw it being this quiet,” McNoldy said. “This is quite remarkable.”

___

This story corrects the wind speed in paragraph 3.

___

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.

After news broke that Ben Delo, a co-founder of the BitMEX cryptocurrency platform, had given 36 million pounds ($48 million) to the party, crypto investor Christopher Harborne on Saturday announced he was matching the donation.

Harborne said he was backing Reform UK because he believes its policies will attract the investment Britain needs to bolster the economy and generate the revenue needed to fund healthcare, education and other public services.

But established political parties quickly warned that unlimited donations from billionaire businessmen risked corrupting elections. The Liberal Democrats, currently the third-largest party in the House of Commons, called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to cap donations and protect British democracy.

“Nigel Farage wants to bring Trump’s America to our shores by buying his way into power,” Liberal Democrat spokesperson Lisa Smart said in a statement. “He’s trying to get into Number 10 as if it’s a stop on a monopoly board,” she added, referring to the prime minister’s residence.”

Donations without precedent in UK politics

The twin donations are tied for the biggest ever to a U.K. political party. Together they equal more than the combined amount received by all the country's political parties in 2025, when donations totaled 64.8 million pounds, according to data from the Electoral Commission, which oversees elections and campaign finance in the U.K.

The donations come after months of allegations about improper fundraising by Reform UK that have weakened its standing with voters. Police in London earlier this week opened an investigation into reports that the party violated laws prohibiting contributions from overseas donors.

Delo, who was pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump last year after pleading guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws, started recently moved back to the U.K. from Hong Kong,

Writing in the Telegraph newspaper, Delo said his donation was designed to help break up the “cartel” that controls British politics, an apparent reference to the Labour and Conservative parties that have dominated elections for the past century.

“Unlike the people who express mock concern for the health of ‘our democracy’ while doing everything they can to keep it as a cartel, I want a fair fight and a level playing field,” Delo wrote. “My conclusion from Reform’s recent troubles is that they should spend less time trying to raise funds to compete on equal terms and more time preparing for government.”

Reform UK seen as rival to established parties

Reform UK has surged in public opinion polls by criticizing the failure of successive governments to stop the inflatable boats that illegally bring thousands of migrants to Britain each year and campaigning to make it harder for people to claim asylum.

The party won 1,453 seats on local government councils in England during elections earlier this year, topping all other parties. While Farage says Reform is preparing to govern after the next election, the party currently has just eight seats in the House of Commons compared with 408 for the governing Labour Party.

Delo said his donation was calculated to equal 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) a month until the latest possible date for the next general election in August 2029. He said he was giving the money up front in case the government limits political donations.

BitMEX was ordered to pay a $100 million fine in 2025, after prosecutors said it “willfully flouted U.S. anti-money laundering laws to boost revenue.” Delo and two other BitMEX co-founders were sentenced to probation after pleading guilty in 2022 to violating the U.S. Banking Secrecy Act.

Trump pardoned BitMEX and its co-founders on March 27, 2025.

Reform UK was already facing fundraising questions

Questions about Reform UK’s finances overshadowed its annual party conference last week after an undercover investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News showed senior party officials appearing to discuss ways to disguise contributions from foreign donors.

The Metropolitan Police Service said on Wednesday that it had opened an investigation. U.K. electoral law says parties can only accept donations from British voters or U.K.-registered businesses.

Reform UK denies any wrongdoing and has said it will cooperate fully with the probe.

Farage himself is facing an investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog over his failure to report a 5-million-pound ($6.7-million) gift he received from Harborne before his election to the House of Commons.

Farage says he did nothing wrong because the money was a personal gift that had nothing to do with politics.

No country on Earth buys as much from the United States as its northern neighbor. For American farmers, Canada is second only to Mexico as an export market.

A North American trade pact — negotiated by President Donald Trump in his first term — means that most American products enter Canada duty-free. Rankings of the world’s most open economies usually put Canada near the top.

But when Trump looks at Canada, he says, he sees a predator out to cheat the United States and strangle its industries.

“One of the Worst Abusers is Canada,’’ the president declared on social media last month. “They’ve been ripping us off for decades, and it’s going to stop.’’

Since trade talks collapsed Aug. 21, relations between the longtime allies have deteriorated as Trump has goaded Canada’s leaders with personal attacks and portrayed the country as weak. Trump has also enraged the Canadian public by repeatedly floating the idea of making Canada the 51st state and signed an executive order directing the federal government to change Lake Ontario’s name to “Lake America.”

Last month, Trump slapped 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products to protest what he calls discrimination against U.S. auto, dairy and alcoholic beverage exports.

When Ottawa retaliated Tuesday with tariffs of its own, Trump escalated, vowing to cut off Canadian companies from government contracts in the United States and even outright banning some Canadian products, including motorcycles, some dairy products and most alcoholic beverages.

It’s a jarring turn of events for Canada, a country that has built its economy around international commerce. Canada’s trade is equal to 64% of its economic output, the World Bank says, versus 25% for America.

The conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington ranked Canada No. 14 (out of 184 economies) on its Index of Economic Freedom; the United States landed eight spots lower at No. 22. The libertarian Fraser Institute in Vancouver likewise ranked Canada No. 11 (out of 165 countries and territories) on its Economic Freedom of the World report.

Before the latest tariff blowup, Canada’s effective tariff rate on U.S. imports was about 2.4%, less than half the 5% that the United States imposed on Canada, according to calculations by Oxford Economics. Most U.S. exports enter Canada duty-free under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement that Trump negotiated in his first term.

Canada protects its dairy industry from competition

Despite keeping its economy open to trade overall, Canada does protect several domestic industries. Barry Appleton, co-director of New York Law School’s Center for International Law, calls Canada “a modestly protected economy with two or three genuinely closed sectors.’’

The U.S. has complained for decades, for instance, about what it calls unfair subsidies for Canadian softwood lumber producers — though Canada disputes those allegations.

In his 2023 memoir, Robert Lighthizer, U.S. trade representative in Trump’s first term, argued that Canada was only “outwardly supportive of free trade. ... Canada is in reality a quite parochial — and at times quite protectionist — country.’’ The system Canada set up to protect its dairy industry, Lighthizer wrote, “would make a Soviet commissar blush.’’

Canada shields its dairy producers through a convoluted system that imposes tariffs of more than 200% on most dairy products — nearly 300% on some items, such as butter — once they’ve exceeded a quota, according to Leonard Polzin, a specialist in dairy markets at the University of Wisconsin.

Polzin said the Canadians have a strong incentive to protect their politically sensitive dairy industry from competition with America. Wisconsin alone produces more milk than all of Canada. American dairy producers are so adept at producing large quantities of low-cost milk, Polzin said, that if Canada opened its market completely “we would dump so much product there’s no way they could remain as a viable industry.’’

Trump claimed falsely on social media Tuesday that “Canada doesn’t let our Great Dairy Farmers sell into the Canadian Market.’’

In fact, the United States agreed in the USMCA to allow Canada to continue the supply management system in return for giving American dairy farmers more access to the Canadian market. And American dairy producers have been making headway: U.S. dairy exports to Canada rose more than 11% last year on top of an 8% increase in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We gradually get more and more expansion of dairy product into Canada,’’ Polzin said. “It’s not always pretty. It’s not always easy, but over time it has been increasing.’’

The United States already runs a hefty trade surplus in dairy with its northern neighbor, exporting $1.3 billion worth of dairy products to Canada last year while importing just $585 million, according to the USDA.

US runs a trade deficit with Canada – because it needs Alberta’s oil

Overall, the United States runs a trade deficit with Canada — $27.3 billion last year — and Trump isn’t happy about it.

But the gap between what the U.S. sells to Canada and what it buys can be explained by one industry: oil. Canada exported more than $85 billion worth of crude oil to the United States in 2025.

Refineries in the U.S. Midwest need heavy sour crude oil from Alberta’s oil sands deposits.

“It’s the only oil they can use,” Appleton said. “They can’t use Texas crude. They can’t use Venezuelan crude. They’re not set up for it. It would take years and billions of dollars to shift over.’’

What’s more, the Canadian oil sells at a discount to the benchmark U.S. crude oil.

There’s time for a deal to end the standoff

The two countries need each other economically. Canada sends about 70% of its exports south to the United States. U.S. refineries need Alberta’s oil. U.S. farmers need Canadian potash fertilizer. Communities on the northern U.S. border rely on electricity generated in Canada.

So there’s a strong incentive for the two countries to come to an agreement. And Inu Manak, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, noted hopefully that the U.S. ban on some Canadian products doesn’t take effect until Sept. 29, buying time for talks.

“This is not going to happen for three weeks,” she said. “So it’s like, ‘We’re going to retaliate, but not yet.’ ... There could be a way out of this.’’

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country remains open to an agreement: “Canada is always ready to strike a fair deal.”

Trump and his trade negotiators are also pushing to get Canada to surrender some of its manufacturing to the United States — a tough sell in Ottawa.

“If you want to take all our jobs and industry away, then why would I cooperate with you?’’ Manak said.

Appleton noted that the standoff jeopardizes the USMCA, which has created a thriving automotive industry straddling the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

“We had the best integrated North American economy going,’’ he said. “And now we don’t. ... This is like having a very bad standoff with your 14-year-old. Nobody’s happy in this game.’’

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AP Writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this story.

Antonelli had been the dominant driver in the Spanish capital this weekend, but Norris emerged with the fastest time in his final qualifying attempt with McLaren at the new Madring urban circuit that won't yield many overtaking opportunities.

“I’m shocked. I’m a little bit surprised to be here,” Norris said in the post-qualifying interview. “It was probably one of the best laps I’ve done ever in my career. Very, very happy, very proud. Very happy for the team."

Norris was sixth-fastest in the first practice session on Friday, then couldn’t run in the second session because of a gearbox problem and finished fourth in the final session on Saturday.

He said the “adrenaline was high” on the lap of 1 minute, 31.824 seconds that he set in qualifying, which was only one hundredth better than Antonelli's time.

“It’s just one of those laps where everything came together," Norris said. "I had an idea of what I wanted to do, it was just a matter of my brain letting me do it on that last lap. Everything pretty much worked perfectly.”

The 20-year-old Antonelli, who was coming off an epic come-from-behind win in front of his home fans in Monza, leads Mercedes' teammate George Russell by 66 points in the drivers’ standings.

It was the third pole of the season for Norris. He had won consecutive races in Hungary and in the Netherlands ahead of the Italian GP that Antonelli won.

Max Verstappen will start third with Red Bull, with a time one tenth of a second behind Norris, followed by the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton — who crashed in the final practice session earlier Saturday — and Charles Leclerc. Russell was next. Hamilton had been provisionally ahead after the first attempts of the final qualifying run.

Norris' McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri finished in seventh place.

Antonelli said the start of the race Sunday could be key to the outcome.

“The start is very important for sure,” he said. "Overtaking is going to be very difficult. The only thing you can do is try to put pressure on the car in front and make them make a mistake and then try to play with strategy.”

It was a mostly clean session after two red flags affected the final practice session earlier Saturday at the unforgiving circuit that mixes existing roads with purpose-built sections.

The 5.4-kilometer (3.3-mile) Madring track has been giving drivers little margin for error.

Antonelli locked up tires and went straight but avoided crashing earlier in the qualifying session. Russell brushed the wall at one point.

Haas’ Oliver Bearman did not participate in qualifying because of a crash in the final practice session earlier Saturday.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll also did not join qualifying after taking a grid penalty for switching power-unit components.

Local favorites struggle

As expected, the two Spaniards couldn't give the home fans a lot of reason to celebrate.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will start 18th with Aston Martin, while Williams' Carlos Sainz will be 17th. Neither advanced past the first qualifying stage.

Organizers expected a total attendance of nearly 350,000 people at the track in the Spanish capital.

The Spanish GP is returning to the Madrid region for the first time in 45 years. It took place at the Jarama circuit in the capital’s outskirts in 1981. The Jerez de la Frontera track in southern Spain hosted races from 1986-90, and in 1994 and 1997. Barcelona has been hosting races in Spain the past few years. Madring signed a contract with F1 through 2035.

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See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

She won’t be playing all five matches at this Solheim Cup.

And that’s something of a trend.

This will be the fifth straight Solheim Cup where Korda, the world No. 1 and a four-time major champion, plays four out of a possible five matches for the American team.

On each of the previous four occasions — 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024 — she sat out one of the four-ball sessions. It has happened again in the Netherlands.

On Saturday morning, Korda played with Allisen Corpuz in a previously unbeaten pairing and lost 3 and 2 to Maja Stark and Linn Grant.

That left her with a 1-1-1 record — for 1½ points — in the 2026 edition, and an overall Solheim Cup record of 11-6-2.

Speaking after selecting her lineup for the four-balls, U.S. captain Angela Stanford suggested there was never any intention to play Korda in all five matches — no matter the status of the contest.

For the record, Europe is 7-5 ahead after three sessions.

Lauren Coughlin will be the only American to play all five sessions and asked if that was always the intention, Stanford said: “She was one that I spoke to before we ever came over here.

“It was her or Allisen Corpuz (playing five matches). And we were just going to see what happened this morning.”

Korda's impact has lessened at this Solheim Cup has gone on.

She and Corpuz were strong in defeating European stars Lottie Woad and Charley Hull, 4 and 3, in the morning foursomes on Friday. Korda didn’t win a hole when playing with Coughlin in the afternoon four-balls, when the U.S. pair halved a match against Carlota Ciganda and Julia Lopez Ramirez.

Then came the loss with Corpuz on Saturday morning, after which Korda was asked how the American team can turn things around on Saturday afternoon.

“By showing up and winning some holes,” she said.

It won't be her doing that.

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See AP’s full golf coverage here

All of the dozen cases that made it to trial, mostly in Los Angeles, ended in acquittal, mistrial or dismissal. Experts say that's surprising for a department known for its ability to win at trial. The last three felony assault cases, in LA and Portland, will go to trial this fall.

The dismal record has raised questions about rushed investigations and aggressive charging tactics by prosecutors under pressure to show the Trump administration is cracking down on people who assault law enforcement. It comes as the Justice Department is facing broader setbacks in politically charged investigations, with grand juries repeatedly refusing to return indictments and trial juries granting acquittals.

“Prosecutors tend to win because they control what cases they pursue and they have a lot of resources and discretion,” said Mary Fan, a former federal prosecutor and law professor at the University of Washington.

The fact that the government failed to win any felony assault convictions at trial calls into question “whether or not these charges should have ever been brought in the first place,” she said.

AP tracked the outcome of 167 arrests

The Associated Press' analysis focused on arrests made during protests last summer and fall in LA, Chicago, Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. — cities with significant protests where President Donald Trump sought to or successfully deployed the National Guard.

Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi said those who interfered with federal law enforcement would face “severe consequences.”

Most of the arrests — 102 — were for felony assault on a federal officer, which can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Of those cases, 41% were dismissed and 34% were pleaded down to misdemeanors. Ten people pleaded guilty to felony assault. Nine people got prison time.

Of those arrested on other charges, seven were sentenced to prison for offenses including arson and obstructing law enforcement. A handful of defendants have diversion agreements, meaning their case will be dismissed if they demonstrate good behavior.

The AP's analysis shows that the Justice Department’s record failed to meaningfully improve since December, when an initial assessment showed early struggles to prosecute people on the charges for which they were arrested.

The Justice Department said in a statement that federal prosecutors are right to prioritize cases against people accused of assaulting federal officers and that “each case is based on the facts.”

“If there are mitigating factors identified in a case, then prosecutors must also act appropriately to inform the court, and in some cases downgrade or drop charges," the department said.

Juries and judges were unconvinced by prosecutors

It’s rare for federal prosecutors to lose at trial. In 2024, 82% of defendants charged with felony or misdemeanor assault were convicted at trial or with a plea deal, according to data from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. AP’s analysis found that less than half of the protesters charged for either felony or misdemeanor assault were convicted.

In Portland, a jury couldn’t reach agreement on felony assault charges for Oriana Korol, who was playing clarinet in a marching band demonstrating outside the city’s ICE building last October when a scuffle involving officers broke out. Officers pepper sprayed her and pushed her to the ground, where she struck one with her foot, according to court documents.

After a mistrial, prosecutors filed a reduced misdemeanor assault charge. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced Sept. 1 to time served and one year of supervised release.

Her attorneys wrote in a court filing that she “has accepted responsibility for the bad choices she made over a few seconds that caused no injury.”

Jonathan Caravello, a lecturer at California State University Channel Islands, was acquitted of assault on a federal officer after a three-day trial. He was accused of throwing a tear gas canister deployed by immigration agents back at them while protesting a raid at a Southern California cannabis farm.

Caravello said he was trying to get the canister away from the crowd. Videos showed he had tossed it high above officers’ heads and it landed far behind them. The jury acquitted Caravello after a quick deliberation.

“They’re trying to get a chilling effect out of these charges,” said Caravello, who turned down a misdemeanor plea deal.

Michael Rabbitt was among six co-defendants accused of felony conspiracy to impede a government vehicle from accessing an ICE facility near Chicago last September.

The vehicle slowly advanced despite being surrounded by protesters, leading some to put their hands on it, Rabbitt said.

After the government dismissed charges against two of the defendants, defense attorneys requested transcripts of the grand jury proceedings that led to the conspiracy indictment. The government eventually dropped the conspiracy charge and proceeded on misdemeanor counts of impeding a federal officer.

The judge later reviewed the unredacted transcripts and admonished prosecutors for improper behavior before the grand jury. The charges were dismissed days before trial.

Rabbitt said he was proud they fought the charges.

“This case was bigger than us,” he said. “I’m proud that we won this case, not just for us, but for protesters across the country.”

Many protesters pleaded down to misdemeanors

Though many federal criminal cases end in plea deals, some legal experts say it's rare for felony assault to be pleaded down and may signal overcharging — filing a more severe initial charge so defendants will be more willing to plead guilty to one with a lighter sentence.

“I think when prosecutors bring charges ethically, they should be prepared to prove them beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who is a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

The U.S. Attorney’s office overseeing Los Angeles said it brought the prosecutions in response to a “wave of violence against law enforcement officers who were doing their jobs." It voluntarily dismissed charges against some defendants after further investigation, it said.

LA prosecutors have arrested three additional people for felony assault at immigration-related protests this year. One pleaded guilty to a felony and two to misdemeanors.

In Chicago, all but one of 19 felony assault cases were dismissed. The U.S. Attorney’s offices in the Northern District of Illinois, District of Columbia and Oregon did not respond to requests for comment.

DOJ has won notable cases around the country

A man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at a hotel outside Los Angeles where federal authorities were staying was sentenced to five years in prison. Two others were sentenced to more than three years after pouring lighter fluid on a burning California Highway Patrol vehicle.

Federal judges sentenced eight people to decades in prison for their participation in a demonstration outside a detention center in Texas last July where a police officer was shot in the neck.

Three people were convicted at trial of conspiracy to impede or injure an officer for protesting outside a detention facility in Spokane, Washington, last June. The Spokane and Texas cases were not included in AP’s analysis because they did not occur in one of the four cities where Trump tried to or deployed troops.

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Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer contributed from Washington.

In one case, a Minneapolis Baptist church — alongside congregations nationwide — asked for the government to be reprimanded after spying on protest-related activity on its property. In another, more than three dozen protesters have asked for their charges to be dismissed after they disrupted a worship service in a St. Paul church where one of the pastors was also a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official.

Even congregations uninvolved in the court cases say they’re still feeling the repercussions of the weekslong surge in immigration operations last winter. Protesters confronted federal law enforcement daily, and the killing of two protesters sparked global outcry.

Immigration agents are no longer visibly active on the same residential block as Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. But its pastor says the signs that went up in January stating “Everyone is welcome here! Except I.C.E.” have stayed.

“I don’t foresee a time when they will come down. We want our building to remain a sanctuary for many people,” said the Rev. Ingrid Rasmussen. Her church provided whistles, which protesters across the city used to alert neighbors about law enforcement presence.

Churches as safe places for migrants — and worshippers

For decades, congregations have been on the front lines of providing for immigrants and refugees, whether in their faith communities or with outreach ranging from food distribution at the U.S.-Mexico border to advocacy in Washington.

As part of its sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration, President Donald Trump's current administration gave agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship.

In response, dozens of religious groups sued, heralding a more openly adversarial relationship between many faith leaders and federal authorities.

That has continued through surges last fall and winter in various parts of the country, with faith leaders arrested during anti-enforcement protests and suing to make pastoral visits to detained migrants.

“There’s been a pretty dramatic increase in lawsuits filed related to people of faith’s support for migrants,” said Elizabeth Reiner Platt, director of the Law, Rights and Religion Project at Union Theological Seminary.

Faith groups have achieved several “promising” wins, she said, adding that ongoing litigation shows how unpopular the administration’s aggressive enforcement approach is with many religious people.

Both Minnesota court cases center on the idea of protecting a sacred space and people’s right to worship — in one case from government intrusion and in the other, from people protesting the immigration crackdown.

Government surveillance at Minneapolis church sparks outcry

In mid-August, court documents emerged in a separate case involving 15 people charged by federal prosecutors with impeding the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. The documents revealed that federal agents had conducted an undercover surveillance operation, which had targeted groups leading protests earlier this year.

Among those charged was an organizer in a martial arts group who the government says was training protesters to physically prevent arrests. Some of the group’s meetings occurred in the gym of University Baptist Church in Minneapolis, and Homeland Security agents conducted surveillance operations there four times — including once with an undercover agent inside, according to court documents.

The church is a member of American Baptist Churches USA and the Alliance of Baptists, two of several groups that in February won an injunction against most immigration enforcement at their member churches nationwide.

The groups have asked the same federal judge to rule that Homeland Security violated that order, to instruct its agents about it, as well as to disclose if any other houses of worship were part of surveillance operations.

The government says in court documents that its operation didn’t violate the injunction because it wasn’t about immigration enforcement. Rather, they were investigating a suspect for training “individuals to commit acts of violence against federal officers and employees.”

A hearing was held Sept. 4 and a ruling is pending. A spokesperson with the Department of Homeland Security said it doesn’t comment “on the existence or status of specific ongoing investigations, nor on investigative methods.”

University Baptist Church’s interim pastor said the small congregation found the surveillance “very upsetting” — but also motivation to double down on their advocacy.

“We see the message of Jesus as compelling us to be where people are most vulnerable,” the Rev. Cody J. Sanders said.

For Kevin Friedl, an attorney with the Democracy Forward Foundation that’s representing the faith groups, the case is ultimately about offering sanctuary.

“For many, religion — being able to join together with others at their church or other house of worship — is an important and critical source of solace and comfort, in hard times, which these are,” he said. “This administration wants to deny them that.”

Protesters who interrupted Sunday worship seek dismissal of charges

The argument that churches are protected spaces and worshippers have rights against intrusion is also buttressing the case over the anti-immigration enforcement protest at Cities Church in Minnesota’s capital in January.

More than three dozen people — including former CNN journalist Don Lemon and prominent local activists — are facing federal civil rights charges after entering the Southern Baptist church where one pastor was also a leader in the local ICE field office.

During Sunday worship, some walked up to the pulpit, others loudly chanted “ICE out” and “Renee Good,” referring to the woman who was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.

In August, a slew of motions to dismiss the cases were filed and will be heard in late October. Some contend the charges amounted to “selective or vindictive prosecution,” and cite the University Baptist Church surveillance. They argue that the “administration’s claims that this prosecution is based on a desire to protect the right to practice religion is disproved by the extraordinary freedom it has granted ICE to violate the sanctity of churches,” according to court documents.

“They’re using these cases to try to get information on the whole resistance movement,” said Jordan Kushner, an attorney representing several defendants.

An attorney representing Cities Church countered that the issue at play is “an invasion during worship.”

“Nobody has the right to storm a church,” Doug Wardlow said, adding that the protest — and smaller, outdoors ones that continue to occur during worship times — “traumatically impacted the life of the church.”

How fallout from the surge impacts Minnesota congregations

Faith leaders across the Twin Cities say they’re still dealing with fallout from the surge, whether it’s lingering fear among migrants, tensions over government surveillance, or persistent financial assistance requests.

Many congregants wonder who else was under federal surveillance, said the Rev. Mariah Furness Tollgaard, senior pastor at Hamline Church in St. Paul. She was briefly detained at an anti-deportations protest at the Minneapolis airport in January.

Several Protestant congregations that were outspoken in their anti-immigration-enforcement stances have increased their security measures.

While many remain committed to their advocacy, it’s taking a toll.

“The general vibe we get from leaders and congregations is just tired — there’s weariness more than anything,” said Nicholas Tangen of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Minneapolis Area Synod.

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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.

That’s why Van Orden, a two-term incumbent from western Wisconsin fighting to keep his seat in November in a swing district Trump carried three times, is embracing the president.

It’s a risky gambit given fears among Republicans that Trump’s sagging polling numbers, the unpopular Iran war and economic concerns will drag them down. But it reflects a calculation by Van Orden, a former Navy SEAL who embodies the president's confrontational politics, that motivating the conservative base is still the best plan as long as Trump remains the party’s undisputed leader.

“There’s something that’s sorely lacking in this political business and it’s loyalty," Van Orden told The Associated Press before flying to Dallas to appear at Trump's midterm convention this week. "I think we’d be a lot better off if we were more loyal to our fellow Americans to begin with.”

Van Orden faces Democrat Rebecca Cooke, a political activist who grew up on a dairy farm and works part time as a restaurant server. It’s a rematch of a race that Van Orden won by less than 3 percentage points two years ago.

Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District is one of a dwindling number of competitive U.S. House races that could be pivotal to Democrats' hopes of recapturing control of Congress.

The race is in ‘a bellwether district in a bellwether state’

The V-shaped district is bordered by the Mississippi River and Minnesota to the west and Illinois to the south. It historically has been supportive of moderates such as Democrat Ron Kind, who held the seat for 26 years before retiring in 2022. Before him, a moderate Republican represented the district for 16 years.

Democrat Barack Obama won the district twice in his White House races. Trump won it three times on his way to narrowly carrying Wisconsin in 2016 and 2024 and losing the state in 2020.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who has had his share of slim victories over the years, has called it “a bellwether district in a bellwether state.”

Cooke and Van Orden have been crisscrossing the district and they both ended up at the same place for a Labor Day parade, in the tiny village of Readstown. It's in the rolling hills of the Driftless Area and is home to fewer than 500 people.

Cooke told the AP before walking in the parade that she believes voters this year are “looking for something fresh and something different. I think people are very tired of politics as usual.”

Nancy Deckert, a 75-year-old retired post office worker in Readstown, is just the type of voter Cooke is counting on.

“I think a lot of people are fed up with the mess we’re in right now and a change is what we need,” Deckert said at the parade.

Van Orden rode his 2021 Harley-Davidson motorcycle along the parade route before parking outside the Shovelheads Corner Bar.

The bar's owner, John Collett, said he is voting for Van Orden.

“It’s popular to hate America right now, and that’s unfortunate,” said Collett, who called himself “ultra MAGA,” a reference to Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement. Collett said Van Orden is “fighting for the American people. He’s fighting for what’s right.”

Van Orden, who underperformed Trump in 2024, said he is confident that voters like Collett will stick with him.

“Cooke knows that she needs to have people who voted for Trump vote for her,” Van Orden said, “and that just ain’t happening.”

Van Orden is embracing Trump while other Republicans seek distance

Van Orden voted with Trump nearly 100% of the time in 2025, and Trump named Van Orden as one of several House Republicans he promised to back “100% all the way to November.” America PAC, connected to tech titan Elon Musk, has spent about $10,000 this month for Van Orden, Federal Election Commission documents show.

Trump's only visit to Wisconsin so far in his second term was to Van Orden's district. Top administration members have come to campaign with Van Orden, including Trump's health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., FBI Director Kash Patel and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Cooke said it was a “big mistake” for Van Orden to tie himself so closely to Trump in a state where only about 4 in 10 voters approve of Trump’s performance, based on an August poll conducted by the Marquette University Law School.

Van Orden said he does not have any second thoughts about it.

“I’ve done everything I possibly can to help the people here in the 3rd (District) and to help Wisconsinites and help Americans,” Van Orden said. “And if people in the 3rd Congressional District decide they want to have somebody else who is a rampant socialist to represent them, that’s up to them.”

Van Orden spoke on Wednesday at the Republican convention, which was billed as “Trump-a-Palooza.” Van Orden promoted tax cuts and federal spending on rural healthcare, a big issue in a district where the largest city is only about 72,000 people.

The congressman attended the Jan. 6, 2021, rally before a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. He has had a series of high-profile incidents and is known for exchanging sometimes profanity-laden messages with liberal U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., and others over social media. This year, Van Orden has drawn heat for a series of artificial intelligence-generated videos that show faked images of Cooke saying things she did not actually say. Van Orden has defended them as satire.

“I’m super easy to demonize because I am very aggressive on social media,” Van Orden said. But he said he does it because of death threats made against him and his family.

