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Organizers said there is enough room for about 30,000 fans to enjoy watch parties at four massive screens at the park at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

“Everyone is welcome, all ages ... they will be able to watch the games for free, while they are enjoying the music, the dancing, the food,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on Wednesday.

For security, there will be metal detectors, and there is an “only clear bags” policy. Bags larger than 12 inches by 6 inches are not allowed.

Vaping and smoking are also banned. Chairs, blankets, tents, scooters, air horns, laser pointers, and inflatables are all included in the list of prohibited items.

Except for baby food, outside food and beverages are not allowed. Organizers included a long line of food and drink vendors. The festival will open every day until July 5.

The matches start on Thursday when the Group A matches are at 3 p.m., Mexico vs. South Africa, and at 11 p.m., South Korea vs. The Czech Republic.

On Friday, the Group B, Canada vs. Bosnia, match is at 3 p.m. and the Group D, U.S. vs. Paraguay, match is at 9 p.m.

Festival’s schedule

June 13: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to midnight. There are three matches: The Group B, Qatar vs. Switzerland, game is at 3 p.m. The Group C, Brazil vs. Morocco, game is at 6 p.m. The Group C, Haiti vs. Scotland, game is at 9 p.m.

June 14: The fan festival opens from Noon to 10 p.m. There are five matches: The Group D, Australia vs. Turkey, game is at Noon. The Group E, Germany vs. Curaçao, game is at 1 p.m. The Group F, The Netherlands vs. Japan, game is at 4 p.m. The Group E, Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador, game is at 7 p.m. The Group F, Sweden vs. Tunisia, game is at 10 p.m.

June 15: The fan festival opens from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. There are four matches: The Group H, Spain vs. Cape Verde, game is at Noon. The Group G, Belgium vs. Egypt, game is at 3 p.m. The Group H, Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay, game is at 6 p.m. The Group G, Iran vs. New Zealand, game is at 9 p.m.

June 16: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to midnight. There are three matches: The Group I, France vs. Senegal, game is at 3 p.m. The Group I, Iraq vs. Norway, game is at 6 p.m. The Group J, Argentina vs. Algeria, game is at 9 p.m.

June 17: The fan festival opens from Noon to 10 p.m. There are five matches: The Group J, Austria vs. Jordan, game is at Noon. The Group K, Portugal vs. Congo, game is at 1 p.m. The Group L, England vs. Croatia, game is at 4 p.m. The Group L, Ghana vs. Panama, game is at 7 p.m. The Group K, Uzbekistan vs. Colombia, game is at 10 p.m.

June 18: The fan festival opens from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. There are four matches: The Group A match, The Czech Republic vs. South Africa, is at Noon. The Group B, Switzerland vs. Bosnia, game is at 3 p.m. The Group B, Canada vs. Qatar, game is at 6 p.m. The Group A match, Mexico vs. South Korea, is at 9 p.m.

June 19: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to midnight

June 20: The fan festival opens from Noon to 11 p.m.

June 21: The fan festival opens from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

June 22: The fan festival opens from Noon to 8 p.m.

June 23: The fan festival opens from Noon to 1 a.m.

June 24: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

June 25: The fan festival opens from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.

June 26: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.

June 27: The fan festival opens from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.

June 28: The fan festival opens from 1 p.m to 10 p.m.

June 29: The fan festival opens from Noon to midnight

June 30: The fan festival opens from Noon to midnight

July 1: The fan festival opens from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

July 2: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

July 3: The fan festival opens from 1 p.m to 9 p.m.

July 4: The fan festival opens from Noon to midnight

July 5: The fan festival opens from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

For more information about the festival, visit this page.

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It means AI agents can not only recommend products but complete the purchase on the user’s behalf, at potentially any merchant that accepts Visa. The payment network's previous attempts at this technological leap were confined to a single retailer or a small set of enrolled merchants.

It is not OpenAI’s first attempt at e-commerce. The company late last year announced Instant Checkout, which allowed ChatGPT to scour the internet for a specific item like a digital personal shopper. But the process was prone to errors and was not widely adopted by merchants due to the fee that OpenAI was charging merchants. The company retired Instant Checkout in March.

Visa’s collaboration is different from OpenAI’s previous attempts, as it will allow users to link their Visa cards to ChatGPT to shop and make it easier for merchants to accept transactions initiated by agents.

OpenAI will provide the technology to allow agents to interact, make decisions and initiate purchases through ChatGPT. Visa, the world’s largest payment network outside of China, will provide the payment authorization and fraud monitoring needed to do this at scale.

“As AI agents become active participants in the economy, Visa’s focus is to ensure transactions are trusted, secure and seamless,” said Jack Forestell, chief product and strategy officer at Visa.

Speaking at a company event Wednesday in San Francisco Wednesday, Forestell gave an example of a customer telling ChatGPT they're looking for a pair of wireless headphones under $150. The chatbot would find a pair for sale under those parameters and buy it on behalf of the costumer.

Visa and OpenAI did not disclose the financial terms of the collaboration and did not give details on the fees merchants or customers would have to pay.

Instant Checkout charged merchants 4% of the transaction's value, which merchants saw as being too expensive.

Allowing AI agents to buy products on behalf of a consumer raises concerns for both banks and retailers. A customer could overspend, or the agent buys the wrong item, or the customer claims they did not authorize that transaction. Banks have been concerned about potential fraud claims that could occur when an agent uses a bank customer’s credit or debit card.

Visa says the feature will have guardrails like spending limits, required approval steps and approved merchants for shopping in order to protect consumers and minimize fraud.

Retailers have introduced shopping assistants powered by AI that can recommend products and personalize the customer's shopping experience, with the earliest iterations of those experiments being Amazon’s Alexa. But Alexa could only shop on Amazon, and OpenAI's Instant Checkout feature was limited to select merchants.

Visa’s biggest competitor, Mastercard, has also been introducing its own AI-shopping features to its payment network on a smaller scale.

Mastercard announced that AI agents will have the capability to procure services on behalf of a business. For example, a coffee shop wants to start an advertising campaign as part of a launch, so it gives an AI agent the authorization to purchase services from web and ad providers in order for the coffee shop to build out its campaign.

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Sweet reported from New York.

Long considered among the best actors to never win one, the eight-time nominee will get an honorary Academy Award along with director Ridley Scott and animator Floyd Norman at the annual Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

“Throughout her extraordinary body of work, Glenn Close’s unparalleled emotional range has brought to life some of the most complex characters in cinema," the academy said in a statement. "Floyd Norman is the legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists over his remarkable career. Sir Ridley Scott is a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture."

Close's eight nominations date back to 1983, when she got her first nod for “The World According to Garp.” She was also nominated for her blockbuster turn as a rabbit-slaying stalker in 1987's “Fatal Attraction” and was most recently up for a statuette for 2020's “Hillbilly Elegy.”

The Governors Awards often go to artists with legendary careers but no competitive Oscar. Tom Cruise, a recipient last year, is a case in point.

Scott, the director of “Alien," “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator,” has also never won despite four nominations.

Producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will get the academy's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. The Thalberg award is “presented to a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production,” the academy said.

All the winners will be honored at a Hollywood ceremony on Nov. 15.

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Latifah Marie Thompson, 32, of West Perrine, was arrested by deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and remains held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Wednesday, jail records show.

According to an arrest report, deputies responded around 10:30 a.m. Saturday to the area of Southwest 174th Street and 102nd Avenue after receiving reports of a stabbing.

Deputies said after arriving at the scene, they found a man suffering from lacerations to the top and back of his head.

They said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics treated him at the scene before transporting him to Jackson South Medical Center.

A witness told investigators that Thompson struck the victim several times in the head with what she believed was a Sawzall power tool before fleeing the area, according to the report.

Investigators later interviewed the victim, who identified Thompson as the person who attacked him, the report states. Medical staff said the victim suffered head lacerations and a fractured spine.

Records show Thompson was charged in that case with attempted felony murder causing injury.

Less than four hours later, at approximately 3 p.m., deputies said they responded to the area of 10230 Southwest 176th St. regarding another stabbing.

Deputies said they found a woman suffering from a stab wound to her back. She was treated at the scene and taken to Jackson South Medical Center for further treatment.

They said the victim told investigators she had been involved in an altercation with Thompson when Thompson allegedly produced a knife and stabbed her in the back. The victim identified Thompson as her attacker, the report states.

Deputies located Thompson the following day near Southwest 172nd Street and Southwest 102nd Avenue after a resident alerted an officer that she had been seen in the area, according to the report.

Thompson was taken into custody and faces one count of attempted felony murder causing injury and one count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm with a deadly weapon in connection with both incidents, according to jail records.

A motive for both stabbings wasn’t immediately released.

Latifah Marie Thompson, de 32 años y residente de West Perrine, fue arrestada por agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade y permanece detenida sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight hasta el miércoles, según registros de la cárcel.

Según un informe de arresto, los agentes respondieron alrededor de las 10:30 a.m. del sábado al área de Southwest 174th Street y 102nd Avenue tras recibir reportes de un apuñalamiento.

Los agentes informaron que al llegar a la escena encontraron a un hombre con laceraciones en la parte superior y posterior de la cabeza.

Indicaron que paramédicos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lo atendieron en el lugar antes de trasladarlo al Centro Médico Jackson South.

Una testigo dijo a los investigadores que Thompson golpeó varias veces a la víctima en la cabeza con lo que creía era una herramienta eléctrica Sawzall antes de huir del área, según el informe.

Posteriormente, los investigadores entrevistaron a la víctima, quien identificó a Thompson como la persona que lo atacó, señala el informe. El personal médico indicó que la víctima sufrió laceraciones en la cabeza y una fractura en la columna vertebral.

Los registros muestran que Thompson fue acusada en ese caso de intento de asesinato grave con lesiones.

Menos de cuatro horas después, aproximadamente a las 3 p.m., los agentes respondieron al área de 10230 Southwest 176th St. por otro apuñalamiento.

Los agentes informaron que encontraron a una mujer con una herida de arma blanca en la espalda. Fue atendida en la escena y trasladada al Centro Médico Jackson South para recibir tratamiento adicional.

Indicaron que la víctima dijo a los investigadores que había estado involucrada en un altercado con Thompson cuando esta presuntamente sacó un cuchillo y la apuñaló por la espalda. La víctima identificó a Thompson como su agresora, señala el informe.

Los agentes localizaron a Thompson al día siguiente cerca de Southwest 172nd Street y Southwest 102nd Avenue después de que una residente alertara a un oficial de que había sido vista en el área, según el informe.

Thompson fue detenida y enfrenta un cargo de intento de asesinato grave con lesiones y un cargo de agresión agravada que causó lesiones corporales graves con un arma mortal en relación con ambos incidentes, según los registros de la cárcel.

No se divulgó de inmediato un motivo para ambos apuñalamientos.

“El pueblo ya ha decidido, hermanos. Ese es el clamor del pueblo; al presidente le quedan dos caminos: la renuncia voluntaria o la convulsión”, dijo el dirigente campesino Vicente Salazar a los medios. Sus declaraciones se dieron en medio de la marcha que partió desde la vecina ciudad de El Alto hacia el centro de La Paz, donde se concentran los poderes Ejecutivo y Legislativo.

La policía reforzó la seguridad en los accesos a la plaza central donde se encuentra el Palacio de Gobierno.

Las protestas cumplen 40 días. Los cortes de ruta han afectado principalmente a La Paz y El Alto dejándolas con escasez de oxígeno medicinal, alimentos y otros productos. En medio de los bloqueos se reportaron 10 fallecidos, según un informe de la Defensoría del Pueblo que comprende el periodo que va de inicios de mayo al 2 de junio.

Los bloqueos se extendieron a seis de las nueve regiones del país, aunque en los últimos días se redujeron de 95 puntos a 85, según la Administradora Boliviana de Caminos (ABC).

Los sindicatos de obreros de distintos gremios y campesinos se quejan de que el gobierno no atendió a tiempo sus demandas salariales, exigen que se garantice la calidad a la gasolina y que cese la detención de sus dirigentes, entre otras demandas.

La protesta del miércoles se reforzó con la llegada de indígenas quechuas de la sureña región de Potosí —quienes portaban palos— y campesinos de Cochabamba, en el centro del país, todos ellos afines al expresidente Evo Morales (2006-2019), a quien el gobierno acusa de promover las movilizaciones.

Paralelamente, Paz firmó un acuerdo con el alcalde de El Alto, Elieser Roca, para la construcción de carreteras y otras obras. Durante su discurso, el mandatario señaló que aparecieron “personajes” ajenos a El Alto “que obligan o se quedan a bloquear perjudicando el desarrollo”. Asimismo, manifestó que estos sectores “quieren imponer una visión política que solo satisface los intereses tanto de la extrema izquierda en Bolivia como de la extrema derecha”, sin identificarlos directamente.

“Hay un desgaste; están trayendo gente más radicalizada para levantar las protestas que se están diluyendo”, afirmó la diputada Cecilia Requena, de la alianza Unidad.

Mientras tanto, las presiones hacia Paz aumentan para que logre a una solución y también los pedidos para que declare un estado de excepción. Los sindicatos manifestaron su enérgico rechazo a esa última medida.

Al respecto, el ministro de Gobierno, Marco Antonio Oviedo, adelantó que su aplicación “será tratada en el momento en que corresponda tratarse” y acotó que el gobierno agotará primero las vías del diálogo.

Salazar afirmó que el Ejecutivo está cometiendo el error de entablar contacto únicamente con dirigentes no reconocidos por las bases de movilizados.

Por su parte, los sectores productivos señalan que las pérdidas económicas por los bloqueos y protestas ya ascienden a 2.000 millones de dólares.

This year's tournament — which is hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico — was expanded to 48 teams that will play in 16 stadiums in a record 104 matches over the 39-day tournament.

Mexico gets the World Cup started Thursday and will be a heavy favorite when it hosts South Africa in Mexico City. The second game of the day will be between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico. All four teams are part of Group A.

Canada and the United States will host their first games Friday. The Canadians will play Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto while the Americans face Paraguay in Inglewood, California.

What to watch June 11

Fox is the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the World Cup with all 104 matches in English on Fox or FS1. All matches are also available on the Fox One app. Telemundo and Universo will broadcast all of the matches in Spanish. Peacock is the streaming home for Spanish language broadcasts while Telemundo also has an app that includes all the matches.

1. Mexico vs. South Africa, 3 p.m. ET in Mexico City (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock) 2. South Korea vs. Czechia, 10 p.m. ET in Guadalajara, Mexico (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

Mexico is a heavy favorite against South Africa

Boosted by a home crowd, Mexico hopes to play better in this World Cup than in 2022, when it failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time since 1978. El Tri will be led by veteran Raúl Jiménez and 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will be competing in the World Cup for a record sixth time. South Africa is playing in its fourth World Cup and first since it hosted the tournament in 2010.

The games in Mexico will be played at high elevation. The Azteca stadium in Mexico City is at roughly 7,300 feet while Guadalajara sits at 5,138 feet, meaning visiting teams will have to make a significant adjustment to the altitude.

South Korea hopes to build on '22 World Cup success vs. Czechia

South Korea is one of the best teams in Asia and has qualified for 11 tournaments in a row since 1986. The Koreans made it to the round of 16 in 2022 before losing to Brazil. Son Hueng-min, 33, is the captain and might be playing in his last World Cup. The Czech Republic is back in soccer's biggest showcase for the first time in 20 years.

World Cup sticker shock with sky-high prices

FIFA has faced pressure for sky-high World Cup ticket prices and sales tactics that fans say left them with worse deals than they wanted.

The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the final, announced last month that they are investigating whether FIFA’s ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws.

Some seats for the July 19 final are going for nearly $33,000.

In the U.S., bipartisan skepticism of Infantino, FIFA

In the deeply polarized U.S., few things unite elected leaders outside the White House quite like skepticism of Gianni Infantino and FIFA, the governing body for the world’s most popular sport.

It’s a sentiment that cuts across the divide and spans from Washington to state capitals and city halls.

There are mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Democrats who’ve balked at ticket prices. Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who played Division 1 soccer at the U.S. Naval Academy, said FIFA has been “detached from regular people around the world.”

More World Cup news

3. World Cup by the numbers: 104 matches, 48 teams and 3 countries make this the largest ever 4. Iran’s World Cup players wear pins for victims of deadly strike on school as they arrive in Mexico 5. Somali soccer referee denied entry to US for World Cup is welcomed home as a hero 6. Celebrations clash with social tensions in Mexico on the eve of the World Cup 7. Bettors taking a chance on the longshot US in World Cup, though France and Spain remain favorites 8. Pochettino says no Americans among top 100 players yet US can win World Cup

Stats of the day

9. Only eight countries have won the World Cup, with six of those teams winning multiple titles led by Brazil’s five. The only first-time winners in the last 11 Cups came in 1998 when France won the first of its two titles and in 2010 with Spain. 10. There have been six defending champions who failed to make it out of the group stage, including in three of the last four editions. France made it back to the final in 2022 but Italy (2010), Spain (2014) and Germany (2018) all get eliminated before the knockout rounds.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

The indictment also describes vandalism against some companies that operate in Michigan and against the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

“In America, we rule by law not by fear. These alleged threats and attempts to terrorize government officials, businesses, and the Jewish Federation are anti-American. We will counter intimidation with justice," said U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr.

The document highlights several incidents that made headlines in the past few years, including fake bloody corpses that were placed on an elected university board member's lawn and the spray-painting of anti-Israel messages at the home of the school's president at the time, Santa Ono.

“They marked their victims with threatening symbols used by Hamas, including red inverted triangles and red handprints,” the indictment states. “They used the internet and social media to broadcast their message to ensure their threats and commitment to continuing criminal activity were heard by their victims and others who support Israel.”

Six of the eight people named in the indictment were expected to make initial appearances Wednesday in federal court in Detroit. One person was arrested in Wisconsin and another was not in custody, said Gina Balaya of the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The Associated Press couldn't immediately reach any of the defendants or their attorneys for comment.

Since the Israel-Hamas war, pro-Palestinian protesters have demanded that the University of Michigan’s endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. But the university has insisted it has no direct investments and less than $15 million placed with funds that might include companies in Israel. That’s less than 0.1% of the total endowment.

In 2024, a pro-Palestinian camp on campus was cleared by police after a month. The university said it was a threat to public safety.

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Police said they took Mohamed Kazim Latiff, 51, and Tomas Julio Matom Gallego, 23, into custody after the pre-World Cup sting on Tuesday.

According to arrest reports, the sting took place at an undisclosed hotel in Homestead.

Homestead police, along with investigators from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office’s Human Trafficking Task Force, plus other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, set up a sting in which detectives posed as a mother prostituting her two daughters online.

Authorities said the men arranged to pay for sexual activities with one or both of the girls and were arrested after showing up at the hotel.

They each face three felony charges, including human trafficking of a person under 18. Matom also faces a resisting arrest charge.

As of Wednesday, both Latiff, a Guyanese national, and Matom, a Guatemalan national, were being held without bond in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, online records show.

Wagner’s four-opera epic “Der Ring des Nibelungen,” approaching the 150th anniversary of its premiere in 1876, has been reinterpreted and deconstructed by directors finding various meanings in the conflicts among gods, humans, giants and dwarfs.

While most new recordings are on video, Luisi led his Dallas Symphony Orchestra in concert performances that were released on 13 compact discs by Delos on May 22 and are available on streaming services.

“Wagner conceived this as a total immersion in visual and acoustic, but I could focus really only on the music, and this was the point actually — not to be distracted by staging and not to have to cope with maybe strange ideas of staging,” Luisi said. “I think the music tells everything.”

Luisi became DSO music director in 2020 and broached the idea while dining two years later with Morton H. Meyerson, a longtime board member.

“Fabio came back from lunch sort of giddy but sort of sheepishly saying: `Do you think that this would ever be possible?” recalled Kim Noltemy, the Dallas CEO at the time. “So, I said, well, let’s give it a try. So, we called around to see if there were people who wanted to support it and did a budget.”

After securing a waiver from the orchestra allowing for the needed rehearsals and performance length, recordings were made during four concerts from May 1-5 and six more from Oct. 5-20. Each opera was performed two or three times.

Americans in cast fill big roles

American singers featured prominently, with Mark Delavan as Wotan, Lise Lindstrom as Brünnhilde and Sara Jakubiak as Sieglinde, part of a cast that included Christopher Ventris (Siegmund), Daniel Johansson (Siegfried), Deniz Uzun (Fricka), Tómas Tómasson (Alberich), Michael Laurenz (Mime) and Stephen Milling (Hagen).

Delavan sang Wotan at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 2013 after Luisi took over from an ailing James Levine in Robert Lepage’s much-maligned production staged on a 45-ton set of 24 rotating planks.

“We’re accessible and they know that we’re hungry and we have a chip on our shoulders,” Delavan said. “What conductors like about American singers is their technique is sound. Even a European conductor would say: Well, I’m going to give up some of the communication skills, only one degree of separation with the language, but I’m going to get a solid technique, and I’m going to get pretty good acting chops.”

Lindstrom has been in Atlanta to sing in its production of “Götterdämmerung,” the concluding night of the tetralogy, leading to what is being billed as the first complete Ring Cycles in the America South in 2029.

“The wonderful thing about it is the intimacy between the orchestra and us, because we’re not separated by a chunk of stage or a chunk a scenery or a chunk of concept,” she said of the Dallas performances. “And for people like me, who have had the opportunity to perform the role before, I have all those iterations to rely on for my portrayal that I can sort of filter myself through.”

A younger Luisi listened to famous renditions

Luisi, 67, first heard a Ring recording in Georg Solti’s famous studio set with the Vienna Philharmonic from 1958-65. He also admires Karl Böhm’s live recording from the 1967 Bayreuth Festival and Marek Janowski’s 1980-83 studio version with the Staatskapelle Dresden.

He first conducted Ring when he was music director of Dresden’s Semperoper from 2007-10. Luisi’s Dallas performances include more legato and softer sound than his rendition a decade earlier at the Met. He tries to keep an arc from the first notes of “Das Rheingold” to the final strains of “Götterdämmerung.”

“I have a deeper understanding about the meaning of this piece,” he said. “I consider the ring to be a big Bruckner symphony. So we have the introduction, then we have the first movement, this is “Walküre,” which happens to be a slow movement, and then we have the scherzo, which is “Siegfried,” of course, and then the long, long, last movement. There is a unity.”

Los organizadores indicaron que hay espacio suficiente para que unos 30.000 aficionados disfruten de las proyecciones en cuatro pantallas gigantes en el parque ubicado en 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

“Todos son bienvenidos, de todas las edades... podrán ver los partidos gratis, mientras disfrutan de la música, el baile y la comida”, dijo el miércoles la alcaldesa de Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava.

Por motivos de seguridad, habrá detectores de metales y solo se permitirán bolsos transparentes. No se permiten bolsos de más de 30 cm x 15 cm.

También está prohibido vapear y fumar. Sillas, mantas, tiendas de campaña, patinetes, bocinas de aire comprimido, punteros láser e hinchables están incluidos en la lista de artículos prohibidos .

Excepto la comida para bebés, no se permite la entrada de alimentos ni bebidas del exterior. Los organizadores instalaron una larga fila de puestos de comida y bebida. El festival estará abierto todos los días hasta el 5 de julio.

Programa del festival

13 de junio : El festival para aficionados abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 24:00. Los partidos del Grupo A se juegan a las 15:00 (México contra Sudáfrica) y a las 23:00 (Corea del Sur contra la República Checa).

14 de junio : El festival de aficionados abre de 12:00 a 22:00. El partido del Grupo B , Canadá vs. Bosnia, es a las 15:00 y el partido del Grupo D , EE. UU. vs. Paraguay, es a las 21:00.

15 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 11:00 a 21:00.

16 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 24:00.

17 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 12:00 a 22:00.

18 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 11:00 a 21:00.

19 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 24:00.

20 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 12:00 a 23:00.

21 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 11:00 a 21:00.

22 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 12:00 a 20:00.

23 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 12:00 a 13:00.

24 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 21:00.

25 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 15:00 a 01:00.

26 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas de 14:00 a 23:00.

27 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 16:00 a 01:00.

28 de junio: El festival de fans abre de 13:00 a 22:00.

29 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas desde el mediodía hasta la medianoche.

30 de junio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas desde el mediodía hasta la medianoche.

1 de julio: El festival de fans abre de 11:00 a 23:00.

2 de julio: El festival de fans abre de 14:00 a 22:00.

3 de julio: El festival de fans abre de 13:00 a 21:00.

4 de julio: El festival de fans abre sus puertas desde el mediodía hasta la medianoche.

5 de julio: El festival de fans abre de 15:00 a 23:00.

Para obtener más información sobre el festival, visite esta página.

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• Las autoridades federales advierten contra el uso de drones en los estadios durante 7 jornadas de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA.
• Director del FBI: La lucha contra el terrorismo será una prioridad absoluta durante la Copa Mundial de la FIFA.
• Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2026, Grupo A: México jugará su partido inaugural el 11 de junio.

Seguimiento de los grupos de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA

• Grupo A
• Grupo B
• Grupo C
• Grupo D
• Grupo E
• Grupo F
• Grupo G
• Grupo H
• Grupo I
• Grupo J
• Grupo K
• Grupo L

A heat wave may be the most obvious health threat. But infectious diseases can spread in a crowd, and experts are set to scrutinize wastewater, hospital visits, even social media for any signs that an outbreak might be brewing.

Measles, one of the most contagious diseases, is among the top concerns, sparking a warning this week from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO. With a nearly six-week stretch of packed stadiums, bars and tourist sites in 16 cities, officials are on the lookout for a long list of infections, from the stomach bug norovirus to mosquito-borne dengue fever.

“This is truly a marathon,” said Palak Raval-Nelson, Philadelphia's health commissioner.

The mass gatherings come at a tense moment for budget-strapped health agencies in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hit hard by Trump administration staffing cuts, already was grappling with a growing Ebola outbreak in central Africa and a cruise ship hantavirus outbreak. While CDC officials have advised state and local health departments behind the scenes, its expected World Cup disease surveillance dashboard still was “in final development” days before games began, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Our public health professionals are pretty stretched,” said global health specialist Rebecca Katz of Georgetown University, who is leading an unusual new hub to help.

At the Health Security Operations Center, a joint effort between Georgetown and MedStar Health, workers are analyzing data from around the country so they can alert health authorities, even emergency rooms, to any early signs of trouble. The center is issuing daily “situation reports” about disease trends around World Cup host cities and team base camps to several hundred local and federal public health groups, emergency management and hospital officials and others who’ve signed up.

“It's important that we don't become alarmist,” said MedStar emergency medicine specialist Dr. Shane Kappler. “We're trying to be the insurance policy.”

Measles is a top concern for potential World Cup spread

Already more than 2,000 people in the U.S. have come down with measles this year, nearly as many as during all of last year, according to the CDC. Patients can spread measles before the rash appears and they realize they're sick. Not too long ago, the U.S. seldom saw measles except from international travel by unvaccinated people.

Now with frequent U.S. outbreaks, "actually a lot of our international partners are worried about measles being exported to them after the games,” said Georgetown’s Katz.

Measles is spreading in Canada, too, and has exceeded 11,000 cases in Mexico, according to PAHO. It’s urging soccer fans to be sure they’re vaccinated, with a health campaign saying a single measles patient can spread the virus to up to 18 unprotected people.

Is Ebola a concern at the World Cup?

Brown University’s Dr. Craig Spencer, who survived Ebola while working in the West Africa outbreak over a decade ago, said he’s repeatedly asked about the risk of Ebola during the World Cup — but “for me, Ebola is not the No. 1 or No. 2 or even No. 3 threat.”

“I am concerned about importation of measles, I am much more concerned about the importation of other infectious threats that may not seem as scary to us as Ebola,” Spencer said.

Many health experts agree that the risk of Ebola spreading in the U.S. is very low. That’s partly because of government travel screenings and restrictions on people recently in outbreak-affected areas. Moreover, Ebola spreads by contact with bodily fluids from someone showing symptoms, not through the air like measles or respiratory viruses.

“One fortunate thing about this virus is you’re most contagious when you’re really quite ill. It’s not like COVID, where you could be sitting next to someone who doesn’t even know they’re infected and perhaps contract the virus,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown’s Pandemic Center.

How to spot brewing diseases

People with certain viral or bacterial infections shed genetic material that sophisticated testing of wastewater can spot, an early warning system. For example, measles can appear in wastewater days before an emergency room sees its first patients.

This week's surveillance reports from Katz's center note that wastewater testing recently found diarrhea-causing rotavirus, hepatitis A and the stomach bug norovirus in some parts of the U.S., something to watch as soccer crowds arrive.

In Dallas, officials ramped up wastewater screening including at the international airport, casting a wide net rather than looking for specific illnesses, said Dr. Phil Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services.

His team also is enhancing the usual mosquito testing, checking not just for West Nile virus that regularly spreads in the U.S. but for viruses more common in other countries like dengue and chikungunya.

Public health officials have been preparing for months, said Philadelphia’s Raval-Nelson, including with mock emergency drills and communications with counterparts around the country.

“I don’t want to send a message that there’s one key thing," she said. “We have the frameworks in place to carry out what we need to.”

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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.

Unveiled by Ian McKellen, the plaque at 22 Lupus Street in Pimlico marks the place where Olivier began acting as a child.

