Tavarus Williams fue acusado como adulto por el asesinato de Cairi McNear el 4 de mayo de 2022 en el patio de un complejo de apartamentos en 7126 NW 14th Place en el área no incorporada de Gladeview, al norte del vecindario de Liberty City en Miami.

Williams, ahora de 19 años, le dijo a un juez que era culpable de asesinato en segundo grado. Los investigadores del entonces Departamento de Policía de Miami-Dade lo arrestaron días después del tiroteo y dijeron que Williams le disparó a McNear ocho veces tras una discusión.

Williams recibió una sentencia de 25 años seguida de una década de libertad condicional.

Familiares tanto de McNear como de Williams estuvieron presentes en el tribunal de Miami el lunes.

Aurianna McNear, la madre de Cairi McNear, le ofreció su perdón a Williams y dijo que espera convertirse en su mentora.

“Soy misericordiosa contigo. Quiero conocerte. Quiero llegar a, en algún momento cuando mi corazón sane, amarte”, dijo. “Quiero que reemplaces lo que me quitaste. Cairi era el latido de mi corazón.”

Angela Williams, tía de Tavarus Williams, también habló.

“El hecho de que haya hecho algo malo, puede que no lo haya sabido en ese momento, ha llegado a aceptarlo y solo queremos decir gracias por perdonarlo”, dijo.

Williams le dijo tanto al juez como a la familia de la víctima que espera que algún día puedan verlo como alguien por quien puedan sentir afecto y no como alguien a quien odien.

Además de su condena de prisión y libertad condicional, Williams debe escribir una carta de disculpa, que Local 10 News supo que ya entregó a la familia de la víctima.

También debe someterse a tratamiento por abuso de sustancias y salud mental, y hacer una donación a un fondo de compensación para víctimas.

Como condición de su sentencia, Williams no puede mencionar a McNear en ningún tipo de canción o letra de rap, y tiene permitido comunicarse con Aurianna McNear únicamente a través de la Fiscalía del Estado de Miami-Dade y de manera no amenazante.

The drivers involved in the crash shortly before 10:20 p.m. on Saturday at Southwest 46 Avenue and Pembroke Road were 19-year-old Mathis Frederick and Breyon Sampson, according to BSO.

Frederick was traveling eastbound on Pembroke Road in a 2022 Tesla Model Y, and Sampson was driving a 2018 Honda Accord when he was turning from Pembroke Road westbound to 46 Avenue southbound, according to BSO.

In a statement, deputies described the Honda and Tesla crash as a “T-bone type collision” that caused “the Honda Accord to split in half.” Surles was a passenger in the Honda, according to deputies.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue personnel reported taking seven people, including a child, to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital and Memorial Regional Hospital. The cause of the fatal crash remained under investigation.

Cici Gensler, who has been volunteering to foster the kittens for about two years, said she takes at least five at a time. She has saved more than 200.

“They really need you, and that just fills my heart, like I just feel so good giving them the love and the care that they need, rather than them being on the street,” Gensler said. “I feel so good, I took care of something that wasn’t going to make it without me, and I feel like I’ve made a difference in a life.”

Annette Jose, the director of M-DAS, said they need about 300 more fosters to help with the first few weeks, which are crucial to survival.

“The most euthanized animal in a shelter is the neonate just because they are so frail and because they are so vulnerable, but they are also the most adoptable,” Jose said.

M-DAS partnered with the National Kitten College, a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving neonatal kittens, in December.

“In the next 3 months, they are expecting 800 kittens to come in,” said Marnie Russ, the founder of the National Kitten College. “We really work with fosters to take the fear out of what they are doing. I mean who doesn’t want to bottle feed a kitten?”

M-DAS adopts out 2,600 kittens on average annually.

Last year, in April, there were 169 neonates placed with foster families. This April, with more volunteers, there were 323.

With all supplies provided, fostering requires a time commitment of a few weeks filled with feeding and kitten cuddles.

“While this kitten right now needs extra help, this kitten, in a couple weeks will be the most adoptable animal in the shelter,” Russ said. “It will be the first animal out beyond anything else, puppies or anything.”

The pole was blocking northbound traffic on South Dixie Highway at Southwest 88 Street.

For a map with live traffic updates in South Florida, visit this page.

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

Nearly half of American business economists who responded to a survey by the National Association for Business Economics say that the conflict has negatively impacted their operations, according to a report released Monday, and most (54%) say they've been affected by rising energy prices. More than two-thirds reported steeper material expenses over the last three months, the highest level NABE has seen since July 2022.