“When you push back on these folks they stop and when you let them go they get emboldened,” he said. “I’m not getting pushed around by anybody.”

Cooke is looking to build a broad coalition of Democrats and independents

Cooke lost to Van Orden by just over 11,000 votes two years ago while performing better than Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

The environment is “really different” this year, Cooke said, and that will put her over the top.

“People are really frustrated and disappointed with the Trump administration and the things that they were promised," she said.

Cooke, who formerly owned a small business and ran a nonprofit aimed at helping women-owned businesses, is trying to pitch herself as a big tent Democratic populist. But Van Orden points to her work as a consultant raising money for Democrats across the country as far back as 2012, saying she will be beholden to the party establishment.

She is endorsed by a broad coalition including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, more moderate groups like the House Blue Dog PAC and progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. He campaigned with Cooke in the district last year, giving her the blessing of the party's progressive wing while also helping to fend off Van Orden's attack that she's the “anointed” candidate of the Democratic Washington establishment.

Van Orden, in a campaign ad, is also going after Cooke for saying if she lived in New York City she would have supported democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor. In that same ad, Van Orden holds a firearm, displays a Bible and says, “I fought extremists overseas as a Navy SEAL, but now they are here.”

Dean Young, a 75-year-old former teacher and milk truck driver who lives in a rural area near Readstown, called the ad “unbelievable."

“People are getting angry,” Young said from a lawn chair along the parade route, a dog in his lap. “They’re finally starting to suffer. I think that’s going to lead to some change.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared four blood tests to help doctors diagnose whether Alzheimer’s — not another kind of dementia or something else — is behind someone’s memory problems or other cognitive symptoms. Some laboratories and online services offer their own tests. Faster diagnosis can help people with early-stage Alzheimer’s qualify for drugs that can modestly slow the worsening of their symptoms.

Yet dementia specialists say people without symptoms also seek those tests even though they’re neither approved nor recommended for that population.

For now, “the worried well should not be getting those tests” outside of a research study, stressed testing expert Nicholas Ashton, of Arizona’s Banner Health.

Instead, focus on addressing potentially preventable brain risks. One large study found people who reached middle age without high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking lived dementia-free for a lot longer — nearly 13 years longer — than people with all three of those common health problems in their 50s.

“Be aggressive,” advised Dr. Josef Coresh of NYU Langone Health, the study’s senior author. Even delaying those risky conditions “has a huge payoff.”

What Alzheimer’s blood tests can and can’t do

Like many people who have watched a loved one succumb to Alzheimer’s, Mark Yost wonders about his own risk even though he doesn’t have symptoms.

“I want to know what my status is,” said Yost, 60, of Phoenix. And if signs of trouble develop, “what I can do about it to either avoid it or slow it down.”

It's not clear what causes Alzheimer's, but its telltale markers are abnormal forms of two proteins. Sticky beta-amyloid can build into brain-clogging plaque over decades, eventually spurring neuron-killing tau tangles that lead to symptoms. Blood tests that measure a tau type called p-tau217 seem particularly good at reflecting amyloid buildup in people with symptoms.

As for the symptom-free, a study led by Mass General Brigham researchers found older adults with very high p-tau217 levels had a 38% risk of developing cognitive impairment within five years, and a higher risk over 10 years.

Here’s the rub: A “positive” test result is just a risk factor, not a guarantee someone will later develop Alzheimer’s, Ashton cautioned. Lots of older adults harbor high levels of amyloid but never show cognitive trouble. And while negative test results seem pretty reliable, a positive test sometimes is wrong, a so-called false positive.

Yost volunteered for a Banner blood test study that included cognitively normal people and learned his result was “intermediate,” defined as maybe having some amyloid but not a worrisome “elevated” level.

Yost found the uncertainty “a little disappointing” and something to watch as he gets older, while pursuing brain-healthy steps like exercise and a mentally stimulating genealogy hobby.

What everyone should do for brain health, no test needed

A major trial last year found that healthier habits slowed age-related cognitive decline in older adults who were at increased risk of developing dementia. Among the steps: A half-hour of moderately intense exercise four times a week, twice-weekly resistance training and following the MIND diet, which stresses lots of leafy greens and berries, whole grains, poultry and fish.

Dementia experts also advise getting enough sleep, avoiding social isolation, treating hearing loss and exercising your brain, not just your body. They say middle age is a key time to act.

As for those extra 13 dementia-free years, the NYU study reinforces that what's good for the heart is good for the brain.

Coresh's team analyzed health records of more than 12,000 people who had been tracked for decades since they were, on average, age 56. High blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and smoking can damage blood vessels that feed the brain and fuel inflammation. Those who entered the study without those three problems fared best, but avoiding one or two was helpful. Even people who carry the APOE4 gene, which increases the risk of later-in-life Alzheimer's, still benefited from a healthier middle age.

Other studies also have shown that aggressively treating high blood pressure helps brain health.

“Be very serious with your physician about the value of lowering it as early as possible for as many years as possible,” Coresh said.

As for those Alzheimer's blood tests, stay tuned. Clinical trials are underway to tell if drugs now used to treat Alzheimer's might also help certain people before they develop symptoms — findings that could change testing advice.

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

Ingebrigtsen made the announcement less than 24 hours after beating Hocker in the 5,000 meters to take the $150,000 top prize at the championship. Ingebrigtsen is coming back from Achilles surgery in February and said running two races in the span of three days was simply too much.

“I would love for it to be a little bit different and be a little bit sharper in terms of recovery," he said. "But coming from a very difficult last two years with injury problems and Achilles surgery, I'm forced to be more sensible than I would like to be.”

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The soldier was taking part in a U.S. Army training exercise designed to showcase and experiment with tactics and equipment picked up from the Ukrainians, whose pioneering drone warfare has helped them against Russia's forces more than 4 1/2 years into the war.

The annual American exercises, held in the Bavarian foothills over the past several weeks, demonstrate how close the relationship has become between U.S. and Ukrainian forces as American troops look to incorporate drone capabilities and tactics into their own units.

Brig. Gen. Terry Tillis, who leads the Germany-based Army training unit, recently told reporters that they have 1,900 drones and they represent “the latest things that we’ve learned from Ukrainian efforts in this war.”

The Associated Press received rare access to the training ground in Germany and troops conducting the exercises, gaining insight into how the United States is pairing with and learning from Ukraine. The effort has taken on more urgency as the U.S. tries to counter Iranian drone attacks in that more than 6-month-old conflict.

The US Army is still figuring out how to incorporate drones into its strategy

The U.S. military has become more comfortable highlighting the level of cooperation it receives from Ukrainian forces, and officials say the Army has made strides in getting drones into soldiers' hands. But leaders have not offered a clear answer to how America's largest military service will adapt its tactics to any conflict where drones are omnipresent.

An Army official said that while there is universal agreement on the need to incorporate drones into the ranks, Army leaders still need to decide how to structure those ground forces for drone warfare and not just use drones to aid in tasks that soldiers already do.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Army units are integrating one-way attack drones all the way down to the company level, but there needs to be more than just “adding drones to an infantry battalion.”

Aiding such efforts are large annual exercises such as Saber Junction, which runs for nearly four weeks in August and September in Germany. The Army unit heading up the U.S. forces is the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

The Army has sent some soldiers to Ukraine to learn pioneering drone warfare

Tillis, the brigadier general, said some soldiers from the brigade were sent to Ukraine at the start of the year to learn from the country that has been on the cutting edge of drone warfare since Russia invaded in February 2022.

During the Army exercises, Tillis said late last month that the Ukrainians “are embedded with them, they’ll help advise, assist and then help them employ” the technology.

About a dozen Ukrainian military personnel traveled to Germany to participate in this year's exercise. They are providing insights on electronic warfare, drone warfare and lessons learned from ongoing combat operations, the U.S. Army said.

Roughly 50% of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's engagements with opposing troops during the exercise “were drone contact first,” Anthony Miller, the Army’s chief technology officer, told reporters this week.

Even as that collaboration yields more insights, it comes as the Army has faced a parade of departures of top leaders who have championed these drone experiments.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suddenly ousted the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, in April and replaced him with Gen. Christopher LaNeve. LaNeve has had an ascendant career under the Republican administration, going from commanding an Army formation in South Korea to effectively leading the nation's largest military service as acting chief of staff in about two years.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the service’s top civilian leader and a George ally, also departed early this month. Both George and Driscoll were champions of quickly adapting the Army to use drone technology.

Trump has named Adam Telle, a civilian leader in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the acting Army secretary.

Specialized drone unit is disbanded as Army debates future of the technology

A couple of weeks before Driscoll's departure, LaNeve ordered an Army unit experimenting in drone warfare — a smaller formation within the 173rd Airborne Brigade — to end its efforts and return to being a traditional infantry battalion after nearly a year of work.

The Army has argued that returning the unit to a more traditional mission was always part of the plan, but there was an expectation under the previous leadership that the battalion would continue its work.

While the loss of the specialized unit appears to be a blow to drone warfare efforts, the Army official noted that it was never clear whether such units were going to be the path forward in the long term.

The official said both the specialized battalion and the regular engagements with the Ukrainians are not part of a larger effort to mimic Ukraine but to help the Army imagine how the U.S. would employ its own formation built around the way the American military wages war.

With more resources, the Ukrainians also would be using drones in a different way, the official said.

Ukraine two years ago created a separate branch of the armed forces, called the Unmanned Systems Forces, just for drone warfare. But drones also have become so deeply embedded across Ukraine’s military that it is hard to find a unit that does not use them in some form — from reconnaissance to strikes — with artillery and other traditional weapons now often operating in tandem with drones overhead.

Similarly, the Army’s chief technology officer said he has discouraged the idea of centralizing drone knowledge in one unit or formation.

“We’ve pushed back on having something like a drone corps since its inception because our theory of the case is if you centralize that in one place, what you lose is the ability to actually scale that learning and send that out to the rest of the Army,” Miller told reporters Wednesday.

Miller also pointed to the 173rd Airborne Brigade's performance in the exercises in Germany as proof that spreading drone integration efforts “across the brigade and across the Army was the right move.”

Summer heat and humidity are hanging on as well, with our feel- like temperatures in the lower 100s until those cooling storms roll in.

A non-tropical disturbance over the Bahamas will move slowly west across the Florida peninsula, keeping those storm chances pretty high through at least next week.

Things are quiet in the tropics and look to remain that way through the next 7 days.

But as quickly as tides roll in, they roll back out.

It’s been a decidedly mixed bag since then for the 42 Democrats who flipped Republican-held seats in 2018 to reclaim control of the U.S. House.

Their fate is a lesson in the ephemeral nature of politics as Democrats hope for a repeat performance in this year’s midterms. With an ever-changing electorate, the skills and ideas that rise to the top in one cycle can quickly become a liability in another.

Of the 42, a few have moved on to higher offices. Others who tried to climb the ladder found themselves out of step with a Democratic base uninterested in the compromises once viewed as necessary to win in conservative-leaning areas. Many were defeated by Republicans who rallied to reclaim the seats as the political landscape shifted. Only 14 remain in the House, and at least three of them will leave in January.

In 2018, Democrats focused on recruiting political newcomers with backgrounds in public service like veterans, national security officials and doctors. To appeal to independents, the party sought House candidates who “look, feel and sound like a different kind of Democrat,” said Dan Sena, who was executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that year.

Voters were drawn to their aura of nonpartisan competence to be a buffer against Trump. But that’s not the priority anymore.

“In 2018, the Democratic base wanted an adult in the room,” Sena said. “In 2026 they want a fighter in the ring.”

Some were considered too moderate for higher office

The lawmakers newly elected in 2018 brought the largest influx of first-year House Democrats in at least four decades. It was the chamber’s youngest and most diverse freshman class in history.

Angie Craig won a Republican-held Minnesota district in the suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul in 2018. She was repeatedly targeted by Republicans, who poured millions of dollars into trying to defeat her, but managed to win reelection three times.

The first openly gay mother in congressional history, Craig helped break barriers. However, her instinct for moderation became a liability when she tried to win the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tina Smith.

Craig overwhelmingly lost the Democratic primary to Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who relentlessly hammered Craig over her relationships with deep-pocketed donors and her votes for tougher immigration enforcement.

“That was a tough seat to flip, and she did it, and that is commendable, and that has been to everyone’s advantage in Minnesota since then,” Justin Ropella, a 43-year-old Flanagan supporter, said days before last month’s primary. “But I think she has failed to meet the moment time and time again since then, and she is stuck in a moderate environment when the world is progressing past her.”

Haley Stevens faced a similar fate in Michigan. She flipped and held a Republican-seat in 2018, and defeated a fellow Democrat after they were put in the same district in 2022, but she narrowly lost this year’s Senate primary to progressive Abdul El-Sayed.

A few clashed with party leadership

Jared Golden won an overwhelmingly Republican district in Maine and fended off perennial Republican attacks to keep the seat. But his mix of progressive economic views and cultural conservatism often put him at odds with Democratic leaders and the party’s base.

In the face of a primary challenge from his left, Golden decided not to seek reelection this year. Strategists in both parties widely expect the seat to flip back to Republicans in November.

The latest example of him clashing with party leadership came this week when he was one of just two Democrats to join Republicans on a procedural vote, an apostasy in Capitol Hill’s unwritten rules. The vote enraged his colleagues, who then had to cast votes on a conservative resolution on socialism and elections designed to put Democrats in a bind during election season.

Republicans swiftly reclaimed some seats

A majority of the 2018 Democratic frontliners didn’t last long in Congress. The Republican-leaning districts they flipped proved tough to hold when the political winds weren’t blowing overwhelmingly in their favor.

The party lost ground in the House in 2020 but retained a small majority. Then it lost that in 2022, when Republicans took control of the chamber midway through Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency.

Today, just 14 remain, and their ranks will shrink in January when Craig, Stevens and Golden leave office.

The 2026 battle for the House is playing out on similar turf. Most of the battleground districts voted for Trump, who expanded his coalition to return to the White House but has seen his popularity plummet.

A few were able to climb the political ladder

It hasn’t been all bad news for the class of 2018.

Mikie Sherill and Abigail Spanberger were elected governor of New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, last year. Both of their campaigns focused heavily on the cost of living, a formula Democrats around the country are now trying to replicate.

Andy Kim of New Jersey and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan won Senate seats in 2024.

Slotkin may try to take another political leap soon — she could run for president in 2028.

The Solheim Cup between the United States and Europe at the Bernardus Golf course in rural North Brabant province is encouraging the thousands of fans lining the fairways to arrive the Dutch way — on two wheels using pedal power.

Janet Metcalfe, a 58-year-old retiree from Cheshire in England, was happy to saddle up for a 30-minute ride from her hotel in nearby Vught to the course.

“It's just been a typically Dutch thing,” she said after parking her bike in the rows of racks provided for fans. “Absolutely brilliant.”

She was impressed by the other road users in the Netherlands where cycling and giving way to bikes is ingrained in the national DNA.

“Being British, we don't trust that the traffic will stop but it does, every single time,” she said.

Riding to the course is an easy way to avoid waiting for a crowded shuttle bus. The last edition of the tournament, at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia, was hit by transport issues that saw half-empty stands on the first morning of the event.

More bikes than people

The Netherlands is renowned as a paradise for cyclists.

According to the national statistics office, the nation of 18 million people and 23 million bikes has some 153,000 kilometers (95,000 miles) of “paths and roads where cyclists are welcome” including dedicated bike paths and roads with cycle lanes.

Those include the bucolic 9-kilometer (5 1/2-mile) ride from the railway station in Den Bosch to Bernardus through farmers' fields where cattle graze in scenes reminiscent of a Paulus Potter Golden Age painting.

Chris Thompson, 82, from Dorset in England, is a seasoned bike rider, who had no trouble with the morning ride.

“Piece of cake,” he said. “This is superbly organized. You would have to be silly to make mistakes” with the well-signposted route.

The only problems? Finding your ride among the thousands of bikes in the parking area as the crowds head for home and maybe a bit of tenderness for cycling novices.

“There are a few sore points,” said Metcalfe.

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Though an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias in Iraq denied their involvement, Iraq's government confirmed the attacks had originated from its territory, pledged to investigate and dismissed two senior officials.

The attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline came as the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen put further pressure on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which around 12% of global trade passes, as part of the rebels' targeting neighboring Saudi Arabia and its shipping.

Regional officials have told The Associated Press that the Houthis and the Iraqi militias recently coordinated attacks on Saudi Arabia.

As the events threaten even higher global oil prices after six months of war, U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran was “probably” responsible for the pipeline attack, but tried to calm concerns.

“The Houthis called us, and they don’t want to fight with us,” Trump said. “They would much prefer not having us involved, and they’re letting most ships go through.” He said his administration has had "discussions” with the Houthis, but neither he nor the White House said when those occurred. His administration engaged in at least one round of talks in May 2025.

“We are not in war with Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis have their own problems," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told India Today TV on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in India.

Iraq to investigate attack on Saudi pipeline

A group of Iran-backed militias in Iraq denied they were responsible for the attacks on the Saudi pipeline, while praising the Houthis for their “ongoing battlefield victories against Saudi forces.”

The statement said they would cooperate with the Iraqi government’s investigation.

Iraq is under mounting pressure to prevent local militias from aiding Iran proxy groups. The Iraqi government has set a Sept. 30 deadline for nonstate groups to disarm, but several of the most powerful militias have said they will not comply, including the Iran-backed ones.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said he had ordered an investigation into the operations command of Maysan province, along the border with Iran, and dismissed the province's commander. His office later said the provincial police chief was also dismissed.

Saudi Arabia shut down the cross-country oil pipeline on Friday, saying it was a “precautionary measure” after the pipeline came under drone attack the day before. It blamed the attacks on several drones that came from Iraq but said the kingdom would not retaliate, to give the Iraqi government “an opportunity to take the necessary measures.”

Several Arab countries including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt, condemned the attack, according to the Saudi state news agency.

Built in the 1980s, the East-West pipeline has played an important role in Saudi Arabia’s ability to export oil following this year's disruption of the Strait of Hormuz. By early June, Saudi Arabia had more than doubled oil exports from the Red Sea port at the pipeline’s end to more than 5 million barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency.

Iran-backed Iraqi militias have carried out strikes on U.S.-linked targets both inside and outside Iraq since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

Saudi Arabia and the United States bombed Iranian-backed militias in Iraq in July after blaming them for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities that had been claimed by the Houthis. Regional officials told the AP that the Houthis helped the militias plan and execute the attacks.

Meanwhile, in a decision possibly linked to the investigation of the pipeline attack, Iraq closed two key border crossings with Iran, Iraq’s state-run news agency reported.

Valiollah Hayati, deputy governor of Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, said Shalamcheh and Chazabeh crossings were closed.

Diplomacy continues in a tense region

Iran has said a regional meeting is planned Monday between Iran and other Gulf countries about talks between Tehran and Oman — located on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz — on managing shipping there.

Commercial ship traffic remains low on what had been considered an international waterway before the war. Iran has expressed interest in having ships pay fees for transit. It has said traffic into the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman would pass entirely through Iranian waters, while the outbound route would pass partly through Iranian waters and partly through Oman’s territorial waters.

“The waterway would be opened up on the condition that the U.S. will terminate its blockade,” Iran's president said in his interview with the Indian broadcaster.

Bahrain on Saturday, however, said it will not attend any group meeting including Iran before the restoration of diplomatic relations between the countries.

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Jill Lawless and Darlene Superville in Dublin contributed to this report.

Ukraine is under mounting pressure from Russia’s intensifying air campaign that uses ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to pierce defenses. Moscow’s attacks have targeted Ukraine’s power grid ahead of winter in what officials say is meant to demoralize civilians.

Two people were killed and one wounded when Russian drones struck a residential area overnight in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, regional head Ivan Fedorov said.

One person died and three others were wounded in strikes on Kryvyi Rih, according to local officials.

In the Black Sea port of Odesa and the surrounding area, 35 people were wounded overnight in what regional head Oleh Kiper called a “massive attack.” Among the buildings hit was a residential high-rise, whose upper floors were completely destroyed.

Three people were killed on Saturday when cars were hit by drones in Kramatorsk in Ukraine's partially occupied Donetsk region, along with a further two people in a Russian attack on a grocery store in the Zhytomyr region, local officials said.

Separately, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces struck two chemical industry facilities in Russia, one in Samara and one in Perm. The governors of the regions did not immediately comment, but Russian independent online news outlet Astra reported drone attacks on chemical plants in both regions.

Putin warns against sending European troops to Ukraine

Putin, speaking to reporters at a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies in India on Friday, said that if European governments send troops into Ukraine, it will mean “a war with Russia.”

“Now they’re talking about how they’re considering sending troops into Ukraine. That means a war with Russia,” he said.

Some European leaders have pledged their commitment to a potential peacekeeping force, a prospect that Moscow has repeatedly described as unacceptable.

Putin also denied Russia posed any threat to Europe, saying “there is no such threat and never has been.”

“We do not threaten, nor do we intend to threaten, European countries,” he said.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday that two incidents along Ukraine’s borders with Poland and Moldova this week were a preview of potential intensified Russian provocations at Ukraine’s border crossing points with Europe.

Two people died when Russian drones hit the Starokozache border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova on Tuesday night, while a “direct threat” to a Polish-Ukrainian crossing point on Wednesday night was only avoided thanks to cooperation between Warsaw and Kyiv, he said.

Zelenskyy offers to meet Putin at G20

In an interview with Deutsche Welle published on Saturday, Zelenskyy said he would meet Putin if both leaders were invited to the Group of 20 summit of rich and developing nations in December in Miami.

Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said the possibility of Putin attending the summit had not yet been discussed.

The Kremlin in the past has said that Zelenskyy can come to Moscow if he wants a meeting with Putin, a proposal Kyiv has rejected.

“If he really wants to meet with Putin, Putin has already said that he could fly to Moscow,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov affirmed Saturday that Russia is “ready for negotiations,” but that the so-called “special military operation,” as Moscow refers to its war in Ukraine, “will not be suspended during this period of negotiations.”

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Morton reported from London.

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The top-ranked Korda and Corpuz had won their first five matches as a team dating to 2023 — an unprecedented feat in the Solheim Cup — but were beaten, 3 and 2, by Swedish pair Maja Stark and Linn Grant in the lead match at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands early on Day 2.

It set the tone for a big session by the Europeans, who got another point from Mimi Rhodes and Nastasia Nadaud as they became the first rookie duo to win two matches at a single Solheim Cup.

Then, in a significant late-morning rally, Leona Maguire and Esther Henseleit won two of the final three holes to beat Jennifer Kupcho and Rose Zhang, 1 up, in the final match of the session. It was the only one that went to No. 18.

The only negative on a big morning for Europe was another setback for its star English pairing of Charley Hull and Lottie Woad, who were thrashed 6 and 5 by Alison Lee and Lauren Coughlin in a result that tied the record margin of victory in a Solheim Cup foursomes match.

Hull and Woad, the only European players in the world’s top 10, have contributed just a half-point from three outings together so far this week but have been retained as a pair by captain Anna Nordqvist for the afternoon four-balls.

Korda, meanwhile, was rested by U.S. captain Angela Stanford. Coughlin, still unbeaten in the Solheim Cup (5-0-2), will go out again and be the only American to play five matches.

After back-to-back split sessions on Day 1, there was finally separation between the teams, and history suggests that is a big deal. Since 1998, the team that held a lead at the end of the third session has gone on to win 11 of those 13 occasions.

The United States, which has an 11-7-1 advantage in a series that dates to 1990, is the defending champion and needs 14 points to retain the crystal trophy.

Short-game magic from Henseleit

In the last match on the course, Maguire and Henseleit were 1 down and in trouble on the 16th hole, with Maguire having pushed a wild second shot near to the grandstand. Henseleit chipped along a bank and down to 6 feet, with Maguire making the hole-winning birdie putt to tie the match.

There was more short-game magic to come from Henseleit, whose chip from left of the green on No. 18 settled inside 2 feet to ensure a par. Kupcho and Zhang couldn't match it, with Zhang putting the face of a fairway bunker with her second shot.

“A little short game master class from Esther,” said Maguire, who has reached 10 points in the Solheim Cup quicker — in 14 matches — than any other player in history.

Indeed, it was quite the final hour for Henseleit, who removed her shoes and socks, put on some wet-gear and stepped into a stream beside the 15th green in an attempt to hack out a second shot after Maguire hit a drive that dribbled into the water. It was all in vain — Henseleit's recovery shot plopped straight up and down off the bank and rolled back into the water.

Rookies thriving for Europe

“Why not?”

That was the reaction from Nordqvist when she was asked what made her throw together Nadaud and Rhodes in their first Solheim Cup.

Nordqvist could see they had great on-course chemistry and it's delivered two points already, first in the Friday four-balls with a 2-and-1 win over Corpuz and Auston Kim and on Saturday against Kim and Andrea Lee.

“I have to say we didn’t really expect to play this morning foursomes,” Nadaud said. “It was a great surprise.”

Pairings for afternoon four-balls

1:05 p.m. (7:05 a.m. EDT/1105 GMT) — Megan Khang and Lauren Coughlin, United States, vs. Maja Stark and Linn Grant, Europe.

1:20 p.m. (7:20 a.m. EDT/1120 GMT) — Yealimi Noh and Andrea Lee, United States, vs. Lottie Woad and Charley Hull, Europe.

1:35 p.m. (7:35 a.m. EDT/1135 GMT) — Rose Zhang and Auston Kim, United States, vs. Nastasia Nadaud and Leona Maguire, Europe.

1:50 p.m. (7:50 a.m. EDT/1150 GMT) — Jennifer Kupcho and Lindy Duncan, United States, vs. Carlota Ciganda and Celine Boutier, Europe.

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Iraq closed two key border crossings with Iran, halting all passenger and commercial traffic until further notice, Iran’s state-run media reported Saturday.

Meanwhile, fears mount that gas and oil prices may rise and international shipping could be further disrupted after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis seized a key island and captured a Red Sea port.

Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Trump says Iran is ‘probably’ behind Saudi pipeline attack

Asked by reporters whether he thinks Iran was behind the attack on the Saudi pipeline, Trump said: "Well, I think they are. Probably they are. You know, they’re on the balls of their feet right now. But I think they are.”

Trump, speaking in Dublin, where he met Irish leaders, also said his administration has “had discussions” with the Houthis, though he did not provide details on when those talks took place.

“The Houthis called us, and they don’t want to fight with us,” Trump said. “They would much prefer not having us involved, and they’re letting most ships go through.”

Asked about a recent call with Saudi’s crown prince, Trump said: “He’s a good friend of mine, and I can just say everything’s going to work out fine and dandy. It’s going to be very good.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the timing of the talks.

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Darlene Superville and Jill Lawless in Dublin

Presidents of Iran and UAE meet amid Mideast escalation

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and the United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi on Saturday, signaling efforts by the two regional powers to maintain diplomatic engagement despite growing instability across the region.

The leaders discussed regional and international issues, de-escalation, stability, and efforts to advance regional peace and development, a UAE government statement said.

Tehran has sharply criticized the security partnerships some Gulf states maintain with Western powers, while Abu Dhabi has backed efforts aimed at containing Iran’s military influence amid the ongoing conflict.

The meeting highlights the UAE’s balancing act of maintaining strong ties with Western partners while expanding dialogue with Iran, experts say.

“From clashing at the BRICS foreign ministers meeting not so long ago to engaging on the sidelines at BRICS summit, Iran and UAE have shown diplomatic sagacity to make use of this rare opportunity for a direct meeting,” said Praveen Donthi, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.

Iraq dismisses commander over attacks launched at Saudi Arabia

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation into the operations command in Maysan province and dismissed its commander after authorities determined that attacks targeting Saudi Arabia were launched from a site in the province, the Iraqi government said in a statement early Saturday.

Saudi Arabia shut down the major, cross-country oil pipeline on Friday, saying it was a “precautionary measure."

The Saudi Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on several drones that came from Iraq and, in a statement, said the kingdom would not retaliate to give the Iraqi government “an opportunity to take the necessary measures.”

The East-West pipeline has been vital to Saudi Arabia’s continued oil exports in the months since the Iran war disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the International Energy Agency, Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea port at the pipeline’s end have more than doubled since the Iran war erupted.

Tehran-backed Iraqi militias have launched attacks on U.S.-linked targets both inside and outside of Iraq since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 and have coordinated with Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia.

Crude prices this week soared again above $100 a barrel, giving Tehran more leverage in any talks. Analysts worry that the Houthis’ seizure of Yemen’s port city of Mokha may create further complications for shipping on the Red Sea and raise oil prices.

Iraq closes two border crossings with Iran

Valiollah Hayati, the deputy governor of Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, said Iraqi officials had announced the closure of the Shalamcheh and Chazabeh crossings.

Hayati urged traders, drivers and travelers not to approach the crossings until further notice. He said relevant authorities would release additional information.

Shalamcheh and Chazabeh are among the main official border crossings between Iran and Iraq.