“For those of us who were lucky enough to have seen him in the theater, it’s of course quite right that, because he was the leader of our profession for so many years, it’s appropriate that this should be put up," McKellen told The Associated Press after the unveiling. “Actors go out of fashion very quickly, but I've a feeling that this man's name will never be forgotten, and because of this plaque."

Olivier lived at the property between the ages of 6 and 11. While there, he reportedly transformed a wooden box and blue curtains into a makeshift stage where he sang, danced, and acted for hours at a time.

Olivier was venerated as a Shakespearean actor, playing many iconic protagonists in London including Hamlet, Henry V, Macbeth and, controversially, Othello. For his role as Hamlet, Olivier won his only Academy Award for best actor in 1949. Other famous screen roles include ones in “Rebecca," "Wuthering Heights"," "Marathon Man" and "Sleuth."

London owes much to Olivier, who died at age 82 in 1989.

He campaigned for the establishment of the National Theatre. The building that now houses the theatre officially opened in 1976 and its largest auditorium is named after Olivier.

“Laurence Olivier transformed British theater and film through the brilliance, range and intensity of his performances," said English Heritage senior historian Howard Spencer. "The plaque celebrates the formative home where one of Britain’s greatest cultural figures first found his voice as an actor.”

The Olivier Awards, which celebrate London's theater scene, were named in his honor.

The London blue plaque program began more than 150 years ago. The plaques commemorate notable people who made London home at some point. There are more than 900 official plaques in the capital.

The first plaque commemorated the poet Lord Byron in 1867 but the house was later demolished. The oldest surviving plaque commemorates France’s final emperor, Napoleon III.

The warrant signed by a federal judge last week approved the seizure of documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank.

“Samples of the substance within any tank, tote, drum, vat, vessel, or container suspected of containing or having previously contained methyl methacrylate and/or any hazardous substance” were also sought, according to the warrant.

The warrant also orders agents to seize records related to “any cooling equipment or other equipment used to control or regulate the temperature of methyl methacrylate.”

The FBI confirmed its agents were searching GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems in the Orange County city of Garden Grove.

GKN Aerospace makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields. The tank that overheated contained 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. The liquid is used in the manufacturing of plastics and coatings, such as Plexiglas and dental prosthetics.

Exposure to the chemical can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological issues and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Responding to a request for comment on the FBI investigation, a GKN spokesperson told the AP on Wednesday morning: “We are cooperating with authorities at our Garden Grove facility and will continue to do so.”

GKN’s Steve Carlin spoke at a community meeting Tuesday evening. He thanked the firefighters and local leaders who responded to the incident at the plant that employs more than 500 people, and apologized to the community.

“On behalf of GKN and the Garden Grove plant I want to say that I’m sorry that this event and this incident occurred. I understand and I realized sitting here tonight what a disruptive event it was and how unsettling it is to the greater community. Particularly unsettling to us at GKN because of the long history that we have with Garden Grove and how connected we are to this community.”

Carlin said the company would be willing to hold a town hall meeting where residents could ask questions. But he said Tuesday that it is very early in the investigation into what happened, so it is too soon to make decisions about what actions the company might take in response to the incident.

Separately, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office also is conducting a criminal investigation into the GKN Aerospace plant, according to DA spokesperson Kimberly Edds.

“We have sent a preservation letter to GKN directing them not to modify or destroy any evidence, which the company’s outside counsel confirmed receipt,” Edds told The Associated Press in an email.

About a dozen people and businesses that were among the 50,000 evacuated during the chemical emergency have filed federal lawsuits against the company.

County health officials assured residents that no contamination or fumes were released, and that they would keep monitoring the air for several months and checking the sewer and storm drains.

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Associated Press journalists Martha Bellisle in Seattle and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.

The drivers wore white “Stop Ebola” T-shirts and displayed public health messages and illustrations on how to prevent the disease as they rode through the streets of Bunia and Rwampara, two towns in Congo's eastern province of Ituri at the heart of the outbreak.

The province accounts for more than 90% of the cases. Cases have also been recorded in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, as well as a handful across the border in Uganda.

There have been 115 confirmed deaths from the disease, out of at least 598 cases confirmed so far, according to a report by Congolese authorities late Tuesday.

Still the outbreak has been met with skepticism and misinformation among communities where residents sometimes deny there is an outbreak or strongly oppose the strict measures imposed by health workers on burials of the bodies of victims to minimize the spread of the disease.

Residents in Ituri province have launched at least three attacks on health centers when demanding the bodies of deceased patients. Overall, more than 520 incidents impacting the work of health professionals have been reported, according to Marie Roseline Darnycka Belizaire, WHO’s emergency director for Africa.

Taxi drivers can help spread the word that medical workers are just trying to stop the spread, said Jacques Maliro, the World Health Organization’s Risk Communication and Community Engagement Officer, one of the organizers of the caravan.

“Response teams have been attacked in some areas, and that is one reason why we chose to involve motorcycle taxi drivers. They are an important group because they transport both sick and healthy people, so they too need to be informed and engaged,” Maliro said.

Misinformation spreading in the communities of Ituri have discouraged residents from adhering to health warnings or seeking medical help, health officials say. At the onset of the outbreak, some churches told their congregations that the outbreak is fake and that divine protection makes medical care unnecessary.

“Those who do not believe in it need to understand that it is real,” said Josue Mbabona, a motorcycle taxi driver from the caravan, adding that he has already lost three family members to Ebola.

Front-line health workers, who labor with little pay or rest, have also been unable to reach some communities cut off by conflict involving armed rebels.

Eastern Congo has for years seen attacks by dozens of separate rebel and militant groups, some of them with links to neighboring Rwanda or the extremist Islamic State group.

The response has also been hampered by shortages of essential supplies. Residents and local officials in Bunia on Wednesday cited a shortage of water needed for the frequent handwashing recommended to curb the spread of the virus.

The current Ebola outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which does not have an approved vaccine or treatment unlike the “Zaire virus,” responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

“The vaccine needs to be available so that we can protect ourselves, move forward, and return to normal life,” David Kasimwa, a student participating in the caravan said. “This disease has disrupted many activities: We are no longer able to travel freely because we are afraid,” he added.

Three vaccine candidates are currently in development. Africa’s top public health agency said last month it aims to have a vaccine and treatment against Bundibugyo virus available by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, several countries have imposed travel restrictions or enhanced screening measures for travelers arriving from Ebola-affected areas, though WHO have not recommended broad travel bans.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday urged European countries to tighten travel restrictions on people arriving from Ebola-affected countries in Africa, warning that failure to do so could lead to stricter U.S. travel measures for arrivals from Europe, including during the World Cup.

There are relatively few direct flights between Africa and the United State per day but more than 300 direct daily flights between Europe and the United States.

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Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Constant Same Bagalwa in Bunia, Congo contributed.

Elsewhere, users will get to see parts of matches live on YouTube and TikTok for the first time.

Forget about the exclusivity of traditional over-the-air networks: The World Cup will be watched differently this time.

As FIFA pushes to engage a new generation of fans, younger audiences will have more options to access soccer’s showcase event thanks to what soccer's governing body describes as a record number of deals with broadcast partners that carry digital-only platforms. Creators’ perspectives will be brought to the forefront and user experiences worldwide will be enhanced thanks to what FIFA is calling “game-changing” partnerships.

The goal is to grab viewers' attention, effectively giving them an appetizer that will encourage them to go back and watch the games on traditional channels.

Co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, this year's World Cup — the biggest ever, with 48 teams — begins Thursday and will run through July 19.

Brazil’s CazéTV has the rights to all games

Brazil historically has been one of the countries with the most engagement on social media and digital platforms.

FIFA took notice, and four years ago did a type of a test run with popular streamer Casimiro Miguel, now 32, who had shown success engaging with younger sports fans on his Twitch channel. For the 2022 Qatar World Cup, FIFA reached a deal with him — and his partner LiveMode — to broadcast 22 matches on the CazéTV YouTube channel.

With a more informal and conversational approach to the broadcast, along with increased fan engagement and the participation of content creators as commentators, the trial was considered a resounding success. It led to an expanded deal for the tournament this year, with CazéTV becoming the only channel — digital or traditional — with rights to all 104 games in Brazil. The network Globo, the home of soccer in Brazil for decades, will show 55 games.

“FIFA is always looking at innovative ways about how to enhance the broadcast coverage of our flagship competitions and the deal with CazéTV is an example of such, which will ensure football fans in Brazil will be able to watch all 104 games, while also helping to reach new audiences and demographics,” the governing body told The Associated Press in a statement.

A Cristiano Ronaldo connection

LiveMode, the Brazilian company that has CazéTV under its umbrella and broadcasts matches with content creators, announced last month that it had launched an international broadcast arm of the company and that Cristiano Ronaldo was one of its shareholders.

LiveMode's channel in Portugal will broadcast one game per day during the World Cup, including all of Portugal's matches and the final. The 41-year-old Ronaldo, one of soccer's all-time greats, is making his sixth World Cup appearance with the national team.

“There is an audience that connects with digital first, and digital allows us to bring this new audience to follow major sporting events,” LiveMode co-founder Sergio Lopes told the AP. “Generally, this audience is younger and doesn’t just want to watch a match. They want to participate in the conversation, interact in real time, and feel like they are part of a community.”

YouTube and TikTok deals

FIFA earlier this year picked TikTok as the first “preferred platform” for video content on social media at the World Cup, giving creators access to content. World Cup broadcast rights holders can livestream parts of the 104 games at a dedicated hub on the TikTok app. Then in March, FIFA reached a deal with YouTube to also allow rights-holding broadcasters to stream game action live on the video platform. Rights holders will be allowed to broadcast the first 10 minutes of games.

“YouTube is where global sports fans tune in before, during, and after the game. That is what makes our preferred partnership with FIFA for World Cup 2026 so unique,” said Angela Courtin, YouTube's vice president of entertainment and sports marketing. “Between the incredible reach of our creator cohort and providing FIFA’s media partners with a pathway to upload more premium content to their YouTube channels, plus our live YouTube FIFA Creator Cup in New York City this July, we are ushering in the next generation of soccer fans for years to come.”

Taking aim at world records

With the new deals, FIFA expects the 2026 World Cup to break all records related to digital and streaming audiences.

In 2022, FIFA reported 5 billion total engagements during the tournament in Qatar, with 2.7 billion coming through digital and streaming services, and 2.9 from linear television. Nearly 1.5 billion people watched the final won by Argentina, with 237 million of them being digital-only viewers, according to FIFA.

In the U.S., Fox holds the rights for the 2026 World Cup, and there were no exclusive deals by FIFA with digital platforms, though the network will have every match streaming live and on-demand within its apps. Streaming giant Netflix has secured the U.S. broadcasting rights to the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031, in the most significant deal FIFA has signed with a streaming service for a major tournament.

“We are seeing that sport needs to occupy all screens, engage with all audiences to grow,” LiveModeTV co-founder Lopes said. “New audiences expect authenticity, interaction and different ways to follow an event. The World Cup continues to be the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet, but the way to experience it is also becoming more social, more participatory, more accessible, and more connected to the digital habits of each generation.”

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

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Hegseth was at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, where he met with U.S. service members who are stationed there.

Officials said he also plans to pay a visit to U.S. Central Command in Tampa, which is also home to a large Cuban American community.

Hegseth’s presence in Cuba comes amid the U.S. calling for dramatic changes on the island and the indictment of Raul Castro in connection to the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue plane shootdown.

The U.S. has blocked oil from reaching Cuba following threats by President Donald Trump to remove the country’s leadership regime by force.

Last month, a U.S. aircraft carrier and its strike group of fighter jets and radar-jamming equipment entered the southern Caribbean and the director of the Central Intelligence Agency visited Cuban officials in Havana.

At the time, Local 10’s Cuba analyst, Andy Gomez, said his contacts on the island confirmed they had access to drones for “defensive purposes.”

That came as Southcom posted on social media that it has established a new “autonomous warfare command”, displaying a military exercise in Key West earlier this year of its autonomous, semi-autonomous and unmanned systems used, they say, to counter threats in the region.

On Monday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that America’s “maximum pressure” campaign, which has included blocking oil access to the communist island, is leading to a humanitarian crisis.

But U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has blamed economic weakening and growing unrest on what he has described as the island’s long legacy of greed, mismanagement and corrupt leadership, calling attention to a Cuban military-operated conglomerate which he said is starving the people from access to the money needed to address food shortages and crumbling infrastructure.

Hegseth estuvo en la Estación Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo, donde se reunió con miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas de Estados Unidos destacados en la base.

Funcionarios informaron que también planea visitar el Comando Central de Estados Unidos en Tampa, que además alberga una gran comunidad cubanoamericana.

La presencia de Hegseth en Cuba se produce mientras Estados Unidos exige cambios drásticos en la isla y tras la acusación contra Raúl Castro en relación con el derribo de las avionetas de Hermanos al Rescate en 1996.

Estados Unidos ha bloqueado el suministro de petróleo hacia Cuba tras las amenazas del presidente Donald Trump de remover por la fuerza al régimen gobernante del país.

El mes pasado, un portaaviones estadounidense y su grupo de ataque, compuesto por aviones de combate y equipos de interferencia de radar, ingresaron al sur del Caribe, y el director de la Agencia Central de Inteligencia (CIA) visitó a funcionarios cubanos en La Habana.

En ese momento, el analista de Cuba de Local 10, Andy Gómez, dijo que sus contactos en la isla confirmaron que tenían acceso a drones con fines “defensivos”.

Eso ocurrió mientras el Comando Sur publicaba en redes sociales que había establecido un nuevo “comando de guerra autónoma”, mostrando un ejercicio militar realizado este año en Key West con sistemas autónomos, semiautónomos y no tripulados que, según indicó, se utilizan para contrarrestar amenazas en la región.

El lunes, el alto comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos, Volker Türk, advirtió que la campaña de “máxima presión” de Estados Unidos, que ha incluido bloquear el acceso al petróleo para la isla comunista, está provocando una crisis humanitaria.

Sin embargo, el secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, atribuyó el debilitamiento económico y el creciente descontento a lo que describió como el largo legado de codicia, mala gestión y liderazgo corrupto en la isla, destacando además un conglomerado operado por las Fuerzas Armadas cubanas que, según dijo, priva a la población del acceso a los recursos necesarios para enfrentar la escasez de alimentos y el deterioro de la infraestructura.

La policía de Sunrise informó que los agentes respondieron alrededor de las 12:18 a.m. a reportes de disparos en Sunrise Lakes Boulevard, cerca de Pine Island Road y Oakland Park Boulevard.

La policía dijo a Saira Anwer, de Local 10, que cuando los agentes llegaron encontraron a un hombre muerto en la escena.

Los residentes dijeron a los investigadores que la víctima era un hombre mayor, de aproximadamente 70 años, aunque la policía aún no ha confirmado su identidad.

La policía informó que un sospechoso fue detenido poco después de la balacera.

Indicaron que la información preliminar señala que el incidente parece ser aislado y que no existe una amenaza activa para el público.

En la escena, un equipo de Local 10 News observó a la policía de Sunrise reteniendo a un hombre. El hombre se identificó como el cuidador de la víctima, aunque no estaba claro de inmediato si enfrenta cargos.

Los investigadores también fueron vistos en una segunda escena en Dania Beach, cerca de un sedán Chevrolet morado.

La policía no ha confirmado si ambas escenas están relacionadas, pero los investigadores trabajan para determinar si el vehículo está vinculado con la balacera o con la detención del sospechoso.

Las autoridades no han divulgado los nombres de la víctima ni del sospechoso.

No se dieron a conocer de inmediato más detalles sobre la balacera.

Cualquier persona con información sobre cualquiera de los casos debe llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

Las autoridades informaron que la niña, identificada por un familiar como Janova Park, sufrió heridas de bala en el estómago y el torso y fue trasladada de urgencia al Hospital HCA Florida Kendall, donde posteriormente murió.

“Sabemos que al momento de la balacera había tres adultos y dos niños, la víctima, que tenía 5 años, y su hermano de 4 años”, dijo el detective de la MDSO Angel Rodriguez, portavoz de la agencia. “Los detectives estarán aquí durante bastante tiempo como parte de esta investigación. Se asegurarán de no dejar ningún detalle sin investigar y, en este momento, solo pedimos oraciones para la comunidad”.

La balacera ocurrió dentro de una vivienda en Northwest First Court.

Los agentes informaron que fueron llamados a la vivienda alrededor de las 2 a.m. después de que se realizaron disparos.

Las autoridades también confirmaron que la madre de Janova estaba entre las personas que se encontraban dentro de la vivienda al momento de la balacera.

Los detectives dijeron que aún intentan determinar cómo Janova recibió el disparo, incluido si pudo haber tenido acceso al arma por sí misma o si otra circunstancia provocó la balacera.

Hannah Yechivi, de Local 10, habló con Laticha Ellison, abuela de Janova, quien dijo que la balacera pudo haberse evitado.

“Mi nietecita tiene cinco años”, dijo Ellison entre lágrimas. “Solo tiene cinco años. Me da rabia porque algo así no debería poder ocurrir, especialmente en tu propia casa; es negligencia”.

Las autoridades informaron que se recuperó un arma de fuego dentro de la vivienda.

La cinta de la escena del crimen permanecía colocada alrededor de la vivienda la mañana del miércoles mientras los investigadores continuaban procesando la escena.

Las autoridades confirmaron que los detectives de la MDSO asumieron la investigación.

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Sunrise police said officers responded around 12:18 a.m. to reports of gunfire on Sunrise Lakes Boulevard near Pine Island Road and Oakland Park Boulevard.

Police told Local 10’s Saira Anwer that when officers arrived, they found a man dead at the scene.

Residents told investigators the victim was an older man, approximately 70 years old, though police have not yet confirmed his identity.

Police said a suspect was taken into custody shortly after the shooting.

They said preliminary information indicates the incident appears to be isolated and there is no ongoing threat to the public.

At the scene, a Local 10 News crew observed Sunrise police detaining a man. That man identified himself as the caretaker of the victim, though it was not immediately clear whether he is facing charges.

About 13 miles away in Dania Beach, a Local 10 News crew spotted Sunrise police surrounding a purple Chevrolet sedan.

Police sources told Local 10 News that the Chevrolet is connected to the deadly Sunrise shooting, with investigators tracking down the suspected gunman before taking the person into custody.

Authorities have not released the names of the victim or the suspect.

No other details about the shooting were immediately released.

Anyone with information on either case is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

The request followed reports that the Oilers expressed interest in hiring Babcock. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the talks were private.

It was not clear whether the league had resumed or restarted an investigation of the veteran coach who has drawn criticism in recent years for his approach with players. All coaching hires are subject to league approval.

Babcock resigned from the Blue Jackets in September 2023, less than three months after taking the job. At the time, Babcock's requests for personal photos from players in an attempt to get to know them drew criticism as an invasion of privacy.

“Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace,” NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said then. “Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus. The club’s decision to move forward with a new head coach is the appropriate course of action.”

The union reviewed the situation, but the NHL dropped its planned investigation of the situation when Babcock stepped down.

Babcock, who turned 63 on April 29, has not coached a game in the league since being fired by Toronto 23 games into the 2019-20 season. He coached Detroit to the Stanley Cup in 2008, reached the final with the Red Wings in '09 and Anaheim in ’03, and helped Canada win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2010 and '14.

Once considered one of the best in the profession, former players have spoken out about Babcock's old-school tendencies that some say can be considered bullying.

A report surfaced after the Maple Leafs fired Babcock that he had asked a player to share his ranking of teammates from hardest- to least-hardest working and then shared that with the rest of the group. Former Red Wings player Johan Franzen told a Swedish outlet that Babcock was the worst person he had ever met and said at one point he was terrified to go to the rink.

The Oilers are looking for a replacement for Kris Knoblauch after firing him following their first-round playoff exit, despite back-to-back trips to the final before that. They asked Vegas for permission to speak to recently fired coach Bruce Cassidy, but the Golden Knights rejected that request because he remains under contract through next season.

The NHL Coaches' Association expressed dissatisfaction over the matter. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly last week said Vegas was not in violation of any rules for denying permission.

“We don’t find it unreasonable because we’re allowing it to happen,” he said. “I do think Vegas is clearly within their contractual rights to do what they’re doing."

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

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Authorities said the girl, who was identified by a family member as Janova Park, suffered gunshot wounds to her stomach and torso and was rushed to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital, where she later died.

“We know that at the time of the shooting, there were three adults and two children, the victim who’s 5 years old, and her 4-year-old brother,” said MDSO Det. Angel Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the agency. “Detectives are going to be here for quite some time, taking part of this investigation. They’re going to make sure that no stone is left unturned, and right now we’re just asking for prayers for the community.”

The shooting happened inside a home on Northwest First Court.

Deputies said they were called to the home around 2 a.m. after shots were fired.

They also confirmed that Janova’s mother was among those inside the home at the time of the shooting, authorities said.

Detectives said they’re still trying to determine how Janova was shot, including whether she may have accessed the gun herself or whether another circumstance led to the shooting.

Local 10’s Hannah Yechivi spoke to Laticha Ellison, Janova’s grandmother, who said the shooting could’ve been prevented.

“My grandbaby is five years old,” Ellison said while in tears. “She’s only five. It makes me angry because nothing like this should be able to happen, especially in your home — carelessness.”

Ellison described her granddaughter as “smart and sassy.”

Investigators said a gun was recovered inside the home and that they “are not looking for any individuals that may pose a threat to the community.”

Crime scene tape remained up outside the home Wednesday morning as investigators continued to process the scene.

Authorities confirmed that MDSO detectives have taken over the investigation.

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Petro, whose term ends on Aug. 7, was in New York on Wednesday to preside over a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

The Coalition of Latin American Legislators Against Antisemitism had already condemned Petro’s use of references to Nazism.

Petro defended his use of the Nazi salute on Sunday writing that it was meant to reference the “fascist phrases” in an op-ed that newspaper El Espectador published on Sunday.

“Using Nazi slogans is a disgraceful low from which there is no coming back,” Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, wrote on X.

The op-ed was in support of Abelardo de la Espriella, a right-wing presidential candidate who is running against Iván Cepeda, whom Petro has endorsed as his left-wing successor.

“It is absolutely disgusting to use that phrase,” Rep. Carlos A. Giménez wrote to Petro on X.

The runoff election is on June 21.

Related social media

Heil Hitler https://t.co/IbRBgwUY3N

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) June 7, 2026

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On Tuesday, jurors heard from multiple witnesses, including the victim’s father, Andy Fernandez, who described hugging his daughter for the last time before what he called a “beautiful afternoon” turned tragic.

Prosecutors allege Pino, a South Florida real estate developer, was operating a 29-foot boat when it struck a channel marker near Boca Chita Key during Labor Day weekend in 2022, killing 17-year-old Lucy Fernandez and seriously injuring two other teens.

Testimony also included a passenger on the boat, who described the vessel capsizing and the chaotic aftermath in the water, as well as a civil attorney who referenced prior statements tied to the crash investigation.

Jurors were sent home late Tuesday afternoon and were scheduled to return Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

Petro, cuyo mandato termina el 7 de agosto, se encontraba en Nueva York el miércoles para presidir una reunión del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas.

Petro defendió su uso de la frase nazi como respuesta a las “frases fascistas” en una columna de opinión publicada el domingo en apoyo de Abelardo de la Espriella, candidato presidencial de derecha.

El presidente saliente ha respaldado a Iván Cepeda, candidato de izquierda, como su sucesor. La segunda vuelta de las elecciones presidenciales será el 21 de junio.

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Pompano Beach Fire Rescue officials said firefighters responded after calls reported a mother duck circling a storm drain.

That’s when firefighters discovered about a dozen ducklings trapped in the water below.

Fire rescue crews removed the drain cover and used a net to safely lift each duckling to safety.

Moments later, crews watched as the mother duck rushed in to reunite with her babies.

Local 10 viewers can watch the delicate rescue in the video at the top of this page.

Funcionarios de Pompano Beach Fire Rescue informaron que los bomberos respondieron después de recibir llamadas que reportaban a una pata dando vueltas alrededor de una alcantarilla pluvial.

Fue entonces cuando los bomberos descubrieron a aproximadamente una docena de patitos atrapados en el agua debajo de la alcantarilla.

Los equipos de rescate retiraron la tapa de la alcantarilla y utilizaron una red para sacar de manera segura a cada patito.

Momentos después, los rescatistas observaron cómo la pata acudió rápidamente para reunirse con sus crías.

Los televidentes de Local 10 pueden ver el delicado rescate en el video que aparece al inicio de esta página.

La policía informó que Mohamed Kazim Latiff, de 51 años, y Tomas Julio Matom Gallego, de 23, fueron detenidos tras el operativo realizado el martes antes de la Copa Mundial.

Según los informes de arresto, el operativo se llevó a cabo en un hotel no revelado de Homestead.

La policía de Homestead, junto con investigadores de la Fiscalía Estatal de Miami-Dade y otras agencias federales, estatales y locales de orden público, montaron un operativo en el que detectives se hicieron pasar por una madre que prostituía a sus dos hijas a través de internet.

Las autoridades informaron que los hombres acordaron pagar por actividades sexuales con una o ambas menores y fueron arrestados después de presentarse en el hotel.

Cada uno enfrenta tres cargos graves, incluido tráfico humano de una persona menor de 18 años. Matom también enfrenta un cargo de resistencia al arresto.

Hasta el miércoles, tanto Latiff, ciudadano de Guyana, como Matom, ciudadano de Guatemala, permanecían detenidos sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según muestran los registros en línea.

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The fire happened near the 1300 block of Southwest 10th Street, just west of Brickell, according to Miami Fire Rescue officials.

Sky 10 flew over the scene and captured firefighters battling flames and thick smoke coming from the structure around 10:15 a.m.

Lt. Pete Sanchez, a MFR spokesperson, said operations were underway at the “vacant structure.”

A spokesperson with the Miami Police Department told Local 10 News on Wednesday afternoon that one person was detained in connection with the house fire.

Sanchez said no injuries have been reported at this time.

No other details about the fire or culprit were immediately released.

The bill provides $38 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion for the Border Patrol. An additional $5 billion would cover unforeseen costs, according to the White House.

Trump signed the legislation in the Oval Office a day after House Republicans pushed the measure through by a 214-212 vote over the objections of Democrats. His signature ended a nearly six-month fight over Department of Homeland Security funding that began with shooting deaths of deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

Democrats began demanding changes to immigration enforcement after the shootings, creating an impasse — and resulting in the longest agency in history — that ultimately led Republicans to go it alone on the funding.

The agencies will be funded through the next three years. The new law front-loads routine annual funding, ensuring a virtually uninterrupted flow of money as the Trump administration seeks to deport some 1 million people per year.

The legislation had become sidetracked over $1 billion for White House security, including for Trump’s new ballroom, and a $1.8 billion fund to compensate his allies who claim to be victims of political prosecution. Both proposals became politically toxic and were scrapped.

The bill as passed focused exclusively on immigration enforcement, a topic that Republicans have treated as a defining issue between the two major political parties and one the GOP hopes will carry it to victory in November's midterm elections.

Raúl Castro, ex presidente de Cuba, cumple 95 años este miércoles bajo la sombra de una acusación penal de Estados Unidos y un futuro incierto para Cuba, cargando sobre sus hombros el legado de su hermano, Fidel Castro.

Actualización del 1 de junio: Mirando al futuro: ¿Deberían los cubanoamericanos invertir en Cuba?

Hace algunos meses, el viceministro de Cuba, Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, sobrino nieto de Raúl Castro, invitó a los cubanoamericanos en el exilio a invertir en Cuba.

En 2019, el gobierno cubano modificó su Constitución para permitir la inversión extranjera. Sin embargo, no cambió sus leyes para proteger esas inversiones.

Por lo tanto, los riesgos de invertir en Cuba siguen siendo mayores que las oportunidades.

El Dr. Andy S. Gómez es el analista sobre Cuba de Local 10. Gómez es considerado uno de los principales expertos sobre Cuba. Trabajó en la educación superior durante 32 años antes de retirarse de la Universidad de Miami en 2012.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on Wednesday to receive updates and operational briefings on the base’s mission, according to the Pentagon.

According to Reuters, Hegseth flew into the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, marking the latest visit by a senior American official to the communist-led island as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to increase pressure on the Cuban government.

His trip comes less than two weeks after General Francis Donovan, the top U.S. military commander for Latin America, visited Guantanamo Bay and held discussions with a senior Cuban military official near the base’s perimeter.

Hegseth is the third high-ranking U.S. official to visit Cuba in recent months, highlighting Washington’s continued focus on the island amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.

June 8 update: What will be brought up during any future negotiations?

One of the issues that will certainly come up during any future negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba will be the 5,913 American companies, as well as Cuban-American properties, that were confiscated by the Cuban Revolution in the early 1960’s.

According to Mauricio Tamargo, former chairman of the Foreign Claims Office in the U.S. Department of Justice, the estimated values of these properties are in the billions.

June 3 update: Raúl Castro turns 95

Raúl Castro, the former president of Cuba, turns 95 years old Wednesday under the shadow of a criminal indictment from the U.S. and an uncertain future for Cuba with the legacy of his brother, Fidel Castro, on his shoulders.

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June 1 update: Looking to the future: Should Cuban Americans invest in Cuba?

A few months ago, Cuba’s Vice Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, who is the grand-nephew of Raúl Castro, invited Cuban Americans in exile to invest in Cuba.

