Lula, de 80 años, que se postula para la reelección en octubre, sostuvo que el juego en línea ha provocado “una enorme tragedia” para millones de familias cuyas deudas del hogar se han disparado.

“Si dependiera de mí, las cerraríamos”, afirmó Lula en una entrevista con el sitio web ICL Noticias. “Me preocupa profundamente el endeudamiento del pueblo brasileño. Si estas plataformas causan daño, ¿por qué no las terminamos? Estamos discutiendo esto muy seriamente”.

El presidente brasileño añadió que cualquier medida requeriría la aprobación de los legisladores, muchos de los cuales son aliados de las empresas de apuestas.

Las apuestas deportivas se legalizaron en Brasil en 2018 mediante un proyecto de ley firmado por el entonces presidente Michel Temer. El gobierno izquierdista de Lula introdujo regulaciones para las empresas de apuestas en 2025, después de bloquear a varias de ellas el año anterior.

Ahora busca imponer aranceles más altos a estas empresas, que actualmente pagan el 12% de sus ingresos.

Las empresas de apuestas han defendido regulaciones orientadas a un mercado más confiable, pero argumentaron que cualquier aumento de impuestos podría dificultar que las compañías locales logren establecerse en Brasil, ya que los sitios radicados en el extranjero seguirían aprovechando el mercado brasileño sin pagar licencias, entre otros requisitos.

Cifras publicadas en marzo por una confederación brasileña de comercio y servicios muestran que más del 80% de las familias del país tienen alguna deuda que afrontar, la cifra más alta desde 2010. Analistas del mercado han atribuido parte de esos números al auge de la industria de apuestas en línea en el país.

Muchos grupos religiosos brasileños y activistas sociales han criticado constantemente a las empresas de apuestas por su papel en esa crisis, ya que el juego en cualquier otra modalidad es ilegal en Brasil. Las empresas de apuestas patrocinan a casi todos los populares clubes de fútbol del país en la primera y segunda divisiones.

Jugadores de fútbol actuales y retirados, entre los que están Vinícius Júnior, Ronaldo Nazário y Roberto Rivellino, figuran entre los rostros promocionales de marcas locales y extranjeras.

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

“We'll see how the day goes. I think it depends on how he's putting," Hart said. “Naturally if he's not doing what I ask or require, then I step in and I do the job myself.”

While Hart was on the bag for DeChambeau on Wednesday, ex-NFL lineman Jason Kelce was guiding Akshay Bhatia around the short course in this low-key event the day before the start of the Masters. Other players had family members alongside them, including young children.

“This is about having fun and showing what this great game can do for the world of golf," DeChambeau said while mic'd up on the broadcast. "I'm super excited to have Kevin out here. He's only been playing for about seven months, so to get him out here and experiencing what Augusta National has to offer and the Masters has to offer, it's pretty special for the Par 3 Contest.”

At first, Kelce's main contribution seemed to be cleaning Bhatia's clubs as they walked toward one hole. But eventually he started lying on his stomach in a dramatic attempt to help read a putt.

“Just give it a little tush push and it'll be on, I promise you," Kelce said.

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

Now hurtling home from the moon, the Artemis II astronauts took a poignant page from Apollo 8 earlier this week, proposing deeply personal names for a pair of lunar craters.

Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew asked permission to name one small, fresh crater after their capsule called Integrity and another after his late wife, Carroll. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen made the request right before Monday's lunar fly-around. Wiseman was too emotional to talk.

Carroll Wiseman, a neonatal nurse, died of cancer in 2020.

During Apollo 8 in 1968, astronaut Jim Lovell bestowed his wife’s name upon a prominent lunar peak: Mount Marilyn. It was humanity's first trip to the moon and she anxiously awaited his return back home in Houston.

The three Americans and one Canadian of Artemis II are the first lunar visitors since Apollo 17 closed out that grand epoch in 1972, and their crater-naming request temporarily left ground controllers speechless.

“It was definitely a very emotional moment. I don’t think most of us knew it was coming,” NASA lunar scientist Ryan Watkins told The Associated Press on Wednesday from Johnson Space Center in Houston. “There was not a single dry eye.”

Mission Control’s lead scientist Kelsey Young worked with the Artemis II crew before launch, quietly helping them choose the two bright, relatively young craters, which they quickly spied once they were close enough to the moon through zoom lenses as well as their naked eyes.

Proposed Carroll Crater is at the moon's left limb on the boundary of the moon’s near and far sides, and occasionally visible from Earth. It's rather shallow and approximately 3 miles (5 kilometers) across, according to Watkins. The slightly bigger Integrity crater is completely on the lunar far side.

Their request came shortly after they broke Apollo 13’s distance record for deep-space travelers. All four astronauts wept as they embraced in a group hug.

“We lost a loved one. Her name was Carroll, the spouse of Reid, the mother of Katie and Ellie,” Hansen radioed, his voice breaking. “It’s a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll.”

Mission Control fell silent for nearly a minute before replying: “Integrity and Carroll crater, loud and clear.”

The emotion-drenched scene was vastly different from the 1960s and 1970s Apollo moonshots in more ways than one. NASA's Apollo all-male test pilots were for the most part all business and tear-free.

“This is no fault of Apollo,” Watkins said. “I think we're seeing just a more human aspect."

Once back on Earth later this week, the crew will submit the two proposed names to the International Astronomical Union.

Nearly a half century passed between Apollo 8 and the union's sign-off of Mount Marilyn in 2017.

The IAU's Ramasamy Venugopal promised a decision on Carroll and Integrity in about a month, the norm “for straightforward requests.”

There already are 81 astronaut-named lunar features on the group's approved list, including Apollo 16's Baby Ray and Gator, and Apollo 17's Lara named for the lead female character in the 1965 film “Doctor Zhivago.”

Some Apollo-era nicknames didn't make the cut.

Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan, the last astronaut to walk on the moon, dubbed a split boulder “Tracy’s Rock,” after his young daughter in 1972.

And in 1969, Apollo 12 commander Pete Conrad nicknamed his touchdown spot “Pete’s Parking Lot.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Court documents state that Javarous Lashay McNealy, 34, was arrested on federal charges related to the possession and transportation of child sexual abuse material after he disembarked a cruise PortMiami on Monday.

Records show McNealy previously pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery in a 2018 Charlotte County case in which he was originally arrested for sexual battery. In that case, covered by Fort Myers news outlets, investigators said he orally sexually assaulted a male client while working at a Massage Envy in Port Charlotte, leading the state to pull his massage therapist license in May 2021.

Nearly five years later, federal agents said they conducted a border search on McNealy’s cellphone after he got off the Carnival Conquest on Monday.

Authorities said they opened the Telegram application and found “at least 50″ illicit videos, including those that show “prepubescent” boys and girls being raped and abused by adults.

Investigators said “multiple Telegram conversations” showed that he was sending the videos to other users.

According to court documents, McNealy said his sharing of the illicit videos began with meeting like-minded users on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

They said McNealy also admitted that he “would buy, trade and download” child sexual abuse material.

Records show McNealy appeared in Miami federal court on Tuesday and was ordered held pending a pre-trial detention hearing scheduled for Friday.

As of Wednesday, records show that McNealy was being held in the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami.

License revocation documents (contains graphic details):

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The event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

On Wednesday, developers and engineers walked through exactly how it will happen.

“You’ll have dust happening at a concentrated point in time,” said BG Group Managing Member Ivy Fradin. “We will envision, given the implosion that’s about to happen here, that the dust will mitigate within a matter of minutes, and life will return to normal.”

To prepare for the blast, crews have already removed hazardous materials from the building, leaving mainly concrete behind.

Officials say multiple floors have been fitted with explosives designed to bring the building straight down.

“The debris is intended to fall into the footprint of the building,” said Fradin. “We also have barges that we set up to catch any potential debris that could fall into the bay, even though none is expected.”

No evacuations are required, but there will be a strict exclusion zone.

Residents inside that area will be asked to stay indoors and keep windows closed.

For those who are planning to be in the area on Sunday, access on and off Brickell Key will be shut down from 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., officials said.

“The implosion will go off, that is a 20-second event,” said Fradin. “You’ll hear it before you see it.”

Crews, police, and fire rescue units will be standing by.

For those who call the area home, it will be a rare and unforgettable moment.

“I’m planning on watching it, I was actually trying to scope out a good place to see it. We have to be about 800 feet away,” said resident Noel Cooperstein. “I think it’ll work, I’ve seen them on TV in New York City and I’ve never seen one in Miami, but hopefully it works and it comes down pretty quick.”

On Monday, Ralph Estinord, of Lauderhill, stopped at the Burger King in the Sawgrass Mall’s food court, and he got mad at a woman who was working there, according to the police report.

During a back-and-forth exchange, Estinord threw a metal container used for straws at the woman’s face, and this caused her tooth to fall out and a laceration on her lip, according to police.

Police officers arrested Estinord on Monday afternoon in Sunrise, and he faced a charge of aggravated assault.

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

The four-time WNBA champion will be a studio analyst and also host a series of feature stories on NBC and Peacock throughout the league's 30th season which begins on May 8.

“I’ve been circling broadcasting for a long time now,” Bird told The Associated Press in a phone interview Wednesday. “Given NBC’s history and legacy and where the WNBA is now, I am excited to be part of it.

"It needed to be the right fit, the right people, the right network."

The NBC broadcasts will also feature a version of “Roundball Rock” — John Tesh’s iconic theme song that was the soundtrack of the network’s coverage of the WNBA from 1997 until 2002. It had been used on NBA broadcasts on the network from 1990-2002 before being brought back this year when NBC took over broadcasting games again.

NBC Sports has more than 20 games across the regular season, playoffs and WNBA Finals this year.

“Anytime anyone hears it, whether you're a basketball fan or not, it's really recognizable,” Bird said. “Turn the TV on as a spectator or fan on the couch, if that’s the first thing you hear there’s an excitement that comes with it.”

Bird’s rookie season in Seattle in 2002 was NBC’s last with the WNBA until now.

“There is no more accomplished player in the history of the WNBA and arguably in all of women’s sports than Sue Bird,” said Betsy Riley, Senior Vice President and WNBA Coordinating Producer of NBC Sports. “Sue’s knowledge of the game is unmatched and will bring fans closer to the sport they love, both through analysis and storytelling.”

Portions of Bird's features, which will be a behind-the-scenes- look at the league that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this season, will air on TV with the extended versions available digitally.

Bird has hosted podcasts for the past few years and also was on ESPN for six years providing an alt-cast with Diana Taurasi for the women's Final Four and championship games.

“I really enjoy telling stories as it’s something that comes naturally to me,” Bird said. “I cut my teeth on the podcasts I’m involved in — ‘Bird’s Eye View.’ My goal was to tell the stories of these players. Those are the features I’m doing with NBC as well.”

Bird won four WNBA championships in Seattle, where she played her entire 19-year career. She earned 13 All-Star selections and was the league's all-time leader in assists (3,234), starts (580) and minutes played (18,080). Bird was the No. 1 pick by Seattle in 2002 after leading UConn to two national championships in her time at the school.

She was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025. Bird also had a decorated international career, winning five Olympic gold medals.

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

The Department of Homeland Security said ICE agents fired defensive shots at Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez after he tried to drive into them on Tuesday. DHS said they were conducting an enforcement stop targeting Mendoza, 36, in Patterson, a city about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco. Officials described him as a suspected gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder.

Attorney Patrick Kolasinski, who is representing Mendoza and his family, said during a news conference that his client has been stopped for minor traffic infractions but has no criminal record in the U.S. and is not the subject of an arrest warrant in El Salvador, where he was acquitted of murder.

Kolasinski said he has found no evidence his client was part of any street gang but he added he has not had the chance to talk to him to confirm that.

“If he was released after being acquitted, with no other holds on him, he cannot have a warrant,” Kolasinski said. “So that information must be either erroneous or completely made up. And only DHS knows what they’re looking at.”

It is among a string of shootings that have happened during the Trump administration's aggressive push to detain and deport illegal immigrants in which questions have been raised about the accounts by federal immigration officials.

DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comments about the lawyer's statements.

“He’s a good guy. He’s a hardworking person,” said Mendoza’s fiancée, Cindy, who did not provide her last name out of fear for her safety because of attention of his case. She said the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is hurting families.

She said in Spanish that Mendoza was recently stopped for a cracked windshield in another town.

Dashcam footage obtained by KCRA-TV shows three officers standing around a vehicle stopped on the side of a road. One of the officers appears to be touching the driver-side window when the car begins to back up and turn, hitting a vehicle behind it. At least two of the agents have weapons drawn, pointing at the car. The driver then pulls forward toward where the men are standing and turns sharply, driving over the roadway median.

The video has no sound and it's unclear when the shots were fired and if words were said.

“He is doing everything he can to not run them over,” the attorney said of his client’s reaction during the arrest. He said he believes his client panicked and tried to flee. DHS said ICE agents were acting as trained.

Mendoza's family and his attorney have not been allowed to see him since he was hospitalized, and his condition was unknown Wednesday, Kolanski said. They were told by a social worker that he is stable.

Kolasinski said Mendoza came to the U.S. in 2019 but he said he did not know his legal status nor how he arrived to the country and hoped to talk to him to get those details. He said federal officials haven't said if Mendoza has been arrested for a crime or if he's being held by authorities as a victim of a shooting.

Kolasinski said his client works as a laborer to repair fire damage. He has a 2-year-old daughter and is engaged to a U.S. citizen, he said.

Kolasinski said officers endangered everyone by opening the car door when Mendoza tried to flee. “That may well be ICE training, but if it is it’s horrible training," he said.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office said they were not involved in the incident and the FBI is leading the investigation.

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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalist Julie Watson contributed from San Diego.

The 80-year-old Lula, who is running for reelection in October, said online gambling has caused “a massive tragedy” for millions of families who have seen household debt soar.

“If it is up to me, we close them,” Lula said in an interview to website ICL Noticias. "I am deeply worried about the indebtedness of the Brazilian people. If these platforms cause harm, why don’t we end them? We are discussing this very seriously.“

The Brazilian president added that any move would require approval of lawmakers, many of which allies of betting companies.

Sports betting was made legal in Brazil in 2018 in a bill signed by then President Michel Temer. Lula's left-leaning administration introduced regulations to betting companies in 2025 after blocking several of them the year before.

Now, it seeks to impose higher tariffs to these companies from the current 12% of their income.

Betting companies have advocated for regulations aiming at a more reliable market, but argued any tax increases could make local companies struggle to settle in Brazil as offshore sites would continue to tap into the Brazilian market without paying for licenses, among other requirements.

Figures published in March by a Brazilian commerce and services confederation show more than 80% of the country's families have some debt to address, the highest figure since 2010. Market analysts have credited some of those figures to the country's booming online betting industry.

Many Brazilian religious groups and social activists regularly have criticized betting companies for their role, as gambling in any other form is not legal in Brazil. Betting companies sponsor almost every one of the country's popular soccer clubs in the first and second divisions.

Current and former soccer players, including Vinícius Júnior, Ronaldo Nazário and Roberto Rivellino, are among the poster boys for local and foreign brands.

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Maybe it’s a few minutes, or half an hour. You might be scrolling on your phone, belting out a favorite song or just staring into the distance.

Scroll through TikTok and you’ll find countless videos of people wondering aloud why they're doing the same thing: arriving at work, home, the gym, and then just sitting in their car. Some get there early on purpose. Others stay long after they’ve parked.

The behavior is so common it’s become its own kind of ritual, one people are increasingly recognizing and sharing online.

It turns out, science has a few ideas for why people do this. Whether in a car, on a sidewalk or just outside a door, that temporary pause can act as a buffer between one part of the day and the next. And while there isn't an extensive body of research to back it up, experts say this can be good for you — if you keep a few things in mind.

“A lot of times we’re just going 100 miles an hour,” said Jenny Taitz, a clinical psychologist who runs her own practice in Beverly Hills. “But if we can literally stop, like slow down, take a step back, observe, proceed mindfully, maybe like a few minutes to reset between activities, it kind of gives you an ability to be intentional.”

Parked car breaks serve as an emotional reset

Brief moments alone can help reset emotions when moving from one thing to another — like leaving work stress behind before coming home.

“By taking a brief little break, you can at least take a moment to relax and prepare before moving forward,” said psychologist Anthony Vaccaro with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Vaccaro sits in his parked car for a few minutes after arriving home from work, turning up the speakers to listen to just one more song.

People seek out these breaks to process, recalibrate and shake off the gloom. And doing it in a car make sense because “it's an in-between space,” according to psychologist Thuy-vy Nguyen with Durham University in England and founder of Solitude Lab, which studies how being alone affects and rejuvenates us.

The car is an environment people can have total control over, from the temperature to the music.

What you do in that moment matters

Scientists say taking brief moments to decompress during the workday and after can improve mood, sharpen focus and boost energy levels.

When it comes to breaks in the car, though, whether that pause helps — or hurts — depends on how the time is spent.

“If you’re in your car scrolling and thinking about something that’s upsetting to you or ruminating, you know, in your head spiraling, the parked car is not a reset. It’s the stressor,” said Taitz.

Scrolling on your phone can pull your attention toward what’s happening on the screen, which can in turn make it harder to decompress.

If sitting in a parked car has become a habit, be mindful of how you're spending the time. Take a few moments to slow your breathing, listen to a familiar song or make a simple plan for how you want to show up next — whether that's feeling calmer, more patient or more focused. Even a short pause can shift your state.

“You could change your blood pressure in five minutes,” Taitz said, referring to simple techniques like slowing your breathing or relaxing your body.

Think of it as a pause, not an escape

There’s a difference between a helpful reset and avoidance. If the parked car breaks are making you late for important meetings or dinner with friends, or it feels difficult to get out of the car and confront the rest of the day, they may do more harm than good — or indicate that something more serious is going on.

“It’s really about why you’re doing it, and whether it’s interfering with other aspects of your life. That’s really what’s going to determine whether this is a good or bad behavior for you,” Vaccaro said.

Decompressing in a car can be about more than just shaking off stress. The sheer volume of information people take in every day can make a quiet pause even more essential and rewarding.

“We’re always juggling so much, not taking a lot of time to slow things down,” Taitz said. “Trying to find those moments can allow for things to be happier and more joyful and fulfilling.”

Think of it less like stalling, and more like refueling.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Minutes of the Fed's March 17-18 meeting, released Wednesday, showed that “some” of the central bank's 19 policymakers on its rate-setting committee supported changing their post-meeting statement to reflect the potential for a future rate hike. That is an an increase from “several” in January. The Fed doesn't disclose precise numbers of how many officials supported each position, but in Fed jargon, ‘some’ is considered more than ‘several.’

And “many” of the officials pointed to the risk that higher oil and gas prices could keep inflation elevated for “longer than expected, which could call for rate increases" to push inflation back down.

For about 18 months, the Fed has leaned toward cutting rates, and in its meetings has alternated between cuts and no change to rates. The slow shift toward considering potential hikes marks a major change from that trend. At the beginning of this year, financial markets expected several rate reductions. Now investors don’t expect a cut until late 2027, future prices show.

Ultimately, the Fed kept its key rate unchanged at its March meeting at about 3.6%. It has stood pat in its first two meetings this year after cutting its rate three times at the end of 2025. Chair Jerome Powell, at a news conference after the meeting, downplayed projections by officials that the Fed could reduce its rate once this year.

Another reduction depended on underlying inflation cooling steadily this year, Powell said. "If we don’t see that progress then you won’t see the rate cut,” he said then.

The minutes, released three weeks after the meeting, underscore the Fed's dilemma as it seeks to fill its congressional mandates of low inflation and maximum employment. Fed officials acknowledged that the Iran conflict could also force households to cut back spending to offset higher gas prices, according to the minutes, which would slow growth and raise unemployment.

The central bank typically raises rates to cool the economy and combat inflation, while it would cut them to bolster growth and hiring. Navigating this “two-sided” risk of higher unemployment and higher inflation poses a difficult challenge for the Fed.

On Friday, the first signs of the impact the gas price spike is having on inflation will emerge, as the government is scheduled to release the March inflation report. Economists forecast it will show a huge 0.9% increase in March from February, with prices rising 3.4% compared to a year earlier. In February, inflation was just 2.4%. The Fed targets a 2% inflation rate, and officials will likely be unnerved by a steady increase.

Earlier this week, Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, said that estimates by her bank show inflation will likely rise even higher this month. “Inflation has been running above our target for more than five years now,” she added in an interview, voicing a common concern among many policymakers, and a further increase would mean it is “moving in the wrong direction.”

Does Iran using its military to regulate the flow of ships on the Strait of Hormuz mean it still effectively controls the waterway? What about Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium?

Does the ceasefire extend to Israel's attacks on Lebanon? Might Iran press for a huge financial windfall, a lifting of international sanctions and even a drawdown of U.S. forces in the Middle East just to keep things on track?

The answers depend on which side you talk to. The U.S. and Iran, along with their allies, are offering different assessments.

Strait of Hormuz

President Donald Trump posted Tuesday night on his social media site that the ceasefire was subject to Iran agreeing to the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” the waterway leading out of the Persian Gulf through which one-fifth of the world’s oil is transported during peacetime.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday during a media briefing at the Pentagon that the strait was open. Iran announced hours later that the strait was closing again in response to Israel's strikes in Lebanon.

Even if the strait does reopen, Iran says shipping traffic can resume only under its military management. That means Tehran can still make the case it is controlling the strait, and therefore retaining crucial global political and economic leverage, and could also charge ships stiff levies to use it, quickly generating billions in new revenue.

Uranium enrichment

Iran says its peace plan includes Washington’s “acceptance of enrichment” of uranium for Tehran’s nuclear program. But that would undermine a key Trump objective since the start of the war that Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.

Trump offered a different assessment, posting on Wednesday that a peace agreement would entail the U.S. working with Iran to “dig up” enriched uranium. The Trump administration says that material was buried as a result of joint U.S-Israeli strikes in June.

But what the Republican president said was different from what Hegseth said. The Pentagon chief said Tehran will either "give it to us voluntarily” or the U.S. might do “something like” its strikes last summer, when the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear sites.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon

Iran also says that ceasing hostilities in Lebanon, where Israel has dramatically stepped up attacks in recent weeks, will be part of larger peace negotiations.

That was consistent with what Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose country is a key moderator in the peace process, said in announcing the ceasefire between Iran ​and the United States on X — that it would extend to Lebanon.

Trump is saying the opposite, telling PBS NewsHour in a brief interview on Wednesday that the ceasefire will not extend to Lebanon.

That lines up with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, which said in a statement that the two-week suspension of strikes in Iran does not include the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Other key points of possible peace plans

When Iran first offered a 10-point peace plan to halt the war on Monday, Trump called it a “very significant step” but also “not good enough.”

But then, about 90 minutes before his Tuesday night deadline to begin wide-scale U.S. attacks on Iran's bridges and power grid, Trump announced a two-week ceasefire and described Iran's proposal as a “workable basis on which to negotiate.”

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran,” Trump wrote, explaining why he was backing off his threats for massive attacks on nonmilitary targets.

What exactly has been agreed upon is not clear, however. The White House has not answered questions about what changed between Monday and Tuesday night that saw Trump suddenly warm to the Iranian peace plan.

Complicating matters is the fact that Iran has released a series of 10-point plans to guide negotiations, with many of the versions differing slightly, often seemingly depending on whether they were written in English or Farsi.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says “the United States has, in principle, ⁠committed to" a series of key points — many of which seem to be nonstarters, considering long-standing U.S. positions.

It says the U.S. is ready to guarantee a lasting peace and no new attacks, a continuation of Iran's control over the strait, acceptance that Iran can enrich uranium and removal of all U.S. economic and other sanctions from Iran. That would include, it says, restrictions on international entities doing business in that country, as well as U.N. Security Council resolutions against the government in Tehran.

The council also says the U.S. has agreed in principle to ending international oversight of Iran's nuclear program, to compensate Iran for war damages, a ceasefire extending to Lebanon and a withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces from the region.

That last one would be nothing short of extraordinary, given that the U.S. has maintained a network of military bases through the Persian Gulf for decades — since the conclusion of the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq. The lifting of all sanctions also seems like an unlikely prospect for the U.S. to agree to.

Asked how such proposals could be considered workable, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said only that “negotiations will continue.”

“The truth is that President Trump and our powerful military got Iran to agree to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiations will continue.” Leavitt said in a statement.

Details are scarce about the US peace proposal

Trump rejected many of those points as “a FRAUD,” posting that the peace plan attributed to the council — and reported on by Iranian state media — was a “false Statement was linked to a Fake News site (from Nigeria).”

Instead, the U.S. has presented its own, 15-point peace plan. U.S. officials have only confirmed broad contours.

“There is only one group of meaningful ‘POINTS’ that are acceptable to the United States, and we will be discussing them behind closed doors during these Negotiations,” Trump posted Wednesday.

The show, titled “The Secretary Kennedy Podcast,” will launch next week and feature Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine crusader who has reshaped the country’s health policy, in conversation with doctors, scientists and agency staff, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials told the AP ahead of the launch. In the teaser video, in a slick HHS-branded studio with ominous music playing in the background, Kennedy bills it as a new way to expose corruption and lies that have made Americans sick.

“We’re going to name the names of the forces that obstruct the paths to public health,” Kennedy says in the nearly 90-second clip.

Joining the Trump administration last year gave Kennedy a new platform for his views, some of which contradict the overwhelming consensus of scientists. A podcast could further elevate those ideas. Administration officials say it will help spread an important message about chronic disease and improving health to a wider audience.

“This is part of our larger strategy to bring the Make America Healthy Again message to as wide an audience as we can,” said Liam Nahill, HHS digital director.

The new communication effort from HHS comes as the department has faced a bevy of recent setbacks, including widespread criticism of its vaccine policy changes, a federal ruling last month blocking several of those moves, and resistance from key Republican senators that has kept President Donald Trump’s surgeon general pick from taking office. In that way, it could be seen as part of a broader rebranding strategy as the agency redirects away from vaccine efforts and toward a less contentious agenda on healthy food ahead of November’s midterm elections.

But the show, which has been in the works since early in the second Trump administration, also reflects Kennedy returning to a format where he has long felt at ease. Before he entered office, he previously hosted his own podcast and has appeared on dozens to share his perspectives in longform interviews, as recently as this week.

Tyler Burger, HHS digital communications manager and the producer of the new podcast, said while Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary has a podcast, officials believe Kennedy's will be the first to be hosted by a sitting cabinet secretary.

“We’re kind of bringing podcasting into the government as an official form and arm of our messaging,” Burger said. He said the set for the show was pieced together largely with items the agency already had, and has the capacity for a total of four people to sit in conversation together.

Because podcasts are now commonly made not only on audio but video, they are regularly clipped and shared across social media platforms, giving them “massive” reach, according to Melina Much, a postdoctoral fellow for New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics.

Much said podcasts also tend to be more intimate, conversational and friendly than a traditional interview, allowing administration officials to promote themselves without facing as much pushback.

While Kennedy's teaser focuses on uncovering lies, HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the show will aim to cover affordability and other topics that polls show are salient for American voters of both parties ahead of the midterms.

“Americans are united on the need to urgently address chronic disease, improve nutrition, strengthen food quality, and lower health costs," he said. "The Secretary Kennedy Podcast will cover all those issues.”

Marzo no solo fue el más caluroso del que se tenga registro en Estados Unidos, sino que la magnitud por encima de lo normal superó a la de cualquier otro mes en la historia de los 48 estados contiguos. La temperatura media de marzo, de 10,47 grados Celsius (50,85 grados Fahrenheit), estuvo 5,19 °C (9,35 °F) por encima de lo normal para marzo en el siglo XX. Eso superó con creces el antiguo récord de 4,9 °C (8,9 °F), establecido en marzo de 2012 como el mes más anormalmente caluroso registrado —sin importar el mes del año—, según los registros difundidos el miércoles por la Oficina Nacional de Administración Oceánica y Atmosférica (NOAA, por sus siglas en inglés).

La temperatura máxima media de marzo fue especialmente alta, con 6,3 °C (11,4 °F) por encima del promedio del siglo XX, y fue casi un grado más cálida que la máxima diurna promedio de abril, indicó la NOAA.

Seis de los 10 meses más anormalmente calurosos del país han ocurrido en los últimos 10 años. Este febrero, que estuvo 3,65 °C (6,57 F) por encima de lo normal del siglo XX, fue el décimo con mayor desviación por encima de lo normal.

“Lo que vivimos en marzo en todo Estados Unidos no tuvo precedentes”, afirmó Shel Winkley, meteoróloga de Climate Central. “Una de las razones por las que esto es tan preocupante es simplemente el enorme volumen de récords, récords históricos, que se establecieron y se rompieron durante ese periodo. Pero, además, esto llega justo después de lo que fue el peor año de nieve. Y del invierno más caluroso del que se tiene registro. Así que estamos viendo esta continuidad de un calor extraordinario que se produjo durante los meses de invierno y que también se prolonga hacia los meses de primavera. Ahí es donde realmente preocupa: es la duración de este calor”.

Se batieron más de 19.800 récords diarios de temperatura por calor en todo el país, según el meteorólogo Guy Walton, que analiza datos de la NOAA.

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

“(His wife Meredith) got this great picture of me and Bennett walking into the clubhouse with me with my green jacket and holding his hand. But, I mean, he has no idea what it means,” Scheffler said. "This place signifies so much for me in my golf journey, and that’s something I’d love to be able to share with my kids. We’ll see how that goes as they age.

“Right now I just — if I’m wearing it near him, I’m just hoping he doesn’t ruin it or anything like that.”

Scheffler has two kids — one for each of his Masters titles. He's the favorite in this week's tournament, as he tends to be for all majors these days, but his family life has been more exciting than his golf recently. The Scheffler who tore through the 2025 season, winning six times in a 4 1/2-month span, hasn't arrived yet this year.

It was business as usual when Scheffler won his first tournament of the year at The American Express in January. He followed that up by closing strong for top-five finishes at Phoenix and Pebble Beach, but since then he's been outside the top 10 in three straight events — and outside the top 20 in the last two of those.

A slump by his standards? Well, it's hard to call it that because Scheffler hasn't played at all since The Players Championship in the middle of last month. He withdrew from the Houston Open because his wife was expecting their second child, and little Remy was born March 27.

The word “rested” isn't often used by parents of newborns, but being away from the course may leave Scheffler refreshed.

“I’m getting plenty of sleep. My wife’s a trouper,” Scheffler said. “Remy is so young right now, they sleep a lot of the day. I think he’s used to being in the womb at this point. Yeah, I’ve been able to get a decent amount of sleep.”