Lebanon and Israel will hold a new round of direct talks next month

Lebanese and Israeli negotiators are scheduled to meet in Rome in October for U.S.-brokered talks, after a planned round this month was postponed without a reason being given.

The U.S. State Department also said Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the U.S. will meet at its headquarters in Washington next week to discuss ongoing developments and the continued implementation of the framework agreement reached in late June.

It said the framework agreement remains the only viable mechanism to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and Israel’s security.

Lebanon and Israel have so far held seven rounds of talks in Washington and Rome over the past months.

Oil spill in the Gulf of Oman doubled, environmental group says

A large-scale oil spill, believed to be from a tanker struck by the U.S. military, has doubled in size between Wednesday and Thursday, endangering two protected areas off Oman and Iran, said Nina Noelle of Greenpeace Germany.

The crude oil tanker RIESCO was one of four tankers attacked on Tuesday in the Gulf of Oman. A fifth was destroyed in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s Kharg island the same night.

The visible area of pollution measured about 400 square kilometers (154 square miles) on Thursday, twice the size compared to the day before, Noelle said.

Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press showed the spill stretching almost 70 kilometers (43 miles) long.

The spill is located between the Musandam protected area on the Omani side, which includes one of the region’s most important seabird breeding islands.

On the Iranian side, the Hara-e Roud-e Gaz Protected Area in Iran’s Hormozgan province includes mangrove forests, tidal creeks, mudflats, salt marshes, sandbanks and offshore islands.

“The current situation in the Strait of Hormuz, together with our experience of oil spills since the beginning of the war, unfortunately suggests that an effective response is unlikely,” Noelle said.

Video shows Israeli troops firing on Palestinians in the West Bank

Israeli troops opened fire Saturday at a group of Palestinians who did not appear to be posing a threat in the occupied West Bank, wounding one man, according to video obtained by The Associated Press.

The video, shot by an eyewitness, showed the man falling to the ground near the Palestinian village of Faqqua, north of the West Bank.

At least 14 shots in total were fired during the duration of the video. They continued as several men rushed to move the injured man to safety before setting him down and tying a tourniquet around his leg in an apparent attempt to stop the bleeding.

Mahmoud Shahin, a resident of the village, said the Palestinians had rushed to the area after receiving reports that Israeli settlers had arrived there with a flock of sheep. He said Israeli soldiers then came and began firing in the air and toward the Palestinians.

He added that the wounded man was undergoing surgery at a hospital in Jenin.

Israel’s military said the video AP obtained from an eyewitness was authentic and confirmed its forces had fired toward the Palestinians, wounding one man, and said commanders would review the incident.

Under the ultranationalist government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, settler violence in the West Bank has surged. The international community largely considers Israeli settlements to be illegal and obstacles to peace.

Over 700,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians as parts of a future state.

_

This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Forty-three people survived the fire on Wednesday night among the 132 on board.

The ferry sailed from the capital, Manila, and was some 39 kilometers (24 miles) from its destination in Coron, in southwestern Palawan province, when the fire erupted.

The cause has not been determined but the coast guard spokesperson quoted a survivor as saying it may have started from the cargo hold. The survivor recounted hearing a blast, with smoke and fire quickly spreading, fanned by the winds, officials said.

Tents were put up in the Port of Borac in Coron, where body bags were brought down from a ship that transported them from the ferry.

Commodore Noemie Cayabyab, the coast guard spokesperson, said authorities were looking for the ship's captain, who reportedly survived but is not listed among the survivors.

The multiagency maritime safety and criminal investigations will look into all angles, and the possible liability of the captain and crew, she added.

Cayabyab said survivors recounted the fire spread quickly, with no time to get life jackets. A tarpaulin that shielded the open areas of the ship from the rain “may be a possible contributing factor but we can’t determine now if they were trapped inside,” she added.

Investigators will also check if fire emergency procedures were followed, including if the captain sounded an alarm or gave a warning and instructions, and if the crew assisted the passengers.

Ferries are frequently used for transport in the Philippine archipelago. Sea accidents are not uncommon due to storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and spotty enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces.

In 1987, the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s deadliest peacetime maritime disaster.

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Cerojano reported from Manila, Philippines.

The meeting, which included Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, voiced concern over “deliberate attacks” on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under the U.N. atomic energy agency's safeguards, saying nuclear safety and security must be protected during armed conflicts. The statement was seen as indirect criticism of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The leaders also took aim at unilateral sanctions not authorized by the U.N. Security Council. They did not name any countries, but Russia, one of the founding members of BRICS, has faced Western sanctions following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“We call for the elimination of such unlawful measures, which undermine international law and the principles and purposes of the U.N. Charter,” the joint statement said.

Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East challenge BRICS unity

BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010. It has since expanded to 11 members, representing about half the world’s population and a significant share of global economic output. The group has increasingly called for greater representation for developing countries in global institutions.

It has sought to raise its profile by promoting alternatives to Western-dominated financial institutions and positioning itself as the voice of developing nations and emerging economies.

India is hosting this year's summit, attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pezeshkian and counterparts from the other eight BRICS members.

Concerns have grown that the Iran war, triggered by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, may expand as fighting escalated between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with rising U.S.-China tensions, are also testing the bloc’s ability to find common ground among countries with competing geopolitical interests.

Modi stresses BRICS is not a counter to West

Saturday’s talks began with an address by Modi, who sought to ease concerns that BRICS was intended to counter Western-led alliances, while portraying the grouping as a platform for emerging and developing economies to have a greater voice in global affairs.

“BRICS is not against anyone,” he said, adding that the bloc had reached a “coming of age” moment in which the Global South must evolve into a “rule-shaper” in global governance.

“It is time for us to translate our unity and consensus in BRICS into concrete outcomes,” he said.

Modi also proposed a BRICS seafarers’ network to strengthen the safety and welfare of maritime workers, particularly as disruptions to maritime trade from the war in Iran have heightened risks for mariners.

Russia and China seek to expand influence

China and Russia see BRICS as a way to reduce Western dominance, particularly that of the United States, while strengthening cooperation among emerging and developing economies.

Putin called for expanding the U.N. Security Council to give greater representation to Asia, Africa and Latin America, saying it would improve the body’s effectiveness, Russian state news agency Interfax reported Saturday.

Speaking at the summit, Putin said the shift toward a multipolar world was facing resistance from countries “accustomed to thinking in colonial categories,” accusing them of using tariffs, sanctions and “brute force” to contain rising competitors.

He said the tensions were undermining the international system but stressed that Russia still viewed the U.N. Charter as the foundation of international law.

Iran has also pushed for mechanisms that could reduce the bloc’s reliance on Western financial systems and shield members from economic pressure, as Tehran faces sweeping sanctions and a U.S. blockade.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian backed expanding trade in national currencies among BRICS members.

“One of the most important steps is to expand the use of national currencies in trade among the members,” he told reporters on Friday.

China, meanwhile, is leveraging the grouping to deepen its influence within the bloc and position it as a counterweight to U.S. power.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday that Xi was expected to discuss major international issues and ways to deepen cooperation among BRICS members.

India balances strategic partnerships

For India, the summit highlights its effort to maintain strategic ties with Russia and Iran while deepening relations with the U.S. and Europe. New Delhi has sought to balance its longstanding partnerships with Moscow and Tehran with efforts to expand economic, defense and technology ties with Washington and other Western nations.

India has maintained close ties with both Moscow and Tehran despite the war in Ukraine and tensions between Iran and the U.S., while calling for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflicts. Modi met Putin and Pezeshkian separately in New Delhi on Friday ahead of the summit.

India is also hoping the forum will help ease its longstanding strained ties with China. Modi and Xi are expected to hold talks later Saturday, a meeting that could help consolidate a diplomatic thaw between the two countries after border tensions escalated in 2020.

In May, BRICS foreign ministers failed to agree on a joint statement over the Iran war, forcing India to issue a chair’s summary instead.

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Associated Press journalist Elise Morton in London contributed to this report.

Trump asked for an exhibit beginning now and continuing through Feb. 22, 2032, the 300th anniversary of Washington’s birth. For Constitution Day on Sept. 17, Trump asked the institution to install the 11-foot statue of Washington featured at the recent Freedom 250 IndyCar race in the museum's Flag Hall.

He also wanted a 30-foot statue of Washington to replace the current “Infinity” sculpture by New York artist Jose de Rivera, commissioned by the federal government and installed in 1967.

“He is easily America’s Greatest Hero. Without him, our Country and our Freedoms wouldn’t exist,” Trump typed on Truth Social as he flew to his golf course in Ireland.

He complained that the museum currently doesn't mention Washington's fabled crossing of the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.

Instead of a Center for Restorative History — a recently ended museum initiative to spotlight spotlights stories that have been excluded from the national historical narrative — Trump said the museum should have a “Center for American Heroes.”

It’s not clear that Trump has the power to order the museum to make the change. The Smithsonian operates outside the executive branch and its leadership is overseen by a Board of Regents that includes Vice President JD Vance, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a bipartisan group of lawmakers and a group of citizens.

Trump in March revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targeted funding for programs that advanced “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”

The White House published a lengthy report this year that repeatedly complained the institution had not done enough to highlight Washington and other founders.

In July, he ordered his administration to install signs in front of the U.S. history museum telling visitors that some of the exhibits are inaccurate, part of his initiatives to reshape how the story of the United States is told.

Its top leader, Lonnie Bunch, announced this week he was stepping down at the end of the year.

Statues have also been a consistent theme in Trump’s many efforts to remake Washington. He wants to build a park along the Potomac River to display statues of 250 prominent Americans, and he has also installed a statue of Washington in his remodeled Rose Garden patio.

At a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin, Trump said he would love to see the reunification of the Republic of Ireland with the United Kingdom's Northern Ireland.

“I don’t want to cause any problems but I’d love to see it unified," Trump told a reporter who sought his opinion on the issue. "It’s going to happen eventually. It may as well happen now.

“I think it would be a fantastic thing," the Republican president said, adding that "the U.K. will have something to say about it, obviously.”

At his next stop, Trump acknowledged there is “no good answer” to the reunification question as he addressed business leaders from both countries gathered at the U.S. ambassador's residence.

The Irish unity debate is heated

Competing visions of Northern Ireland — whether Irish or British — drove decades of violence in the six-county region that has a Protestant majority and has remained part of the U.K.

Previous American presidents, including Democrat Joe Biden, who has strong emotional ties to Ireland, have avoided commenting directly on the subject.

Ireland, long dominated by its bigger neighbor Britain, became a self-governing Catholic-majority country a century ago. Northern Ireland was split between two main communities: nationalists, most of them Catholic, who desired union with the rest of Ireland, and largely Protestant unionists, who wanted to stay British. Tensions eventually exploded in the Troubles involving paramilitary groups on both sides and British troops.

A 1998 peace accord that the United States was instrumental in negotiating largely ended the violence, but left Northern Ireland’s ultimate status unresolved. That agreement allows for a vote on unification if it appears likely a majority of people would vote for it. U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday that the U.K. would only consider allowing a referendum “when public opinion has changed to the point where the call has to be considered.” Burnham’s office referred back to that comment when asked about Trump’s statement.

Trump's comments Saturday, along with recent statements about the Falkland Islands, a small British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean that Argentina calls Las Malvinas, could also be viewed as a dig at Britain, given his anger over London's refusal to be drawn into the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Trump also talked about the Falkland Islands

Trump once more raised the prospect of conflict between the U.K. and Argentina over the Falklands. Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, has recently restated his country's claim to the territory of about 3,500 people, which is about 300 miles (480 kilometers) east of the southeast coast of Argentina.

Trump has previously said Washington could reconsider its neutral stance on the islands’ sovereignty. On Saturday, he expressed skepticism that Britain would be able to retake the Falklands as it did after Argentina invaded in 1982.

“I’m sure I’ll be called into that potential disaster, but if they do, I’ll probably be able to settle, settle it out,” he said.

A meeting with the Irish president who criticized Trump

Trump also held talks in Dublin with Irish President Catherine Connolly, a left-wing politician who joined protesters when Trump visited Ireland in 2019 during his first term in office. She is now Ireland's elected, largely ceremonial head of state. A supporter of the Palestinian cause, Connolly has in the past has criticized U.S. policy in the Middle East and called Trump a “bully.”

Connolly said in a statement after the meeting that she conveyed to Trump “the strong view of the Irish people that the normalization of war and genocide can never be accepted.” She gave Trump several gifts, among them a collection by the late Irish poet Michael Longley that includes the sonnet “Ceasefire.”

Asked about the meeting, Trump first had his protocol chief, Monica Crowley, answer before he was pressed and said it was “very nice.” “We discussed a lot of things, quickly,” Trump said.

Trump's presence irks some Dubliners

Police put up a cordon around Dublin’s 1,750-acre (700-hectare) Phoenix Park, where Connolly, Martin and U.S. Ambassador Edward Walsh have residences and welcomed Trump.

A protest march drew thousands to central Dublin. He had left the city and was on the way to his Doonbeg golf course on the country’s Atlantic coast by the time the demonstration began.

Many in the crowd waved Irish or Palestinian flags and chanted “Donald Trump not welcome here” and “Irish government, shame on you!”

Paula Butler said she came with a contingent from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre to oppose the American president’s “attitude to women, to refugees, to migrants.”

She was unimpressed by Trump’s support for Irish unity, a popular cause in Ireland.

“What he knows about Irish unity, I’d say I know more on my little finger,” Butler said.

Kim Mathis, who moved from Florida to Dublin last year with her partner, said “part of the reason we moved to Ireland was to get away from Trump and all of his horrific polices.”

She said dealing with Trump is “a global conundrum” for governments. “It would be really nice if politicians would just say, ‘Stay home.’”

Eric Trump defends family's presence in Ireland

Speaking to Irish national broadcaster RTE on Friday in Doonbeg, Trump's son Eric said the course is the largest employer in the area.

“Go down to Morrissey’s tavern in Doonbeg and hear from a real Irish person as to whether or not they like President Trump and the Trump family, go have them attest to what we’ve done for the country and what we’ve invested in the country and the love and respect that our family has always shown them,” he said.

Trump’s visit is the latest example of blending his official duties and personal interests.

He spends most weekends playing golf at his clubs in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia. His attendance at the Irish Open continues his trend of appearing at high-profile sporting events and having a hand in organizing some of them in ways that benefit his family business. His clubs in Doral, Florida, and Bedminster, New Jersey, have hosted professional golf tournaments this year.

Last year, Trump went to Scotland for five days to play golf at his club in Turnberry and later inaugurated a Trump golf course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire. During that visit, he held talks with the British prime minister and the president of the European Commission.

Asked if he would return to Ireland next year for the Ryder Cup, Trump said, “I will. Absolutely.”

No obstante, cuando el huracán Lowell azotó Kauai esta semana, se interrumpió el suministro eléctrico y las comunicaciones de radio dirigidas al público fallaron en gran parte de la isla. Eso dejó a los residentes sin información esencial, como qué carreteras eran seguras para transitar, dónde podían obtener alimentos y ayuda, y si los hospitales u otras instalaciones públicas estaban abiertos. Muchos se quedaron literalmente a oscuras.

“Me sentí realmente aislado durante unas 24 horas, pero no había electricidad ni internet”, expresó Gary Hooser, exsenador estatal y concejal del condado. “Así que, aunque el condado estuviese emitiendo avisos, no los habría recibido. La única opción habría sido salir a conducir. Intenté subirme al vehículo, encendí la radio y no se oía nada”.

Las dos emisoras designadas para emergencias en Kauai —KONG FM 93,5, y la estación comunitaria Kauaʻi Community Radio, o KKCR— enfrentaron problemas de suministro eléctrico debido a la tormenta, lo que limitó o anuló su alcance. Hasta la mañana del jueves, KKCR operaba a través de su emisora de baja potencia (90,9), cuyo alcance sólo llega a la zona comprendida entre la costa norte de Kauai y Kapaa.

KONG dejó de transmitir por completo durante un tiempo, aunque retomó sus emisiones ya avanzada la mañana del jueves.

KKCR es una emisora comunitaria independiente, sin fines de lucro y financiada por sus oyentes, la cual fue creada tras el paso del huracán Iniki para ofrecer información confiable durante emergencias, refirió Anni Caporuscio, directora ejecutiva de la emisora. Las emisiones de KKCR en la frecuencia 90,9 funcionaron gracias a un generador a diésel, pero no ocurrió lo mismo con otros transmisores que cubrían otras frecuencias de la emisora.

Estas emisoras “deberían tener la infraestructura necesaria para disponer de un generador de respaldo o baterías en todos nuestros centros de transmisión”, agregó Caporuscio en una entrevista el miércoles. “No obstante, mi emisora carece de fondos suficientes en todos los aspectos”.

El jueves, KKCR recibió un impulso al recuperar la conectividad a internet gracias a un sistema Starlink donado por la Fundación Lahui.

“Estoy muy entusiasmada”, manifestó Caporuscio en un mensaje de texto.

Los contrastes entre los huracanes Lowell e Iniki

La situación en Kauai contrasta con lo ocurrido en la isla en 1992 durante el huracán Iniki, una tormenta mucho más destructiva que Lowell. Ese año, Ron Wiley, conocida personalidad de la radio local, se mantuvo al aire en la emisora KONG-FM de Kauai. Si bien la estación estuvo fuera de servicio temporalmente debido al impacto directo del huracán, el personal logró reanudar las emisiones al día siguiente mediante un generador eléctrico.

El jueves, tres días después del paso de Lowell, no fue posible contactar a Chuck Bergson, presidente y director general desde hace tiempo del Pacific Media Group Inc., para obtener sus comentarios. KONG forma parte del Pacific Media Group.

En marzo, las transmisiones de radio también se interrumpieron en la isla de Maui durante las tormentas Kona —sistemas de baja presión subtropical que alteran drásticamente el clima habitual de las islas de Hawai—, lo que puso de relieve aún más la fragilidad de las comunicaciones de emergencia del estado.

Darryl Oliveira, administrador interino de la Defensa Civil del condado de Hawai, dijo que las emisiones de radio dirigidas al público son la columna vertebral de la comunicación gubernamental con las comunidades del archipiélago durante las emergencias. “Se incluye en todos nuestros mensajes hoy en día: por favor, siga a sus emisoras locales para conocer los avisos oficiales de su zona”.

“Prácticamente todos los que tienen auto tienen también una radio”, añadió. “Suele ser (un medio) menos vulnerable a estos fenómenos meteorológicos en comparación con, digamos, las redes sociales o el correo electrónico, porque esas cosas tienen múltiples puntos de fallo, tanto en el suministro eléctrico como en la conectividad de banda ancha”.

El jueves, algunos exigieron una evaluación exhaustiva de la infraestructura radiofónica del estado.

Chris Leonard, presidente y director general de la empresa New West Broadcasting Corp. en la Isla Grande, argumentó que la radio es el medio de comunicación más confiable durante las tormentas y otras catástrofes, un hecho que el estado reconoce desde hace tiempo.

Señaló que el terremoto de la bahía de Kiholo, ocurrido en el oeste de Hawai en 2006, suscitó un debate muy serio sobre la necesidad de contar con generadores para los transmisores y estudios de radiocomunicación luego de que el sismo provocara apagones en la Isla Grande y en Honolulu.

Leonard agregó que, en aquel entonces, la administración de la gobernadora Linda Lingle convocó a un comité de revisión de comunicaciones, el cual identificó varios problemas, entre ellos la falta de sistemas confiables de energía de respaldo para la radio, así como la ausencia de mecanismos para transmitir de forma confiable mensajes del gobierno directamente a las emisoras para su difusión.

Posteriormente, las emisoras de la Isla Grande y otras recibieron un apoyo considerable que les permitió adquirir generadores, pero “la realidad es que muchas emisoras no cuentan con energía de respaldo”, apuntó Leonard. Los generadores resultan muy costosos, tanto al adquirirlos como al mantenerlos, destacó.

Leonard, quien también es presidente de la Asociación de Radiodifusores de Hawai, expuso: “Es algo de lo que definitivamente he estado hablando (desde) antes de estos eventos, diciendo que tenemos graves deficiencias en la infraestructura de comunicaciones en todo el estado, y que estas son cuestiones que deben abordarse”.

Las tormentas Kona también interrumpieron la radio

En Maui, Zane Lacaden, gerente general de Akamai Broadcasting, una empresa local de medios de comunicación y radiodifusión, dijo que los fuertes vientos vinculados a las tormentas Kona movieron la antena situada en la torre de la emisora que está en la cima del volcán Haleakala. Esto interrumpió las transmisiones en las cuatro frecuencias de FM de la estación, explicó. Debido a las fuertes lluvias y a los desprendimientos de rocas en la montaña, los equipos de mantenimiento no pudieron acceder a la cima durante tres semanas para realizar las reparaciones necesarias. La emisora continuó sus transmisiones a través de internet y en frecuencias de AM.

La estación también necesita un generador de respaldo nuevo para sus oficinas y estudios en la localidad de Kahului, agregó. Actualmente, el estudio cuenta con un sistema de baterías de respaldo que se activan si se corta el suministro eléctrico —algo que ocurrió brevemente durante el huracán Lala el mes pasado—, pero esta es una solución meramente temporal. Lacaden refirió que la emisora colabora con la Agencia de Gestión de Emergencias de Maui para adquirir un nuevo generador a gasolina.

Instó a los residentes que buscan información durante emergencias a probar diferentes formas de sintonizar sus radios: si la frecuencia de FM no funciona, sugirió cambiar a AM; si disponen de internet o servicio de telefonía móvil, intentar escuchar la emisora en línea o a través de la app Akamai Daily News.

Oliveira agregó que él cree que, en el futuro, los legisladores prestarán más atención al tema de la comunicación pública, y también manifestó que él mismo ha abogado, en reuniones recientes con miembros de la delegación del Congreso y otras autoridades, para que el gobierno “apoye y continúe fortaleciendo la capacidad de recuperación de nuestro sistema de radio pública”.

Los generadores que fueron instalados en la Isla Grande hace 20 años, tras el terremoto de la bahía de Kiholo, probablemente ya están por llegar al final de su vida útil y podría ser necesario reemplazarlos, dilucidó Oliveira.

Entre las posibilidades para mejorar los sistemas se incluye la sustitución de los generadores actuales por equipos que consuman menos combustible, expuso. Otras opciones son la incorporación de paneles solares y baterías como fuente de energía de respaldo, y fortalecer las instalaciones que sirven a las emisoras de radio, añadió Oliveira.

Leonard dijo que, en su opinión, el condado de Hawai ha realizado una buena labor de preparación ante desastres, aunque percibe “posibles deficiencias” en los sistemas de comunicación de todo el estado en caso de que las islas sufran el impacto de tormentas más fuertes que los huracanes Lala o Lowell.

“Estas son cuestiones que sin duda requieren una respuesta”, expresó. “Son asuntos que deben abordarse. Necesitamos trabajar más para estar preparados ante un acontecimiento de gran magnitud”.

La situación de las emisoras de radio durante las emergencias es una cuestión de alcance nacional. Para garantizar sistemas de energía de respaldo adecuados, las emisoras de radio públicas e independientes han enfrentado dificultades económicas desde hace mucho tiempo, tanto en Hawai como en otras regiones. También han tenido que lidiar con recortes en la financiación federal destinada a mejorar la comunicación radiofónica durante las tormentas, los terremotos y otros desastres.

Durante una reciente campaña de recaudación de fondos, KKCR informó a quienes la apoyan que, “tras el retiro de fondos y el cierre de la Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Kauaʻi Community Radio presenta un déficit presupuestario anual de 83.000 dólares”.

Entre 2022 y 2024, el Congreso asignó 136 millones de dólares a la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA, por sus siglas en inglés) para el programa de subvenciones del Sistema de Alerta de Nueva Generación, según informó la National Public Radio (NPR).

La CPB gestionaba dichas asignaciones y distribuía los fondos de la FEMA directamente a las emisoras de radio y televisión públicas, con el fin de ayudarles a adquirir generadores de emergencia, transmisores nuevos y otros equipos. No obstante, este mecanismo se vio interrumpido en julio del año pasado, cuando los republicanos del Congreso votaron a favor de cerrar la CPB, con lo que le suprimieron la financiación federal que recibía.

Desde entonces, los fondos destinados a las comunicaciones de emergencia ya no se asignan a las emisoras de radio y televisión, sino a los estados, territorios y las entidades tribales. Los republicanos han calificado esta medida como una victoria contra el fraude. Sus detractores dicen que ha añadido más capas burocráticas para la adquisición de equipos necesarios para afrontar situaciones de desastre.

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La periodista Madeleine Valera de Civil Beat contribuyó a este despacho.

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Este reportaje fue publicado originalmente por Honolulu Civil Beat y distribuido a través de una colaboración con The Associated Press.

There is no telling how the Maggie Gyllenhaal -led jury might swing when it comes to the big prizes for film, direction and acting. But some of the 21 entrants have emerged as favorites — judging by the standing ovations — with a mix of current events, Hollywood fare and international productions in contention.

The late festival addition “NAZA,” in which Israeli military insiders give insight into the war in Gaza and what they say is the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians, received a 25-minute standing ovation — the longest on record.

That beat the 24-minute ovation that followed last year’s premiere of “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” Some were surprised at the time that the film about a 6-year-old girl killed in Gaza received only the runner-up prize known as the Silver Lion, while the big prize went to Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother.”

Kaouther Ben Hania, who directed “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” is on this year's jury, which also includes English composer Daniel Blumberg, French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To.

Also, notably, “NAZA” is the only documentary in competition and boasts one of two female directors in the slate, with Rachel Szor sharing directing duties with Yuval Abraham.

Other films got enthusiastic ovations as well, stretching well into the mid-teens, including the more Hollywood, star-driven offerings “Wild Horse Nine” and “Bunker.”

Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine,” a dark comedy about two CIA agents on a trip to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 military coup in Chile, impressed festivalgoers with its sharp script and performances from John Malkovich, who has never won an Oscar, and Sam Rockwell.

McDonagh’s previous two films, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” both premiered at Venice, where he received screenplay prizes for both, and an actor win for Colin Farrell. Those two films went on to receive multiple Oscar nominations, including best picture. “Three Billboards” won two, for Rockwell and Frances McDormand.

“Bunker,” a psychological thriller that reunited real life couple Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz on screen also had audiences clapping for over 14 minutes. But the Florian Zeller-written and -directed film about marital tensions when an acclaimed architect is asked to build a luxury bunker for a tech billionaire, received mixed reviews. Sometimes the ovations in Venice can be more about the drawing power of a film's stars than the film itself.

The crime thriller “Primetime " raises the question of whether Robert Pattinson might be celebrated for his widely praised turn as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.

Perhaps sisters Rooney and Kate Mara will get some recognition for their synced performances in Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard.”

And then there is the international contingent, which includes Danish-Egyptian filmmaker May El Toukhy’s tense domestic drama “Woman Unknown,” set in the aftermath of World War II, Hirokazu Koreeda’s contemplative manga adaptation “Look Back” and South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong’s poetic portrait of class and labor, “Possible Love.”

In Lee's latest film, actors Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong play two married couples, one wealthy, one struggling, who become connected through a documentary about laid off workers in Korea. “Possible Love” is Lee's first film in eight years, following his acclaimed “Burning,” and became an immediate favorite among critics at the festival.

The main competition jury will have the final say, however, and Venice juries have been known to surprise. Remember when “Joker” won?

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For more coverage of the 2026 Venice Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival

The union that represents McClatchy journalists said Friday that more than 90 unionized journalists and media workers across 17 publications had been laid off, accounting for about 30 percent of all McClatchy workers unionized with The NewsGuild-CWA. The layoffs have impacted news outlets including The Sacramento Bee, The Kansas City Star, The Charlotte Observer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and others.

“We are waist-deep in the quicksand and we are still sinking,” Carol Marbin Miller, deputy investigations editor of The Miami Herald, said in a phone interview.

Marbin Miller, who was not impacted by the layoffs, told The Associated Press she was speaking out to stress how dire the situation was at her paper, where a total of 32 jobs were cut. Those included 28 lost jobs and four positions that were frozen, according to a person familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity. They included the entire writing staff of El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language publication.

“Miami is the biggest city in Florida,” Marbin Miller said. “Florida is a crucial state. I can't imagine any scenario in which Miami no longer has a vibrant, powerful news outlet. It’s just too important.”

A McClatchy spokesperson did not respond to an email requesting comment or information.

The U.S. newspaper industry has been contracting for two decades, pushed first by the rise of the internet and the decline of classified advertising, then by the fragmentation introduced by social media and evolving user consumption habits. More recently, many newspaper operations have reduced or cut print editions. Media advocacy groups warn that fewer eyes of accountability are on U.S. communities and their governments and institutions.

Internal memo says a ‘different choice’ was required

All those laid off from McClatchy were informed on Thursday. Later, an internal memo from Greg Farmer, executive vice president of local news, seen by the AP, told staff: “For the past five years, McClatchy made a deliberate choice to maintain our investment in local news reporters. We believed continued investment in our journalism would strengthen our relationship with subscribers and our business."