In 2019, the Cuban government amended their constitution to allow foreign investment. However, they did not change their laws to protect the investments.

Therefore, the risks to invest in Cuba remain greater than the opportunities.

Dr. Andy S. Gomez is Local 10’s Cuba Analyst. Gomez is considered one of the leading scholars on Cuba. He worked in higher education for 32 years before retiring from the University of Miami in 2012.

In a statement, Patel said the FBI was partnering with other law enforcement agencies during the 78 matches at 11 cities, including Miami.

“Extremists have used major global sporting events in the past to do harm and spread their twisted ideologies,” Patel said. “We are totally determined to head off any potential incidents.”

The FBI has 200 multi-agency Joint Terrorism Task Forces, including bomb technicians and divers at the ready, according to Patel.

“Our experts are outfitting and staffing event operations centers, intelligence operations centers, and mobile command posts designed to stay on top of threats,” Patel said.

Analysts will be performing background checks to produce numerous intelligence reports, according to Patel, who asked the public to “stay alert, and report any suspicious activity.”

Related stories

• Feds warn against flying drones at stadium on 7 FIFA World Cup game days
• After troubled World Cup lead-in, UN human rights chief urges ‘rethink’ of US immigration policy

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June 10: Preventing terrorism during the 2026 FIFA World Cup

For the FBI and its partners, preventing terrorist attacks is job #1 during the upcoming 2026 @FIFAWorldCup

Extremists have used major global sporting events in the past to do harm and spread their twisted…

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 10, 2026

Her campaign mirrored her whipsaw career. Mace courted the support of President Donald Trump after harshly criticizing him over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. She emphasized her fights with other Republicans to release files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

In the final days before Tuesday's primary, she called for a law to prevent anyone not born in the U.S. from holding political office or serving as a judge. She suggested that Rom Reddy, another candidate for governor, wasn't qualified because he was a naturalized citizen whose mother was from India and father from Italy.

“I didn’t come out of a slum in India,” Mace said during an appearance in Greenville County this month. “I am born and made here in America.”

By the end of her campaign she was only making sporadic public appearances. She struggled to raise money and had no presence on television. Mace mostly communicated through social media — a place she has used to her advantage since first being elected to the South Carolina House in 2017.

In a lengthy statement posted after her loss, Mace recounted her achievements in the U.S. House, saying she had “taken on the rich and powerful in both parties” and “voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that.”

Four congressional Republicans were part of the initial group pushing for a discharge petition forcing the files' release. Mace and Rep. Thomas Massie lost their races, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned in January.

Mace didn't give an indication of her next plans in her concession speech Tuesday night. She is backing Alan Wilson in the runoff for governor, even though just last year she accused Wilson of protecting child sex abuse defendants.

“When children needed him to act, Wilson looked the other way," she said.

Wilson will face Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the runoff on June 23. Evette received Trump's endorsement, spurring Mace to lash out on social media.

“Pamela Evette is NOT ENDORSED by DONALD TRUMP,” Mace wrote, incorrectly. “Do not believe her LIES.” Mace posted an AI-generated image of posing with Trump herself.

Mace dropped out of high school and worked as a server at the Waffle House before getting her diploma. She later attended The Citadel and became the first woman to graduate from the state’s military academy. And in recent years, she talked about the importance of defending victims of sexual assault and shared stories of being raped as a teen.

After her political career began in the South Carolina House, Mace got wide praise from Republicans in 2020 for winning back a U.S. House seat around Charleston that had flipped to Democrats for one term.

“For those folks that are out there today that maybe weren’t with us yesterday, I’m asking for a chance — a chance to prove to you that I will be a compassionate leader, a good listener, an independent thinker,” Mace said then.

___

Kinnard reported from Washington. Bill Barrow contributed from Atlanta.

En el documento se solicita que Petro sea suspendido hasta el 21 de junio, día en que se votará la la segunda vuelta presidencial entre el oficialista Iván Cepeda y el conservador Abelardo de la Espriella, en medio de una investigación disciplinaria por presunta participación indebida en política.

Petro no se pronunció de inmediato sobre la solicitud. Tampoco lo hizo la presidencia al ser consultada por The Associated Press.

El documento divulgado el miércoles por la prensa local fue firmado por Gloria Arizabaleta, presidenta de la Comisión de Investigación y Acusación de la Cámara de Representantes con funciones judiciales y encargada de tratar las denuncias contra el presidente y otros aforados. Arizabaleta pertenece al oficialista Pacto Histórico.

Jorge Alejandro Ocampo, congresista miembro de la Comisión, aclaró en un video divulgado a la prensa que “no hay ninguna decisión tomada contra el presidente” por lo que continúa en funciones. Aseguró que la Comisión se reunirá el miércoles, pero indicó que el documento no está en la agenda a discutir.

El ministro del Interior, Armando Benedetti, rechazó la medida al argumentar que jurídicamente la Comisión no tiene la potestad por sí sola de suspender al presidente del país, menos aún cuando es un pedido de una sola congresista. “Sólo el Senado es quien puede hacerlo después de que la plenaria de la Cámara (baja) actúe como un ente acusador, penal o disciplinariamente”, explicó en la red social X.

En el mismo sentido se pronunció el expresidente Iván Duque (2018-2022), opositor al gobierno de Petro, quien recalcó que un congresista no puede suspender al presidente.

A su vez cuestionó que un pedido de ese calibre coincida con la campaña electoral. “¿Qué se busca? ¿Un mecanismo de victimización para que Petro intervenga de manera más vulgar en las elecciones?”, publicó en X.

Según el procedimiento estipulado en las normas colombianas, en la Comisión de Investigación y Acusación los congresistas que la integran deben decidir si archivan las causas o si presentan un proyecto de acusación contra el presidente ante el pleno de la Cámara de Representantes. Ahí se estudia la acusación y, si es aprobada, se traslada al Senado que se encarga de enjuiciarlo.

Ese proceso de juicio político, en caso de completarse, tendría como última consecuencia la destitución presidencial, tras la cual, el Senado puede remitir el caso a la Corte Suprema de Justicia que lo investigue judicialmente.

A resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency's board also said that giving information and access are “essential and urgent” in order to enable verification that there's no “diversion of nuclear material.”

Twenty-one countries on the IAEA’s 35-member board of governors voted for the resolution at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, according to diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the outcome of the closed-doors vote.

Russia, China and Niger opposed it, while 10 countries abstained and one didn't vote as it was in arrears.

The resolution was put forward by France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States.

A senior Western diplomat, who wasn't authorized to speak about the sensitive matter so requested anonymity, said that the resolution “aims to keep diplomatic pressure on Iran to come into compliance with its legal safeguards obligations.”

The resolution comes at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, with the U.S. having launched airstrikes early Wednesday against Iran, and Tehran firing back at countries in the region. The escalating attacks threatened to derail efforts to end the war, as U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the Iranian government would “pay the price” for stalled peace negotiations.

Since Israel and the United States struck Iran’s nuclear sites during the 12-day war in June 2025, Iran hasn't given IAEA inspectors access to nuclear sites that were affected by the strikes — even though Tehran is legally obliged to cooperate with the watchdog under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

The agency also has been unable to verify the status of the stockpile of near weapons-grade uranium since the June bombing.

According to the IAEA, Iran maintains a stockpile of 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

That stockpile could allow Iran to build as many as 10 nuclear bombs, should it decide to weaponize its program, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned in a recent interview with The Associated Press. He said that it doesn’t mean that Iran has such a weapon.

Iran says that it's not pursuing nuclear weapons, and its program is entirely peaceful.

Talking to reporters outside the IAEA boardroom, Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, denounced Wednesday’s resolution and said that the document describes the situation in Iran “as being quite normal and as if nothing had happened.”

He said that “under the current unprecedented security environment created by the attacks and continued threats by the aggressors, the legal, technical, and operational foundations for the normal implementation of safeguards in Iran have been destroyed.”

Najafi also said that Iran had granted the IAEA access to “all unaffected facilities,” saying that the resolution “neglects all Iran’s cooperation with the agency, even under war conditions.”

The resolution also “deeply regrets” Iran’s “failure to remedy” its noncompliance with its nonproliferation obligations over the past 12 months. The IAEA board found Iran officially in noncompliance with its safeguards agreement last June for the first time in 20 years – right before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran’s nuclear sites.

Central to this issue is a long-running investigation by the U.N. nuclear watchdog into uranium traces detected by inspectors at various undeclared sites in Iran.

Iran has failed to provide the agency with “technically credible answers” regarding the origin and current location of this nuclear material since 2019.

Western officials suspect that the uranium traces could provide further evidence that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program until 2003.

Wednesday’s resolution fell short of referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council to consider more sanctions for the country's noncompliance, a move that last happened in February 2006 after Iran was found in noncompliance.

The resolution on Wednesday leaves that door open, however, stating that the IAEA board “will stand ready to take further action,” including by addressing the “timing and content” of a formal noncompliance report by the IAEA for consideration by the U.N. Security Council.

___

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The system poses no direct threat to the U.S. and, as we’ve discussed in previous newsletters this week, significant development is unlikely.

Cristina crossing Central America

Forecast models indicated a modest development signal over the Gulf late last week but, as we covered in Monday’s newsletter, our major models mostly backed off development chances last weekend, indicating a westward shift closer to Mexico where drier air and stronger shear would limit organization.

The disturbance itself can be traced to the spin associated Tropical Storm Cristina in the eastern Pacific that’ll be drifting slowly inland over Central America on Wednesday into Thursday, with its remnant spin crossing into the southern Gulf and Bay of Campeche by Friday.

It’s worth mentioning that in the off-chance a named storm develops over the southern Gulf, Cristina would have to maintain its designation as a tropical storm or tropical depression clear across Central America to keep its name in the Gulf, an extremely unlikely scenario given the mountainous terrain it’ll be crossing, which should sufficiently disrupt its circulation.

A named storm that develops from Cristina’s remnant spin would be christened Arthur, the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic basin hurricane season.

We’ve never had a storm move from the eastern Pacific into the Atlantic basin and keep its name, though it’s happened three times from Atlantic to Pacific (Otto 2016, Bonnie 2022, and Julia 2022) since the rule change was implemented in 2000.

Models mostly mum on development

While forecast models do show a very slight window for development Friday and Saturday in the Bay of Campeche, the odds are very low for anything more organized than a tropical depression or low-end tropical storm.

It’s also worth noting that Google’s DeepMind machine learned-based model – the star performer for tropical forecasts and genesis predictions last hurricane season – is especially bearish on development with this one.

That said, the Bay of Campeche is notorious for spinning up quick systems due to its unique curvature (something we’ve written about often in past years), and disturbances have a tendency to overperform in this part of the world, something NHC forecasters know well and take into consideration.

Regardless of development, the upshot is soupy tropical air spreading over parts of eastern Mexico and South Texas, where it could enhance heavy rainfall – primarily over northeastern Mexico directly – for late weekend into early next week.

The surge of tropical air into the Deep South may also aggravate the heavy rainfall threat across parts of North Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas to start next week.

El informe, que puede leerse al final de esta nota, también confirma que Miami-Dade canceló su contrato con Phoenix Motor, la empresa que asumió el negocio de autobuses de tránsito de Proterra tras la bancarrota del fabricante, después de que funcionarios del condado concluyeran que Phoenix no cumplió con las obligaciones de garantía y servicio.

El informe fue preparado en respuesta a una resolución impulsada por los comisionados Roberto González y Natalie Milian Orbis, quienes solicitaron información sobre la flota de vehículos eléctricos del condado tras las interrogantes planteadas por las investigaciones de Local 10 News.

Como informó primero Local 10 News, Miami-Dade gastó aproximadamente $61.8 millones USD en 69 autobuses eléctricos Proterra y en la infraestructura de carga relacionada. De esa cantidad, aproximadamente $19.9 millones USD provinieron de subvenciones federales, $4.4 millones USD de subvenciones estatales y $37.5 millones USD de ingresos provenientes del recargo local.

Los autobuses fueron adquiridos como parte del esfuerzo del condado por hacer la transición hacia un transporte público más limpio. Sin embargo, los problemas de confiabilidad, las averías repetidas y las dificultades para obtener piezas de reemplazo dejaron fuera de servicio gran parte de la flota.

Local 10 News encontró aproximadamente 60 de los autobuses fuera de servicio en lo que trabajadores del transporte describieron como un cementerio de autobuses eléctricos en la Base de Reserva Aérea de Homestead.

Según el informe, el Departamento de Transporte y Obras Públicas de Miami-Dade solicitó a la Administración Federal de Tránsito una exención de los requisitos de vida útil que permitiría al condado reemplazar los autobuses antes de que alcancen la vida útil federal obligatoria de 12 años sin tener que reembolsar los fondos federales asociados a los vehículos.

La revelación se produce mientras los funcionarios del condado continúan buscando formas de rescatar al menos parte de la flota.

En una declaración proporcionada a Local 10 News, el director de Comunicaciones de Miami-Dade, Carlos Suárez, dijo que el condado pasó más de un año intentando que Phoenix Motor cumpliera con los compromisos de garantía y servicio tras adquirir los activos de Proterra mediante el proceso de bancarrota.

“Después de la bancarrota de Proterra y la asignación del contrato a Phoenix Motor, el condado pasó más de un año trabajando con Phoenix para que cumpliera con sus compromisos de garantía y servicio”, dijo Suárez. “A pesar de las repetidas conversaciones y oportunidades para abordar los problemas, Phoenix no tomó las medidas correctivas necesarias. Como resultado, el condado canceló el contrato en abril de 2026”.

Suárez dijo que el condado continúa buscando recursos contractuales y legales mientras intenta reducir las pérdidas financieras y restablecer el servicio.

“El condado continúa ejerciendo todos los recursos contractuales y legales disponibles para recuperar daños”, afirmó Suárez.

Según Suárez, los funcionarios de transporte están evaluando si los componentes de los autobuses fuera de servicio pueden utilizarse para devolver algunas unidades a operación, trabajando para obtener acceso al software propietario y a piezas de reemplazo, y coordinando con la Administración Federal de Tránsito respecto a las opciones futuras para la flota.

El informe recién divulgado ofrece el recuento más detallado hasta ahora de los esfuerzos del condado para abordar los problemas de estos autobuses.

Aunque los funcionarios de Miami-Dade continúan explorando formas de devolver algunos autobuses a las carreteras, el informe deja claro que el condado también se está preparando para la posibilidad de que finalmente sea necesario reemplazarlos.

El informe señala que los autobuses Proterra fueron desplegados en más de 135 agencias de transporte en Estados Unidos y Canadá, y que muchas han enfrentado desafíos similares tras la bancarrota de la empresa.

Local 10 News informó que Broward County Transit también ha solicitado alivio a la Administración Federal de Tránsito mientras enfrenta problemas con su propia flota de autobuses Proterra. Funcionarios de Broward dijeron a Local 10 News que han solicitado el perdón de los requisitos federales de reembolso y buscan aprobación para deshacerse de sus autobuses.

La alcaldesa de Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, dijo recientemente a Local 10 News que mantiene la esperanza de que algunos de los autobuses puedan volver a operar mediante trabajos de modernización.

“Todavía tenemos la esperanza de poder ponerlos nuevamente en servicio”, dijo Levine Cava. “Personalmente he hablado con otras empresas sobre formas de modernizarlos para poder sacar estos autobuses adelante. No he perdido la esperanza de que podamos ponerlos en funcionamiento”.

Por ahora, el futuro de la flota Proterra de Miami-Dade sigue siendo incierto.

Funcionarios del condado afirman que continúan explorando opciones para devolver algunos autobuses al servicio mientras, al mismo tiempo, buscan aprobación federal que les permita reemplazar los vehículos antes del final de su vida útil prevista.

LEA EL INFORME:

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The report, which can be read at the bottom of this story, also confirms that Miami-Dade terminated its contract with Phoenix Motor, the company that took over Proterra’s transit bus business following the manufacturer’s bankruptcy, after county officials concluded Phoenix failed to meet warranty and service obligations.

The report was prepared in response to a resolution sponsored by Commissioners Roberto Gonzalez and Natalie Milian Orbis seeking information about the county’s electric vehicle fleet following questions raised by Local 10 News investigations.

As Local 10 News first reported, Miami-Dade spent approximately $61.8 million on 69 Proterra electric buses and related charging infrastructure. Of that amount, approximately $19.9 million came from federal grants, $4.4 million came from state grants and $37.5 million came from local surtax revenue.

The buses were purchased as part of the county’s effort to transition to cleaner public transportation. Instead, reliability problems, repeated breakdowns and difficulties obtaining replacement parts sidelined much of the fleet.

Local 10 News found approximately 60 of the buses sitting out of service at what transit workers described as an electric bus graveyard at Homestead Air Reserve Base.

According to the report, the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works has petitioned the Federal Transit Administration for a waiver of useful life requirements that would allow the county to replace the buses before they reach the federally required 12-year useful life without having to repay federal funding associated with the vehicles.

The disclosure comes as county officials continue searching for ways to salvage at least some of the fleet.

In a statement provided to Local 10 News, Miami-Dade Communications Director Carlos Suarez said the county spent more than a year attempting to get Phoenix Motor to honor warranty and service commitments after acquiring Proterra’s assets through bankruptcy proceedings.

“After Proterra’s bankruptcy and the assignment of the contract to Phoenix Motor, the county spent more than a year working with Phoenix to honor its warranty and service commitments,” Suarez said. “Despite repeated discussion and opportunities to address the issues, Phoenix failed to take necessary corrective actions. As a result, the county terminated the contract in April 2026.”

Suarez said the county continues to pursue contractual and legal remedies while looking for ways to reduce financial losses and restore service.

“The county continues to pursue all available contractual and legal remedies to recover damages,” Suarez said.

According to Suarez, transit officials are evaluating whether components from out-of-service buses can be used to return some vehicles to operation, working to secure access to proprietary software and replacement parts and coordinating with the Federal Transit Administration regarding future options for the fleet.

The newly released report provides the most detailed accounting yet of the county’s efforts to address the troubled buses.

While Miami-Dade officials continue exploring ways to get some buses back on the road, the report makes clear the county is simultaneously preparing for the possibility that replacement may ultimately be necessary.

The report notes that Proterra buses were deployed to more than 135 transit agencies across the United States and Canada and that many have experienced similar challenges following the company’s bankruptcy.

Local 10 News reported that Broward County Transit has also sought relief from the Federal Transit Administration as it deals with its own troubled Proterra fleet. Broward officials told Local 10 News they have applied for forgiveness from federal repayment requirements and are seeking approval to dispose of their buses.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recently told Local 10 News that she remains hopeful some of the buses can be returned to service through retrofit efforts.

“We are still hopeful we can still put them into service,” Levine Cava said. “I personally have spoken to other companies about ways to retrofit so we can move these buses forward. I haven’t given up hope that we can put them into operation.”

For now, the future of Miami-Dade’s Proterra fleet remains uncertain.

County officials say they are continuing to explore options to return some buses to service while simultaneously seeking federal approval that could allow them to replace the vehicles before the end of their expected service life.

READ THE REPORT:

These graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor, becoming a sustaining snack for nearby critters. This one, located up to 23,000 feet (7 kilometers) below the surface of the southeastern Indian Ocean, spans the largest area and is so far the deepest and oldest found.

A whale's sheer size and the unique chemistry of its bones are the keys to forming these unique underwater neighborhoods, said Xikun Song, a biologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering.

“At the same time, the very nature of the deep ocean makes these sites exceptionally difficult for scientists to locate,” Song, who was involved with the latest find, wrote in an email.

Researchers explored the remains during multiple deep-sea submersible trips in 2023, collecting samples and mapping the extent of the necropolis. They found five carcass sites and fossils, including skulls belonging to beaked and baleen whales. The oldest bones date back 5.3 million years.

Feeding and living on the carcasses were myriad creatures, large and small, including sea cucumbers, squat lobsters and saltwater clams. Many of them are likely species that have never been documented, according to findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

“The potential number of specimens is just astounding,” said paleontologist Stephen Godfrey with the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland, who wasn't involved in the research.

Many factors likely conspired to preserve the bones for millions of years, according to the study authors. They’re dense enough to outlast attacks from bone-eating worms, and located deep enough in the ocean to avoid getting buried by dust and loose particles. The bones also were coated with a light layer of minerals from the surrounding seawater, which may have prevented them from degrading.

Why did so many whales die here? Maybe they were already living in the area and died of natural causes. A few could have perished from exhaustion or illness caused by deep-sea diving. The area's shape, akin to the letter V, could also have funneled the remains to their resting spot, the authors wrote.

Such discoveries are important because they clue scientists into the vibrant communities that find a way even in remote, hard-to-reach environments.

Studying the whale graveyards “is important for understanding how life can adapt to such extreme conditions, not only due to the lack of light and oxygen but also to the incredibly high pressure,” said study co-author and paleontologist Giovanni Bianucci with the University of Pisa in Italy in an email.

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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.

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory in China started collecting data in August with the goal of understanding neutrinos: tiny cosmic particles that date back to the Big Bang and whiz harmlessly through our bodies by the trillions every second. Yet they weigh almost nothing, making them difficult to sniff out.

In a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the JUNO team unveiled its initial findings from two months of data collection — including some of the most precise measurements to date of how neutrinos switch between three varieties, or flavors, as they zip through space.

“It really makes me look forward to more exciting results in the future,” said physicist Kate Scholberg with Duke University, who had no role in the new research.

The spherical JUNO detector is located 2,297 feet (700 meters) underground. It examines antineutrinos that come from collisions inside two nearby nuclear power plants. Antineutrinos are equally mysterious, opposite versions of neutrinos that scientists can study to understand their behavior and how neutrinos work.

When the antineutrinos meet particles within the detector, they produce a flash of light.

Scientists are hoping the detector will help resolve the longstanding mystery of how heavy each neutrino flavor is. They think two are similar in weight and that the third is an oddball, but they aren't sure whether two are heavy and the other is light or vice versa.

The initial results haven't answered that question just yet, but they show what the detector is capable of — and that it “will be able to test the finer ripples” that separate the neutrino flavors and their masses, said study co-author Liangjian Wen, a member of the JUNO collaboration.

Two similar neutrino detectors — Japan’s Hyper-Kamiokande and the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment based in the United States — are set to begin data collection within the next decade, cross-checking the China detector’s results using different approaches.

___

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.

El incendio ocurrió cerca de la cuadra 1300 de Southwest 10th Street, al oeste de Brickell, según funcionarios de Miami Fire Rescue.

Sky 10 sobrevoló la escena y captó a los bomberos combatiendo las llamas y el denso humo que salía de la estructura alrededor de las 10:15 a.m.

El teniente Pete Sanchez, portavoz de MFR, informó que las operaciones estaban en marcha en la “estructura desocupada”.

Sanchez indicó que no se han reportado personas heridas hasta el momento.

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

Ka Nye Taylor is wanted on 11 counts of felonious assault, the Toledo Police Department said Wednesday, four days after the shooting in a park filled with event tents, a music stage and food trucks.

Police on Wednesday released a photo of a second male suspect dressed in all black at the festival. Phone numbers for Taylor or his family members were not immediately available or found in online directories.

The shooting erupted after someone was tackled and assaulted at the festival, leading one person to open fire and a second to respond with more gunshots, Toledo Police Chief Michael Troendle said at a news conference Tuesday.

Three of the 12 people shot were involved in the altercation, authorities said, while the rest were bystanders. The wounded ranged in age from teenagers to one person in their 60s. All but three had been released from the hospital by Tuesday.

The police chief and other city officials praised officers and good Samaritans who quickly helped the victims.

“We saw strangers who were shocked and frightened by the violence they just saw, they jumped into action,” said Chief of Fire and Rescue Allison Armstrong. “They helped others by placing tourniquets, dressing wounds, applying pressure and comforting those victims until additional help could arrive.”

Half the victims arrived at hospitals with tourniquets applied by either police or bystanders, Armstrong said.

Hundreds of people were at the Old West End Festival, an annual two-day celebration in Toledo’s historic district that covers several city blocks and features live music, vendors and home tours. Toledo is located in northwest Ohio near the western edge of Lake Erie, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of Detroit.

The remainder of the festival was canceled Sunday. Organizers said it would not have been "compassionate, responsible or possible” to continue through he weekend.

___

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire.

If the New York Knicks do it Wednesday night, they will be on the doorstep of a championship.

The Knicks can take a 3-1 lead over the San Antonio Spurs, who hope the long arms of 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama already have started swinging the series in their favor.

The Spurs won Game 3 on Monday powered by Wembanyama's 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots. That was the third straight victory by the road team in the series, only the second time that has happened in the NBA Finals.

The other was the series between Chicago and Phoenix in 1993. Michael Jordan eventually put a stop to that by scoring 55 points in Game 4 to lead the eventual champion Bulls to the victory on their home floor.

Time will tell if Wembanyama can reach Jordan's level, but he's now proved he can deliver just the same in big games in New York. He angered the Knicks and their fans with a shot to Jalen Brunson's head during the game. The NBA decided not to later assess Wembanyama a flagrant foul, and the 22-year-old figures to hear even louder boos as a new villain at Madison Square Garden.

“If you get hit, you hit back. That’s life. If life hits you, you need to figure out a way to get on your feet and hit it back,” teammate De'Aaron Fox said. "Every time he rolls, he gets tagged, he gets hit. If he’s trying to go set a screen, box out, whatever it may be, he’s getting grabbed, he’s getting held. It would be crazy for him to think he’s going to get open by not hitting somebody.

“But that’s basketball. It’s going to be physical. No one expects anyone to come out here and not have bumps and bruises or injuries or all these things. I don’t think it’s trying to be a villain.”

Game 5 is Saturday in San Antonio, and if the road success continues Wednesday, the series would return to New York for Game 6 on Tuesday.

The Knicks, seeking their first championship since 1973, will be trying to bounce back after the Spurs snapped their 13-game winning streak on Monday.

“The Spurs have done a great job starting in the game, dictating the pace and dictating how the game is going,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We have to try to be the first ones to throw the first punch.”

___

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

The Federal Aviation Administration will be working with the FBI and other agencies “to detect, track, and assess any unauthorized drone activity” on June 15, 21, 24, 27, and on July 3, 11, and 18.

The FBI plans to seize drones and make arrests. The FAA warned that “operating a drone inside a restricted World Cup No Drone Zone carries severe consequences.”

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The incident occurred aboard the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas on Sunday, May 31.

According to deputies, Matthew Stilwell of Pawnee, Illinois attempted to photograph the 13-year-old victim under her dress while the two were in one of the ship’s gift shops.

The girl noticed what Stilwell was doing and ran to her mother to report the incident, deputies said.

Stilwell’s arrest form indicated that he and the victim were known to each other prior to the incident.

Authorities said the victim told them that while she was browsing jewelry, Stilwell was “standing unusually close behind her with the camera application open on his cellphone,” according to an arrest form.

This happened three times before the victim ran away to report the incident, deputies said.

When the ship returned to Port Everglades on Sunday, June 7, deputies boarded and were presented with surveillance video corroborating the girl’s story.

Deputies then spoke to Stilwell, but his alleged confession was redacted from his arrest form.

As of Tuesday evening, he was being held behind bars at the Paul Rein Detention Facility on a $22,500 bond.

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NASA announced on Tuesday that the Miami Sunset Senior High School graduate, who went on to become a NASA astronaut and U.S. Army Colonel, had been selected for the Artemis III mission.

Rubio, 50, turned his acceptance speech into a gratitude list that included his wife, his four kids, family, friends, “NASA community,” engineers, flight controllers, directors, peers, and support staff.

“What an incredible blessing and an honor it is to be standing here representing all of you,” Rubio said.

Jared Isaacman, the 15th administrator of NASA, introduced Rubio as an “Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot, family medicine physician, and record-setting astronaut mission specialist.”

Rubio and his fellow crew members — Randy Bresnik, the NASA commander, Andre Douglas, NASA mission specialist, and the European Space Agency’s Luca Parmitano — are preparing for a 2027 spaceflight around Earth ahead of the 2028 lunar landing.

Before joining the Johnson Space Center’s 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class, Rubio served in the Army as an aviator and a physician for over 28 years, and he was a West Point “Black Knights” parachute team member.

Rubio graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1998 and earned his doctorate of medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2010.

Rubio’s deployments included Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and he was a battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion of the 10th Special Forces Group in the U.S. Army when NASA selected him.

His long list of awards includes the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and Space Exploration Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Medal.

Another Artemis III astronaut, Andre Douglas, was born in Miami but raised in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Related story: NASA unveils Artemis III astronauts to test technology for a future moon landing

Related social media posts

.@USArmy Black Hawk helicopter pilot, family medicine physician, and record-setting astronaut Frank Rubio is joining Artemis III as a mission specialist. pic.twitter.com/3Uoz1ZbZG4

— NASA (@NASA) June 9, 2026

“What an incredible blessing and an honor it is to be standing here representing all of you.”

Artemis III mission specialist Frank Rubio takes a moment to thank his family and colleagues for their support. pic.twitter.com/zHqW5ipx9m

— NASA (@NASA) June 9, 2026

El incidente ocurrió a bordo del crucero Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas el domingo 31 de mayo.

Según los agentes, Matthew Stilwell, de Pawnee, Illinois, intentó fotografiar por debajo del vestido de una menor de 13 años mientras ambos se encontraban en una de las tiendas de regalos del barco.