The Iran war, which began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28, has plunged the world into an energy crisis. Crude oil costs continue to rise amid Washington and Tehran's ongoing standoff in the Strait of Hormuz — worsening price spikes for companies and households around the globe. As fuel gets more expensive, transportation costs are eating further into businesses' everyday operations. Supply disruptions for a range of other necessities, including fertilizer, are also causing growing strain.

Consumers are footing more and more of that bill as businesses pass higher costs to their shoppers, beyond the immediate sticker shock at the gas pump.

Nearly half (48%) of NABE's survey respondents — who are economists from businesses, trade associations and academia — indicated that their firms were passing on at least some cost increases to customers, which is actually down from 60% in January. But NABE found that a growing number (16%) also expect to raise prices over the next six months, while none plan to lower prices.

Most of the respondents say their firms are seeing strong sales now and have stable profit outlooks. That falls in line with what traders are more widely feeling on Wall Street, where eye-catching earnings from companies ranging from tech to big oil have helped propel markets to near-record highs recently.

Still, only 13% of the NABE survey's respondents said they expect their profits to rise in the near future. NABE says that's the lowest share it's seen since 2023.

Employment and spending could see more impacts soon. Nearly a quarter of NABE survey respondents said they plan to scale back investment and hiring in the next six months.

“Sales over the past three months were steady, but materials costs increased and profit margins declined,” Martha Moore, chair of the NABE’s survey, said in a prepared statement — noting that expectations had “softened” across several indicators, while the outlook for prices continues to accelerate.

Moore, who is also chief economist and managing director at the American Chemistry Council, pointed to rising recession concerns. Half of the survey's respondents see a more than one-in-four chance the U.S. falls into a recession within the next year, up from 44% of respondents who projected such a likelihood in January, NABE found.

The move, which effectively deputizes the global financial system to help disrupt Iran’s sanctions-evasion infrastructure, comes as the U.S. and Iran reached another impasse over how to end their war while their ceasefire has grown increasingly shaky.

President Donald Trump on Monday said the Iran ceasefire is on “life support” after he rejected Tehran’s latest proposal to end the war.

The Trump administration is calling on banks to flag certain customers who may launder funds for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — including newly formed companies moving unusually large amounts of money, firms that route payments through multiple intermediaries or transactions connected to Iranian crypto firms, among other indicators.

As part of the U.S. initiative to monitor Iranian oil sales, banks are being asked to watch out for oil labeled as “Malaysian blend” to disguise its Iranian origin, missing or falsified shipping documents or ship-to-ship oil transfers that obscure where cargo came from.

A Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network report released Monday says oil firms linked to Iran conducted roughly $4 billion in transactions in 2024.

And dozens of shipping companies based in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong — all connected to transporting sanctioned Iranian oil — processed about $707 million through U.S. accounts in 2024.

Along with a bombing campaign in Iran, the Trump administration has turned toward an economic-focused effort aimed at choking Tehran into submission, through sanctions and the threat of secondary sanctions on Iran's allies.

In April, Treasury sent a letter to financial institutions in China, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Oman threatening to levy secondary sanctions for doing business with Iran and accusing those countries of allowing Iranian illicit activities to flow through their financial institutions.

It happened shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday at the Orion gas station, located at 3990 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. in Pembroke Park.

The intersection at Hallandale Beach Boulevard and Southwest 40th Avenue was blocked off for several hours as investigators processed the scene.

Detectives appeared to focus their investigation on a red Dodge Challenger, pulling out several pieces of apparent evidence over the course of the morning.

Dozens of evidence makers were also observed throughout the scene.

Units with Hallandale Beach police, Pembroke Park police and the Broward Sheriff’s Office were observed at the scene.

Authorities said BSO would be the lead on the investigation due to the homicide.

BSO spokeswoman Gerdy St. Louis later confirmed that the victim crashed his car after being shot.

“On scene, officers made contact with a witness who stated the victim, identified as Daniel Mathis, was involved in a verbal altercation with an unknown male at the Orion Gas Station located at 3990 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd,” St. Louis wrote in a news release. “At some point, the altercation escalated, and Mathis was shot.”

St. Louis said Mathis fled the scene in his vehicle, driving north over the center median of Hallandale Beach Boulevard before colliding with a Volkswagen SUV in a T-bone type crash.

Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue personnel transported Mathis to Memorial Regional Hospital where he later died.

Anyone with further information about the shooting is asked to call BSO Homicide Detective Lacey Henry at 954-321-4200 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app.

Anonymous tips can be made by calling Broward Crime Stoppers directly at 954-493-TIPS (8477), or submitting a tip online at browardcrimestoppers.org.