“We measured the results,” Farmer added. “The results are clear and require us to make a different choice ... We are making these changes because the status quo no longer works. We cannot continue investing where subscriber interest does not support the investment."

The union said four McClatchy papers in Washington state had lost seven reporters in total. “Tacoma will no longer have even a single dedicated journalist tracking city hall, Pierce County government or local schools,” it said. Other cuts included the only two investigative reporters at The Charlotte Observer, and a team of government accountability reporters at The Kansas City Star.

Other news organizations have taken similar action recently, including USA Today Co., formerly Gannett, earlier this month. It was not immediately clear how many staffers were affected.

“We will continue adapting our business to evolving audience behaviors, changing market dynamics and advances in technology,” spokesperson Lark-Marie Antón said in an email to The AP.

“These decisions are never made lightly,” she wrote. “They are intended to position USA TODAY Co. for long-term success and maintain our ability to invest in innovation, products and experiences that best serve our audiences.” Antón declined to give further information, including numbers.

In an internal memo, Senior Vice President Michael Anastasi told staff: “The challenges we face are not temporary. Rapid shifts in audience behavior, technology and innovation, and continued pressure on advertising and revenue models are changing the economics of journalism at a pace our industry has not experienced before."

Other outlets have been impacted this summer as well

Also affected this summer: The Associated Press, where 19 U.S.-based video producer jobs were recently relocated to India, according to their union, with another 10 photo editors told they will lose their jobs sometime this year.

Those cuts come just under four months after the news cooperative laid off 20 U.S.-based journalists, part of a restructuring that pivoted away from print and toward visual journalism “to align our operations with what our top customers need from us today,” an AP spokesman, Patrick Maks, said at the time. He did not immediately respond to an email Friday.

Kimberlee Kruesi, acting president of the News Media Guild, said the union “remains shocked and alarmed by AP’s decisions.”

“Coverage of the U.S. should be done in the U.S.," Kruesi said.

In a June 30 email to staff, executive editor Julie Pace wrote that the new hub in India would “increase the size of our production staff to scale both our video and photo capabilities while improving speed and quality."

“Our ability to sustain world-class reporting depends on adapting to changes in the industry, thinking strategically about where to allocate our resources and investing in the areas where we can grow and best serve customers," Pace wrote.

At the Miami Herald, the union noted, layoffs will leave the paper without a City Hall reporter. Also cut were its only female photographer, the entire audience team, the sole video producer and "all reporters covering an entire South Florida county, Broward.”

In a post on X, Marbin Miller likened the impact of the cuts to a surgical operation.

“We long ago cut past the skin and the bone and the muscle and the tendons and the ligaments,” she wrote. “We are now slicing out the vital organs.”

Robert Woodyard Jr. produced back-to-back turnovers soon after the break, and Austin Simmons and the potent Tigers offense turned them into touchdowns, helping No. 23 Missouri break open a tie game and roll to a 38-21 victory Friday night.

Jamal Roberts ran for 125 yards and a touchdown, and Donovan Olugbode and Cayden Lee caught TD passes, as the Tigers (2-0) beat their biggest rival for the fifth straight time in their first trip across the state line since Oct. 29, 2005.

“The things that we gave them were undisciplined penalties, special teams were not good tonight in any form or facet, but we overcame it,” Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “and that's what you have to do on the road.”

That's not all Drinkwitz had to say, though He took umbrage with the way Kansas leaned into the historic nature of the rivalry, which began as an armed conflict over the issue of slavery along the state line in the years leading up to the Civil War.

“I'm just glad the whole right-versus-wrong crap got settled on the football field,” Drinkwitz said. “I get there's a past to it but why are we stirring that bullcrap up? It's 9/11. We need more unity. I was embarrassed for them. That's why I tried to embarrass them."

The Tigers threw to the end zone in the final seconds, trying to get one last score, before running out the clock.

“There was a lot of juice in the stadium,” Jayhawks coach Lance Leipold said. “Just some things happened — a couple of things you just can't do if you play ranked teams and want to beat them.”

The game was tied 14-all early in the second half when Woodyard fell on Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall's fumble, and Simmons quickly found Olugbode for the go-ahead touchdown. On the Jayhawks' next offensive play, Woodyard faded into the secondary and was there to pick off Marshall's pass, setting up Xai'Shaun Edwards' touchdown run.

Marshall finished with 168 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Jayhawks (1-1), who haven't beaten Missouri since Nov. 29, 2008. The sophomore quarterback also carried 20 times but managed just 23 yards.

Kansas actually jumped on the Tigers early, just as it did last season in Columbia, when a series that went on hiatus after the Tigers' departure for the SEC finally resumed after more than a decade. This time around, the Jayhawks capitalized on Missouri miscues: four false start penalties in the first half alone, blown blocking assignments and two blocked field-goal attempts.

On the second block, the Jayhawks' Austin Alexander scooped up the ball and ran 88 yards for the first points of the game.

Roberts, once more taking center stage for the Tigers with All-American Ahmad Hardy rehabbing after a gunshot wound earlier this year, quickly provided an answer, jetting over the right side for a 64-yard touchdown run. It was the longest of his career, eclipsing a 63-yarder that Roberts scored with 1:49 to go to clinch last year's 42-31 victory over the Jayhawks.

The teams traded touchdowns late in the first half, sending the 122nd edition of the Border War to the break tied 14-all.

But two big plays by Woodyards and the Missouri defense tilted the game in their favor, and after Marshall found Nahzae Cox to get Kansas to 28-21 late in the third quarter, the Tigers' Blake Craig added a field goal to help them regain control.

“Energy never changed, honestly. The mentality always stayed the same,” Simmons said. “We were just trying to win at all costs.”

Missing a white hat

Most of the game was played without referee Jason Autrey, who limped to the Missouri sideline in the first half before leaving on a cart. Center judge Ron Turner, who also lines up behind the quarterback, handled his duties the rest of the way.

The takeaway

Missouri proved it could overcome adversity, much of it self-inflicted, while also showing it could win on the road, something that's been tough to do under Eli Drinkwitz. Three of the Tigers' next four are back in Columbia.

Kansas won't have a chance to dwell on another disappointment against Missouri. The Jayhawks have to board a plane for London, where they open their Big 12 schedule against Arizona State next weekend.

Up next

Missouri returns home to play Troy next Saturday.

Kansas plays the Sun Devils the same day.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

The 25-year-old Martinez made quick work of Wyatt Langford, Evan Carter and Jake Burger with one foul ball, three called strikes and five swinging strikes. His fastball topped out at 102.6 mph.

Martinez missed much of the last two seasons because of Tommy John surgery and recently returned from the injured list. He hasn't given up a earned run over eight outings this year.

The immaculate inning was fifth in Arizona's history dating to 1998. Michael Soroka last accomplished the feat for the D-backs earlier this season on March 30.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

A host of AP Top 25 games shape up like blowouts, just like the Labor Day weekend that saw ranked teams go 24-1. That one was a thriller, too: No. 24 Louisville lost to No. 9 Mississippi but stayed in the poll while No. 16 Michigan fell out after the Hail Mary controversy.

Is more of that on tap? Probably so.

No. 7 Miami got the week started by hammering Florida A&M 77-7. Louisville and No. 25 Virginia a day later beat their overmatched opponents by a combined 118-16.

No. 2 Georgia (vs. Western Kentucky), No. 3 Notre Dame (Rice), No. 5 Indiana (Howard) and No. 8 LSU (Louisiana Tech) are all favored by at least 35 points as they push through the non-conference portion of their schedules. Stifle the yawns.

Don't lose hope: There are some showdowns that should be much more interesting.

The main event

No. 1 Ohio State (1-0 at No. 4 Texas (1-0) on Saturday night is expected to be one of the best games of the season. This series is only 21 years old and the Buckeyes lead 3-2 after last year's 14-7 win in Columbus.

There are stars aplenty with quarterbacks Julian Sayin and Arch Manning, receivers Jeremiah Smith and Cam Coleman and running backs Bo Jackson and Hollywood Smothers. Many figure the outcome here could impact seeding for the College Football Playoff bracket in early December, though both teams have a murderer's row of opponents between now and then.

The Texas secondary will try to keep Smith in check for a third straight time and grab the Longhorns' first win over a No. 1 team since they beat Oklahoma 45-35 in 2008.

The winner also gives either the Big Ten or the Southeastern Conference bragging rights. The SEC was a combined 16-0 through Week 1 while the Big Ten went 17-2.

The undercard

The Big Ten-SEC undercard Saturday has No. 11 Oklahoma visiting a Michigan team that looked mostly terrible in its 13-12 victory over Western Michigan that many — especially in the Mid-American Conference — didn't think the Wolverines deserved.

The Bryce Underwood-John Mateer quarterback matchup is attractive on paper. Keep in mind that new Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said Underwood — a sophomore who was once the nation's No. 1 recruit — has to play better to keep the starting job. He will have to do it against a Sooners defense coming off a shutout and allowing fewer than 4 yeard per play.

Over in the Big 12, Arizona visits No. 15 BYU a year after BYU in double overtime.

This one could be just as good.

Arizona blew out Northern Arizona 35-7 in its opener and will add two players after running back Ismail Mahdi and linebacker Max Harris were declared eligible and added to the roster following a court order. BYU was even more dominating in its opening, forcing four turnovers in a 63-6 win over Utah Tech.

And in the ACC, Georgia Tech hosts No. 18 Tennessee with a golden opportunity to shake off a narrow loss to Colorado. Volunteers QB Faizon Brandon threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more in less than three quarters as Tennessee opened the season with a 56-9 victory over Furman.

Heisman Trophy watch

Manning and Sayin will have a prime-time showcase for Heisman voters and Miam QB Darian Mensah looks every bit a favorite.

Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is in that mix, too. A year after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards, the fifth-year player threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, adding 60 yards and a TD on the ground in the season-opening win over Louisville.

Chambliss will likely have another productive day against Charlotte on Saturday, but he may not play a full game — the Rebels are 45-point favorites.

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

William Contreras, Bryce Turang and Jake Bauers also went deep for the Brewers (92-56), who have a commanding lead in the NL Central but for now are assured of at least a wild-card spot. They lead second-place Chicago by 10 games in the division, and their magic number to clinch that title is four.

Dustin May (7-9) and Garrett Stallings combined on a two-hitter while Milwaukee pounded out a season-high 23 hits. May worked six innings, giving up two singles to standout Reds rookie Sal Stewart in his seventh start for the Brewers. He was acquired from St. Louis at the trade deadline.

Stallings got the last nine outs for his first save.

Andrew Abbott (6-11) allowed eight runs on nine hits in two innings, his shortest start of the season.

Mitchell’s first career slam capped an eight-run fifth inning against Luis Mey. He went 3 for 5.

Turang hit a three-run homer, his 18th, and Bauers sent a fastball from Abbott 412 feet to center for a two-run shot, his 25th, to cap a sixth-run second. Turang finished 3 for 3 with a walk.

Catcher Jose Trevino came in to pitch in the seventh and retired the side in order. In the eighth, he gave up a three-run homer to Contreras.

Jackson Chourio went 4 for 6 with four hits and two RBIs.

Elly De La Cruz extended his streak of reaching base safely to 18 games with a walk in the sixth.

Up next

RHP Brady Singer (6-13, 5.03 ERA) starts Saturday night for the Reds. The Brewers have yet to name a starter.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

On Friday, Local 10 News got a look at what goes into a go-around.

Reporter Jeff Derderian went up with pilot Dao Chen, the co-owner of Dynasty Aviation at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines.

It becomes too late to do a go-around, Chen said, “when you touch down beyond where the airplane is supposed to touch down.”

The Amazon cargo plane crew, employed by 21 Air, appears to have not done a go-around and then overshot the runway. Excessive landing speed was perhaps also a factor.

“And you’re thinking about a go-around well before you get near the airport?” Dederian asked Chen.

“Constantly,” Chen replied.

He later added, “Once we start climbing, we can start configuring the airplane back to our original configuration. So we never hear from anybody in the aviation community is saying a go-around is a bad decision. It’s always a safe decision.”

The jury deliberated for three days before acquitting Lil Durk, the 33-year-old Grammy-winning Chicago hip-hop artist best known for the 2023 hit “All My Life,” of conspiracy, stalking resulting in death and murder for hire.

Durk supporters including music stars Machine Gun Kelly and Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — appeared in the audience during the two-week trial in downtown Los Angeles. Big groups of fans, livestreamers and other content creators gathered outside the courthouse.

Durk’s co-defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey were convicted of conspiracy to commit stalking, stalking using a dangerous weapon and stalking resulting in death. But both were also acquitted of murder for hire.

“We thank the jury for seeing there was no murder for hire,” Wilson's attorney Craig Harbaugh said in an email. “We are confident the remaining counts will not survive our pending motion for acquittal.”

Attorneys for Durk and Lindsey did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

Durk, whose legal name is Durk Banks, remained in custody, pending a forthcoming trial on a racketeering count that was severed from this trial. He has been jailed since his 2024 arrest.

Prosecutors had alleged that Durk paid to have Rondo killed after someone from Rondo’s entourage fatally shot rapper King Von, a close friend of Durk's and a member of his Only The Family hip-hop collective, at an Atlanta nightclub in 2020.

The prosecution alleged that in August 2022, a group of men flew to Los Angeles with funds provided by Durk, followed Rondo and his crew around, and three gunmen fired on his Escalade near the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles. Rondo survived, but his 24-year-old cousin, Saviay’a Robinson, known as Lul Pab, was killed.

“Today, the jury delivered justice to the family of Saviay’a Robinson, finding defendants Deandre Wilson and David Lindsey guilty of stalking resulting in Mr. Robinson’s death," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. “While we are disappointed with the jury’s decision regarding Durk Banks, a.k.a. ‘Lil Durk,’ we look forward to presenting our evidence at his second trial."

Durk won a Grammy earlier that year for Best Melodic Rap Performance for “All My Life,” which features J. Cole. He has been nominated for three other Grammys and was a featured performer on Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later.”

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The woman was walking near the 200 block of Northwest Ninth Terrace when the dogs, described as pit bulls, attacked her, according to Homestead police.

Police said a witness reported seeing the dogs on top of the woman and intervened, shooing them away.

They said the woman suffered multiple bite injuries to the back of her head, neck, right arm and right ankle. She was alert and speaking with first responders but appeared to possibly be in shock, according to first responders.

Police said she was transported to Jackson South Medical Center where she is currently undergoing surgery and is in stable condition.

They said the two dogs were secured and later impounded by Miami-Dade County Animal Services.

Detectives said no arrests are being made at this time. Authorities said they will remain at the scene as a precaution until the woman is out of surgery.

No other details about the attack were immediately released.

While Venezuela has oil, Cuba has reserves of nickel and cobalt. Both minerals are in high demand in the electric vehicle and aerospace industries.

John Kavulich, the president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade & Economic Council, a New York-based nonprofit organization, has been following negotiations.

“There is what we want, and then there is what we likely could get,” Kavulich said on Friday.

The collapsing economies of Venezuela and Cuba share political centralization and reliance on foreign lifelines. Both have prompted mass migrations.

Related story: A man fights for a new life in Cuba after the US expels him in an immigration crackdown

“We may want to see political change come first, but it’s quite likely economic, financial, and commercial change comes first,” Kavulich said about Cuba. “And, isn’t that similar to what is happening in Venezuela?”

Delcy Rodríguez has received Trump’s praise for opening the state-owned industry to U.S. investment since she stepped up as the interim president after the U.S. detained and imprisoned Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3.

Without the steady flow of Venezuelan oil, Cuba has been enduring more crippling water and power outages, and food prices are soaring.

In August, the Cuba Study Group, a non-partisan advocacy organization, released an 8-page policy statement urging “a stronger humanitarian response to Cuba’s deepening crisis.”

Andy S. Gomez, a Local 10 News analyst and the former director of the University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, is concerned about the ongoing crisis.

“I have never seen it this bad,” Gomez said.

Related story: Latest updates from Local 10 Cuba Analyst Dr. Andy Gomez

Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has been the Cuban president since 2019 and is serving a term that runs until 2028, mostly complains about the U.S. Gomez said the death of Raúl Castro, who is wanted in the U.S., will prompt a “transition,” but not a democratic one.

A U.S.-Canadian business deal related to a Canadian-Cuban mining venture that involves property seized decades ago may be pioneering a new model. Pressure from U.S. sanctions prompted it.

The Trump administration’s recent sanctions included Cuban state-owned companies NICAROTEC and CEXNI, which provide support in the nickel and cobalt sectors.

U.S. sanctions in May included Moa Nickel, or MNSA, which the U.S. State Department described as “a joint venture between Sherritt International Corporation,” a Canadian company, and “the Cuban state-owned La Compania General de Niquel,” which “has exploited Cuba’s natural resources to benefit the regime at the expense of the Cuban people.”

Sherritt announced that U.S. sanctions prompted the suspension of “joint venture activities in Cuba.” During the suspension, Sherritt announced the shutdown of the refinery in June.

Related story: Cuba opens door to U.S. private enterprise as economy struggles

Sherritt later announced an exclusivity agreement with Texas-based Gillon Capital to allow the purchase of about 55% of shares. Ray Washburne, a long-time political ally of Trump, is behind Gillon Capital.

In July, Kyma Capital, a stakeholder in Sherritt, released a statement “raising serious concerns” about the agreement with Gillon Capital.

On Friday, Bloomberg reported Citigroup, which holds a claim on the Moa mine in Cuba estimated at $88 million, had joined “the tussle for control of Sherritt.” Kavulich told Bloomberg the Trump administration’s approval won’t be possible “unless they have the approval of the certified claimants.”

Stanley Shew-A-Tjon, 76, and his wife are raising their four grandchildren in a two-bedroom house. With two adults and four children in the home, he said covering basic expenses has become difficult.

“Two adults and four grandchildren in a 2-bedroom house. We’re trying to get out, but it’s not easy because we are both retired living on a fixed income,” Shew-A-Tjon said.

Their grocery bill has also climbed, going from about $250 a month for him and his wife to more than $600, he said.

That’s why Shew-A-Tjon visits The Pantry of Broward every month.

“When I was informed about The Pantry, it was a blessing, because they do provide necessary things,” he said.

The Pantry of Broward opened in 2008 with a focus on serving seniors. The organization serves about 600 seniors each month.

“From North to South, we take care of everyone who needs to be able to supplement their income by way of our food help,” said Maureen Luna, CEO of The Pantry of Broward.

Shew-A-Tjon’s story is shared by other grandparents raising grandchildren. Thomasina Smith-Brown adopted three grandchildren and also relies on the pantry.

“They saved us — literally saved us — from being hungry,” Smith-Brown said.

The pantry provides a variety of food, including fresh and shelf-stable items.

“I can make an eggplant lasagna and have a salad with it,” Smith-Brown said.

She said she didn’t expect the variety of food available.

“They provide so many different varieties of food that we didn’t expect to be that blessed and it has been a real, real blessing,” she said.

The Pantry of Broward recently received boxes of fresh and shelf-stable food from Publix as part of the annual Food for Thought program, which raises awareness about hunger in South Florida.

“We have bread. We have produce. We have everything that’s going to go right into the box and right into the community and help The Pantry of Broward serve the residents here,” said Lindsey Willis, a Publix media relations manager.

The pantry also relies on partnerships to continue providing food to the community.

“The partnerships with people like Publix and others are absolutely crucial to our success,” Luna said. “We are here all year long and we could use help.”

The Pantry of Broward also delivers groceries to seniors who cannot physically pick up their food.

The nonprofit is also building a 90-unit senior housing development called The Lofts in Fort Lauderdale’s historic Sistrunk District. The pantry will be located on the first floor of the building, which is slated to open in early 2028.

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Spurred on by a friend, she wrote a letter to Derek Jeter, met the Yankees captain at Yankee Stadium and formed a lifelong friendship.

On Friday, as New York commemorated the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Saracini threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium with Jeter watching from the mound before the Yankees beat the crosstown Mets 6-4.

“I remember just talking about anything and everything and anything that kind of came through my mind that day and you just made it so comfortable and I remember just feeling normal for a day, which was hard to do,” Saracini said while sitting next to Jeter at a news conference. “The odds were stacked against me that day but I remember just taking a minute and just having normal conversations and just feeling like a kid.”

Jeter remembers trying his best in a tough situation.

“When we invited her to the stadium, you really don’t know what to say,” Jeter said. “So I don’t even know if I said ‘I’m sorry’ or anything like that. I just tried to make her day feel special and I remember introducing her to all the players and bring her down and you just try to make her feel as comfortable as you possibly can.”

Toward the end of a nearly 30-minute ceremony, Saracini and husband, Sean McGuire — he wore a Mets jersey — threw to Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger. McGuire also lost his father on 9/11; the couple met at a camp for kids whose parents died in the attacks, and they married in 2017.

“That was cool,” said Bellinger, whose father, Clay, played for the 2001 Yankees and later became a firefighter. “I was told the story before the game. A pretty wild story. So I was we were all able to kind of give some cheer back.”

As Saracini and McGuire made their tosses, Jeter stood behind them along with former teammates Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius, and their manager, Joe Torre.

During the ceremony, highlights of the Yankees’ 2001 postseason run were shown, including Jeter’s walk-off homer in Game 4 of the World Series that earned him the nickname “Mr. November.” The Yankees fell short in their bid for a fourth straight title when Luis Gonzalez singled off Rivera to give the Diamondbacks their only championship.

Acclaimed tenor James Valenti sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” while a massive American flag was unfurled in center field.

In the weeks before the ceremony, various members of the Yankees visited three fire stations in Manhattan. Earlier this week, several Yankees — including manager Aaron Boone — visited the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site.

Friday marked the second time the Mets and Yankees played on Sept. 11. The Yankees beat the Mets 8-7 at Citi Field on the 20th anniversary in 2021.

“I think Major League Baseball got this one right,” Mets interim manager Andy Green said, “putting these two teams together on this day.”

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Maricopa County failed to show that the objectives of the court’s orders — such as correcting the practices that led to the profiling — had been achieved, U.S. District Judge Murray Snow said in a ruling Thursday. He also found “a durable remedy” hadn’t been established to ensure the violations wouldn’t occur again if court supervision ended.

County officials, frustrated with the steep costs of court supervision, had argued Arpaio’s immigration policies are no longer in place, that racial bias no longer infects its operations and its past two studies of traffic stops show the sheriff’s office has changed. The U.S. Department of Justice, which in the past had frequently sided with plaintiffs, supported ending court supervision.

The case centered on 20 large-scale traffic patrols launched by Arpaio that targeted immigrants from January 2008 through October 2011. The patrols involved large numbers of sheriff’s deputies flooding an area of metro Phoenix — including some Latino neighborhoods — over several days to stop traffic violators and arrest other offenders. The plaintiffs were Latinos who had been stopped, detained, questioned or searched by Arpaio’s officers while in a vehicle in Maricopa County.

The judge's ruling from 13 years ago required expensive court-ordered overhauls of the agency’s traffic patrol operations and, later, its internal affairs unit.

In his latest ruling, Snow called into question the studies cited by the county.

In analyzing the duration of stops, the sheriff’s office excluded the longest stops, such as those involving suspected drunk drivers, language barriers and other factors. The excluded encounters accounted for at least half of the agency’s stops in 2024 and 2025, the judge said.

Snow then cited analysis from a plaintiffs’ expert who evaluated all traffic stop data in 2023 and 2024.

The expert found a 4.7-minute difference in stop duration between Hispanic and white drivers. Snow wrote “these figures differ drastically from the relatively minute, statistically insignificant differences” found in the agency’s reports that excluded the longer stops.

Snow said the county offered limited evidence to explain the disparities.

While the county was seeking to end all supervision of the sheriff’s office, the judge directed lawyers on all sides to determine whether there might be certain requirements they would agree could be done away with from the court orders.

In a statement, two leaders on Maricopa County’s governing board expressed disappointment in the ruling and signaled the county would appeal.

“Continued federal oversight of MCSO would serve only to further deplete public funds and divert taxpayer dollars from the sheriff’s primary responsibility: fighting crime and protecting public safety,” said board chair Kate Brophy McGee and vice chair Debbie Lesko.

In a statement, Sheriff Jerry Sheridan's office said it believed it “has implemented durable remedies for violations that occurred 19 years and three administrations ago.” The agency said it looks forward to working with the opposing side to see if portions of the order can be eliminated.

Arpaio, who was voted out of office in 2016, was found in both civil and criminal contempt for disobeying a 2011 order to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. He was spared a possible jail sentence when his misdemeanor conviction was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2017.

U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, the Republican challenger to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, has criticized the official who was hired by the court to monitor the sheriff’s office and has proposed legislation that would impose term limits and compensation caps on such monitors.

El gobierno informó el jueves que puso en vigor unas 20 nuevas normas y reglamentos sobre la agricultura y el uso de la tierra. Las leyes forman parte de las históricas medidas de apertura económica aprobadas en junio por el Parlamento y el Partido Comunista de Cuba (PCC).

En años recientes un conjunto de leyes ya había permitido de manera restringida la entrega de tierras del Estado a particulares. Las nuevas normas flexibilizan su uso y amplían el régimen de usufructo, indicó al periódico oficial Granma, Telce González Morera, viceministro de Agricultura.

Entre las novedades se permitirá la entrega de tierras a personas jurídicas —estatales, mixtas o privadas— y se reconocerá a los usufructuarios las viviendas construidas en los terrenos, un reclamo de los últimos años.

Las cooperativas agropecuarias podrán asumir operaciones de comercio exterior por sí mismas y obtener financiamiento bancario y tendrán autonomía para fijar precios y recibir inversión extranjera.

Por otra parte, los productores podrán comercializar sus bienes sin pasar por los intermediarios estatales obligatorios y se creará un Banco Agrícola para financiar al sector.

En junio el Parlamento y el PCC aprobaron 176 medidas de apertura a la iniciativa privada que rompieron con décadas de estatismo para muchos sectores de la isla en un intento por revitalizar la economía, semiparalizada por un cerco energético y financiero impuesto por Estados Unidos.

It was Jan. 9, and he thought he was attending a routine immigration hearing — not deciding on the rest of his life in just seconds, having to choose between returning to Cuba or risking deportation at any moment. He didn’t have a chance to confer with his wife and sister who were waiting outside.

De La Cruz had spent five years putting down roots in the United States after crossing almost a dozen countries by car, foot, bus and boat. He thought of what he and his wife had accomplished after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas in August 2021, obtaining the immigration forms in hopes of requesting green cards via the Cuban Adjustment Act.

“The first thing I did was call my aunt and I told her, ‘I’m in the United States. I’m in the United States.’ And we began to cry,” he recalled.

Cubans have historically received preferential access to a pathway to U.S. citizenship via the Cuban Adjustment Act, but they have been increasingly targeted under the second Trump administration.

More than half a million Cubans who received the same I-220A form as De La Cruz face an uncertain status as courts debate whether they meet the act’s qualifications, according to a ReliefWeb report.

De La Cruz and his wife settled in South Florida near his family; she worked as a cook and he became a certified electrician, traveling as far as Kentucky and Nebraska, making enough money to buy shoes and other essentials for his two daughters in Cuba.

The plan was to eventually bring the girls and his wife’s daughter, all teenagers, to the U.S. so they could live comfortably with power, water and food.

The judge interrupted the Cuban man’s thoughts. De La Cruz picked his fate.

There was no need to tell his wife and sister what had happened in the courtroom. They saw his face and knew — he had decided to return to Cuba.

A quest for residency and a job leads to the US

De La Cruz grew up in the rural town of Las Minas, about a 30-minute drive from the heart of Havana, the Cuban capital.

He spent his childhood hunting birds, fishing tilapia and climbing trees. At 16, he fell some 15 meters (50 feet) from a mango tree, fracturing his spine.

De La Cruz fully recovered. He studied to become an industrial equipment repairman but got a factory job making PVC pipes in hopes of making more money. He later became a paramedic and loved that job but earned only $24 a month, so he became a taxi driver.

At 34, frustrated by the lack of a decent salary and deteriorating living conditions, including declining healthcare and long lines for gasoline, De La Cruz began to think about leaving Cuba.

“I was becoming disillusioned,” he said. “Every Cuban … from the moment they’re born, is thinking about going to the United States. ... If you go there with a positive mindset, focused on getting ahead and improving yourself, you’ll achieve many good things.”

In late 2019, De La Cruz and his wife left Cuba, first trying to make a life in Suriname, Guyana and Brazil. But after failing to secure stable jobs or residency, the couple left for the U.S. in May 2021.

It was a three-month odyssey that De La Cruz said included walking through the Darien Gap in Colombia and Panama: “a very dangerous jungle where many people die.”

They saw a skeleton and the body of a Cuban woman who had recently died and made the news. Someone had covered her with leaves.

“I won’t forget that,” he said.