Los agentes informaron que la niña notó lo que Stilwell estaba haciendo y corrió hacia su madre para reportar el incidente.

El informe de arresto de Stilwell indica que él y la víctima se conocían antes del incidente.

Las autoridades informaron que la víctima les dijo que mientras observaba joyas, Stilwell estaba “parado inusualmente cerca detrás de ella con la aplicación de cámara abierta en su teléfono celular”, según el informe de arresto.

Esto ocurrió tres veces antes de que la menor se alejara para reportar el incidente, dijeron los agentes.

Cuando el barco regresó a Port Everglades el domingo 7 de junio, los agentes abordaron la embarcación y recibieron videos de vigilancia que corroboraban el relato de la menor.

Posteriormente, los agentes entrevistaron a Stilwell, pero su presunta confesión fue censurada en el informe de arresto.

Hasta la noche del martes, permanecía detenido en el Centro de Detención Paul Rein con una fianza de $22,500 USD.

Agentes del Departamento de Policía de Miami informaron que acudieron alrededor de las 10 p.m. a la intersección de Northwest 46th Street y Northwest 11th Avenue, donde un Infiniti negro y un Nissan negro estuvieron involucrados en una colisión.

Indicaron que el conductor del Nissan se estrelló contra una cerca y los escalones de una vivienda cercana después de chocar con el Infiniti.

Según la policía, un hombre que sufrió una lesión en la cabeza fue trasladado al Hospital Jackson Memorial para recibir tratamiento. Las autoridades no especificaron de inmediato cuál de los conductores fue hospitalizado.

No se dio a conocer de inmediato información sobre su edad o condición.

La causa del accidente continúa bajo investigación.

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Officers with the Miami Police Department said they responded around 10 p.m. to Northwest 46th Street and Northwest 11th Avenue, where a black Infiniti and a black Nissan were involved in a collision.

They said the Nissan driver crashed into a fence and the steps of a nearby home after colliding with the Infiniti.

A man who suffered a head injury was transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment, according to police. Authorities did not immediately specify which driver was hospitalized.

Information on his age or condition wasn’t immediately available.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

The term is used as a catchall for soft rock released in the mid-to-late ‘70s and early ’80s. Think classics like Player’s “Baby Come Back” and Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us.”

Even Urban is surprised by his pivot. Few saw it coming. “I didn't either, no,” he laughed.

How Urban channeled the ‘Flow State’

It began with the recording. Urban purchased and restored the former Tracking Room studio in Nashville, renaming it The Sound. To break in the space, he hired a few session musicians. “I suggested that we do a yacht rock song just because I’ve always loved that loosely defined genre, and the songs are great and the arrangements are bulletproof,” he said.

Urban, producer Dann Huff and the band recorded two songs in one day. They were on fire, so a few more sessions were booked. And then a few more. “I thought, well, maybe this will be an EP, something that’s in between albums,” he said. It kept growing, eventually revealing itself to be a full-length release. “It really took on a life of its own.”

Urban says he and his crew were playing and recording purely for the joy of it. He says yacht rock is the “perfect genre for that spirit” — one defined by a kind of ease of presence.

But for his first album with covers, Urban wasn't interested in corrupting the classics or attempting to perfectly replicate them. “Flow State” exists somewhere in the middle, with his sonic signatures intact. Extended outros were a natural place for experimentation. Take, for example, “Summer Breeze.” After recording the track, Urban and engineer Mark Dobson decided to extend the end with keyboard and acoustic guitar. “We assembled it after the fact, and it became this other piece,” he said. “Those moments kept presenting themselves, of where we could make it our own while still honoring the original.”

It's prevalent throughout the album, including on the record's collaborations: Little Big Town on Walter Egan’s “Magnet and Steel” and John Mayer on Bread’s “The Guitar Man.”

Urban and Michael McDonald team up for ‘We Go Back’

The sole original track on “Flow State” is “We Go Back,” a nostalgic tune about a couple who separate and meet up later in life. Urban wrote it with BRELAND, Sam Sumser and Sean Small in 2020. “I said to the guys, ‘Oh my God, if we’re going to write a yacht rock song, imagine Mike McDonald singing in the chorus,” he recalled.

Fast forward to 2026, when the yacht rock covers album materialized, and Urban’s manager suggested he work with Kenny Loggins or McDonald for it. They sent McDonald “We Go Back” and the rest is history.

“Luckily, he loved it,” he said. “But man, six years later to actually have him on this song when we just imagined him singing it all those years ago was just crazy. It was so surreal.”

Especially since Urban wasn't thinking about writing originals for the album in the first place — the pieces simply fell into place.

A balm in a tumultuous time for the world and post-divorce

Urban describes the songs he chose to cover on “Flow State” as feeling as good to sing now as they did when they were initial release.

“The music was almost an antidote to the stresses of the times. And I think the reason it hits now is for the exact same reason it did back then, which is — there’s just so much divisiveness,” he explained. The songs give audiences in 2026 the opportunity to escape and to revel in the joyfulness of the music.

They are a balm for listeners and for Urban.

In January, actor Nicole Kidman and Urban were officially divorced after 19 years of marriage. The documents stated that the couple has undergone “marital difficulties and irreconcilable differences.”

Urban describes “Flow State” as “an unexpected group of songs and a very unexpected record to find me when it found me, because it was very much a 180 of what was going on at the time.”

“The record’s called ‘Flow State’ for a really good reason,” he continued. “It really was about just constant movement. And yeah, it was a challenging record to make at the same time, for something that kind of sounds so effortless. It was quite a juxtaposition at the time. But I’m really grateful for the way that the record turned out and obviously I’m very, very protective of my family and I’ve remained that way the whole time.”

As for “Flow State,” he says there's real beauty in the idea that a yacht rock song can connect people to one another. “One theme, one feeling, one emotion that just lets us all exhale for a minute — and look up and see a blue sky — just for three minutes and 30 seconds, is so needed,” he said.

That, everyone can agree on.

Según la policía de Miami Gardens, el intento de robo y la balacera fueron reportados alrededor de la 1:35 a.m. en el área de Northwest 173rd Street y la 36th Avenue.

La policía indicó que un residente de la vivienda abrió la puerta principal al presunto ladrón y ambos se involucraron en un altercado físico.

La novia del residente luego corrió a buscar ayuda de los vecinos, dijeron las autoridades.

Uno de los vecinos escuchó entonces detonaciones, que según la policía provinieron del arma del presunto ladrón.

Ese vecino se dirigió al lugar donde ocurría la pelea y le disparó al sospechoso en la cabeza, informó la policía.

Funcionarios de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladaron al sospechoso al HCA Florida Aventura Hospital, donde posteriormente murió.

“Cuarenta y cinco años en esta cuadra, y nunca habíamos visto una escena del crimen ni nada parecido aquí”, dijo la vecina Katara Bloom.

Mientras la policía afirma que ya no existe una amenaza para esta comunidad, los vecinos aseguran que seguirán unidos.

“Este no es un mal vecindario, es un vecindario bastante bueno”, dijo Bloom. “Realmente nadie tiene problemas. Somos como una familia en esta comunidad; cada uno de nosotros se conoce”.

No está claro si la persona que vive en la vivienda fue atacada al azar, ya que la policía indicó que el motivo aún no está claro.

La investigación continúa en curso.

Los abogados no pudieron concluir sus alegatos iniciales el lunes, ya que el hombre de 55 años rompió en llanto repetidamente en la sala, lo que provocó un receso por el resto del día.

Pino enfrenta cargos por la muerte de Lucy Fernández, de 17 años, tras un accidente de bote ocurrido durante el fin de semana del Día del Trabajo de 2022.

Las autoridades indicaron que Pino, entonces de 52 años, estaba al mando de una embarcación Robalo de 29 pies durante las primeras horas de la noche del 4 de septiembre de 2022 cuando perdió el control y chocó contra una baliza de canal cerca de Boca Chita Key, causando la muerte de Fernández. Otras dos jóvenes resultaron gravemente heridas, incluida Katerina Puig, de 17 años.

La selección del jurado concluyó el viernes, luego de que los posibles jurados fueran interrogados sobre sus trabajos, experiencias de vida, posibles prejuicios y lo que sabían sobre el caso.

La jueza de Miami-Dade Marisa Tinkler Méndez rechazó las solicitudes para aplazar el juicio.

La fiscal Laura Adams pudo completar su alegato inicial mientras Pino se mostraba visiblemente afectado en la corte.

“Después de causar la muerte de Lucy, este acusado evitó asumir responsabilidad al contarle a la policía una versión inventada de cómo ocurrió este accidente de navegación, y mantuvo esa falsedad mucho tiempo después del día de esta tragedia”, dijo a los jurados. “La evidencia en este caso, señoras y señores, les mostrará que esto no fue un simple accidente ni un error momentáneo de juicio. La evidencia demostrará que Lucy murió porque el acusado no cumplió con las obligaciones más básicas que exigen las reglas de navegación”.

Sin embargo, durante el alegato inicial del abogado defensor Howard Srebnick, el visible colapso emocional de Pino llegó a un punto en que Adams solicitó una suspensión, argumentando que su comportamiento era “inapropiado” para que el jurado lo presenciara.

“El señor Pino va a tener que ser capaz de controlarse”, dijo Tinkler Méndez, quien más tarde añadió que “no es apropiado en absoluto que el jurado esté presenciando estos comportamientos emocionales”.

Srebnick había logrado presentar una parte de su alegato inicial. Argumentó que el accidente fue simplemente una tragedia.

“El estado admite que esta no era la intención de George”, dijo Srebnick. “No tenía la intención de chocar contra una baliza. No tenía la intención de que nadie resultara herido. Su propia hija, su propia esposa y él mismo estaban en ese bote. La señora Pino testificará que George, su esposo, no estaba bajo los efectos de ninguna sustancia. Ella no habría puesto en riesgo su propia vida”.

Tras el receso, equipos de Miami Fire Rescue evaluaron a Pino y finalmente el proceso fue aplazado hasta el martes.

El martes, los miembros del jurado escucharon a múltiples testigos, incluido el padre de la víctima, Andy Fernandez, quien describió haber abrazado a su hija por última vez antes de lo que calificó como una “hermosa tarde” que terminó en tragedia.

Los fiscales alegan que Pino, un desarrollador inmobiliario del sur de Florida, operaba una embarcación de 29 pies cuando chocó contra una baliza de canal cerca de Boca Chita Key durante el fin de semana del Día del Trabajo de 2022, causando la muerte de Lucy Fernandez, de 17 años, y dejando gravemente heridos a otros dos adolescentes.

Los testimonios también incluyeron a un pasajero de la embarcación, quien describió cómo la nave se volcó y el caótico desenlace en el agua, así como a un abogado civil que hizo referencia a declaraciones previas relacionadas con la investigación del accidente.

Los miembros del jurado fueron enviados a casa la tarde del martes y tenían previsto regresar la mañana del miércoles.

Issues around “racial profiling, surveillance and immigration enforcement” were cited by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk even before the 48-nation, 39-day tournament starts Thursday.

Iran’s team was moved from a training camp in Arizona to Mexico, some Iranian officials were denied U.S. entry visas, Africa’s top referee from Somalia was refused entry in Miami and images circulated of a Senegal player being frisked by a security guard on airport tarmac.

“We have seen some of the scenes,” Türk told reporters at a briefing at the U.N.’s human rights agency headquarters.

“I hope that the issues around racial profiling, around surveillance, around immigration enforcement are not going to affect this World Cup in the way that they have already done,” the Austrian lawyer said.

The U.S. is hosting most of the 104 games in a shared project with Canada and Mexico, though it is only the policies of federal agencies under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that have drawn criticism.

“I really hope that there is a massive rethink of how immigration enforcement is respecting human rights and human dignity,” Türk said, “and that especially for the World Cup there is a rethink of the policies that we are unfortunately seeing prevailing especially in the U.S. at the moment.”

Türk said global sports should be “where the world comes together in unity and in peace.”

“It is clear that the environment in which mega sport events including the World Cup take place need to provide a dignified and safe environment, for the teams that compete but also for the supporters, for the whole society and frankly for the world,” he said.

Fans from countries like Morocco and Scotland, who spent thousands of dollars on flights, hotels and tickets for the most expensive World Cup ever, have reported having their travel documents denied or revoked just days before they were due to travel.

FIFA’s bidding rules in 2017 for nations wanting to host this World Cup stated visa processing “must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner,” with the caveat it must not “adversely affect the national immigration and security standards.”

US links referee to terror groups

In the case of Somali referee Omar Artan, a U.S. official said he was refused admission due to “association with suspected members of terror organizations,” though without specifying details or providing proof.

FIFA was unable to protect the referee it picked for World Cup duty despite its president Gianni Infantino building closer ties to Trump and administration officials in the past 18 months.

FIFA also has aligned itself with UN guiding principles on business and human rights that it pledged should be respected at its tournaments.

Türk highlighted a wider point about the treatment of people worldwide moving between different nations.

“I also hope that the dehumanization of the other, the dehumanization of migrants, the dehumanization of refugees and asylum seekers is put to an end,” he said. “Nobody benefits from divisive and polarizing narratives.”

___ AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Simon & Schuster announced Wednesday that “Unreliable Boyfriend,” by former Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, comes out Oct. 13.

“This is a book about power, democracy, and the choices countries make when the old rules no longer seem to apply,” Freeland said in a statement released by the publisher. “As a Canadian negotiating with the United States during years of extraordinary political turbulence, I had a front-row seat to historic change. I wanted to tell the story of what I saw — and what it means for the future.”

An expert on Russia and Ukraine with degrees from Harvard University and the University of Oxford, Freeland was already an author and journalist before turning to politics. After the 2015 elections, she was appointed minister of international trade by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and went on to serve in a variety of posts over the following decade.

In 2017, during Trump's first term, she was targeted by the president as the countries worked on what became the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. “We’re very unhappy with the negotiations and the negotiating style of Canada. We don’t like their representative very much,” Trump said at the time.

In 2024-25, as Trump threatened tariffs on Canadian imports and suggested that Canada was better off as the 51st state of the United States, she called him an “existential threat” to the country's future. Trump has called her “totally toxic” and a “terrible person.”

Freeland broke with Trudeau and helped force his departure when she resigned from his cabinet in 2024 amid disagreements over how to respond to Trump. She has since served in Prime Minister Mark Carney's cabinet and as a special envoy to Ukraine. In July, she will become Warden of Rhodes House and CEO of the Rhodes Trust in Oxford, overseeing the venerable scholarship program. She herself was a Rhodes scholar in 1993.

Earlier Wednesday Trump said that Iran is taking “too long to negotiate a deal” and that “now they will have to pay the price.” What that means for Tehran wasn't clear. His social media post came after U.S. airstrikes following an Iranian drone's downing of an American attack helicopter. Iran fired back at countries in the region.

Graham Platner has secured Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination, setting up a high-stakes battle against longtime incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race that could determine party control of the U.S. Senate. In South Carolina and Nevada, where Trump endorsed his favored candidates, his clout within his party was tested.

The Latest:

US military disables merchant vessel trying to transport oil from Iran

The U.S. military disabled an eighth merchant vessel in the waters off Iran on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command announced in a social media post on Wednesday.

According to U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces disabled Palau-flagged M/T Settebello, which they say was trying to transport oil from Iran, after their crew failed to comply with their directions. “A U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room,” the statement said.

In a black-and-white video accompanying the statement, a small object can be seen slamming into the back of the ship before a large explosion erupts. Afterwards, the video zooms out, and the ship is seen floating, but with smoke billowing from the back.

Trump seems to suggest the US is ferrying oil out of the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. president seemed to say that “millions of barrels of oil” have been secreted past Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz, helping to ease energy price pressures.

“Do you know, we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil?” Trump said. “Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran. Until right now. We took out the other night, 22 ships late at night with no lights, because they don’t have any radar, because we blasted the crap out of it.”

The president said that U.S. forces have been removing millions of barrels of oil on a nightly basis, and he had previously “wanted to say it so badly.”

Inflation just climbed to 4.2% annually, and Trump calls those numbers ‘great’

As affordability concerns hurt his popularity, the U.S. president declared that he loves the figures in the latest consumer price index report, which showed inflation hitting 4.2%, the highest level since April 2023.

“I love it,” Trump said without irony. “The numbers were great.”

The president said that he thought the numbers were good because he believes that they’ve been driven by higher energy costs tied to the Iran war, suggesting that inflation would ease “as soon as this war is over.”

Inflation has worsened under Trump’s watch, initially because of last year’s tariffs and now because of a conflict that has blocked oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump piles on about Platner, saying ‘he’s just an outright pig’

The president continued his sharp criticism of Platner in subsequent comments, saying, “He’s like a pig.”

“I watched him a couple of times,” the president said. “He’s like a pig. That’s what he reminds me of.”

Trump added, “You know, I come up with good names for people. I don’t want to stick him with that one, although I think pigs would be very upset,” drawing laughter from Republican lawmakers in the Oval Office with him.

Trump has used “pig” or variations of it as insults before against reporters and political opponents.

Trump signs $70 billion immigration enforcement bill

Trump has signed a bill into law that gives his immigration and deportation agenda a nearly $70 billion boost for the rest of his time in the White House.

The bill provides $38 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion for the Border Patrol. An additional $5 billion would cover unforeseen costs, according to the White House.

Trump signed the legislation in the Oval Office on Wednesday, a day after House Republicans pushed the measure through by a 214-212 vote over the objections of Democrats. His signature ended a nearly six-month fight over Department of Homeland Security funding that began with the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

Trump says he doesn’t want to renew trade pact with Canada and Mexico

The U.S. president told reporters that he’s “not looking to renew” the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal that, without a commitment by July 1, would face annual reviews of its status and possibly expire in 2036.

“I’m not looking to renew it,” Trump said, even though he originally negotiated the pact to replace an earlier trade deal for North America.

Trump said that the earlier agreement was worse than the USMCA. Still, he was displeased with the results.

“You know, with Mexico and Canada, we have trade deficits,” Trump said. “We should have surpluses with them. We don’t need their cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything that they have.”

Trump says Maine’s Collins is ‘not my best friend,’ but he’s backing her

Trump said that Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has his backing in her reelection campaign this year, even though she voted in 2021 to convict him of impeachment for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

After repeatedly insulting Collins’ Democratic opponent, Graham Platner, Trump said he was backing Collins “because she’s a sane woman.”

“She’s not my best friend at all,” the president added.

Trump said that Collins has “maybe a little different ideology than me,” but she’s “a respected person” and a better choice than Platner.

Iran says the US bombed two of its water reservoirs

Water supply to thousands of residents have been cut off on Wednesday after two reservoirs in the city of Sirik were damaged by a U.S. strike, according to Hashem Amini, the head of the state-owned National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company, and the head of the local water company.

Iran’s state media published a video of what it said was a damaged water reservoir in southern Iran. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the footage or the claims.

U.S. Central Command had no immediate comment. Central Command said earlier Wednesday that it had “struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.” Sirik is at the eastern end of the strait.

Trump announces more strikes against Iran

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the U.S. would be striking Iran again on Wednesday after a helicopter collision with an Iranian drone.

“We’re going to hit them again hard today,” Trump said. He wouldn’t say if he planned to follow through on threats he made earlier in the war to attack bridges and utility plants in Iran.

He urged Iran to sign a deal with the U.S., saying “we were really close to a deal but they keep tapping us along.”

Trump says of Platner: ‘He’s worse than any human being that’s run for office probably’

The president spoke at length about Democrat Graham Platner, who clinched Maine’s Democratic Senate nomination on Tuesday.

Trump said Platner “is a thug. He’s a cheap, no-good person.” He also called him “fake” and “phony.”

The president mentioned the numerous accusations against Platner and wondered what would happen if Republicans had a candidate like that.

Trump himself has faced numerous accusations about his past treatment of women, including being found liable for sexual abuse. The president also has endorsed Senate hopeful Ken Paxton, a Texas Republican with a checkered public past.

Trump also, unprompted, mentioned Jeffrey Epstein, faulting Democrats for fixating on Epstein while still backing Platner.

Trump to sign immigration funding bill

Reporters were allowed into the Oval Office shortly before 11:20 a.m. to accompany Trump for his signing of a bill to fund immigration agencies through the end of his presidency.

Several Republican lawmakers are in attendance, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. A frequent Trump nemesis, he chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is one of the panels with jurisdiction over immigration.

“Boy oh boy, it’s nice to have Rand,” Trump remarked Wednesday as he kicked off the event.

Trump asks Congress for short-term FISA extension

As reauthorization of a critical national security law remains snarled in Congress, the president is asking lawmakers to send him a short-term extension to avoid a lapse in surveillance authorities.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act expires this Friday. Democrats are now balking at an extension because of the president’s surprise appointment of Bill Pulte as his director of national intelligence.

Pulte has no apparent background in national security and is seen primarily as a Trump loyalist. Yet Trump has not backed down from temporarily appointing Pulte.

“FISA 702 is very important to our Military, and keeping the American People safe, especially during the World Cup and America250 Celebrations,” Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday. A short-term extension will “provide time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent Head of the Agency,” he wrote.

Hegseth says US military is prepared as he visits American sailors at base on Cuba

Speaking to sailors at a U.S. Navy base in Cuba Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said American forces will be prepared to do whatever the president decides regarding the island nation that Trump has repeatedly threatened with military intervention.

Hegseth said the Pentagon will be “postured for any possible contingency” as the Trump administration pressures Cuba’s leadership to stand down with an oil blockade, charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro and repeated threats of force.

The U.S. has maintained a Navy base on the island despite diminished relations with Cuba following its revolution in the 1950s. Cuban leaders recently told The Associated Press that the Trump administration’s pressure campaign is “pretext” for trying to persuade the American people to support a military intervention.

US households and businesses stung by higher energy prices

Prices have now risen faster than wages for several months, pressuring many Americans’ finances and causing consumers to take a decidedly dim view of the economy. Families are dipping into savings and falling behind on their credit card bills. Large retailers have noticed changes in customer behavior, like buying smaller amounts of gas at the pump.

Inflation is now well above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, and economists note that child care and many other services are still rising much more quickly.

New Fed chair Kevin Warsh will preside over his first policy meeting next week. The central bank is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged but will likely remove a suggestion that its next move could be to lower rates. With inflation proving stubborn, financial markets expect it could instead raise rates by the end of the year. That could make mortgages, auto loans, and business borrowing even more expensive.

David Flippo wins Nevada GOP congressional primary with Trump’s backing

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. David Flippo has won the Republican primary in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District after securing Trump’s endorsement in the closing weeks of the campaign.

Democrats had hoped for a Flippo victory, thinking it would make it easier for former majority floor leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson to win over less-partisan voters in November.

Tuesday’s primary also set the general election contest for governor, with state Attorney General Aaron Ford defeating a progressive candidate and moving on to face Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo. Ford would be Nevada’s first Black governor if elected.

UN human rights chief urges ‘rethink’ of US immigration policy ahead of World Cup

Issues around “racial profiling, surveillance and immigration enforcement” were cited by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk even before the 48-nation, 39-day tournament starts Thursday.

Iran’s team was moved to a training camp in Mexico, some Iranian officials were denied U.S. entry visas, Africa’s top referee from Somalia was refused entry in Miami and images circulated of a Senegal player being frisked on an airport tarmac. Fans who spent thousands of dollars on flights, hotels and tickets for the most expensive World Cup ever have had their travel documents denied or revoked.

“I really hope that there is a massive rethink of how immigration enforcement is respecting human rights and human dignity,” Türk told reporters. He called for a “dignified and safe environment, for the teams that compete but also for the supporters, for the whole society and frankly for the world.”

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22 nations call on Iran to stop targeting people in other countries

The U.S., Britain and 20 other nations said Iranian security groups must stop plotting to kill, kidnap and harass people in Europe, North America and Australia.

Britain’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said Wednesday that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Intelligence Organization, Quds Force and Ministry of Intelligence and Security have targeted Iranian dissidents, journalists and Jewish and Israeli communities and interests. The countries also condemned attacks claimed by a group named Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya.

“We stand united in our determination to protect our countries and our people against these threats,’’ the statement said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran must halt these actions now.’’

The statement was backed by Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.

US national parks visitors slam Trump administration for censoring history

The Trump administration asked national park visitors last year to report any displays or exhibits saying “negative” things about Americans. Instead, most people who responded criticize the effort itself.

The Associated Press analyzed 35,000 comments that were recently made public through a Sierra Club lawsuit. One visitor called the administration’s efforts “un-American.” Another derided the idea of “having Americans call in and snitch on each other.”

“Hey Donald Trump!” wrote another — “Trying to erase history doesn’t mean it didn’t still happen!”

But considering that the National Park Service logged some 323 million visits last year, the initial public comments were a tepid response. And a watchdog group calling itself Save Our Signs has documented at least 59 historical references being removed or modified as a result of Trump’s order.

▶ Read more

The crash occurred near Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, during an ongoing protest and strike called by the Joint Awami Action Committee, a recently banned alliance of various groups.

The military didn't suggest any link between the protest and the crash.

Witnesses said that the helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from a helipad. Ambulances arrived at the scene and transported the victims to a nearby hospital.

“Rescue and recovery teams immediately reached the crash site,” the military said, adding that a board of inquiry had been ordered to determine the exact cause of the crash.

Residents in Muzaffarabad said that the helicopter was carrying an unspecified number of paramilitary Rangers deployed by the government for security duties in the region, where tensions have been high since the weekend, when members of an outlawed group attacked police and security forces, killing four personnel.

Witnesses said they saw smoke billowing from the crash site, and several ambulances were seen transporting the victims.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the crash, paying tribute to those killed. In separate statements, they conveyed sympathies to the victims' families.

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, also expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life and extended condolences to the families of those killed, according to the statement.

Such crashes aren't uncommon in Pakistan. In September, an army helicopter on a routine flight crashed in northern Pakistan, killing two pilots and three technicians on board.

American officials in Thailand and the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar referred questions on the case to the State Department, which confirmed the “death of a U.S. government employee” assigned to the embassy in Yangon but gave no other details.

“Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones, we have no further information to provide at this time,” the State Department said in an emailed reply to questions from The Associated Press.

According to three people in the diplomatic community in Myanmar, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case, the man was found dead about two weeks ago at the Sakura Residence & Hotel. The facility, with long-term rentals, is popular with diplomats, business people and other international visitors, and is located about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the American Embassy.

They said police are treating the case as a possible homicide and have a Thai woman in custody.

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said it has provided consular assistance to the woman in custody and notified her family, but would not comment further.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is embroiled in fighting between the country's military-led government, which ousted democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, and a disparate group of militias organized by the country's ethnic minority groups and pro-democracy forces.

Authorities typically give little information to the media, and the duty officer answering the phone at the police station responsible for the area where the Sakura hotel is located refused to comment and hung up on an AP reporter.

The manager of the Sakura hotel also declined to comment.

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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

Most Latter-day Saints do see themselves as Christians. But there are many prominent Christian clergy and scholars who disagree, citing core differences in how they view God and the Trinity and revere a scripture that is not part of the two-testament Christian Bible.

Utah U.S. Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, both Republicans and Latter-day Saints, challenged the Pentagon’s exclusion of their faith from its list of Christian religions. It was part of the Department of Defense’s recent effort to significantly pare down a list of more than 200 religious affiliations that troops could choose from, deleting categories such as atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans.

“Latter-day Saints are among the most patriotic, service-oriented individuals in our country,” Curtis posted on X in defense of his faith. “They are also unequivocally Christian — just look at who is in the name of the Church.”

He also said in his post that it is “unacceptable” for the government to characterize a faith in a way that contradicts how the religion identifies itself — a sentiment echoed widely in the social media blowback.

The Pentagon responded on Monday by removing the Christian label from 20 other traditions, including Catholic, Lutheran and Pentecostal, and stayed away from labeling Latter-day Saints as Christian. The department also issued a statement saying that the new rubric is not intended to “make any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religion’s belief,” but to help chaplains do their jobs and structure resources quickly and efficiently.

Latter-day Saints identify as Christians

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, has nearly 18 million members worldwide, with the highest concentration in Utah. The church has a long history of military service; it emphasizes patriotism and chaplaincy support.

In a social media post, Lee said: “My church membership is inextricably intertwined with my Christianity, as it is for 17 million other Latter-day Saints. Regardless of what the Pentagon thinks.”

The church’s website states that it is a “Christian Church, but is neither Catholic nor Protestant.”

“Rather, it is a restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ as originally established by the Savior in the New Testament of the Bible,” the site further explains. “Jesus Christ is central to the lives of Church members. They seek to follow his example by being baptized, praying in His holy name, partaking of the sacrament, doing good to others and bearing witness of Him through both word and deed. The only way to salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ.”

Yet the debate about whether Latter-day Saints are Christians goes back nearly 200 years to the days of the church’s founding.

Definitions of God and the Holy Trinity vary

Matthew Bowman, chair of Mormon studies at Claremont Graduate University in Southern California, said the primary difference between major Christian denominations and Latter-day Saints lies in how the nature of God is defined, and their view of the Trinity, the spiritual relationship between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Most Christian faiths believe God is spirit, while founders of the Latter-day Saints believed that God was a human being who achieved Godhood, he said.

Latter-day Saints also reject the Nicene Creed, which emphasizes the doctrine of the Trinity as one divine being.