It was hard to tell which of the kids was more of a hit at Wednesday's family friendly Par 3 Contest — Remy being carried by Meredith in a baby wrap or Bennett knocking the ball around with a blue toy club.

Bennett was born just before the PGA Championship in 2024. That major proved to be a wild experience for Scheffler at Valhalla. He was arrested before the second round for not following police instruction — a felony charge and three misdemeanors were later dropped — but made it back from jail in time to shoot 66 that day on his way to finishing tied for eighth.

His obstacles this week are likely to be on the course. Scheffler will try to become the first player since Adam Scott in 2013 to win at Augusta National after having three weeks off.

If there's been a problem for Scheffler this year, it's been his starts. In his past five tournaments, he's played the first round in a combined 3 over par while shooting 56 under the rest of the way.

Of course, all that might feel like ancient history to Scheffler after he's been otherwise occupied in recent weeks. A major like the Masters doesn't offer much of a chance to ease back into competition mode, but it does have its advantages.

“Augusta keeps going above and beyond to make things special and easy for us as players. Especially the practice rounds,” Scheffler said. “The practice rounds are very peaceful. There’s no phones. There’s no people asking for selfies in the middle of the round. It’s very calm out there, and people follow the rules here.”

Scheffler will play with Robert MacIntyre and Gary Woodland in the first two rounds. He was a 6-1 favorite per BetMGM Sportsbook on Wednesday morning. That's similar to his +550 odds before the previous major — the British Open in July, which he won — but not as short at the +275 price on him leading up to last year's U.S. Open.

“Game feels like it’s in a good spot,” Scheffler said. “I got some rest the last few weeks at home. So I feel rested and ready to go this week.”

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

Customers checking one bag will pay $45 starting on Thursday, while a second will now cost $55, according to Southwest. Some travelers will still receive a free first checked bag, including certain loyalty-tier members, eligible co-branded credit card holders and active-duty military members.

The move was made “as part of an ongoing analysis of the business and against the evolving global backdrop,” the Texas-based carrier said in a statement.

Southwest ended its generous, decades-old policy of allowing passengers to check two bags for free in May 2025, a move that marked a major shift for the carrier after years of marketing the perk as a key differentiator.

The airline now joins a growing list of U.S. carriers that have increased fees since the war in the Middle East began Feb. 28, sending oil prices swinging as fighting near the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global supplies. Threats to the narrow waterway, where roughly a fifth of the world’s oil typically passes, have pushed up prices for jet fuel, which are refined from crude.

Delta Air Lines' higher baggage fees took effect Wednesday. JetBlue and United Airlines also raised their bag fees last week.

Oil prices on Wednesday were plunging toward $95 per barrel after President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran just before a deadline he had set for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf. But prices remain well above pre-war levels amid ongoing risks that the conflict could continue.

Adding to the uncertainty, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks on the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, casting doubt on whether the fragile ceasefire will hold.

The average price for a gallon of jet fuel in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York was $4.81 on Tuesday, up from $2.50 the day before the war started, according to Argus Media. The energy market intelligence company’s U.S. Jet Fuel Index tracks average prices across those major hubs.

Outside of the U.S., a number of carriers are responding by adding or increasing fuel surcharges, a tool that U.S. airlines don't typically rely on.

Katib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia group, kidnapped 49-year-old Shelly Kittleson off a Baghdad street corner on March 31. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Tuesday that Kittleson had been released.

Two officials within the militia, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, told The Associated Press that in exchange for freeing Kittleson, several members of the group who had previously been detained by Iraqi authorities would be released.

Kittleson's mother, Barb Kittleson, said she’s not sure how much U.S. officials want her to say, but that she’s relieved her daughter has been released. She said she went to her local library in Mount Horeb, a village of about 7,000 people in southern Wisconsin, and used a computer there to email her daughter that she hopes she returns to the U.S. and that she's made up her bedroom.

Shelly Kittleson left Wisconsin in 1995 at age 19 for Italy, where she went to school and worked as a nanny. Over the years she has earned a reputation as a determined and gutsy reporter, working from Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East for news outlets including Al-Monitor.

Barb Kittleson said that her husband, Bob, died of pancreatic cancer in 2024 and that she hasn't seen her daughter since 2002, when she visited her while touring Italy. Asked if she misses Shelly, she nodded her head yes.

She said she doesn’t know if her daughter will get her message, noting that U.S. officials are trying to limit contact with her for a week and that she doesn’t know if her daughter's captors took her phone and computer.

Kataib Hezbollah has been accused of kidnapping other foreigners.

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with Israeli and Russian citizenship, disappeared in Baghdad in 2023. After she was freed and handed over to U.S. authorities in September 2025, she said she had been held by Kataib Hezbollah, which never officially claimed responsibility.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have also launched regular attacks on U.S. facilities in the country since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

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According to police, officers responded to the area of the 1400 block of Kennedy Causeway in North Bay Village after a man later identified as Bryton Facen, 30, of Miami Gardens, was seen naked in the road.

When responding officers engaged with Facen, a scuffle broke out , leading to Facen “intentionally punching, kicking, biting and spitting” at the officers, according to an arrest form.

Police said they were forced to deploy a Taser, but when Facen continued to violently resist, officers simultaneously gained control of his arms and legs using multiple sets of handcuffs.

After officers placed Facen in the back of a squad car, police said Facen urinated on himself and “began spraying” the back of the police vehicle with his urine.

Police said medics eventually had to “subdue” Facen with ketamine.

Facen was ultimately taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital for medical treatment and evaluation.

He was charged with four felony counts of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, four felony counts of resisting an officer with violence, and one misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure.

As of Wednesday morning, Facen was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a total bond of $23,003.

Adalia Duncanson took her white Roblox backpack on Tuesday morning to Seminole Middle School in Plantation, and she vanished, according to the Plantation Police Department.

On Wednesday, police officers asked the public for help with finding Adalia, who weighs 130 pounds and is 5 feet 6 inches tall.

Adalia has black hair and brown eyes, and she was last seen at about 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the school at 6200 SW 16 St., according to police.

Detectives asked anyone with information about Adalia’s whereabouts to call 954-797-2100.

Según la policía, los agentes respondieron al área de la cuadra 1400 de Kennedy Causeway en North Bay Village después de que un hombre, posteriormente identificado como Bryton Facen, de 30 años y residente de Miami Gardens, fuera visto desnudo en la vía.

Cuando los agentes que respondieron interactuaron con Facen, se produjo un forcejeo, lo que llevó a que Facen “intencionalmente golpeara, pateara, mordiera y escupiera” a los agentes, según un informe de arresto.

La policía indicó que se vieron obligados a usar una pistola Taser, pero cuando Facen continuó resistiéndose violentamente, los agentes lograron controlar simultáneamente sus brazos y piernas utilizando múltiples juegos de esposas.

Después de que los agentes colocaron a Facen en la parte trasera de una patrulla, la policía dijo que Facen orinó sobre sí mismo y “comenzó a rociar” la parte trasera del vehículo policial con su orina.

La policía indicó que los paramédicos finalmente tuvieron que “sedar” a Facen con ketamina.

Facen fue trasladado posteriormente al Hospital Jackson Memorial para tratamiento médico y evaluación.

Fue acusado de cuatro cargos graves de agresión agravada contra un agente del orden, cuatro cargos graves de resistencia a un agente con violencia y un cargo menor de exhibición indecente.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Facen permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza total de $23,003 USD.

El miércoles, desarrolladores e ingenieros explicaron exactamente cómo ocurrirá.

“Habrá polvo en un punto concentrado en el tiempo”, dijo Ivy Fradin, miembro gerente de MG Group. “Prevemos que, dada la implosión que está por ocurrir aquí, el polvo se disipará en cuestión de minutos y la vida volverá a la normalidad”.

Para preparar la explosión, las cuadrillas ya han retirado materiales peligrosos del edificio, dejando principalmente concreto.

Funcionarios indicaron que múltiples pisos han sido equipados con explosivos diseñados para hacer que la estructura colapse directamente hacia abajo.

“Se espera que los escombros caigan dentro de la huella del edificio”, dijo Fradin. “También hemos colocado barcazas para recoger cualquier posible escombro que pudiera caer en la bahía, aunque no se espera que ocurra”.

No se requieren evacuaciones, pero habrá una zona de exclusión estricta.

A los residentes dentro de esa área se les pedirá permanecer en interiores y mantener las ventanas cerradas.

Para quienes planean estar en el área el domingo, el acceso hacia y desde Brickell Key estará cerrado desde las 7:30 a.m. hasta primeras horas de la tarde, informaron las autoridades.

“La implosión ocurrirá, es un evento de 20 segundos”, dijo Fradin. “La escucharás antes de verla”.

Cuadrillas, policías y unidades de rescate de bomberos estarán en el lugar.

Para quienes viven en la zona, será un momento inusual e inolvidable.

“Planeo verlo, de hecho estaba buscando un buen lugar para observarlo. Tenemos que estar a unos 800 pies de distancia”, dijo el residente Noel Cooperstein. “Creo que funcionará, los he visto en televisión en Nueva York y nunca he visto uno en Miami, pero espero que todo salga bien y que colapse bastante rápido”.

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The boyfriend and girlfriend, who attended Downtown Doral Charter Upper School, were identified in an email sent to families by Ms. Acevedo-Isenberg, Head of Schools at Downtown Doral Charter Schools, as Mateo Dávila, 17, and Alessia Tucci, 16.

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“Our entire community is mourning this unimaginable loss, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, our faculty, and staff at our elementary school and certainly our upper school, where they currently attended,” Acevedo-Isenberg wrote in the email. “Both students deeply loved their school, their teachers, their coaches, and their peers, leaving a lasting impact on everyone who knew them.”

According to police, the teens were in a Kia sedan when it veered off the roadway and crashed into a pole at about 6 p.m. along Northwest 87th Avenue, near 54th Street. They did not specify who was driving.

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Detective Argemis “AC” Colome said the car became engulfed in flames after the crash.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel pronounced both students dead at the scene.

Shortly after the crash, dozens gathered at the site to mourn the victims.

“It was, like, a big shock to everyone because it could happen so quickly,” a student named Alexandra told Local 10 News.

“I was in disbelief. I didn’t want to believe it,” another student, Ruben Abreu, said.

Abreu said he has known Dávila since first grade and the news of this has been heartbreaking.

“He was just a jolly person. He would never let, like, bad things bring him down,” Abreu said.

Acevedo-Isenberg said in her email that grief counselors will be available on campus in the coming days for any students or staff who want to speak with someone.

“We recognize that this news is difficult to process. We encourage parents to talk openly with their children and monitor their well-being. If you have concerns about how your child is coping, or if you feel they need additional support, please do not hesitate to contact our counseling department,” Acevedo-Isenberg said. “Thank, you, gracias, obrigada, and merci. We unite as a Dolphin family during this difficult time.”

MDSO traffic homicide detectives are investigating the cause of the fatal crash.

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Authorities allege that Samer Elhamad, 32, of Miami, was making the calls while at the Planet Fitness at 4291 W. Hillsboro Blvd. in Coconut Creek ― and that city’s police officers arrested him there on Monday after California authorities pinged his calls there.

Investigators said Elhamad, who was born in San Diego, called a preschool in Carlsbad, California and said “he was on his way to the school to shoot people.” Police said he also spoke of “rapists” and “sleeper cells.”

A sergeant with the Carlsbad Police Department eventually identified Elhamad as the caller and traced the caller near the 7100 block of Lyons Road. Coconut Creek police said they found Elhamad’s Toyota Prius parked at the gym.

Police said he gave a fake name, claimed to be from Lebanon and tried to pin the calls on two “homeless” people. They said no one was around Elhamad and he couldn’t provide descriptions of the supposed culprits. An arrest report states that he claimed the two said, “Ya, know, whatever” and later claimed they referenced the recent Islamist attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Authorities said he later referenced “sleeper cells” and “’an Afghan DC guy’ who shot two people” and later said he himself was a “sleeper cell.”

Police said they later found out that Elhamad placed threatening calls to other locations of the same preschool in the San Diego area and had called the San Diego Police Department in late March to lodge a false rape complaint against his father.

They said he called San Diego police “21 times” later that day, threatening to kill officers and dispatchers.

Coconut Creek police arrested Elhamad on charges of false report of a bomb, explosive or weapon and using a two-way communications device in the commission of a felony.

Authorities said he also faces a criminal mischief charge and a count of resisting arrest for damaging a police car mirror while in a scuffle with officers as he was being taken into jail.

As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held in the Broward County Main Jail on a $77,500 bond. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he would be facing any additional charges in California or at the federal level.

Las autoridades alegan que Samer Elhamad, de 32 años y residente de Miami, hacía las llamadas mientras estaba en el Planet Fitness ubicado en 4291 W. Hillsboro Blvd. en Coconut Creek, y que agentes de esa ciudad lo arrestaron allí el lunes después de que autoridades de California rastrearon sus llamadas hasta ese lugar.

Los investigadores indicaron que Elhamad, quien nació en San Diego, llamó a un preescolar en Carlsbad, California, y dijo que “iba en camino a la escuela para disparar a personas”. La policía señaló que también habló de “violadores” y “células durmientes”.

Un sargento del Departamento de Policía de Carlsbad finalmente identificó a Elhamad como la persona que hizo la llamada y rastreó su ubicación cerca de la cuadra 7100 de Lyons Road. La policía de Coconut Creek indicó que encontraron el Toyota Prius de Elhamad estacionado en el gimnasio.

La policía dijo que él dio un nombre falso, afirmó ser de Líbano e intentó culpar a dos personas “sin hogar”. Señalaron que no había nadie alrededor de Elhamad y que no pudo proporcionar descripciones de los supuestos responsables. Un informe de arresto indica que él afirmó que los dos dijeron: “Ya, sabes, lo que sea” y luego aseguró que hicieron referencia al reciente ataque islamista en Bondi Beach en Sídney.

Las autoridades indicaron que luego mencionó “células durmientes” y a “un ‘tipo afgano en DC’ que disparó a dos personas” y posteriormente dijo que él mismo era una “célula durmiente”.

La policía dijo que más tarde descubrieron que Elhamad realizó llamadas amenazantes a otras sedes del mismo preescolar en el área de San Diego y que había llamado al Departamento de Policía de San Diego a finales de marzo para presentar una denuncia falsa de violación contra su padre.

Indicaron que ese mismo día llamó “21 veces” a la policía de San Diego, amenazando con matar a agentes y despachadores.

La policía de Coconut Creek arrestó a Elhamad por cargos de reporte falso de bomba, explosivo o arma, y por usar un dispositivo de comunicación bidireccional para cometer un delito grave.

Las autoridades señalaron que también enfrenta un cargo de daños criminales y uno de resistencia al arresto por dañar el espejo de una patrulla durante un forcejeo con agentes mientras era llevado a la cárcel.

Hasta la tarde del miércoles, permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal del condado Broward con una fianza de $77,500 USD. No estaba claro de inmediato si enfrentará cargos adicionales en California o a nivel federal.

Con pancartas donde se leía “La universidad pública es de todos” y “La universidad es del pueblo y se defiende, hotel Casa Santo Domingo cómplice del fraude”, los manifestantes expresaban su oposición a Walter Mazariegos, el actual rector de la Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC), a las afueras de ese reconocido hotel ubicado en Antigua Guatemala, a unos 45 kilómetros de la capital.

La USAC renueva el miércoles sus autoridades. Es una de las instituciones que este año lo harán, como la Corte de Constitucionalidad y la Fiscalía General.

Mazariegos fue sancionado en 2023 por Estados Unidos por aceptar su cargo como rector luego de un proceso fraudulento en su elección.

En 2022, cuando se realizaban elecciones, Mazariegos junto a otras autoridades universitarias bloquearon el acceso a algunos electores y permitieron que sólo quienes estaban a su favor entraran al recinto y votaran, lo que le garantizó el triunfo.

El martes varios altercados se registraron en el campus universitario ubicado en la capital guatemalteca, debido a que autoridades universitarias cerraron las instalaciones por supuestos trabajos de mantenimiento y ordenaron tener clases virtuales. También se prohibió celebrar allí la elección de rector.

Tras varias horas de protestas, varios estudiantes rompieron los portones de acceso al campus y tomaron la casa de estudios, mientras hombres con pasamontañas, armados con palos y bombas pirotécnicas,que serían miembros de la seguridad de Mazariegos, trataban de detener el ingreso de los estudiantes.

El martes también falló el intento de un grupo de diputados para que se interviniera la universidad con el fin de evitar un posible fraude.

Laura Marroquín, diputada al Congreso que participa de la protesta en Antigua Guatemala, dijo que está ahí para acompañar a los estudiantes “Venimos a defender lo público, porque sabemos que lo público es de todos, es la única universidad pública y tiene participación en varias mesas de trabajo del Estado con voz y con voto y toma de decisiones”, dijo la legisladora a The Associated Press.

La Constitución establece que la USAC, con más de 300 años de antigüedad, es autónoma, recibe un 5% del presupuesto anual de la nación y no puede ser intervenida.

EEUU impuso la sanción a Mazariegos por socavar las instituciones democráticas al aceptar el cargo tras un cuestionado proceso electoral.

Para la elección del miércoles el Consejo Superior Universitario —afín a Mazariegos e integrado por representantes estudiantiles, docentes, profesionales y decanos— acreditó a los electores que votarán por su reelección y dejó afuera a la oposición.

Organismos internacionales han expresado su inquietud por la situación de la USAC.

But Sheinbaum — a scientist and climate expert — notably avoided the term hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” a drilling method used to extract oil and natural gas from deep underground bedrock using a highly pressurized liquid. Instead, she framed the initiative as a quest for “sustainable” extraction, emphasizing that environmental impacts would be minimized to the greatest extent possible.

The technical feasibility of “sustainable fracking” is a subject of significant debate among environmental scientists and energy experts. But Sheinbaum said a technical committee will spend two months evaluating less harmful methods, such as utilizing nonpotable water and reducing chemical additives. The committee will also assess the potential costs of these mitigations, she said.

“All the gas we import comes from a type of extraction that has environmental impacts” and is “100 meters from the Mexican border,” she noted, alluding to fracking projects in Texas.

Mexico is the world’s single largest buyer of U.S. gas.

While noting that natural gas import contracts with the U.S. remain secure and the bilateral relationship is strong, she argued that increasing energy sovereignty is a responsible necessity. “Is more gas needed? Yes. Can all gas be replaced? Hardly,” she added.

Since assuming power in October 2024, Sheinbaum has pledged to expand renewable energy while maintaining firm support for the state-owned Petróleos Mexicanos. On Wednesday, she defended this stance by arguing that fossil fuels remain an essential component of Mexico’s energy landscape.

Sheinbaum said the priority is to reduce external energy dependence in turbulent times and avoid situations like the one experienced in Europe with the shortage of Russian gas during the war in Ukraine or the one caused by the current war in the Middle East.

Wednesday's proposal — which is certain to spark controversy — comes amid a surge in infrastructure projects designed to increase U.S. gas imports. These developments aim to satisfy Mexico’s rising domestic electricity demand while positioning the country as a hub for re-exporting gas to Asian and European markets.

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Jessica Collins, a spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee, said Wednesday the department signaled that Bondi, who was ousted by President Donald Trump last week, will not appear for the deposition April 14 “since she is no longer attorney general and was subpoenaed in her capacity as attorney general.” The committee will contact Bondi’s personal counsel to discuss the next steps about scheduling the interview, she said.

Bondi has faced scrutiny for how the Justice Department handled what are known as the Epstein files, and the Republican-led committee subpoenaed her in a bipartisan vote last month. The department's release of millions of case files on Epstein, the late financier who sexually abused underage girls, contained multiple errors and ran behind a deadline set by Congress.

After Trump announced Bondi's ouster from his Cabinet on April 2, Bondi said on social media that over the next month she would be “working tirelessly to transition the office." But Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has been elevated to the top job, on at least an acting basis, and is performing the duties of the department’s top official. The Justice Department's website on Wednesday still listed Bondi as attorney general.

Meanwhile, some Republicans who had joined Democrats to subpoena Bondi said they would insist on having her appear before the committee.

Rep. Nancy Mace, who initiated the motion to compel her appearance, said on social media Wednesday that “Bondi cannot escape accountability simply because she no longer holds the office of Attorney General.”

Mace, R-SC., added that the motion was done “by name, not by title” and that “we expect her to appear as soon as a new date is set.”

The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, also said he would push to enforce the subpoena and threatened to press for contempt of Congress charges if she does not appear.

In a statement, he said, “Now that Pam Bondi has been fired, she’s trying to get out of her legal obligation to testify before the Oversight Committee about the Epstein files and the White House cover-up."

The committee's head, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, enforced subpoenas on Bill and Hillary Clinton this year, making the ex-president and ex-secretary of state, respectively, among the highest-ranking former government officials ever to be subpoenaed by Congress.

During the cleanup on Wednesday, Jerardo Pardo, a Palm Springs North resident, said he would have never expected the damage.

“That’s my neighbor’s roof,” Pardo said while standing in his driveway.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service confirmed there was a tornado with 65 to 85 mph peak winds at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Take Miami warnings seriously because here in Miami, I never did. I was like, ‘Nah!’ But now, it’s for real,” Pardo said.

Witnesses said the winds sent things, including shoes, flying up in circles. The menace passed in a few minutes. Videos show hail, and a wooden playset moving, and getting crushed by a roof.

There were large waves in a lake by a pool. A small boat was pushed out of the water and almost flipped upside down. The debris included tree limbs and fences. Some fallen trees ripped up the sidewalk.

There was a lot of work to be done to bring order back to the neighborhood. There will be more storms on Thursday afternoon in areas of South Florida.

Related story: ‘I see stuff starting to fly around’: Palm Springs North residents deal with severe weather

More from Local 10 News Weather Authority

Read some of the National Weather Service’s tornado damage survey in Palm Springs North

A mid/upper level disturbance resulted in an environment capable of producing supercells. An outflow boundary from earlier convection in the Gulf initiated new storms across South Florida late in the afternoon/early evening.

A supercell that formed along this boundary, crossed Interstate 75 and the Turnpike in extreme northern Miami-Dade County and produced a short-lived EF0 tornado in the Palm Springs North Community

PSN Tornado Rating: EF0

Estimated Peak Wind: 85 mph

Path Length /statute/: 0.57 miles

Path Width /maximum/: 0 yards

Fatalities: 0

Injuries: 0

Start Date: 04/07/2026

Start Time: 04:45 PM EDT

Start Location: 3 NW Miami Lakes / Miami-Dade County / FL

Start Lat/Lon: 25.9423 / -80.3323

End Date: 04/07/2026

End Time: 4:45 PM EDT

End Location: 2 NW Miami Lakes / Miami-Dade County / FL

End Lat/Lon: 25.9364 / -80.3258

Survey Summary:

The National Weather Service surveyed the Palm Springs North community and determined the EF0 rating based on mostly tree and power pole damage. The survey team also noted scattered fence and signage damage.

EF Scale: The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0.....65 to 85 mph

EF1.....86 to 110 mph

EF2.....111 to 135 mph

EF3.....136 to 165 mph

EF4.....166 to 200 mph

EF5.....>200 mph

Wembanyama is out after suffering a rib contusion on Monday and Castle is out with right knee soreness, the team announced.

Wembanyama needs to play at least 20 minutes in one more game to reach the league-required minimum of 65 games for award eligibility.

The Spurs have two games left in the regular season after Wednesday night: Friday against the Dallas Mavericks and Sunday against the Denver Nuggets.

The Spurs said they are hopeful Wembanyama and Castle will play Friday.

They both participated in shootaround on Wednesday.

“I can’t tell you too much of how (Wembanyama) looked, but he heals fast,” Spurs veteran Harrison Barnes said.

Wembanyama suffered the injury in the first half of a 115-102 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Castle had 17 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in that game.

Wembanyama had 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks in just under 16 minutes. That time constituted an official game played per the NBA guidelines, which allow two exceptions of 15 to 19:59 minutes to count toward the league-required minimum.

San Antonio (60-19) has clinched the Southwest Division title and is assured of finishing no worse than second in the Western Conference. It trails the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (63-16) by three games.

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

The suspect, Royer Eliezer Pantabillu, faces one count each of first-degree arson and possession of cocaine, jail records show.

North Miami police said officers were dispatched around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday to a home near the 12000 block of Northeast Sixth Ave. in reference to a reported arson incident that had occurred earlier that morning.

According to an arrest report, the victim told officers he observed Pantabillu on a home security camera entering the back area of the home gathering miscellaneous items, pouring gasoline from a red container onto them, and setting them on fire.

The report states that the victim then alerted his wife, who was sleeping inside the home. She then went outside and extinguished the fire before it could spread to the home, police said.

The victim told police that after his wife returned inside, Pantabillu came back and reignited the fire in an area closer to the home, according to investigators.

The report states that the woman had to extinguish the flames a second time.

Police said officers later made contact with Pantabillu, who was wearing clothing consistent with the individual seen on the surveillance footage. They said he was later identified at the scene by the victim.

After searching Pantabillu, officers said they found a hard, white, powdery substance in Pantabillu’s possession that later tested positive for crack cocaine.

As of Wednesday, he was being held on a $27,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Not only was it the hottest March on record for the U.S., but the amount it was above normal beat any other month in history for the Lower 48 states. March’s average temperature of 50.85 degrees Fahrenheit (10.47 degrees Celsius) was 9.35 F (5.19 C) above the 20th century normal for March. That easily passed the old record of 8.9 F (4.9 C) set in March 2012 as the most abnormally hot month on record — regardless of the month of the year — according to records released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The average maximum temperature for March was especially high at 11.4 F (6.3 C) above the 20th century average and was almost a degree warmer than the average daytime high for April, NOAA said.

Six of the nation’s top 10 most abnormally hot months have been in the last 10 years. This February, which was 6.57 F (3.65 C) above 20th century normal, was the tenth highest above normal.

“What we experienced in March across the United States was unprecedented,” said Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central, a nonprofit science research group.

“One reason that’s so concerning is just the sheer volume of records, all-time records that were set and broken during that time period,” Winkley said. “But also this is coming on the heels of what was the worst snow year. And the hottest winter of record.”

Records keep being broken

April 2025 to March 2026 was the warmest 12-month period on record in the continental United States, according to NOAA.

On March 20 and 21, about one-third of the nation felt unseasonable heat that would have been virtually impossible without human-caused climate change, Climate Central calculated.

More than 19,800 daily temperature records were broken for heat across the country, according to meteorologist Guy Walton, who analyzes NOAA data. More than 2,000 places set monthly records for heat — harder to break than daily records — Walton calculated. That’s more March heat records set just last month than in entire decades in the past.

All those broken records “tells us that climate change is kicking our butts,” said meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale Climate Connections.

“January through March period was the driest on record for the contiguous U.S. So not only was it hot, it was record dry as well,” Masters said. “And that’s a bad combination for water availability, for agriculture, for river levels, for navigation.”

Here comes a whopping El Nino

The European climate and weather service Copernicus and NOAA are both forecasting a “super” strong El Niño to form in a few months and intensify into the winter. Meteorologists expect that to increase already warm temperatures across the globe, likely pushing past the hottest year mark set by 2024.

An El Niño is a natural temporary and cyclical warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather across the planet. An El Niño is formed when a specific part of the ocean is 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 F) warmer than normal. It is considered moderate at 1 degree Celsius and strong at 1.5 degrees Celsius. Both NOAA and the Europeans are forecasting this one to be well above 2 degrees Celsius into an area that is informally called super sized and perhaps rivaling records set in 2015 and 2016.

An El Niño releases heat stored in the upper ocean into the air, which causes global temperatures to rise, but with a few months lag time, said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini.

“A strong El Niño could plausibly push global temperatures to new record levels in late 2026 and into 2027,” Gensini said.

El Nino could alter weather patterns for years

Super-sized El Niños often trigger a “climate regime shift,” which pushes normal conditions into a different pattern for years or decades, according to a study last December in the journal Nature Communications. The study said after the 2015-2016 El Niño, the Gulf of Mexico jumped to a new sustained level of warmth that may have contributed to stronger hurricanes along the Gulf Coast in the years after.

Growing research seems to indicate that a warming world from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas could be making El Niños stronger, but climate scientists said that's not quite a consensus yet.

“Global warming is supercharging El Niños and the atmospheric warming they drive,” said University of Michigan environment dean and climate scientist Jonathan Overpeck. "We saw this in 2016 and more recently in 2023. We’re likely to see another jump in global temperatures if a strong El Niño develops later this year as being predicted.”

El Niños tend to tamp down hurricane activity in the Atlantic, but ramp it up in the Pacific and could help ease the southwestern drought, Masters said.

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

According to Miami police, the shooting happened around 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 26 off Northwest 17th Avenue and 52nd Street.

An arrest warrant states that Kenneth Knott, 36, was in a rented white Hyundai with another man, Zion Smith, when he exited the passenger side of the vehicle and shot the victim, Andre Russel, then 52, as Russel was standing outside his home.

Police said the victim ran across the street into the driveway of another home and Knott chased after him while continuing to shoot in his direction.

Responding officers found Russel a short time later, injured on the sidewalk. His silver Chevrolet Impala had been shot in its windshield, authorities said.

Witness statements, surveillance video and cellphone data helped detectives identify Knott as the gunman, the warrant states.

He was arrested Tuesday on charges of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

As of Wednesday afternoon, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.

According to the warrant, Smith was located by police earlier this year.

A motive for the shooting remains unclear.

We will still have some thunderstorms developing on Thursday, just fewer of them. That will be the trend into the weekend. By Saturday we will be mostly dry with just a stray light shower off the water. It’s looking like a beautiful weekend with seasonable highs in the low 80s.

Kimberly Akimbo, which won five Tony Awards including Best Musical in 2023, follows a teenage girl who ages at an accelerated rate. The role of Kimberly is portrayed by Broadway veteran Ann Morrison.

Morrison said the production resonates because of its mix of comedy and emotional depth.

“It’s hilariously funny, but it’s also filled with heart and a beautiful message about life is short, so just enjoy the ride,” Morrison said.

The musical centers on Kimberly’s challenges navigating family dysfunction, friendships and identity while living with a rare condition that causes her body to age rapidly. Despite the heavy premise, the show emphasizes optimism and resilience.

Kimberly Akimbo is scheduled to run at the Broward Center through April 12. Click here for more information on how to purchase tickets.