The president cannot suspend the federal tax on his own. Congress would have to approve the move.

Lawmakers from both parties have pushed for a gas-tax suspension, saying it would provide much-needed relief for families and businesses that rely on their cars and trucks to get to work and school and run everyday errands.

As of Monday, the average national gas price was $4.52 a gallon, according to the AAA motor club, 50% higher than the average price of just under $3 a gallon before Trump began the war against Iran.

What the gas tax supports

The federal tax is currently set at 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel, an amount that does not include state taxes, which often are higher.

Asked by reporters at the White House how long the tax should be suspended, Trump said, “Until it’s appropriate.” While the tax only adds about 18 cents per gallon to the price of gas, “it’s still money,” Trump said.

As gas prices have spiked, the Trump administration has released millions of barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve and temporarily lifted sanctions on some Russian and Iranian oil shipments already at sea. The U.S. is negotiating with countries reliant on Middle East crude to join a coalition to police the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil normally flows.

The gas tax provides more than $23 billion per year in revenue for federal highway and public transit programs.

Trump needs Congress — and they're beginning to react

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said on social media Monday that he will introduce legislation to suspend the gas tax. Democrats have previously sponsored similar legislation.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., also said in a post on X that she will introduce a bill “to suspend the federal gas tax in light of Trump’s recent remarks.”

The ongoing spike in gas prices has set off alarms among some Republicans that it could hurt the party's chances in the midterm elections. Trump has previously said higher fuel prices are worth paying to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

That hardline message appeared to soften Sunday as Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the Trump administration was “open to all ideas,” including a suspension of the gas tax, during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

A bill sponsored by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Mark Kelly of Arizona would suspend the federal tax through Oct. 1. A similar measure was sponsored in the House by Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.

"Trump’s war of choice with Iran is driving up gas prices across the country — and Americans shouldn’t have to bear the additional economic burden of Trump’s reckless decision making,”

Several states, including Indiana and Georgia, have recently suspended their taxes to alleviate high prices amid the war. Other states are weighing similar suspensions. Blumenthal said in introducing the bill.

To mark the 30th anniversary, Helene McDowell and Christen Cherry were among the grieving relatives who met for a ceremony at the ValuJet 592 Memorial off Tamiami Trail.

“I think being here has been very cathartic ... I was the one that dropped her off at the airport that day, and it has always been a source of guilt for me,” McDowell said about her late mother.

The Value Jet pilot of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, a short-range jet airliner, was attempting to return to MIA after a fire, and the plane crashed just about 10 minutes after takeoff, records show.

“It was negligence that killed all of our families,” said Cherry, who was grieving her mother and stepfather.

Federal investigators would later learn that “improperly packaged chemical oxygen generators” in the cargo compartment “quickly burned through flight control cables,” records show.

This prompted federal officials to enforce new mandatory safety standards for cargo holds, hazardous material regulations, and contractor oversight.

THE 110 VICTIMS

The passengers

Saeeda Alihassan, Atlanta

James Allaway, Miami

Isabel Anderson, Cookeville, Tenn.

Leslie Archibald, Opa-Locka, Fla.

Rizwan Arshad, Philadelphia

Giuseppe Bafunno, Blackwood, N.J.

Marlo Balandran, Topeka, Kan.

Thomas Balandran, Topeka, Kan.

Jen Barreiro, Bloomington, Ind.

Herbert Bell, Elkwood, Va.

Peggy Bell, Elkwood, Va.

Terri Bell, The Colony, Texas

Anthony Brown, Rose Hill, N.C.

Frances Brown, Baltimore

Lynn Brown, Rose Hill, N.C.

Joe Burnett, Shawnee Mission, Kan.

Cecelia Cabrera, Miami

Ronald Carpenter, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Lisa Carleton, Conyers, Ga.

Ninon Corneille, Lynn, Mass.

Edna Crye, Richmond, Ind.

Ken Crye, Richmond, Ind.

Karen Culver, Woodstock, Ga.

Rodney Culver, Woodstock, Ga.

Mansor Darbor, Atlanta

Bradley Ehrlichman, Indianapolis, Ind.

Betsy Favero, Duluth, Ga.

Franco Favero, Duluth, Ga.

Laura Favero, Duluth, Ga.

Charles Fluitt, Miami

Elizabeth Gabriel, Mooresville, N.C.

Deana Gabr, Conyers, Ga.

Pamela Gabr, Conyers, Ga.

Carlos Gonzalez, Alpharetta, Ga.

Angie Green, Nashville, Tenn.

Mark Griner, Marietta, Ga.

Steve Guiler, Buford, Ga.