“They believe that while the three have a relationship, they are distinct beings,” Bowman said.

The Catholic Church has long held that Latter-day Saints are not Christian. Most recently in 2012, the Vatican stated that even if the Latter-day Saint baptismal rite refers to the Trinity, the church’s beliefs about the identities of the three are so different from Catholic and mainline Christian beliefs that the rite cannot be regarded as a Christian baptism.

Tension over religious beliefs spilled over to politics

This debate has raged on in U.S. politics over the decades, resulting in tensions between evangelical Christians and Latter-day Saints who have long considered themselves members of the religious right. Like evangelicals, most Latter-day Saints hold conservative views on topics such as abortion and LGBTQ+ issues.

Bowman said the question of Latter-day Saints' Christian identity exploded during Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.

“At the time — and often after that — there continues to be a sense of surprise among Latter-day Saints that the evangelicals didn’t consider them Christian and among evangelicals when they learn that the Latter-day Saints in fact consider themselves Christian,” he said.

The rise of Donald Trump has created a feeling among Latter-day Saints that their old alliance with evangelical Christians is shakier than ever, especially with younger Latter-day Saints viewing evangelicals as a hostile group, Bowman said.

“In the past five years or so, there is a growing push among evangelicals to create a muscular, masculine Christianity, more vocal on doctrine, with some calling (Mormons) heretics,” he said.

LDS chaplains in the military were viewed with suspicion

Philip McLemore, who served as a Latter-day Saint chaplain in the Air Force from 1984 to 2005, said he and others felt discriminated against then, and he was passed up for promotions because of his faith.

“That mostly came from other Christian chaplains and supervisors who believed Mormon chaplains were not Christian,” he said. “They also felt the same way about Christian Scientists.”

McLemore said some of the other Christian chaplains told him they feared that Latter-day Saint chaplains were using the military to proselytize and convert. But he said he could see why other Christians were suspicious of Latter-day Saints.

“Mormonism doesn’t fit comfortably into most classic Christianity mostly because of the founders’ claims of exclusive truth and authority that can be offensive to some,” he said. “Joseph Smith’s first vision — a foundational event for the church — was one of Jesus telling him that all the other churches are false and their creeds are abominations.”

Overall, McLemore does not believe denomination matters much in the military.

“In my experience, service members would not know what your denomination was, and they didn’t care,” he said. “They didn’t consult chaplains on matters of religion. They needed chaplains for personal problems and issues with work, mental health and marriage.”

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AP reporters Konstantin Toropin and Tiffany Stanley contributed to this report.

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

Maybe it’s sitting in a closet. Maybe it’s tucked away in a garage. Wherever it is, whatever it is, the team at Wolfson Archives wants to find it — preserving history while adding to it.

“A lot of those home movies chronicle places that no longer exist,” said Lou Kramer, archives manager at the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives. “You see people on vacation. You see family events. You see the crazy things that families do when a camera is pointed at them.”

The archives, a division of Miami Dade College, houses one of the largest collections of moving images of South Florida. They want to digitize it all and make it accessible to the public. Inside its temperature controlled vault is millions of feet of local film and thousands of hours of tape already.

“It’s a project that you want to be a part of,” Kramer said. “We are safeguarding history. We are safeguarding the past,” she continued.

Many of those recordings came from ordinary families, documenting milestones and moments of shared tradition and social life. From pool days at the Venetian in the 1920s in Coral Gables, to quinceañeras in Miami, circa 1966, and big birthdays decades later — it’s all restored and saved online.

The team at Wolfson Archives carefully cleans and digitizes aging film reels and videotapes that are donated by families and local news organizations. Local 10’s archival footage makes up a massive part of this collection used by researchers, students, historians, filmmakers, and the public to experience and learn from.

WATCH: Major videotape donation by WPLG to Wolfson Archives 2007

CLICK HERE to search the Wolfson archives.

For family films, search “home movies” — then enter a year and a keyword —i.e “1940, birthday.”

Together, the footage creates a visual timeline of the region — from major headlines to everyday moments that reveal how communities lived, celebrated and evolved.

To donate your film to the archive or to request help with old reels, click here.

To submit an idea for What Connects Us, email whatconnectsus@wplg.com.

Elon Musk’s rocket company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is steering some of its initial public offering of stock directly to what are called “retail” investors. These are people who buy stocks in a brokerage account on their phone, not pension funds or other big “institutional” investors routing orders to their professional trading desks.

Here are some things to keep in mind as the IPO approaches:

A chunk of SpaceX stock will go to regular investors

Most IPOs offer only 5% to 10% of the total offering to retail investors, according to Fidelity. In this case, though, it could be up to 30%. SpaceX expects retail investors to participate in its IPO through Charles Schwab, Fidelity, Robinhood, SoFi and E-Trade by Morgan Stanley.

At Fidelity, investors with as little as $2,000 in their accounts could potentially snag SpaceX shares in the IPO. That’s down from account minimums of $100,000 or even $500,000 that Fidelity has for other equity offerings.

Demand from investors may be so high in this IPO that not everyone indicating interest will actually get a share.

Trying for a short-term flip has risks

Given all the hype around SpaceX, temptation could be high to grab shares in the IPO and sell them quickly if a frenzy sends its price spiking. But brokerages have policies to block investors from future offerings if they dump shares bought in an IPO quickly, like within a couple weeks.

Big swings in price may be possible

Potentially high interest from retail investors following the IPO is one reason SpaceX is warning that its stock price could be volatile. These investors aren’t known for moving as meticulously as a pension fund, which is trying to build money for payments it must make years or decades in the future.

It’s retail investors, after all, who helped drive GameStop and other “meme stocks” to market-bending heights in 2021 that professional investors called irrational.

IPOs can see a big first-day bounce, but that may not last

The typical IPO has seen a 7% jump in its first day of trading, from 1980 through 2025, according to Jay Ritter, an IPO expert and a professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business.

But IPOs tend to lag similar-sized peers in the ensuing five years, not including their first day of trading. They do so by an average of 3.6% per year, according to Ritter.

SpaceX has debt and has been losing money

It’s very expensive to launch things out of the earth’s atmosphere and to construct huge AI data centers, and SpaceX has built up $29.1 billion in debt, as of the end of March.

The company also lost $4.9 billion last year and another $4.3 billion through the first three months of 2026. It acknowledges that it “may not achieve profitability in the future.”

Over the long term, a stock’s price tends to track with how much profit the company is making.

You don’t have to buy SpaceX to own it

You could end up owning some of SpaceX even if you never intended to. Consider the many people who own shares of the popular QQQ exchange-traded fund, which tracks the Nasdaq 100 index and has roughly $460 billion in total assets.

Historically, the Nasdaq 100 index would wait until each December to add new members in an annual reconstitution to make sure it includes the 100 largest non-financial companies on the Nasdaq. But Nasdaq recently made changes to allow some big companies to enter the Nasdaq 100 index after just 15 trading days.

That means if SpaceX’s IPO is as successful as expected, it could quickly join both the Nasdaq 100 and QQQ fund, all while QQQ holders do nothing on their own.

The company behind the more popular S&P 500 index, though, is not making changes that would allow SpaceX faster entry.

Any shares bought would take a back seat to Musk’s in influence

In its IPO, SpaceX is offering 555.6 million shares of its “Class A” stock. Each of these shares gives an investor one vote on matters that shareholders decide. That includes such weighty things as who is on the board of directors overseeing the CEO.

This IPO is not offering what are called “Class B” shares, each of which give its holder 10 votes. Musk, meanwhile, owns so many of those shares that he by himself could control more than 82% of all the stock’s voting power following the IPO.

In filings with U.S. securities regulators, SpaceX acknowledges the potential for conflicts of interest between it and Musk, along with other companies he owns, such as Tesla.

Some big investors really disagree with the ownership structure

Officials from pension funds for firefighters, teachers and other workers in California and New York sent a letter to SpaceX last month decrying some of the provisions in its IPO, including “super voting shares,” mandatory arbitration of shareholder claims instead of the possibility of lawsuits and how much power Musk will hold over the company.

They said they could become owners of SpaceX stock because they hold index funds, which automatically buy stocks after they get included in certain indexes.

If Musk is able to control so much of the voting power on the board of directors, it would make him tremendously powerful atop SpaceX, “essentially making him unfireable without his own consent,” the CEO of California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the New York state comptroller and the New York City comptroller wrote in their letter.

“This level of insulation from accountability is virtually unheard of among any other large U.S. issuer whose governing documents foreclose accountability to public owners on these terms.”

Don’t confuse SpaceX with other companies with similar names

SpaceX plans to trade under the ticker symbol “SPCX.” That’s very close to “SPCE,” which is the symbol for Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Holdings.

Initial public offering, or IPO

A company's first offering of stock to the public. It is the first time a company's value will be determined by a public market.

Prospectus

A formal offer to sell shares in the company. It also includes a business plan with details about the company's finances and operations. Also known as an S-1, after the Securities and Exchange Commission form.

Listing

This describes the ticker symbol for the stock and the public exchange where it is being traded. For example, Apple is traded as “AAPL” on the Nasdaq and Macy's is traded as “M” on the New York Stock Exchange. SpaceX plans to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol “SPCX.”

Underwriter

An underwriter is a bank or other financial institution that acts as the intermediary between the company and investors. They purchase the stock being issued by the company in the IPO and sell it to the public. There are often several underwriters involved to share the risk. The lead underwriters for the SpaceX IPO are Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.

Roadshow

The name for the presentations given by company executives and underwriters to potential investors, typically institutional investors, before the company issues its shares.

Lockup

This is the period of time when executives, insiders and early investors are legally prohibited from selling their shares. It is typically 90 or 180 days and is meant to prevent insiders from quickly cashing out or dumping their shares. Elon Musk and other SpaceX executives have agreed to a lockup period of 366 days.

Over-allotment

This is a provision that allows underwriters of an IPO to sell more shares than initially planned. It is meant to meet unexpectedly high demand or to help stabilize the stock price.

Price range

This is an estimated range for the price of the shares the company is offering provided before the stock is publicly traded. Investors place bids within that range before the listing price is determined. SpaceX went against convention and set a price of $135 for shares in the offering.

Price discovery

This describes the broader process undertaken by the company and underwriters to determine the listing price for the stock. It attempts to balance demand for the stock with the potential supply of shares. The process typically takes longer when an IPO has high interest from potential investors.

Edmunds’ editors reviewed what’s available for under 25 grand and came up with five of their favorites. There is a car here for every kind of enthusiast, from a V8-powered coupe with tire-smoking torque to a four-door hatchback with room for your mountain bike.

2015-2018 BMW 2 Series

The BMW 2 Series is BMW’s smallest two-door coupe and convertible. A four-cylinder 2 Series is available, but the more powerful six-cylinder M235i and BMW M240i are what you want. They have quick acceleration, balanced handling and excellent long-distance comfort. Output ranges from 320 horsepower in the M235i to 335 ponies in the later 2017-2018 M240i. Driving a 2 Series offers a more upscale driving experience than the other cars on our list, even if its back seats are a bit small for a luxury-branded car.

Look for: The earlier M235i is easier to find under $25,000. Both it and the M240i come well-equipped with standard features, though BMW a few optional packages that could be worth seeking out. A 2 Series with the Technology package, for example, has a bigger center screen and a navigation system.

2008-2013 Chevrolet Corvette

The sixth-generation Chevrolet Corvette, often called the C6, delivers absurd performance value. Powered by a beefy V8 producing up to 430 horsepower, these Corvettes remain shockingly fast even by modern standards. Rear-wheel drive, relatively low weight, strong braking performance, and excellent highway comfort put the C6 on this list. And they make it worth tolerating the C6’s low-rent interior.

Look for: Narrow your search to 2008-and-newer models, which get more power and an improved interior. Coupes are easier to find under $25,000 than convertibles or the later higher-performance Grand Sport trims. The V8 powering these cars is durable, but finding a Corvette with a maintenance record history is a good idea anyway.

2019-2021 Mazda Miata

The current Mazda MX-5 Miata remains a milestone for light, fun convertibles. It produces 181 horsepower, which doesn’t sound like much but is enough to amply motivate this lightweight two-seater. With precise steering, predictable handling, and an available slick-shifting six-speed manual transmission, this Miata is a textbook topless sports car. Just be aware that the Miata’s cabin will feel cramped for tall drivers.

Look for: You could buy an older Miata of this generation, but the 2019 and newer models have 26 horsepower than earlier models plus a telescoping steering wheel to help improve the driving position. Our favorite Miata trim is the Club that adds numerous mechanical enhancements to make the Miata even more fun to toss around tight curves.

2017-2020 Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86

The Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 are two small coupes co-designed by Subaru and Toyota. They provide a connected and mechanical feel for the driver, which is a rare attribute these days. After the 2017 update, its four-cylinder engine produces up to 205 horsepower, which is enough to be quick without making it so easy to build speed that you’re always getting in trouble. They also have a back seat, though it’s quite small and really only useful for storing cargo.

Look for: Sticking to 2017-and-newer versions means you’ll get meaningful improvements to gearing and suspension tuning. The Toyota 86 is often slightly cheaper than the BRZ, making it a value play. BRZ models with the Performance package are especially desirable thanks to their upgraded brakes and suspension.

2015-2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI

The Volkswagen Golf GTI of this era is the definition of an everyday performance car. It blends four-door hatchback practicality with genuinely entertaining handling. Its turbocharged four-cylinder produces up to 228 horsepower, depending on model year and equipment packages. It’s paired with either a six-speed manual or a six- or seven-speed automatic, also depending on the year.

Look for: Try to get a GTI in the SE or Autobahn trim. These trims have the most standard features such as a premium sound system, upgraded brakes, and a limited-slip differential that helps maximize available traction during acceleration.

Edmunds says

A realistic budget now opens the door to a wide range of performance. Do your homework by avoiding cars with obvious deferred maintenance, neglect or heavy modifications. Still, for under $25,000, buyers can choose between some of the most fun and focused performance cars of the last two decades. It’s a good time to be a driving enthusiast.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Josh Jacquot is a contributor at Edmunds.

Fortunately, an easterly breeze and some cloud cover will keep it from feeling much worse than June is capable of. As far as rain chances go, it looks like the heaviest activity will occur near the west coast around Naples, with only a few scattered showers expected here on the east coast over the next couple of days.

Our chances for showers and storms will increase by the weekend, but with plenty of dry time expected as well, it’s not looking like a weekend washout at this point. There are no advisories for boaters or beachgoers, and all is quiet in the tropics.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country's forces struck several military and energy infrastructure sites, including a military factory that he said supplied components for Russian drones and missiles.

In a post on social media, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo long-range missiles had hit the facility in Cheboksary, located in the Chuvashiya region more than 900 kilometers (over 560 miles) from the front line.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 326 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Oleg Nikolayev, the head of Chuvashiya, confirmed the missile attack but didn't give details. The Astra online news outlet reported that the Ukrainian strike hit the VNIIR-Progress plant that produces antennas for drones.

Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces struck a refinery in Russia’s Samara region, where Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said that several industrial plants were damaged by drone strikes and three people were injured.

Fedorishchev didn’t name the facilities that were damaged, but Astra carried images of a large fire at the Samara refinery.

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) had also targeted two oil infrastructure facilities in Russia’s Vladimir region, about 700 kilometers (about 440 miles) from the front line.

In Russia-occupied Crimea, a Ukrainian drone hit the building housing a huge panorama painting depicting the defense of the city during the 19th century Crimean War. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-appointed head of Sevastopol, said the painting by artist Franz Rubo was effectively destroyed.

The more than 1,000-kilometer front line in the four-year war has remained largely static as swarms of drones hinder advances, and both sides have increasingly relied on long-range strikes.

The increasingly deep and audacious Ukrainian strikes have defied Russia's President Vladimir Putin's claim that Moscow is winning the war, now in its fifth year.

Last week, Putin vowed to strengthen Russia's air defenses after Ukrainian attacks set ablaze an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and also hit a nearby naval base, casting a cloud over a showcase economic forum in his hometown.

The attacks on St. Petersburg came as another embarrassment for the Russian leader, weeks after he pruned back an annual Victory Day parade in Moscow because of fears of Ukrainian drone attacks.

Ukraine’s Air Force says air defenses downed 181 of 207 Russian drones.

A barrage of 26 drones struck Kharkiv early Wednesday, injuring at least four people, according to regional administration head Oleh Syniehubov. He said one person was killed and 15 others were injured in the region over the past 24 hours.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, 10 people were injured overnight in a series of Russian aerial attacks, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.

In Odesa, a mother and two children, aged 8 and 10, required medical attention after Russian drones damaged two residential buildings, according to regional administration head Oleh Kiper.

Ukraine has secured commitments for additional air defense systems and ammunition following Zelenskyy’s recent visits to London and Tallinn, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi.

Speaking at a briefing, Tykhyi said Ukraine had “found” a number of additional air defense systems and munitions but declined to identify the countries that had agreed to provide them.

He said Kyiv also was working to secure financing to purchase the equipment and that part of the necessary funding had already been allocated.

Tykhyi added that Ukraine was in talks to obtain interceptor missiles nearing the end of their shelf life, arguing that they could still be provided to Ukraine instead of being disposed of after expiring.

While the U.S.-supplied system known as HIMARS has been tested before, the latest live-fire exercise was the first time its rockets were fired into the waters of the narrow Taiwan Strait that separates the self-governing island from China.

“Due to the current enemy threat, we will continue HIMARS training with unwavering determination to protect Taiwan as the nation’s strongest force,” army Sgt. Wang Ming-hui said.

The military said it used reduced-range practice rockets that don't fly very far from the coast before falling into the water.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province and says it must come under its control at some point in the future. It sends warships and planes into the skies and waters near the island almost every day and has held major military exercises in its vicinity in recent years. The United States does not recognize Taiwan as a country, but it opposes any change to its status by force and is its main supplier of weaponry for its defense.

The HIMARS, which stands for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, is part of a U.S.-encouraged shift in strategy, toward an asymmetric approach designed to keep China at bay rather than trying to go head-to-head with big-ticket weapons purchases. The truck-mounted pod of rockets can be driven out from a hidden position to fire its missiles, then quickly taken to a new hiding place in what are called shoot-and-scoot tactics.

They were fired on the second day of exercises on Taiwan's west coast, which faces China. The drills, which also included 155 mm howitzers, simulated a response to a Chinese invasion and were designed to test rapid deployment and precision-strike capabilities.

The HIMARS was the centerpiece of the drill. After receiving a firing order, the vehicles maneuvered into position and launched their rockets with bright flashes within three minutes, demonstrating their mobility.

The U.S. announced plans in December to sell 82 more HIMARS systems to Taiwan as part of a major arms deal, but that package appears to have been put on hold after President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing last month.

Collins has proved to be a hard target for Democrats, even for candidates without the baggage of Platner, who has faced criticism for his relationships with women, for his inflammatory online posts and for a previous tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol.

Collins is also the rare Republican these days who can sometimes boost her own popularity back home by keeping her distance from President Donald Trump. She has perfected that delicate dance over the years even as Trump has sharply criticized her and tightened his grip on the party, costing two of Collins' colleagues their chance of reelection.

On Wednesday, however, Trump made clear he is in Collins' corner.

Although the president told reporters Wednesday that “she's not my best friend at all,” he also said “she's a sane person and she's a person that never missed a vote in many years.” Collins recently set a record by casting her 10,000th Senate vote in a row.

Trump suggested Platner is "worse than any human being that’s run for office probably" and went on to insult the Democratic nominee. "He’s a cheap, no-good person," the president said, adding, “He's like a pig.”

With the November general election months away, it is uncertain whether Trump's support for Collins will help or hurt as she seeks a sixth term. Years of practice have made her adept at staying close — but not too close — to the president when it is politically advantageous, and moving away when showing an independent streak is helpful.

“She’s shown time and time again where her state’s electorate is. She understands what’s too far, she understands where she needs to be,” said Republican political consultant Matt Mackowiak.

The road to Senate control goes through Maine

The Democrats need to flip four seats to take control of the Senate. They hope Trump's falling approval ratings and the war with Iran, as well as the fallout on oil prices and the economy, could buoy their chances. Maine is among the top targets, along with Alaska, Ohio and North Carolina.

Platner wants to make the case that Collins is not as independent of Trump as her reputation suggests. He often notes that she allowed his Supreme Court nominees to go through, which in 2022 led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that had legalized abortion.

"Susan Collins may have started her career decades ago in Washington with good intentions, but she has become just as spineless and corrupt as the establishment she now serves," Platner said at a party Tuesday celebrating his primary victory.

Platner supporters are ready for change, said John Keenan of Sullivan, Maine.

“I think Maine has grown tired of the same old system,” he said. “And putting youth into the campaign, with new instead of a rubber stamp, is very refreshing.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee posted a pro-Collins video on X that resembled a 1980s video game. It said Collins “has brought more than $1.5 billion back to Maine" and Platner “spent time as a kid at a $70,000 a year prep school in Connecticut.”

Trump has often criticized Collins, but not lately

Collins may still have to stay wary of Trump, who has singled her out for daring to occasionally defy him on some issues. For example, she voted last week with Democrats to block the nearly $1.8 billion fund the president wanted to create to benefit allies that he claims were unfairly targeted by law enforcement.

Nonetheless, he has refrained from criticizing lately, especially as the senator failed to draw a credible GOP challenger and cruised in the primary.

Political advisers close to Trump said the president understands how critical it is that Republicans maintain control of Congress, and that requires accommodating Collins. Trump understands the need to avoid a Republican wipeout like the 2018 midterms when Democrats flipped the House and derailed much of the final two years of his first-term plans.

Collins " represents the people of Maine first and foremost and has proven herself to be a dedicated public servant," said Republican National Committee spokesperson Kristen Cianci in a statement.

Collins spokesperson Blake Kernen said the senator “has worked with five different Presidents throughout her Senate tenure, and has never agreed with any of them on every issue.”

“When she agrees with an effort, she will support it; when she disagrees, she does not hesitate to speak up for what she believes is the right outcome for Maine and for America,” Kernen said in a statement.

Other Republicans ran into trouble with Trump

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was among his party's top voices, but Trump viewed him as insufficiently loyal. State Attorney General Ken Paxton trounced Cornyn in a runoff race on May 26, just days after receiving Trump's endorsement.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted to convict Trump during his impeachment trial after the Capitol siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Cassidy lost his primary when Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming advanced to a runoff later this month.

“She’s always down in the polls and she survives,” Trump said when asked about Collins in an interview with the New York Post last week.

Collins defeated Gideon, the Maine House speaker, by almost 9 percentage points in 2020, the same year that Democrat Joe Biden beat Trump by a similar margin in the state.

Mackowiak said “there’s just no pathway to a MAGA senator from Maine,” referring to Trump's ”Make America Great Again" movement.

“It does appear that the Trump political operation is soberly analyzing the electoral environment in Maine and really kind of follows her lead as it relates to that state and that race, particularly this cycle,” he said.

Maine Republicans are ‘a bit more pragmatic’

Chuck Ellis, a Republican from Westbrook, Maine, who runs a digital marketing company, said Collins' reluctance to move in lockstep with Trump can be a plus.

Although there are some “hard-line” voters who may disapprove, Ellis said, "ultimately a lot of your conservatives, your Republicans, are people who are a bit more pragmatic.”

After Collins opposed the White House’s signature tax cut and spending package last year and voted against a proposal to claw back $9 billion in foreign aid and public media funding, the president complained about her on social media.

“Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact opposite of Senator Susan Collins," he wrote.

Then, in January, Trump lashed out at the “stupidity” of Collins and four other Senate Republicans who joined Democrats to start a debate over restricting the president’s use of force in Venezuela.

White House may keep a further distance

Trump is unlikely to travel to Maine before November despite visiting other states with key Senate races such as Iowa and Michigan.

Vice President JD Vance has been to Maine, where he promoted his anti-fraud task force. Collins did not attend Vance’s speech in Bangor last month where he acknowledged the senator's distance from the Trump administration.

“If she was as partisan as I sometimes wish that she was,” Vance said, "she would not be a good fit for the people of Maine.”

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This story has been corrected to show the spelling of Collins’ spokesperson’s surname is Kernen, not Kernan.

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Whittle reported from Portland, Maine.

Leo lit a candle and prayed at the tomb of Gaudí in the basilica's crypt before the service, the highlight of Leo's weeklong visit to Spain. It's the first by a pope in 15 years to a once staunchly Catholic European country that, like many others, has experienced secularizing trends.

The trip, though, has underscored how the country of 50 million people, which experienced a religious crisis after its 20th century dictatorship ended, still has plenty of faithful Catholics who have turned out in droves to welcome the American pope.

Tens of thousands of people lined the streets around Sagrada Familia awaiting Leo's arrival, with streets closed to traffic and a heavy police presence, given that the country's royal family was due to attend. After the Mass, Leo was also to consecrate the final Tower of Jesus Christ atop the basilica that has made it the world's tallest church.

“The entire structure of the Sagrada Familia is striking,” said Laura Rincón, who was waiting along with two friends for the pope, after she finished work in a nearby shop. She said that she was sure the pope would be impressed by the church she marvels at every time she passes by.

“If you look at it just for its architecture, it is amazing,” she said. “Inside, its columns make you feel like you are inside a forest."

Honoring Catalonia's Christian traditions

Earlier Wednesday, Leo celebrated the centuries-old Catalan tradition of popular piety by praying at Montserrat, a mountain complex outside the city that is dear to many Catalans. The complex, which includes an 11th-century Benedictine abbey and a 16th-century basilica, is revered for its Black Madonna statue and is home to a boy's choir that has existed since the 13th century and is Europe's oldest.

Thousands of faithful arrived early at the monastery, with groups of nuns and schoolchildren singing and waving signs and photographs of the pope outside the basilica. Bells rang out over the spire-like rock formations that top Montserrat and the valley below as Leo arrived in a golf cart.

In his remarks to the faithful in the abbey, Leo said that Montserrat for centuries has been a place of peace and reconciliation in a world marked by violence, “criticism that humiliates, condemnation that destroys and aggression that divides.” He urged Spaniards to follow in the “path of mercy, reconciliation, truth and gentleness.”

In recent years, the Montserrat abbey has faced numerous accusations from survivors of clergy sexual abuse and was included in the Spanish ombudsman’s 800-page report on the crisis in 2023. The report found 15 victims and three alleged perpetrators linked to the abbey.

“It’s very painful because there are members of the church who committed errors,” said the Rev. Cesario Escarda, a Toledo priest, as he waited for Leo at the abbey. “What the pope wants to do is shine a light on the truth and ask forgiveness and bring in the victims and listen to them and accompany them.”

The Bible carved in stone

The highlight of Leo’s visit was expected to be his Mass on Wednesday evening in Barcelona at Sagrada Familia. The Mass commemorates the 100th anniversary of the death of its designer, Gaudí, who died at age 73, three days after he was hit by a tram.

A century after construction began during the pontificate of Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, the basilica has become one of the world’s most visited but unfinished monuments, annually drawing upward of 5 million visitors a year.

Gaudí, the famed Catalan architect who is on the path to possible sainthood, spent four decades designing and building the temple as the summary of the Christian faith carved in stone. The most important stories of Jesus’ life, the Nativity and Passion, are etched into the basilica’s east and west facades. A third facade facing south, the Glory, will serve as the basilica’s main entrance when finished.

The temple is an architectural and geometrical masterpiece inside and out, an art nouveau celebration in form and symbol of Christianity and God’s creation through stone and light with the structure itself based on the architectural tradition of Byzantine and Gothic churches.

A total of 18 sandcastle spires rise up from the top and pierce Barcelona’s skyline: 12 to symbolize Christ’s 12 apostles, four for each of the four Evangelists who recorded Christ’s life in the Gospels, one topped with a star over the apse honoring the Virgin Mary and, tallest among them, the Tower of Jesus Christ.

When the final Christ tower was finished last year at a height of 172½ meters (564 feet), it made Sagrada Familia the world’s tallest church. Leo will formally consecrate the tower on Wednesday night.

An interior that looks like a forest

The cross-shaped interior, with the altar at the apse, is an homage to light and nature. Treelike columns soar to the sky, colored by constantly changing light filtered through stained glass windows like the sun poking through leaves in a forest.

“Nature is my teacher,” Gaudí once said. “Everything comes from the great book of nature, always open that we must read.”

The colors of the window glass have meaning: The blues and greens of the eastern portal windows, where the facade depicts Christ’s birth, look more joyful and are most brilliant when the sun rises and light passes through. The coarser shades of red and orange, illuminated by the setting sun on the western portals, color the side of the basilica that depicts Christ’s Passion. Behind the altar and above the cross are yellows and gold that glimmer in the noonday sun.

Historian Mònica Santín, who leads tours of the basilica, said that in designing Sagrada Familia, Gaudí was guided by two books: the Gospels and nature.

“The way he lets in the natural light is also an invitation to the Christian mystery,” she said, citing the three facades depicting Christ’s birth, death and glory.

“And when you enter inside, it is all light,” Santín said. “What is that the symbol of? We can’t see God, but we perceive his light all around us. I think that is how you can read this message, and it is fascinating.”

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

Hadi Alodid, 30, was ordered held in jail after an appearance by video in Belfast Magistrates’ Court, where a detective said he blinded Stephen Ogilvie in the left eye during the knife attack. He was also charged with possessing a knife and threatening to kill a radiographer while being treated for a hand injury after the assault.