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Residents along Northwest 181st Street and a lake saw waterspouts, furniture blown around, heavy rain, and downed tree limbs.

“I see stuff starting to fly around, and then it got bad, and I ran into the bathroom,” a resident said, adding that the commotion lasted less than 5 minutes.

The wind flipped a boat and damaged roofs. There were downed trees and some power disruptions.

Crews with the Florida Power & Light Company were out working in the neighborhood on Friday night.

Tips on what to do during a tornado

• Seek shelter in the interior room of a sturdy building and away from windows.
• Drive to the closest shelter.
• Cover your head

Source: The National Weather Service

For the Weather Authority’s live weather radar and hour-by-hour forecasts, visit this page.

Related stories

•  Flood watch in effect for South Florida, weather affecting local airports
• Beware of flooding, rip currents, traffic delays in South Florida

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

Brian Laoz was on the run after wounding two victims on Feb. 17 in the area of Southwest 266th Street and 138th Avenue when Leah Santos picked him up, according to a deputy’s arrest report.

On Feb. 23, Santos told Miami-Dade deputies that Laoz was her boyfriend, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy’s arrest report.

“She picked up [Laoz] the following morning after the shooting from a residence” and “traveled to a smoke shop to buy marijuana and rolling papers,” a deputy wrote, according to the report.

Santos also told deputies that she went home to the Three Lakes neighborhood to get bandages to help Laoz with his injured foot, they “went to a restaurant to get food,” and “she purchased a short-term rental,” according to the arrest report.

Santos said her parents called her to tell her that detectives were looking for her, so she left the Airbnb short-term rental in Kendall, and she drove back home to the Three Lakes neighborhood to meet with a detective, according to the report.

Santos “provided a false statement that she had not seen [Laoz] for a while and that they had previously ended their relationship” and “returned to the Airbnb where [Laoz] was,” according to the report.

Santos later convinced Laoz “to turn himself in” on Feb. 19, and after he did, they continued to communicate while he was behind bars, according to the report. Detectives reported listening to their jail calls on Feb. 22 and Feb. 25.

Laoz, who had told deputies the Feb. 17 shooting had been in self-defense, allegedly gave Santos tasks during the calls — including buying firearms parts for him, according to the report.

Deputies searched Santos’s home on Tuesday in the Three Lakes neighborhood and arrested her there at 5:30 p.m., according to the report.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Santos shortly after 9:10 p.m. on Tuesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to inmate records.

Santos faced charges of accessory after the fact, tampering with physical evidence, and knowingly providing false information to law enforcement during an investigation.

Related stories

• Miami-Dade gunman claims self-defense; detective reports video shows ‘premeditation’
• MDSO: 2 men arrive at hospital after being shot in southwest Miami-Dade

Rodrigo will do double duty as host and musical guest on May 2, marking her hosting debut and third time as musical guest, ahead of her new album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.”

Damon, promoting Christopher Nolan's “The Odyssey,” will host the following week for the third time on May 9. Noah Kahan will perform as that show's musical guest, for the second time.

Ferrell, who leads Netflix's upcoming “The Hawk,” will host the 51st season finale on May 16 — his sixth time hosting. His musical guest will be McCartney, who will take the stage as musical guest for the fifth time.

Colman Domingo and musical guest Anitta are on tap this Saturday.

The NBC sketch comedy show airs at 11:30 p.m. Eastern and streams live on Peacock.

“I will tell you guys, James Pearce is not here," Stefanski said. “We've been in constant communication with his representation."

Pearce was arrested near Miami on Feb. 7 after an incident involving his former girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson.

He faces three felony charges, including aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence, in addition to a misdemeanor stalking charge.

The new Falcons coach emphasized that the training program is voluntary and that he wouldn't be sharing additional details about which players reported.

“It’s a voluntary program, so that’s up to each individual player to make those decisions,” Stefanski said. "I would also add that we’ve had great discussions with his (Pearce's) representation. I don’t want to get into the specifics of that.”

One of the players in attendance is running back Bijan Robinson, who earned AP first-team All-Pro honors after amassing 2,298 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns during the 2025-26 season.

The running back said he has not spoken with Pearce since his arrest.

“If he does come back, if he’s here in this building, I’m going to make sure that he’s all the way focused, all the way ready to go, make sure his mind is in the right place, so he can be at his best on and off the field,” Robinson said.

Pearce's status with the Falcons has been in question since the arrest. The Falcons' front office and coaching staff, which is largely full of new faces this season, has remained tight-lipped during the active investigation.

“Obviously, we’re aware of the most recent articles and things that have come out regarding James Pearce,” Falcons GM Ian Cunningham said in March. “Those are concerning, right, to say the least, but outside of that, I’ll just keep it just very similar to what we said at the combine. We’re not going to comment on an open legal matter here moving forward.”

Pearce led the Falcons with 10.5 sacks in 2025. He also had 26 total tackles, five pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. The Falcons’ pass rush saw significant improvement with Pearce in the lineup in 2025, setting a team record with 57 sacks, 26 more than the year before.

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

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin made the remarks in the keynote address at a conference hosted by the Heartland Institute, a conservative think tank that rejects mainstream climate science and what it calls “climate alarmism.” Zeldin told the gathering that repeal of the 2009 “endangerment finding” reversed decades of unthinking adherence to liberal politicians and environmental groups about the dangers of climate change.

“Today is a moment to celebrate. It is a day to celebrate vindication,″ said Zeldin, a former Republican congressman from New York who is widely believed to be under consideration for a possible promotion to attorney general, following Pam Bondi’s forced departure last week.

The EPA earlier this year revoked the endangerment finding, a scientific conclusion that for 16 years was the central basis for regulating planet-warming emissions from power plants, vehicles and other sources. The Trump administration argued the finding hurts industry and the economy and claimed the Obama and Biden administrations twisted science to determine that greenhouse gases are a public health risk.

Heartland on ‘front lines’ against endangerment finding

Zeldin's prominent appearance at a conference hosted by a group deeply skeptical of the established science around climate change reflected the vast reversal that President Donald Trump's administration has carried out of traditional policies meant to protect the environment. The EPA has rolled back dozens of air and water protections and has said it does not have legal authority to regulate climate change.

“You were right there on the front lines against there being an endangerment finding in 2009,” Zeldin told the Heartland conference.

Environmentalists denounced Zeldin's appearance before the conservative group, accusing him of “rallying climate deniers” at a time when climate change is creating greater risks of extreme weather, including stronger hurricanes, more dangerous floods and more intense wildfires.

Zeldin’s speech “promotes disinformation” and amounts to doing the bidding of Heartland’s secretive donors, said Joe Bonfiglio, U.S. director of the Environmental Defense Fund.

“The Heartland Institute is not a serious scientific organization. It’s a disinformation factory,” Bonfiglio said. Having the EPA administrator serve as their opening act isn’t just embarrassing — it’s a signal of how completely the Trump administration has abandoned its obligation to protect the public from pollution.”

An EPA spokeswoman brushed off the criticism, saying “the era of EPA as a vehicle for radical ideology is over.”

Zeldin speaks before a “wide variety of ideologically different groups and individuals to promote the agenda of the Trump EPA,” spokesman Carolyn Holran said.

Zeldin has returned the agency’s focus to fulfill its statutory obligations to protect human health and the environment, “backed by gold standard science, not doomsday models designed to scare the public into compliance,” she said in an email.

Heartland, based in Illinois, describes itself as a “free-market think tank” and says a key goal is to “challenge the narrative that the world faces a climate crisis” driven by the burning of fossil fuels. The organization does not disclose its funder list but has received financial support from oil and gas interests.

James Taylor, the group's president, hailed Zeldin’s speech and called Zeldin “the greatest EPA administrator ever.”

The 2009 endangerment finding determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The Obama-era finding is the legal underpinning of nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet.

The repeal eliminates all greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks and could unleash a broader undoing of climate regulations on stationary sources such as power plants and oil and gas facilities, experts say. Legal challenges have been filed by nearly two dozen states, along with cities and public health and environmental groups.

Critic calls Zeldin speech ‘surreal’

Bonfiglio, of EDF, called it “surreal” that the head of the EPA would appear before a “fringe of the conservative right” and “ask for his flowers.” He called the speech tone-deaf and even insulting to Americans, given the rising costs of gasoline and other energy and more frequent occurrences of extreme weather such as a gigantic heat dome that baked the Southwest last month and smashed March heat records in 14 states.

The Heartland Institute and its supporters “don't want you to look out the window,” Bonfiglio said in an interview. “They actually need you to not look out the window in order to defend their positions. A core to their belief is that climate change is not a threat.”

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According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, it’s not the first time Crystal Wilneshia White or co-owner Kerri Lisa Smith, both 38, have been accused of operating unlicensed post-op homes in the county.

Deputies said they first executed a search warrant at “Snatched N Curved,” located at 21480 SW 132nd Court, on March 17. They said they found eight recovering patients and two employees at the home.

They said another person who arrived with a patient claimed she was not an employee and was “visiting Crystal.”

Two days before White’s arrest, an Instagram post from the business warning of recovery homes “shutting down or facing serious legal consequences” due to “increasing regulations” proclaimed that the business is above-board.

“At Snatched N Curved, we want to be very clear: We do not operate like that, and we do not stand for that,” it states. “At the same time, we must operate legally, responsibly, and in full compliance with all regulations. We will not put our company, our team, or our families at risk.”

But deputies said “Snatched N Curved” was not, in fact, a licensed assisted living facility as required by state law.

The arrest report states that patients were paying in upwards of $300 per night, through Zelle, to Smith and Pierre to stay at the home and receive care. A review of the pair’s Zelle account showed that the two women had made $200,000, authorities said.

Investigators said Smith, also known as “Kerri Pierre,” was the “face” of the business and White is the registered director of the associated “SNG Concierge” company.

Deputies said they also snatched evidence from the garbage showing that “Snatched N Curved” was illegally dumping medical waste.

“Additionally, the defendant and co-defendant were previously arrested two separate times in 2023 for the unlicensed operation of two unlicensed post-cosmetic surgery ALFs at two different locations,” the arrest report states.

Deputies arrested White on Tuesday on six felony charges plus several misdemeanors, including organized fraud, operating an assisted living facility without a license and felony littering.

It appears a judge did not find probable cause on the organized fraud charge, ordering her released outright on that count, according to jail records. She was otherwise ordered to be held on an $8,300 bond.

White also faces a magistrate hold.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, no es la primera vez que Crystal Wilneshia White o la copropietaria Kerri Lisa Smith, ambas de 38 años, han sido acusadas de operar casas de recuperación sin licencia en el condado.

Los agentes indicaron que ejecutaron por primera vez una orden de registro en “Snatched N Curved”, ubicada en el 21480 de la corte Southwest 132, el 17 de marzo. Señalaron que encontraron a ocho pacientes en recuperación y dos empleados en la vivienda.

Indicaron que otra persona que llegó con un paciente afirmó que no era empleada y que estaba “visitando a Crystal”.

Dos días antes del arresto de White, una publicación en Instagram del negocio advertía sobre casas de recuperación “cerrando o enfrentando graves consecuencias legales” debido al “aumento de regulaciones” y afirmaba que el negocio operaba correctamente.

“En Snatched N Curved, queremos ser muy claros: no operamos de esa manera y no apoyamos eso”, indica. “Al mismo tiempo, debemos operar legalmente, de manera responsable y en total cumplimiento con todas las regulaciones. No pondremos en riesgo a nuestra empresa, nuestro equipo ni nuestras familias”.

Pero los agentes indicaron que “Snatched N Curved” no era, de hecho, una instalación de vida asistida con licencia como exige la ley estatal.

El informe de arresto señala que los pacientes pagaban más de $300 USD por noche, a través de Zelle, a Smith y Pierre para alojarse en la vivienda y recibir atención. Una revisión de la cuenta de Zelle mostró que ambas mujeres habían obtenido $200,000 USD, según las autoridades.

Los investigadores indicaron que Smith, también conocida como “Kerri Pierre”, era la “cara” del negocio y que White es la directora registrada de la empresa asociada “SNG Concierge”.

Los agentes también indicaron que recuperaron evidencia de la basura que mostraba que “Snatched N Curved” desechaba residuos médicos de manera ilegal.

“Además, la acusada y la coacusada fueron arrestadas previamente en dos ocasiones separadas en 2023 por la operación sin licencia de dos instalaciones de vida asistida post cirugía cosmética en diferentes ubicaciones”, señala el informe de arresto.

Los agentes arrestaron a White el martes por seis cargos graves y varios delitos menores, incluidos fraude organizado, operar una instalación de vida asistida sin licencia y vertido ilegal grave.

Según los registros de la cárcel, al parecer un juez no encontró causa probable para el cargo de fraude organizado, ordenando su liberación por ese cargo. Por lo demás, se ordenó que permaneciera detenida con una fianza de $8,300 USD.

White también enfrenta una orden de detención de un magistrado.

The par-3 16th is famous for Woods hitting that pitch that made a U-turn at the top of the slope, hung on the edge of the cup and dropped during his 2005 victory. No eyes were on the beautiful Redbud shrub with its vibrant pink blooms.

The par-3 12th hole is associated with its name on the scorecard, “Golden Bell,” a yellow bloom native to Asia. Ask just about any player at the Masters if they've ever seen a Golden Bell and it's doubtful. It blooms in late winter. The Masters is golf's rite of spring.

“I’ve played the 12th enough. I’m sure I’ve seen one somewhere,” Rory McIlroy said.

Pebble Beach is the felicitous meeting of land and sea. Augusta National is the greatest garden in golf, because that's what it was before Bobby Jones went looking for land to build his golf course and found the 365-acre Fruitland Nurseries.

“Perfect! And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come along and lay a golf course on it,” Jones said when he first laid eyes on the property.

He took out an option for $70,000.

Augusta National doesn't speak in numbers — from the size of the gallery to how fast the greens are running on the Stimpmeter — but the course is believe to have some 80,000 flowering plants and trees on its immaculate landscape.

The flora is such an integral part of Augusta National that each hole is named for a tree or a shrub that can be found on that hole.

“I know azalea is one of them,” Dustin Johnson said.

Good guess. It took him a few seconds to associate “Azalea” with the iconic par-5 13th, which has approximately 1,600 azalea bushes, many of them surrounding the back of the green.

Remarkably, Johnson knew the seventh hole was named, “Pampas,” a grass bush native to Argentina that grows about 12 feet high and blooms in late summer. The hole used to be 340 yards with no bunkers. Now it's 450 yards, straight and narrow and tough.

“Perfect name,” Johnson said, “because it is an ass of a hole.”

Johnson also knew there was a dogwood or two on the scorecard without knowing exactly where (Pink Dogwood for No. 2, White Dogwood for No. 11). And there's no shame in that.

Two-time champion Scottie Scheffler — the No. 1 player in the world, and with a degree from Texas in finance, not horticulture — paused under the live oak next to the clubhouse when asked how many plants he could name associated with each hole.

“Magnolia for 5?” he asked. He hit one of his purest shots on the fifth hole when he won in 2022. He didn't have to venture into the magnolia trees behind the tree.

He also named Azalea and Golden Bell — “I got more than I thought,” he said — but whiffed on Holly, the red-berry bushes found on both sides of the 18th tee.

McIlroy, the defending champion, has a greater appreciation of history and heritage than most golfers. He didn't think he could get the names on all 18 holes before rattling off Firethorn (15), Azalea, Golden Bell, Pink Dogwood ... and then he stumbled.

“White Dogwood, 10?” he said.

No. The 10th hole is Camelia, another one that typically blooms well before the Masters.

The beauty of Augusta National cannot be overstated, and its history of flora is rich. Fruitland Nurseries dates to 1858, a partnership between a Belgian baron named Louis Berckmans and his son, Prosper. They imported trees and plants from all over the world. The nursery ceased operations in 1918 after they died. What remained were a long row of magnolias that had been planted before the Civil War, and the azalea bush that Prosper Berckmans popularized.

A word about the famous azaleas at Augusta National.

No, the club's horticulture staff does not pack them in ice to keep the blooms from bursting before the Masters. There have been the occasional “green” Masters without many blooms, and that almost was the case this year. The blooms are fading but still colorful.

The staff will get to work two days after the Masters is over, fertilizing and pruning. And it takes great care — the azalea bushes are pruned by hand, a project that can take three months.

There is one palm tree at Augusta National, just to the right of the green on the par-3 fourth. The name of the hole later was changed from Palm to Flowering Crabapple with its red, pink and white blooms (they usually pop right after the Masters).

That tripped up Chris Gotterup, one of the 22 newcomers to the Masters this year.

“Is every hole named after a flower?" Gotterup said Monday. “Because we were playing 4 today. Is palm a flower?”

It all weaves together in a magnificent landscape, a deceptive beauty as the backdrop to intense pressure trying to win one of golf's grandest prizes. Jones might have summed it up best.

"Never was the iron gauntlet of challenge more skillfully concealed in velvet.”

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

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Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office identified the suspects as Maria Blasco Diaz, 64, and her husband, Antonio Diaz, 65.

According to an arrest report, the investigation began after longtime friends accused the couple of offering deeply discounted luxury watches, jewelry and cruise travel packages that were never delivered on July, 24, 2023.

Authorities said the scheme dates back to 2022, when Maria Blasco Diaz allegedly offered a 50% “friends and family” discount on Rolex watches through her husband, who worked at a jewelry store.

The report states that the victims and their relatives paid deposits for multiple watches, totaling nearly $139,000.

Investigators said Maria Blasco Diaz provided repeated excuses for delays, including claims the items were sent to the wrong store or held in “quality control.”

They said additional money was also collected for jewelry purchases and discounted cruise travel, including a trip scheduled for July 2023 aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas.

In total, deputies said the victims paid more than $44,000 for travel-related expenses that were never secured.

As the departure date approached, they said Maria Blasco Diaz failed to provide travel documents and later claimed the bookings fell through because a contact at the cruise line had been “fired.”

She issued partial repayment checks that later bounced due to “insufficient funds,” according to the report, which stated Maria Blasco Diaz had written the checks from a newly opened account that bank officials confirmed was opened “with a minimal deposit” and that she “had not deposited any additional funds.”

The report states that the couple ultimately collected $200,259.85 and never provided the promised goods or services, nor refunded the money.

Detectives said Maria Blasco Diaz confessed to the crimes in an interview and claimed that her husband was not involved. Despite her confession, Antonio Diaz was also arrested.

Jail records show both suspects are facing charges including organized fraud of $50,000 or more, first-degree grand theft of over $100,000, uttering forged instruments, writing or issuing a worthless check of $150 or more, and theft from an elderly victim of more than $10,000 but less than $50,000.

The couple appeared in bond court Wednesday, where a judge set their bond at $35,000 each.

They were also ordered to have no contact with any of the victims and were given a Nebbia hold, which requires a defendant or defendants to prove the money or collateral used to pay a bail bond comes from a legitimate, legal source.

Anyone who believes they may have been scammed by the couple is urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade identificaron a los sospechosos como Maria Blasco Diaz, de 64 años, y su esposo, Antonio Diaz, de 65.

Según un informe de arresto, la investigación comenzó después de que amigos de larga data acusaran a la pareja de ofrecer relojes de lujo, joyas y paquetes de cruceros con grandes descuentos que nunca fueron entregados el 24 de julio de 2023.

Las autoridades indicaron que el esquema se remonta a 2022, cuando Maria Blasco Diaz presuntamente ofreció un descuento del 50% de “amigos y familia” en relojes Rolex a través de su esposo, quien trabajaba en una joyería.

El informe señala que las víctimas y sus familiares pagaron depósitos por múltiples relojes, con un total de casi $139,000 USD.

Los investigadores dijeron que Maria Blasco Diaz proporcionó excusas repetidas por los retrasos, incluyendo afirmaciones de que los artículos fueron enviados a la tienda equivocada o retenidos en “control de calidad”.

Indicaron que también se recolectó dinero adicional para compras de joyas y viajes en crucero con descuento, incluyendo un viaje programado para julio de 2023 a bordo del Odyssey of the Seas de Royal Caribbean.

En total, los agentes dijeron que las víctimas pagaron más de $44,000 USD en gastos relacionados con viajes que nunca fueron asegurados.

A medida que se acercaba la fecha de salida, indicaron que Maria Blasco Diaz no proporcionó documentos de viaje y luego afirmó que las reservas se cancelaron porque un contacto en la línea de cruceros había sido “despedido”.

Emitió cheques de reembolso parcial que luego rebotaron por “fondos insuficientes”, según el informe, que indica que Maria Blasco Diaz escribió los cheques desde una cuenta recién abierta que funcionarios del banco confirmaron fue abierta “con un depósito mínimo” y que “no había depositado fondos adicionales”.

El informe señala que la pareja finalmente obtuvo $200,259.85 USD y nunca proporcionó los bienes o servicios prometidos ni devolvió el dinero.

Los detectives dijeron que Maria Blasco Diaz confesó los delitos durante una entrevista y afirmó que su esposo no estaba involucrado. A pesar de su confesión, Antonio Diaz también fue arrestado.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que ambos sospechosos enfrentan cargos que incluyen fraude organizado de $50,000 USD o más, hurto mayor en primer grado de más de $100,000 USD, uso de instrumentos falsificados, emisión de cheques sin fondos de $150 USD o más y robo a una víctima de edad avanzada de más de $10,000 USD pero menos de $50,000 USD.

La pareja compareció el miércoles ante un tribunal de fianzas, donde un juez fijó una fianza de $35,000 USD para cada uno.

También se les ordenó no tener contacto con ninguna de las víctimas y se les impuso una retención Nebbia, que requiere que el acusado o los acusados demuestren que el dinero o la garantía utilizada para pagar la fianza proviene de una fuente legítima y legal.

Cualquier persona que crea haber sido estafada por la pareja debe llamar a Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

“Evidentemente es una provocación porque de la nada salen este tipo de mensajes”, dijo en una entrevista con una radio local la canciller ecuatoriana Gabriela Sommerfeld. Agregó que “hemos llamado a nuestro embajador (Felix Wong) a consultas” y se espera que arribe a Ecuador en las próximas horas.

Previamente la Cancillería había informado en un comunicado que “a diferencia de lo que sostiene el jefe de Estado colombiano” Glas “no es un perseguido político, sino un sentenciado por la justicia” tras procesos legítimos por corrupción.

La noche del lunes Petro publicó en su cuenta de X que “ es indudable que Jorge Glas es un preso político ” y al día siguiente recordó que le había otorgado la ciudadanía colombiana a Glas y pedido a organismos internacionales que velaran por su seguridad porque, adujo, en prisión no recibe suficiente alimento y sufre una “severa desnutrición”.

El presidente ecuatoriano Daniel Noboa respondió, también en X, que Ecuador “ha esperado años para ver a los corruptos responder ante la justicia” y agregó que “desde afuera quieren vender el cuento de los presos políticos”.

Glas fue condenado por asociación ilícita en el caso Odebrecht, por cohecho en un caso de sobornos y por apropiación de fondos públicos para la reconstrucción de la provincia Manabí, destruida por un potente terremoto en 2016.

La Cancillería advirtió que cualquier intento por deslegitimar sentencias judiciales ecuatorianas “desde el exterior constituye una violación flagrante al principio de no intervención” y dijo que las “falsas declaraciones formuladas por el presidente” colombiano “contribuyen a deteriorar el estado de las relaciones diplomáticas”.

Añadió que Ecuador exige el cese inmediato de “declaraciones que vulneran su soberanía”.

Glas está preso en una prisión de máxima seguridad cumpliendo tres sentencias. En uno de esos casos también fue condenado el expresidente Rafael Correa (2007-2017), quien se encuentra prófugo.

El exvicepresidente fue liberado a fines de 2023 y recapturado en abril de 2024 cuando la policía irrumpió en la embajada de México en Quito, donde se había refugiado.

Los roces se producen en medio de una guerra comercial desatada luego de que Ecuador impusiera aranceles a las importaciones procedentes de Colombia a la que señaló de no custodiar la zona limítrofe y vender a precio excesivo la energía eléctrica. En respuesta, Colombia impuso tasas recíprocas a los bienes ecuatorianos.

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Investigators said Henao Knezevich was reported missing on Feb. 4, 2024, while living in Madrid. She and her husband, David Knezevich, also owned a home in Fort Lauderdale. They believe she was killed two days earlier.

Authorities say her remains may have been discarded along a route stretching from Madrid to Serbia, passing through Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.

Detectives said surveillance video shows Henao Knezevich entering her Madrid apartment building around 1:42 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2024. They said she later participated in a video call around 7 p.m. and sent her final text message to friends at about 10:01 p.m.

That same night, at about 9:27 p.m., David Knezevich, then 36, was seen on surveillance video entering the building wearing a motorcycle helmet and reflective vest, according to investigators.

Authorities say David Knezevich spray-painted the lobby camera before leaving with what they believe was a rolling suitcase containing her body. She has not been seen since, and investigators say all evidence indicates she is dead.

Investigators say he rented a dark blue 2019 Peugeot 308 in Belgrade, Serbia, on Jan. 29, 2024, and tinted its rear windows before driving to Madrid.

They allege that he stole multiple license plates along the way to conceal his movements and later returned to Serbia along the same route, where they believe he disposed of her remains.

David Knezevich, a Serbian-American who lived in Fort Lauderdale, was charged in the kidnapping and killing of his estranged wife.

Prosecutors said he falsely claimed to be in South Florida at the time of her disappearance, while court records point to financial disputes during divorce proceedings as a possible motive.

They said he was arrested in May 2024 at Miami International Airport and remained in federal custody awaiting trial.

During the investigation, authorities said David Knezevich died in jail by suicide.

They also said a necklace and journal belonging to Henao Knezevich were not found in her apartment and could be recognizable to someone who may have seen them.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI, the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

Los investigadores indicaron que Henao Knezevich fue reportada como desaparecida el 4 de febrero de 2024, mientras vivía en Madrid. Ella y su esposo, David Knezevich, también tenían una vivienda en Fort Lauderdale. Creen que fue asesinada dos días antes.

Las autoridades señalan que sus restos podrían haber sido abandonados a lo largo de una ruta que se extiende desde Madrid hasta Serbia, pasando por España, Francia, Italia, Eslovenia y Croacia.

Los detectives indicaron que un video de vigilancia muestra a Henao Knezevich entrando a su edificio de apartamentos en Madrid alrededor de la 1:42 p.m. del 2 de febrero de 2024. Señalaron que posteriormente participó en una videollamada alrededor de las 7 p.m. y envió su último mensaje de texto a amigos aproximadamente a las 10:01 p.m.

Esa misma noche, alrededor de las 9:27 p.m., David Knezevich, entonces de 36 años, fue visto en video de vigilancia entrando al edificio con un casco de motocicleta y un chaleco reflectante, según los investigadores.

Las autoridades indican que David Knezevich roció con pintura la cámara del vestíbulo antes de salir con lo que creen era una maleta con ruedas que contenía su cuerpo. No ha sido vista desde entonces, y los investigadores afirman que toda la evidencia indica que está muerta.

Los investigadores indicaron que él alquiló un Peugeot 308 azul oscuro modelo 2019 en Belgrado, Serbia, el 29 de enero de 2024, y que oscureció las ventanas traseras antes de conducir hasta Madrid.

Alegan que robó múltiples placas de matrícula en el camino para ocultar sus movimientos y que posteriormente regresó a Serbia por la misma ruta, donde creen que se deshizo de los restos.

David Knezevich, un serbio-estadounidense que residía en Fort Lauderdale, fue acusado del secuestro y asesinato de su esposa separada.

Los fiscales indicaron que él afirmó falsamente estar en el sur de Florida al momento de su desaparición, mientras que los registros judiciales apuntan a disputas financieras durante el proceso de divorcio como un posible motivo.

Señalaron que fue arrestado en mayo de 2024 en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami y permanecía bajo custodia federal a la espera de juicio.

Durante la investigación, las autoridades informaron que David Knezevich murió en la cárcel por suicidio.

También indicaron que un collar y un diario pertenecientes a Henao Knezevich no fueron encontrados en su apartamento y podrían ser reconocibles para alguien que los haya visto.

Cualquier persona con información debe comunicarse con el FBI, la embajada o consulado de Estados Unidos más cercano, llamar al 1-800-CALL-FBI o enviar una pista en tips.fbi.gov.

By giving the “core” designation to those players, their teams have exclusive negotiating rights which comes with a guaranteed one-year deal at the new supermax salary. That's more than five-times above the top salary they could earn in the last CBA.

Players can negotiate different terms to help their teams sign other players to fit under the new salary cap that's expected to be around $7 million.

Other players giving the “core” designation include Indiana's Kelsey Mitchell, Dallas' Arike Ogunbowale, Atlanta's Allisha Gray, Chicago's Ariel Atkins and Seattle's Ezi Magbegor.

Expansion franchises Portland and Toronto extended franchise tag offers to players. The Fire selected Bridget Carleton with the first pick in the draft last week and offered her the tag. The Tempo did the same for Marina Mabrey, who they took with the sixth pick.

The franchise tag is a way for a team to prevent a player from leaving in free agency without getting anything in return for them. The teams and players can also negotiate doing a sign-and-trade agreement for those players.

Starting in 2027, players can only be given the core designation twice and it can only be if they have less than seven years of experience in the league.

Teams were also able to send out reserved and restricted qualifying offers to players during this designation period, which began Monday. Negotiations will go from Wednesday to Friday with players able to start signing Saturday.

Training camp is scheduled to begin on April 19 with the first preseason games on April 25.

The start of free agency was delayed until this month because of a prolonged negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement that didn't get agreed to and ratified until late March. The long form contract is still being executed by both sides.

More than 80% of the league’s veteran players are free agents this year, as players had signed deals that expired at the end of last season to capitalize on higher salaries from the new CBA.

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

Hermanos gemelos y magnates de bienes raíces Alon y Oren Alexander aparecieron en un tribunal de Miami-Dade el viernes mientras sus padres lo observaban desde la galería. Los hermanos de 37 años de edad enfrentan cargos de delito grave estatal, incluyendo agresión sexual.

Los fiscales federales dicen que Oren y Alon Alexander, junto con su hermano mayor Tal, usaron su estatus, riqueza e influencia para atraer a “docenas” de mujeres a entornos aislados, donde fueron repetidamente drogadas, violadas y explotadas en el transcurso de más de una década.

El juez de Miami-Dade, Lody Jean, ratificó un acuerdo previo al juicio entre los fiscales y la defensa, otorgando la libertad bajo fianza bajo estrictas condiciones.