Returning to an island where crises multiplied

De La Cruz did not live long enough in the U.S. to achieve his dream: establish his own handyman business.

He was given 120 days to leave the U.S., while his sister and niece, who had entered the U.S. the same way as De La Cruz and his wife, were awarded parole and then green cards.

As the deadline neared, his friends urged him to move to Mexico or Canada. But De La Cruz was tired. He did not want to start from scratch again.

“I already missed my city so much, I couldn’t take it anymore,” he said. “My mother died while I was (in the U.S.), and I wanted to go to the cemetery.”

His wife told him she would stay in the U.S. and work to keep him afloat in Cuba.

But a week before his flight to Cuba, she could no longer keep her secret: “I booked a ticket for the same day as you, on the same flight as you, and in the seat next to you.”

His eyes watered as he recalled the moment.

Once they landed in Havana, De La Cruz realized things were bad when he saw the state of the airport bathroom. It was clean, but light was scarce and the paint was peeling.

The couple settled in his mother’s house in Las Minas. They bought a solar-powered tricycle and he resumed his job as a taxi driver. He hoped to make money that way as a fuel shortage stemming from a U.S. energy embargo made public transportation scarce. Many Cubans rely on tricycles to get around.

But power goes out daily, often for more than 24 hours, and De La Cruz often has to use the solar panel to charge the tricycle. It takes eight hours to fully charge, so he misses a day of work.

He also offers free rides to those who can’t afford them. “I don’t like leaving anyone behind,” he said.

His greatest struggle is finding enough food for his family. “The food here is too expensive, the prices very high,” he said.

He also invested in water storage tanks amid severe water shortages.

But he worries he won’t see his grandmother again. She lives in the U.S. as a legal resident. They talk by phone, but it’s not often because communications across Cuba are crumbling.

Longing for a different Cuba

As life grinds on, De La Cruz finds solace in the greenery of his rural town. Now that they have their own home, they finally got a dog: a 4-month-old mutt named Zeus.

He feels at peace feeding the chickens and roosters in the yard. “That takes away a lot of stress,” he said.

His biggest concern in the U.S. was losing his job. In Cuba, he worries about the lack of water and power, dwindling fuel supplies, his meager salary, the lack of public transportation and surging food prices.

If given a choice, he’d like to stay in Cuba — but only if things change.

“We are going through a bad time,” he said. “In the end, it’s the people who are hit the hardest.”

“I keep joking it wasn’t hard to find,” Lynch, a geomorphologist at Balance Hydrologics, said Friday. “It was just sitting there in the middle of the creek, halfway in, half out of the water.”

Lynch made the discovery earlier this year while working on a habitat restoration project for the threatened California red-legged frog in a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District preserve in San Mateo County. The public land management agency that preserves over 70,000 acres of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains region announced the find this week. The fossil has been donated to Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability.

“It’s in great condition,” said Chrissy Garcia, curator and manager of Doerr School of Sustainability’s specimen collections. “So we’ve got both the crown and the root of the fossil. You can even see root canal.”

“It’s exciting to have a specimen of this quality, and having it be a local find,” she said.

Garcia said the tooth from the Pacific mastodon, an extinct elephantlike species, is about 9 inches (23 centimeters) long.

Ron Tykoski, vice president of science and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, said mastodon fossils “pop up with some degree of frequency, depending on where you live.”

He said there are multiple species of mastodon that roamed for a few million years in North America, up till 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

“The way this was found is actually the way a lot of specimens are found, just somebody who happened to be in the right place,” Tykoski said.

Garcia said that they’ll likely try to determine the exact age of the fossil, and will make a 3D copy to give to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The district says it will use the copy for public outreach and education.

Ryan McCauley, a spokesperson for the district, said the discovery on land they are preserving helps show the value of protecting open spaces and habitats.

“That this tooth, that this molar, was found in the context of trying to protect the habitat and save another species from potentially going extinct I think really just drives home the point of why it's so important to care for these open spaces and these natural lands,” he said.

A person familiar with the deal said Friday that it was reached a while ago but was never announced by the team. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because it hadn't been made public. The person didn't say how long of an extension was signed. Owner Jed York said earlier this offseason that Shanahan was already under contract through 2028 from an extension signed three years ago.

The Ringer first reported the deal.

The 46-year-old Shanahan is starting his 10th season as the Niners' coach, and is one of the most highly regarded coaches in the game for his offensive acumen. Shanahan has a 92-72 record in the regular season and playoffs and is two games shy of tying Bill Walsh for the most games coached with the 49ers at 166.

Shanahan also is closing in on George Seifert's franchise wins record of 108 in the regular season and playoffs. Walsh had 102 and is the only other coach in team history with more wins than Shanahan.

Shanahan has taken the Niners to the postseason in five of his first nine seasons, making it to the Super Bowl following the 2019 and '23. The 49ers also made it to the NFC title game two other times and went 12-5 with a wild-card win last season despite losing several stars to injuries.

Shanahan has finished in the top five in voting for AP NFL Coach of the Year four times and was runner-up in 2019 and 2022.

Shanahan was involved in a car crash in July that left with broken ribs, a broken hand, a broken nose, a concussion and 40 stitches for a cut near his eye. Shanahan said he was at fault in the crash because he was reaching for his cellphone but police didn't issue him a ticket. He was limited by a concussion at the start of training camp but has recovered.

San Francisco opened this season with a 27-7 win over the Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams in a game that was played Friday in Australia.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Jacob Coxon, who quit the company Anthropic over AI fears, said AI “just gets smarter and smarter with no human involvement necessary.”

“Hacking critical infrastructure, building extinction-level bioweapons,” Coxon said of its potentially negative capabilities.

For the last three years, Jacob Coxon has worked for Anthropic as well as fellow artificial intelligence giant OpenAI.

He recently quit and issued a blunt warning to the world, writing on social media, “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

“If you extrapolate into the future the level of capabilities of these AIs with the same independent volition, they could cause extreme havoc,” Coxon said.

His warning comes just weeks after thousands of autonomous agents broke out of their lab at OpenAI and infiltrated another developer in what’s being called the Hugging Face hack.

The attack underscored concerns that companies building AI do not know how to fully control their own creations.

“I think what’s most scary is if AI is used to make itself more intelligent,” Coxon said.

President Donald Trump has largely brushed off concerns about AI’s rapid development and said the U.S. must not fall behind China.

“I have concerns that if we don’t win AI, we’re going to be put in a very bad position,” Trump recently said. “We are leading China right now by a pretty good period, I would say a year, which is a lot.”

But lawmakers in Congress say the recent warnings demand urgent action.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, wrote, “AI threatens our economy, privacy, democracy and the well-being of our kids. Congress must stand up to the Big Tech oligarchs and protect the American people.”

Coxon says companies know the risk, but are pressing forward out of fear that someone else will win the technological race.

“They just don’t trust that the people around them are going to get there in a safe way, so they feel like they have to race there too,” Coxon said.

Lawmakers have kicked around several versions of bills aimed at regulating AI in the last year, but the issue has largely been stuck on the back burner.

Lawmakers are planning to meet behind closed doors next week with top AI experts to try and get the ball rolling on some kind of bill to set guardrails for the industry.

The Democratic Senate nominee from Michigan was a frequent punching bag during this week's GOP convention, where a steady stream of Republicans singled him out. They attacked his progressive views, his ties to a far-left commentator and his Muslim faith, elevating his profile as they look to paint all Democrats as radical extremists.

Mike Rogers, El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, alleged the Democrat is being funded by “terrorist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood” but offered no proof to back up his claim. President Donald Trump called him an “extremist” and attacked the political views of members of his family.

Several speakers used his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed. He would be the nation's first Muslim senator.

A day after the confab ended, El-Sayed campaigned in East Lansing, a college town where he's counting on strong support from young voters, and downtown Lansing, where he spoke in front of a crowd that ranged from college students to retirees.

“They want to point to me and my name and my faith as if somehow that’s the problem, but none of those things are what’s raising your gas prices or making a new home unaffordable,” he told reporters, shifting the conversation to the economic anxiety that Democrats want voters to be thinking about when they cast their ballots.

He also criticized the trade war with Canada — to which Michigan’s auto industry is particularly vulnerable — and wars overseas.

El-Sayed later said he wishes he didn’t have as much of a national profile.

“At the end of the day, I’m a lot more interested in the future of Michiganders than the future of a party,” El-Sayed said at Friday's second event. “I didn’t run because I was interested in having all of these big national debates.”

Hundreds turn out to see El-Sayed

About 400 students filled an auditorium at Michigan State University’s student union, some standing along the walls after chairs filled. The event, billed as a students versus billionaires town hall, turned students away when the room hit capacity. Many of those shut out stood outside and booed when the doors were closed.

Students inside the venue asked questions about healthcare policy, data centers and affordable housing. The crowd cheered when El-Sayed talked about taking money out of politics, implementing universal healthcare and winning his primary against Rep. Haley Stevens despite her campaign having more cash.

Many of the GOP's attacks focused on comments by Hasan Piker, a Twitch streamer who campaigned with El-Sayed ahead of the bitter Democratic primary. In a 2019 stream, Piker said “America deserved 9/11.” He has since apologized. El-Sayed called the comment “dumb" and has distanced himself from Piker, saying last month that “nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople.”

Several hundred more people turned out for a second event nearby, packing into a concert hall in downtown Lansing.

“Progressive candidates are rising up, and this is kind of the moment for them to bring their platform to the country," 68-year-old Joseph Fabiano said.

Republicans try to energize the GOP base

Republicans are facing a tough midterm election environment, with only about a third of Americans approving of Trump’s job performance. The push to frame Democrats as radicals serves as both red meat to energize the GOP base and a warning to disaffected Trump voters considering switching sides or just staying home this November.

Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, the No. 3 House Republican, was among those who called out El-Sayed during the GOP convention, saying he is an “evil man” who “pals around with people who believe Americans deserved to be attacked on 9/11.” Rep. Brandon Gill, a Texas Republican, called El-Sayed “an extremist who sympathized with terrorists.”

Meanwhile, El-Sayed still faces divisions in his own party after his bruising primary against Stevens, which drove a wedge between Democrats with conflicting views on Israel, Piker and progressive economics.

El-Sayed implicitly confronted the attacks on his background with an ad that features his white grandparents.

“Where did Abdul El-Sayed come from?” his grandma asks melodramatically, mimicking the tone of attack ads. “We helped raise him,” she adds.

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

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Broward County is home to nearly 200,000 Jewish residents, and the Jewish Federation of Broward County has increased security measures to help people feel safe during the High Holy Days.

“This is our new year. Our time to focus on the joy of Jewish life, celebrate, be with family, friends and community,” said Audra Berg, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Broward County.

Rosh Hashanah begins a solemn period in the Jewish faith leading up to Yom Kippur, when people traditionally repent.

Berg said there is concern about safety as antisemitic incidents continue to target Jewish communities in North America and around the world.

“I think there’s definitely a fear and concern about safety,” Berg said.

The Jewish Federation of Broward County has spent nearly $50,000 on security equipment, crowd management and safety systems, emergency operations plans, biweekly security training and partnerships with law enforcement.

In Miami Beach, police are also activating their “high risk location plan” ahead of the holidays.

“Our message is very clear. We will not tolerate any acts of hate, specifically antisemitic attacks,” said Chris Bess, public information officer for the Miami Beach Police Department.

Patrol officers and detectives will be visiting synagogues and other faith-based organizations throughout the community to help ensure people feel safe, Bess said.

Miami Beach has had two recent antisemitic incidents. In one, a man allegedly accosted a Jewish teacher who was walking to school while wearing a Star of David necklace. In another, two teenagers allegedly carried out an antisemitic water-gun attack on a man.

Berg said there have been no credible threats made ahead of the holiday.

“We want people to lean into Jewish life,” Berg said. “There is so much vibrancy in the Jewish community and so many exciting things to participate in. We would hate to see someone miss out on that because they are afraid.”

Berg also said the Jewish community in South Florida is fortunate to have strong relationships with other faith communities and feels supported.

El condado Broward alberga a casi 200,000 residentes judíos, y la Federación Judía del Condado Broward ha reforzado las medidas de seguridad para ayudar a que las personas se sientan seguras durante las Altas Fiestas judías.

“Este es nuestro año nuevo. Nuestro momento para centrarnos en la alegría de la vida judía, celebrar y estar con familiares, amigos y la comunidad”, dijo Audra Berg, presidenta y directora ejecutiva de la Federación Judía del Condado Broward.

Rosh Hashaná da inicio a un período solemne de la fe judía que conduce a Yom Kipur, cuando tradicionalmente las personas se arrepienten.

Berg dijo que existe preocupación por la seguridad mientras los incidentes antisemitas continúan teniendo como blanco a comunidades judías en América del Norte y alrededor del mundo.

“Creo que definitivamente existe miedo y preocupación por la seguridad”, dijo Berg.

La Federación Judía del Condado Broward ha gastado casi $50,000 USD en equipos de seguridad, manejo de multitudes y sistemas de seguridad, planes de operaciones de emergencia, capacitación de seguridad cada dos semanas y asociaciones con las fuerzas del orden.

En Miami Beach, la policía también está activando su “plan para lugares de alto riesgo” antes de las festividades.

“Nuestro mensaje es muy claro. No toleraremos ningún acto de odio, específicamente ataques antisemitas”, dijo Chris Bess, oficial de información pública del Departamento de Policía de Miami Beach.

Agentes de patrulla y detectives visitarán sinagogas y otras organizaciones religiosas en toda la comunidad para ayudar a garantizar que las personas se sientan seguras, dijo Bess.

Miami Beach ha registrado dos incidentes antisemitas recientes. En uno, un hombre presuntamente confrontó a un maestro judío que caminaba hacia la escuela mientras llevaba un collar con la Estrella de David. En otro, dos adolescentes presuntamente llevaron a cabo un ataque antisemita con pistolas de agua contra un hombre.

Berg dijo que no se han registrado amenazas creíbles antes de la festividad.

“Queremos que las personas se involucren en la vida judía”, dijo Berg. “Hay tanta vitalidad en la comunidad judía y tantas cosas emocionantes en las que participar. Odiaríamos que alguien se perdiera todo eso porque tiene miedo”.

Berg también dijo que la comunidad judía del sur de Florida tiene la fortuna de mantener relaciones sólidas con otras comunidades religiosas y se siente respaldada.

Jackson Police Chief RaShall Brackney said at a news conference Friday that police had secured search and arrest warrants for 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff and arrested him when they encountered him walking on the street. Brackney said the man had an “association” with Fortune but would not elaborate on their relationship.

The state medical examiner’s office determined Thursday evening that the death was a homicide, Brackney said, allowing police to execute the warrants they already had on hand.

“This case remains active, and additional arrests will be pending,” Brackney said.

Ratliff did not appear in Hinds County jail records, and court records were not accessible online. It couldn’t immediately be determined if he had a lawyer, and a message was left for the public defender's office.

Christy Spivey, Fortune’s mother, said Friday after police told her of the arrest that, "I just started crying and told them ‘thank you, thank you, thank you.’ ”

Spivey said police did not share a motive or whether DNA led them to the arrest. Spivey said she did not know the man who had been arrested, but she was asking her daughter's friends if they knew him. Spivey described the family as “in disbelief” and “shock.”

“We still don’t have a lot of answers,” Spivey said.

Police discovered Fortune’s body hanging in the backyard of an abandoned home in Jackson on Aug. 3.

Spivey said she was certain that her daughter, 29, would not have killed herself.

“Absolutely not. Even if she could climb that tree, no, no, she would never, ever, ever,” Spivey said.

Fortune was the mother of four children, but she rarely saw two of them, Spivey said. The last time Spivey saw her daughter was in late July for a planned family reunion in Kentucky that was canceled, but her daughter came to see her anyway.

“When she was there, there was this pull, like a spiritual pull to her. I needed her. I guess God knew that was going to be it,” Spivey said.

Spivey said she and Fortune's father faced racism and violence as a mixed-race couple in Crittenden County, Kentucky, before Fortune was born.

Fortune was taken from her parents and placed in foster care as a child. During her high school years, she moved around among group homes and eventually ran away to Mississippi.

Spivey wasn’t sure where Fortune was living at the time of her death but said her daughter had been struggling with homelessness in recent years. Fortune had two sisters and was close with them. The father of one of her children was verbally and physically abusive to Fortune, Spivey said.

Before she died, Fortune had talked about starting a cleaning business and was trying to get her life in order.

“Say her name. Keep it going," Spivey said. “Because I’m not going to stop until I get answers.”

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Associated Press writer Josh Kelety contributed to this report.

Kendrick Desmandes said he believes the crash was preventable and questioned why the parking lot’s lights were not illuminated when his father, Alfred Desmandes, was struck early Wednesday morning.

According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the bus driver who struck Desmandes told investigators he did not see him because the parking lot lights were not on.

Kendrick Desmandes said the circumstances have made it difficult for his family to accept his father’s death, particularly because investigators have said neither excessive speed nor impairment appeared to be factors.

He said he is frustrated by what he sees as a lack of accountability.

Alfred Desmandes had worked as a bus driver for more than 30 years.

Kendrick Desmandes told Local 10 that he said goodbye to his father at the hospital Friday, describing the moment as one of the hardest experiences of his life.

“I told him that I’m sorry and that I didn’t get to succeed before your passing,” he said. “So, in a sense, I kind of feel like I failed him.”

He said he knows his father would want him to keep moving forward.

“I know he’s going to look over me because he’s just that type of person,” he added.

Before leaving, Kendrick Desmandes said he kissed his father goodbye and had to let him go.

“There’s nothing else I could have done,” he said.

BSO officials the investigation into the crash remains ongoing and no charges have been filed at this time.

The crowd figures to be almost entirely on Shelton's side Sunday, because now he's the American hope to end a lengthy Grand Slam drought.

Shelton pulled out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory on Friday and will play No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev on for the U.S. Open title. The host nation hasn't had a men’s major winner since Andy Roddick won in Flushing Meadows in 2003.

“I’m going for it here, and I’m going to leave it all on the court,” Shelton said. “I hope you guys come and back me. Let’s do it for the USA.”

The No. 8-seeded Shelton had plenty of energy left after ousting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a quarterfinal match that ended Wednesday at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish ever at the U.S. Open.

Now he needs to stop the French Open champion, who knows what's at stake for the other side.

“Hopefully I can not make the American dream come true on Sunday,” Zverev said.

Zverev beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) in the first semifinal.

Shelton and Tiafoe drew a star-studded crowd that included stars from sports, including Serena Williams, Jalen Brunson and of course U.S. soccer player Trinity Rodman, Shelton’s girlfriend; and actors Salma Hayek, Ben Stiller and Rami Malek.

“This is where we want to be: at the tail end of this tournament,” said Shelton, a 23-year-old from Georgia who was less than a year old when Roddick won his title. “This is both of our favorite tournament in the world, our favorite court in the world and to be able to light it up in front of (this crowd) is the best feeling that there is.”

Tiafoe fell to 0-3 in the U.S. Open semifinals, the last two against fellow Americans. Taylor Fritz beat him in 2024 before losing to Jannik Sinner.

“I wanted to be in a Grand Slam final. Obviously it was a big match,” Tiafoe said. “Ben played well tonight. Served really well tonight, which made it really tough on me.”

After a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in which a giant American flag was unfurled across the court, it was Tiafoe who played the cleaner tennis in the first set. He committed just three unforced errors to 14 by Shelton, whose double-fault at 4-4 gave Tiafoe the break he needed.

But after falling behind, Shelton started serving bigger, and finished with 20 aces.

Serving with new balls at 3-all in the second set, Shelton hit a 125 mph serve — Tiafoe got his racket up almost in self-defense and ended up getting knocked backward to the court — and followed it with serves clocked at 144, 139 and 140, the last two for aces that gave him the lead for good in the set.

The pivotal moment in the match came in the final game of the third set, when Tiafoe was desperately trying to hold serve. The game lasted 15 minutes and 20 points before Tiafoe put a forehand into the net to end it and move Shelton a set away from the title.

Tiafoe had his own marathon in the quarterfinals, coming from two sets down and then erasing a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set to edge fellow American Alex Michelsen. He seemed to get slightly more cheers early, but the crowd was loud for both players as the match went on.

Zverev finishing strong after a slow start to the tournament

Zverev, who had long been considered the best men’s player without a major, finally broke through at the French Open this year. The German followed by reaching the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Sinner, and is 24-2 in Grand Slam matches this season.

“Sometimes just things go your way and I feel like I’ve had a lot of struggles at the major level, I was so close so many times, and maybe this year God has said that this is going to be your year and just enjoy the time on the court,” Zverev said.

Now he will try to win the title that he still can’t believe he let get away in 2020. Zverev won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem but then lost in a fifth-set tiebreaker, as Thiem became the first man to win the U.S. Open title after dropping the first two sets since 1949.

Zverev has won 13 consecutive sets after becoming the first No. 1-seeded man to play five-setters in each of the first two rounds of a major.

Khachanov was trying to reach his first major final after a surprising run in New York. He arrived with a losing record for the season but went on to reach his third Grand Slam semifinal, including second at the U.S. Open. At No. 50, he was bidding to become the lowest-ranked U.S. Open finalist since the ATP rankings began in 1973.

He might have defeated Zverev early in the tournament. The No. 1 seed at a major for the first time after Sinner pulled out with a knee injury, Zverev had to go the distance against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys in his first two rounds, spending nearly 9 1/2 hours on the court.

He said he and his team laughed about how poorly he was playing after the second match.

“That kind of sense of humor, it helped me,” Zverev said. “Moving forward, I was playing much better tennis. Obviously I have improved a little bit. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be in the U.S. Open final.”

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here

“What’s going on?” a confused and unsteady Allen Matis is heard asking a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy after getting out of the Cadillac Lyriq SUV on the night of June 24.

A distraught woman responds incredulously: “What are you talking about? You―”

Before she finishes her sentence, a deputy tells her to wait nearby.

Matis, 67, of Coral Gables, is accused of killing Henri Bezy, 82, in the crash, which happened at the latter’s home in the 2900 block of Southwest 57th Avenue, in the unincorporated Coral Terrace area.

In the MDSO body camera video, first responders can be heard finding Bezy’s body trapped underneath the vehicle.

Matis, meanwhile, is heard insisting, “I didn’t do this.”

But deputies said he not only caused the crash, he did so with a blood alcohol content of more than thrice the legal limit ― 0.245% to 0.29% ― having accelerated to 43 mph without hitting the brakes and running a stop sign.

Body camera footage shows Matis about to be blood-tested in a hospital bed. The results of the test would lead to charges of DUI manslaughter and reckless vehicular homicide, authorities said.

“You’re suspected of driving under the influence,” a deputy is heard telling Matis.

“What?” he replied, as he tried to refuse the test.

The Illinois-born Matis, who was ordered held without bond in late August, has a trial hearing scheduled for Nov. 2.

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An arrest warrant from the Sunrise Police Department states that officers were called to the 11600 block of Northwest 37th Place on Sept. 3 after receiving a report of animal abuse.

Authorities said they were provided surveillance footage from Sept. 2 and Sept. 3 showing Terell Dwayne Holloway, 41, of Lauderdale Lakes, kicking one of the French bulldogs about 10 times.

Police said he then grabbed the dog and “(threw) it into a corner,” before “spray(ing) the dog with a water hose.”

The warrant notes that French bulldogs are prone to respiratory issues and could have their breathing obstructed by an “excessive amount of water.”

Police said video from the next day shows Holloway “kicking and stomping” a dog about 24 times.

“During the incident, the dog can be heard yelping and attempting to escape,” the warrant states.

The video then shows Holloway grabbing the dog by its hind leg and kicking the animal “so hard that his shoe flies off” as he suspended the animal in the air, police wrote.

Authorities said they spoke to Holloway’s girlfriend, who said he regularly comes to her home to help her with her children and the dogs, named Zeus and Coco. Police said that she believed that Coco was the dog shown in the clips.

Holloway’s girlfriend, after being shown the video of both incidents, told investigators, “I had no idea he was doing that,” according to the warrant.

Sunrise police took Holloway into custody on Thursday. A judge ordered he be held on a $100,000 bond on Friday and ordered him to have no possession or ownership of any animals.

Florida Department of Corrections records show that Holloway has multiple felony convictions for burglary, fraud and trafficking in stolen property in Broward and Martin counties, for which he spent time in state prison.

As of Friday afternoon, Broward Sheriff’s Office records show he remained locked up on his latest charges in that agency’s Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale.

Una orden de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Sunrise indica que los agentes fueron llamados a la cuadra 11600 de Northwest 37th Place el 3 de septiembre después de recibir un reporte de maltrato animal.

Las autoridades dijeron que recibieron imágenes de vigilancia del 2 y 3 de septiembre que muestran a Terell Dwayne Holloway, de 41 años y residente de Lauderdale Lakes, pateando a uno de los bulldogs franceses unas 10 veces.

La policía dijo que luego agarró al perro y “lo arrojó a una esquina”, antes de “rociar al perro con una manguera de agua”.

La orden señala que los bulldogs franceses son propensos a problemas respiratorios y que su respiración podría verse obstruida por una “cantidad excesiva de agua”.

La policía dijo que el video del día siguiente muestra a Holloway “pateando y pisoteando” a un perro unas 24 veces.

“Durante el incidente, se puede escuchar al perro aullando e intentando escapar”, indica la orden.

El video luego muestra a Holloway agarrando al perro por una pata trasera y pateando al animal “tan fuerte que su zapato sale volando” mientras mantenía al animal suspendido en el aire, escribió la policía.

Las autoridades dijeron que hablaron con la novia de Holloway, quien dijo que él acude regularmente a su casa para ayudarla con sus hijos y los perros, llamados Zeus y Coco. La policía dijo que ella creía que Coco era el perro que aparecía en los videos.

La novia de Holloway, después de que le mostraran el video de ambos incidentes, dijo a los investigadores: “No tenía idea de que él estaba haciendo eso”, según la orden.

La policía de Sunrise arrestó a Holloway el jueves. Un juez ordenó el viernes que permaneciera detenido bajo una fianza de $100,000 USD y le prohibió poseer o ser propietario de cualquier animal.

Los registros del Departamento de Correcciones de Florida muestran que Holloway tiene múltiples condenas por delitos graves de robo, fraude y tráfico de propiedad robada en los condados Broward y Martin, por los cuales pasó tiempo en una prisión estatal.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, los registros de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward muestran que permanecía detenido por sus cargos más recientes en la cárcel principal de esa agencia en Fort Lauderdale.

El incidente ocurrió el miércoles cerca de Northeast Seventh Avenue y Northeast 132nd Street, según el reporte de arresto del Departamento de Policía de North Miami.

La policía dijo que un agente acudió a la intersección poco antes de las 6:30 p.m. después de que un agente de las Escuelas Públicas del Condado Miami-Dade viera a los dos niños, una niña de 7 años y un niño de 5 años, corriendo solos por la calle.

Según la policía, los niños tenían hambre e intentaban conseguir comida en una tienda Publix cercana después de que sus madres, LaToya Garland, de 40 años, y Mikequisha Gordan, de 36, los obligaran a salir a jugar y los dejaran afuera.

Las autoridades dijeron que, después de tocar repetidamente la puerta, les preocupaba que las mujeres estuvieran sufriendo una emergencia médica y consiguieron que un empleado del edificio les permitiera entrar al apartamento.

Allí, la policía dijo que encontró a Garland y Gordan inconscientes en un sofá de la sala, aparentemente bajo los efectos de alguna sustancia.

Las dos fueron arrestadas bajo cargos de abuso infantil sin lesiones corporales graves. El Departamento de Niños y Familias de Florida está ahora involucrado.

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The incident happened on Wednesday near Northeast Seventh Avenue and Northeast 132nd Street, according to their arrest report from the North Miami Police Department.

Police said an officer responded to the intersection at just before 6:30 p.m. after a Miami-Dade County Public Schools officer spotted the two children, 7-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy, running down the street alone.

According to police, the children had gotten hungry and were trying to get food at a nearby Publix store after their mothers, LaToya Garland, 40, and Mikequisha Gordan, 36, forced them outside to play and locked them out.

Authorities said after repeated knocks at the door, they were concerned that the women were having a medical emergency and got a building employee to let them in the apartment.

There, police said they found Garland and Gordan unconscious on a sofa in the living room, appearing to be impaired.

The two were arrested on charges of child abuse with no great bodily harm. The Florida Department of Children and Families is now involved.

Perdomo Torres, de 36 años, viajaba en una furgoneta Ford E-150 Econoline blanca de 2012, propiedad de Professional Ocean Service Corp., mientras trabajaba en el aeropuerto de Miami (MIA), cuando un avión de carga Boeing 767-300 que operaba como vuelo 7598 de Prime Air se salió de la pista y se estrelló.

“El señor Perdomo Torres salió despedido por los aires. Tuvo la lucidez de intentar aterrizar boca abajo, en lugar de boca arriba, pensando siempre en sobrevivir”, dijo el abogado Pablo Rojas, quien representa a Perdomo Torres y presentó una demanda en su nombre el viernes en el tribunal civil del condado de Miami-Dade.