When police arrived at the crime scene, they found Alodid on the man, armed with a kitchen knife, the detective said. Alodid later told hospital staff: “I’ve killed someone, I don’t know if they are dead,” and said, “I will kill you."

He refused legal representation through an Arabic interpreter and did not enter a plea.

Police were preparing for more violent protests after masked men set fire to several homes they believed to house immigrants, burned trash bins, torched a Belfast bus and pelted police with objects. Firefighters rescued several people from burning homes.

Anselme Shima, a Belfast resident originally from Congo, said he saw smoke from burning vehicles near his home.

“I’ve lived on my street for almost 10 years, I have a good relationship with my neighbors, but last night was a horrific one,” he said. “We don’t know what to do. I’m scared. Seeing this, I’m wondering if I’m next.”

Families, one with a baby, were rescued and taken to police stations for safety, Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher told the BBC.

“These weren’t just families from ethnic minority communities, these were families from across communities that were caught up in this vile behavior last night," Boutcher said. “There is absolutely no excuse for it.”

Boutcher said 200 more officers would be on the streets on Wednesday and the PSNI was calling in support from other forces. Bus and train operators in Belfast said they would stop services early because of expected protests.

Ogilvie’s family appealed for an end to the violence and said migrants “make a deeply valuable contribution to our country.”

“We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility,” the family said in a statement.

Politicians from both parts of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government condemned the violence. First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein said it was “thuggery.”

“Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she said.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, said that “taking frustration at the evil actions of a person out on those who had no part in it is utterly wrong.”

The attack was caught on video

Monday’s attack, caught in video footage that quickly spread on social media, was seized on by anti-immigration activists. Ogilvie, a man in his 40s, was hospitalized with deep cuts to his head, face and back.

Police said Alodid entered Northern Ireland from the neighboring Republic of Ireland in 2023, applied for asylum and was given a 5-year permit to remain.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said there is no information to suggest the attack was terrorism-related.

Protests were encouraged online by far-right activists, and the street violence erupted despite politicians' calls for calm.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the stabbing attack as “sickening,” but said violence against people based on their background would not be tolerated.

“The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable," Starmer said on X. “There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere.”

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long said social media agitators who “yesterday would have struggled to find Belfast on a map” were “weaponizing” the fears of local people.

“If you’re driving people from their homes based on nothing but the color of their skin, you can’t dress that up any other way, it’s racism, and those bad faith actors need to take a step back,” she told the BBC.

Some raise questions about the Irish border

Some politicians said the stabbing should spark a review of the open border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland.

The border is a highly sensitive issue. Allowing the free flow of people is a major pillar of the peace process that largely ended decades of violence known as “The Troubles.” The conflict involving Irish Republican and British Loyalist militants and U.K. security forces left almost 3,600 people dead before a 1998 peace accord.

Much of Tuesday’s violence took place in working-class areas where former paramilitary groups still hold considerable sway over the streets.

Last week a separate case of a university student who was stabbed to death in Southampton, England, in December was seized on by activists and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who blamed immigration for the violence, an idea rejected by Starmer and other British politicians.

Henry Nowak, who was white, was killed by Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh who falsely claimed to police that he was the victim of a racist assault by Nowak. When police officers arrived, they initially treated the wounded Nowak as a suspect before noticing his injury and trying to resuscitate him.

Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced last week to life in prison with a minimum 21-year term. A protest over Nowak’s death turned violent, with some attacking police with chairs and rocks. Several people were charged with violent disorder.

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Lawless reported from London. Brian Melley contributed to this story.

Datos publicados el miércoles por el centro global de estudios energéticos Ember, junto con un informe de la Asociación de Industrias de Energía Solar (SEIA, por sus siglas en inglés) y la firma de análisis Wood Mackenzie, muestran un crecimiento continuo de la energía solar y un declive del carbón en Estados Unidos pese a la política federal. En mayo, por primera vez, la energía solar aportó más electricidad al país que el carbón, un 12,8%, indicó Ember. El carbón aportó un 12,2%, su cuarta participación mensual más baja registrada.

“Durante años, la energía solar ha aumentado en la mezcla eléctrica de Estados Unidos", señaló Nicolas Fulghum, analista sénior de energía y datos en Ember. "Al mismo tiempo, la generación con carbón ha perdido su estatus: primero como la mayor fuente en la mezcla de Estados Unidos y luego, gradualmente con los años, ha caído aún más”.

Fulghum agregó que la energía solar también se convirtió en mayo en la tercera mayor fuente de electricidad en Estados Unidos, detrás del gas natural y la energía nuclear. La generación con carbón tocó un mínimo mensual histórico en abril y solo repuntó modestamente en mayo, lo que permitió que el aumento de la generación solar superara al carbón, añadió.

La electricidad se produce al convertir fuentes de energía —combustibles fósiles, recursos renovables y energía nuclear— en energía eléctrica. Quemar carbón, petróleo y gas natural para generar electricidad emite dióxido de carbono, que atrapa el calor en la atmósfera y calienta el planeta. En cambio, la energía solar, eólica, geotérmica, hidroeléctrica y la nuclear no emiten dióxido de carbono.

Tras cerca de dos décadas de consumo eléctrico prácticamente plano en Estados Unidos, la demanda de electricidad está aumentando para alimentar la inteligencia artificial, expandir la manufactura nacional y electrificar el transporte y la calefacción. Fulghum dijo que espera ver más meses en los que la energía solar supere la generación con carbón, antes de rebasarla en términos anuales dentro de unos años.

Estos hitos suponen que la energía solar “tiene permanencia” en un momento en que hay menos apoyo a las energías renovables a nivel federal, añadió.

En el pasado, la eólica y la solar combinadas han superado al carbón, y la energía eólica por sí sola ha rebasado al carbón durante los meses de primavera, cuando aumenta la velocidad del viento. Ember obtiene sus datos horarios y mensuales de la Administración de Información Energética de Estados Unidos.

A nivel mundial, la generación eléctrica a partir de renovables está creciendo rápidamente. Las renovables se convertirán en la mayor fuente energética global y se usarán para casi 45% de la generación eléctrica para 2030, según la Agencia Internacional de Energía.

Trump ayuda a la maltrecha industria del carbón mientras recorta la solar y la eólica

La semana pasada, Trump anunció un plan para impulsar la maltrecha industria del carbón en Estados Unidos mediante un gasto de casi 700 millones de dólares para apoyar plantas eléctricas a carbón y exportaciones de carbón. Trump afirmó en un acto en la Casa Blanca que “el carbón es un gran negocio” y que “en términos de energía, realmente no hay nada como eso”.

Martin Pochtaruk, director general y fundador del fabricante de paneles solares Heliene, con sede en Canadá, dijo que Trump puede afirmar que el carbón está de vuelta, pero que los inversionistas pondrán su dinero en lo que ofrezca el mejor rendimiento. Y para la generación eléctrica, eso es la energía solar, lo que la convierte en el combustible de más rápido crecimiento, añadió.

Una portavoz de la Casa Blanca defendió las políticas energéticas generales del gobierno y sostuvo que estaban orientadas a fortalecer la seguridad del país.

"El Presidente ha revertido las devastadoras políticas de la izquierda, salvó a la industria del carbón estadounidense, evitó la retirada de más de 17 gigavatios de energía y salvó vidas durante periodos de mayor demanda”, afirmó Taylor Rogers en un comunicado.

Mientras Trump intenta revertir el declive de la industria del carbón, la energía solar ha sido la principal fuente de nueva generación durante cinco años, indicó SEIA. SEIA y Wood Mackenzie señalaron que la energía solar y el almacenamiento en baterías fueron prácticamente los únicos recursos energéticos que se construyeron en el primer trimestre, al representar 91% de toda la nueva capacidad de generación.

El gobierno de Trump ha cancelado proyectos solares y eólicos, ha implementado políticas que ralentizaron los permisos y el desarrollo de energía limpia y ha terminado con 7.000 millones de dólares en financiamiento destinados a proyectos de energía solar asequible en todo Estados Unidos.

“A medida que la demanda de energía se dispara, los ataques políticos y regulatorios están frenando exactamente los recursos de los que dependemos", apuntó en un comunicado Darren Van’t Hof, presidente interino y director general de SEIA. "Obstaculizar el único sector que está construyendo activamente nueva generación es una apuesta temeraria que sólo hará subir las facturas de electricidad”.

Varios grupos demandaron a la Agencia de Protección Ambiental por cancelar el programa Solar for All. Un tribunal de distrito desestimó el caso la semana pasada al citar falta de jurisdicción. Los demandantes tienen otra presentación pendiente ante el Tribunal Federal de Reclamaciones.

En un fallo del sábado, un juez federal anuló una guía del Servicio de Impuestos Internos que restringía los créditos fiscales para proyectos eólicos y solares.

Trump ha culpado a fuentes de energía renovable como la eólica y la solar por el aumento vertiginoso de los costos energéticos. Pero analistas del sector dicen que los incrementos recientes de precios se basan en el crecimiento de la demanda, el envejecimiento de la infraestructura y fenómenos meteorológicos cada vez más extremos que se agravan por el cambio climático. Más recientemente, la guerra en Irán que Trump inició también ha provocado un repunte de los costos energéticos.

Los principales estados solares votaron por Trump

Los estados ganados por Trump en las elecciones de 2024 representaron 74% de toda la capacidad solar instalada en el primer trimestre de 2026, y Texas, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Arizona y Mississippi se ubicaron entre los 10 principales estados por nuevas incorporaciones solares, indicó SEIA. Estados Unidos ahora supera un total de 6 millones de instalaciones en todo el país en todos los segmentos solares, lo que incluye grandes parques solares, infraestructura solar comercial, comunitaria y residencial o en azoteas.

Johanna Neumann, del Environment America Research and Policy Center, dijo que es “una buena noticia para nuestra salud y nuestro planeta que la energía solar siga creciendo”, y que además no es sorprendente.

“Hoy podemos aprovechar la energía solar de manera más asequible que cualquier otra fuente de energía. Es escalable", afirmó Neumann, directora sénior de la campaña del centro por 100% de energía renovable, afirmó. "Y también es nuestra fuente de energía renovable más abundante. Así que creo que es difícil ponerle freno a una buena idea, especialmente si la economía también se inclina a tu favor, como ocurre en el caso de la solar”.

El panel de control de energía renovable de Environment America muestra que 32 estados de Estados Unidos generaron el año pasado al menos 10% de sus ventas minoristas de electricidad a partir de energía solar, eólica y geotérmica, frente a 18 estados en 2016. La energía limpia en el sur está en auge, particularmente en Florida, Arkansas y Mississippi, dijo Neumann.

“Creo que existe una idea equivocada en Estados Unidos de que la energía limpia es algo para las costas y las ciudades progresistas”, comentó. “La verdadera historia de la energía renovable es una historia de 50 estados”.

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La cobertura climática y ambiental de The Associated Press recibe apoyo financiero de múltiples fundaciones privadas. AP es la única responsable de todo el contenido. Consulte las normas de AP para trabajar con filantropías, una lista de patrocinadores y las áreas de cobertura financiadas en AP.org.

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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.

Omar Artan, who was named as Africa's best male referee in 2025., said he plans to be at the next World Cup and urged Somali youth to be proud of their country.

Artan was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament.

He was denied entry to the U.S. at Miami International Airport on Saturday over unspecified “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, without giving details of the concerns. FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament's referee list.

Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya, which processed it. The U.S. is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada, and Artan was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.

Arriving in the capital, Mogadishu, he thanked the Somali government and public as well as FIFA for their support.

“I promise you, God willing, that I will attend the next one,” he said as hundreds of supporters at the airport waved Somali flags. “I want the Somali public to take comfort in this and remain confident.”

Later on Wednesday, thousands of soccer fans packed the stadium in Mogadishu for a welcome ceremony for Artan, with patriotic songs echoing through the arena as supporters waved the nation's flag and cheered him on.

Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre also hosted Artan, writing in a post on X that the referee had “already won the hearts of millions and secured his place in history.”

“He devoted himself to ensuring that football was decided by merit, yet fate denied him the stage he so richly deserved,” Barre said.

The U.S.'s highly unusual move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country drew outrage across the world and raised questions among some fans about America's capacity to host the competition.

Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subject to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

On Wednesday, the United Nations’ top human rights official called for a “massive rethink” of immigration policies especially in the United States around the World Cup.

Hundreds of supporters, government officials and members of Somalia’s football community gathered hours before Artan arrived at Aden Adde International Airport.

As he disembarked, supporters waving Somali flags crowded around him before draping him in the flag.

He was then escorted by police officers to the airport’s VIP terminal, where he was welcomed by Somalia’s sports minister and other dignitaries, and spoke to journalists.

“It is up to all of us to defend the Somali name,” Artan said. “Somalia belongs to us, whether it is in a bad state or a good state. That flag belongs to us, and that passport belongs to us.”

In a country where decades of war and the rise of the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group have limited the potential of many in Somalia, Artan's denial brought disappointment but reminded people what is possible if they chase their dreams.

Artan's expected milestone at this year's World Cup “stands no matter what,” the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus — from neighboring Ethiopia — wrote Tuesday on X. “You reached the summit of your profession and inspired a generation back home just by getting there, and being kept off the pitch you earned doesn’t change that.”

The massive blaze engulfed seven apartment buildings and killed 168 people on Nov. 26, 2025. Former residents and relatives of the dead have been waiting for answers for months after the fire shattered the close-knit community of Wang Fuk Court, which housed thousands of people in the suburban district of Tai Po.

In a statement on Wednesday, authorities said police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption charged the suspects with 25 counts including money laundering, attempting to pervert the course of public justice and tax evasion.

The two companies charged are consultancy firm Will Power Architects Company, and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., the main contractor involved in a major renovation project at Wang Fuk Court that was taking place when the blaze happened.

The seven defendants played different roles in the renovation works, authorities said. They included the directors of the two companies and a registered inspector of Will Power.

The defendants told the court they understood the charges, and most appeared calm. Lists of victims’ names were read out from the charge sheets in court — the first such disclosure to the public. The hearing will resume in September.

Multiple alleged wrongdoings

Senior police superintendent Basil Tang told reporters that they found the people in charge of the renovation project and the relevant companies were seriously negligent in monitoring the materials used in the project and the procedures involved. Tang pointed to issues such as the use of non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting and foam boards.

“The above work arrangements are suspected of seriously affecting the building’s fire safety, causing the fire to spread rapidly, and also obstructing escape routes, resulting in massive casualties,” he said.

Hazel Law, principal investigator of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, said they would not rule out further law enforcement operations.

“We suspect that some people, for their own personal gain, not only failed to fulfill their professional responsibilities, but even used suspected corrupt practices, fraud and other illegal acts to achieve their purposes,” Law said.

Tang said Will Power directors Ng Yeuk and Wong Hap-yin, Prestige director Ho Kin-yip, alongside the two companies, were charged with manslaughter.

The companies and some of the defendants were also charged with conspiracy to defraud.

Authorities allege the conspiracy goes beyond the fire site

In one of the fraud allegations, authorities alleged that the two companies and some defendants conspired together to defraud the apartment owners of Wang Fuk Court by concealing previous litigation records of Prestige and inflating the score given to the firm in a tender analysis report.

That eventually led to Prestige being awarded the renovation project at a contract worth more than 300 million Hong Kong dollars (over $38 million), they said.

Their alleged wrongdoings went beyond the Wang Fuk Court. Authorities also alleged some of the accused conspired together to defraud the government by falsely claiming that the registered inspector of Will Power had carried out his duties in inspecting and supervising 86 building maintenance projects.

Tang on Wednesday said police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested 35 people when they looked into the cause of the fire and potential corruption issues involving the renovation project.

Mexico jointly hosts the soccer tournament with the U.S. and Canada and kicks off festivities Thursday with a star-studded event, even as some critics say the government has spent too much time and money catering to international visitors at residents' expense.

The games begin as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum walks a political tightrope, navigating a deteriorating relationship with the U.S. ahead of July trade negotiations, along with political scandals and security concerns following a burst of violence in a World Cup host city in February.

Pressure has mounted as guests flood into Mexico City. Residents say authorities have prioritized the competition over pressing social needs.

On Wednesday, Sheinbaum said it was unclear whether Mexico City could host its free fan festival on opening night because a teachers' union protest camp has blocked access to the plaza.

“Mexico wants to project an image to the world that doesn’t exactly square with reality,” said Carlos Pérez Ricart, a political analyst at the Mexican Center for Research and Economic Education. “The World Cup is putting the president in a vulnerable situation … The government is under extreme pressure.”

World Cup is a showcase for the country

FIFA's logo, orange Mexican marigold flowers, giant soccer balls and other decorations line streets across Mexico’s capital and the two other host cities, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Fans buzzed with excitement as they strolled through Mexico City's streets.

The competition is expected to bring in $3 billion for hotels, restaurants and sports venues, according to the Mexican Soccer Federation.

Thursday's fan festival and opening match, where Mexico will face off against South Africa, are expected to draw more viewers than much of the competition, with Colombian superstar Shakira and others scheduled to perform.

If all goes off without a hitch, it will be a feather in Sheinbaum's cap, said Pérez Ricart, showing the world that Mexico is “modern and capable of organizing high impact events.”

‘Everything is under control’

Mexican authorities have fortified security following violence that paralyzed host city Guadalajara in February. More than 100,000 soldiers, sailors, National Guard members and police officers are expected to be deployed across the three host cities, yet social tensions have posed the greatest obstacle, particularly in Mexico City.

For more than a week, the country’s teachers' union has toppled World Cup statues and blocked roads in an annual push for better working conditions. Families of Mexico’s more than 130,000 missing people have hung flyers of their loved ones and said authorities should focus on addressing humanitarian crises in Mexico.

"We’re not against the ball game,” said Luis Antonio Rosales Narváez, a protest organizer. But “they should be investing in education ... not giving the city a makeover.”

Sheinbaum had denied there was any social unrest ahead of the tournament, but on Wednesday she acknowledged that “if for some reason the Zócalo cannot be used for the opening, there are 18 venues where people can watch it free of charge.”

“Everything is under control,” she added.

‘The prices are sky-high’

Airports across the Americas were filled with fans. Panama City's airport — one of the main gateways between North and South America — was a sea of multicolored jerseys from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Germany and elsewhere.

“This year we’re defending the title, and we’ll follow Argentina to the ends of the earth,” shouted Emilio Sosa, a 29-year-old from Buenos Aires on his way to Los Angeles.

David Botero, a 43-year-old Colombian, was traveling to Mexico City with his family to watch Colombia’s opening match on June 17 against Uzbekistan.

“What matters is that we’ll get to see our team up close," Botero said.

Others, like 66-year-old Dr. Jose Luis Muñoz, struck a more skeptical tone as he read and smoked a cigarette next to a park in downtown Mexico City that once teemed with street vendors. It has since been cleared out by authorities in an effort to clean up the streets. Muñoz said some of his fondest memories were taking his children to games during Mexico’s 1986 World Cup and celebrating their home team's winning streak.

“I was so excited, and that joy I passed on to my children,” he said.

This year, though, he was priced out from attending games. Tickets cost hundreds of dollars.

“The prices are sky-high. Many people aren’t going to be able to go unless they’re foreigners with a lot of money,” Muñoz said. “It feels very discriminatory."

Still, he added, he will root for Mexico's team from home with his children and grandchildren.

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Associated Press journalists Nayara Batschke and María Verza contributed to this report from Mexico City.

A safety officer blew his whistle and others screamed to warn about 30 firefighters and coast guard personnel to dash to safety as concrete debris crashed down from the leaning three-story building in General Santos city in a frantic scene witnessed by an AP video journalist.

The coastal city, a bustling commercial hub and the country’s tuna capital, was devastated by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Monday and left a trail of destruction across southern Mindanao, the Philippines' second-most populous region.

“It was a strong aftershock and an alarm was immediately sounded so those inside and under the damaged building can run out for a headcount,” said Ressa Mia Tactaquin-Betoya, who speaks for the firefighters searching for the last employee missing in the ruined grocery, where two upper floors collapsed during the initial quake.

“It was scary because we don’t want our rescuers to be harmed so the area must be secured before they can go back in,” she told The Associated Press.

The earthquake has been followed by more than 2,100 aftershocks including a few that ranged up to 6.4 magnitude, which is strong enough to cause more casualties and damage, according to Teresito Bacolcol, who heads the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

More than 25,000 people remain displaced, many of them staying in 45 government-run emergency shelters and still too traumatized to return home, officials said.

Monday's quake was one of the most powerful to hit the Philippines in a half century. It injured at least 630 people and damaged more than 3,100 houses, 29 roads, 11 bridges and more than 100 government buildings.

It also damaged the international airport in General Santos, forcing it to shut down indefinitely except for government and military flights transporting aid and disaster-response personnel, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesperson Eric Apolonio said.

About 6,000 public school buildings in quake-hit provinces must be assessed before classes can resume. The quake struck on the first day of classes nationwide after a two-month summer break, and many who sustained injuries were young students who had gathered with excitement for morning flag-raising ceremonies.

Most of the deaths were caused by falling debris from collapsed buildings and landslides in General Santos and the nearby provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.

At least one person died after being swept out to sea following the quake, as waves up to 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) above tide level were measured in the southern Philippines. Smaller waves washed ashore in Indonesia and Palau and as far away as southern Japan before tsunami warnings were lifted.

Seven swimmers near General Santos were swept away by strong currents in the minutes after the quake. Three were rescued by the coast guard, one managed to swim back to shore, one drowned and two remain missing, the Philippine coast guard said.

The strong currents that swept away the victims were most likely set off by the earthquake, Bacolcol said.

The earthquake was set off by movement in the Cotabato Trench and was one of the strongest to hit the country since the same undersea depression triggered an 8.1-magnitude quake that whipped up tsunami waves on Aug. 17, 1976 and killed about 8,000 people.

The Philippines, one of the world's most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

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Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines and Haruka Nuga in Bangkok contributed to this report.

The mass shooting unfolded late Tuesday night in an informal settlement in Johannesburg's Cleveland suburb, police said. At least 10 attackers participated in the killings.

Organized crime gangs have long vied for control of illegal mining and other activities in Johannesburg. Police did not provide a motive, saying the shooting is under investigation.

Police said in a statement that the shooters “moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene.”

Nine men and three women were killed, according to police. Eleven died at the scene and one died in a hospital.

Police say the shooting was insane and barbaric

Police are searching for the suspects and their vehicle but no arrests have been made.

The provincial police commissioner, Tommy Mthombeni, called the killings “insane, heartless and, to a certain extent, barbaric.” Mthombeni said it was too early to link the violence to illegal mining gangs but that police were investigating. He said police confiscated illegal firearms, including assault rifles, in a recent operation in the area and that illegal miners were known to operate there.

Ambulances were on the scene on Wednesday morning to carry away the victims' bodies while community members huddled in groups on the streets. Some of them said their homes had been struck by bullets.

Resident Nkosinathi Phatha said his uncle was among those who were killed.

“I was sleeping at home with my daughter, but we all woke up when the gunshots started going off," Phatha said. “I’m still shaking even now, my young girl is still traumatized.”

Informal settlements are common in and around big cities in South Africa, where people looking for permanent housing live in shacks and other makeshift structures. Illegal miners sometimes operate in the same areas.

Residents said the settlement had a problem with illegal miners and that police rarely help.

“This area is not safe ... The police are not doing anything about it, and we will get into trouble if we start taking the law into our own hands,” said Phatha.

‘This was basically a massacre’

The government of Africa’s biggest economy deployed the army to high-risk areas — including in and around Johannesburg — in March to clamp down on illegal mines run by criminal syndicates and other organized crime. The yearlong operation has been decried by opposition lawmakers and crime analysts as an admission that police are losing the battle against organized crime.

South Africa has extremely high violent crime rates, with the country recording more than 23,000 killings in the last financial year, according to official crime statistics, an average of more than 60 a day.

Jack Bloom, a local politician, said there had been crime and murders in the area before, but this shooting was different and appeared to be related to criminal gangs.

“This was basically a massacre. It’s horrifying,” Bloom said.

Illegal gold mining is rampant in the area

South Africa has been hit by several recent high-profile mass shootings, including two in December that left more than 20 people dead. One of those attacks also involved multiple shooters.

Violent gangs are involved in illicit mining in and around Johannesburg, which has large gold reserves and many abandoned mines. The gangs search the abandoned mines for leftover gold deposits, which they sometimes store in hideouts in the informal settlements. Rival gangs also fight turf wars or use violence against communities to establish control in those areas.

Local council member Neuren Pietersen confirmed that illegal mining gangs have ties to Cleveland but said other problems exist in the suburb, such as tension over land, and that he is not sure those gangs were responsible for the latest killings.

“There are a lot of moving parts here so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is driving the issues,” Pietersen said in an interview with eNCA TV station.

Acting national police commissioner Puleng Dimpane said in a statement that forensic investigators and tactical response teams have been deployed to the scene. Tracing the white minibus is a priority, Dimpane said.

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Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. Associated Press writer Michelle Gumede in Johannesburg contributed.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

The S&P 500 sank 1% after bouncing between a modest gain and a loss of 1.1%, and it's heading toward its first back-to-back drop in three weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 627 points, or 1.2%, as of 12:52 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% lower.

Wall Street has been shaky since last week, when AI stocks went from roaring to records to suddenly turning lower. Among the worries is that their prices have simply shot too high, too fast because of AI mania. The question now is whether the break lower has cleared out excessive optimism that may have built into their stock prices, or if it's just the start of a longer downturn.

Super Micro Computer, which sells AI servers, tumbled 18.4% after saying late Tuesday that it plans to raise $7 billion in cash by selling shares of stock and convertible preferred stock. Such moves raise the most money for companies when their stock prices are high, and they can dilute the ownership stakes of existing shareholders.

Micron Technology went from an early loss of nearly 4% to a modest gain and back to a loss of 4%. It's coming off a wild stretch where it sank 7.7% last Thursday, then plunged another 13.3% Friday and rallied 9.9% Monday. Despite all the swings, the computer memory maker's stock is still up 214.3% for the year so far.

Stocks of companies whose products and services help to make semiconductors had been the strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500 during the morning, but they trimmed their gains as the day progressed. KLA, for example, pared its early jump of 7.7% to 0.6%.

Some of the pressure on AI stocks could be coming from investors pulling cash out to prepare for high-profile debuts on the U.S. stock exchange for several AI giants. SpaceX's initial public offering could come later this week, for example.

The market's swings came even as stocks got a bit of a boost from an update on U.S. inflation that arrived before trading began.

While the report said inflation accelerated to its highest level in three years, the numbers were pretty much exactly what economists had forecast. The rise in an important underlying measure of inflation, meanwhile, was not as bad from April through May as economists expected.

That helped Treasury yields ease a bit in the bond market, which in turn relaxed some of the pressure that’s built up on the stock market.

High bond yields can slow entire economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. They hit investments seen as the most expensive in particular, and some critics are calling AI a bubble where investment inflated too far.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.54% from nearly 4.55% earlier in the morning. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with its overnight interest rates, held steady at 4.13%.

Traders have been building bets recently that the Fed will have to hike its main interest rate at least once this year, given how high inflation is and how strong the U.S. job market remains. Wednesday’s inflation update caused them to trim their bets by a smidgen, according to data from CME Group.

Keeping things uncertain are continued swings for crude oil prices, which have been rising and falling with hopes that the United States and Iran can reach a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 2.7% to $93.89 after President Donald Trump warned Iran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations between the two on their war.

In stock markets abroad, indexes in Europe pared their losses following sharper drops in Asia.

South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 4.5%, hurt by losses for tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 sank 1.9% after data showed Japan’s producer price index, a measure for prices at the wholesale level, rose in May at the fastest pace in more than three years. Shares of technology and telecommunications giant SoftBank Group, which has a strong AI focus, lost 8.3%.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

The deal struck between the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers came four weeks after talks began.

The talks were the first under new DGA President Christopher Nolan, who took the job in September.

Along with similar four-year deals — longer than the industry three — ratified in recent weeks by unions representing writers and actors, the DGA agreement adds to the likelihood of long-term labor peace despite many other industry upheavals.

The collective bargaining agreement must still be approved by the guild’s national board, and no details on the terms will be released until then, the DGA said in a statement. It then must be ratified by the guild membership. But tentative agreements generally win approval at both stages.

The directors' previous contract had been set to expire June 30.

The AMPTP said in a statement that it was pleased to help achieve “a fair deal that helps advance a stable and successful entertainment industry.”

Video taken by a motorist shows the wooden cross engulfed in bright orange flames as it leans against a tree in Grant Park, a popular area near Lake Michigan. The Chicago Fire Department confirmed the flaming object was a cross, and said officials put out the fire.

Chicago Police said there were no reports of injuries and that they are investigating the motive and circumstances around the “object on fire.”

Keinika Carlton, 43, was driving home from running errands with her daughter and mother-in-law when they saw the cross on fire. She said she felt a combination of shock, sadness, disgust, as well as curiosity.

“Is this a racial thing? Is this a religious thing?” she said. “As Black women, of course, our first thought is racial, because burning crosses are known to be used as a tactic, an act of violence toward Black Americans in the South.”

Carlton estimated the cross was at least 6 feet (1.83 meters) tall. The experience was new to all of them, including Carlton's mother-in-law, who grew up in Kentucky.