Oren Alexander está acusado en tres casos, mientras que Alon enfrenta un cargo. Cada uno debe pagar una fianza de $25,000 por caso, cumplir con el arresto domiciliario de nivel 3 con monitoreo GPS y entregar sus pasaportes. También están obligados a evitar el contacto con las presuntas víctimas.

Un juez federal también negó el viernes la libertad bajo fianza para Tal Alexander, citando preocupaciones sobre su posible riesgo de fuga.

Milton Williams Jr., abogado defensor de Tal Alexander, dijo que su cliente probablemente será trasladado al Centro de Detención Metropolitano en Nueva York, una instalación previamente asociada con casos de alto perfil como el de Sean “Diddy” Combs.

“La familia va en serio para apoyar a su hijo y demostrar que es inocente”, dijo Williams a Local 10 News.

“El gobierno ha cumplido con su carga en lo que respecta al riesgo de fuga”, dijo el juez durante la audiencia. Si bien reconoció que Alexander podría no representar un peligro significativo para la comunidad, el tribunal no encontró condiciones que pudieran mitigar completamente el riesgo de que huyera.

El juez enfatizó la solidez de las pruebas contra Alexander y señaló los “amplios recursos financieros” de su familia, que incluyen activos sustanciales. “En este momento, no sé si 115 millones de dólares son sustanciales para ellos, pero él tiene los recursos financieros para huir si así lo decide”, agregó el juez.

El tribunal desestimó el confinamiento domiciliario y el monitoreo por GPS como salvaguardas suficientes, afirmando que tales medidas “han demostrado en el pasado que no son infalibles”.

Oren Alexander enfrenta cargos de conspiración para cometer tráfico sexual y tráfico sexual que involucra a una víctima a través de la fuerza, fraude o coerción, en tres casos separados, mientras que Alon Alexander enfrenta un cargo de agresión sexual por parte de múltiples perpetradores.

En un acontecimiento significativo, ambas partes llegaron a un acuerdo sobre la libertad previa al juicio por los cargos estatales, que fue ratificado por el juez el viernes. Como parte del acuerdo, el padre de los hermanos, Schlomy Alexander, está poniendo una propiedad familiar, ubicada cerca de la cuadra 200 Bal Bay Drive en Bal Harbour, como garantía.

Los abogados defensores confirmaron que se espera que Ohad Fisherman, un amigo cercano de la familia que enfrenta un cargo de agresión sexual por parte de múltiples perpetradores en relación con un incidente de 2016 que involucró a los tres hermanos Alexander, se entregue la próxima semana después de regresar de su luna de miel en Japón.

A pesar del acuerdo de fianza, los hermanos Alexander permanecen bajo custodia, a la espera de ser transferidos a los Alguaciles de EE. UU. para enfrentar cargos federales de tráfico sexual. Los investigadores alegan que los Alexander, junto con su hermano mayor Tal, explotaron su riqueza e influencia para victimizar a las mujeres durante un período de 11 años.

Informe de las 9 a.m.

El fallo judicial del viernes se produce un día después de que Oren y Alon Alexander comparecieran en una sala del tribunal de Miami-Dade con chalecos verdes antisuicidio, donde la jueza Mindy Glazer les negó la libertad bajo fianza. Los fiscales citaron su acceso a aviones y yates privados como evidencia de riesgo de fuga.

“Este acusado tiene acceso a aviones privados, barcos privados; hay riesgo de fuga”, dijo la fiscal Natalie Snyder al tribunal. Glazer confirmó la decisión, declarando: “Debido a que se considera un delito peligroso, estoy obligado a retenerlo sin fianza”.

Los hermanos Alexander, cuyas batallas legales han atraído una atención significativa, permanecen en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight a pesar de una victoria de la corte estatal el jueves anterior que estableció un acuerdo de arresto domiciliario con condiciones.

Su abogado defensor, quien asistió a una audiencia en un tribunal federal el viernes, le dijo a Local 10 News que los hermanos permanecerán bajo custodia hasta al menos el lunes por la mañana. Se requiere una audiencia a las 10 a.m. en el Edificio de Justicia Richard E. Gerstein para confirmar la fianza vinculada a sus cargos estatales.

Dijo que el procedimiento de la corte estatal esta mañana fue una “victoria”, pero aún hay más por resolver.

Los cargos federales se ciernen sobre los hermanos.

El exfiscal estatal y federal David Weinstein indicó que es probable que los alguaciles federales tomen la custodia de la pareja de TGK en preparación para su caso federal. Sin embargo, el momento de la transferencia depende de cuándo esté programada su comparecencia inicial en el tribunal federal.

Lea el acuerdo de libertad previa al juicio de Oren y Alon Alexander en el documento a continuación (en inglés):

Twin brothers and real estate tycoons Alon and Oren Alexander appeared in a Miami-Dade courtroom Friday as their parents watched from the gallery. The 37-year-old brothers face state felony charges, including sexual battery.

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Federal prosecutors say Oren and Alon Alexander, along with their older brother Tal, used their status, wealth, and influence to lure “dozens” of women into isolated settings, where they were repeatedly drugged, raped, and exploited them over the course of more than a decade.

Miami-Dade Judge Lody Jean ratified a pretrial agreement between prosecutors and the defense, granting bail under strict conditions.

She ruled that both brothers must post a $25,000 bond per case, comply with Level 3 house arrest with GPS monitoring, and surrender their passports. They are also required to avoid contact with the alleged victims.

A federal judge also denied bond Friday for Tal Alexander, citing concerns over his potential risk of flight.

Milton Williams Jr., Tal Alexander’s defense attorney, said his client will likely be transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York, a facility previously associated with high-profile cases like Sean “Diddy” Combs.

“The family means business in supporting their son and proving he is innocent,” Williams to Local 10 News.

“The government has met their burden when it comes to risk of flight,” the judge said during the hearing. While acknowledging that Alexander might not pose a significant danger to the community, the court found no conditions that could fully mitigate the risk of him fleeing.

The judge emphasized the strength of the evidence against Alexander and noted his family’s “extensive financial resources,” which include substantial assets. “At this point, I am not aware whether $115 million is substantial for them, but he has the financial resources to flee if he chose to do so,” the judge added.

The court dismissed home confinement and GPS monitoring as sufficient safeguards, stating that such measures “have proven in the past to not be foolproof.”

Oren Alexander is facing charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and sex trafficking involving a victim through force, fraud, or coercion, in three separate cases, while Alon Alexander faces one count of sexual battery by multiple perpetrators.

In a significant development, both sides reached an agreement on pretrial release for the state charges, which was ratified by the judge on Friday. As part of the agreement, the brothers’ father, Schlomy Alexander, is putting up a family property — located near the 200 block Bal Bay Drive in Bal Harbour — as collateral.

Defense attorneys confirmed that Ohad Fisherman, a close family friend who is also facing one count of sexual battery by multiple perpetrators in connection with a 2016 incident involving the three Alexander brothers, is expected to surrender next week after returning from his honeymoon in Japan.

9 a.m. report

Miami-Dade prosecutors also confirmed that a warrant for Fisherman’s arrest has been quashed, but warned it will be reissued if he fails to appear as planned.

Despite the bail agreement for the state case, the brothers remain held under a federal detainer. They are not expected to leave custody due to pending federal charges, with a federal court hearing scheduled for 1 p.m.

Friday’s court ruling comes a day after Oren and Alon Alexander appeared in a Miami-Dade courtroom wearing green anti-suicide vests, where they were denied bond by Judge Mindy Glazer. Prosecutors cited their access to private planes and yachts as evidence of a flight risk.

“This defendant has access to private planes, private boats; he is a flight risk,” prosecutor Natalie Snyder told the court. Glazer affirmed the decision, stating, “Because it is considered a dangerous crime, I am required to hold you with no bond.”

The Alexander brothers, whose legal battles have drawn significant attention, remain at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center despite a state court victory earlier Thursday that established a house arrest agreement with conditions.

Their defense attorney, who attended a federal court hearing Friday, told Local 10 News that the brothers will remain in custody until at least Monday morning. A 10 a.m. hearing at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building is required to confirm the surety bond tied to their state charges.

He said state court proceeding this morning was a “win,” but there’s still more to resolve.

Federal charges loom large for the brothers.

Former state and federal prosecutor David Weinstein indicated that U.S. Marshals are likely to take custody of the pair from TGK in preparation for their federal case. However, the timing of the transfer depends on when their initial appearance in federal court is scheduled.

Tal Alexander, who appeared in Miami-Dade federal court Friday at 1 p.m. before Judge Lissette Reid wearing a beige inmate jumpsuit, sat alongside his defense team, including a New York attorney who questioned an FBI agent currently testifying in court.

Prosecutors allege Alexander conspired with his brothers from at least 2010 to 2021 to engage in a pattern of sexual violence, including the trafficking and rape of approximately 40 victims, some of whom were minors at the time.

The alleged assaults date back to when the brothers attended high school in Miami, with prosecutors referencing a yearbook comment they believe alludes to gang rape.

In court, an FBI agent described messages and social media posts prosecutors claim reveal the brothers’ methods.

Evidence includes a text from January 2024, in which Oren Alexander reportedly warned Tal:

”Start to think about your reputation. We are on the top of our game, and the only thing that can bring us down is some h-- complaining.”

Prosecutors said the brothers used promoters, dating apps, and chance encounters to lure victims. Multiple women reported being restrained, drugged, and sexually assaulted.

Prosecutors said a victim described being attacked in the Hamptons in 2011, waking up outside after being filmed by a camcorder. Another victim, allegedly assaulted in 2016, claimed she was incapacitated after receiving a drink and was raped while unable to move or speak.

The allegations also include a group chat where the brothers discussed “fees per bang” and referred to women as “fresh” acquisitions. Prosecutors argued the brothers were boastful about their crimes, using phrases like “running train,” which refers to gang rape.

Reid has yet to rule on whether Tal Alexander will remain detained. Defense attorneys have pushed back against the evidence, questioning its admissibility and context.

The parties agreed not to disclose the victims’ identities.

Watch Local 10 News at 4 p.m. or refresh this page for updates.

Read Oren and Alon Alexander’s pre-trial release agreement in the document below.

El novio y la novia, quienes asistían a Downtown Doral Charter Upper School, fueron identificados en un correo electrónico enviado a las familias por la directora de escuelas de Downtown Doral Charter Schools, la Sra. Acevedo-Isenberg, como Mateo Dávila, de 17 años, y Alessia Tucci, de 16.

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“Nuestra comunidad entera está de luto por esta pérdida inimaginable, y nuestros pensamientos y oraciones están con sus familias, amigos, nuestro profesorado y el personal de nuestra escuela primaria y, ciertamente, de nuestra escuela superior, donde actualmente estudiaban”, escribió Acevedo-Isenberg en el correo electrónico. “Ambos estudiantes amaban profundamente su escuela, sus maestros, sus entrenadores y sus compañeros, dejando un impacto duradero en todos los que los conocieron”.

Según la policía, los adolescentes viajaban en un sedán Kia cuando se salió de la vía y se estrelló contra un poste alrededor de las 6 p.m. en la avenida Northwest 87, cerca de la calle 54. No se especificó quién conducía.

El detective de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, Argemis “AC” Colome, dijo que el vehículo se incendió tras el accidente.

El personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue declaró a ambos estudiantes muertos en el lugar.

Poco después del accidente, decenas de personas se reunieron en el sitio para lamentar a las víctimas.

“Fue como un gran impacto para todos porque puede suceder muy rápido”, dijo una estudiante llamada Alexandra a Local 10 News.

“Estaba en shock. No quería creerlo”, dijo otro estudiante, Ruben Abreu.

Abreu dijo que conoce a Dávila desde primer grado y que la noticia ha sido devastadora.

“Él era una persona muy alegre. Nunca dejaba que las cosas malas lo afectaran”, dijo Abreu.

Acevedo-Isenberg indicó en su correo electrónico que habrá consejeros de duelo disponibles en el campus en los próximos días para cualquier estudiante o miembro del personal que desee hablar con alguien.

“Reconocemos que esta noticia es difícil de procesar. Alentamos a los padres a hablar abiertamente con sus hijos y monitorear su bienestar. Si tiene preocupaciones sobre cómo su hijo está afrontando la situación, o si considera que necesita apoyo adicional, no dude en comunicarse con nuestro departamento de consejería”, dijo Acevedo-Isenberg. “Thank you, gracias, obrigada y merci. Nos unimos como familia Dolphin durante este momento difícil”.

Detectives de homicidios de tránsito de la MDSO investigan la causa del accidente fatal.

“Yeah, I look different, but, hey, everything about me is different. I’m happy. I’m successful,” he says. “My life is fantastic now. You want to know how I did it? All I had to do is stay completely away from my family.”

That's going to be very hard to do in Hulu's four-part return to “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair,” which reunites one of the zaniest and chaotic families ever on prime time. The episodes premiere Friday.

Twenty years after the last episode aired, we learn that Malcolm — a nervous, sputtering Frankie Muniz — is now a father of a teen and desperate to shield her from his dysfunctional parents and siblings.

“I cannot go back to the way I was before and I’m not going to risk you,” Malcolm tells her. “You have to think of it like they’re the full moon and we’re werewolves.”

How the revival came about

Original series creator Linwood Boomer and his co-producer-wife, Tracy Katsky Boomer, batted ideas on how to get the gang back together for years. Both weren't willing to make just anything for a “shameless cash grab.”

Linwood Boomer recalls a light bulb went on when his wife wondered what would it be like if Malcolm had a daughter who was exactly like him. “I was just like, ‘Oh my God, that kid would be miserable,’” he says.

In addition to Muniz, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek are back as the barely-holding-it-together parents and Christopher Kennedy Masterson and Justin Berfield return as brothers Francis and Reese, respectively.

Newcomers include Keeley Karsten as Leah, Malcolm’s deeply empathic daughter, and Vaughan Murrae, Malcolm’s whip-smart youngest sibling, who we last saw as a baby. Caleb Ellsworth-Clark takes over the role of Dewey.

Director Ken Kwapis, one of the original directors of the show, was tapped to return and was impressed with how the old and new cast members handled the physical and emotional tasks.

“The original cast slipped back into their roles effortlessly. But equally important is they embraced the new members of the cast very quickly,” he says.

“There’s a performance level that some people have described as high octane. And so for the new members of the ensemble, they had to like, ‘OK, I’m going to step up and do it.’ And they all hit it out of the park.”

A comically accurate view of child-rearing

Malcolm may desperately want to keep his distance from his family, but the 40th wedding anniversary of his parents has a gravitational pull, putting everyone on a collision course, albeit a hysterical one.

“It’s hard to do a straight comedy right now because everything’s very serious in the world,” says Katsky Boomer. “It feels nice to just unleash good vibes so people can just take a breather.”

“Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” joins a list of new and upcoming reboots and revivals from the late 1990s and early 2000s, including “Scrubs,” “King of the Hill,” “Prison Break,” “Baywatch” and “Phineas and Ferb.”

The Boomers credit Cranston for keeping the flame of a revival alive, staying in touch with the actors and crew. And he’s jumped back in boldly, despite becoming a huge star in the intervening years. In the first episode back, Cranston stands completely nude as Kaczmarek’s Lois shaves his back and nether regions.

“Malcolm in the Middle” originally aired on Fox and ended its seven-season run in 2006. It won seven Emmy Awards — including one for best writing for a comedy series — and currently streams on Hulu and on Hulu on Disney+, where the revival will also live.

Linwood Boomer based “Malcolm” on his own nutty family, and it struck a chord, depicting childhood as a constant power struggle — with bigger kids, teachers, parents and siblings. There were squabbles with a ferocity rare on TV, and it was funny because it was so grounded in truth. It was TV’s most comically accurate view of child-rearing since “Roseanne.”

“There was a line in the pilot I would say to myself all the time — ‘I want a better family!’ — and it turns out most families aren’t any better,” says Boomer.

Parental legacy

For the revival, the tables are turned. This time it's about being a parent and the legacy that we extend to our children. Malcolm's daughter is struggling in life and school, but her father's genetic toolkit only has belligerence, impulsiveness and thickheadedness, passed on by his on-screen parents.

“So much trauma, unfortunately, is the result of good people literally trying their best,” says Katsky Boomer. “You can understand it as you grow old enough to appreciate that your parents are human beings.”

Kwapis says the revival is painfully — and also hilariously — looking at how sometimes years go by and we're often in the same groove when it comes to family dynamics.

“You get to explore new things, but you also get to the explore the idea that some things — for better or for worse — just can’t change,” he says.

As for any future revisiting of this family, the husband-and-wife “Malcolm” team are noncommittal. “There are no plans. It was a really lovely experience,” says Linwood Boomer. Might there be more? “I can’t say no, but I also can’t say yeah,” he says.

The Bill Masterson Trophy has been awarded annually since 1968 to the player who “best exemplifies qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.”

From the Florida Panthers, the PHWA Florida chapter selected veteran forward Brad Marchand as its nominee.

The five-member chapter was unanimous in its decision.

Marchand is playing in his second season with the Panthers after being acquired at last year’s Trade Deadline.

He made an immediate impact upon arrival, helping lead Florida to their second straight Stanley Cup victory last June while averaging a goal per game during the Final against the Edmonton Oilers.

This season, Marchand led the Panthers on and off the ice during an incredibly challenging and injury-plagued season for the defending champs.

Despite spending much of the year playing through injuries himself, Marchand led the Panthers in goals and points until his ailments began catching up to him, causing him to sporadically miss time before ultimately being ruled out for the season last month.

His impact was also felt away from the rink.

In October, one of Marchand’s best and oldest friends, JP MacCallum, lost his 10-year-old daughter Saleh to a battle with cancer.

With the team’s blessing, Marchand to a leave of absence from the Panthers to travel to his home of Halifax, Novia Scotia to be with the MacCallum family. During his time there, Marchand filled in as a guest head coach for the U-18 Marchand and Mill Co. Hunters, the youth hockey team that MacCallum is the head coach for.

The game also served as a fundraiser for the MacCallum family.

Marchand signed a six-year contract extension with the Panthers last summer. He finished this season with 27 goals and 54 points in 52 games.

Each of the NHL’s 32 teams will have a nominee for the Masterton Trophy. Members of the PHWA will vote on the nominees, and three finalists will be announced sometime during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Rothman was fired on Tuesday night in a unanimous vote by the board of regents following a roughly 30-minute closed-door discussion. Regents have not given a reason for firing Rothman, who was in the job for just under four years.

“Absolutely I was blindsided,” Rothman told the AP. He said he has still not been given a reason for his firing.

“I really don’t know,” Rothman said. “I asked for reasons why. They were not able to articulate any.”

But Rothman, who came to the job in 2022 after serving as chair and CEO of a Milwaukee-based law firm with more than 1,000 attorneys, said he is unlikely to file a lawsuit over his firing.

“We’ll have to see how circumstances develop,” Rothman said. “I don’t think it’s likely that I would go in that direction. That’s not who I am.”

The AP was the first to report on April 2 that the regents had asked Rothman, 66, to retire or resign or face being fired. Rothman said on Wednesday that he considered retiring, but since regents gave him no reason, he decided against it.

Regent President Amy Bogost said in a statement before the firing that the decision was “about the future” of the 13-university system, including the flagship Madison campus, that educates about 165,000 students.

“The Universities of Wisconsin must be led with a clear vision that both protects and strengthens our flagship, supports our comprehensive universities and ensures we are meeting the evolving needs of our students, workforce and communities across all 72 counties,” Bogost said.

She did not immediately return a message on Wednesday seeking comment.

Rothman did not criticize any regent by name, but he did express frustration generally with the board.

“For a board to be functional, it needs to be able to provide clarity to the management team,” he said. “Not 18 different voices with different opinions and pet projects. There has to be board leadership that is able to consolidate that, build a consensus and provide clear direction.”

Rothman said his performance objectives were not even discussed in his last review in August, which he said was “astonishing.”

Rothman spent his time as president lobbying Republican legislators to increase state aid for the system in the face of federal cuts, navigating free speech issues surrounding pro-Palestinian protests, and grappling with declining enrollment that has forced eight branch campuses to close. Overall enrollment across the system has remained steady under his leadership.

Rothman brokered a deal with Republicans in 2023 that called for freezing diversity hires and creating a position at UW-Madison focused on conservative thought in exchange for the Legislature releasing money for UW employee raises and tens of millions of dollars for construction projects across the system.

Rothman said Wednesday he didn't know if any of those particular issues contributed to his being fired, but conceded they could have.

“When you come in to affect change and you try to move an organization forward, you have to make difficult decisions,” Rothman said. “And when you make difficult decisions, you can upset some people."

Sen. Patrick Testin, the Republican president of the Wisconsin state Senate, called Rothman’s firing a “blatant partisan hatchet job.”

The state Senate’s committee that oversees higher education scheduled a hearing for Thursday for 10 regents whose appointments by Evers have yet to be confirmed. Testin called for the Senate to reject all 10, which would mean they could no longer serve as regents.

Rothman said he wasn’t going to speculate on why he was cut loose.

“I am disappointed with the board’s action, but I’m not angry,” he said. “This is not about retribution. I’m concerned about the future of the Universities of Wisconsin.”

El cambio en el marco regulatorio podría facilitar inversiones por más de 30.000 millones de dólares, según estimaciones del sector minero para la próxima década. El 70% estaría destinado a nuevos proyectos de cobre, oro y plata.

El proyecto, que ya fue aprobado por el Senado, apunta a “ordenar el marco normativo vigente, poner fin a interpretaciones arbitrarias y consolidar un esquema de federalismo ambiental plenamente compatible con la Constitución”, según el texto enviado por el Poder Ejecutivo al Congreso.

El país sudamericano había prohibido por ley en 2010 la exploración y explotación minera en glaciares y ambientes periglaciares, definidos como las áreas con suelos congelados que actúan como regulador del recurso hídrico.

El cambio más sustancial en la reforma propuesta por Milei es mantener esta protección sólo para glaciares y geoformas identificadas como portadores de “funciones hídricas específicas”, lo cual deberá ser determinado por cada provincia.

“Todo glaciar o geoforma incluido en el Inventario Nacional de Glaciares se considerará protegido hasta que la autoridad ambiental competente verifique que carece de funciones hídricas”, detalla el proyecto.

Según ese inventario, en Argentina hay 16.968 glaciares repartidos entre la Cordillera de los Andes y las Islas del Atlántico Sur que equivalen a una superficie de 8.484 kilómetros cuadrados.

Defender el agua

En una acción de protesta a primera hora de la mañana del miércoles activistas de Greenpeace colgaron un cartel gigante de un monumento frente al Congreso con la advertencia “Diputados: no traicionen a los argentinos. ¡La Ley de Glaciares no se toca!".

Especialistas en glaciología y ciencias relacionadas alertaron en una carta enviada a los legisladores que los glaciares están retrocediendo aceleradamente debido al cambio climático, lo cual ha provocado un aumento del 21% del nivel del mar en todo el planeta.

En este contexto los científicos consideraron que desproteger los glaciares podría comprometer las nacientes de agua de zonas áridas, perder reservas de agua que sostienen caudales en épocas críticas, aumentar la vulnerabilidad de las cuencas ante sequías prolongadas y afectar el caudal de cursos hídricos.

Organizaciones medioambientalistas convocaron a movilizarse al Congreso en contra de la reforma.

El gobierno de Milei, por su parte, apuesta a la minería para conseguir parte de los dólares necesarios para fortalecer sus reservas internacionales que le permitan afrontar sus abultados pagos de deuda. Sólo en 2026 el país deberá cancelar vencimientos de deuda por 20.000 millones de dólares.

Todo indica que el partido gobernante cuenta con los votos necesarios para avanzar en la reforma teniendo en cuenta que ya adelantaron su apoyo bloques opositores más dialoguistas y la mayoría de los gobernadores, incluso del peronismo opositor.

The Doha event had been set to open the season for track's elite series on May 8, as it typically has in recent years, but the postponement means Shanghai's meet on May 16 starts the series instead.

“In recent weeks, the Diamond League has been monitoring the situation in Doha, working in close coordination with meeting organizers, Qatari authorities and other stakeholders,” the Diamond League said in a statement on Wednesday, hours after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel.

“In the interests of athlete and spectator safety, a decision has now been taken to postpone the meeting. Should conditions allow, it will now be held on June 19.”

The change of date also means a change of venue. Temperatures in Qatar in June are typically higher, so the event moves to the Khalifa International Stadium, which is fitted with large cooling systems around the arena that were used when it hosted the 2019 world track and field championships.

Qatar has become a key host nation for global sports events in recent years and has had to postpone or cancel high-profile competitions since the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran in February.

The “Finalissima” soccer game between Argentina and Spain, which was due to be played in Qatar, was canceled last month and Qatar's motorcycle Grand Prix was rescheduled to November. Elsewhere in the region, Formula 1 races set for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been called off.

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

El Cuerpo de Bomberos Militar del estado indicó que el fuego estaba bajo control y en gran medida se limitó al techo de lona del recinto. No se reportaron heridos, y el interior del edificio —incluido el Museo Olímpico— permaneció intacto.

El alcalde de Río de Janeiro, Eduardo Cavaliere, dijo a los periodistas que una pequeña parte del museo olímpico de la ciudad, con 1.000 piezas, que se encuentra dentro del velódromo, se vio afectada, pero que podría arreglarse con solo reparaciones menores.

“La estructura del propio velódromo está preservada y la pista no ha sido afectada en absoluto”, dijo Cavaliere.

Aunque la causa de este incidente está actualmente bajo investigación, la instalación tiene antecedentes de incendios en el techo. En 2017 se registraron dos siniestros similares, ambos provocados por farolillos de papel lanzados al cielo que cayeron sobre la estructura.

Desde que albergó el ciclismo en pista durante los Juegos de Verano de 2016, el velódromo ha servido como principal base de entrenamiento para las selecciones nacionales de ciclismo y halterofilia de Brasil.

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

Las encuestas realizadas en los últimos meses han mostrado altos niveles de preocupación entre los peruanos por la delincuencia y la corrupción. En tanto, un relevamiento nacional realizado en 2025 por el estatal Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática encontró que 84% de los consultados en áreas urbanas dijo que temía ser víctima de algún delito en los siguientes 12 meses.

En el último quinquenio las denuncias por extorsión, un delito que ha provocado protestas y paralizaciones frecuentes del transporte público, se han quintuplicado; mientras los asesinatos se han duplicado, según datos oficiales.

“Subes al bus y tienes que sentarte lejos del chofer, no sabes si vas a llegar vivo a tu casa... los delincuentes pasan en moto, disparan, matan al chofer y también puedes morir”, relató el jubilado Raúl Zevallos, de 63 años.

En 2025 fueron asesinados 239 choferes del transporte público en Perú, de acuerdo con datos recopilados por el Observatorio del Crimen y la Violencia.

Según los expertos y la policía, la llegada en los últimos 10 años de organizaciones criminales extranjeras ha introducido al país nuevos métodos de violencia. También han influido el auge de la minería ilegal y el narcotráfico, que han creado zonas donde la presencia del Estado es casi inexistente.

Candelaria Lifoncio, de 46 años y madre de cuatro, relató cómo la violencia ha ido en aumento cada año en los exteriores de los locales de conciertos de cumbia donde vende cigarrillos. “Voy por todo Lima en las noches y dos veces me he salvado de que me caiga una bala”, dijo.

Delincuencia y corrupción

Harvey Colchado —un coronel de la policía retirado en 2024 luego que su grupo allanara la casa de la entonces presidenta Dina Boluarte (2022-2025)— dijo a AP que la causa de la expansión del crimen "es la corrupción en el poder”.

Colchado —que a lo largo de su trayectoria ha capturado a jefes criminales, narcotraficantes, integrantes del grupo terrorista Sendero Luminoso y a políticos poderosos— afirmó que es urgente una profunda reforma policial para eliminar a los agentes cooptados por los grupos violentos y aumentar el presupuesto para cada uno de los más de 70 departamentos de investigación criminal. “Ahora no tienen ni un sol”, dijo.

Sin ese financiamiento, añadió, los investigadores policiales no pueden pagar a informantes que son clave en la investigación moderna. También se necesita invertir en tecnología y programas informáticos para rastrear e interceptar llamadas telefónicas y comunicaciones por las redes sociales.

Desde su retiro Colchado ha incursionado en la política de la mano del nuevo partido Ahora Nación y se postula para diputado.

Analistas y otros partidos que participan en la contienda han afirmado que otra de las primeras tareas del próximo Legislativo debe ser la eliminación de las leyes que favorecen a los grupos criminales y que el saliente Congreso aprobó con votos de los partidos Fuerza Popular y Renovación Popular, que lucen como los favoritos.

Esas cuestionadas normas eliminaron la detención preliminar en delitos cometidos en flagrancia, elevaron los requisitos para confiscar bienes a delincuentes y dificultaron la colaboración eficaz y los allanamientos.

Keiko Fujimori, la candidata presidencial de Fuerza Popular, ha defendido estas leyes y afirma que buscan que los juicios sean más rápidos y justos.

Propuestas polémicas

Varios candidatos proponen retirar al país del Pacto de San José de Costa Rica para dejarlo afuera de la jurisdicción de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos para así poder instaurar la pena de muerte para violadores de menores de edad y sicarios y limitar la comida a los presos que dirijan delitos desde la cárcel. También sugieren la construcción de prisiones inspiradas en el Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo de El Salvador y hasta devolver a sus países a todos los venezolanos y colombianos indocumentados.

Fujimori promete retomar el control de las fronteras y cárceles con los militares, mientras Rafael López Aliaga —candidato de Renovación Popular—, anticipó que construirá una cárcel en la Amazonía donde las serpientes venenosas impedirán que los reos escapen.

El comediante Carlos Álvarez, del partido País para Todos, convocará a líderes de El Salvador, Dinamarca y Singapur para que vuelquen su experiencia en seguridad y Ricardo Belmont —del partido Obras y exalcalde de Lima— afirma que los puestos de auxilio rápido serán claves para atender a las víctimas de la delincuencia.

“Ya no puedes creerle a ninguno, nada va a cambiar”, se quejó Juan Gómez, un albañil de 53 años, mientras cargaba dos pesadas bolsas que contenían papas y arroz para alimentar a sus cinco hijos. “Vienen en moto, te ponen una pistola... miras a un lado y al otro y no hay ni un policía ¿Qué vas a hacer? Te dejas robar nomás”, culminó.

The NHL’s career goal-scoring leader announced his intentions in a clip of a pre-taped interview with Capitals radio broadcaster John Walton that aired Wednesday.