Informe relacionado : El instructor de vuelo afirma que el copiloto del avión de carga era un buen alumno y “muy preocupado por la seguridad”.

Mientras los investigadores federales seguían recopilando y analizando pruebas, Rojas, un experto en aviación, afirmó que hubo “errores evidentes” y “fallos de seguridad” que provocaron la tragedia, que era “evitable”.

“El vuelo 7598 no realizó un aterrizaje seguro ni efectivo. Durante al menos un minuto, se escucharon advertencias en la cabina de mando de que la aeronave se acercaba a la pista demasiado rápido y descendía excesivamente”, escribió Rojas en la demanda de 32 páginas.

Las cinco personas fallecidas identificadas el martes por la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Miami-Dade fueron Rolando Alemán León, de 55 años; Yoel Rodríguez Naranjo, de 53 años; Julio C. Pineda, de 75 años; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, de 53 años; y Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, de 47 años.

“Estaban terminando su turno de ocho horas”, escribió Rojas en la demanda por lesiones personales de Perdomo Torres, en la que se nombra a Amazon, Amazon Services, 21 Air, Avia Acquisition, Avia Investments, Andromeda Leasing II, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Titan Aviation Leasing Limited Americas y a los dos pilotos.

Noticia relacionada : Abogado del trabajador de 75 años fallecido en accidente de avión de carga: “Era un hombre excepcional”.

Perdomo Torres afirma que vio el avión a reacción acercándose a la furgoneta y que estaba consciente cuando la fuerza del impacto lo lanzó por los aires y lo arrojó fuera de la furgoneta, que se convirtió en “un montón de metal irreconocible”, según la demanda.

“Al caer, el impacto le aplastó y fracturó la mano”, escribió Rojas en la demanda. “El impacto contra el suelo también le causó fracturas en la pierna y el tobillo. Luchando por su vida en medio del caos, el Sr. Perdomo Torres intentó ponerse de pie, pero no pudo”.

Sin un Sistema de Detención de Materiales de Ingeniería (EMAS, por sus siglas en inglés), una plataforma de seguridad para detener el avión, en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami (MIA), el avión también impactó una camioneta Toyota Corolla Cross LE en la Avenida Noroeste 67. El personal de rescate del Departamento de Bomberos de Miami-Dade encontró a Perdomo Torres en el suelo y lo trasladó en ambulancia al Hospital Militar John M. Johnson (JMH), donde fue sometido a cirugías, según la demanda.

Los otros cuatro heridos fueron Ridoel Averhoff Díaz, de 32 años, compañero de trabajo de Perdomo Torres, cuyo estado era crítico el martes; Joseph Carroll y Jaime Silva, el piloto y el copiloto, que sufrieron heridas leves; y el conductor del Toyota, Eugenio Corredor, de 79 años, cuyo estado era crítico el martes.

Según un informe relacionado, las víctimas del accidente del avión de carga estaban dedicadas a sus familias, afirma su abogado.

La demanda alega que el avión se aproximaba a la pista demasiado rápido y descendía excesivamente, que la aproximación a la pista se realizó a una velocidad insegura, que el aterrizaje se produjo demasiado lejos en la pista y que el tren de aterrizaje solo hizo contacto parcial con el suelo.

“Un piloto pidió que se ajustaran los flaps a 20 grados, y el otro piloto advirtió que iban demasiado rápido. El otro piloto hizo comentarios adicionales sobre la velocidad excesiva de la aeronave durante el resto de la grabación. No hubo una respuesta verbal consistente a los comentarios sobre la velocidad”, escribió un investigador de la NTSB en un informe sobre los hallazgos de las grabadoras de voz y datos de vuelo de la cabina del avión .

La demanda también alegaba que no se desplegó la “máxima potencia de frenado” del avión mientras “se precipitaba por la pista”, y que los pilotos dieron “instrucciones cambiantes y contradictorias”, ya que aparentemente intentaron una “maniobra de aterrizaje frustrado” para abortar el aterrizaje antes de “revertir esta decisión” e intentar detenerse.

“Para entonces, ya era demasiado tarde”, escribió Rojas en la demanda.

Noticia relacionada: El avión de carga de Amazon será desmantelado y reubicado tras un accidente mortal.

Según Jennifer Homendy, presidenta de la Junta Nacional de Seguridad del Transporte, el avión recorrió 1300 pies “más allá de la superficie pavimentada”. Se detuvo en un campo vacío, con la parte delantera apoyada en un estacionamiento con robots Tesla.

“Los datos registrados no indican que se hayan desplegado los frenos aerodinámicos o el empuje”, declaró Chihoon Shin, investigador principal de la NTSB, durante una rueda de prensa el martes por la noche.

Carroll, de 55 años, el capitán, “recibió su habilitación de tipo para el 76”, una certificación obligatoria para el Boeing 767, en mayo, y Silva, de 37 años, el primer oficial, recibió su habilitación de tipo para el 76 el 2 de abril de 2025. Silva tenía 2655 horas de vuelo al 13 de agosto, y Carroll tenía 7145 horas de vuelo al 31 de marzo, según la NTSB.

Noticia relacionada: El sheriff de Miami-Dade le dice al alcalde tras la polémica televisiva posterior al accidente aéreo: “Eso no debe volver a ocurrir”.

Como el avión, con matrícula N1997A, permaneció en el lugar del accidente, una de las cuatro pistas del aeropuerto de Miami fue cerrada el viernes.

La sheriff del condado de Miami-Dade, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, pidió el martes a los viajeros que consultaran con las aerolíneas el estado de sus vuelos. También advirtió a los conductores que la Avenida 67 estaba cerrada al público entre las calles 25 y 32.

Homendy pidió a los testigos que compartieran fotos y vídeos con el equipo de la NTSB por correo electrónico a la dirección witness@ntsb.gov.

Cordero-Stutz pidió a los familiares de las víctimas que se pusieran en contacto con los defensores de las víctimas de la MDSO al 305-471-1900.

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Perdomo Torres, 36, was in a white 2012 Ford E-150 Econoline van, owned by Professional Ocean Service Corp., working at MIA, when a Boeing 767-300 cargo jet operating as Prime Air Flight 7598 overran a runway and crashed.

“Mr. Perdomo Torres was thrown into the air. He had the wherewithal to try to land sort of belly down, rather than on his back, thinking always about surviving,” said Attorney Pablo Rojas, who is representing Perdomo Torres and filed a lawsuit on his behalf on Friday in Miami-Dade County civil court.

Related report: Flight instructor says cargo plane co-pilot was good student, ‘very safety-conscious’

As federal investigators continued to collect and analyze evidence, Rojas, an aviation expert, claimed there were “apparent errors” and “safety lapses,” including “deficiencies” in training, supervision, operational oversight, and maintenance of the 32-year-old aircraft.

“For at least a minute, there were warnings inside the cockpit that the aircraft was approaching the runway too fast, and descending excessively,” Rojas wrote in Perdomo Torres’s personal injury lawsuit, which names Amazon, Amazon Services, 21 Air, Avia Acquisition, Avia Investments, Andromeda Leasing II, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Titan Aviation Leasing Limited Americas, and the two pilots.

The five dead identified by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday were Rolando Aleman Leon, 55; Yoel Rodriguez Naranjo, 53; Julio C. Pineda, 75; Carlos Acosta Fajardo, 53; and Javierkys Reyes Quevedo, 47.

“They were wrapping up their eight-hour shift,” Rojas wrote in the 32-page lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $50,000.

Related story: Attorney for 75-year-old worker killed in cargo plane crash: ‘This was an outstanding man’

Perdomo Torres claims he saw the jet coming towards the van, and was conscious when the force of the impact “flung” him “into the air,” and threw him from the van, which turned into “an unrecognizable heap of metal,” according to the lawsuit.

“When he landed, the impact crushed and fractured his hand,” Rojas wrote in the lawsuit. “The impact with the ground also caused fractures to his leg and ankle. Fighting for his life amid the chaos, Mr. Perdomo Torres attempted to stand, but was unable to.”

Without an Engineered Materials Arresting System, or EMAS, a safety bed to stop the jet, at MIA, the jet also struck a Toyota Corolla Cross LE SUV on Northwest 67th Avenue. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel found Perdomo Torres on the ground and took him in an ambulance to JMH, where he underwent surgeries, according to the lawsuit.

The four others injured were Perdomo Torres’s co-worker, Ridoel Averhoff Diaz, 32, whose condition was critical on Tuesday; Joseph Carroll and Jaime Silva, the pilot and the co-pilot, who suffered minor injuries; and the driver of the Toyota, Eugenio Corredor, 79, whose condition was critical on Tuesday.

Related report Victims killed in cargo plane crash were dedicated to their families, attorney says

The lawsuit claims the jet was “approaching the runway too fast and descending excessively,” the runway’s approach was at an “unsafe speed,” the landing was “too far down the runway,” and the landing gear made only partial contact with the ground.

“​A pilot called for flaps to be set to 20 degrees, and the other pilot cautioned they were too fast. The other pilot made additional comments regarding the aircraft’s excessive speed throughout the remainder of the recording. There was not a consistent verbal response to the comments about speed," an NTSB investigator wrote on a report about findings on the jet’s cockpit voice and fight data recorders.

The lawsuit also alleged the jet’s “full braking power” was not deployed as it was “barreling down the runway,” and the pilots gave “shifting and contradictory inputs,” as they appeared to have attempted a “go-around” to abort the landing before they “reversed this decision” and attempted to stop.

“By then, it was far too late,” Rojas wrote in the lawsuit.

Related report: Amazon cargo plane to be dismantled, relocated after fatal crash

The jet traveled for 1,300 feet “past the paved surface,” according to National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy.

“No indication in the recorded data that speed brakes or thrust were deployed,” Chihoon Shin, the NTSB’s lead investigator, said during a news conference on Tuesday night.

There was “a trail of destruction the length of several football fields,” Rojas wrote in the lawsuit.

The jet stopped in an empty field with its nose in a parking lot for Tesla Robotaxis. Miami-Dade Fire Chief Ray Jadallah said a “complex fire” followed. A witness’s video showed one of the pilots climbing out of a window and using the firefighters’ ladder.

Related story: Miami-Dade sheriff to mayor after post-plane crash live TV tiff: ‘That must not occur again’

Carroll, 55, the captain, “received his type rating in the 76,” a mandatory certification for the Boeing 767, in May, and Silva, 37, the first officer, received his type rating in the 76 on April 2, 2025. Silva had 2,655 flight hours as of Aug. 13, and Carol had 7,145 flight hours as of March 31, according to the NTSB.

As the jet, registered as N1997A, remained on the crash site, one of MIA’s four runways was closed on Friday.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz asked travelers on Tuesday to check with airlines for the status of their flights. She also warned drivers that 67th Avenue was closed to the public from 25th to 32nd streets.

Homendy asked witnesses to share photos and videos with the NTSB team via e-mail at witness@ntsb.gov.

Cordero-Stutz asked the victims’ relatives to contact MDSO victims’ advocates at 305-471-1900.

This is a developing story. Local 10 News requested comments from the parties mentioned in the lawsuit.

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The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% and snapped a four-day losing streak, its longest since June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 509 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%.

They got help from a pullback in oil prices, which had jumped to their highest levels since May because of the ongoing war with Iran. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2.8% to settle at $104.61 after getting near $110 overnight.

That took a bit of pressure off inflation, which remains stubbornly high. A report on Friday showed that U.S. consumers had to pay prices for gasoline, food and other costs of living that were 3.4% higher last month than a year earlier.

While still high, that was close to what economists expected and what Wall Street was prepared for. The data also strengthened expectations among traders that the Federal Reserve will feel compelled to hike its main interest rate at its meeting next week.

Such moves are the typical way the Fed tries to rein in high inflation, and they work by filtering through the bond market, making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money, slowing the economy and hopefully removing fuel for further inflation.

The rising expectations for an upcoming hike to rates drove up the yield of the two-year Treasury, which moves with guesses for upcoming Fed action, to 4.62% from 4.56% late Thursday.

Longer-term Treasury yields held steadier, though. That could be a signal that investors in the bond market see upcoming hikes by the Fed as helping to keep control of inflation over the longer term. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose more modestly to 4.97% from 4.95% late Thursday, while the 30-year yield eased to 5.36% from 5.37%.

Economists say hikes could quiet questions about the Fed’s commitment to keeping inflation under control. Worries had risen earlier in the summer about its credibility and whether it would do what’s needed to bring inflation down, even if it causes pain for the economy in the near term.

Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh has been adamant about not giving hints about where the Fed may take interest rates, though he did calm some concerns among investors at a speech late last month. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has been pushing for interest rates to go lower rather than higher.

“Symbolism can trump substance, even when it comes to monetary policy,” according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management.

It’s all coming at a moment when confidence among Americans continues to sour. A preliminary report from the University of Michigan on Friday said U.S. consumer sentiment is falling, with declines for both Democrats and Republicans.

Their expectations for inflation coming in the year ahead jumped to 4.6% from 4% last month. That’s the highest reading since June, and it’s concerning for the Fed and for economists because it can trigger a vicious cycle of behavior that worsens inflation.

On Wall Street, Kroger rose 2.7% after the grocer reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also held firm on its forecast for profit over the fiscal year, even though it trimmed its forecast for an important underlying measure of revenue growth.

ACV Auctions, whose digital marketplace connects wholesale buyers and sellers of vehicles, soared 44.2% after Copart said it would pay $10.50 in cash for each of the company’s shares. Copart, whose online vehicle auctions sold more than 4 million units in the last year, fell 2.6%.

An early jump for Oracle faded as trading progressed after the tech giant reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. After initially leaping 8.5%, its stock swiveled between gains and losses and finished with a loss of 1.7%.

Stocks closely tied to the artificial-intelligence industry broadly became shaky this summer on worries that the AI frenzy may have sent prices too high.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 65.28 points to 7,656.98. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 509.19 to 52,573.29, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 251.31 to 26,333.04.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe as oil prices eased. London’s FTSE 100 added 0.4% after a report said the U.K. economy was stronger in July than economists expected.

Stock markets were weaker in Asia, where Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.9% and South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.8%.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

El cierre del estrecho de Ormuz durante la guerra que mantienen Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán desde febrero ha alterado el flujo mundial del combustible, incrementado los precios en todo el mundo y desencadenando un alza en otros productos.

El martes, el Congreso guatemalteco aprobó una ley para poner tope al precio del diésel y la gasolina que establece que el consumidor pagará un máximo de 39 quetzales (unos cinco dólares) por galón de diésel y gasolina regular, y 41 quetzales (unos cinco dólares con 40 centavos) por galón de gasolina superior.

Sin embargo las protestas continúan debido a que los transportistas que han organizado los bloqueos piden que la rebaja sea aún mayor. La ley no ha entrado en vigencia debido a que diputados opositores del partido VAMOS, del expresidente Alejandro Giammattei, pidieron revisiones, lo que hace imposible publicarla.

En Guatemala los bloqueos han generado algunos incidentes menores. La tarde del jueves algunos protestantes se enfrentaron a la policía que intentaba dialogar y posteriormente fueron desalojarlos, dejando como resultado tres personas detenidas y algunos comercios saqueados.

El sector empresarial señaló que los bloqueos han causado dificultades a la población y pérdidas económicas.

“Esto no puede ser algo que tengamos como normal en el país, las pérdidas económicas, los problemas de abastecimiento y las afectaciones a la producción continúan”, dijo Charles Bland, ex presidente del Comité Coordinador de Asociaciones Agrícolas, Comerciales, Industriales y Financieras (CACIF) que pidió a la fiscalía investigar quiénes realizan estas acciones.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn't announced Brown's status.

Brown was injured in the second half of New England’s season-opening 13-10 loss at Seattle on Wednesday night.

Another person with knowledge of his injury told the AP that Brown has a high ankle sprain. The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Patriots hadn’t announced the severity of Brown’s injury, said an MRI confirmed the diagnosis.

New England’s next game is its home opener on Sept. 20 against Pittsburgh.

Brown left the game early in the third quarter following an incomplete pass from Drake Maye. He was falling to the turf as he tried to make the catch, and Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett’s knee made contact with Brown’s ankle, pushing it against the ground.

Brown had three catches for 26 yards before the injury.

His absence presents a challenge for an offense that was counting on him to be Maye's top receiving option after the team didn't bring back Stefon Diggs following a productive 2025 season. The Patriots traded for the three-time Pro Bowler in June.

Brown, 29, was durable during his four seasons in Philadelphia, playing in all 17 regular-season games in 2022 and 2023. That total dropped to 13 during the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl title season, and then 15 in 2025.

The Patriots also signed Romeo Doubs in free agency but traded Kayshon Boutte to Houston during training camp. Doubs didn’t have a catch on three targets against the Seahawks and had a costly drop on a second-and-14 in the fourth quarter that would’ve been a first down.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will now look for more production from Doubs, along with fellow receivers Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams.

“Any injury that you get at this point and time of the season you kind of approach it with an all-hands-on-deck kind of approach,” McDaniels said during an interview Friday on WEEI radio. “We've got a lot of different skill guys that can do a lot of different things. There isn't one person on our roster that can replace anyone like A.J. in the middle of a game or for a stretch of the season. So, we'll band together and we'll figure out what we can do well and then try to get the guys in place to play to their strengths.”

Right tackle Morgan Moses said the offensive mentality doesn't change while Brown is sidelined.

“We don’t blink at all. It’s always been the next-man-up mentality,” he said after Wednesday's loss. “We know in that room we have some dogs. It’s not just one guy. When you have a room like that, full of guys that can make the play, you’re never thinking on one guy. The opportunity for the other guys to step up was there, and they did what they needed to do. A.J. (is) a professional, and he’ll do what he needs to do to get back.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.

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The Titans had expected to induct the 2009 NFL rushing leader at halftime of their season opener Sunday against the New York Jets. Johnson announced in June that he was diagnosed last year with ALS, a neurodegenerative condition commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease that affects nerve cell communication with muscles throughout the body.

Titans officials announced the change of plans Friday.

“Knowing how much he and his family desire to be in person at Nissan Stadium for his induction into the Titans Ring of Honor, we will postpone the official induction ceremony and look forward to celebrating the moment with them at a future date,” the Titans said in a statement on social media.

Titans officials said Sunday’s halftime ceremony will remain dedicated to celebrating Johnson’s on-field achievements and legacy.

Johnson, who turns 41 on Sept. 23, spent six seasons with the Titans after they selected him out of East Carolina with the 24th pick in the 2008 draft.

He earned the nickname “CJ2K” in 2009 when he finished with 2,006 yards rushing to join O.J. Simpson, Eric Dickerson, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis and Jamal Lewis in the exclusive 2,000-yard club. He was the Associated Press NFL offensive player of the year that season.

Johnson also had 2,509 yards from scrimmage in 2009, a single-season record that still stands in the NFL.

He rushed for 7,965 yards and had 58 total touchdowns with the Titans. He ran for 9,651 yards and scored 64 touchdowns (55 rushing, 9 receiving) during a 10-year career that also included stops with the New York Jets (2014) and Arizona Cardinals (2015-17).

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Palmetto struck first on a long touchdown run by Aiden Butler.

Columbus answered with Kai Moore rolling out and finding Ahmad Summerall for a touchdown.

Moore connected with his five-star wide receiver A-Mir Sears on a touchdown down the sideline to cap another scoring drive.

Palmetto went on to win 34-7.

In Broward, the No. 1 team in the country visited Dillard, and St. Thomas Aquinas wasted little time showing why.

The Raiders scored 35 points in the first quarter, including a 50-yard touchdown from Blake Calixte to Julius Jones Jr.

The duo connected again later as St. Thomas Aquinas cruised to a 49-0 victory and improved to 4-0.

The Miami Central Rockets traveled to Georgia to take on fifth-ranked Buford, one of the top high school football teams in the country.

The Rockets fell 18-7 in a game played at one of the most expensive high school stadiums in the country.

Buford controlled the action and extended its winning streak to 18 games.

The Rockets are now 2-1 on the season.

“Lo primero que le diría a China es que yo no me voy a meter entre la pelea de ambos países”, dijo Fujimori a la radio RPP tras una pregunta sobre cómo respondería a un comunicado, emitido la víspera de la visita de Rubio, por parte de la embajada de China en Perú donde se indicó que el “Hemisferio Occidental no es el patio trasero de nadie” y que "los países de América Latina tienen el derecho soberano de elegir libremente a sus socios".

Fujimori añadió que tiene planes para viajar en noviembre a la ciudad de Shenzhen en China donde se realizará la reunión de líderes económicos del Foro de Cooperación Económica Asia-Pacífico (APEC). Indicó que en esa visita buscará una reunión bilateral con el presidente chino Xi Jinping.

La presidenta peruana indicó que Perú mantendrá y fortalecerá sus “relaciones comerciales con China” y con muchos países a los que exporta minerales, frutas, palta y harina de pescado. “Para nosotros es fundamental fortalecer los lazos comerciales con todos estos países en el Asia, Europa y en el Pacífico”, añadió.

Fujimori —quien escogió como canciller a Carlos Espá, un abogado que trabajó 15 años en la embajada de Estados Unidos en Lima — precisó que con ese país tendrá una alianza estratégica sobre todo para recibir apoyo en la lucha contra la criminalidad organizada. “Eso se ha sellado ayer con la entrada en el Escudo de las Américas”, dijo. Añadió que la visita de Rubio “le da a estas relaciones una importancia que vemos en el gobierno del presidente Donald Trump que hoy esta mirando a la región y mira al Perú con muy buenos ojos”.

La cámara de senadores convocó para la próxima semana al canciller peruano para que informe los detalles de la incorporación de Perú al Escudo de las Américas. La senadora opositora Ruth Luque, del partido Ahora Nación, indicó a la prensa que se necesita saber “a qué se ha incorporado exactamente Perú, cuál es el instrumento jurídico que sustenta esta incorporación y qué compromisos" asume el país.

China es el principal socio comercial de Perú desde 2014 cuando desplazó a Estados Unidos que ahora ocupa el segundo lugar. El presidente chino inauguró en 2024 un puerto gigante de China en el Pacífico de Perú que acorta la ruta marítima entre Sudamérica y Asia.

Memorial events from Miramar to Miami brought together first responders, community members and local leaders to reflect on the attacks and the lasting impact on those who served at Ground Zero.

“Terror brought down buildings, but it did not bring down this nation,” Rabbi Mark Rosenberg, chief chaplain for the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and a chaplain with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, said during one ceremony.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah remembered the firefighters and other first responders who rushed into the burning towers.

“(They) saw the explosions, saw the flames and ran towards them,” Jadallah said.

The effects of that service continue to be felt 25 years later. Many first responders and survivors have suffered illnesses linked to exposure to toxic dust and ash following the attacks.

Among them is retired Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Division Chief Robert Suarez, who retired in October 2007 after a career that included serving as a rescue specialist with Florida Task Force 1 at Ground Zero.

Suarez received a standing ovation during the ceremony as officials recognized his service.

“(It was) terrible, the loss of life, innocent people,” Suarez said. “2,977 people died that day. It was an honor to be there to help.”

For Rosenberg, the anniversary is also personal.

He was in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, shortly before the second World Trade Center tower collapsed. Rosenberg recalled running with a group of people toward the river as the building came down.

“There was so much confusion going on, yet everybody ran to help others,” Rosenberg said.

He recalled returning toward the disaster site and joining a human bucket search, an effort in which people passed debris hand to hand in the search for survivors.

“That just happened on its own — people as human beings, our instincts, to just do what we can to help,” Rosenberg said.

This year’s anniversary also coincides with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which begins Thursday evening. Rosenberg said the overlap adds another layer of reflection to an already emotional day.

“For those who celebrate Rosh Hashanah, we are going into a new year that requires us to reflect on what happened in the past and how we can do better moving forward,” he said. “So definitely a day mixed with emotions.”

For younger generations who did not experience the attacks firsthand, Rosenberg and Suarez said the hope is that the tragedy remains a lesson rather than something that must be experienced again.

“May God bless you that you never experience what we experienced,” Rosenberg said.

Suarez compared the remembrance of 9/11 to Pearl Harbor, noting that generations can honor events they did not personally witness.

“You never forget Pearl Harbor, and we were not even around for it,” he said.

His message for those reflecting on the anniversary was simple: “Love each other. Life is short. Don’t wait for tomorrow, because tomorrow might not come.”

Rosenberg said the events of Sept. 11 demonstrated how quickly life can change — and how people can respond in moments of unimaginable tragedy.

“Because in one moment, everything changes,” he said. “Don’t take anything for granted.”

The House Rules Committee has scheduled a meeting on the bill Monday, with a procedural vote likely later in the week that could determine the bill's fate. Several top Democratic lawmakers have voiced concerns that the measure dramatically expands President Donald Trump's tariff authority, and he would use that new power to go after U.S. allies.

The bill is named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who had worked with colleagues for more than a year to get it enacted. The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 86-11 about a month after his death.

The bill is designed to add pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to Russia's war with Ukraine.

Zelenskyy weighs in

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the House to pass the bill in a social media post on X. He said sanctions need to be imposed now and must be strong.

“And this is a very important historical moment for the United States. The bill must be passed, voted on, and supported,” Zelenskyy said. “Beyond that, strong decisions from the U.S. Administration are important. Personal decisions by President Trump. I very much hope we will see that.”

Three lawmakers who serve as the ranking Democrats on key congressional committees issued a joint statement that said House Democrats are rock solid in their support of Ukraine, but the bill would do more harm than good. They called for negotiations to craft a bill that can win strong support in both chambers.

“In the meantime, the President has ample authority to expand sanctions on those fueling Russia’s war machine, including those targeted by this bill, and we renew our call on him to do so without further delay,” read the statement from Reps. Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Richard Neal, the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Don Beyer, the senior House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee.

Window closing for congressional action

Next week's vote is likely the last chance the House will have to take up the measure before the midterms because House lawmakers are expected to spend the rest of September and October back in their home districts campaigning for reelection.

The bipartisan package allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas, including China and India. It provides exceptions for countries that import less than 15% of Russia’s natural gas exports and are taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian energy.

The legislation also includes sanctions on Putin, senior Russian political and military leaders, Russian financial institutions and Russian energy projects. It would expand U.S. sanctions to target older, reflagged oil tankers that Russia uses to circumvent existing U.S. sanctions on Russian oil and energy revenues. The bill also allows the White House to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that it’s in the national interest.

The bill also includes an extension of certain sanctions on Iran after Trump asked the Senate to add Iran to the bill. The administration has sought to combine economic pressure with the prospect of escalating force to resolve the war with Iran.

Se trata del glufosinato de amonio, un herbicida utilizado para el control de malezas, altamente soluble y volátil, que será aplicado con ayuda de dos aeronaves de la policía sobre cultivos de hoja de coca en Putumayo, departamento fronterizo con Ecuador.

Es parte del esfuerzo del presidente conservador Abelardo de la Espriella por reanudar la aspersión aérea con herbicidas, una promesa de campaña opuesta a la política antinarcóticos de su predecesor, el progresista Gustavo Petro (2022-2026), quien priorizó la sustitución voluntaria de cultivos ilícitos.

Sin embargo, la Corte Constitucional suspendió desde 2015 la fumigación aérea con glifosato —un herbicida químico que elimina plantas inhibiendo su crecimiento— como precaución ante los posibles daños en la salud, incluyendo probable causa de cáncer, y el medioambiente.

De la Espriella primero derogó la resolución de 2015 que mantenía suspendida la aspersión aérea con glifosato, lo que significó un paso en su propósito, pero no la reanudó de inmediato. Faltan requisitos como una licencia ambiental, la consulta a comunidades étnicas y el concepto favorable del Instituto Nacional de Salud.

Sin embargo, el Consejo Nacional de Estupefacientes de Colombia le dio luz verde a un plan piloto “controlado y evaluable” con aspersión aérea con glufosinato de amonio. Sin embargo, el plan quedó en el limbo luego de que un juez de Putumayo decretara el viernes la suspensión temporal de la aspersión aérea con el herbicida, hasta tanto no adopte una decision de fondo de una tutela —mecanismo de amparo— interpuesta por una fundación que alega la vulneración a derechos fundamentales.

El área sembrada con hoja de coca en Colombia en 2024 alcanzó las 261.000 hectáreas, según el último informe disponible de la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito.

Eficiencia cuestionada

La aspersión aérea de los cultivos de hoja de coca con glifosato inició en Colombia en la década de 1990, adquiriendo especial énfasis a inicios de los 2000 durante el Plan Colombia, una iniciativa antinarcóticos apoyada por Estados Unidos.

Para María Alejandra Vélez, profesora e investigadora del Centro de Estudios sobre Seguridad y Drogas de la Universidad de Los Andes, en Colombia ya se demostró que la fumigación aérea no funciona como se promete.