Carlton said as they slowed down to shoot a video of the flames, she saw around her other cars slowing down and people walking nearby, staring at the cross burning.

While the motive behind the burning cross was not immediately clear, cross burnings in the U.S. have historically been seen as “symbols of hate” that are “inextricably intertwined with the history of the Ku Klux Klan,” according to a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision written by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The justices ruled that the First Amendment allows bans on cross burnings only when they are intended to intimidate because the action “is a particularly virulent form of intimidation.”

Alyna Carlton, 22, said she never thought she would see something like that in her lifetime.

“It kind of really opened my eyes, had me realize that I’m not that far removed from the past.”

Josep Turull, the Catalan rector of the Sagrada Familia and the priest in charge of its parish activities, recently granted The Associated Press a private tour to show off his favorite gems ahead of Pope Leo XIV's highly anticipated Mass on Wednesday night.

“We say that one of the elements of the Sagrada Familia Basilica is that you never exhaust it,” Turull said. “I have spent the last eight years as its rector, and each day I discover something new.”

1. Enigmas are engraved in the façades

Each morning, Turull approaches the basilica's elaborately decorated façades. They are packed with an abundance of religious scenes and symbols, some easy to interpret for anyone with a basic understanding of Christianity, while others are mysterious and even shocking to see in a church.

The westward-looking Façade of the Passion is stark, its figures tormented, their bodies strained in angular poses. That was how architect Antoni Gaudí wanted it — “harsh and cruel, as if made of bones,” to show the pain and torment of Christ’s final days.

Decades after Gaudí's own death, sculptor Josep Subirachs tempered the façade's misery with some playful elements. There's Gaudí himself, above the central door, staring across at Jesus carrying his cross to Calvary. And what's that suduko-like numbered grid next to Judas kissing Jesus before his betrayal?

The “magic square” symbolizes the inevitability of Christ's death; adding the numbers in any direction always produces 33, Jesus's age at his crucifixion.

Another puzzle awaits the patient eye that drifts across to the scene of Peter denying Christ: a small, square-shaped labyrinth. Turull said that it alludes to the need to keep faith in God when we feel lost.

2. The tower tops hold cornucopias and real birds of prey

After celebrating Mass, Leo will step outside to offer a blessing for the Tower of Jesus Christ that made the Sagrada Familia the world’s tallest church when it was raised in October.

The basilica's heights are bursting with nature, from the rooster who crowed while Peter denied Christ to reptiles doing the job of gargoyles, and piles of fruit that crown its spires.

There are also flesh-and-blood beasts; a family of peregrine falcons nest in the tower dedicated to St. James, keeping away pigeons and, more importantly, their excrement.

Gaudí's masterpiece was chosen as one of the ideal spots to reintroduce the species, as it was one of the last locations in town where these birds nested before disappearing during the 1970s. The falcons have been breeding successfully at the basilica for over two decades.

Turull said that these lightning-fast birds of prey “recover the cycle of natural life.”

3. The tour goes underground to find Gaudí's crypt

For the millions of annual visitors who admire the colored light filtering through the basilica's stained-glass windows, jostle for position to snap selfies and huddle around tour guides, it is easy to overlook what Turull calls its “spiritual heart." That requires going through a modest side entrance and descending a staircase.

Underground is a much smaller, more intimate chapel, where dozens of worshippers silently attend Mass and faith manages to keep sightseeing at bay.

Fittingly, it is here where Gaudí, a fervent Catholic, rests in a discreet tomb set inside a nook. He died exactly 100 years ago after being hit by a streetcar.

“People come to ask for his intercession,” Turull said, gesturing to the tomb interred in the floor. “That’s why there are so many candles. Because people place their trust in him. Many people have received favors for having prayed at the tomb of Gaudí.”

The Vatican is in the midst of a decades-long process that could eventually make Gaudí a saint. After Pope Francis named Gaudí “venerable” in 2025, the Vatican must now confirm a miracle attributed to his intercession for him to be beatified, then a second miracle for him to be canonized.

The basilica has proposed that the pope pray at Gaudí’s tomb during his visit, but whether he does remains to be seen.

4. A seashell for holy water

Before ascending, Turull pauses at an enormous seashell — a real one, not made of stone — that serves as a basin for holy water. He said that Gaudí had the seashell from the Philippines set in wrought iron and fixed to the column.

“Gaudí always takes nature as an example,” Turull said, referencing the way the natural world inspired his designs and decorations.

5. A changing room fit for a pope

Up a twisting staircase, a private room bathed in sunlight houses two freestanding oak cabinets laced with intricate ironwork. Designed by Gaudí, they hold the basilica’s most precious relics and most important clerical clothing. Among them is Pope Benedict XVI's chasuble — a cloak that clergy wear when celebrating Mass — from when he consecrated the Sagrada Familia in 2010.

This is where Pope Leo will change into a chasuble that is being sewn at a workshop just for this occasion.

Turull said the vestment will feature details symbolizing the day’s importance and a design related to the basilica's recently raised Cross of Jesus Christ. But he won't say anything more for now; some things need to stay secret.

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AP videojournalist Hernán Muñoz contributed to this report.

He and his wife now live among shards of memory: a bicycle where his bedroom stood; the garden where he planted tomatoes as a boy; a portrait of his late mother painted on a wall, based on a photograph lost in the demolition. Their mobile home, set up amid the rubble, is also marked for removal.

They are “trying to erase my memories, my childhood, my history,” he said, wiping away tears.

For decades, Israel has worked to expand the Jewish presence in annexed east Jerusalem — the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and home to major Jewish, Christian and Muslim sites. Settlers have exploited discriminatory policies and archaeological claims to evict Palestinians far from the region's war zones.

Activists say those efforts have gone into overdrive in recent years, as Israel is no longer constrained by U.S. pressure and attention has shifted to Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Over 260 homes and other structures were demolished in 2025, a 70% increase from three years earlier, with some neighborhoods seeing the most evictions in decades, according to Ir Amim, an Israeli anti-settlement group that closely tracks such policies. There have been at least 116 demolitions so far this year, it said.

It’s “an intensity and scope that we have never seen,” said Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at Ir Amim. “Israel can decide, yes, this neighborhood, we want to erase it … No one is going to stop us.”

Israeli government supports settlement growth

Israel captured east Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state, and the U.N. and much of the international community consider them to be illegally occupied.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its unified capital and says residents are treated equally by law.

Palestinians in annexed east Jerusalem are eligible for Israeli citizenship, but unlike Jews, they must apply for it — a long, uncertain process. Most choose not to because it would recognize Israel’s claims to the city. That leaves them with few ways to challenge housing policy, largely set by Israel’s Parliament.

Rights activists say that in addition to supporting the development of major Jewish settlements — which many Israelis view as ordinary neighborhoods — authorities have severely limited the growth of Palestinian neighborhoods, making it virtually impossible to obtain housing permits.

Last year, nearly 9,000 permits were approved for Jerusalem’s Jewish residents and fewer than 700 for Palestinians, according to Bimkom, an Israeli rights group. Palestinians make up some 40% of Jerusalem's population and are concentrated in the east.

Israeli officials say the discrepancy exists because Palestinians rarely apply for permits. Many Palestinians say it’s futile.

When Palestinians build without permits, they face the threat of demolition. Settler groups meanwhile exploit an array of laws to purchase or take over Palestinian properties.

Previous U.S. administrations have pressed Israel to slow or suspend settlement projects, viewing them as an obstacle to resolving the conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump broke with that tradition in his first term, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement that it's up to Israeli authorities to set policy in Jerusalem, and that it expects them to respect due process and the rule of law.

The neighborhood is near major religious sites

Abu Diab's neighborhood, al-Bustan, extends through a valley just outside the Old City, with the dome of the Al-Aqsa Mosque visible above the towering walls. Named for the orchards that once grew there, the neighborhood is now a crowded jumble of low concrete blocks and demolition sites.

It's part of the larger district of Silwan, home to some 20,000 Palestinians and coveted by settlers because it is near major religious and archaeological sites. The mosque is the third holiest in Islam, and the hilltop where it stands is the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount because it was where the two Jewish temples stood in antiquity.

The Jerusalem municipality said the homes in al-Bustan are being demolished because they were built without permits in areas not zoned for housing. A park and public parking lot will be established there for the benefit of all residents, it said in a statement.

The municipality said it put forward plans for alternative housing in the neighborhood but that residents did not show “serious intentions” to reach an agreement.

Abu Diab has been battling demolition orders in court since 2004. Part of his home was built before 1967, but his growing family expanded it without permits because it was impossible to get them, he said.

In February 2024, police gave him and his wife minutes to pack before demolishing their home. Since then, they have lived in the mobile home, their suitcases packed.

They are among some 1,500 Palestinians in al-Bustan whose homes could be demolished at any time.

Settlers move in as Palestinians are evicted

A short distance away, in the congested Batan al-Hawah neighborhood, settlers are moving in as Palestinians are evicted.

Zuhair al-Rajabi and dozens of his extended family were ordered out in January, when Israel's Supreme Court ruled against them after more than a decade of legal action.

Thumbing through papers in his living room, he pulled out a document from 1966 saying the property is his. He says he has to leave by July but has nowhere to go, as rents are high in Jerusalem. “The problem, in short, is that they don’t want us here,” he said.

March marked the highest rate of state-led evictions in the neighborhood in decades, with 15 families forced out and hundreds more people at risk, according to B'Tselem, an Israeli rights group.

Israeli laws allow settlers to reclaim properties that were owned by other Jews before the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. Palestinians who fled or were driven from their homes in what is now Israel during that conflict are barred from returning. Authorities have also transferred state-held land to settler groups.

The Batan al-Hawah evictions show “the cooperation between settler organizations and state institutions, based on discriminatory laws, toward a shared goal — the Judaization of east Jerusalem and the replacement of Palestinian residents with Israeli settlers,” said Yair Dvir, a spokesperson for B’Tselem.

The Israeli judiciary, in a statement, said courts rule on the merits of each case based on the circumstances, applicable law and established precedent, and denied colluding with private organizations.

Daniel Luria, the executive director of Ateret Cohanim, one of the main settler organizations in east Jerusalem, said it was working to correct a “monumental historical injustice” by helping Jews to return to what had been a Yemenite and Sephardic Jewish neighborhood up until the early 20th century, when he says they were expelled by Arabs and then again by the British.

Since 2004, around 50 Jewish families have moved into the neighborhood and more are eager to join them, he said. “There's never going to be a Palestinian state,” he added.

An Israeli flag waves above the home where Khalil Basbous was evicted in January. The 68-year-old moved into a relative's house around the corner but walks past his former home every day.

“It’s mine,” he said, wiping tears from his face and softly touching an olive tree he had planted by the door. “I have no doubt that I will return.”

After recovering from a muscle injury, the captain of the reigning world champions played 20 minutes and scored a penalty in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Iceland on Tuesday in its final tune-up match before the World Cup.

Messi, recovered from muscle fatigue and a slight strain in his left hamstring that he suffered in his last appearance with Inter Miami on May 24, started the game from the bench.

Just days before his 39th birthday and his sixth World Cup, Messi came on in the 70th minute and he scored a penalty kick after Lautaro Martínez was fouled inside the area.

Messi, the all-time top scorer for the Argentine national team with 117 goals, converted the penalty with a high left-footed shot in the 72nd minute.

Argentina, seeking its fourth World Cup title after those won in 1978, 1986, and 2022, will open its tournament against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City in Group J, which also includes Austria and Jordan.

It was the second match between the two nations. The first one was at the 2018 World Cup, when the European side managed a 1-1 draw in which Messi missed a penalty.

___ AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

In an opening statement provided to The Associated Press, Gates said he “should never have met with Epstein in the first place,” but that he “never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct.”

The tech billionaire became the latest powerful figure linked to Epstein to testify before the House Oversight Committee. As Gates arrived at the Capitol, he noted that he was there voluntarily and said he hoped his testimony would be useful.

“I hope my testimony is helpful to the work, the important work, of the committee, to find justice for the victims,” he said.

The committee chairman, Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer, formally requested that Gates testify after he appeared multiple times in a trove of documents released by the Justice Department as part of its Epstein probe. Before the interview on Wednesday, Comer told reporters that “no one’s accusing Bill Gates of any wrongdoing.”

“This is about the survivors" of Epstein and his confidant Ghislaine Maxwell. "This is about trying to figure out how the government failed,” Comer said.

Lawmakers are looking into Gates' relationship with Epstein

Gates said he was introduced to Epstein through people involved in his professional and philanthropic work and was drawn in by Epstein’s claims that he could help raise billions of dollars for global health initiatives. Gates says he ended the relationship in 2014 after concluding Epstein could not deliver on those promises.

Gates added that he never went to Epstein's island or his other infamous properties.

“I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated,” Gates said.

The remarks come as lawmakers review documents detailing Gates’ interactions with Epstein. Included in the files are calendar entries for meetings between Gates and Epstein, email correspondence between the two about philanthropic projects and photos of Gates at events that Epstein also attended.

Their relationship began in 2011, three years after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to soliciting prostitution from a minor, and continued until at least late 2014, according to the documents.

Gates, who chairs the Gates Foundation, has not been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of girls. He has said the two met only to discuss philanthropy and previously described the relationship as “a huge mistake.”

Both Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, have said his association with Epstein created tension in their marriage.

The foundation acknowledged in February that a small number of employees had met with Epstein based on his “claims that he could mobilize significant philanthropic resources for global health.” They never created a charitable fund together, and the foundation made no payments to Epstein.

Broader Epstein investigation continues

Epstein was federally indicted in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. The Justice Department alleged that Epstein formed a vast network of girls, some as young as 14, for him to sexually abuse between 2002 and 2005. He died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.

The files released by the Justice Department read like a who’s who of powerful men across tech, finance, politics and other industries. All have denied involvement in Epstein’s crimes, but some maintained or formed friendships with him even after his history of sexual abuse came to light.

At another closed-door deposition in February, former President Bill Clinton faced more than six hours of questioning from lawmakers about his association with Epstein more than two decades ago. Epstein visited the White House several times during Clinton’s presidency, and Clinton flew occasionally on Epstein's private jet.

The former Democratic president said he saw no signs of Epstein’s sexual abuse and stopped associating with him long before Epstein's 2008 guilty plea. Clinton has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Democrats on the House committee have pushed for testimony from President Donald Trump, a Republican who had his own relationship with Epstein. Republicans have said they have not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong during his well-documented friendship with Epstein.

Comer said Wednesday that he's planning to ask attorney Alan Dershowitz to appear and that he's been in communication with the Justice Department about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche coming in for questioning as well.

___

Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City.

The five firms represented or performed work involving 98 former players who in recent years sought six- to seven-figure payouts from the settlement for Parkinson’s disease claims, the special masters appointed to help oversee the settlement wrote in a report filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.

Of those, 37 remained pending and will now be denied, with a chance for the players to restart the claims process. But 57 were approved — totaling more than $95 million — before tips about suspicious activity prompted an audit. The attorneys' share of that came out to about $20 million, the report said, and additional firms may have been involved in similar actions.

The report called it “an organized scheme ... in which these law firms — and potentially others — circumvented the Settlement’s anti-fraud safeguards and laundered questionable Parkinson’s Disease diagnoses into payable claims.”

According to the report, the attorneys involved included Bart Oates, a former three-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers who earned his law degree while still playing in the NFL. Oates did not immediately return a message left by The Associated Press on his law firm voicemail seeking comment.

NFL fund meant to last for 65 years

The NFL in 2013 agreed to establish the fund, meant to last for 65 years, to settle class-action allegations that it long hid what it knew about the neurological risks of playing after concussions. The plan offers retired players baseline testing and compensation of up to $5 million for the most serious illnesses linked to football concussions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and deaths involving chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

The league has previously expressed concerns about doctor-shopping or other fraud in the disbursement of the money, while some attorneys representing players have accused the league of throwing up roadblocks for players seeking payment. A judge in 2019 terminated three of the four lawyers serving as class counsel after they objected to restrictions on geographical restrictions on the doctors who can evaluate retired players for dementia and other brain injuries.

“The NFL remains committed to ensuring that players and their families receive the benefits they deserve, and any misconduct threatens the integrity of the Settlement and the prompt payment of legitimate claims," league spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to the AP. “We are pleased with the Special Masters’ Decision, which sends a clear message that fraud in the NFL Concussion Settlement Program will not be tolerated.”

Under the settlement, only doctors contracted with the claims program are allowed to render qualifying diagnoses; those doctors must be board-certified, have expertise in neurology, and comply with anti-influence rules designed to prevent fraud or kickbacks.

Law firms recruited retired players

The report said that the law firms circumvented that requirement by recruiting retired players as clients and sending them to unapproved doctors who diagnosed them with Parkinson's and prescribed them a drug that suppresses the symptoms.

At one point, retired players waited in a hotel lobby in Dallas to meet with a traveling doctor who had rented a suite for the purpose of examining them for Parkinson’s, the report said. Another unapproved doctor used by the firms was neither board-certified nor known to be a movement disorders specialist, but even if he were, he would have been ineligible due to past bankruptcy, tax liens and civil judgments, it said.

After the diagnosis and prescription from an unapproved doctor, the law firms sent the clients to approved ones — who were hamstrung in making a decision about whether the former player had the disease, because the player was already on medication to suppress the symptoms, the report said. The approved doctors typically could rely only on the past medical history: the prior diagnosis and current prescription.

The report identified the law firms involved as Douglas Grossinger, Attorney at Law; Feder Law, LLC; Pro Athlete Law Firm, P.A.; Syme Law, PLLC; and Reppert Oates & Vytell, LLC. It said the practice began with Grossinger, who then recruited other attorneys to submit claims for him so as to avoid raising suspicion for submitting so many Parkinson's claims.

Oates did not farm out claims to other attorneys, but he engaged in a similar practice with diagnoses, the report said, with informants telling auditors that he “cold-called Retired NFL Players, promising a Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease” if the players switched from another law firm to his.

“By structuring their clients’ evaluations in this way, Mr. Grossinger and ROV deliberately put (approved) Physicians in a position where they had little choice but to defer to manufactured outside records,” the report said.

Grossinger, a New York-licensed attorney, declined to comment on the record when contacted by the AP. Pennsylvania-based Fred Feder said in a text message he would not make any statement without first consulting his lawyer. The AP could not immediately confirm contact information for Syme Law or Pro Athlete Law Firm.

___

Johnson reported from Seattle. AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

But most people who responded instead weighed in to criticize the effort itself, according to an Associated Press analysis of 35,000 public comments submitted in the second half 2025 and recently made public through a lawsuit.

One visitor to a park in North Carolina called the administration’s efforts “un-American." Another derided the idea of “having Americans call in and snitch on each other.”

“Hey Donald Trump!” wrote a person in North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park, “Trying to erase history doesn’t mean it didn’t still happen!”

A large chunk — more than half, not even accounting for duplicative submissions — was a backlash to the effort itself, according to an Associated Press analysis.

What the Trump administration did

Some comments submitted in response to the administration’s solicitation flagged interpretive changes that officials might now seek to undo — and in dozens of cases already have, according to one group.

But considering that the National Park Service logged some 323 million visits at more than 400 sites last year, the 35,000 initial public comments received from June to January and released following a lawsuit was a tepid response.

An order by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last year targeted “inappropriate content” including any signs and exhibits "negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.”

The order following one by President Donald Trump on “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" sought to emphasize the achievements of America and splendor of its landscape.

The goal, Burgum wrote, was to restore sites to “solemn and uplifting public monuments that remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage, consistent progress toward becoming a more perfect Union, and unmatched record of advancing liberty, prosperity, and human flourishing.”

A watchdog group of librarians, public historians and data experts called Save Our Signs, relying on photo submissions and news reports, has documented at least 59 signs removed or modified.

They include signs referring to slavery, climate change, women’s rights and involvement in conservation and Native American history, said Jenny McBurney, a government publications librarian at the University of Minnesota who is part of the group.

“It seems to be anything that is sort of going against the ideology, this idea of America is perfect and can do no wrong, which of course we know is not true,” McBurney said.

Many of the changes were at Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, where the administration removed exhibits on the lives of nine people enslaved at the site in the 1790s under George Washington, the first U.S. president. Some of those exhibits were later restored under a judge's order before further work was halted after the administration appealed.

How visitors responded

More than half the comments showed signs of coordination and were critical of the effort itself. But many others were personally crafted.

The comments come to light as a result of a Sierra Club lawsuit seeking their release. Some commended the parks, including their staff and signage.

“We had a great time learning about the development of this site including the difficult parts of our American story,” wrote a visitor to Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. “We need those reminders to help us become even better in the future.”

Others veered into silliness: “Didn’t see any Bigfeets,” wrote a visitor to Washington’s North Cascades National Park.

A large portion, though, took aim at the administration.

“Trump’s idea of having Americans call in and snitch on each other ... is straight out of the fascist playbook he’s literally acting like Hitler or Mussolini,” wrote one visitor.

Some signage was flagged

Some visitors alerted what they saw as inappropriate references to historical figures, including Black leaders, related to race and inclusion philosophies.

A visitor to Missouri's Harry S. Truman National Historic Site flagged an installation they said praised the former president as a “founding father" of diversity, equity and inclusion and a “precursor” advocate of critical race theory, or a way of looking at U.S. history through the lens of racism.

"I came here to see his hat and maybe a piano, not to read about intersectionality and ‘equity frameworks.’ I nearly choked on my commemorative root beer," the visitor wrote.

Another complained that a sign at Virginia's Booker T. Washington National Monument described the Black leader as a “father of DEI and early architect of critical race theory.”

“This sign is blatantly misleading, politically loaded, and clearly designed to push a modern agenda by hijacking a respected historical figure. It’s like naming Paul Revere the first Uber driver because he got around fast,” the person said.

How the administration responded

The Trump administration has been vague about the changes it has made as a result of the program.

“In many cases across the system, flagged materials remain unchanged," an Interior spokesperson said in an emailed statement, while not answering questions about signs or exhibits that are or will be changed.

Other locations where signs have been removed or changed include Maine’s Acadia National Park, Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, New York City’s Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Virgin Islands National Park, according to Save Our Signs.

“We hear from folks all over the country that history matters, that our national parks matter and that this is important to them,” McBurney said.

___

Gruver reported from Fort Collins, Colorado. This story included reporting from Associated Press writer Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Data released Wednesday by global energy think tank Ember, along with a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie, show the continued growth of solar and decline of coal in the United States despite federal policy. In May, for the first time, solar supplied more of the nation’s electricity than coal, or 12.8%, Ember said. Coal supplied 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever.

“For years solar power has risen in the U.S. electricity mix," said Nicolas Fulghum, senior energy and data analyst at Ember. "At the same time, coal power has lost its status, first as the largest source in the U.S. mix, and then gradually over the years has fallen even further.”

Solar also became the third-largest source of electricity in the U.S. in May, behind natural gas and nuclear, Fulghum said. Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low in April and rebounded only modestly in May, allowing increasing solar generation to overtake coal, he added.

Electricity is produced by converting sources of energy — fossil fuels, renewable resources and nuclear — into electrical power. Burning coal, oil and natural gas for electricity emits carbon dioxide, trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the planet. By contrast, solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower and nuclear are carbon-free.

After about two decades of essentially flat electricity consumption in the U.S., electricity demand is increasing to power artificial intelligence, grow domestic manufacturing and electrify transportation and heating. Fulghum said he expects to see more months when solar exceeds coal generation, before overtaking it on an annual basis in a few years.

These milestones signify that solar “has staying power” at a time when there's less support for renewable energy at the federal level, he added.

Wind and solar combined have overtaken coal in the past, and wind power alone has outpaced coal during spring months when wind speeds pick up. Ember gets its hourly and monthly data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Globally, electricity generation from renewables is growing rapidly. Renewables will become the largest global energy source, used for almost 45% of electricity generation by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.

Trump helps the struggling US coal industry while curtailing solar and wind

Last week, Trump, a Republican, announced a plan to boost the struggling U.S. coal industry by spending nearly $700 million to support coal-fired power plants and coal exports. Trump said at a White House event that “coal’s a great business” and that "in terms of power, there’s really nothing like it.”

Martin Pochtaruk, CEO and founder of Canadian-based solar panel manufacturer Heliene, said Trump can say that coal is coming back but investors will invest their money in whatever brings the best return. And for power generation that is solar, making it the fastest-growing fuel, he added.

A White House spokeswoman defended the Trump administration's overall energy policies, saying they were geared toward strengthening the country's security.

“The President has reversed the Left’s devastating policies, saved the American coal industry, prevented the retirement of more than 17 gigawatts of power, and saved lives during heightened demand periods," Taylor Rogers said in a statement.

While Trump is trying to reverse the coal industry's decline, solar has been the top source for new power for five years, SEIA said. SEIA and Wood Mackenzie said solar and battery storage were practically the only energy resources being built in the first quarter, making up 91% of all new generating capacity.

The Trump administration has canceled solar and wind projects, implemented policies that slowed clean energy permitting and development and terminated $7 billion in funding intended for affordable solar energy projects across the U.S.

“As power demand skyrockets, political and regulatory attacks are slowing down the exact resources we rely on,” Darren Van’t Hof, interim president and CEO of SEIA, said in a statement. “Impeding the only sector that is actively building new power is a reckless gamble that will only drive electricity bills higher.”

Several groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency over canceling the Solar for All program. A district court dismissed the case last week citing lack of jurisdiction. The plaintiffs have another filing pending in the Court of Federal Claims.

In a ruling Saturday, a federal judge struck down guidance from the Internal Revenue Service restricting tax credits for wind and solar projects.

Trump has blamed renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power for skyrocketing energy costs. But energy analysts say recent price hikes are based on growing demand, aging infrastructure and increasingly extreme weather events that are exacerbated by climate change. Most recently, the war in Iran that Trump launched has also led to a spike in energy costs.

Blaming clean energy is “nonsensical,” said U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman. The California Democrat said that “not even lighting $700 million of taxpayer money on fire” can save the dying coal industry.

“The rest of the world will move ahead toward a clean energy future with countries other than the United States leading the charge, unfortunately,” he said Wednesday. "Trump will fail in this agenda. But, he will do enormous damage to our global leadership on clean energy and to the cost of living for struggling Americans.”

Top states for solar voted for Trump

States won by Trump in the 2024 election accounted for 74% of all solar capacity installed in the first quarter of 2026, with Texas, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Arizona and Mississippi ranking among the top 10 states for new solar additions, SEIA said. The U.S. now exceeds a total of 6 million installations nationwide across all solar sectors, which includes large-scale solar arrays, commercial, community solar and residential or rooftop solar.

Johanna Neumann, at the Environment America Research and Policy Center, said it's “good news for our health and our planet that solar continues to grow,” and also, not surprising.

“Today we can harness solar more affordably than any other energy source. It’s scalable. And it’s also our most abundant renewable energy source,” said Neumann, senior director of the center's campaign for 100% renewable energy. “So I think it’s hard to keep the lid on a good idea, especially if the economics are tilting in your favor as well, which they are in the case of solar.”

Environment America's renewable energy dashboard shows that 32 U.S. states generated at least 10% of their retail electricity sales from solar, wind and geothermal energy last year, compared to 18 states in 2016. Clean energy in the South is booming, particularly in Florida, Arkansas and Mississippi, Neumann said.

“I think there is a misconception in the United States that clean energy is something for the coasts and liberal cities,” she said. “The true story of renewable energy is a 50-state story.”

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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.

With the World Cup about to kick off, security is heightened and there’s a zero-tolerance policy for drones over or near stadiums during the 78 matches in 11 U.S. cities.

Authorities have ratcheted up counter-drone measures used at the Super Bowl and other major events, while Congress has given law enforcement broader authority to electronically disable drones or shoot them down.

“The war in Ukraine has become a real-world testing ground for drone technology, and if there is one threat that keeps me up at night, it is from drones,” New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

Taking the threat seriously

Congress just gave state and local law enforcement the green light to take control of a threatening drone or even shoot them down if needed in December, though the first option will be to disable them electronically and land them safely. Key federal agencies already had that power.

The Federal Aviation Administration will restrict the airspace around and over crowded stadiums for World Cup games and fan events — much like it has done for years around NFL and Major League Baseball games. Violators can face fines up to $100,000, see their drones confiscated and even face criminal charges for flying within three miles of one of the games. But those penalties likely wouldn’t deter a determined terrorist.

The FBI has spent the last seven years building up its capability to deal with drones by investing in the technology needed to quickly identify drones and take control of them, and authorities have been using that already at major events. The bureau also provided counter drone technology training this year to law enforcement in all World Cup host cities that taught them how to recognize dangerous drones and respond.

The military has also developed counter drone lasers like the ones used along the Mexican border earlier this year and other systems to shoot down drones, but the FBI is not planning to do that during the World Cup because of the dangers involved with the wreckage of a drone falling over a major city.

“If the drone is intercepted and it no longer flies, it’s going to fall. And as we say, no matter what you do, you can’t change the law of gravity,” said national security expert Hal Kempfer, who estimates that he has trained more than 30,000 law enforcement officers on counter-terrorism techniques.

‘Everybody’s a little behind’

The government has invested heavily in systems that should allow officers to take control of suspicious drones and land them safely or jam their signals, including handing out $250 million to help states prepare to protect World Cup matches and the big public events planned this summer to honor America's 250th birthday.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Congress at a recent hearing that federal officers have successfully dealt with drones over several recent events, including bringing down eight drones over a Formula 1 race in Miami and 12 that entered the no fly zone over the Masters golf tournament, but “everybody's a little behind” the rapidly evolving technology.