"We're going to make a decision in the summer," Ovechkin said, adding he needed to talk with his family, owner Ted Leonsis, president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan and general manager Chris Patrick.

Ovechkin said health would be the biggest factor: “I’m going to be 41 years old in September, so you just have to be smart about it.”

He has been peppered with questions for several months about whether he’ll retire or play a 22nd season in the league. Ovechkin's current contract expires June 30.

Washington will have just three games left after playing at Toronto on Wednesday night and faces an uphill climb to make the playoffs.

Monday was the one-year anniversary of the Russian superstar scoring his 895th goal at the New York Islanders, breaking Wayne Gretzky's record that seemed unapproachable until Ovechkin came along.

Ovechkin has since scored 33 more goals, 31 this season, to get to 928 in the regular season. On March 22, he scored No. 1,000 total in the NHL, counting goals in the playoffs.

He also holds records for the most power play goals with 331, game-winning goals with 141 and shots with 7,091 — and counting. Not just an offensive powerhouse, the 6-foot-3 winger has been a physical force and ranks third on the career hits list with 3,871.

The Capitals visit longtime Ovechkin rival and fellow face of the sport Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, then host them Sunday. The home finale in the nation's capital is sold out, with tickets going for way above face value in anticipation of it being the captain and franchise cornerstone's final game there.

They visit Columbus on Tuesday in what could be Ovechkin's final game in North America. He played his first career game in Washington against the Blue Jackets on Oct. 5, 2005.

Ovechkin, who is from Moscow, could opt to play one more season in the KHL, where he started as a professional when it was called the Russian Superleague. He played from 2001-05 and during the 2012-13 NHL lockout with Dynamo Moscow.

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

The look of incredulity that crossed his face was at once withering and comical.

“Have you played here?” Koepka replied.

“Not yet,” he was informed.

“Yeah,” Koepka said, “I could tell by the question.”

In fact, only two people have managed a round of 63 at the Masters, much less 59. Nick Price was the first to set the record four decades ago, and the most recent was Greg Norman, whose first-round 63 in 1996 came before his epic final-round collapse.

That remains the highest single-round scoring record of any of the major championships.

“I'm surprised that it has been that long,” said Justin Rose, who has twice shot 65, including the first round last year, which he paired with a final-round 66 that put him in a playoff that he lost to Rory McIlroy.

Rose also has shot 81 at Augusta National, by the way.

“There's so many great players capable of putting up that number,” Rose continued, reflecting on the longstanding record ahead of this year's tournament. “I think that the course lends itself most ideally to that score on a Sunday, but also if conditions allow, Sunday is kind of when the course is getting its most sort of maxed out, in terms of green speeds and firmness. So that kind of counteracts some of those more accessible hole locations that traditionally we see on Sunday.”

There's reason to believe the record could one day be matched, or even broken. For one thing, scores keep coming down, including in the majors. Branden Grace was the first to shoot 62 when he did it at the British Open in 2017, but four have matched him in the past three years at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, where Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele both shot 62 in 2024.

Then there's the fact that technology, physiology and just about every other “ology” has improved over the years. Players have been hitting the ball farther and just as accurately, and that has forced Augusta National to continually change to keep up.

Those changes are one reason, Rose said, that its current record still stands.

Subtle alterations have taken place around greens and bunkers, but the most noticeable changes are in sheer length. The course played to 6,925 yards when Norman shot the most recent 63. It will play to 7,565 when the first round begins on Thursday.

“I think that's a big thing, a lot of mid-irons into small targets. Wedges into small targets,” Rose said. “If you're on and it's your day, sure, you can make a lot of birdies. But you're also going to make a bogey or two quite easily.”

Anthony Kim set the single-round record for birdies at the Masters with 11 in 2009, but he also dropped enough shots to finish with a round of 65. So, birdies alone probably aren't enough to challenge Price and Norman; it would take an eagle or two as well.

That's possible. Four players have even eagled consecutive holes in the same round, including Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

It just isn't easy. Nothing is at Augusta National.

“The scores are always a little higher than you think they're going to be,” said 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman, who has just three rounds in the 60s — all 69s — in 20 competitive rounds at the Masters. "You know, when you come out here and you play, you feel like you can go shoot low numbers. It’s just not a lot of the low numbers out here.

“It’s a lot more of a grind than people think,” Harman said.

The second nine tends to play about a stroke more difficult than the first nine at Augusta National, thanks in part to water that comes into play through Amen Corner. But while seven players have gone out in 30, most recently Min Woo Lee in 2022, only two have come home in 29: Mark Calcavecchia in the final round in 1991 and David Toms in the final round in 1998.

In other words, going back to that question posed to Koepka of whether someone could ever shoot 59 at the Masters, it would take pairing the best first nine with the best second ever to do it.

“If I want to go play the member tees and maybe play like, 15 holes," said Koepka, a five-time major winner, "yeah, I could do that.”

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

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The 34-year-old rapper suffered non-life-threatening injuries during a shooting on Monday night in a valet area at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, according to the Seminole Police Department.

There was a fight before the shooting. Tione Jayden Merritt, better known as rapper Lil Tjay, was among two arrested, according to police.

Merritt, 24, faced charges of disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license when he walked out of the Broward County Main Jail on Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale.

“Did he put his hands on you?” Local 10 News reporter Bridgette Matter asked him. “Hell naw,“ the rapper said. ”How many times I gotta tell you that ain’t nobody touch me?”

Migos rappers Quavo, Takeoff, and Offset split in 2022. Offset went solo, and Quavo and Takeoff formed duo, Unc & Phew. Takeoff was fatally shot months later in Houston, Texas.

Offset and Cardi B, who wed in 2017 and divorced in 2024, have three children together.

El rapero de 34 años sufrió heridas que no ponen en riesgo su vida durante una balacera ocurrida la noche del lunes en el área de valet del Seminole Hard Rock Casino en Hollywood, según el Departamento de Policía Seminole.

Hubo una pelea antes de la balacera. Tione Jayden Merritt, mejor conocido como el rapero Lil Tjay, estuvo entre dos personas arrestadas, según la policía.

Merritt, de 24 años, enfrentó cargos de alteración del orden público y conducir un vehículo sin una licencia válida cuando salió de la cárcel principal del condado Broward el martes en Fort Lauderdale.

“¿Te puso las manos encima?”, le preguntó la reportera de Local 10 News Bridgette Matter. “Claro que no”, respondió el rapero. “¿Cuántas veces tengo que decirte que nadie me tocó?”

Los raperos de Migos, Quavo, Takeoff y Offset, se separaron en 2022. Offset continuó como solista, y Quavo y Takeoff formaron el dúo Unc & Phew. Takeoff murió en una balacera meses después en Houston, Texas.

Offset y Cardi B, quienes se casaron en 2017 y se divorciaron en 2024, tienen tres hijos en común.

Rio state military fire department said the blaze was under control and largely confined to the venue’s fabric roof. There have been no reported injuries, and the interior of the building — including the Olympic Museum — remained untouched.

Rio Mayor Eduardo Cavaliere told journalists that a small portion of the city's 1,000-item Olympic museum, which lies inside the velodrome, was affected but that it could be fixed with only minor repairs.

“The structure of the velodrome itself is preserved and the track has not been hit at all,” Cavaliere said.

While the cause of this latest incident is currently under investigation, the facility has a history of roof fires. Two similar blazes occurred in 2017, both caused by falling paper sky lanterns.

Since hosting track cycling during the 2016 Summer Games, the Velodrome has served as a primary training base for Brazil’s national cycling and weightlifting teams.

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According to Miami police, officers first responded to the building at 187 NW 57^th Ave. at about 4:20 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report about a suspicious person who looked like he was sharpening a knife before entering an apartment where people were arguing and naked.

Police said an officer made contact with both people inside the apartment, who claimed everything was fine.

But police say the same person who reported the first incident called 911 about an hour later, claiming two people were fighting and a person had been cut.

A nearby gas station employee then called 911, stating that a naked man covered in blood was at the GX gas station and was holding a knife.

According to an arrest report, officers responded to the gas station at 5688 W. Flagler St. and found the victim who had stab wounds to the chest.

Miami Fire Rescue transported him to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center.

According to the report, the victim told police that he had met the suspect, Frank Zaldivar-Santiesteba, 29, of Miami, a few days ago, and that he came to his apartment with a knife Sunday and told him, “God told me to come here and stab you.”

The victim said Zaldivar-Santiesteba then stabbed him and the two got into a tussle, at which time the victim was able to disarm the suspect and stab him back multiple times, authorities said.

According to the report, at about 9:15 a.m., officers were called to the area of Northwest 42^nd Avenue and Seventh Street about the suspect, who was bleeding “all over his body” and had a white blanket on his waist.

Police said Zaldivar-Santiesteba refused to identify himself.

He was also transported to JMH to be treated for his injuries.

Police said the victim sustained a laceration to the chest and a punctured lung.

According to the report, Zaldivar-Santiesteba later spoke with a detective at the hospital and said he did not want to provide details about the incident, other than that it was argument between him and his brother who he loves and “does not care what happens to him; only God can judge him.”

Police said they were able to identify Zaldivar-Santiesteba by his fingerprints.

He was arrested on an attempted murder charge.

As of Wednesday morning, Zaldivar-Santiesteba was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center without bond.

Según la policía de Miami, los agentes respondieron por primera vez al edificio en el 187 de la avenida Northwest 57 alrededor de las 4:20 a.m. del domingo tras recibir un reporte sobre una persona sospechosa que parecía estar afilando un cuchillo antes de entrar a un apartamento donde personas discutían y estaban desnudas.

La policía indicó que un agente hizo contacto con ambas personas dentro del apartamento, quienes afirmaron que todo estaba bien.

Pero la policía dijo que la misma persona que reportó el primer incidente llamó al 911 aproximadamente una hora después, alegando que dos personas estaban peleando y que una había sido cortada.

Un empleado de una gasolinera cercana luego llamó al 911, indicando que un hombre desnudo cubierto de sangre estaba en la gasolinera GX y sostenía un cuchillo.

Según un informe de arresto, los agentes respondieron a la gasolinera en el 5688 de W. Flagler St. y encontraron a la víctima con heridas de arma blanca en el pecho.

Miami Fire Rescue lo trasladó al Ryder Trauma Center del hospital Jackson Memorial.

De acuerdo con el informe, la víctima dijo a la policía que había conocido al sospechoso, Frank Zaldivar-Santiesteba, de 29 años y residente de Miami, unos días antes, y que este llegó a su apartamento con un cuchillo el domingo y le dijo: “Dios me dijo que viniera aquí a apuñalarte”.

La víctima dijo que Zaldivar-Santiesteba luego lo apuñaló y ambos forcejearon, momento en el que la víctima logró desarmar al sospechoso y apuñalarlo de vuelta varias veces, según las autoridades.

Según el informe, alrededor de las 9:15 a.m., los agentes fueron llamados al área de la avenida Northwest 42 y la calle Séptima por el sospechoso, quien estaba sangrando “por todo su cuerpo” y tenía una manta blanca en la cintura.

La policía indicó que Zaldivar-Santiesteba se negó a identificarse.

También fue trasladado al Jackson Memorial Hospital para recibir tratamiento por sus heridas.

La policía dijo que la víctima sufrió una laceración en el pecho y un pulmón perforado.

Según el informe, Zaldivar-Santiesteba posteriormente habló con un detective en el hospital y dijo que no quería proporcionar detalles sobre el incidente, más allá de que fue una discusión entre él y su hermano, a quien ama, y que “no le importa lo que le pase; solo Dios puede juzgarlo”.

La policía indicó que pudieron identificar a Zaldivar-Santiesteba mediante sus huellas dactilares.

Fue arrestado por un cargo de intento de asesinato.

Hasta la mañana del miércoles, Zaldivar-Santiesteba permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight sin derecho a fianza.

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Call it cognition cardio — better known as “Ageless Grace.” It’s a workout designed to challenge the brain, as much as the body — and it’s sweeping the country.

“It was just stupid crazy. It was, like, fun,” said Barbara Malina, a longtime participant.

Simple movements quickly turn into multitasking drills — mixing numbers, sounds and gestures. Every motion carries a mental component, forcing participants to think while they also work out.

The program is found in 50 states and 34 countries — with classes all across South Florida.

Click here to find a class near you.

Many of the classes are free of charge for residents. Local 10 joined a group at the Helen B. Hoffman Library in Plantation.

“Everybody laughs all the time and everybody is nice and friendly,” said Ann, another longtime participant of the program.

For Ann, who is 86, it’s become more than just a workout and a way to socialize — it’s a family activity.

“This is my daughter. And she made me stop driving. She’s my daughter and I love her and it’s just, if I do something wrong, she’s right there to say, ‘Mom!’” Ann said, jokingly.

Her daughter, Janet, didn’t expect to join in — at least not at first.

“I thought, ‘Oh, let me sit here and watch so I could help her later, help her learn the numbers or whatever they were doing,’ and then I found out that - guess what - I need this too!” said Janet.

What starts as observation often turns into participation.

Tracey Gelb, an educator and trainer with Ageless Grace, says the program has expanded far beyond South Florida.

“It is for everybody, every age,” said Gelb. “And it’s fabulous. You’re going to have an unbelievable brain workout. You’re going to be surprised. You’re going to be challenged. It’s going to be like nothing you’ve ever done before.”

According the the program’s website, Ageless Grace activates all 5 functions of the brain:

• Strategic Planning
• Memory and Recall
• Analytical Thinking
• Creativity and Imagination
• Kinesthetic Learning

SMACK! We like to think of that as the sound of the neurons firing in the brain when we attempt to do something new.

Lana Gelb, a cognition and movement specialist and author of Everything You Need to Know About Your Brain, says the concept goes beyond traditional ideas of fitness.

For more information, visit https://goodvibesconsultants.com.

“Change your brain to change your life. People think that wellness is exercise. But it’s way more than that. I use to think that until 14 years ago,” Gelb said.

To submit an idea for What Connects Us, email whatconnectsus@wplg.com.

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Now, Bali Ramnarace says he is in parking purgatory while hoping to find a solution.

“I make a living by this truck,” he said. “Without this truck, I can’t do what I do for 45 years, the same ritual.”

While the trucks have changed over the years, they’ve always been parked in the same driveway.

That’s until recently, when the city informed Ramnarace, who is 75 years old, that the truck could no longer be parked there.

Officials said the truck violates an ordinance in place since 2019.

Now Ramnarace is facing mounting fines after receiving a citation from the city.

Due to pending litigation, city officials did not want to answer Local 10’s questions on camera, instead releasing the following statement:

“The purpose of the oversized commercial vehicle ordinance is to help ensure neighborhood streets remain safe and accessible for residents, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles. These standards are applied consistently throughout the community.”

Ramnarace said he doesn’t understand the sudden enforcement, saying he doesn’t cause any trouble, only works and keeps to himself.

“I want to keep on working, I’m strong,” he said.

While Ramnarace said he’s physically not the man he used to be, as his body doesn’t move quite as well as it once did, his hands still know how to fix things. It’s just more difficult for him to get around these days.

“This is more convenient for me to get in my truck and go, because sometimes I can’t lift too much heavy loads with this damaged foot,” he said.

Ramnarace believes a good resolution would be to allow him to park in his driveway, basically grandfathering him in to keep his parking spot.

Podríamos llamarlo cardio cognitivo , más conocido como " Gracia Eterna “. Es un entrenamiento diseñado para desafiar tanto al cerebro como al cuerpo, y está arrasando en todo el país.

“Fue una locura total. Fue muy divertido”, dijo Barbara Malina, participante desde hace mucho tiempo.

Los movimientos sencillos se transforman rápidamente en ejercicios multitarea, combinando números, sonidos y gestos. Cada movimiento conlleva un componente mental, obligando a los participantes a pensar mientras se ejercitan.

El programa está presente en los 50 estados y en 34 países, con clases en todo el sur de Florida.

Haz clic aquí para encontrar una clase cerca de ti.

Muchas de las clases son gratuitas para los residentes. El sindicato Local 10 se unió a un grupo en la biblioteca Helen B. Hoffman en Plantation.

“Todo el mundo se ríe todo el tiempo y todos son amables y simpáticos”, dijo Ann, otra participante veterana del programa.

Para Ann, que tiene 86 años, se ha convertido en algo más que un simple ejercicio y una forma de socializar: es una actividad familiar.

“Esta es mi hija. Y ella me hizo dejar de conducir. Es mi hija, la quiero mucho y, si hago algo mal, siempre está ahí para decirme: ‘¡Mamá!’”, dijo Ann en tono de broma.

Su hija, Janet, no esperaba participar, al menos no al principio.

“Pensé: ‘Oh, voy a sentarme aquí a observar para poder ayudarla después, ayudarla a aprender los números o lo que sea que estuvieran haciendo’, y luego descubrí que, ¿adivinen qué?, ¡yo también necesito esto!”, dijo Janet.

Lo que empieza como observación a menudo se convierte en participación.

Tracey Gelb , educadora y formadora de Ageless Grace, afirma que el programa se ha expandido mucho más allá del sur de Florida.

“Es para todos, de todas las edades”, dijo Gelb. “Y es fabuloso. Vas a tener un entrenamiento mental increíble. Te vas a sorprender. Te pondrá a prueba. Será algo que nunca antes has hecho”.

Según el sitio web del programa , Ageless Grace activa las 5 funciones del cerebro:

• Planificación estratégica
• Memoria y recuerdo
• Pensamiento analítico
• Creatividad e imaginación
• Aprendizaje cinestésico

¡ZAS! Nos gusta pensar que ese es el sonido de las neuronas activándose en el cerebro cuando intentamos hacer algo nuevo.

Lana Gelb, especialista en cognición y movimiento y autora de Todo lo que necesitas saber sobre tu cerebro , afirma que el concepto va más allá de las ideas tradicionales sobre el estado físico.

Para obtener más información, visite https://goodvibesconsultants.com.

“Cambia tu mente para cambiar tu vida. La gente piensa que el bienestar se reduce al ejercicio, pero es mucho más que eso. Yo también lo creía así hasta hace 14 años”, dijo Gelb.

Para enviar una idea para la sección “Lo que nos conecta”, envíe un correo electrónico a whatconnectsus@wplg.com.

Residentes a lo largo de la calle Northwest 181 y un lago reportaron trombas marinas, muebles arrastrados por el viento, lluvias intensas y ramas de árboles caídas.

“Veo cosas empezando a volar, y luego se puso peor, y corrí al baño”, dijo un residente, quien agregó que la situación duró menos de 5 minutos.

El viento volcó una embarcación y dañó techos. Hubo árboles caídos y algunas interrupciones eléctricas.

Equipos de la compañía Florida Power & Light trabajaban en el vecindario la noche del viernes.

Consejos sobre qué hacer durante un tornado

• Busque refugio en una habitación interior de un edificio sólido y lejos de las ventanas.
• Conduzca hasta el refugio más cercano.
• Cúbrete la cabeza

Fuente: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional

Para consultar el radar meteorológico en directo y las previsiones hora a hora de la Autoridad Meteorológica, visite esta página.

Historias relacionadas

•  Se mantiene la alerta por inundaciones en el sur de Florida; las condiciones meteorológicas están afectando a los aeropuertos locales.
• Tenga cuidado con las inundaciones, las corrientes de resaca y los retrasos en el tráfico en el sur de Florida.

Carson Merlo, editor de noticias de Local 10 News, contribuyó a este reportaje.

Here are takeaways from AP's story:

Forest clearing and unplanned growth in Oiapoque

Oiapoque's local economy depends largely on fishing, illegal gold mining and cross‑border visitors from neighboring French Guiana. Rapid, unplanned urban growth is already straining the city’s fragile infrastructure, residents say.

According to Tiago Vieira Araújo, an Oiapoque councilman, seven new neighborhoods have emerged, some of them in areas where pristine rainforest stood a year ago. Frequent complaints among locals include overcrowded schools and the city's only hospital operating at full capacity.

Renata Lod, a representative on Oiapoque’s Indigenous council, said that "Petrobras arrived in the city with strong political backing, promising progress as if we would go to sleep one way and wake up like Dubai.” The reality, she said, is a completely disorganized population growth and invasion of Indigenous lands.

For migrants like Reginaldo Nunes Fonseca, the hope of opportunity was enough to get them to move. He moved from the northeastern state of Maranhao after seeing a television report in Janauary about Petrobras getting license to do exploratory drilling.

There are fears of environmental impacts

Environmental groups warn that an oil spill could devastate fisheries and wetlands, while Indigenous leaders fear the project could endanger their lands and way of life.

Federal prosecutors also asked Brazil's environmental regulator to annul or suspend the environmental license, arguing that Petrobras’ studies are insufficient and that the company is concealing the full extent of the environmental impact. No ruling has been issued.

Petrobras said it conducted spill modeling to secure the license and has been deploying drifting devices to monitor ocean currents since it began exploration in October.

In January, Petrobras reported a drilling-fluid leak that briefly halted operations. IBAMA, the environmental regulator, fined the company 2.5 million reais ($470,500).

Pushing to phase out fossil fuels while promoting oil exploration

When Brazil hosted the annual U.N. climate summit, known as COP30, last year, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the country’s negotiators sought to advance a global road map for phasing out fossil fuels, which are the primary drivers of global warming.

However, the reality in places like Oiapoque highlights a broader dilemma for much of the developing world. Some countries, including Brazil, have committed to curb greenhouse gases emissions like carbon dioxide, which are released from the burning of oil and cause climate change. At the same time, many residents hope that revenues from fossil fuels lift their economies.

Expanding oil drilling to Amazon region, even in an offshore project like this one, also raises questions about Lula’s campaign pledge to protect the rainforest.

___

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

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Several inches of rain and damaging winds impacted parts of the area Tuesday, and with more heavy rain around Wednesday, flooding is certainly possible.

A front just to our south will weaken and move farther south and away from us by the end of the week, so rain chances start coming down by later Thursday and Friday with a return to mostly sunny skies by the weekend.

It’ll become windy, however, so we’ll have to watch for a dangerous risk of rip currents if you have beach plans this weekend.

Highs are around 80 Wednesday and Thursday and then dip into the lower 80s by Friday and into the weekend. High pressure looks to keep it dry into most of next week with highs well into the 80s by then. In the meantime, keep the umbrellas handy and drive carefully on these wet roads.

CLICK HERE for the latest weather updates from Local 10’s Weather Authority.

Varias pulgadas de lluvia y vientos dañinos afectaron partes del área el martes, y con más lluvias intensas durante el miércoles, las inundaciones son posibles.

Un frente justo al sur de nuestra zona se debilitará y se moverá más hacia el sur y lejos de nosotros hacia el final de la semana, por lo que las probabilidades de lluvia comenzarán a disminuir para el jueves en la tarde y el viernes, con un regreso a cielos mayormente soleados para el fin de semana.

Sin embargo, se tornará ventoso, por lo que habrá que estar atentos a un riesgo peligroso de corrientes de resaca si tiene planes de ir a la playa este fin de semana.

Las temperaturas máximas estarán alrededor de los 80 grados el miércoles y jueves, y luego bajarán a los bajos 80 para el viernes y durante el fin de semana. Un sistema de alta presión mantendrá condiciones secas durante gran parte de la próxima semana, con máximas bien entrados los 80 grados para entonces. Mientras tanto, mantenga los paraguas a la mano y conduzca con precaución en estas carreteras mojadas.

HAGA CLIC AQUÍ para las últimas actualizaciones del clima de la Autoridad del Tiempo de Local 10.

Nonprofits received a reassuring answer this week, however, from the century-old, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Insurance. The major insurer's nonprofit Liberty Mutual Foundation announced Wednesday the establishment of a $600 million endowment, a long-term source of funding that leaders promise will bring lasting resources and more responsive grantmaking.

“We all know that we live in really challenging times. And that is very true for our nonprofit partners as well,” Melanie Foley, the chair of the foundation's board, told the Associated Press. “We’ll be there to continue to support them, be as flexible as we can be, really listening to what they need.”

Endowments generally start with a set donation that is invested and allow foundations to increase their assets over time. Foley said Liberty Mutual Foundation had “matured” enough from its 2003 founding to necessitate “a permanent, self-sustaining" funding source. The Fortune 100 company is funding the endowment by transferring assets such as shares held within Liberty Mutual entities.

The move places Liberty Mutual's charitable arm among an influential subset of foundations with more than $100 million in assets. Partners should feel a “sense of security,” according to Foley. This new source will allow the foundation to increase grantmaking from its roughly $50 million baseline of recent years.

Foley emphasized that Wednesday's announcement isn't a response to recent developments in the sector. But the news arrives at a time of great instability for nonprofits. There's been a yearslong decline in the number of American donors, who make up the bulk of U.S. philanthropic funding. The Trump administration's attempts to freeze federal funds and cut social services grants have left many organizations without a once-reliable avenue for funding. Companies and philanthropies have reversed course on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts that often resulted in support for nonprofits serving vulnerable communities.

Those poised to benefit most from Liberty Mutual Foundation's endowment are Boston-area nonprofits addressing its focus on housing stability, workforce development and climate resiliency — areas where leaders believe they can leverage their expertise as a global property and casualty insurer. The foundation directed gifts to more than 500 nonprofits last year, according to a company spokesperson. Previous recipients include national nonprofits like the American Red Cross, local chapters of groups such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and community organizations serving homeless youth such as Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

Corporate foundations offer nonprofits a level of “rigor and relevance” when they align their purpose with the business' outcomes, according to Leah Battin, the manager of strategic advisory at Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose. A healthcare company might address social determinants of health such as pollution or nutrition with greater precision than a family or community foundation lacking in that background.

“They can take long-term views around ecosystems change that really benefit and draw from the expertise of the company,” she said.

With the new endowment, Foley said Liberty Mutual Foundation plans to provide more high impact grants over longer periods. She pointed to a recent program that provides nonprofit collaboratives with the time and resources to tackle complex challenges they can't handle alone. Its first year saw more than $9 million go toward more than a dozen partnerships addressing issues from workforce readiness to food security. A handful received three-year support, which Foley said represents the outer limits of their grant durations.

The foundation also intends to make spot grants similar to those coming out of COVID-19 aimed at remediating inflationary pressures, according to Foley. The idea, she said, is to be there when “the unexpected” happens.

“As things come up in the environment, we're gonna be there to think with our partners of how we are best suited to support them,” Foley said.

___

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits 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. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

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According to FHP, the crash occurred in the northbound lanes of the highway, just south of Oakland Park Boulevard.

Troopers said the car was heading north on the highway when, for unknown reasons, the driver ran off the road to the right, entered the outside grass shoulder and crashed into the billboard support post.

Troopers said the car then overturned and came to a final rest within the tree line.

The driver, whose identity has not yet been released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Según la FHP, el accidente ocurrió en los carriles en dirección norte de la autopista, justo al sur de Oakland Park Boulevard.

Los agentes indicaron que el vehículo se desplazaba hacia el norte cuando, por razones desconocidas, el conductor se salió de la vía hacia la derecha, ingresó al hombrillo de césped y se estrelló contra el poste de soporte del cartel.

Las autoridades dijeron que el vehículo luego volcó y terminó detenido dentro de la línea de árboles.

El conductor, cuya identidad aún no ha sido revelada, fue declarado muerto en el lugar.

The rain meant he couldn't work on building his own house or do odd jobs for others in the area, but the weather wasn't the only thing holding him back. Like thousands of others who have moved to the small city of Oiapoque, in Brazil’s northern state of Amapa, Fonseca is waiting for an economic boom that may or may not come.

The area is experiencing a rush of migrants since Petrobras, Brazil’s state-run oil company, last year secured environmental licensing for offshore drilling in the Equatorial Margin near the mouth of the Amazon River, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) off Amapa’s coast.

“I thought, well, that’s good — the city is going to grow, there will be a lot of job opportunities," said Fonseca, who saw a television report about the licensing in January and decided to move from the northeastern state of Maranhao. "So I started calling friends and said: ‘I’m going there because here I’m unemployed and not doing anything.'”

Amapa is one of Brazil’s poorest and underdeveloped states. Oiapoque’s economy relies on fishing, illegal gold mining and visitors from neighboring French Guiana, who cross daily and spend euros, which hold their value better than the Brazilian real. While the prospect of economic opportunities is bringing hope, the impacts of unplanned urban growth in a city with already poor infrastructure are being felt.

The oil-fueled optimism highlights a broader dilemma for developing countries: how to curb their emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, which are released from the burning of oil and cause climate change, while relying on such revenue to transform local economies.

It also raises questions about President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's campaign commitment to protecting the environment. He has made stopping deforestation an important part of his government and last year Brazil hosted the U.N. climate summit known as COP30.

“We don’t want to pollute a single millimeter of water, but no one can stop us from lifting Amapa out of poverty if there is oil here,” Lula said last year during a visit to Amapa.

There is a surge of speculation ahead of drilling

On March 10, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from Fonseca's home, Petrobras met with politicians, business owners and community leaders to present its operation plans.

Company representatives said drilling for an exploratory well began in October and would last about five months. If large quantities of oil are found and the company wants to begin extracting it, that would require further government permits, a process that can take months or even years.

Environmental and Indigenous groups have sued the Brazilian government and Petrobras to halt exploration, arguing the licensing process failed to properly consult traditional communities, underestimated spill risks and did not adequately assess climate impacts. Federal prosecutors also asked IBAMA to annul or suspend the environmental license, arguing that Petrobras’ studies are insufficient and that the company is concealing the full extent of the environmental impact. No ruling has been issued.

During the meeting, officials also said Oiapoque was serving mostly as a helicopter base for offshore crews, as it's the closest land point. Administrative operations related to the drilling were based out of Belem, a major city in the neighboring state of Para.

Despite open questions about future extraction and Oiapoque's limited role in Petrobras' operations, speculation has already reshaped the city.

The city’s population was 27,482 in 2022, according to census data, but a new count has yet to be taken, so it’s unclear how many people there are.

“In the past 18 months, Oiapoque has seen significant population growth," said Tiago Vieira Araújo, an Oiapoque councilman who stood up and voiced concerns during the meeting. "There are already seven new neighborhoods, and social problems have come with them.”

Urban infrastructure in Oiapoque is already precarious. Less than 2% of households have adequate sewage systems, and only 0.2% are on properly structured streets, according to Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.

In the new settlements — known locally as “invasions” — conditions are worse. Residents have cleared public rainforest, creating informal plots and erecting makeshift homes. Freshly cut tree stumps, wooden stakes and rough shacks rise from mud and have only the basics: a kitchen, a bed and a rudimentary bathroom.