“Tenemos mucha evidencia que sustenta que esta es una estrategia poco costoefectiva, independientemente de que ahora estén cambiando el químico. Entre 1999 y el 2015 se asperjaron más de 1.7 millones de hectáreas con glifosato y no logramos acabar con el problema”, aseguró Vélez a The Associated Press.

Además, Vélez advierte “efectos socioambientales nocivos”, como desplazar los cultivos ilícitos a otras zonas donde no los había, contaminar el agua, aumentar la violencia y generar una “pérdida de legitimidad del Estado en esos territorios” entre los campesinos cultivadores, que son el “eslabón más débil de la cadena”.

En Putumayo hay presencia de grupos ilegales como las disidencias de la extinta guerrilla Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, que no se acogieron al acuerdo de paz firmado hace una década, y la guerrilla Ejército de Liberación Nacional.

De la Espriella puso fin el viernes a todas las mesas de diálogo con grupos ilegales adelantadas por Petro, incluyendo el de la disidencia Comandos de la Frontera, que tenía un centenar de sus miembros en una zona de ubicación temporal en un tránsito a dejar las armas.

"Quienes expresen voluntad real de dejar las armas deberán someterse a la justicia”, indicó la Presidencia en un comunicado.

Preocupación en Putumayo

En la región de Putumayo, donde se anunció el piloto, se calculan más de 44.000 hectáreas sembradas de hoja de coca. Sin embargo, miles de familias se han unido al programa de sustitución de cultivos ilícitos.

La Asociación Campesina del Suroriente del Putumayo le respondió a la AP que están muy preocupados porque en el pasado la fumigación con glifosato dejó afectaciones en los suelos, a la vida humana y a los animales.

“Es una decisión nefasta para las comunidades porque prácticamente sería condenarlas a una crisis económica, social y humanitaria sin precedentes”, indicó la asociación. “Hay unas condiciones técnicas que no se van a poder controlar y de alguna manera los efectos de ese veneno van a traspasar a cultivos aledaños y llegar hasta las viviendas”, agregó.

Según un informe de la Organización Mundial de la Salud de 2019 sobre plaguicidas de alta peligrosidad, el glufosinato de amonio está clasificado entre los “moderadamente peligrosos”.

En Putumayo hay resguardos indígenas, comunidades afrodescendientes y firmantes del acuerdo de paz de las FARC que continúan en la legalidad.

La Policía Antinarcóticos aseguró la víspera en un comunicado que la fase experimental tendrá restringidas áreas en Putumayo donde existan sujetos a especial protección, como las comunidades afrodescendientes, las zonas de protección ambiental y los cuerpos de agua.

So, in addition to the $150,000 checks they'll get for their wins, Masai Russell and Jakob Ingebrigtsen had plenty to smile about as they snaked their way through the stadium to discuss being crowned the first winners of track's new Ultimate Championship that kicked off Friday.

“If you find what you want to do in life, the money will always come,” Russell said after capping the season with a win in a meet that featured the best of the best and offered cash, not medals. “When you’re loving what you do, then this is like a cherry on top.”

Russell’s win in the 100-meter hurdles added to the world record she set two weeks ago. It made her 14-for-14 for 2026 in one of the most fickle, unpredictable events in track and field.

Ingebrigtsen won the 5,000 meters in 12 minutes, 59.24 seconds — more than 0.8 seconds ahead of American Cole Hocker. It felt fitting that they came in 1-2, given how the last month has gone. The Norwegian, who won the 5,000 at the Paris Games, got into a spat with Hocker over race tactics last month in Brussels.

They’re on the start list for a rematch Sunday in the 1,500, where Ingebrigtsen also has issues with Josh Kerr. Ingebrigtsen, however, said he needs to see how he feels Saturday before making a decision on whether to race.

“I think it's misunderstood that just because you ask a question that maybe you are critical about how someone is acting,” Ingebrigtsen said. “I think we have to have an open dialogue and communication about things we think are right or wrong.”

Duplantis gets another win but falls short of world record

Also winning was pole vaulter Mondo Duplantis — for the fifth straight time — though the news there was that he did not set a world record, meaning the 6.31 meters (20 feet, 8 1/2 inches) he cleared in March will stand a little while longer. Duplantis pulled out of a meet last week with back and leg tightness in a move he called precautionary.

He was, as he often is, the last man competing at the track, and hundreds of fans moved across the stadium from the finish line to be near the pole vault pit for their chance to see history.

“There were flashes of hope,” Duplantis said when asked if he thought he had a record jump in him. “For the most part, I was really just focused on competing and doing my best to make sure I came out on top.”

Duplantis' real encore comes Sunday night, when he sings an anthem he wrote for the championships titled “Gold.”

Another win for Mahuchikh, Ukraine's best high jumper

Ukraine’s best high jumper, Olympic gold medalist Yaroslava Mahuchikh, spent most of the chilly, damp night bundled in a parka and sleeping bag watching her opponents struggle with tricky footing on the runway. Her winning jump was 1.99 meters (6 feet, 6 1/4 inches) — fairly pedestrian by her standards.

Still, it was meaningful.

The win came in the same stadium where she broke through three years ago for the world championship, closer to the start of her country's now 4 1/2-year-old war with Russia. In addition to the $150,000, she picked up a pewter-colored, torch-shaped trophy that goes only to winners.

“I think this is a special” win, Mahuchikh said. “But I don't like to compare it with anything else. I just know the trophy will look good, right in the middle of all the Diamond League trophies.”

In the closest race of the night, Cordell Tinch practically had his hand on that trophy but lost the 110-meter hurdles by .01 seconds to American teammate Ja’Kobe Tharp. Tinch guessed he might have pulled up at about the 109-meter mark. Second place still gets $75,000 but no hardware.

“Nothing's really painful in the end,” Tinch said when asked how much it hurt to lose 75 grand by the blink of an eye. “I'm running and jumping over hurdles and getting paid for it. I can't complain about anything that way.”

Friday's other newly crowned champions were German hammer thrower Merlin Hummel and the U.S. mixed 4x100 relay team, anchored by Kayla White.

Russell is the latest great to come out of ‘Hurdles U’

The star of the evening — or make that, the season — could very well be Russell, who fell behind early, but powered over the last four hurdles for a 0.12-second win — a blowout in this event — over the previous world record holder, Tobi Amusan.

“She worked exceedingly hard and the results speak for itself,” said Lonnie Greene, one of her coaches at University of Kentucky.

The school known as “Hurdles U” has helped produce some of the greats in the game: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn Keni Harrison.

And now, Russell.

“My goal was to go out and win and dominate,” Russell said. “It's not for the money, not for the prizes, not for anything else. I'm here to build a legacy. I'm here to make my name stamped in history forever.”

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Pero más allá de las diversas celebraciones de organizaciones civiles, familiares de víctimas y partidos de oposición, la jornada estuvo marcada por la ausencia de actos oficiales convocados por el gobierno del conservador José Antonio Kast, un hecho inédito desde que el país recuperó la democracia en 1990.

"No puedo borrar el pasado, pero tampoco puedo pedirles a nuestros compatriotas que estemos condenados por nuestra historia a no poder mirar el futuro”, dijo Kast al defender la decisión de no realizar una ceremonia oficial.

La determinación del Ejecutivo marca un quiebre en la tradición de las últimas décadas ya que todos los gobiernos posteriores a la dictadura han realizado actos de memoria para recordar el asalto y bombardeo que destruyó el Palacio de La Moneda hace 53 años.

Desde que Kast asumió el poder hace seis meses su posicionamiento ante la fecha era una incógnita. Ello porque el ultraconservador nunca escondió su complacencia con la dictadura de Pinochet. En años anteriores llegó incluso a publicar en sus redes mensajes de apoyo al golpe.

Kast optó el viernes por alejarse de la icónica sede de gobierno —epicentro de las manifestaciones y homenajes— y visitar a las familias afectadas por las recientes emergencias climáticas en el sur del país.

“No hay mejor homenaje para la patria que enfrentar las urgencias de nuestros compatriotas", enfatizó. “Ese es el mejor homenaje que podemos hacer a Chile”.

Centenares de personas marchan en Santiago

Mientras, en Santiago, centenares de personas salieron a las calles para recordar las atrocidades cometidas durante los 17 años del régimen militar y pedir justicia por las víctimas.

Con pancartas de “Muerte al fascismo”, los manifestantes marcharon por las calles del centro de la capital y depositaron flores y ofrendas en el monumento a la memoria de Allende, erigido en la Plaza de la Constitución, a pocos metros de la sede de gobierno.

“Para muchos chilenos el 11 de septiembre de 1973 fue la última vez que pudieron desayunar con sus padres, hermanos, compañeros. Y eso no lo podemos olvidar, por ellos, por nosotros”, dijo Emilia Núñez, de 63 años, quien tenía 10 años cuando los militares tomaron el poder. “Era sólo una niña, pero me acuerdo los gritos, la radio, los momentos de terror”.

El asalto de los militares a La Moneda terminó con la muerte del presidente socialista y marcó el comienzo de la dictadura de Pinochet, uno de los capítulos más sombríos de la historia del país.

“Desde este rincón, golpeado por la violencia fascista, exigimos verdad y justicia para los más de 3.000 asesinados y ejecutados. Exigimos respuesta por cada uno de nuestros detenidos desaparecidos”, dijo el sindicalista Andrés Troncoso.

De acuerdo con datos del gobierno chileno, la dictadura de Pinochet se saldó con unas 40.000 víctimas, entre ellas más de 2.000 ejecutados y 1.469 víctimas de desaparición forzada.

The uphill struggle the United States and its allies face during the monthlong extension was evident in speeches after the vote. Russia, which holds veto power in the council and backs the Sudanese government in its fight against paramilitary forces, vowed to prevent any expansion of the arms embargo.

Moscow made its “red lines” clear during closed negotiations, Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Anna Evstigneeva said. “We will not allow even a hint of broadening the restrictions by the council on Sudan.”

The Security Council imposed an arms embargo on the vast Darfur region after violence erupted in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the authoritarian government in Khartoum, then led by Omar al-Bashir. The government responded with air attacks and a ground offensive by local nomadic Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, who are accused of mass killings and rapes. Up to 300,000 people died in the conflict and 2.7 million fled their homes.

At a council meeting on Aug. 24, the United States urged a countrywide arms embargo to push the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to negotiate an end to fighting that began in April 2023. The current war has killed at least 59,000 people, though aid groups warn the number could be much higher. It has displaced some 13 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Evstigneeva asked why the U.S. was trying to expand the arms embargo now when government forces “have a definite advantage on the ground,” and not in 2023 when the RSF was threatening the capital, Khartoum, and other cities.

It is the government that guarantees the country’s unity and institutions, and protects its civilians, she said.

China’s deputy U.N. ambassador Sun Lei warned that extending the embargo would worsen the humanitarian situation and might lead to the fragmentation of Sudan, which would threaten regional stability.

Sudan’s U.N. Ambassador Al-Harith Mohamed told the council that a total arms embargo goes against the U.N. Charter’s guarantee that countries have the right to self-defense and their armed forces have the right to produce and acquire weapons to protect their sovereignty.

But U.S. deputy ambassador Jeffrey Bartos said another long-term extension of the Darfur embargo “is not an option,” calling it outdated and “insufficient to address the realities of the war today.” The council also needs to sanction people who commit “horrific actions,” including sexual violence, kidnapping for ransom and attacks on humanitarian personnel, he said.

“Inaction means more suffering and death,” Bartos warned. “That is unacceptable, and we refuse to rubber stamp another year of maintaining the status quo.”

He reiterated the U.S. call for an end to the flow of arms to the belligerents from external parties. And he decried the attacks on aid convoys, pointing to last week's loss of over 50 metric tons of aid in an aerial attack on clearly identified World Food Program trucks in South Kordofan.

WFP acting director Carl Skau said in an interview with The Associated Press during his recent visit to Sudan that a lack of funding has forced the agency to reduce the number of people it assists from about 5 million at the beginning of the year to 3.5 million. “We risk now having to cut even further,” he warned.

“The world keeps sending weapons when they should be sending food and shelter, and when the focus and the energy and effort should really be on trying to bring an end to this conflict,” Skau said.

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Fay Abuelgasim contributed to this report from Cairo

Apart from Argentina’s Juan Martín del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open and his compatriot Gastón Gaudio at the 2004 French Open, every champion across the world’s four major tournaments has been European.

On Friday night, Ben Shelton won in four sets the all-American U.S. Open semifinal with Frances Tiafoe and now will attempt to end the long wait for another men’s Grand Slam champion from the United States. Shelton will play Alexander Zverev in the final.

“You know the history; it was the era of the ‘Big Three’ (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic) — something unmatched," Del Potro told media ahead of the Shelton-Tiafoe semifinal. "But American tennis has the potential to break this pattern. There are so many good players now with the potential to be Grand Slam champions, and I sincerely believe Tiafoe or Shelton can do it.”

As the last Grand Slam champion born outside of Europe, Del Potro takes pride in walking the grounds of the U.S. Open.

Talking for a living

The winner of the 2009 Open — who defeated Federer in the final to deny the Swiss star a sixth consecutive title at Flushing Meadows — now works as an analyst for ESPN Latin America.

“I’m so happy to be back in this special place,” the Argentine said. “It’s always a pleasure to be here. They still treat me like a champion, which feels great.”

His first day in this new role was grueling, featuring two men’s quarterfinals: First, Tiafoe’s victory over Alex Michelsen, followed by Shelton’s win over Carlos Alcaraz — a match that set the record for the latest finish in tournament history, ending at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday.

“I don’t have the experience and it’s not easy at all, but I’m enjoying it a lot,” Del Potro said. “My first day ended at 4 a.m.”

His triumph at Flushing Meadows at age 20 hinted at further major victories. However, a punishing series of injuries intervened: He underwent three surgeries on his right wrist, one on his left wrist, and four on his right knee from 2019-21.

Del Potro ultimately retired in 2022 at age 33, ending a career that included a pair of Olympic medals: Bronze in London in 2012 and silver in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

“I’m moving better now because I’m not doing as much. I’m not playing anymore, and I’m not pushing myself hard in daily life,” Del Potro said. “Whenever I wanted to accept invitations for clinics or exhibition games I had to go through a medical process with injections or anti-inflammatories. I stopped because that took a heavy toll on me in recent years.”

Advice for Alcaraz

Del Potro shared his experience with injuries with Alcaraz, speaking with him during the World Cup final in July.

Alcaraz returned to action at the U.S. Open after a nearly five-month hiatus caused by a right wrist injury. The Spaniard — who has seven Grand Slam titles at age 23 — avoided surgery and opted for conservative treatment, staying off the tour and missing two majors, Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

“I told Carlitos to stay on that conservative path and not mess with his wrist,” Del Potro noted. “My mistake was refusing to stop because I was fighting for ranking points in every tournament. Carlitos made the right decision; his wrist responded very well, and he played a great match against Shelton.”

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here

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Suzanne Howland, the granddaughter of the man who helped build the iconic waterfront Art Deco building at 3500 Pan American Drive, said the structure must be preserved.

“My grandfather built this building: Fred Howland of Fred Howland Construction Company,” Howland said. “This is an iconic building, it must be preserved.”

The building was constructed in the 1930s as Pan American World Airways’ seaplane terminal and has operated as Miami City Hall since the 1950s.

“Significant because of its beauty, its location, its usage, its accessibility,” Howland said. “I think the beauty of this building, the artistry, the history, the symbolism, is so important.”

Rich Heisenbottle, a leading renovation architect who worked to restore the building, said the connection between Miami and Pan Am is forever intertwined in the building.

“And that international connection that Pan Am brought to Miami has helped us even today. That international connection is the reason we are the city we are today -- the exciting, vibrant, multicultural city that we are,” Heisenbottle said.

Heisenbottle said that 10 years ago, the building “was in quite a bit of disarray.”

“What we did was uncover all the designs that were part of the Delano & Aldrich interior for Pan Am when it served as Pan Am’s terminal,” Heisenbottle said.

Several community members, historic preservation advocates and even former Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado gathered Thursday to support a resolution by District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo.

Deborah Stander, president of Hangar 5 Foundation, Inc., called the building, “arguably Miami’s most iconic building that speaks so directly to our city’s identity as an international gateway to the Americas.”

“This is literally the embodiment of the gateway — this is the gateway,” Stander said.

Regalado said Miami cannot keep erasing its history.

“The most important thing is that we have little history,” Regalado said. “We cannot keep erasing the history of Miami. We can’t keep giving away the history of our city. We are stewards of the history of Miami.”

The resolution would continue the historic building’s use as City Hall, home to regular City Commission meetings, instead of moving into the new administration building under construction at the soccer stadium site near Miami International Airport.

“You don’t have to abandon your past to build your future,” said Prado.

The item was backed by several of his colleagues.

District 4 Commissioner Ralph Rosado said the city of Miami does not always have the best history of preserving its cultural, historic and civic assets.

“Today is about letting the public know we very much want to preserve this building, a civic function associated with it, and that it should be here for the rest of time,” Rosado said. “Our concern is that a private operator would take this over, maybe doing renovations that are not in keeping with the history of Miami.

“We have seen it before, we want to make sure that we express our commitment to keeping this building here, keeping it for history.”

District 5 Commissioner Christine King said the goal is to preserve City Hall and not move commission meetings from the historic space to the new administration building farther west.

“We see all across the U.S. where cities preserve their historic spaces,” King said. “In Miami, we seem to want to tear it down and just be a modern city and everything new and sparkly. We are standing here with Commissioner Pardo so we continue to utilize this space for what it was meant for.

“We are standing in unity because we want to see this space preserved. We want to continue to have our commission meetings here. We want to show not only the city of Miami, but the rest of the world that we care about our historic spaces as well.”

Pardo said the building represents Miami’s connection to the Caribbean and Latin America.

“This is where our leaders for 70 years debated our future, that is a tremendous legacy, this is the people’s place, where they come to speak and we want to make sure we honor that, where global leaders would come,” Pardo said. “There is nothing to replace this.”

The lone dissenter was District 1 Commissioner Miguel Gabela, who expressed concern about potential taxpayer duplication given that a new administration building is going up.

Pardo said those were valid concerns but that the city was still early enough in the process to make accommodations.

“I think those are very valid concerns, but we are still ahead enough in the process that we can make a lot of accommodations,” Pardo said.

The item passed 4-1, with Gabela voting no.

“Done and done, not moving, we are here,” Pardo said.

Natalia Curjeiras, the CEO of the Museum of Miami, a key stakeholder in telling the story of Miami, pitched commissioners on the idea of moving in.

“This is a historic gem, and we can have the ability to share the story of Miami and preserve this site for generations to come,” Curjeiras said.

Describing a “very, very preliminary” plan, Curjeiras said the museum proposed preserving the historic terminal while building a dedicated museum next to it.

She said the museum “is better equipped than anyone else to preserve this site for future generations,” as a curator of Pan Am artifacts and other historic items and documents.

“There is no other place that has so many layers of our history,” Curjeiras said. “The fact that we can bring those artifacts to where that history happened is a really powerful thing.”

Curjeiras told Local 10 News that, in addition to commission meetings, the museum could help activate chambers with a range of community programming to lean into the civic space Pardo described as Miami’s “ancestral home.”

“And what we want to build is a civic campus, where our community can come, learn about our history, go to a commission meeting, or attend a public event, or walk around the bay and make sure our children, and the children of our children and have access to that and take pride in the access to that history of the place we call home,” she said.

As for the idea of constructing an adjacent building for the museum, Howland expressed concern about what that could look like.

“I would like to see evidence of that plan but it just seems to me, shooting from the hip, that it would be an obstruction interfering with the setting of this building,” Howland said. “That perhaps, visually, it wouldn’t be such a great thing, but hard to say until we see it, would like to see it, but I think this should remain in the visual isolation that it is for it to be appreciated.”

Curjeiras said any new museum building would have to be built at scale in a way that allows the Pan Am terminal to remain the visual focus.

“It could potentially be behind, aside, that has yet to be determined, that is a whole process that would have to take place,” she said. “So we will present an intent to the city where we can hopefully come up with a framework that would allow us to start a formal conversation about next steps.”

Pardo said he anticipates the city will likely receive public-private partnership pitches from others seeking to collaborate.

“We are all open to everything, we also have Pan Am Airways there, they are starting the new Pan American Airways, they were here making a pitch of wanting to potentially have this space for operations in the future,” Pardo said.

Pardo said ultimately, the biggest criterion for consideration is financial viability.

“For the city the biggest criteria is the financial viability of whoever comes in here with us,” Pardo said. “We want to make sure that they can pay their share, that we can keep maintaining the building, which only costs $295,000 a year to maintain so at least it is not a big weight on the budget it is well worth the money to keep City Hall here.”

Pan American World Airways, LLC said it is currently undergoing FAA certification as a U.S. flag carrier and plans to operate Airbus A320-series aircraft from Miami International Airport. The company said it sees the historic City Hall building as an opportunity to reconnect Pan Am with its longtime Miami roots.

“Our idea for the Miami City Hall would accommodate the desire for the city to maintain a government presence in the building,” the company said. “We want to have our sales and marketing teams and our corporate communications team occupy some offices in the building, which would allow for the commissioners to still be able to meet there on the ground floor.”

Pan American World Airways, LLC said it is currently undergoing FAA certification as a U.S. flag carrier and plans to operate Airbus A320-series aircraft from Miami International Airport. The company said it sees the historic City Hall building as an opportunity to reconnect Pan Am with its longtime Miami roots.

“Our idea for the Miami City Hall would accommodate the desire for the city to maintain a government presence in the building,” a company spokesperson said. “We want to have our sales and marketing teams and our corporate communications team occupy some offices in the building, which would allow for the commissioners to still be able to meet there on the ground floor.”

The company also said it would like to incorporate Pan Am history into the building.

“We would work with the Pan Am Museum and others to put Pan Am memorabilia in the building,” the company said. “There is so much history associated with Pan Am and Miami, and we would like to help preserve and showcase that history in the very building that originally served as Pan Am’s seaplane terminal.”

But the company said its vision could eventually go beyond offices, memorabilia and civic functions.

“Eventually we would like to operate our 12-seat, all-electric seaplanes from the dock/waterfront in the back of the building,” the company said.

The company has created an animated video showing what the seaplane could look like taking off from Biscayne Bay.

“We think there is something very special about bringing Pan Am back to the waterfront in Miami in a way that respects the history of the building while also looking toward the future,” the company added.

Kamran Hekmati was let out of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on Sept. 5 after completing about half of a two-year sentence, his family recently wrote on a website advocating for his release.

The family said they are also “desperately afraid for his health and well-being” as he requires regular medical checkups to ensure his bladder cancer doesn’t relapse.

“The Iranian regime couldn’t care less,” the family wrote of Hekmati's medical challenges. “Much like other wrongful detention cases in Iran, Kamran appears to be caught up in Iran’s traditional approach of detaining Americans to obtain political concessions from the US.”

Representatives for the family and the federal government didn’t say where Hekmati, who turned 62 in August, is currently staying in Iran.

But Shohreh Nowfar, Hekmati’s cousin in California, said Friday that the family is “excited” and hopeful that his passport can be returned soon so he can leave the country, which has been at war with the U.S. and Israel for more than six months now.

“We continue to hope this is a signal from the Iranian side as to their willingness to send Kamran home,” added Kieran Ramsey, chief investigative officer at Global Reach, a U.S. nonprofit working on Hekmati’s case.

The Iranian American, who is also Jewish, owns a jewelry business in Manhattan’s Diamond District and has lived with his family for years in Great Neck Estates, on suburban Long Island.

He was arrested by Iranian authorities last July after having his passport seized while trying to fly out of the airport in Tehran that May.

Hekmati’s family says he was charged under an Iranian law that bans Iranian citizens from visiting Israel within the last 10 years. But they maintain his last trip to Israel was 13 years ago -- prior to the passage of the law -- for his son’s bar mitzvah.

“Mr. Hekmati did nothing wrong,” said U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, a Long Island Democrat who advocated for the State Department to officially designate Hekmati as wrongfully detained earlier this year. “We cannot rest until he is reunited with his family.”

The State Department similarly called on Iran to lift its so-called exit ban so Hekmati can return to the U.S. It also said the country should “immediately release” Iranian American journalist Reza Valizadeh and other Americans “unjustly detained in Iran.”

Valizadeh and Hekmati are the two Americans so far officially designated as wrongfully detained in Iran, while up to eight others who have not been publicly named are prohibited from leaving the country, according to Ramsey.

Valizadeh's lawyer, Ryan Fayhee, declined to comment Friday, citing the risks his client could face behind bars.

But in recent months, the journalist has sent voice messages describing conditions inside Evin prison, a high-security facility that holds many of the Islamic Republic’s political prisoners.

In an August recording, Valizadeh, who has been imprisoned since 2024, said prison officials have not allowed his family to visit for the past five months. He also said medical care is “almost non-existent,” save for the most basic medications.

“Diseases that were eradicated decades ago have returned inside the prison, including pulmonary and gastrointestinal tuberculosis,” he said in the voice message, which was shared by CBS.

Valizadeh also said that prior to his release, Hekmati had been granted a medical furlough for cancer treatment but was ordered back to prison after about a month, rather than being allowed to begin chemotherapy.

Valizadeh is among at least nine reporters currently jailed in Iran, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

He was arrested after returning to Iran to visit his elderly parents and charged with collaborating with the U.S. government.

Valizadeh obtained U.S. citizenship in 2022 while working in Washington, D.C., for Radio Farda, the Persian-language arm of Radio Free Europe, which receives U.S. government funding.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

But there's one thing the two sides can agree on: Nashville International Airport should be renamed to honor Tennessee's favorite daughter, Dolly Parton. The change would make Parton the first woman whose name adorns one of America’s 50 busiest airports.

Lydia Popovich, a Parton superfan who started a petition for the name change in 2025, said on Friday that Parton had gracefully batted down the idea of naming the airport after her, as she did with many other proposed honors during her lifetime. That includes a bill brought by Tennessee lawmakers in 2021 to place a statue of her on the Capitol grounds.

Parton asked lawmakers to withdraw the bill but expressed a hope that it might happen “somewhere down the road several years from now or perhaps after I’m gone if you still feel I deserve it.”

Effort to rename airport gained steam after Parton's death

After Parton's death two weeks ago, the airport naming idea seemingly caught fire, with Popovich's petition reaching more than 175,000 signatures — not that the officials competing to run the airport needed the push.

At a meeting Friday of the state-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, a motion directing the airport CEO to begin the renaming process was unanimously approved by board members praising Parton to the heavens. Airport officials said the change could take a year or more and involves working with Parton's estate to determine how they might split profits from merchandise sales, among other things.

Bipartisan agreement on name change is a departure

There are two Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authorities: one run by the state and the other controlled by the city, a bifurcated regulatory system that was created in 2023 amid a partisan dispute between the GOP-run state and the Democratic-run city. Who actually controls the airport has been in dispute ever since, with competing boards taking the reins only to be deposed as courts rule and are overturned.

Despite the acrimony, Nashville's Democratic Mayor Freddie O'Connell and the competing, city-controlled Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority are also in support of the name change, according to O'Connell spokesman Alex Apple.

“The FAA's going to get two votes from two boards, both in favor,” Apple said.

The situation is ironic, and it's hard to imagine that Parton would approve.

Stuart McWhorter, a member of the state-controlled board and deputy to Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee, briefly mentioned the dispute at the Friday meeting. He suggested that in the spirit of Parton “we can get beyond the litigation and get back to working together.”

Supporter of name change: ‘She’s the best of Tennessee'

Born in poverty in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Parton became an icon whose popularity crossed generational, geographic and political boundaries. In addition to writing and recording hit songs such as “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You,” she starred in Hollywood films including “9 to 5” and “Steel Magnolias.”

Popovich, who attended the Friday meeting and spoke in favor of the proposal, was in tears after the unanimous vote in favor.

“It's been a really beautiful experience, especially as you're grieving someone that was such a great loss,” she told The Associated Press. “She's the best of Tennessee. She's the best of the humans on the planet. She was this magical person that provided light and guidance to all of us.

“Unfortunately she's left us, but now we get to celebrate her and get to tell the world how much Tennessee loved her.”

El máximo tribunal de Brasil desclasificó varios documentos a última hora del jueves en los que se muestra que el senador Bolsonaro, principal rival del presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, está siendo investigado por recibir 61 millones de reales (12 millones de dólares) de un banquero situado en el centro de un escándalo de corrupción para producir una película titulada “The Dark Horse” (“El caballo negro”).

La investigación, que se centra en si la familia Bolsonaro hizo un uso indebido de los fondos y en si los pagos fueron debidamente reportados a las autoridades brasileñas, amenaza con socavar la postulación del senador Bolsonaro a la presidencia. La primera vuelta de las elecciones está prevista para el 4 de octubre y el senador está enfrascado en una reñida contienda con Lula.