“Biggest concern I have is honestly with drones,” Mullin said. “I wouldn’t say a vulnerability, but it is, it is one of the areas that we are struggling with every single day.”

Drones are scary in the wrong hands

The FBI is taking a “zero-tolerance” approach to protecting the airspace around World Cup events. Devin Kowalski, an FBI assistant director in charge of the bureau’s Critical Incident Response Group, said the agency plans to treat all drones “like they could be a real-deal threat.” Other federal agencies, including Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard, will take the lead at several stadiums while the FBI protects three of them.

“When that drone comes into the TFR (Temporary Flight Restricted area), we’re handling it as if it’s something that could hurt people, and we’re aggressively locating its operator and conducting the logical investigation to determine the nature of the situation as well as to hold that person accountable,” Kowalksi said in an interview with The Associated Press.

ATF Director Rob Cekada said in an interview that the focus now is on protecting the World Cup, but the America 250 events, World Series, Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympics aren’t far behind. “Then think about all the events in every community in the country — high school and college games — that are a concern for our state and local partners. So we want to do what we can to help them as best as possible,” he said.

Derek Reisfield, who is the former president of one of the companies providing counter-drone technology to the host cities, said “this technology in the wrong hands is very scary,” and there are many around the globe who want to harm America.

“We have to assume that there’s somebody in Iran who’s spending every day thinking about how they can attack the United States on our home turf,” said Reisfield, who used to lead Ondas and now serves on the board of a Ukrainian company called Swarmer that makes software that allows one person to control hundreds of drones.

Early detection could be key to stopping drones

Some of the technology could allow authorities to detect drones up to 25 miles (40 kilometers) out, which would provide more time to mitigate the threat, according to Matt Sloane, the co-founder of SkyfireAI. But it's possible that someone could sneak a drone up close to a stadium and launch it from less than a mile away (less than 1.6 kilometers), which would leave little time to act.

And the systems designed to jam the signal from an operator or take control of a drone might not be effective if it is preprogrammed to crash into a stadium full of fans while carrying an explosive payload or if it is controlled over a fiber optic line.

The battlefield tactic that might pose the greatest threat would be sending a swarm of multiple drones to attack at the same time. Even with the best defenses, a few drones might sneak through to the target as Iran has been able to do with large numbers of its Shaheed drones. The U.S. military has an assortment of weapons to knock drones out of the sky, but Iran has still be able to hit targets across the Middle East.

But Sloane he feels like the government is doing what it can to be ready.

“The threat is real, certainly. But I do think that there’s a lot being done to prepare for it. To educate about it,” said Sloane, whose company has helped protect Super Bowls in the past. “And then we just need to tell everybody who’s just trying to take pretty pictures ‘Hey this is not the time. Keep your drone in the box.’”

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Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.

Nine-year-olds rebounded to pre-pandemic reading scores and saw some recovery in math, according to data from a test taken regularly in the United States since the 1970s. The same recovery has not emerged for 13-year-olds, whose average scores in math and reading remain below pre-pandemic averages. In fact, the latest reading scores, from teenagers who took the test in 2024, are essentially the same level as they were when the test started in 1971.

Since the pandemic, schools and state policymakers have focused on overhauling instruction for elementary students, especially in implementing the “science of reading,” which teaches kids to read by understanding how letters form sounds. But recent test scores show educators should also focus more intensely on adolescent learners and turning around academic outcomes in middle school, said Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board.

Indeed, the 13-year-olds who took the national test experienced the pandemic's disruption during formative elementary years of schooling. In a few years, they will have graduated — and they may still be behind.

“The 13-year-olds who took this assessment last year are headed to high school now or are already enrolled," she said. "Schools won’t have them much longer. We can’t hesitate or wait if we’re going to turn these trends around.”

What the test measures

Typically given every four years, the long-term trends assessment offers a snapshot into the academic skills of American students at ages 9 and 13. Roughly 31,000 students in public and private schools sat for the test in the 2024-2025 school year. Unlike the main Nation's Report Card test for fourth and eighth graders, which is updated regularly with new skills to reflect changing curricula, the long-term test has stayed largely the same since the 1970s.

American students' academic achievement was already declining when the pandemic hit. Test scores peaked around 2012, then started to fall, said Matthew Soldner, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.

“We can clearly see that this isn’t just a pandemic story,” Soldner said.

The test results show younger kids are improving foundational skills, such as identifying facts in a simple news article or understanding basic multiplication and division. Seventy-one percent of 9-year-olds reached the benchmark in reading, and 84% reached that level in math, a few percentage points higher than in 2022.

Teenagers are tested on more advanced skills, such as making generalizations from a reading passage and comparing information from charts and graphs. Only 58% met the benchmark skill level in reading and 70% in math, with no statistically significant improvement from 2023.

Fewer students are reading for fun

Compounding the issue of stagnant literacy rates: Fewer students than ever are reading for fun.

Students who took the test also completed a survey. Only 14% of 13-year-olds said they read for fun every day, down from 27% in 2012 and a peak of 37% in 1992. Among 9-year-olds, 37% said they read for fun every day, a significant decline from 53% in 2012. Researchers have noted the decline in time spent reading corresponds with the rise of social media use on cellphones.

Still, younger children have shown an “incredibly encouraging” recovery academically in recent years, Soldner said. “Almost 50 years of progress has been eliminated” for 13-year-olds, he said.

The 13-year-olds who took the most recent test would have been in second or third grade during the first year of the pandemic. They would have returned to in-person learning in fourth or fifth grade and taken this national test in their last year or two of middle school.

In contrast, the 9-year-old group would have been entering kindergarten or first grade as the pandemic's most acute phase ended and schools reopened. Their second and third grade years would have been more reflective of typical in-person teaching.

Those experiences are dramatically different, Soldner said, as the older group would have missed foundational years in building literacy and computational skills in school.

While more recent declines in student outcomes are alarming, decades of test data show it's possible to change children's trajectories over time, said Mark Miller, an eighth grade math teacher and former member of the National Assessment Governing Board.

“We have made progress in the past, from the early '70s to 2012,” Miller said. "Can it be done again? Absolutely."

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The next thing the reigning NL Cy Young winner knew, he was circling the parking lot, searching for a spot. Not long after, one of the brightest stars in the game was watching various Ingomar Little League teams practice.

The 24-year-old star tried to stay “incognito,” which is kind of hard to do in general when you're 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds and one of the brightest young stars in your sport. Soon enough, Skenes found his way onto the field in sandals, a T-shirt, and a pair of shorts, a sure sign that the typically well put-together Skenes hadn't planned on stopping in the first place.

Over the next two hours, he played catch, signed autographs, and remembered a time in his life when his relationship with the game was far simpler.

The impromptu practice went viral, as things tend to do when Skenes is involved. His girlfriend, former gymnast turned influencer and actress Livvy Dunne, s hared it on TikTok. A popular Pittsburgh DJ did the same on Instagram.

Skenes has learned to accept that attention comes with the territory, even when he's trying to avoid it.

“Should’ve worn some sunglasses and a fake moustache,” he joked.

Yes, Skenes is well aware of the core memory he created for the players at Ingomar Little League, about 20ish minutes north of PNC Park. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Garrett Anderson did the same for Skenes when the two briefly connected while Skenes was growing up in Southern California.

Yet just as importantly, with the Pirates in the midst of a losing streak that stretched to four after they were drilled 12-2 loss by Los Angeles on Tuesday — when the Dodgers exploded for 10 runs in the seventh immediately after Skenes departed — it offered Skenes a reminder of why he does what he does for a living.

“I went to watch some baseball, but you got to remember it’s just a game,” Skenes said. “There’s a lot of things that make it a business. It’s work. It’s a job for us, for sure, on some days more than others, but you got to remember you love the game and why you started playing it in the first place.”

Particularly during the times when that love can feel elusive during a difficult stretch like the one Skenes is in at the moment.

Despite limiting the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers to two runs over six innings and retiring four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani all three times he faced him, Skenes remained winless over his last five starts after the bullpen imploded behind him.

Is Skenes in a slump? Only in comparison to the remarkably high bar he has set during his rapid ascent to one of the best pitchers in baseball. His ERA since May 17 is a pedestrian 4.50, more than double his career ERA up to that point.

Things were a little better, a little sharper against the Dodgers than they have been of late. He recorded seven strikeouts, and Los Angeles swung and missed at more than 15 of the 103 pitches he threw.

Skenes' fastball largely went where he wanted, when he wanted, and if Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe can knock down a sharp grounder that instead deflected off his glove and into the outfield with two outs in the sixth that allowed Freddie Freeman to score and tie the game, Skenes might have exited with the lead.

Not that it mattered in the end. The 10-spot the Dodgers put up in the seventh made sure of that.

Still, Skenes is trying to keep things in perspective. The season is long. Every team struggles at some point. He is trying his best to remain focused on the process.

Asked why his fastball — which now sits more in the 97 mph range after frequently topping 100 as a rookie two years ago — looked better on Tuesday than it has in a while, he shrugged.

“Just a good day, I think,” he said. "Kinda comes and goes as the season goes. Just a good day with that.”

The lobs he threw to the Little Leaguers didn't have nearly that kind of velocity. They might have as much meaning, however, over the arc of a season that can sometimes feel more like a slog than a dream come true.

“We’ve all played those sandlot fields when we were nine,” he said, later adding, "The game looks different when it’s 200-foot fences and there are no ads out there, no fans out there, just playing for the love of the game.”

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

Trump’s warnings at the White House and on social media came hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan — all of which host U.S. troops — came under Iranian fire. It was the second time this week that back-and-forth strikes have tested a two-month ceasefire. On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other.

“We’re going to hit them again hard today,” Trump told reporters at the White House hours after the U.S. said it struck Iranian military sites.

Shortly after Trump spoke, the U.S. military said it had fired on an oil tanker attempting to transport oil from Iran in violation of its blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump wouldn’t say whether he planned to follow through on threats he made earlier in the war to attack bridges and utility plants in Iran. He urged Iran to sign a deal to end the war.

“We were really close to a deal but they keep tapping us along,” Trump said.

Trump's comments underlined the American leader's whipsaw approach to the war. He suggested on Monday that a deal to end the conflict could be reached in a matter of days.

Iran, meanwhile, has proved resilient despite having faced weeks of heavy bombing. It is betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for the world’s oil and natural gas — gives it a strong bargaining chip.

Still, both countries seem to be looking for a way to end the conflict — if they can manage to sell it as a win at home. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing much more difficult goals: the collapse of Iran’s theocratic government, the elimination of its nuclear program, and the destruction of the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. That will make compromise much harder.

Strikes by the US and Iran shake the Mideast

Since the U.S. and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, the conflict has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world, and made food and other basics more expensive. The international benchmark for crude oil traded above $92 a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the start of the war.

The U.S. military said Wednesday an American aircraft fired “precision munitions” into the engine room of the Palau-flagged vessel M/T Settebello as it attempted to breach the naval blockade with a shipment of Iranian oil. It was the eighth merchant vessel disabled by U.S. forces in waters off Iran.

India’s foreign ministry said that three Indian crew members aboard the Settebello were missing after the ship was struck, while 21 other Indian sailors were rescued. Its statement did not mention the U.S. military or the blockade.

In strikes earlier Wednesday, the U.S. military said its fighter jets targeted “air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.

Iran said U.S. strikes hit two water reservoirs in its southern city of Sirik, temporarily cutting off water to thousands of people. Iran’s state media published video of what it said was a damaged reservoir, though The Associated Press could not immediately verify the footage.

U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tehran later claimed attacks in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

Jordan said it shot down five incoming missiles, which Iran said targeted an air base hosting American military aircraft. Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency reported there were no injuries.

Bahrain and Kuwait said they intercepted incoming fire, without elaborating.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the American attacks as a violation of Iranian sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in televised comments that, following the new attacks, Iran would review its stance on negotiations to end the war.

Efforts to mediate a deal continued. Following consultations with the U.S., a delegation from Qatar arrived in Tehran for talks on Wednesday, according to an official with knowledge of the visit who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.

The exchanges of fire came a day after a U.S. Army attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz. The helicopter collided with an Iranian drone, according to a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. It wasn’t clear whether the collision was intentional.

A drone boat rescued both of the helicopter’s crew, and Trump said they were uninjured.

Big disagreements stand in the way of a quick peace deal

Wary of high gas prices in the run-up to congressional elections in November, Trump seems to be looking for a quick win. But he is also making demands that will be tough for Iran to swallow.

The U.S. wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, that uranium is a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Iran is refusing to give up the uranium and demanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place, something Trump rejected.

It's not clear how those differences can be bridged — and Trump has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the talks. His Truth Social post Wednesday accused Iran of taking “too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”

Meanwhile, Iran has continued to insist that any deal to end the war must also end fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. Instead, Israel has intensified its military campaign against the Lebanon-based militant group.

An airstrike on a village east of Tyre killed at least six people, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported. It said two others were killed by an Israeli drone strike on a car in the southern city of Sidon.

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Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Will Weissert in Washington; Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel; David Rising in Bangkok; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Michelle L. Price in New York and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.

Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones is officially running for the District 24 seat.

The deep-blue district covers Miami Gardens, Hollywood, Miramar and Pembroke Park.

Jones kicked off his campaign for Congress in front of a packed crowd in Pembroke Park on Tuesday night.

“I beg of you tonight that you trust me once again,” said Jones. “You’ve trusted me in Tallahassee. I ask them that you send me to Washington D.C. to have me fight on your behalf.”

Jones expressed that people are looking for new leadership and change.

“I think people are tired of the same old talk, they’re tired of same old politicians, they’re looking for change, they’re looking for transparency and they’re looking for new leadership,” he said. “And I think we’re going to bring that to them.”

Jones was born and raised in Miami Gardens. He made history in 2020 by becoming the first LGBTQ+ person elected to the Florida State Senate.

If he wins, he’d be the state’s first LGBTQ+ member of Congress.

It’s a campaign focused on affordability, saying prices are too high and promising to advocate for working people.

“I shared yesterday that I will join any caucus, I will join any piece of legislation that is lowering the cost of groceries, that is lowering the cost of gas,” Jones said. “I will join any legislation that is making the lives of people better that are going through the process right now.”

Jones already has several competitors in the Democratic primary, including former Miami-Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime, current Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, Rudy Moise and Christine Sanon-Jules.

Broward Fire Rescue’s Broderick Espinoza and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Jesus Fuentes were recognized during Tuesday night’s Lauderdale-by-the-Sea commission meeting for their quick actions following a near-drowning during Memorial Day weekend.

“I’m just truly blessed that he’s alive and well, here with us,” said Espinoza. “Honestly it was all a blur, I was just really focused. I didn’t really know anyone was around us.”

Body camera footage captured the frantic moments after 5-year-old Tyler Nelson was pulled from a pool at the Plunge Beach Resort on May 24.

At the time, Tyler had no pulse so the off-duty Espinoza immediately started CPR.

Fuentes and two off-duty nurses also jumped in to help.

Within minutes, Tyler regained a pulse and started to breathe again.

“It’s just a humbling experience,” said Fuentes. “At the end of the day, we didn’t do anything that anybody with our training wouldn’t do. Our training just took over.”

Tyler spent two days in the ICU before being released with a clean bill of health.

His mother said she would forever be grateful to those who saved her son’s life.

“They’re angels, they allowed God to literally use them to be a vessel to save my son,” said Markita Pittman-Nelson. “I mean, two firefighters and two nurses, what more could a person ask for.”

Added Fuentes: “I understand it as a parent myself, I understand how emotional it is for her to still have Tyler around and how grateful she is to us. Like I said, at the end of the day, it’s nothing that we think of. It’s nothing that we make a big deal out of, we’re just doing our duty.”

But, the 20-year veteran’s winning goal on Tuesday night was anything but simple. Then again, considering how he has played against the Vegas Golden Knights in this series, perhaps it was.

With the game tied at 3 in the third period, Staal’s sprawling backhand shot while in the air with 13:29 left beat Vegas' Carter Hart and found the back of the net for his second score of the game, and it held up as the winner in the 5-3 victory.

“For a second, I wasn’t sure if it exactly went in, and I heard everyone go quiet,” said Staal, who lay face down on the ice after his acrobatic goal. “I heard some guys yelling. I was in my own world. It was an incredible moment, obviously, and just let a big yell go and then celebrated with the guys.”

It was yet another big moment that Staal found a way to spark his team when it needed it most.

The 37-year-old, who has five goals in the series, said as long as the wild and zany series that has been defined by “no lead is safe,” the Hurricanes have to pounce on every opportunity.

“There are fine lines of making plays, and we have to make big plays, there’s no question,” Staal said. “But it’s a simple game that we can run, and when you know when they maybe call uncle, and you jump on it. And that’s what they’ve done to us very well, as well. It’s just kind of a back-and-forth kind of stress game, and who can do it better."

Tuesday, that was Carolina.

The Hurricanes came out with a sense of urgency by taking a 2-0 lead early to set the tone, and dominated the shots on goal, 23-12 after two periods, and then withstood Vegas' late surge before Staal's heroics.

The series is tied at 2 and returns to Carolina for Game 5 on Thursday.

That's how long the Golden Knights have to figure out how to stop Staal from adding to his scoring tally.

“He’s killing us in front of the net, Staal,” Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said. “So, we have got to do a better job around the blue.”

Staal became the first player since Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders in 1982 to score a goal in each of the first four games of the final.

Staal also tied the second-longest playoff goal streak in franchise history, behind teammate Logan Stankoven, who set the record at five earlier this postseason.

He said he isn't concerned with milestones, though, or the fact that he has 11 points in these playoffs, including seven goals.

“I don’t think big picture right now, it’s too hard to think like that," Staal said. "It’s just like, my goodness, it’s the next shift, next play, next game, next everything. And that’s all that’s running through my brain, is how do we get two more wins.

"And that’s it.”

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

Terrell Ray was killed when the dirt bike he was riding crashed into the side of a hearse outside the Angels of Paradise Mortuary located at 2796 NW 46th St. in the country’s unincorporated Brownsville area.

Hundreds of friends and family filled the intersection Tuesday night to honor and remember their friend, their brother, and for Mahogany Johnson-Ray, her husband.

“I’m happy that I have so many people behind me, walking with me through this journey,” she said.

The two had known each other since middle school and were married for over three years.

Johnson-Ray said Ray’s loss will have an effect on the entire community.

“It’s incredible but it’s scary because it’s how he touched so many lives,” she said. “You can see that a lot of people really, really truly love him because, look at (all these people).”

Loved ones created a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.

Mariagracia Ramjohn’s son Ezekiel was breastfed. He later had a whole chicken leg, sweet potatoes, pears, and eggs. He loved avocados. His allergic reaction surfaced when he was 6 months old.

“For some reason, something was always telling me, like, be careful with peanuts,” Ramjohn said. “So I gave him peanuts at six months when he had his pediatrician appointment ... at the parking lot, because I was a little scared, and immediately, just a rash around his mouth. And I was like, ‘Oh no!’”

The rash spread, and he vomited. It was clear to his pediatrician that he was allergic to peanuts, so she had to clean house.

“You don’t realize how much stuff has peanut butter in it,” Ramjohn said. “There are so many things.”

Ramjohn asked Dr. Nicole Akar-Ghibril, a pediatric allergist and immunologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, for help.

“We think part of the reason that we have as many food allergies as we do today is because of prolonged avoidance,” Akar-Ghibril said. “And so back in the day, when I was a kid, the recommendation was, ‘Don’t let your kid have peanuts until they’re three.’ Now, we really know that early introduction makes a difference.”

Akar-Ghibril is the director of the hospital’s oral immunotherapy program.

“The way it works is a desensitization to a food that we know a child is allergic to, and so the whole point is to raise the threshold that a patient can tolerate,” Akar-Ghibril said about the treatment.

Akar Ghibril has been retraining her patients’ immune system by exposing them to small, gradually increasing amounts of an allergen.

“When we’re making doses for oral immunotherapy, the amount that we’re starting with is diluted and diluted and diluted, so the amount we actually can’t measure it on a scale because it’s that small,” Akar-Ghibril said.

Ezekiel was tested and started treatment at 8 months old.

“Every two weeks going to up dose. Every day, dosing him. It was a lot of work, but very thankful, very happy with the results,” Ramjohn said.

At 2 years old, Ezekiel had peanut butter crackers in his lunchbox without a problem.

“I used to hold my breath at first,” Ramjohn said. “I was like, ‘Where’s the epic head? Where’s the Zertek? Where’s the Benadryl?’”

Akar-Ghibril said the maintenance phase is done daily, probably for the rest of their lives.

“They have to kind of consider it like their daily peanut medicine or their daily egg medicine that will give them that kind of layer of security if they were accidentally exposed to that food,” Akar-Ghibril said.

Afghanistan said the strikes hit the eastern provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika, and government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said 13 people were killed — 11 children, one woman and an older man — with 14 other civilians wounded.

Pakistan confirmed it carried out strikes, saying it targeted militant hideouts and infrastructure linked to recent attacks inside Pakistan and that 26 militants were killed. The two sides often give widely differing casualty figures.

Hundreds of people have been killed in the fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan since February, when Afghanistan attacked Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Several rounds of internationally mediated peace talks have failed to produce a lasting truce.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which has ruled Afghanistan since it seized power in the country in 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.

Seven children killed in the strikes are buried

In Khost, hundreds of mourners attended the funerals of nine people killed — seven children ranging in age from 3 to 15, a woman and a man. All were from the same family, killed when their house collapsed from the airstrike, relatives said.

Residents knelt to mourn at the open casket of a small child.

One mourner, Talib Gul, said those killed were his uncle and aunt along with their four daughters and three sons.

“In my uncle’s family, only two of his daughters survived. The rest of his entire family was martyred,” Gul said.

He said a second strike hit his brother's house, causing significant damage and killing many livestock that are central to livelihoods there.

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul to protest ”the violation of Afghan airspace and the bombing of the homes of innocent civilians,” deputy spokesperson and public relations director Zia Ahmad Takal said in a statement, adding that Pakistan should “find a fundamental solution to its internal problems.”

Pakistan says it targeted militant hideouts

In a post on X, Pakistan's information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said strikes were carried out in border areas on "hideouts and safe havens of masterminds and planners" of attacks carried out by the Pakistani Taliban and insurgents in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.

Tarar said four targets were destroyed: a training center, a hideout, an ammunition cache and a facility belonging to militant commanders.

Pakistan’s counter-terrorism campaign will continue “at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism,” he said.

Pakistan’s information ministry on X dismissed Afghanistan's reports of civilian casualties, asserting that “Afghan Taliban accounts are peddling propaganda.”

Wednesday's strikes came a day after suspected Pakistani Taliban militants attacked a security post in Pakistan's Hasan Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, triggering a gunfight in which six members of the Federal Constabulary were killed and several others wounded, according to Pakistan’s interior ministry.

Local authorities in Pakistan said Tuesday that security forces killed eight of the attackers and thwarted an attempt to overrun the checkpoint.

The situation along the border was calm hours after Wednesday's strikes. Kabul has previously responded to strikes by targeting Pakistani posts along the frontier hours or days later.

Fighting has closed the border since October

Pakistan in February declared it was in open war with Afghanistan, following a surge in militant attacks on its civilians and security forces.

Afghanistan has said a Pakistani airstrike in March hit a drug treatment center in Kabul, killing more than 400 people. Pakistan has disputed the toll and denied targeting civilians, saying it struck an ammunition depot.

Wednesday's strikes come months after China hosted peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Beijing later said they had agreed not to escalate their conflict and to explore a solution.

Authorities in Pakistan have said China and some other friendly countries were still encouraging both sides to reach an agreement for durable peace.

Masood Khan, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said the solution to the tensions lies in enforcing a decree by Afghanistan's Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada ordering the TTP to stop attacks on Pakistan.

“That decree must be implemented sincerely and faithfully,” Khan said.

The border has been closed since October, disrupting trade and transportation and stranding thousands of people.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, contributed to this report.

Paraguayan fans across the United States have been planning barbecues and get-togethers to watch the team's group stage matches. While many balked at the prices for Friday's match against the U.S., with seats selling for more than $1,000 each, some have already bought tickets to later matches.

Santiago Araujo, 32, is among them. His family owns one of the few Paraguayan restaurants in the U.S., in the seaside town of Pacific Grove, California. He and his brother scored tickets to see the team take on Australia in Santa Clara, California, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) away.

“Every Paraguayan I know wants to go,” said Araujo, who moved to California with his family when he was 11. “It’s not like there’s seasons of any other sports in Paraguay. I used to sleep with a soccer ball as my toy.”

A long wait for the small, but dedicated, Paraguayan community

There are some 37,000 Paraguayans living in the U.S., according to Census estimates, and they're eager for the team’s long-awaited return to FIFA's prized tournament. It’s the first time Paraguay has clinched a World Cup spot since 2010, when it had its best performance, reaching the quarterfinals. The team, which FIFA currently ranks 40th in the world, is making its ninth World Cup appearance.

The U.S. and Paraguay are joined in Group D by Turkey and Australia, which Paraguay will respectively face on June 19 and June 25 in Santa Clara.

One of Paraguay's veteran players, midfielder Miguel Almirón, plays for the MLS' Atlanta United. At 32, he remembers watching that 2010 World Cup as a kid with hopes that someday he, too, would have the opportunity to play on soccer's biggest stage.

It’s been a long wait.

“It’s going to be something beautiful in that moment, not just for me, but also for my family and for all the Paraguayan fans, and for anyone who’s been with us through all the tough moments,” Almirón said recently, thinking ahead to the first match. “There are going to be a lot of emotions at that moment. We take it on with responsibility, because we know so many people are depending on us.”

How fans are celebrating in the US and Paraguay

Paraguay is among South America’s less populous countries, with about 7 million people. Landlocked, it's surrounded by Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil and known for vast savannas, lush landscapes and the indigenous Guarani culture. In the U.S., more concentrated Paraguayan communities can be found in New York and the affluent town of Bernardsville, New Jersey, which Paraguay's President Santiago Peña visited in 2024.

To cheer on the team, Paraguay fans will don its red-and-white jerseys and tubular top hats. In Northern California, Cafe Guarani, which Araujo’s family owns, is hosting a celebration to bring together Paraguayan fans between the games with traditional dishes that include manioc empanadas and iced yerba mate. In the Queens borough of New York, they'll gather at the I Love Paraguay Restaurant to watch the games.

Ana Di Sessa, of New Jersey, said she'd love to attend the matches in California but it's too much of a trip.

“It is not only the tickets — you have to pay your hotel, the flights,” she said. “A lot of people are not going to be able to go there.”

Zoraida Pereira, a travel agent in Bernardsville, said she has sold packages to fans heading to Santa Clara, but not the opening game because of ticket prices. The 43-year-old, who was born in Paraguay but has lived in the United States for more than 30 years, said it’s tough to choose between the two countries on the pitch.

“I am rooting for Paraguay this time around,” she said. “They’ve been out for so long.”

The frenzy is also underway more than 5,000 miles (8,046 kilometers) away in Paraguay, where the documentary film “El Renacer Albirrojo” was released about La Albirroja's yearslong journey to return to the World Cup. The team was sent off to the United States with a fanfare of fireworks, and some community members in the U.S. said they have friends and family flying in from Paraguay to attend the matches.

Rodrigo Valdez, a computer engineer in San Diego, is planning to travel more than 450 miles (724 kilometers) to Santa Clara to see the team play. Born in the U.S., the 34-year-old spent his childhood in Paraguay and relishes the attention the team is getting.

He said he'll watch Friday's game with family and friends in San Diego. Despite having a 4-month-old baby, his wife encouraged him to buy himself a ticket to the match with Australia as a gift for his first Father’s Day.

“It was a unique opportunity for us that we are living in California,” Valdez said. “It will be very meaningful.”

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Associated Press Sports Writer Maura Carey in Atlanta contributed reporting.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Police said 31-year-old Diego Pereira is who lost his life during the shooting that occurred shortly before 5 a.m. Friday outside the Sandbar sports bar, located at 6752 Collins Ave.

According to witnesses, a fight between Pereira and Quayshawn West inside the bar turned violent.

Police said Pereira was shot in an alley shortly after the altercation.

West is now facing a second degree murder charge.

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

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According to Miami Gardens police, the attempted robbery and shooting were reported at about 1:35 a.m. in the area of Northwest 173rd Street and 36th Avenue.

Police said a male resident at the home opened the front door to the would-be robber and the two got into a physical altercation.

The resident’s girlfriend then ran to neighbors for help, authorities said.

One of the neighbors then heard the sound of gunshots, which police say came from the alleged robber’s gun.

That neighbor then went over to where the fight was happening and shot the suspect in the head, police said.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials transported the suspect to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital, where he later died.

“Forty five years on this block, and we ain’t never seen a crime scene or anything out here,” neighbor Katara Bloom said.

As police say there’s no longer a threat to this community, neighbors say they’ll continue to stick together.

“This is not a bad neighborhood -- this is a pretty good neighborhood,” Bloom said. “Nobody really has any problems. We’re like family in this community; each one of us knows each other.”

It’s unclear whether the person who lives at the house was randomly targeted as police say the motive is still unclear.

The investigation remains ongoing.