“We know it’s not right to clear the forest. Everyone knows it’s wrong,” Fonseca said. “But space is limited.”

Some locals see Dubai as a model for the area's development

Yuri Alesi, 34, a lawyer who advocates for land rights in new settlements and a former city councilman, is running for vice mayor in a special election set for April. He envisions Oiapoque as an “Amazonian Dubai,” fueled by oil revenues.

“Dubai is in the middle of a desert, an unlikely place to grow,” he said. “The industry that drove its development was oil.”

Brazil’s offshore Equatorial Margin, from the Suriname border to the country's northeast, is believed to hold significant oil and gas reserves. Preliminary estimates suggest they could hold up to 10 billion barrels, with a potential value of about 3.8 trillion reais ($719.7 billion). Alesi said royalties could generate roughly 100 million reais ($19 million) a month for Oiapoque, about the equivalent of the city's total goods and services produced each year, according to Brazil's statistics institute.

The Amazon, which is crucial to regulating the global climate because forests store carbon dioxide, is constantly under pressure from deforestation driven by agriculture, cattle ranching and mining. That pressure has been less intense in Amapa, where about 82% of the land remains forested, according to MapBiomas, a nonprofit that tracks land use.

The state’s isolation, bordered by rivers and the sea and lacking road connections to the rest of Brazil, has helped protect it from the deforestation seen in the southern Amazon.

Previous booms have not ended in prosperity

While some point to Dubai as a model for Oiapoque’s future, nearby cities that once benefited from oil offer a warning for Oiapoque.

Petrobras has explored oil and gas in the state of Coari, also part of the Amazon, since the 1980s. Yet the city ranks among Brazil’s poorest, with about 72% of its residents living in extreme poverty, according to a recent study by Agenda Publica, a nonprofit focused on public policy.

Other cities in Amapa have also seen boom and decline cycles tied to mining. Pedra Branca, about 280 miles from Oiapoque, grew between 2007 and 2014 during an iron ore boom.

Prosperity in Pedra Branca drew Selma Soares, 46, who moved from Maranhao to Amapa in 2008 and opened a grocery store.

In 2013, a collapse at a port operated by mining company Anglo American killed six workers and disrupted iron ore production. India’s Zamin Ferrous later took over the mine and suspended operations.

“People who had shopped with us for years struggled to eat,” Soares said.

In the past few years, she heard growing rumors that Oiapoque was booming. After visiting the city last year, she moved with her husband and son. The family now runs a small supermarket on the outskirts of town. Soares said many others have followed.

“People are waiting for drilling to begin,” she said. “They believe everything will improve.”

Amid enthusiasm there is also concern

At the river separating Oiapoque from French Guiana, a small port hums with boats linking Brazil, its neighbor and nearby communities. Green-and-yellow stickers read: “Oil yes! Development yes!,” a message promoted by local politicians.

Just 20 minutes away by boat, members of the Indigenous Galibi Kali’na community are wary. Some see economic opportunity, but leaders oppose exploration, warning of environmental risks and threats to their way of life.

“Petrobras arrived with strong political backing, promising progress as if we would go to sleep one way and wake up like Dubai,” said Renata Lod, a representative on Oiapoque’s Indigenous council. “But what we have actually seen is completely disorganized population growth, invasions of Indigenous lands."

Lod listed several frequent complaints among Oiapoque residents, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, including overcrowded schools and the city’s only hospital operating at full capacity.

There is also fear of potential oil spills.

“Most Indigenous lands are flooded wetlands. How do you clean a wetland? Once oil enters the rivers, there’s no way to remove it," Lod said.

An oil spill could quickly carry pollutants to nearby coasts and rivers, threatening ecosystems and communities that depend on fishing and mangroves. Petrobras said it conducted spill modeling to secure the environmental license and has been deploying drifting devices to monitor ocean currents since it began exploration in October.

In January, Petrobras reported a drilling-fluid leak that briefly halted operations. IBAMA, the environmental regulator, fined the company 2.5 million reais ($470,500).

At the community meeting, Petrobras officials sought to ease concerns, defending the safety of its operations. They also pointed to everyday items, from clothing to air conditioning, to underscore oil’s economic importance.

“People here see Petrobras as an economic remedy,” said Araújo, the city councilman. “But even a remedy has side effects. And we’re already experiencing the side effects before seeing any of the benefits.”

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Photographer Eraldo Peres and video journalist Felipe Campos Mello contributed to this report.

___

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.

These days, growing congregations is very much on Isaacs' mind, as she's leading a movement to strengthen rural synagogues and Jewish communities around the country. They've reached dozens, and they're hoping for many more.

“Rural Jewish life is important for the Jewish people and it’s important for rural America,” Isaacs said. “Those people deserve to be served and shepherded.”

Isaacs is executive director of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College, a liberal arts school in Waterville, Maine. The center began a decade ago with a goal of supporting Jewish congregations that are far from big cities and it has grown to run programs for more than 60 communities in 22 states.

A little less than 2.4% of Americans are Jewish. Of those millions of people, one in eight lives outside a major urban area, and the center exists to help them thrive, Isaacs said.

The center's work is taking place at a vital time, as there are roughly 20% fewer synagogues in America than there were in 1990, according to data compiled by Alanna E. Cooper, a Jewish studies professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. The trend is even more pronounced in rural America, where aging populations and the relocations of residents has hit congregations hard.

The outreach to rural synagogues is also happening as Jewish Americans confront a rising tide of antisemitism and violent attacks against Jewish communities. The Anti-Defamation League noted a nearly 900% increases in antisemitic incidents for the decade ending 2024. Some of the states with a high rate of incidents include largely rural states like Maine, New Hampshire and Wyoming, the ADL's report said.

The center's work can help reverse that trend, Isaacs said.

“You have more Jews that experience joy, who can locate strength, form connections with other Jews across the country and around the world,” Isaacs said. “In a world of rising antisemitism it's more and more important that Jewish communities are joyful, strong and connected.”

Since forming, the center has helped congregations from Maine to California, Montana and Texas.

From Maine to Montana

Isaacs is also the rabbi at Beth Israel, a century-old synagogue down the road from Colby that is the only one within 20 miles of the college. The synagogue has grown along with the center, but the Center for Small Town Jewish Life's work stretches far beyond Maine, she said.

And congregations that have relied on the center said its contributions are vital in a country where the Jewish population has overwhelmingly been urban since the early days of immigration. In Helena, Montana, Rebecca Stanfel, the executive director of the Montana Jewish Project, said the center was instrumental in helping bring together the relatively small Jewish community in her vast state.

Linking far-flung faith communities together is critically important in a place like Montana, Stanfel said.

“In Helena, we have no choice but to rely on volunteers. And if we want to have something like a seder, High Holidays, it's got to come from the community,” Stanfel said. “That is also a really important model for people outside rural America.”

A plan to help

The center assists congregations through three strategies designed to boost rural synagogues. One is Makom, a two-year mentorship program for rabbis earlier in their service to rural synagogues.

Another trains lay leaders to lead prayer and support congregations, which helps them thrive without a full-time rabbi. The third is board leadership coaching, which trains synagogue presidents and boards on how to manage small town Jewish institutions.

Rabbi Lisa Rappaport, who leads Congregation Beth Israel in Chico, California, was among the first to go through the Makom program. Rural rabbis often lead the only Jewish congregation in town, and that makes the work “special and it's beautiful and it's challenging,” she said.

Strengthening rural communities

The Makom fellowship program lifts up rural rabbis to that challenge, Rappaport said.

“We have felt very validated as rabbis in small communities that our work is as important,” she said.

In Waterville, volunteers ranging from Colby students to retirees were getting ready to host about 100 people for Passover. It might be a small community, but it's a strong and loving one, said Jeff Lovitz, a synagogue member, as he folded napkins.

“We've been here since the early ‘70s. Our kids went to Hebrew school here,” he said. “I think it’s important to have a Jewish community in Waterville.”

Two other assailants were wounded and captured during Tuesday’s shootout in the city's financial and business district, while two police officers sustained slight injuries, officials said.

Israel had withdrawn its diplomats from Turkey over security concerns and deteriorating relations with Ankara shortly after the start of the war in Gaza, and officials said the consulate was closed at the time of the attack.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said one of the assailants had links to a group that he said “exploits religion,” without naming the organization.

The Islamic State group has carried out deadly attacks in Turkey in the past.

Anadolu Agency reported that security forces detained nine suspects in operations conducted in Istanbul as well as in the provinces of Konya and Kocaeli. They were being questioned along with the two injured assailants, the agency reported, without providing further details.

Cifti said the attackers had traveled from the city of Izmit, in Kocaeli province, in a rented car. The two wounded assailants are brothers, identified as Onur C. and Enes C. The first has a criminal record related to drugs.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the attack and praised the Turkish authorities for preventing further violence.

Dozens of Downtown Doral Charter Upper School students said they were mourning their classmates: A teenage girl and a teenage boy.

Miami-Dade firefighters and Doral police officers responded to the crash at about 6 p.m., along Northwest 87th Avenue, near 54th Street.

Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Detective Argemis “AC” Colome released a statement.

“A sedan was traveling southbound on NW 87 Avenue when it veered off the roadway and struck a pole,” Colome wrote. “The vehicle subsequently became engulfed in flames.”

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel pronounced the two dead at the scene, according to M-DSO deputies and Doral police officers.

M-DSO traffic homicide detectives were investigating the cause of the fatal crash.

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

More in Miami-Dade: Beware of flooding, rip currents, traffic delays in South Florida

Location of the crash

The 19-year-old shortstop agreed to a nine-year, $140 million contract with the Pirates early Wednesday, less than a week after the former first-round pick made his major league debut.

The deal, the largest in club history, includes escalators that could raise the total value to $150 million.

Griffin's Pittsburgh teammates attended Wednesday's news conference to announce the deal.

“This week has been amazing, debut week, and then sitting here signing a contract, it’s been amazing,” Griffin said. “It’s one of the best weeks of my life. ... But it’ll be even better if we can get a win today.”

Pirates owner Bob Nutting said the nine-year contract reflects the team's commitment in winning this season and in the future.

“This is an important step for 2026 as we look at it right now, but obviously this is a long-term commitment,” Nutting said. “It’s a long-term statement of where we’re headed as an organization, where we are headed with this team. ... This obviously is an unusual and dramatic step for the Pittsburgh Pirates. So I’m excited, I hope our fans are excited, I hope the city is excited, I know the organization is excited.”

When asked why it was important to sign for nine years, Griffin said he sees the Pirates as a winning organization.

“I’m pumped to be a Pirate and be a part of this wonderful clubhouse,” Griffin said, looking at his teammates at the back of the room. “A lot of great talent back there and coaches and staff. Thank you all for being here to support me. Y’all made this transition to the big leagues super easy. And I’m just pumped to go compete. The goal is to win. The goal is to win a World Series. And I think we've got a great clubhouse to go do that. I’m pump to be part of it.”

The agreement comes less than 24 hours after general manager Ben Cherington said the “ingredients” were in place for a long-term pact.

The Pirates selected Griffin with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft. He sprinted through the team's farm system, hitting .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases. He was one of the final cuts during spring training last month, and his stay at Triple-A Indianapolis was brief.

Pittsburgh called Griffin to the majors after just a week, and he has played well through his first handful of games. Griffin laced an RBI-double in his first big-league at bat against Baltimore last Friday, and added a pair of hits, including a two-run single, in a 7-1 win over San Diego on Tuesday night that helped the Pirates to their sixth win in seven games.

Griffin, who has said repeatedly he wants to stay in Pittsburgh for as long as possible, has impressed teammates with his maturity and his unique skillset.

Reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes called Griffin “a big leaguer through and through,” though Griffin is doing his best to ignore the attention that has surrounded his arrival for a team that is trying to return to relevance and end a playoff drought that's now over a decade old.

“Just sticking to being myself, not trying to do too much,” Griffin said Tuesday night. "Just let the game tell me the situation. Compete one pitch at a time and let it all happen.”

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

U.S. President Donald Trump told PBS News Hour that Lebanon was not included in the deal because of the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group. When asked about Israel’s latest strikes, he said, “That’s a separate skirmish.” Israel had said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah, although mediator Pakistan said it does.

The fleeting sense of relief among Lebanese after the ceasefire announcement turned into panic with what Israel’s military called its largest coordinated strike in the current war, hitting more than 100 Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Black smoke towered over several parts of the seaside capital, where a huge number of people displaced by war have taken shelter. Explosions interrupted the honking of traffic on what had been a bustling, blue-sky afternoon. Ambulances raced toward open flames. Apartment buildings were struck.

Associated Press journalists saw charred bodies in vehicles and on the ground at one of Beirut’s busiest intersections in the central Corniche al Mazraa neighborhood, a mixed commercial and residential area. Using forklifts, rescue workers removed smoldering debris and sifted through ruins for survivors.

There was no sign of Hezbollah launching strikes against Israel in the first couple of hours after the attacks.

In response to the attacks on Lebanon, Iran later Wednesday said it will once again halt the movement of oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the country's state-run media reported.

A deadly midday barrage

Central Beirut has been targeted before, but not by so many strikes at once and in the middle of the day. Israel had rarely struck central Beirut since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2 but has regularly struck southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Lebanon's Minister of Social Affairs, Haneed Sayed, in an interview with The Associated Press condemned Israel’s wide range of strikes, calling it a “very dangerous turning point.”

“These hits are now at the heart of Beirut … Half of the sheltered (internally displaced people) are in Beirut in this area,” she said, adding that she had just driven by areas hit.

She said Lebanon's government is ready to enter into negotiations with Israel for an end to hostilities, an offer that the Lebanese president previously made. Israel has not responded. “There are calls and efforts being made as we speak," Sayed said.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in a statement accused Israel of escalating at a moment when Lebanese officials were seeking to negotiate a solution, and of hitting civilian areas in “utter disregard for the principles of international law and international humanitarian law — principles it has, in any case, never respected.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the Israeli attacks “barbaric.” Lebanon's health ministry said that along with the 112 killed, at least 837 were wounded, warning that this is not the final count.

Israel's military said it had targeted missile launchers, command centers and intelligence infrastructure. It accused Hezbollah fighters of trying to “blend into” non-Shiite Muslim areas beyond their traditional strongholds.

Residents and local officials denied that the buildings hit were military sites.

“Look at these crimes,” said Mohammed Balouza, a member of Beirut’s municipal council, at the scene of a strike in Corniche al Mazraa. An apartment building behind a popular shop selling nuts and dried fruit had been hit. “This is a residential area. There is nothing (military) here.”

An Israeli warning and a defiant Hezbollah

As the smoke rose Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem that “his turn will come.” In 2024, Israel killed Hezbollah's previous leader, Hassan Nasrallah, with an airstrike.

Katz called Wednesday's strikes the largest blow against Hezbollah since the attack that caused pagers used by hundreds of its members to explode almost simultaneously in September 2024.

Before the new strikes, a Hezbollah official told the AP that the group was giving a chance for mediators to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, but “we have not announced our adherence to the ceasefire since the Israelis are not adhering to it.” He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.

The Hezbollah official said the group will not accept a return to the pre-March 2 status quo, when Israel carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon despite a ceasefire being nominally in place since the last full-blown Israel-Hezbollah war ended in November 2024.

“We will not accept for the Israelis to continue behaving as they did before this war with regards to attacks,” he said.

Hezbollah had fired missiles across the border days after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, sparking a regional war. Israel responded with widespread bombardment of Lebanon and a ground invasion.

The Israeli military chief of staff, Lt Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the attacks are to protect Israel’s northern residents, who have come under heavy fire.

Since the war started and before Wednesday's attacks, Israeli airstrikes killed more than 1,530 people in Lebanon, including more than 100 women and 130 children. The Israeli military has said it has killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. More than 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon.

Early Wednesday, after the Iran ceasefire was announced and before Israel struck, many displaced people sleeping in tents on the streets of Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon had begun packing their belongings in preparation to return home.

Families at a sprawling displacement camp on Beirut’s waterfront later expressed confusion and despair.

“We can’t take this anymore, sleeping in a tent, not showering, the uncertainty,” said Fadi Zaydan, 35. He and his parents had prepared to head back to the southern city of Nabatieh. Instead, they decided to wait things out in Sidon, a bit closer to home.

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Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre and AP journalists Hussein Mallah and Fadi Tawil in Beirut, Michelle Price in Washington and Melanie Lidman in Eilat, Israel, contributed to this report.

Trump had suggested the U.S. may consider leaving the trans-Atlantic alliance after NATO member countries ignored his call to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping waterway, as Iran effectively shut it and sent gas prices soaring.

The Republican president's meeting with Rutte, with whom he had a warm relationship, comes as the U.S. and Iran late Tuesday agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the strait. The nascent ceasefire was struck after Trump said he would strike Iran's power plants and bridges, threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight."

The plan to reopen the strait is still cloudy and is expected to be a central focus of the Wednesday afternoon meeting with Rutte. The White House said the meeting was expected to be behind closed doors. In the Trump administration, though, that can change at the last minute, and meetings can be opened to the press.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met separately with Rutte on Wednesday morning at the State Department ahead of the White House talks.

In a statement, the State Department said Rubio and Rutte had discussed the war with Iran, along with U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and “increasing coordination and burden shifting with NATO allies.”

Congress in 2023 passed a law that prevents any U.S. president from pulling out of NATO without its approval. Trump has been a longtime critic of NATO and in his first term had suggested he had the authority on his own to leave the alliance, which was founded in 1949 to counter the Cold War threat posed to European security by the Soviet Union.

The crux of the commitment its 32 member countries make is a mutual defense agreement in which an attack on one is considered an attack on them all. The only time it has been activated was in 2001, to support the United States in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Despite that, Trump has complained during his war of choice with Iran that NATO has shown it will not be there for the U.S.

Ahead of the meeting, Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, issued a statement Tuesday night in support of the alliance, noting that, “Following the September 11th attacks, NATO allies sent their young servicemembers to fight and die alongside America’s own in Afghanistan and Iraq.” McConnell, who sits on a committee overseeing defense spending, urged Trump to be “clear and consistent” and said it's not in America's interest to “spend more time nursing grudges with allies who share our interests than deterring adversaries who threaten us.”

If Rutte's meeting does not alleviate Trump's frustrations, it's unclear if the Trump administration would challenge the law barring a president from pulling out of NATO. When the law passed, it was championed by Trump's current secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who at the time was a senator from Florida.

The alliance was already rattled over the past year as Trump returned to power and reduced U.S. military support for Ukraine in the war against Russia and threatened to seize Greenland from ally Denmark.

But Trump's badgering of NATO intensified after the Iran war began at the end of February, with the president insisting that securing the Strait of Hormuz was not America's job but the responsibility of countries that depend on the flow of oil through it.

“Go to the strait and just take it,” Trump said last week.

Trump was also angered as NATO allies Spain and France forbade or restricted use of their airspace or joint military facilities for the U.S. in the Iran war. They and other nations, however, agreed to help with an international coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz when the conflict ends.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been a particular source of Trump's frustration, was set to travel on Wednesday to the Gulf to support the ceasefire. The U.K. has been working on developing a post-conflict security plan for the strait, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.

Trump has previously threatened to leave NATO and often said that he would abandon allies who don’t spend enough on their military budgets. Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in his recent memoir, said he feared that Trump might walk away from the alliance in 2018, during his first term as president.

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Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

Para John Steinbeck, era la Carretera Madre que llevó a agricultores pobres desde la desesperación de las praderas asoladas por sequías hasta la soleada California. Para los indígenas estadounidenses a lo largo de la ruta, fue un impulso económico que también dejó cicatrices. Para los viajeros negros, ofreció refugio durante la segregación. Y para los aficionados a la música, era el lugar plasmado en grandes clásicos.

La Ruta 66 celebra su centenario este año. Pese a haber perdido hace décadas su condición de una de las principales arterias del país, personas de todo el mundo siguen acudiendo a ella para hacer quizá el viaje por carretera más emblemático de Estados Unidos y empaparse de sus luces de neón, sus moteles y atracciones kitsch, y su oferta culinaria.

Cada pueblo tiene su propia historia y su propia magia, comentó Sebastiaan de Boorder, un empresario neerlandés que, junto con su esposa, dio nueva vida al Aztec Motel en Seligman, Arizona.

“Es una parte esencial de la cultura y la historia estadounidenses. El aspecto histórico es una parte muy grande e importante de la cultura estadounidense, con su influencia y su carácter”, señaló sobre la carretera De Boorder.

El sueño

La Ruta 66, que recorre aproximadamente 2.400 millas (3.860 kilómetros) desde Chicago a través de Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Nuevo México y Arizona antes de terminar en Santa Mónica, California, se armó hace un siglo a partir de una colección de rutas comerciales de indígenas estadounidenses y viejos caminos de tierra con el objetivo de enlazar la región industrial en el centro norte de Estados Unidos con la costa del Pacífico.

El empresario de Oklahoma Cyrus Avery, conocido como el Padre de la Ruta 66, la veía como algo más que una forma de cruzar el país con eficiencia. Era una oportunidad para conectar el Estados Unidos rural y crear nuevos focos de comercio.

Avery sabía que el número 66 sería ideal para el marketing y podría quedar grabado en la mente de los conductores, y tenía razón: la Ruta 66 ha sido inmortalizada en películas, libros —entre ellos “Las uvas de la ira”, de Steinbeck, y “En el camino”, de Jack Kerouac— y canciones como “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”, de Bobby Troup, que sirvió como himno del optimismo y la movilidad posteriores a la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Oleadas migratorias

Desde su designación en noviembre de 1926 como una de las carreteras numeradas originales del país, la que en su día fue conocida como Calle Principal de Estados Unidos ha encarnado la promesa de prosperidad.

Se convirtió en una senda literal de esperanza para los migrantes que huían de granjas arrasadas por la sequía y de la pobreza en la década de 1930 y la Gran Depresión. Y durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial se utilizó para trasladar tropas, equipo y trabajadores hacia el Oeste.

El auge de la posguerra en las décadas de 1940 y 1950 fue la época dorada de la Ruta 66, al convertirse en una ruta vacacional popular. Los autos se volvieron más asequibles, aumentaron los ingresos disponibles y la gente empezó a perseguir la libertad en la carretera abierta.

“Por lo general, la gente tiene un sentido de aventura, un sentido de curiosidad. Y eso se puede encontrar en la Ruta 66. Esta es la carretera de los sueños”, afirmó el autor e historiador Jim Hinckley.

El salto a la fama

Los restaurantes de carretera y los moteles prosperaron, mientras emprendedores ingeniosos ideaban maneras de sacarles dinero a los automovilistas. Había fosas con serpientes de cascabel, tótems, puestos comerciales, cavernas donde supuestamente se reunían forajidos del Viejo Oeste, y maravillas de la ingeniería moderna como el reluciente arco de acero de St. Louis.

Se pintaban graneros con anuncios gigantescos, las vallas publicitarias tentaban con atracciones locales y el neón estaba por todas partes.

¿La guinda del pastel? La comida.

Había lugares para comprar y seguir, pero también para sentarse y saborear un pedazo de hogar. El Cozy Dog Drive In —famoso por sus hot dogs empanizados en un palo— ha cumplido ambas funciones desde 1949. Dentro del comedor en Springfield, Illinois, los viajeros cuentan historias de la vida en la carretera.

“El camino no estaría vivo sin las historias de todos los lugares a lo largo de él que lo mantuvieron en marcha de pueblo en pueblo”, sostuvo Josh Waldmire, propietario de tercera generación. “Simplemente sobrevivimos unos de otros. La carretera nos alimenta y, mientras devolvamos nuestros sentimientos y amor a la carretera, resonará con los viajeros y con las historias de la gente”.

Una carretera dividida

La Ruta 66 fue un impulso económico para las tribus indígenas estadounidenses a lo largo del trayecto. Pero aunque trajo turistas, también dejó cicatrices de expropiación por causa de utilidad pública en tierras tribales y perpetuó estereotipos.

Más de la mitad de la carretera atravesaba territorio indígena, y los letreros de los vendedores a menudo hacían referencias casuales a tipis y tocados de plumas: símbolos fácilmente apropiados para el marketing pero no siempre representativos de las culturas distintas que se encuentran a lo largo de la ruta.

En Laguna Pueblo, al oeste de Albuquerque, surgieron restaurantes y estaciones de servicio, algunas operadas por veteranos militares del pueblo que eran expertos en arreglar desde llantas pinchadas hasta radiadores averiados.

Las mujeres del pueblo también se adaptaron, convirtiendo vasijas de cerámica prácticas en obras de arte codiciadas por los turistas. El pan y los pasteles caseros sellaban el trato.

Los líderes de Laguna han considerado durante mucho tiempo la carretera —o he-ya-nhee’ en el idioma keres de la tribu— como “el corredor del comercio”, indicó el empresario y miembro tribal Ron Solimon. Aprovechando ese potencial, la tribu ha construido un imperio multimillonario de casinos, puestos de hamburguesas y otros negocios.

También había peligros a lo largo de la ruta, en particular durante la era de Jim Crow, cuando los viajeros negros tenían que depender de guías como el Green Book para encontrar alojamiento y servicios seguros.

“Especialmente para los viajes de larga distancia, la segregación era un hecho de la vida”, explicó Matthew Pearce, historiador estatal de la Oklahoma Historical Society. “Y por eso los automovilistas negros necesitaban saber un lugar seguro al que ir”.

La estación de servicio Threatt Filling Station, cerca de la comunidad de Luther, en el centro de Oklahoma, no figuraba en el Green Book, pero sí servía como refugio seguro entre dos “pueblos de puesta de sol”, donde las personas que no eran blancas debían irse antes del atardecer. La estación ofrecía barbacoa e incluso béisbol.

Edward Threatt, cuyos abuelos abrieron el establecimiento alrededor de 1933, recordó un programa de televisión sobre viajeros que disfrutaban en la 66, en referencia al clásico “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" (que podría traducirse como ”date el gusto en la ruta 66").

“En general, el viajero negro no se daba muchos gustos en la Ruta 66”, expresó. “Y si se daba alguno, no era del tipo que uno imaginaría”.

Una nueva dirección

La visión del presidente Dwight Eisenhower de un sistema moderno de autopistas interestatales finalmente llevó a que la Ruta 66 fuera retirada de su condición de carretera federal en 1985. Algunos pueblos a lo largo de la ruta murieron, y la tarea de preservar sus tramos de la famosa carretera recayó en gobiernos locales, sociedades históricas estatales y empresas privadas.

Una fuerza impulsora fue Angel Delgadillo, un barbero que presionó a la Legislatura de Arizona para que designara la carretera como ruta histórica. Salvó a Seligman de convertirse en un pueblo fantasma y fijó el estándar de preservación en otros lugares.

En Nuevo México se han conservado bocetos originales de letreros de neón, abundan los murales con temática de la Ruta 66 y desarrolladores en Albuquerque han restaurado alojamientos a lo largo del tramo urbano más largo de la carretera que aún permanece intacto.

En California todavía se puede recorrer más del 90% de la carretera. Cadillac Ranch, en el extremo norte de Texas, ofrece la oportunidad de pintar con aerosol autos medio enterrados. Y en el río Mississippi, los viajeros pueden caminar o ir en bicicleta por el viejo puente Chain of Rocks.

Más de 250 edificios, distritos y segmentos de carretera de la ruta están inscritos en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos. Pero no son sólo los ladrillos y el asfalto lo que alimenta la fascinación.

“Algunas de las cosas más interesantes y divertidas que les pasan a las personas cuando recorren la ruta es encontrarse con alguien que conocen o con algún hecho fortuito totalmente inesperado”, comentó el autor e historiador Jim Ross. “Y esa es una gran parte de la experiencia de la Ruta 66”.

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Los periodistas de The Associated Press John O’Connor en Springfield, Illinois, y Sean Murphy en Oklahoma City contribuyeron a este reportaje.

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

Information on which vehicles hold their value best isn’t readily accessible, but savvy shoppers can use it to pick a vehicle that depreciates less than average over the long haul. The car experts at Edmunds analyzed sales transaction data and compared the average transaction price of used 2023 model-year SUVs with their original manufacturer’s suggested retail price. From there, they identified the top two SUVs in five size categories that hold their value best. These rankings are specific to the 2023 model year but could also be seen as solid bets if you buy a new 2026 model.

Extra-small SUVs: Toyota Corolla Cross and Honda HR-V

The Toyota Corolla Cross is a subcompact SUV that excels as a practical and budget-friendly vehicle. It comes with many standard driver assist features and offers ample cargo space for its size. The Corolla Cross isn’t flashy, but it can’t be beat for value considering it’s worth 81.7% of its original value after three years of ownership.

Nipping at the heels of the Corolla Cross, the HR-V will also appeal to SUV shoppers who want a practical means of transportation. Edmunds praised the HR-V’s amount of passenger space and cargo volume but was underwhelmed by its slow acceleration.

Small SUVs: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Honda CR-V

Among small SUVs, the Toyota RAV4 aces the fundamentals. It’s comfortable and roomy, and it’s available in a wide range of trim levels to suit varied budgets. Excellent performance in crash tests is another draw, as is great fuel economy. It all leads to the RAV4 Hybrid having a strong 81.4% residual value in our analysis.

Close behind is another very popular small SUV, the Honda CR-V. A smooth ride and easy-to-use tech features are just some of the CR-V’s positive attributes. Edmunds also singled out its easygoing driving nature, roomy cargo hold, and impressive fuel economy from its available hybrid powertrain.

Midsize SUVs: Toyota 4Runner and Ford Bronco

The Toyota 4Runner has a loyal following among those seeking an SUV with a rugged design and genuine off-road capability. Based on the Tacoma pickup, the midsize 4Runner still waves the flag for the traditional SUV fans who want real off-road performance. After three years, the 4Runner retains 83% of its value on average, the best of all SUVs mentioned in our article.

If you want a vehicle with an even more adventurous spirit but still maintains its value, check out the Ford Bronco. It has a retro-fueled design, incredible go-anywhere capability, and a seemingly endless options sheet.

Midsize three-row SUVs: Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Honda Pilot

The Toyota Highlander has been a popular three-row SUV for more than two decades. The current version continues to provide a comfortable driving experience and excellent fuel economy from the Highlander Hybrid version. The Highlander’s third-row seat is pretty small, but you’re not going to complain about the Highlander Hybrid’s residual value of 77% after three years.

Coming in second is the Honda Pilot. It also has an enviable reputation for providing ample space and cargo room for growing families. Its third-row seat is bigger than the Highlander’s, but Honda doesn’t currently offer a hybrid version of the Pilot.