Conway Hamilton, Miami

Laurie Hamilton, Miami

Carol Hanchey, Conyers, Ga.

John Hanchey, Conyers, Ga.

Elaine Hayman, Columbus, Ohio

Robert Hayman, Columbus, Ohio

Susan Heffernan, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Michael Howard, Hialeah, Fla.

Walter Hyatt, Nashville, Tenn.

Dan Jarvis, Gastonia, N.C.

Linda Jarvis, Gastonia, N.C.

Kathleen Kessler, Atlanta

Ison Kim, Shawnee Mission, Kan.

Rafael Lameda, Cookeville, Tenn.

Aliyagi Landry, Hollywood, Fla.

Dana Lane, Alpharetta, Ga.

Roger Lane, Alpharetta, Ga.

Ray Lathem, Alpharetta, Ga.

Andrew Leonard, Cloverdale, Ind.

Jeremy Leonard, Cloverdale, Ind.

Tabitha Leonard, Cloverdale, Ind.

Jimmy Lewis, Fayetteville, Ga.

Devlin Loughney, United Kingdom

Roger Loughney, United Kingdom

Philmore Marks, Miami

Betty McLemore, Tybee Island, Ga.

Clark McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.

Judy McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.

Laura McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.

Lindsey McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.

Neil McNitt, Powder Springs, Ga.

Judy Medeiros, Rex, Ga.

Robert Medeiros, Rex, Ga.

Ella Mitchell, Miami

Andrew Nevil, Raleigh, N.C.

Lucille Newbold, Nassau, Bahamas

Maxwell Newbold, Nassau, Bahamas

Whilhelmina Oliver, Athens, Ga.

Lisa Pearson, Kansas City, Mo.

Laurese Perkins, Miami

David Quinones

Elida Ramirez, Dunwoody, Ga.

Donna Rennolds, Whittaker, Mich.

Kim Rennolds, Ypsilanti, Mich.

Howard Rietz, Mt. Juliet, Tenn.

Terri Rugg, Richmond, Ind.

Dennis Sabo, Auburn, Ala.

Ana Sanchez, Metairie, La.

Karin Shier, Savannah, Ga.

Vi Shier, Fayetteville, Ga.

Ailven Shotwell, College Park, Ga.

Jarvis Shotwell, College Park, Ga.

Joyce Simonton, Macon, Ga.

Paul Smith, Montgomery, Ala.

Joulaun Snowden

Hugh Stanley, Gainesville, Ga.

Louise Stanley, Gainesville, Ga.

Fred Steinbrener, Acworth, Ga.

Jerrold Thompson, Kansas City, Mo.

Roosevelt Tillman, Lynchburg, Va.

Lila Viloleta, Alpharetta, Ga.

Delmarie Walker, Erie, Pa.

James Weimer, Cloverdale, Ind.

Janice Weimer, Cloverdale, Ind.

Teresa Wilson, Tybee Island, Ga.

Ruth Wolfe, Gainesville, Ga.

Robert Woodus, Upper Marlboro, Md.

The crew

Captain: Candalyn Kubeck, Bedford, Texas

First Officer: Richard Hazen, Mineola, Texas

Flight Attendant: Lori Cushing, Austin, Texas

Flight Attendant: Jennifer Stearns, Farmers Branch, Texas

Flight Attendant: Mandy Summers, Irving, Texas

Location

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Cira Quinones Lewis, de 60 años, enfrenta cargos de conducir con licencia suspendida y no devolver la licencia de conducir ni registrarse con una compañía de seguros. También está detenida bajo una orden de retención migratoria.

Según la Patrulla de Carreteras de Florida, el choque ocurrió a última hora de la mañana del domingo en los carriles en dirección oeste de la I-75, al oeste de Indian Trade Road.

Un sedán Dodge blanco, una minivan azul y una motocicleta aparentemente estuvieron involucrados en la colisión.

Las autoridades confirmaron que dos personas murieron a causa de sus heridas, mientras que otras tres resultaron heridas, incluyendo una niña de un año hospitalizada en estado crítico.

Todos los heridos fueron trasladados al Broward Health Medical Center en Fort Lauderdale.

Los socorristas cerraron todos los carriles en dirección oeste de la I-75 mientras procesaban la escena. La autopista fue reabierta completamente poco después de las 4 p.m.

Hasta el lunes por la mañana, Quinones Lewis permanecía detenida en la Cárcel Principal del condado de Broward.

Las circunstancias que llevaron al choque siguen bajo investigación y no está claro qué conductor tuvo la culpa.

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Residents like Audrey Gonzalez, who has lived in the area for 35 years, were on high alert, preparing to evacuate if necessary.