El banquero, Daniel Vorcaro, que fue detenido en marzo, está acusado de defraudar por cientos de millones de dólares a muchos de los 800.000 clientes de Banco Master, entre ellos varios fondos de pensiones de gobiernos estatales, al convencerlos de realizar inversiones cuestionables. El escándalo ha salpicado a varios altos funcionarios en Brasil.

Las acusaciones se hicieron públicas por primera vez en mayo. El senador Bolsonaro ha negado haber cometido delito alguno y afirmó el viernes, durante un mitin de campaña en la ciudad de Manaus, que buscaba inversión privada para la película.

“Es muy positivo que los documentos sean desclasificados”, aseveró Flávio Bolsonaro a los periodistas en el mitin. “Quiero transparencia en todo. Sólo confirmaré lo que siempre dije. No hay nada malo con la película”.

Corrupción, lavado de dinero y evasión fiscal

Un documento alega que Eduardo Bolsonaro, quien vive en Texas y es uno de los hermanos de Flávio Bolsonaro, “orientó sobre cómo los recursos (enviados por Vorcaro) podían ser gestionados en Estados Unidos”.

Los fiscales sospechan que los fondos para la película se utilizaron para pagar los gastos de Eduardo Bolsonaro y para promover la agenda política de Flávio Bolsonaro ante la administración Trump, según muestran los documentos.

En redes sociales, Eduardo Bolsonaro negó cualquier irregularidad y dijo que los investigadores “están tratando de repetir el mecanismo que funcionó contra Jair Bolsonaro”. El expresidente fue condenado por el Supremo Tribunal Federal de Brasil a 27 años de prisión por intento de golpe de Estado.

El jueves, la Policía Federal de Brasil incautó documentos de la productora de la película y del legislador Mário Frias, quien envió alrededor de 2 millones de reales (400.000 dólares) a una organización sin fines de lucro vinculada a la película. La productora y Frias niegan haber cometido algún delito.

El juez del Supremo Tribunal André Mendonca, designado por Bolsonaro, abrió una investigación contra el senador Bolsonaro en julio a petición de la Policía Federal de Brasil.

La oficina de Mendonca ha guardado silencio sobre el caso durante muchas semanas, lo que llevó a aliados de Lula a acusar al juez del Supremo Tribunal de proteger al senador Bolsonaro de las investigaciones.

Mendonca desclasificó los documentos a petición del presidente del tribunal, Luiz Edson Fachin, quien buscó aliviar una crisis política dentro de la corte y aportar transparencia a la amplia investigación sobre Banco Master. Fachin ordenó el viernes a Mendonca que divulgara todos los documentos relativos al caso Banco Master en un plazo de 24 horas.

Paulo Henrique Paschoeto Cassimiro, profesor de ciencias políticas en la Universidad Estatal de Río de Janeiro, dijo que los vínculos del senador Bolsonaro con Vorcaro podrían perjudicar sus posibilidades frente a Lula a tres semanas de la votación, después de que pasara meses recuperándose en las encuestas desde que las revelaciones salieron a la luz en mayo.

Cassimiro añadió que los documentos desclasificados también podrían impulsar la posición de Lula, ya que ha insistido en que todo se haga público, sin importar a quién afecte, pues sabe que “gran parte del escándalo ha golpeado a políticos de la derecha, aunque no exclusivamente” .

Lula ha llevado el caso a su campaña en anuncios y entrevistas recientes.

“Banco Master fue creado en el gobierno de Bolsonaro. Vorcaro fue detenido en el mío, el banco fue clausurado en mi gobierno”, dijo Lula en una entrevista con la cadena SBT emitida el jueves por la noche.

El Banco Central de Brasil cerró en noviembre Banco Master, cuyos activos superaban los 16.000 millones de dólares.

——

La periodista de AP Eléonore Hughes contribuyó a este despacho desde Río de Janeiro.

___

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

La presidenta encargada de Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, se reunió en la capital de Surinam, Paramaribo, con Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, líder del Partido Nacional Democrático, quien asumió el poder a mediados del año pasado y se convirtió en la primera mujer en presidir el país.

En materia energética, Venezuela ofreció brindar su experiencia en la exploración y producción petrolera y gas, así como capacitación a los trabajadores de la futura industria petrolera en Surinam por intermedio de la Universidad Venezolana de los Hidrocarburos, dijo Rodríguez en declaración difundida por la estatal Venezolana de Televisión.

Surinam se prepara para lograr una inédita afluencia de riqueza tras el descubrimiento de importantes yacimientos petrolíferos en alta mar, cuya primera producción se espera para 2028.

Otro de los convenios apunta a favorecer directamente a 200 pescadores venezolanos de los estados orientales de Nueva Esparta y Sucre, quienes contarán con licencias para ejercer sus labores en el corredor Atlántico de Surinam, se informó.

Las partes acordaron, además, dar impulso a la conexión aérea entre sus países, favorecer el comercio y el turismo binacional. En materia agrícola buscarán reforzar la seguridad alimentaria de sus países.

Desde que Geerlings-Simons asumió el cargo a mediados del año pasado adelanta un proceso que prioriza la estabilización de las finanzas en Surinam, un país sudamericano de habla neerlandesa con más de 646.000 habitantes.

La administración de su predecesor, el presidente Chandrikapersad Santokhi, estuvo plagada de escándalos de corrupción y una severa crisis económica que lo obligó a recurrir al Fondo Monetario Internacional para reactivar la economía del país. Como resultado, la deuda pública se reestructuró en gran medida y los subsidios gubernamentales se redujeron significativamente, generando violentas protestas en su contra que desembocaron en su salida del poder.

Geerlings-Simons, en consecuencia, enfrenta serios desafíos en los años previos a la producción de los primeros barriles de petróleo del país, en parte porque debe pagar aproximadamente 400 millones de dólares anuales en préstamos e intereses, según los expertos.

Academy President Panos A. Panay, speaking after a meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday, said Africa’s place in the global music industry was a project that cannot be measured by a single launch date, but by the work being put into building a foundation. The California-based Recording Academy is the organization that presents the Grammy Awards.

The academy now wants to expand its presence in Africa by establishing an Africa Recording Academy headquarters, which Kenya is bidding to host alongside Nigeria and South Africa. The Kenyan government has invested $3.9 million toward hosting the hub.

At a panel discussion Friday with various creative economy actors, Panay said the introduction of the best African music performance category in the Grammys and the establishment of the American Music Mentorship Program in partnership with the U.S. State Department, is part of the milestones achieved in the African music industry.

Panay said expanding the global reach of African music was a process like that of gardening where all the necessary conditions have to be in place before the final harvest.

“For things to happen, you need conditions, you need persistence. You need pruning,” he said.

Panay said plans were underway to enroll more African members in the Recording Academy, noting that Grammy Award winners are chosen through a peer-voting process rather than by a jury.

The Recording Academy has been working to expand and diversify its voting body by reaching out to underrepresented communities. Since 2019, the Academy has reported significant growth among voters from different racial backgrounds, including a 100% increase in Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, a 90% increase in Black voters and a 43% increase in Latino voters.

At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Bad Bunny won album of the year, making history as the first time a Spanish-language album has taken home the top prize.

Four years ago, the Grammys introduced the Best African Music Performance category and later formed an American Music Mentorship Program in partnership with the U.S. State Department.

Ruto, speaking Wednesday during a business summit, said the investment in the African hub to be hosted by Kenya was aimed at transforming Kenya’s creative economy into a viable source of income for artists.

“It is about attracting studios, labels, platforms and investors, and making Kenya a permanent center of African creative production,” he said.

The center will provide more opportunities on the international stage for African artists.

Manuel Abud, CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, said Africa’s push to establish a stronger presence within the Grammys should be viewed as a long-term project.

He compared it to the development of the Latin Recording Academy, saying it also took years to build the structures and networks needed to establish a strong presence in the global music industry.

Abud, Panay and Media Executive Nicholas Weinstock have been on a weeklong meet and greet in Nairobi as part of the U.S. Embassy-Kenya creative economy collaboration.

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Homestead police said they went to the victim’s home last Friday after she reported that her ex, Garrett Whitney, “made a verbal threat to kill” her.

She told police that she recently broke up with Whitney, 23, after more than two years together, according to an arrest report.

The report states that since the breakup, Whitney “has repeatedly called her and texted her from numerous different phone numbers to harass and threaten her” despite being told to stop and having multiple phone numbers blocked.

Using “several different vehicles,” police said Whitney “has repeatedly driven past her residence and questions her about her visitor(s) and her activities.”

According to the report, text messages show Whitney threatening to open an OnlyFans page under the handle “(victim’s first name)s_spicy_account,” which he later did and “posted nude photographs of her.”

Authorities said he texted her, “I’m going to murder you” and said “several times” during a child custody exchange, “I promise I’m going to kill someone.”

On Thursday, police said the victim further reported to them that Whitney “has been calling and harassing her non-stop, advising (that he has done so) over 500 times a day since she has moved out.”

Police said voicemails and text messages revealed further threats to the woman and her family.

“I am going too (sic) murder u,” police said he wrote in one message. “Like no cap, u really asking for it, u not gonna be with me u aint gonna be with no one b----, i swear bro im itching to do it and we going to do this right or he aint gonna have either of us.”

It turned out, according to a separate arrest report, that Homestead police had been conducting undercover drug buys with Whitney since February ― and on Thursday, they arranged to meet with him at the In-N-Out Market, a food store at 1395 SW Eighth St., for a $2,400 cocaine buy.

Authorities said after Whitney took the cash and gave the undercover officer more than three ounces of cocaine, police took him into custody. Charges listed in the arrest report indicate that the cocaine also contained fentanyl.

Whitney now faces multiple charges, including cocaine trafficking, aggravated stalking, written threats to kill and sexual cyber-harassment.

As of Friday afternoon, he was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bond listed as “to be set.”

He also has a magistrate hold listed.

La policía de Homestead dijo que acudió a la casa de la víctima el viernes pasado después de que ella reportara que su ex, Garrett Whitney, “la amenazó verbalmente con matarla”.

Ella dijo a la policía que recientemente terminó su relación con Whitney, de 23 años, después de más de dos años juntos, según un reporte de arresto.

El reporte señala que desde la ruptura, Whitney “la ha llamado y enviado mensajes de texto repetidamente desde numerosos números telefónicos diferentes para acosarla y amenazarla”, a pesar de que le dijeron que dejara de hacerlo y de que varios números telefónicos fueron bloqueados.

Utilizando “varios vehículos diferentes”, la policía dijo que Whitney “ha pasado repetidamente frente a su residencia y le pregunta sobre sus visitantes y sus actividades”.

Según el reporte, los mensajes de texto muestran que Whitney amenazó con abrir una página de OnlyFans bajo el nombre de usuario “(nombre de la víctima)s_spicy_account”, lo que posteriormente hizo y “publicó fotografías de ella desnuda”.

Las autoridades dijeron que le envió un mensaje de texto que decía: “Voy a asesinarte” y dijo “varias veces” durante un intercambio por la custodia de un menor: “Prometo que voy a matar a alguien”.

El jueves, la policía dijo que la víctima reportó además que Whitney “la ha estado llamando y acosando sin parar, indicando que lo ha hecho más de 500 veces al día desde que ella se mudó”.

La policía dijo que mensajes de voz y de texto revelaron más amenazas contra la mujer y su familia.

“Voy a asesinarte”, escribió en un mensaje, según la policía. “De verdad, tú te lo estás buscando, si no vas a estar conmigo no vas a estar con nadie, p—, te lo juro, estoy ansioso por hacerlo y vamos a hacer esto bien o él no va a tener a ninguno de los dos”.

Según un reporte de arresto separado, resultó que la policía de Homestead había estado realizando compras encubiertas de drogas a Whitney desde febrero y, el jueves, acordaron reunirse con él en In-N-Out Market, una tienda de alimentos ubicada en 1395 SW Eighth St., para comprar $2,400 USD en cocaína.

Las autoridades dijeron que después de que Whitney recibió el dinero en efectivo y entregó al agente encubierto más de tres onzas de cocaína, la policía lo detuvo. Los cargos enumerados en el reporte de arresto indican que la cocaína también contenía fentanilo.

Whitney ahora enfrenta múltiples cargos, entre ellos tráfico de cocaína, acoso agravado, amenazas escritas de muerte y ciberacoso sexual.

Hasta la tarde del viernes, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza que figuraba como “por determinar”.

También tiene registrada una retención por orden de un magistrado.

La cuarta edición anual del torneo Always Remember Never Forget reunió a 16 equipos de socorristas y veteranos militares de todo el sureste.

Para los jugadores, el torneo es una oportunidad para competir, fomentar la camaradería y recordar los acontecimientos que cambiaron al país hace 25 años.

“Cuando entran a este hielo durante una hora, nada más importa”, dijo John Allen, director del torneo.

Allen dijo que la importancia de ese día sigue siendo fuerte para quienes lo vivieron y para quienes prestaron servicio después de los ataques.

“Obviamente, hace 25 años hoy, Estados Unidos en su conjunto cambió”, dijo Allen. “Ese día fue traumático para muchas personas”.

Allen dijo que el torneo se centra en honrar a quienes prestaron servicio y a quienes se perdieron.

“Hoy se trata de recordar a las personas que han servido, a las personas que perdimos el 11 de septiembre, a las personas que perdimos en la guerra y en los acontecimientos posteriores”, dijo Allen.

Una vez que cae el disco, los jugadores se concentran en el partido, creando un sentido de unidad entre personas que comprenden la experiencia de servir a los demás.

“Podemos odiarnos cuando estamos en el hielo, pero cuando salimos, todo son abrazos”, dijo Greg Ferrari, de Panthers Warriors Team 1.

Ferrari sirvió 16 años en el Ejército y estuvo entre los últimos soldados en salir de Afganistán. Dijo que jugar hockey con otros veteranos le devuelve un sentido familiar de camaradería.

“Gran parte de la camaradería proviene de estar con personas que pasaron por experiencias similares a las tuyas, y todos practicamos juntos un deporte que nos gusta”, dijo.

El programa de hockey Panthers Warriors también utiliza el torneo como una oportunidad para apoyar a los socorristas y a otras personas que prestaron servicio.

“Hacemos lo que podemos para apoyar a las personas que estuvieron allí para ayudarnos”, dijo Ed Zito, presidente de Panthers Warriors Hockey.

Los partidos continuarán durante todo el fin de semana y el torneo se extenderá hasta el domingo. Consulte el calendario completo a continuación.

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The fourth annual Always Remember Never Forget tournament brought together 16 teams of first responders and military veterans from across the Southeast.

For the players, the tournament is a chance to compete, build camaraderie and remember the events that changed the country 25 years ago.

“When they get on this ice for one hour, nothing else matters,” said John Allen, the tournament’s director.

Allen said the significance of the day remains strong for those who lived through it and those who served in its aftermath.

“Obviously 25 years ago today, America as a whole changed,” Allen said. “That day was traumatic for a lot of people.”

Allen said the tournament is focused on honoring those who served and those who were lost.

“Today is about remembering the people who have served people who we’ve lost on 9/11 people who we lost in the war in the events following after,” Allen said.

Once the puck drops, the players focus on the game, creating a sense of unity among people who understand the experience of serving others.

“We may hate each other when we’re on the ice, but when we’re off it’s all hugs,” said Greg Ferrari of Panthers Warriors Team 1.

Ferrari served 16 years in the Army and was among the last soldiers to leave Afghanistan. He said playing hockey with fellow veterans brings back a familiar sense of camaraderie.

“A lot of the camaraderie of having guys that went through similar experiences as you, we all play a sport that we like together,” he said.

The Panthers Warriors hockey program also uses the tournament as an opportunity to support first responders and others who served.

“Doing what we can to support the people that were there to help us out,” said Ed Zito, president of Panthers Warriors Hockey.

Games will continue throughout the weekend, with the tournament running through Sunday. Read the full schedule below.

The documents illustrate security analysts' tracking of bin Laden's movements and support system, as well as concerns about possible threats to U.S. targets. They also detail officials' understanding of his network in the United States and other countries, including how his operations were financed.

Proclaiming it “an act of exceptional transparency,” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the documents were the agency's single largest release of declassified presidential daily briefs — the highly classified briefings prepared by the nation’s intelligence community for the government’s most senior leaders.

The documents range from a February 1998 file — prepared for then-President Bill Clinton — titled “Terrorists seeking WMD capability” and mentioning bin Laden and other Islamic extremists to a Sept. 12, 2001, report in which a source indicated the attacks had been planned for two years and had also targeted the U.S. Capitol.

An April 1998 document described the Taliban's unwillingness to hand over bin Laden, at the time seen as their “guest” in Afghanistan, noting their “gratitude for his assistance during the Soviet occupation” was making them “reluctant to alienate him by monitoring or controlling his activities.”

Briefers in July 1998 called it “plausible that Bin Ladin places a high priority on conducting attacks in the United States" and noted his "interest in conducting attacks with chemical and biological agents.”

Two months later, a briefer wrote that bin Laden's “preferred option is to strike the US on its own soil in Washington,” and that al-Qaida “may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city.”

Potential hijackings were also discussed in December 1998, when a briefer described how conspirators “had evaded security checks during a recent trial run at an unidentified New York airport," and “some members of the Bin Ladin network have received hijack training.”

Other documents detail bin Laden's pursuit of materials for making “dirty bombs,” conventional weapons infused with radioactive material. By June 1999, according to intelligence officials, his operatives had conducted such experiments with explosives to "increase their energy output.”

About two years before the attacks, intelligence officials were aware bin Laden appeared to be misleading the Taliban about his reluctance to launch an unprovoked attack on the U.S. Briefs prepared for President George W. Bush in early 2001 focused in part on bin Laden's “experimentation by crude means to make and deploy biological agents.”

A report a month before the attacks indicated bin Laden's commitment “to conduct terrorist attacks in the US," noting that 1998 al-Qaida attacks on U.S. embassies “demonstrate that he prepares operations years in advance and is not deterred by setbacks.”

At that time — August 2001 — officials wrote of “suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York,” adding that the FBI was “conducting approximately 70 full field investigations throughout the US that it considers Bin Ladin-related.”

Many of the documents were redacted to conceal sources’ names and other identifying information. They didn’t appear to break any new ground on the planning of the attacks or on U.S. officials’ understanding of how they had unfolded.

In the years immediately following the attacks, a bipartisan commission highlighted a lack of information sharing among agencies such as the CIA and FBI, and issued recommendations that yielded new positions, including a centralized director of national intelligence, as well as the National Counterterrorism Center, which analyzes domestic and foreign terrorism information across different government branches.

Asked for comment on the release, the White House noted the release of another batch of documents by the National Archives, also Friday. That batch, including interviews with national security officials in the Clinton and Bush administrations, was a product of the commission that probed the attacks from 2002 to 2004.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

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The ceremony at the law enforcement officers’ memorial focused on the sacrifice of firefighters, police officers and other emergency personnel who responded to the attacks, as well as those who later became ill from exposure to toxic dust and debris.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah singled out retired MDFR Chief Robert Suarez, who spent several days working at the World Trade Center site after the attacks. Suarez, now 72, received a standing ovation from those gathered at the memorial.

“Sacrifice is not always measured in a single moment,” Jadallah said. “Sometimes it’s carried for a lifetime.”

Jadallah thanked Suarez and other responders who continue to live with the consequences of their work, as well as those who have died.

“To every responder who continues to carry that burden, and to those who are no longer here to stand among us, we see you, we remember you, and we thank you for your service,” he said.

For many Americans, the attacks remain a defining collective memory — a day marked by shock, grief, fear and uncertainty that unfolded in real time and continued to shape the nation for years.

But for younger generations, 9/11 is increasingly something learned through history rather than experienced firsthand.

Suarez said the passage of time makes it even more important to preserve the lessons of that day. Among the most important, he said, is the need to have the courage to love, care for and support one another.

The ceremony was one of several events held across Miami-Dade County Friday as communities across the country marked 25 years since the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and forever changed the nation.

La ceremonia en el monumento a los agentes del orden se centró en el sacrificio de bomberos, policías y otro personal de emergencia que respondió a los ataques, así como de aquellos que posteriormente enfermaron por la exposición al polvo tóxico y los escombros.

El jefe de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Ray Jadallah, destacó al jefe retirado de MDFR Robert Suarez, quien pasó varios días trabajando en el sitio del World Trade Center después de los ataques. Suarez, ahora de 72 años, recibió una ovación de pie de quienes se reunieron en el monumento.

“El sacrificio no siempre se mide en un solo momento”, dijo Jadallah. “A veces se lleva durante toda la vida”.

Jadallah agradeció a Suarez y a otros socorristas que continúan viviendo con las consecuencias de su trabajo, así como a aquellos que han muerto.

“A cada socorrista que continúa llevando esa carga, y a aquellos que ya no están aquí entre nosotros, los vemos, los recordamos y les agradecemos su servicio”, dijo.

Para muchos estadounidenses, los ataques siguen siendo un recuerdo colectivo que los marcó: un día caracterizado por la conmoción, el dolor, el miedo y la incertidumbre que se desarrolló en tiempo real y continuó moldeando a la nación durante años.

Pero para las generaciones más jóvenes, el 11 de septiembre es cada vez más algo que se aprende a través de la historia en lugar de experimentarse de primera mano.

Suarez dijo que el paso del tiempo hace aún más importante preservar las lecciones de ese día. Entre las más importantes, dijo, está la necesidad de tener el valor de amar, cuidar y apoyarse unos a otros.

La ceremonia fue uno de varios eventos realizados en todo el condado Miami-Dade el viernes, mientras comunidades de todo el país conmemoraban 25 años desde los ataques que mataron a casi 3,000 personas y cambiaron para siempre a la nación.

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Deputies said they responded Sunday night to a report involving 41-year-old Nicholas Lydic, who is accused of touching himself in the parking lot.

Authorities said they also found a backpack inside his vehicle containing women’s underwear and sex toys.

They said Ledic was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure. His bond information wasn’t immediately available.

Heder, the director of the best picture-winning “CODA,” was taking a moment to reflect a few hours before she premiered her new film, “Being Heumann,” at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie is about Judy Heumann, the disability rights pioneer, and the protest movement she shepherded that ultimately led to the landmark Americans With Disability Act.

Heumann died in 2023, but as Heder prepared to debut the film, she was very present.

“It’s really sad that she’s not here to see this,” Heder said, beginning to tear up. “I’ll cry with you so I don’t have to cry tonight. I think about her all the time. I hope she would be proud of the movie and the way that we made it.”

“Being Heumann,” which Apple will release in theaters Nov. 6 and begin streaming Nov. 13, is Heder’s attempt to not only pay tribute to the relentless, hardscrabble protest movement, but to challenge the way movies are made.

“CODA,” the first film featuring a largely deaf cast to triumph at the Oscars, already marked a watershed moment for the film industry. It derived much of its crowd-pleasing power from the charisma of Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin, both of whom are deaf. But five years later, Heder has seen any momentary embrace by Hollywood of the disabled community come and go.

In “Being Heumann,” the opening night film of TIFF, Heder again strove for authenticity in a cast peopled with disabled actors. On Thursday night, just the presence of the cast of “Being Heumann” was a statement.

“I watched this incredible adjustment happen for ‘CODA’ in Hollywood, and then the moment ‘CODA’ was done, it was like, ‘Phew, now we don’t have to have interpreters anymore,’” Heder said. “Out of necessity, my cast showing up on a red carpet is going to force people to adjust. That’s going to be messy, but interesting and important.”

‘Dog Day Afternoon’ with disabled people

“Being Heumann” stars Ruth Madeley, a BAFTA-nominated actor born with spina bifida, as Heumann. It chronicles the historic 28-day sit-in when Heumann and more than 100 disability rights activists occupied the San Francisco Federal Building to demand the government sign the long-delayed accessibility regulations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Heder’s film derives much of its vibrancy from its day-to-day detail. Such a lengthy protest would be challenging for able-bodied demonstrators; for people in wheelchairs, it was dramatically more daring. But while “Being Heumann” captures that struggle, it’s also filled with a collective protest spirit. There is sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll. Heder calls it “‘Dog Day Afternoon’ with disabled people.”

Although Hollywood has made some gains in representation over the years, the industry still often overlooks people with disabilities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in four U.S. adults have some type of disability. Yet the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative has found that over the last decade, the number of disabled characters in popular films has held steady at about 2.4%.

That legacy — which includes a long list of dubious depictions by able-bodied actors — was part of what led Heder to make “Being Heumann.” Following the success of “CODA,” she had a wide array of options. She met numerous times with Marvel. But after seeing “Crip Camp,” the 2020 documentary that featured Heumann, reading her autobiography and working with Heumann on the film, Heder became resolved.

“I was incredibly moved by Judy’s story and her life, and her relentless pursuit of the desire to make this group of invisible people visible,” Heder said. “I could see with this film an opportunity to carry on that legacy in casting a bunch of unknown disabled actors. In a way, we were storming the building of Hollywood.”

Remaking Hollywood film sets

Little of the accessibility that Heumann and company sought in 1977 exists on film sets today. When Heder began prepping for production, she found one accessible trailer in all of North America. They instead built trailers from scratch, created a “ramp village” and empowered an accessibility team.

“We had to discover all the ways that the set could become accessible,” Heder said. “It was kind of reinventing moviemaking while we were making a movie. It definitely laid a path that other people could follow.”

The cast of “Being Heumann” includes some familiar names like Mark Ruffalo (who plays Joseph Califano, the government official reluctant to sign Section 504) and Dylan O’Brien (who plays the reporter Evan White). But much of the film’s lived-in authenticity comes from performers like Andrew Pilkington (who used his letter board to talk), Madeline Delp (paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident in childhood), “CODA” actor Daniel Durant (who is deaf) and Charlie Rush-Reese (who is blind).

“The majority of sets I’ve been on, I’ve literally been the only disabled person. This is most of the cast,” said Madeley. “You can’t do that without proper accessibility. Being on the set of ‘Being Heumann’ really healed part of my acting journey. To have that on a Hollywood movie, that was my dream to see that.”

That doesn't mean there weren’t challenges. But for Heder, authenticity and specificity are the only ways to tell a story. “I think generality is the enemy of representation,” she said.

And for her it was also creatively inspiring. For example, Heder described a moment on set when Rush-Reese and Durant were working together to transfer Rio Finnegan out of a wheelchair.

“The way the communication started to move around between the three actors was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” Heder recalled. “Rio was having to narrate to Charlie with his voice while gesturing to Daniel with his body, while also acting as a translator between the two of them. That kind of interdependence was what kept this protest alive for 26 days. And I would never have been able to write that.”

Los agentes dijeron que respondieron la noche del domingo a un reporte relacionado con Nicholas Lydic, de 41 años, quien está acusado de tocarse en el estacionamiento.

Las autoridades dijeron que también encontraron una mochila dentro de su vehículo que contenía ropa interior de mujer y juguetes sexuales.

Dijeron que Lydic fue arrestado bajo un cargo de exhibición indecente. La información sobre su fianza no estaba disponible de inmediato.

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According to an arrest report from the Miami Police Department, Ludvin Raul Gallopena, 40, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm and improper exhibition of a weapon or firearm in connection with the Aug. 15 incident.

Police said officers responded shortly after 9 p.m. to the area of Northwest 17th Avenue and Northwest 30th Street, behind the Presidente Supermarket, following a report of an aggravated assault involving a firearm.

According to the arrest report, the victim told officers he was attempting to park when he became involved in a parking dispute with Gallopena.

The disagreement escalated into a verbal confrontation, during which Gallopena allegedly retrieved a black gun from his vehicle and pointed it at the victim, police said.

The victim told investigators that Gallopena threatened him, saying, “Hey, if I see you again, I’m gonna shoot you. You better not be around here.”

According to the report, the victim told officers he feared for his life.

Police said Gallopena then entered the supermarket and continued shopping before eventually leaving in a gray Honda Pilot.

Investigators later obtained recorded statements from the victim and a witness.

The witness told detectives that he had parked and apologized to Gallopena for taking his parking space, but Gallopena became angry and began arguing with him, according to the report.

The witness said he then asked the victim to speak with Gallopena.

At that point, Gallopena allegedly walked to the driver’s side of his vehicle, pulled out what appeared to be a gun and pointed it at the victim, the report states.

On Aug. 18, detectives showed the witness a sequential photo lineup. Police said the witness identified Gallopena as the person who had pointed the gun at the victim.

Detectives located Gallopena near Northwest Seventh Avenue and Northwest 62nd Street on Thursday and transported him to the department’s Violent Crimes Office for questioning.

According to the report, Gallopena waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators.

Police said Gallopena acknowledged getting into an argument with the victim at the Presidente Supermarket parking lot.

Gallopena told detectives that he brandished a black airsoft gun and pointed it at the victim because he was afraid, according to the report.

He also told investigators that the airsoft gun did not have an orange tip and looked like a real firearm, the report stated.

According to the arrest report, Gallopena acknowledged that what he did was wrong and said he should have stayed at the scene and contacted police.

As of Friday afternoon, Gallopena was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $5,500 bond.