Large three-row SUVs: Toyota Sequoia and Chevrolet Tahoe

The Toyota Sequoia is bound to appeal to SUV shoppers who need maximum room and crave strong performance. Its hybrid engine packs a punch and delivers plenty of passing power — even if fuel economy is about on par with most other large non-hybrid rivals. A residual value of 80% after three years adds reassurance that this large SUV won’t burn a giant hole in your wallet when you drive off the dealer lot.

Chevrolet’s Tahoe comes in second for large three-row SUVs that best maintain their value after three years. Thanks to its lineup of two stout V8 engines and a turbocharged diesel-powered six-cylinder, the Tahoe is ideal if you’re planning on towing a heavy trailer. The Tahoe also comes with Chevy’s latest technology features.

Edmunds says

An SUV of any shape or size is a major investment. Knowing the vehicle that’s caught your eye won’t plummet in value provides added peace of mind.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Nick Kurczewski is a contributor at Edmunds.

Salah has yet to find his best form in his last season at the club, with only 10 goals in 35 games so far. He missed a penalty in the 4-0 loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals last weekend.

Hugo Ekitiké leads the attack with Jeremie Frimpong taking Salah's customary position on the right wing.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said on the eve of the game that resisting an early onslaught from PSG was key to Liverpool's chances of keeping the tie alive heading into the return leg at Anfield next week.

“PSG under (coach) Luis Enrique do not give you a second to have the ball comfortable on your feet,” said. “It’s press, press, press every second of the game.”

When the two sides met last season in the round of 16, PSG advanced on penalties against six-time champion Liverpool following an intense battle. PSG carried the momentum from that victory all the way to a first Champions League title.

While Liverpool was arguably the pre-match favorite last year, it's a different story now. Slot's team is reeling from a crushing FA Cup loss and will be trophyless unless it wins the Champions League.

PSG has Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, midfielder Vitinha and flying winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in top form. Dembélé scored a scintillating volley against Toulouse in the French league on Friday and seems to be peaking at the right time.

However, PSG is still missing midfielder Fabián Ruiz with a knee injury and is without winger Bradley Barcola, who injured his ankle in the last-16 rout of Chelsea.

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak — the British-record signing for 125 million pounds ($170 million) — has recovered from injury and was on the bench at Parc des Princes.

Isak had surgery in December on a broken ankle and fibula.

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

Barcelona's hopes of ending an 11-year wait for another European Cup will largely rest on the performances of 18-year-old Lamine Yamal. The Spain playmaker has scored in three consecutive Champions League games and his 21 goals overall in all competitions this campaign leads his team.

Atletico for its part will look for inspiration from forward Antoine Griezmann. Atletico's all-time top scorer wants to end his stellar run with the club on a high note before the 35-year-old leaves for the MLS.

The Spanish rivals will have played five times in two months after next week’s second leg in Madrid.

Atletico edged Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinals in February before Hansi Flick's side got some revenge on Saturday when it won 2-1 away in the Spanish league to strengthen its league lead.

Barcelona is a five-time European champion, but Diego Simeone’s Atletico eliminated the Catalan club at the same stage both in 2014 and 2016 on the way to reaching the Champions League final.

Barcelona is aiming to reach the semifinals for a second straight year.

Atletico's bid to make its first semifinal appearance since 2017 will depend on its defense and a mix of attacking options which include Julián Álvarez, Ademola Lookman and Alexander Sorloth.

Marcus Rashford will likely start for Barcelona in place of the injured Raphinha.

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

“You’re going to have to show some epic resilience,” Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett said to Jasveen Sangha, echoing the defendant's words earlier in the hearing about her self-improvement.

The 42-year-old became the third defendant sentenced of the five people who have pleaded guilty in connection with the overdose of the 54-year-old actor. His role as Chandler Bing on NBC’s “Friends” in the 1990s and 2000s made him one of the biggest television stars of the era.

Sangha stood at the podium Wednesday just before she was sentenced and told the judge she wears her shame “like a jacket.” She is the only defendant whose plea deal included an acknowledgment of causing Perry’s death, and her prison term will almost certainly be far longer than all the others combined.

“These were not mistakes. They were horrible decisions,” Sangha said, which “shattered people’s lives and the lives of their family and friends.”

Prosecutors cast her in court filings as a “Ketamine Queen” who had an elaborate drug operation catering to high-end clients to give herself a jet-setting lifestyle.

Sangha’s attorneys said in their sentencing filing that the time she has spent in jail since her August 2024 indictment should be sufficient. They pointed to her lack of prior arrests and exemplary behavior as an inmate, as well as the unlikelihood she would return to a life of drug dealing.

Keith Morrison, Perry’s stepfather and correspondent for NBC’s “Dateline,” told the judge that he and Perry’s mother, Suzanne, feel a “daily, grinding sadness and sorrow.”

“There was a spark to that man I have never seen anywhere else,” Morrison said in his familiar and dramatic voice. “He should have had another act. Two more acts.”

Perry's stepmother Debbie Perry told Sangha she had caused pain for “hundreds, maybe thousands" of people.

Perry was found dead in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine, typically used as a surgical anesthetic, was the primary cause of death. Drowning was cited as a secondary cause, with coronary artery disease and buprenorphine also cited as factors.

Mark Geragos, Sangha’s attorney, said “pernicious” addiction was truly responsible for Perry’s death, not his client.

“There was nobody who was going to stop Mr. Perry from doing what he was going to do,” Geragos said.

Sangha pleaded guilty in September to one count of using her home for drug distribution, three counts of distribution of ketamine, and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death.

After a long series of arguments about how to calculate several factors including the quantity of methamphetamine, ketamine and other drugs at Sangha’s apartment, Garnett said she agreed with a probation services report that said federal guidelines put the proper range at between 14 years and 17 1/2 years.

Perry had been using the drug through his regular doctor as a legal off-label treatment for depression. But he sought more than the doctor would give him. That at first led him to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who admitted to illegally selling Perry ketamine and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. And, days before his death, it led Perry to Sangha, and a $6,000 cash buy that included the lethal dose.

Another doctor, who admitted to providing Plasencia the ketamine he sold to Perry, was sentenced to eight months of home detention. Perry’s assistant and his friend, who admitted acting as the actor’s middlemen, are awaiting sentencing.

The judge said she was trying to carefully calibrate the sentences for the five defendants. She expressed concern about the balance during the hearing, asking lawyers why Sangha deserved so much more time than Plasencia or Perry's assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, who obtained and injected the drugs at Perry's request and injected them into him.

Geragos seized on this and said the disparity was outrageous.

“The person who supplies the ammunition, they're more culpable than the person who pulls the trigger?” he asked.

But before sentencing, Garnett said the size of Sangha's drug business, the years she spent dealing and her long list of clients clearly made her more culpable. And she said she believed Sangha's criminal history — she has none — was underrepresented.

The judge also cited Sangha's continued dealing after learning through a text message from his sister that one of her customers, 33-year-old Cody McLaury, had died in 2019.

The sister, Kimberly McLaury, spoke in court.

“Had you stopped selling ketamine when I texted you, we wouldn't be here today,” she said.

The judge commended Sangha for the “countless” letters of support she got from family and friends touting her loving decency. Many of them were there in court, sitting on the opposite side from Perry's family.

“There's no joy in this process,” Garnett told the victim's family members. “Maybe at the end of the day you will feel a sense of justice.”

Redick and Vanderbilt repeatedly exchanged words in a visible, vocal argument after Redick called a timeout and removed Vanderbilt from the Lakers' game against Oklahoma City just 16 seconds into the second quarter.

Redick said the argument was caused by “just a confluence of things," declining to be specific about what Vanderbilt had done wrong.

“Nothing personal with him,” Redick added. "Normal stuff from my end. I think for all of us, being undermanned, we’ve got to scrap and claw. We’ve got to all be on the same page. We've got to be great teammates. We've got to all play hard. I called a timeout to get him out of the game, and he reacted.”

After Redick called the timeout, Vanderbilt approached him on the court. When Vanderbilt became demonstrative, Austin Reaves — who didn't play due to injury — stepped between his teammate and the head coach, along with assistant coach Nate McMillan.

Vanderbilt continued the discussion when Redick sat on the bench after the timeout, and Redick made a dismissive gesture in Vanderbilt’s direction that appeared to irritate Vanderbilt further.

Vanderbilt didn’t return to the game after being pulled, and he left the Lakers’ downtown arena without speaking to reporters.

Vanderbilt made his only shot and had two rebounds and a steal during his 4 1/2 minutes of play, but he also missed three consecutive free throws right before the first-quarter buzzer. The defensive specialist has played inconsistent minutes for Redick this season, struggling to bring his offensive game up to a level that would allow him to be a rotation regular.

Los Angeles faced the Thunder without NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Reaves, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes due to injury, and the result was predictable: Oklahoma City routed the Lakers 123-87, sending them to their third consecutive loss after winning 13 of their previous 14.

The defeat was Los Angeles' first at home since Feb. 24, ending a 10-game winning streak. The Lakers (50-29) slipped a full game behind streaking Denver (51-28) for the third seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, while only the tiebreaker is keeping the Lakers above the surging Houston Rockets (50-29) in fifth for now.

Until Doncic and Reaves both were lost for the rest of the regular season — and probably longer — during the Lakers' blowout loss at Oklahoma City a week ago, they were surging toward a top-three seed with hopes of a significant playoff run. While Redick hasn't publicly given up on that chance, he acknowledged before the game that any attempt to play for better seeding “probably went out the window after the (first) OKC game.”

Redick didn't mince many words about his healthy players after the Lakers' lowest-scoring performance of the season — an effort that inexplicably included 17 missed free throws.

“We’ve got to find nine guys that are, like, all in on us fighting,” Redick said. “Whatever you’ve got to do to go out and fight and be all in on the team, we’ll find the nine guys. It’s a great opportunity for us over the next three games to find those guys.”

The coach said he called an earlier timeout to remove Rui Hachimura from the game because the forward “didn't do his job.”

Redick also said starting center Deandre Ayton has “had trouble catching the ball. We've had a bunch of plays for him. He's just had trouble catching the ball, and I don't know if that's the passing or him trying to get position. He just hasn't been able to catch the ball.”

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

The Panama Ports Company, a unit of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings, said in a statement dated Tuesday that Maersk A/S had undermined a contract over the Hong Kong company's operations of ports at either end of the Panama Canal in order to pave the way for a new operator affiliated with Maersk to take over the Balboa terminal.

The company said the arbitration will be held in London, but didn't explain what remedy it was seeking. Company arbitration is a dispute resolution process in which a neutral third party decides corporate conflicts.

In February, Panama’s government seized control of the Balboa and Cristobal ports after the country’s Supreme Court declared earlier that a concession allowing the Panama Ports Company to run the ports was unconstitutional. The ruling drew backlash from China.

The Panamanian government later allowed subsidiaries of Maersk and the Mediterranean Shipping Company to take over operations at the two ports.

Panama Ports Company started arbitration proceedings against Panama in February. In late March, it expanded its claims, saying damages have escalated beyond $2 billion.

It said on Tuesday that its claim against Maersk is separate from its ongoing steps to hold Panama accountable for what it called “anti-contract and anti-investor conduct.”

Maersk said it does not believe it is liable for the claims and will address them “in the appropriate forum," without elaborating.

There was no immediate comment from Panama's government.

The legal actions could further complicate CK Hutchison's initial plan to sell the bulk of its dozens of global ports, including the two Panama ports, to a consortium that involved U.S. investment firm BlackRock in a $23 billion deal.

The sale plan, first announced in March 2025, pleased U.S. President Donald Trump, who has alleged Chinese interference with the critical shipping lane’s operations. But the planned sale apparently angered Beijing, and China's antitrust regulator last year said it would initiate a review of the deal.

The parties involved in the deal have since been looking for ways to move forward with the sale, including considering plans to add a Chinese investor to the consortium.

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Associated Press writer Alma Solís in Panama City contributed to this report.

“They think they’re invincible. They’re not,” Swalwell told a large crowd at a town hall in Sacramento, the state capital. He didn't specify how he'd advance those policies, which would likely face legal challenges.

The event kicked off a series of campaign functions he's planned around the state with less than a month to go until mail-in ballots go out to voters ahead of the June 2 primary. Swalwell, a Democrat, is among a crowded field of candidates jostling for advantage in a race in which a small margin could decide who advances to the November general election. The two highest vote-getters advance regardless of party, and Democrats are worried about a possible lock-out if no clear front-runner emerges.

Speaking to a friendly crowd, Swalwell painted himself as a “battle-tested” fighter in Congress against President Donald Trump. He served as House manager for Trump’s second impeachment trial and said he wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has supported taking away the agency's funding. Los Angeles was the target of one of the administration's first large-scale immigration sweeps last summer and the first place where it deployed the National Guard. The position comes after Swalwell faced accusations by some of his Democratic rivals for not taking a strong enough stance against the agency.

Positioning himself as a labor-friendly and progressive candidate, Swalwell said he wants to address ongoing state budget gaps with a new corporate tax and use state funding to pay for health care for low-income people, including immigrants. He also said he supports letting state employees work remotely, a contentious issue in Sacramento.

“I will root for the success of anyone who invests and does business in California, if they work with me to lift the wages of hard-working Californians and expand the benefits,” he said.

This year's election marks the first time since voters approved the state’s “ top two ” primary system more than a decade ago that there has been a governor’s race with no dominant candidate. Swalwell is considered among the leading candidates, alongside billionaire Tom Steyer and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter on the Democratic side. Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, won Trump's endorsement this week. Sheriff Chad Bianco is another prominent Republican in the contest.

Swalwell in recent weeks has emerged as a favorite target for fellow Democrats, who have accused him of failing to show up for votes in Congress and questioned whether he actually lives in California. On Tuesday, Swalwell again disputed those criticisms and said he's “not going to be distracted.”

An Iowa native who was elected in 2012 and represents a House district east of San Francisco, Swalwell ran a short-lived presidential campaign in 2019.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited, hasn't endorsed anyone to replace him.

All sides have presented vastly different versions of the terms. Iran said the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that.

Pakistan and others said fighting would pause in Lebanon, which Israel has invaded to fight Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday that the deal doesn’t cover fighting against Hezbollah. Israeli strikes hit several dense commercial and residential areas in central Beirut Wednesday afternoon without warning, killing dozens and wounding hundreds of people.

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

The ceasefire may formalize a system of charging fees in the Strait of Hormuz that Iran instituted — and give it a new source of revenue. Iranian attacks and threats deterred many commercial ships from passing through the waterway, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime.

Here is the latest:

Bolivia terminates military cooperation agreement with Iran in latest geopolitical shift

The center-right government of Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz said Wednesday it has terminated a military cooperation agreement signed with Iran three years ago, during the administration of leftist leader Luis Arce.

The announcement was confirmed by Defense Minister Raúl Salinas, who didn’t provide further details.

It comes on the heels of the Paz administration’s dramatic shift away from the foreign policy maintained by Bolivia throughout the administrations of the Movement Towards Socialism, or MAS, a party that held power for nearly 20 years.

It is also the latest sign of a sharp geopolitical realignment underway in the South American country that was once among the most vocal critics of Israeli policies toward Palestinians.

UN says 1.1 million Lebanese , an unprecedented number, have been displaced since early March conflict

And that number, representing nearly one-fifth of Lebanon’s population, is expected to rise following the wave of over 100 Israeli airstrikes on the country on Wednesday, the U.N. humanitarian chief in Lebanon said.

Imran Riza told U.N. correspondents in a video briefing that Israeli orders for Lebanese to leave their homes now affect 15.5% of the country’s territory.

He also pointed to rising attacks on health care facilities during the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, with over 106 incidents reported resulting in 57 deaths and 158 injuries.

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator urged donations to last month’s $308 million U.N. emergency appeal for Lebanon which has only received about $95 million.

Iran accuses US of violating 3 clauses of framework for a deal, says ceasefire, negotiations with US are unreasonable

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Wednesday that a ceasefire and negotiations with the U.S. on ending the war is “unreasonable” as he accused the U.S. violating three of Tehran’s 10 conditions for an end to the fighting.

Ghalibaf, a key figure in the Pakistan-brokered negotiations to end the conflict, objected in a social media post to the continuation of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire was in effect and the Trump administration’s assertion that it won’t accept any Iranian enrichment capabilities as part of an agreement to end the conflict.

It comes as the not yet day old ceasefire appears at risk of fraying over significant disagreements between the parties who each are claiming victory in the conflict. Ghalibaf’s comments come an hour after the White House announced that US Vice President JD Vance would lead the U.S. delegation to talks in Islamabad starting Saturday on bringing about an end to the war.

Spain condemns Israeli strikes on Lebanon

Spanish Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez condemned Israel’s strikes Wednesday on Lebanon, criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“His contempt for life and international law is intolerable,” Sánchez wrote on X.

The Spanish leader, who has been Europe’s loudest critic of the U.S. and Israel’s military actions in the region, called on the European Union to suspend its association agreement with Israel.

White House says Trump is clear that ceasefire is subject to no tolls through the Strait of Hormuz

The ceasefire requires a “free” reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which includes no tolls imposed by Iran, said Leavitt, describing Trump’s thinking.

A regional official had said on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations that the ceasefire plans included allowing both Iran and Oman to charge new fees to ships transiting through the strait.

Leavitt referenced Trump’s Truth Social post from Tuesday in which he said the agreement was conditional on the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING” of the strait. She added that “that’s very plain language and it should be taken at face value.”

Iranian envoy asks China, Russia and UN for security guarantees as part of ceasefire

At a press conference in Beijing early Wednesday, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Iran’s ambassador to China, requested that its two closest allies and the world body help guarantee Tehran’s long-term security as part of the recent deal to end hostilities between U.S and Iran.

The Islamic Republic has made similar requests in the past but they have not come to fruition.

When asked if China would be willing to guarantee such security, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning demurred Wednesday, telling reporters: “We hope that all parties will resolve their disputes through dialogue and negotiation.”

Vance will return to US from his visit to Hungary before heading to Pakistan

The vice president’s office gave the update Wednesday as Vance was wrapping up a trip in Budapest.

His office did not offer any details about his planned trip to Islamabad to lead the U.S. negotiating team that included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Trump expected to raise possibility of US leaving NATO in meeting with Rutte

The president earlier this month said that he was considering withdrawing the U.S. from NATO as he grumbled about the lack of support from members of the alliance in his war of choice against Iran.

The criticism from Trump follows years of complaining that the alliance’s member countries aren’t paying enough for their own defense. Trump is set to host Secretary-General Mark Rutte for talks at the White House later this afternoon.

“It’s something the president has discussed, and I think it’s something the president will be discussing in a couple of hours with Secretary General Rutte,” said Leavitt, when asked if Trump is still considering leaving the 32-member alliance.

Ceasefire is threatened as Israel expands Lebanon strikes and Iran closes strait again

The United States demanded Wednesday that Iran immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz after the Islamic Republic closed the waterway in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Iran’s move cast doubt over whether an already precarious ceasefire to end more than a month of war would hold.

The United States and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Israel also intensified its attacks in Lebanon, hitting several commercial and residential areas in Beirut without warning. At least 112 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in one of the deadliest days in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

The fresh violence threatened to scuttle what U.S. Vice President JD Vance called a “fragile” deal.

White House defends Trump’s language threatening ‘a whole civilization’

Asked about Trump’s threat to annihilate Iranian civilization, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended it as a “very strong threat that led to results.”

“I think it was a very, very strong threat from the president of the United States that led the Iranian regime to cave to their knees and ask for a ceasefire and agree to reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” Leavitt said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

She said any suggestion that Iran had the moral high ground was “insulting.”

Before a ceasefire was announced, Trump had threatened destruction in Iran if it did not reopen the strait, saying “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.”

White House shrugs off NATO’s pledge to ensure freedom of navigation through a reopened Strait of Hormuz

Leavitt was asked about NATO allies offering to contribute to keeping the strait open, but said the alliance hasn’t done enough to support U.S. and Israel’s war in Iran.

“They were tested and they failed,” Levitt said, reading from a past Trump quote on NATO.

She added: “NATO turned their backs on the American people over the course of the last six weeks.”

Those comments came as Trump was meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House later Wednesday.

Israel’s airport restarts full operations

Israel’s main airport will resume full operations as of midnight on Wednesday, after the Iran war stranded tens of thousands of people, including both Israelis abroad and tourists inside Israel.

Israel’s airspace has been open but severely limited during the war, limiting flights to once an hour and just 50 people per flight. Israel joins several other countries in the region in reopening its airspace as the ceasefire with Iran appeared to hold.

The White House defends Trump’s threat that ’a whole civilization will die tonight

“His very tough rhetoric and his tough negotiating style is what has led to the result that you are all witnessing today,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, adding that Iran said they wanted a ceasefire because “they no longer could tolerate being bombed.”

Trump’s threats against Iran escalated over the past weeks, culminating in his Tuesday warning that a “whole civilization” could “die” in the lead up to an 8 p.m. deadline, which was later suspended after an agreement was reached.

“The world should take his word very seriously,” Leavitt said.

Vance will lead US delegation to Islamabad for talks with Iran

The White House confirmed that U.S. Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. negotiating team in talks with Iran aimed at finding a permanent end to war.

Vance will lead the delegation, which is also expected to include special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, for the talks that are expected to begin Friday in Islamabad, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

“Vice President Vance has played a very significant and a key role in this since the very beginning,” Leavitt told reporters during a White House press briefing. “Of course, he’s the president’s right hand man. He is the vice president of the United States. He’s been involved in all of these discussions.”

Flights gradually resume in Bahrain

Bahrain said it is reopening its airspace, the state news agency reported Wednesday evening, citing the country’s civil aviation authority.

Bahrain International Airport has begun gradually resuming flights, the agency said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strikes victorious tone, praises Israel’s resilience even as country remains hobbled from war

“We are ready to return to fighting at any time, our finger is on the trigger,” Netanyahu said in his first address to the country since the start of the ceasefire.

“Iran is weaker than ever, and Israel is stronger than it has ever been,” adding that the “deep friendship with the US has changed the face of the Middle East.”

He said the two wars with Iran in the past year have kept Iran from developing a nuclear weapon program and destroyed both existing missiles as well as Iran’s ability to produce missiles.

Netanyahu said he insisted any ceasefire with Iran not include Hezbollah, and cited Israel’s massive strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday for being the biggest attacks against the militant group since the beeper operation in 2024, when Israel engineered exploding pagers that injured hundreds of Hezbollah leaders.

The White House says Iran presented a ‘new, modified peace plan that it is able to ’align with our own, 15-point proposal

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “the Iranians originally put forward a 10-point plan that was fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded,” and that it was “literally thrown in the garbage by Trump.”

But, she said, Iranian authorities on Tuesday presented a new plan that will become a workable basis for negotiations to bring the Iran war to an end.

Leavitt said the new version of the Iranian plan can now “align with our own, 15-point proposal” for peace.

Iran closes Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, threatening ceasefire

Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz again Wednesday in response to Israeli attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, casting doubt over whether an already precarious ceasefire to end more than a month of war will hold.

The United States and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Israel also intensified its attacks in Lebanon, hitting several commercial and residential areas in Beirut without warning. At least 112 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in one of the deadliest days in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

The fresh violence threatened to scuttle what U.S. Vice President JD Vance called a “fragile” deal.

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Iranian foreign minister says Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon must end as part of ceasefire agreement

Abbas Araghchi said in message to the United States that Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon must end as part of ceasefire agreement

Araghchi called insists it is part of the ceasefire agreement with the United States, contrary to what Israel has said.

“The world sees the massacres in Lebanon,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.”

Israel’s military lifts most guidelines for civilians

Israel’s military announced an easing of the guidelines for civilians, including a resumption of school in most of the country starting Thursday.

It will be the first time in more than a month that schools resume in most of Israel. Large gatherings are still limited in northern Israel and areas under threat from Hezbollah.

UN strongly condemns Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon and loss of civilian lives

The United Nations urges all sides to abide by the two-week ceasefire announced by the United States and Iran and halt military action in Lebanon, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters Wednesday.

“Now is the time to pursue talks to resolve outstanding differences and work towards a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict,” he said. “There is no military solution to the conflict.”

Haq said U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel continue to be impacted by the fighting.

He noted an exchange of rocket and artillery fire near Al Tiri on Tuesday that injured six peacekeepers, damaged U.N. vehicles and left five soldiers with “acoustic trauma” to their hearing.

Netanyahu delivers televised address to nation

Netanyahu said Israel has achieved “tremendous results.”

“Iran is weaker than ever. Israel is stronger than ever,” Netanyahu said said. He said Israel struck Iran’s missile program and nuclear targets and set back Iran by many years.

The address comes at a time of public criticism over the inconclusive results of the war.

Even if the Strait of Hormuz opens, experts say it it could still take a long time for oil flows to return to normal

“Many shipowners will remain extremely cautious, fearing a sudden resumption of hostilities,” Alex Kuptsikevich, chief market analyst at FxPro, said in a Wednesday note.

He stressed that future escalation cannot be ruled out, “given the significant differences in the parties’ positions.” It could take months for the Strait of Hormuz to resume operations at full capacity, he said, which will continue to keep oil prices high.

Karin Ström, vice president of logistics and supply chain work at Proxima, reiterated that the “fragile political landscape has the potential to change within a matter of hours” and that many vessels may not choose to return immediately, as they seek “greater reassurances about the safety of their cargo and crews.”

As Iran calls ceasefire a win, anti-government voices worry about the day after

Iranians who have been hoping for the Islamic Republic’s overthrow are expressing mixed feelings about the ceasefire, say several Tehran area residents contacted by The Associated Press, who spoke anonymously for their security.

Security forces shot thousands of anti-government protesters in January, prompting Trump’s initial promise to “help” Iranians.

A social media influencer in her forties said she felt “rage, despair” following the ceasefire. “This means that the blood of all those who were killed for freedom will be trampled on,” she said.

Iran’s spiraling economic problems have stoked growing calls for political change. “Everyone is still dissatisfied and prices are rising rapidly, and everyone knows this is because of the Islamic Republic,” said a resident of Karaj, just outside the capital.

—- Amir Hussein-Radjy

Pakistan’s PM Sharif and Erdogan discuss regional peace efforts in phone call

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Wednesday he received a “warm and most cordial” phone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who praised Pakistan’s efforts aimed at ending the conflict in the region.

According to a statement from Sharif’s office, the two sides agreed to continue to work in pursuit of lasting peace in the region.

Sharif did not provide further details.

Turkey is among the regional countries that have played a role in securing a ceasefire between the United States and Iran and other parties.

At least 112 killed in Israeli strikes over Lebanon, says health ministry

The latest count for Wednesday includes widespread strikes across central Beirut that came without warning, also wounding at least 837, one of the deadliest days in this latest war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group. It is not the final count.

More than 1,500 people have been killed in Lebanon during the past month, and over 1 million others have been displaced.

Hezbollah condemns widespread Israeli strikes over Beirut, says it reserves right to retaliate

Hezbollah in a statement condemned Israel’s widespread attacks across the country, including neighborhoods in central Beirut without warning, and said it reserved its “natural and legal right to resist occupation and respond to its attacks.”

The militant group did not claim any attacks on Israel Wednesday after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire went into effect.

The dramatic shift in tenor came as intermediaries led by Pakistan worked feverishly to head off a further escalation. Even China, Iran's biggest trading partner and America's most significant economic competitor, quietly pulled strings to find a path toward a ceasefire, according to two officials briefed on the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump said in a social media post Tuesday announcing the temporary ceasefire. It came about 90 minutes before his deadline for Tehran to open the critical Strait of Hormuz or see its power plants and other critical infrastructure obliterated.

But even as the White House was celebrating the moment as a victory, the fragile ceasefire appeared in danger of falling apart Wednesday as the U.S., Iran and Israel offered differing statements on what was included in the deal less than 24 hours after it was brokered.

Iran insisted that an end to the Israeli war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire agreement with the U.S. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump said the truce did not cover Lebanon and the Israeli operations there continued.

The U.S., meanwhile, demanded that Iran make good on reopening the strait after the Islamic Republic closed the waterway in response to Israel's intensifying attacks against the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.

Trump to hold talks with NATO secretary-general

The president was to meet at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, with the emerging plan to reopen the strait expected to be at the center of their talks. Trump has been angry that NATO member countries ignored his call to help reopen the vital waterway as gas prices soared during the war.

As the deadline neared, Democratic lawmakers decried Trump's threat to wipe away an entire civilization as “a moral failure." Pope Leo XIV warned that strikes against civilian infrastructure would violate international law and said the Republican president's comments were “truly unacceptable.”

In the end, Trump may have backed down because of a simple truth: Escalation could risk involving the United States in the sort of “forever war” that had bedeviled his predecessors in the White House and that he had vowed he would keep the U.S. out of if voters elected him again.

Controlling the strait would have been long and costly

As Trump boasted about U.S. and Israeli military success over the past six weeks, he appeared to be working from the premise that he could bomb Iran into capitulation.

Starting with the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening salvos, he seemed to discount that the Iranian leadership could opt for a long and bloody war.

The Islamic Republic over the past 47 years has shown it is willing to dig in, even when it appears to America to be working against its own self-interest.

The clerical leadership held Americans hostage for 444 days, from late 1979 to early 1981, at the cost of the country’s international standing. The mullahs allowed the Iran-Iraq war to go on for years, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. Iran stood by Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ultimately defanged the Iran-backed group in Gaza as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon, and created the conditions that led to the collapse of Bashar Assad's government in Syria, an authoritarian rule supported by Tehran.

Iran's leadership exuded confidence that it could bog down the world's superpower in a costly and extended conflict even if it might not defeat the U.S. military.

Defense analysts largely agreed that the U.S. military could quickly take control of the narrow Persian Gulf waterway between Iran and Oman through which roughly 20% of the world's oil flows on any given day. But maintaining security over the strait would require a high-risk, resource-intensive operation that could be a yearslong American commitment.

Ben Connable, executive director of the nonprofit Battle Research Group, said securing the strait would require the U.S. military to maintain control of about 600 kilometers (373 miles) of Iranian territory, from Kish Island in the west to Bandar Abbas in the east, in order to stop Iran from firing missiles at passing ships. It is a mission that Connable said would likely require three U.S. infantry divisions, roughly 30,000 to 45,000 troops.

“This would be an indefinite operation — so, you know, think: be ready to do this for 20 years,” said Connable, a retired Marine Corps intelligence officer. “We didn't think we were going to be in Afghanistan for 20 years. We didn’t think we’re going to have to be in Vietnam as long as we were, or Iraq.”