“(I’m) very, very concerned,” she said, adding that she’s been “coming out in the middle of night, just to make sure that it wasn’t coming towards our way.”

The fire could be seen from West Broward High School, though students remained in class.

West Broward resident Roxanne Gill said, “We could hear it crackling. That’s how bad it was. I had to hose down my house.”

“Everyone was hosing down all their trailers before the fire department came,” she said.

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According to the report, Leroy Wright Jr., 46, of Miami, was arrested Friday on charges of offenses against students by authority figures, unlawful sexual activity with a minor and depiction of obscene material involving a minor.

Police said the principal of Miami Jackson Senior High School was emailed by someone on April 28, who told her that Wright, a reading teacher at the school, was “having a relationship” with a student.

The principal eventually submitted a “personnel investigative model report” to the M-DCPS Office of Professional Standards last Thursday and the report was then submitted to the Miami-Dade Schools Police Department, the report stated.

According to the report, police interviewed the person who emailed the principal on Thursday and that person identified the victim to them.

Police said they then interviewed the victim at his home, in the presence of his mother, and the student told them that he first met Wright at the beginning of the school year when Wright approached him and asked him to join the Freshman Club, which he was the adult sponsor for.

Police said the student joined the club.

According to the report, the victim claimed that the first sexual incident occurred on April 29 when he hugged his teacher as he was exiting Wright’s classroom.

Police said the student claimed that Wright hugged him back and then kissed him for about 6 minutes while groping him.

Wright also kissed the student on May 1 and groped him that day and while driving him home on May 4, authorities said.

According to the report, Wright waived his Miranda rights and provided some kind of admission, although his exact statement to detectives was redacted from the publicly released report.

Police said Wright was informed prior to his arrest that the victim’s cellphone had been “forensically examined.”

He was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Friday and remained there Monday morning without bond.

The school district released a statement over the weekend, confirming Wright would be fired.

“The type of behavior this individual is accused of will not be tolerated, as it runs contrary to the professional conduct we expect from all employees,” the statement read. “The District has initiated employment termination proceedings and will ensure the individual is precluded from seeking future employment with the District. At M-DCPS, the safety and well-being of all students remain our top priority.”

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Police officers accused Victoria Roman, who works as a graphic designer, of sharing images of a victim on Nov. 19 on Instagram, according to an arrest warrant.

Roman surrendered to police officers on Thursday in Davie, and corrections booked her at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, records show.

Roman, of Miramar, appeared in bond court on Friday morning. A judge ordered her to stay away from devices with internet access.

Roman faced four counts of promotion of altered sexual depiction. Her bond was $60,000.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Mariana Ortiz contributed to this report.

Useful links

• The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center
• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s cyber tip line

According to BSO, Anthony Adams, 18, and Aamir Adams, 19, were taken into custody Friday on multiple charges, including premeditated murder and criminal attempt, solicitation, and conspiracy. Aamir Adams also faces a probation violation charge.

Local 10 News has requested copies of both of their arrest reports.

According to BSO, the shooting was reported at about 1 a.m. Friday near the 7900 block of Southwest Seventh Court.

A BSO spokeswoman said deputies arrived at the scene and found two people suffering from gunshot wounds.

North Lauderdale Fire Rescue personnel transported both victims to a local hospital, where one of them died.

A Local 10 News crew was at the scene later in the morning as investigators remained at the scene, placing evidence markers on the ground before a Ford Mustang was towed away.

The driver’s side window was blown out by bullets.

A BSO spokeswoman said deputies later found the suspect vehicle near the 1300 block of Avocado Isle in Fort Lauderdale, where at least one of the suspects was detained.

The relationship between both suspects has not yet been released.

As of Monday afternoon, both were being held at the Broward County Main Jail without bond.

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According to an arrest report obtained Monday by Local 10 News, Janice Garcia, of Miami, surrendered herself Sunday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

She faces charges of DUI and DUI causing serious bodily injury.

According to the report, the crash happened just after 3:30 a.m. on April 11 as Deputy Josh Brown and another deputy were patrolling the Kendall District as a two-officer unit.

Deputies said Garcia struck Brown with her blue Mazda MZ3 as he was outside his patrol car in the 8500 block of Southwest 99^th Court.

Brown told detectives that Garcia flashed her vehicle’s high beams at him, and his partner said Garcia was driving very close to the edge of the roadway.

According to the report, Brown tried to move out of the car’s path, but was struck and propelled through the air.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel transported the deputy to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Authorities confirmed Brown suffered a concussion and numerous other injuries throughout his body, and had to receive a skin graft and undergo ankle surgery.