The two-week ceasefire includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through Hormuz, a regional official said. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday noted that Trump has considered the idea of a toll for vessels passing through the strait. But in the near term, his priority “is the reopening of the strait without any limitations, whether in the form of tolls or otherwise.”

Vance played a bigger role close to the deadline

The White House confirmed that Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. negotiating team in talks with Iran aimed at finding a permanent end to war.

The delegation is also expected to include special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The talks are expected to begin Friday in Pakistan.

“Vice President Vance has played a very significant and a key role in this since the very beginning,” Leavitt said.

Trump’s deadline was nearing with no resolution in sight when Vance, who has long pushed for restraint in U.S. military intervention overseas, got roped into the conversation, according to an official from one of the mediating countries who was briefed on the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive diplomatic discussions.

Vance, who was traveling in Hungary in support of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán before upcoming elections, said Wednesday that the agreement with Iran was “a fragile truce.”

“I think if they negotiate in good faith, we will be able to find a deal. That’s a big if. And ultimately, it’s up to the Iranians how they negotiate. I hope they make the right decision,” said Vance, who was to travel back to Washington on Wednesday before heading to Islamabad.

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Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Washington, Justin Spike in Budapest and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

Soler homered off López in the first inning, then was hit by a 96 mph fastball from the right-hander his next time up. In the fifth, Soler charged the mound after López threw a high-and-inside wild pitch that tipped off catcher Jonah Heim's mitt.

At first, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.

“I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “That’s why I went out there.”

The benches and bullpens emptied as players from both teams tried to separate the two. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss was among those who tackled Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP with the Braves.

“I love Soler. We were teammates here,” Weiss said. “But that’s a big man, and so I just felt I've gotta get him off his feet because he’s gonna hurt somebody. And so that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, yeah, because he was on a warpath.”

López was still holding the baseball when he landed a punch on Soler's batting helmet.

The two were teammates in Atlanta during the second half of the 2024 season.

“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it’s just a shame.”

Atlanta led 4-2 when the fight occurred and went on to a 7-2 victory.

Soler's two-run shot in the first made him 14 for 23 with five homers and three doubles against López.

“Obviously, I have good numbers against him,” Soler said. “After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you can’t miss like that.”

Weiss understood why Soler was mad.

“I know it didn’t look good because of Soler’s numbers against Lópey, and he hit a homer, he hit him. It didn’t look good," Weiss said. "Lópey’s not throwing at him. I don’t allow our pitchers to throw at people just because they can’t get ’em out. Our job is to get ’em out. But I understand why Soler got angry. And he’s a really mild-mannered guy. So, I think the switch flipped for him.

“There was no intent there. I just think that Lópey’s just overthrowing, because he’s had a hard time getting him out. But he’s certainly not trying to hit him,” Weiss added.

López pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

“Obviously, guy’s got good numbers off López, and hits a homer his first at-bat. Gets drilled up high in the wrist his second at-bat and then third one takes a good swing and then throws the next one head-high. It wasn’t over his head but it was head-high coming in," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said.

“I don’t blame Jorge one bit. He went out there and words were exchanged and Jorge went out,” Suzuki added. “You get thrown at your head, you have a family, your career, you know, it’s dangerous. I know it’s part of the game. I know it happens."

The Angels won 6-2 on Monday in the opener of the three-game series. Tuesday night's game was more eventful, to say the least.

“It gets your juices flowing a little bit, on both teams I’m sure," Weiss said. "So, as long as nobody gets hurt, it’s kind of a good time. But as long as nobody gets hurt. But yeah, I was proud of our guys the way we handled everything tonight.”

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

“Nah, not really,” Tatum said Tuesday following Boston's win over Charlotte. “I mean, yeah, I thought about it. Not, like, thrilled to go back and play there. Last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me."

The experience, of course, was when he was carried off the floor with a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Celtics' Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the Knicks last season. It ended the six-time All-Star's season, and following surgery the next day thrust him into a nearly 10-month rehab.

It ended on March 6 with his season debut and a 15-game stretch since then that has him averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds with the playoffs upcoming. But being back in New York for the first time since his injury still will come with some trepidation, he acknowledged.

“Obviously, at some point I knew I would have to get over that hurdle and play there again. So, it's going to have to be this Thursday," Tatum said.

Teammate Jaylen Brown said he thinks Tatum is in a good place.

“I think he's trending in the right direction,” Brown said. “Mentally, it could possibly be something. But that's what the teammates are there for. We got his back."

Coach Joe Mazzulla said the way Tatum has worked his way back into condition both physically and mentally are a testament to everything he's done since being helped off the court in New York last May.

“I think the entire process leading up from Day 1 with the surgery put him in position to be able to do that,” Mazzulla said. “Just how he approached the entire journey and the people he had around him kind of put him in position. I think where he's at now, it all goes together. How do you approach that day? How do you approach recovery? How he's approached every step of the way that he's taken. He did it with a lot of hard work and diligence. ... That kind of set him up to be where he is now."

And like it or not, it's brought him to perhaps the most important step in him feeling mentally back — returning to the site of the worst day of his basketball career.

“It's part of it,” Tatum said. "I decided to come back and play and I'm not necessarily, like, skipping certain games. I mean, I can't play back-to-backs right now. But, I decided to come back and play, so it's another game on the schedule.”

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

The U.S. and Iran both claimed victory after reaching the agreement, and world leaders expressed relief, even as more drones and missiles hit Iran and Gulf Arab countries. Israel intensified its attacks in Lebanon, hitting several commercial and residential areas in Beirut without warning. At least 112 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in one of the deadliest days in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

The fresh violence threatened to scuttle what U.S. Vice President JD Vance called a “fragile” deal.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said planned talks with the U.S. to seek a permanent halt to hostilities were “unreasonable” because Washington broke three of Tehran’s 10 conditions for an end to the fighting. In a social media post, Ghalibaf objected to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, an alleged drone incursion into Iranian airspace after the ceasefire went into effect and the U.S. assertion that it will not accept any Iranian enrichment capabilities in a final agreement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted that an end to the war in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire deal with the U.S. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump said the truce did not cover Lebanon.

“The world sees the massacres in Lebanon,” Araghchi said in a post on X. “The ball is in the U.S. court, and the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the closing of the strait reported in Iranian state media was “completely unacceptable.” She repeated Trump’s “expectation and demand" that the channel be reopened.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American and Israeli forces had achieved a “capital V military victory” and that the Iranian military no longer posed a significant threat to U.S. forces or the region. The Iranian military said the country forced Israel and the U.S. to accept its "proposed conditions and surrender.”

Much about the agreement was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms.

— Iran said the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the strait, a crucial transit lane for oil. But the details were not clear, nor was it known whether vessels would feel safe using the channel or whether ship traffic had resumed. It also was unclear whether any other country agreed to this condition. The White House said Trump is opposed to tolls for ship passage through the strait.

— The fate of Iran's missile and nuclear programs — the elimination of which were major objectives for the U.S. and Israel in going to war — also remained unclear. Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that.

Ceasefire terms are murky

Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged that indicated Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — which is key to building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent without elaborating.

Vance later said the deal was being misrepresented within Iran, though he did not offer details.

Leavitt said Iran’s original, 10-point plan was “fundamentally unserious, unacceptable and completely discarded.” But a new, 15-point plan Iran presented Tuesday could now “align with our own” proposal for peace, she said.

The White House also said Vance would lead the American negotiating team in talks in Pakistan aimed at finding a permanent end to the war. Pakistan said the talks could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday.

Iran’s demands for ending the war include a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s personal envoy arrived in Iran for talks on “the way forward.”

Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israel will continue to “utilize every operational opportunity” to strike Hezbollah. The Israeli military said it struck more than 100 targets within 10 minutes Wednesday across Lebanon, the largest wave of strikes since March 1.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the Israeli attacks as “barbaric.” Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit accused Israel of “persistently seeking to sabotage” the Iran ceasefire deal.

Hezbollah has not confirmed if it will abide by the ceasefire, though the group has said it was open to giving mediators a chance to secure an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group would not stop firing at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same.

Iran and Oman will collect shipping fees in Strait of Hormuz

Iranian attacks and threats deterred many commercial ships from using the strait, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime. That roiled the world economy and raised the pressure on Trump both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff.

The ceasefire may formalize a system of charging fees in the strait that Iran instituted — and give it a new source of revenue.

The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge ships, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.

That would upend decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway that was free to transit. Such a shift would likely be unacceptable to the Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks targeting their oil fields.

Iran’s nuclear and missile threats survive

U.S.-Israeli strikes have battered Iran and its leadership, but they have not entirely eliminated the threats posed by Tehran's nuclear program, its ballistic missiles or its support for regional proxies, like Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel said addressing those threats was a key justification for going to war.

Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” enriched uranium that was buried under joint U.S-Israeli strikes in June. He added that none of the material had been touched since. There was no confirmation from Iran.

Hegseth told a Pentagon briefing Wednesday that the U.S. would do “something like” last June's joint strikes with Israel on Iranian nuclear sites if the country refuses to surrender its enriched uranium voluntarily.

Netanyahu warned in a televised address that his country was “ready to return to fighting at any time. Our finger is on the trigger.”

Tehran insisted for years that its nuclear program was peaceful, although it enriched uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Airstrikes reported after ceasefire announcement

Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart.

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian state television.

A short time later, the UAE's air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait said three power and water desalination plants were badly damaged after 28 Iranian drones were launched at the country. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted nine drones.

More than 1,900 people had been killed in Iran as of late March, but the government has not updated the war’s toll for days.

In Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, more than 1,500 people have been killed, and 1 million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died.

In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 U.S. service members have been killed.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Magdy from Cairo and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writers Edie Lederer at the United Nations, Natalie Melzer in Jerusalem, Abby Sewell and Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Mike Catalini in Trenton, N.J., and Michelle L. Price, Aamer Madhani, Zeke Miller and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.

Valentina Orellana-Peralta was shopping for Christmas clothes with her mother at a Burlington store in the San Fernando Valley’s North Hollywood neighborhood on Dec. 23, 2021, when she was struck by a bullet that had gone through the dressing room wall.

Police were responding to calls for help after a man wielding a bike lock attacked two women in the building. As armed officers walked through the store, Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr. fired his rifle three times, killing the man and Orellana-Peralta.

The lawsuit filed by the girl's parents alleges wrongful death, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Her mother Soledad Peralta “felt her daughter’s body go limp and watched helplessly as her daughter died while still in her arms,” the lawsuit states.

It alleges that the LAPD failed to adequately train and supervise the responding officers and “fostered an environment that allowed and permitted this shooting to occur.”

“Valentina had her entire life in front of her, and it was taken in an instant due to reckless decisions made by the very people who were sworn to protect her," said Nick Rowley, who represents the family. “We intend to hold LAPD fully accountable for taking an innocent young woman’s life.”

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office, representing the LAPD, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The Los Angeles Police Commission, a civilian oversight board, ruled in 2022 that Jones was justified in firing once but that his two subsequent shots were out of policy. Then-Police Chief Michel Moore previously found in his own review that all three shots were unjustified.

Jones told the LAPD’s Use of Force Review Board that he believed someone inside the store was shooting people and mistook the bike lock the man was wielding for a gun. He said he thought a wall behind the man backed up against an exterior brick wall when in fact, the area contained the women’s dressing rooms.

Rowley recently secured a $30 million settlement from the city of San Diego for the killing of 16-year-old Konoa Wilson, one of the largest settlements in a police killing case in U.S. history. It surpassed the $27 million settlement that the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay in the lawsuit over the killing of George Floyd.

Rex Heuermann, 62, entered the pleas in a courtroom packed with reporters, police and victims’ relatives, some of whom wept as he detailed his crimes. He will be sentenced in June to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Heuermann's guilty pleas — to three counts of first-degree murder and four of intentional murder — bring finality to a case that bedeviled investigators, tormented victims’ relatives and tantalized a true-crime obsessed public for years. Although he wasn't charged in her death, he also admitted that he killed Karen Vergata in 1996.

Under questioning by Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, Heuermann admitted that he strangled all eight victims and dismembered some of them, that he used burner phones to contact them, and that he wrapped their bodies in burlap before dumping them.

Wearing a black suit coat and white button-down shirt, Heuermann appeared matter-of-fact and unemotional as he answered questions from Tierney and the judge. He never looked back at the packed courtroom gallery, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead.

The women, many of them sex workers, were killed over a 17-year span and buried in remote locations, including along an isolated beach highway across the bay from where he lived, authorities said.

Prosecutor credits the victims' families and investigators

“This defendant walked among us play acting as a normal suburban dad when in reality, all along, he was obsessively targeting innocent women for death,” Tierney said at a news conference hours after the hearing.

He thanked relatives of the victims, including some standing alongside him, for helping bring their loved ones’ stories to life. And he praised members of the Gilgo Beach Homicide Investigation Task Force, which cracked the case with the help of clues that included DNA lifted from a discarded pizza crust.

“He thought that by killing them, he could silence them forever and get away with murder,” Tierney said. “But he was wrong.”

Gloria Allred, an attorney for several of the victims' families, described several of the women as young mothers who were just trying to earn extra money to support their children because they didn't have the means to go to college or get a decent job.

“Little did they know that the defendant, Rex Hermann, did not care about their hopes and dreams, or that they had families and friends who loved them,” Allred said before calling up family members to speak directly about the case and what they thought about the plea deal in which prosecutors dropped several counts.

Elizabeth Baczkiel, the mother of victim Jessica Taylor, said: “I am glad that this is over as far as him pleading guilty. It took a big chunk of stress off of me and my family.”

Fighting back tears, Missy Cann, whose sister Maureen Brainard-Barnes was murdered by Heuermann, said his guilty plea “brings solace” after living 19 years “in the space between heartbreak and hope.”

Killer's ex-wife calls it a ‘difficult time’

Investigators and members of the public packed the hearing. Reporters and camera operators swarmed Heuermann's ex-wife, Asa Ellerup, and their daughter as they entered and left the courthouse.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Ellerup said afterward. "Their loss is immeasurable and the focus should be on them at this time and moment. I ask that you give some privacy to my family as they navigate through this very difficult time.”

Ellerup and her daughter, Victoria, had no knowledge of or involvement in the killings, said their lawyer, Robert Macedonio. Ellerup has said she found it very difficult to believe her husband was serial killer, because he never gave off warning signs during their time together.

Asked about Heuermann's admissions, his defense attorney Michael Brown told reporters, “There came a point in this defense where Rex said, ‘I want to plead guilty,'" noting that one of Heuermann’s concerns was sparing the victims’ families and his own family from the ordeal of the case going to trial.

In response to a question about whether Heuermann was sorry, Brown responded, “I would hope so. ... I would expect at sentencing he would have something to say.”

As part of his guilty plea, Heuermann agreed to cooperate fully with the FBI's behavioral analysis unit.

A shocking find

The case began in earnest in 2010 after police found numerous sets of human remains while searching for a missing woman, Shannan Gilbert, along Long Island’s South Shore, setting off a search for a potential serial killer that attracted global interest and spawned a Hollywood movie. Although her relatives disputed the finding, authorities eventually determined that Gilbert drowned, and Brown said Wednesday that Heuermann "had nothing to do with Shannan Gilbert.”

Investigators used DNA analysis and other evidence to identify victims. In some cases, they were able to connect them to remains found elsewhere on Long Island years earlier.

Remains of six victims — Melissa Barthelemy, Brainard-Barnes, Amber Lynn Costello, Valerie Mack, Taylor and Megan Waterman — were found in the scrub along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach. The remains of another victim, Sandra Costilla, were found more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) away in the Hamptons.

Police also identified the remains of Vergata, which were found on Fire Island, more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) west, in 1996, and near Gilgo Beach in 2011.

But despite the attention, including a documentary series and the 2020 Netflix film, “Lost Girls,” the investigation dragged on for more than a decade, punctuated by fleeting leads and dashed hopes.

A fresh look yields results

In 2022, six weeks after a new police commissioner formed the Gilgo Beach task force, detectives identified Heuermann as a suspect by using a vehicle registration database to connect him to a pickup truck that a witness reported seeing when one of the victims disappeared in 2010.

Heuermann lived for decades in Massapequa Park, about a 25-minute drive across a causeway spanning South Oyster Bay to the sandy stretch where the women’s remains were found. Some of the victims were believed to have disappeared from that community and their cellphones were found to have pinged towers in the area, authorities said.

After the truck discovery, a grand jury authorized more than 300 subpoenas and search warrants, allowing the task force to dig in to Heuermann’s life.

Detectives collected billing records for burner phones he allegedly used to arrange meetings with the victims, retested DNA found with the bodies and scoured Heuermann’s internet search history, which showed that he had viewed violent torture pornography and exhibited an intense interest in the Gilgo Beach killings and the renewed investigation. Cellphone data showed Heuermann was in contact with some victims just before they disappeared, investigators said.

To obtain Heuermann’s DNA, a task force surveillance team tailed him in Manhattan, where he worked, and watched as he threw the remnants of his lunch — a box of partially eaten pizza crusts — into a sidewalk garbage can.

Investigators rushed in, grabbed the box, and sent it to the crime lab, which matched DNA from the crust to a male hair found on burlap used to restrain one of the victims. He was arrested in July 2023.

After Heuermann’s arrest, detectives spent more than 12 days searching his yard and home, where they found a basement vault that contained 279 weapons. On his computer, investigators said, they found what they described as a “blueprint” for the killings, including a series of checklists with reminders to limit noise, clean the bodies and destroy evidence.

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Associated Press writers Philip Marcelo in New York City, Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Julie Walker in Riverhead, New York contributed to this report.

The Mother Road, as author John Steinbeck dubbed it, has evolved over the years from an escape for poor farmers fleeing the devastating dust storms of the 1930s to perhaps the quintessential American road trip that’s still delivering kicks.

Although there have been faster and more direct routes between the nation’s second- and third-largest cities for some time, Route 66’s neon still burns brightly and its vintage signs beckon travelers to restored motor lodges, classic diners and roadside attractions.

Each stop turns the wheels of the imagination, leaving travelers to contemplate what life was like for the people and communities that have made the road hum over the years.

Illinois

Chicago has long been one of the country’s economic engines, with access to international waters and railroads that linked all corners of the country. In the 1920s, Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, known as the Father of Route 66, knew it wouldn’t be long before automobiles would dominate the transportation landscape, and the Windy City would be the perfect place to start the journey he envisioned.

A member of the federal highway board appointed to map the U.S. highway system, Avery opted to go with the number 66. He knew those double digits were ripe for marketing and could be seared into the minds of motorists.

For some travelers, the journey is fueled more by the food than the scenery, and there’s plenty to choose from — slices of homemade pie, thick shakes, cheeseburgers and an assortment of fried delights.

The Cozy Dog Drive In in Springfield, the Illinois capital, is one of the many diners that sprang up along Route 66, and its breaded hot dogs on a stick have stood the test of time. Third-generation owner Josh Waldmire says the recipe is a secret.

Waldmire’s grandfather, Ed, saw the concoction’s potential as fast and convenient road food and developed a system for frying the dogs vertically.

Missouri

Route 66 has its share of twists and turns, and it’s no surprise that a highway famous for its quirky roadside attractions would cross the nation’s most famous river on one of the more peculiar bridges known to modern engineering.

As the road nears St. Louis, the mile-long (1.6-kilometer-long) Chain of Rocks Bridge hovers more than 60 feet (18 meters) above the Mississippi River.

Engineers eventually built a straighter, higher-speed option, and a poor resale market spared the original bridge from the scrap heap. Today it’s reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.

A median in Missouri is home to St. Robert Route 66 Neon Park, which features orphaned neon signs that once beckoned travelers to stop at certain sites and businesses along the highway. Often handcrafted, they weren’t only markers for motels, cafes and gas stations, but were also folk art and symbols of local culture.

Kansas

The Sunflower State hosts only a short stretch of Route 66, but it packs a punch with the Kan-O-Tex Service Station in Galena. A classic example of roadside fare, the station served as inspiration for the animated 2006 Pixar film “Cars.”

Director John Lasseter and his crew took road trips along the route, digging into history and looking for elements that could bring the project to life. It was in Galena where they spotted the old boom truck that served as the basis for the character Tow Mater. The plot wasn’t far off, as so many once bustling towns — like the fictional Radiator Springs — nearly faded away after being bypassed by an interstate.

Kansas also is home to the Brush Creek Bridge, otherwise known as the Rainbow Bridge. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of few remaining examples of the concrete arched bridges designed by James Barney Marsh.

Oklahoma

There was a real danger for some who traveled the road, particularly Black motorists passing through inhospitable and segregated areas during the Jim Crow era. The Green Book — a guide first published in 1936 by Victor Hugo Green — listed hotels, restaurants and gas stations that would serve Black customers.

The Threatt Filling Station near Luther wasn’t listed in The Green Book, but it was a safe haven — not only for getting fuel, but for barbecue and baseball. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was the only known Black-owned and operated gas station along Route 66.

Route 66 is littered with abandoned buildings and faded signs, but one example of the highway’s resilient spirit stands tall in Sapulpa, near Tulsa. The restored Tee Pee Drive-In Theater offers a step back into the 1950s, when the booming car culture helped spawn thousands of drive-in theaters nationwide.

Built in 1949, the drive-in officially opened in the spring of 1950 with a screening of John Wayne’s “Tycoon.” It was one of the few drive-ins at the time to have paved pathways. Over the years, it survived a tornado, a fire that destroyed the concession stand and break-ins before being shuttered for more than 20 years. It reopened in 2023.

Texas

Blink and you might miss it, but a stop at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo is a must for any Route 66 journey. For decades, visitors have been spray-painting the 10 vintage Cadillacs at the site and mulling the transitory nature of time as Bruce Springsteen did in his 1980 song of the same name.

It’s not a ranch, but rather a public art installation created in 1974 by the art and architecture collective Ant Farm. At first, the cars — which were half-buried front-down at a 60-degree angle — were used for target practice. Others would scratch their initials into the metal. The spray painting started later.

Arrive in Adrian and you’re halfway through your trip. Steps from a white line marking the midpoint of Route 66 is the Midway Cafe, where the “ugly pies” are anything but.

If you’re still hungry, head back to Amarillo for a 72-ounce (2 kilogram) steak and all the sides at The Big Texan. If you can finish the meal in an hour or less, it's free.

New Mexico

More than half of Route 66 cuts through sovereign Native American lands, often tracing routes used by tribes long before settlers arrived. Much like the railroad in the 1800s, the highway opened the door to a new era of commerce, but it also fueled stereotypes about cultures along the way.

There are still faded and crumbling references to tipis and feathered headdresses at some stops along the historic highway. The symbols were easily appropriated for marketing by roadside vendors but weren't indicative of the separate and distinct Native American cultures in the area.

Today, tribes are telling their own stories and showcasing their creations, whether it be pottery, fruit pies or poems.

Albuquerque boasts the longest intact urban stretch of Route 66. Those 18 miles (29 kilometers) pass through several neighborhoods and business districts, from historic Old Town to Nob Hill.

Some of the old motor lodges and neon signs along what is now Central Avenue have been restored. Other signs are being reimagined using hubcaps, elaborate lowrider-inspired paint jobs and New Mexico’s classic yellow and red license plates in a nod to the car culture that is very much still alive in the city.

Arizona

Musician Jackson Browne was taking his own road trip in the early 1970s when his car left him stranded in Winslow. The experience inspired the lyrics to the Eagles’ hit “Take it Easy.” But it’s certainly not the only song that is a must-have for a Route 66 playlist.

Bobby Troup created a classic American road anthem in the 1940s with “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode carried it through the decades, each covering the song with their own flair.

While standing on a corner in Winslow, don’t be surprised if someone saunters up with a guitar and starts strumming favorites from their own road trip playlist.

Before leaving the state, the one-time gold mining town of Oatman features a Wild West atmosphere, daily staged shootouts and beloved burros. Oatman was a destination along one of the original alignments of Route 66 via a treacherous path through the Black Mountains, but it was later bypassed as part of improvements made in the 1950s.

California

Once a desert oasis, Roy’s Motel & Café in Amboy is a quintessential Route 66 landmark. The towering neon sign is one of the most photographed spots along the road. Inside, foreign currency left by international visitors lines one wall. Across the street, a clothing post decorated with shoes, shirts and other items juts up from the desert floor.

This stretch of the highway through the Mojave Desert offers a special kind of solitude. The pavement gets rough in spots and the landscape takes charge, showing off Joshua trees, wide-open spaces and the remnants of ancient volcanic activity.

Much of the area is undeveloped, meaning it looks a lot like it would have when Route 66 was commissioned in 1926.

After making it through oft-congested Los Angeles, the iconic Santa Monica Pier marks the end of the line, and it’s nothing short of a perpetual party with a steady stream of spectators and performers. Although many stretches of Route 66 have lapsed into decay, the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean are a reminder of the pursuits made possible by the road over the last century.

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Associated Press writers John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois, and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

After a blast of guitar feedback, 22-year-old Kurt Cobain politely announced to the crowd at the small club called Dreamerz: “Hello, we're Nirvana. We're from Seattle.” With that, the band, then a quartet, launched into the riff-heavy first song, “School.”

Jacobs surreptitiously recorded the performance, documenting the fledgling band in raw, fiery form more than two years before Nirvana's global breakthrough with the album “Nevermind.”

Jacobs went on to record more than 10,000 concerts, with increasingly sophisticated equipment, over four decades in Chicago and other cities. Now a group of devoted volunteers in the U.S. and Europe is methodically cataloging, digitizing and uploading them one by one.

The growing Aadam Jacobs Collection is an internet treasure trove for music lovers, especially for fans of indie and punk rock during the 1980s through the early 2000s, when the scene blossomed and became mainstream. The collection features early-in-their-career performances from alternative and experimental artists like R.E.M., The Cure, The Pixies, The Replacements, Depeche Mode, Stereolab, Sonic Youth and Björk.

There's also a smattering of hip-hop, including a 1988 concert by rap pioneers Boogie Down Productions. Devotees of Phish were thrilled to discover that a previously uncirculated 1990 show by the jam band is included. And there are hundreds of sets by smaller artists who are unlikely to be known to even fans with the most obscure tastes.

All of it is slowly becoming available for streaming and free download at the nonprofit online repository Internet Archive, including that nascent Nirvana show recording, with the audio from Jacobs' cassette recorder cleaned up.

Jacobs' first recording was in 1984

By the time Jacobs sneaked his tape recorder into that Nirvana gig, he had been recording concerts for five years already. As a teen discovering music, Jacobs began taping songs off the radio.

“And I eventually met a fellow who said, ‘You can just take a tape recorder into a show with you, just sneak it in, record the show.’ And I thought, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’ So I got started,” Jacobs, now 59, recalled.

He doesn't remember offhand what that first concert was in 1984, but he taped it with a tiny Dictaphone-type device that he borrowed from his grandmother. A short time later, he bought the Sony Walkman-style tape recorder. When that broke, he briefly used his home console cassette machine stuffed in a backpack that a generous soundman let him plug in.

“I was using, at times, pretty lackluster equipment, simply because I had no money to buy anything better,” he said. Later, he moved on to digital audio tape, or DAT, and, as technology progressed, to solid-state digital recorders.

Jacobs doesn't consider himself obsessive or, as many call him, an archivist. He says he's just a music fan. He figured if he was going to attend a few concerts a week anyway, why not document them? In the early years, he contended with contentious club owners who tried to prevent him from taping. But they eventually relented as he became a fixture in the music scene, and many began letting the “taper guy” in for free.

Author Bob Mehr, who wrote about Jacobs in 2004 for the Chicago Reader, calls him one of the city's cultural institutions.

“He's a character. I think you have to be, to do what he does,” Mehr said. “But I think he proved over time that his intentions were really pure.”

After filmmaker Katlin Schneider made a documentary about Jacobs in 2023, a volunteer with the Internet Archive reached out to suggest his collection be preserved. “Before all the tapes started not working because of time, just disintegrating, I finally said yes,” he said.

Boxes stuffed with tapes

Once a month, Brian Emerick makes the trip from the Chicago suburbs to Jacobs' house in the city to pick up 10 or 20 boxes each stuffed with 50 or 100 tapes. Emerick's job is to transfer — in real time — the analog recordings to digital files that can be sent to other volunteers who mix and master the shows for upload to the archive. Emerick has a room devoted to his setup of outdated cassette and DAT decks.

“So many of the machines I find are broken. They’re trashed. And so I learned how to fix those, get them running again,” said Emerick. “Currently, I have 10 working cassette decks, and I run those all simultaneously.”

Emerick estimates he's digitized at least 5,500 tapes since late 2024 and that it will take another few years to complete the project. The digital files are claimed by a dozen or so volunteer-engineers in the U.S, U.K. and Germany who provide the metadata and clean up the audio. Among them is Neil deMause in Brooklyn, who said he's constantly impressed by the audio fidelity of the original tapes, especially considering Jacobs was using “weird RadioShack mics” and other primitive equipment.

“Especially after the first couple years, he's got it so dialed in that some of these recordings, on, like, crappy little cassette tapes from the early 90s, sound incredible,” deMause said.

Emerick pointed to a 1984 James Brown concert as a gem he discovered in the stacks.

Often, the hardest job is figuring out song titles. Occasionally, Jacobs kept helpful notes, but the volunteers frequently spend days consulting each other, searching and even reaching out to artists to make sure the setlists are accurately documented.

Jacobs said the majority of the artists he recorded are pleased to have their work preserved. As for copyright concerns, he's happy to remove recordings if requested, but added that only one or two musicians so far have asked that their material be taken down.

“I think that the general consensus is, it’s easier to say I’m sorry than to ask for permission,” he said. The Internet Archive declined to comment for this story. David Nimmer, a longtime copyright attorney who also teaches at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that under anti-bootlegging laws, the artists technically own the original compositions and live recordings. But since neither Jacobs nor the archive is profiting from the endeavor, lawsuits seem unlikely.

The Replacements, a foundational punk-alternative band, were so happy with Jacobs’ tape of a 1986 show that they mixed some of it in with a soundboard recording. They released it in 2023 as a live album as part of a box set produced by Mehr.

Jacobs stopped recording a few years ago as worsening health problems sapped his desire to go out and see concerts. But he still enjoys experiencing live music he finds online, much of it recorded by a new generation of fans.

“Since everybody’s got a cellphone, anybody can record a concert,” he said.

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This story was updated to correct the spelling of Jacobs in one instance.