According to the report, Garcia appeared to be distraught after the crash and had “slurred speech, bloodshot, watery eyes” and her breath smelled like an alcoholic beverage.

A member of MDSO’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Squad said Garcia told him “Tell me what my rights are” before agreeing to participate in field sobriety tests, which she failed.

She also agreed to provide blood samples, which showed her blood-alcohol content level was .156 percent and .154 percent, above Florida’s .08% limit for drivers, the report stated.

Garcia is expected to appear in bond court on Monday.

The Hispanic Police Officers Association posted a photo of Brown on its Instagram page after Garcia’s arrest, showing some of his injuries.

“For those who have asked how they can support Deputy Brown and the Brown family during this difficult time, attendance at the hearing would certainly not go unnoticed,” the post read in part. “Please continue keeping Deputy Brown and his family in your thoughts and prayers.”

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According to the report, the alleged rape occurred at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday in the 1100 block of the beach.

Police identified the suspect as 35-year-old Shawn Markiece Peete, who detectives say was taken into custody Sunday after officers recognized him from a department-issued “Need to Identify” flyer that was circulated following the investigation.

According to investigators, officers were initially dispatched around 9:30 a.m. Saturday to the Shepley hotel at 1340 Collins Ave. after a woman reported she had been raped earlier that morning on the beach.

The victim told police she had gone to the beach alone late Friday night after checking into the hotel. She said she met a man who introduced himself as “Shawn” and used the street name “Nike,” which she said stood for, “N****, I kill everything.”

The two talked on the sand before the man allegedly became aggressive after repeatedly pressuring her to drink tequila, the report states.

The woman told detectives she attempted to leave the area because she feared for her safety, but the man followed her onto a beach access pathway.

According to the arrest report, Peete, who is homeless, grabbed the victim from behind, forced her to the ground, removed her pants and bathing suit bottom, and raped her for about five minutes while she screamed for him to stop.

Investigators said the victim managed to grab onto a rope lining the beach pathway and eventually broke free before fleeing toward Ocean Drive, where she flagged down a passerby on a scooter for help.

She later returned to her hotel room, showered, and contacted police, the report stated.

Detectives said the victim provided a description of the suspect and during her interview, complained abut pain in the back of her neck. She also had a visible bruise on her wrist.

According to the report, detectives reviewed surveillance video which captured the victim, suspect and Good Samaritan engaged in a conversation/confrontation near 11^th Street before the victim left on the scooter with the passerby.

The following morning, officers responded to a report of a man sleeping on the terrace of the Avalon Hotel at 700 Ocean Drive and identified the man as Peete, who they said matched the description of the suspect in the sexual battery case.

Peete was then transported to Miami Beach Police headquarters for questioning.

According to detectives, Peete waived his Miranda rights and admitted to having sexual intercourse with the woman but claimed she “seemed to be enjoying it.” Authorities said he told investigators the two had been drinking tequila together and “hooked up” on the beach.

Peete said the woman did tell him to stop at one point and he did, the report stated.

Detectives said Peete identified both himself and the victim in surveillance images shown during the interview and voluntarily provided a DNA sample.

Peete was ultimately arrested and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Records reviewed by investigators show Peete is currently on probation out of Fort Lauderdale in connection with a misdemeanor controlled substance case filed in 2025.

As of Monday morning, Peete remained held at TGK. Online jail records listed his bond as “to be set.”

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Authorities said the sexual battery attempt happened on Jan. 21, 2013, during an event called Igloo South Florida near the 2600 block of Southwest 31st Street in Dania Beach.

In a news release, BSO spokesperson Claudinne Caro said the victim became “incapacitated” during the event.

“The victim said she woke up in an unknown vehicle, with two unknown male subjects,” Caro said. “The victim said her pants had been pulled down. One of the subjects left DNA evidence behind on the victim. BSO investigated this case for years but without significant leads, the case turned cold.”

But authorities said this November, DNA advances led to a break in the case. They said the sample taken from the woman matched Jose Bello, 39, of Flowery Branch, Georgia.

Authorities said the woman was able to remember Bello’s face and pick him out of a photo lineup 13 years later.

Caro said BSO worked with the sheriff’s office in Hall County, in the Atlanta exurbs, to obtain a DNA warrant and BSO investigators eventually travelled there to serve it and interview Bello.

Authorities said results from the DNA warrant confirmed the initial test.

Deputies said Bello was arrested by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday.

Records show that as of Monday, he remained locked up in that agency’s jail facility just outside of Gainesville, Georgia, awaiting extradition to South Florida.

La mujer fue víctima de una estafa de compra de oro después de que unos estafadores la convencieron de comprar oro para entregárselo a Sumit Pandey, según la policía.

“Convencieron a la víctima de que sus activos estaban siendo transferidos a una cuenta gubernamental segura para su custodia”, escribió un detective de Coral Gables según una orden de arresto de Miami-Dade.

Desde agosto de 2025 hasta enero, la víctima compró aproximadamente $1.9 millones en monedas de oro, según la orden de arresto.

“Al utilizar números de teléfono no registrados y un sistema de contraseñas rotativas típico de los protocolos de seguridad gubernamental, [Pandey] reforzó una narrativa falsa que llevó a la víctima a creer que estaba cooperando con las autoridades”, escribió un detective de Coral Gables según la orden de arresto.

Agentes del Sheriff del Condado de Carroll en Arkansas contactaron al Departamento de Policía de Coral Gables el 18 de marzo, tras el arresto de Pandey en ese estado, y un juez de Miami-Dade emitió una orden de arresto el 21 de abril.

Las autoridades de Miami-Dade registraron a Pandey el viernes en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Pandey enfrenta cargos de robo mayor en primer grado, fraude organizado, suplantación falsa de un agente durante la comisión de un delito grave y uso ilegal de un dispositivo de comunicación. Su fianza es de $110,000.

Pandey compareció ante un tribunal el domingo. Un juez le ordenó mantenerse alejado de la víctima y demostrar que el origen de su fianza no proviene de actividades criminales. También tiene una orden de retención del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de EE. UU.

Residentes como Audrey Gonzalez, quien ha vivido en el área durante 35 años, estaban en alerta máxima, preparándose para evacuar si fuera necesario.

“Estoy muy, muy preocupada”, dijo, añadiendo que ha estado “saliendo en medio de la noche, solo para asegurarme de que no se estuviera acercando hacia donde vivimos.”

El fuego podía verse desde West Broward High School, aunque los estudiantes permanecieron en clases.

La residente de West Broward Roxanne Gill dijo: “Podíamos escuchar el crepitar. Así de malo estaba. Tuve que mojar mi casa con la manguera.”

“Todo el mundo estaba mojando sus tráilers antes de que llegara el departamento de bomberos”, dijo.

Tavarus Williams was charged as an adult in the May 4, 2022 shooting death of Cairi McNear in the courtyard of an apartment complex at 7126 NW 14th Place in the unincorporated Gladeview area, just north of Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood.

Williams, now 19, told a judge he was guilty of second-degree murder. Investigators with what was then the Miami-Dade Police Department arrested him days after the shooting and said that Williams shot McNear eight times following an argument.

Williams received a 25-year sentence followed by a decade of probation.

Family members of both McNear and Williams were in a Miami courtroom on Monday.

Aurianna McNear, Cairi McNear’s mother, offered forgiveness to Williams, saying she hopes to be a mentor to him.

“I am merciful for you. I want to get to know you. I want to become, at some point when my heart heals, to love you,” she said. “I want you to replace what you took from me. Cairi was my heartbeat.”

Angela Williams, Tavarus Williams’ aunt, also spoke.

“The fact that he’s done something wrong, he may have not known it at the time, he’s come to accept it and we just want to say thank you for forgiving him,” she said.

Williams told both the judge and the victim’s family that he hopes that one day they can see him as someone that they can care about and not someone that they hate.

In addition to his prison and probation terms, Williams must write a letter of apology, which Local 10 News learned that he has already submitted to the victim’s family.

He also must undergo substance abuse and mental health treatment and make a donation to a victim’s compensation fund.

Williams, as a condition of his sentence, cannot mention McNear in any sort of song or rap lyrics and is now allowed to communicate with Aurianna McNear.

That communication must be done so through the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and cannot be in any sort of threatening manner.

Las autoridades dijeron que el intento de agresión sexual ocurrió el 21 de enero de 2013 durante un evento llamado Igloo South Florida, cerca del bloque 2600 de Southwest 31st Street en Dania Beach.

En un comunicado de prensa, la portavoz de BSO Claudinne Caro dijo que la víctima quedó “incapacitada” durante el evento.

“La víctima dijo que despertó en un vehículo desconocido con dos hombres desconocidos”, dijo Caro. “La víctima dijo que le habían bajado los pantalones. Uno de los sujetos dejó evidencia de ADN en la víctima. BSO investigó este caso durante años, pero sin pistas significativas, el caso quedó sin resolver.”

Sin embargo, las autoridades dijeron que en noviembre, los avances en ADN llevaron a un avance en el caso. Dijeron que la muestra tomada de la mujer coincidió con Jose Bello, de 39 años, de Flowery Branch, Georgia.

Las autoridades dijeron que la mujer pudo recordar el rostro de Bello y lo identificó en una fila fotográfica 13 años después.

Caro dijo que BSO trabajó con la oficina del sheriff del condado de Hall, en las afueras de Atlanta, para obtener una orden de ADN, y los investigadores de BSO viajaron hasta allá para ejecutarla y entrevistar a Bello.

Las autoridades dijeron que los resultados de la orden de ADN confirmaron la prueba inicial.

Los detectives dijeron que Bello fue arrestado por el Sheriff del Condado de Hall el martes.

Los registros muestran que hasta el lunes permanecía detenido en la cárcel de esa agencia a las afueras de Gainesville, Georgia, a la espera de ser extraditado al sur de Florida.

Según el informe, la presunta violación ocurrió alrededor de la 1:30 a.m. del sábado en el bloque 1100 de la playa.

La policía identificó al sospechoso como Shawn Markiece Peete, de 35 años, quien según los detectives fue detenido el domingo después de que oficiales lo reconocieron por un volante de “Se necesita identificar” emitido por el departamento tras la investigación.

Según los investigadores, los oficiales fueron enviados inicialmente alrededor de las 9:30 a.m. del sábado al hotel Shepley en 1340 Collins Ave., después de que una mujer reportó haber sido violada más temprano esa mañana en la playa.

La víctima le dijo a la policía que había ido sola a la playa tarde el viernes por la noche después de registrarse en el hotel. Dijo que conoció a un hombre que se presentó como “Shawn” y usaba el apodo callejero “Nike.”

Los dos conversaron en la arena antes de que el hombre supuestamente se volviera agresivo tras presionarla repetidamente para que bebiera tequila, según el informe.

La mujer le dijo a los detectives que intentó abandonar el área porque temía por su seguridad, pero el hombre la siguió por un sendero de acceso a la playa.

Según el informe de arresto, Peete, quien no tiene domicilio fijo, agarró a la víctima por detrás, la tiró al suelo, le quitó los pantalones y la parte inferior del traje de baño, y la violó durante aproximadamente cinco minutos mientras ella le gritaba que parara.

Los investigadores dijeron que la víctima logró aferrarse a una cuerda que bordeaba el sendero de la playa y finalmente se liberó antes de huir hacia Ocean Drive, donde detuvo a un transeúnte en scooter para pedir ayuda.

Posteriormente regresó a su habitación de hotel, se duchó y contactó a la policía, según el informe.

Los detectives dijeron que la víctima proporcionó una descripción del sospechoso y durante su entrevista se quejó de dolor en la parte posterior del cuello. También tenía un moretón visible en la muñeca.

Según el informe, los detectives revisaron videos de vigilancia que captaron a la víctima, el sospechoso y el buen samaritano en una conversación cerca de la calle 11 antes de que la víctima se marchara en el scooter.

A la mañana siguiente, los oficiales respondieron a un reporte de un hombre durmiendo en la terraza del hotel Avalon en 700 Ocean Drive e identificaron al hombre como Peete, quien dijeron coincidía con la descripción del sospechoso en el caso de agresión sexual.

Peete fue entonces trasladado a la sede de la Policía de Miami Beach para ser interrogado.

Según los detectives, Peete renunció a sus derechos Miranda y admitió haber tenido relaciones sexuales con la mujer, pero afirmó que ella “parecía estar disfrutándolo.” Las autoridades dijeron que les contó a los investigadores que los dos habían estado bebiendo tequila juntos.

Peete dijo que la mujer sí le pidió que parara en un momento y que él lo hizo, según el informe.

Los detectives dijeron que Peete se identificó a sí mismo y a la víctima en las imágenes de vigilancia mostradas durante la entrevista y proporcionó voluntariamente una muestra de ADN.

Peete fue finalmente arrestado y trasladado al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Los registros revisados por los investigadores muestran que Peete está actualmente en libertad condicional en Fort Lauderdale en conexión con un caso de sustancias controladas presentado en 2025.

Hasta el lunes por la mañana, Peete permanecía detenido en TGK. Los registros de la cárcel en línea indicaban su fianza como “por determinar.”

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league did not publicly release any details of its evaluation and investigative process.

Wembanyama will be eligible to play Game 5 on Tuesday in San Antonio. The series is tied at two games apiece.

Wembanyama was ejected from the Spurs-Timberwolves game on Sunday night because of the elbow, which he threw early in the second quarter after getting tangled with Reid and Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels while grabbing a rebound. Wembanyama swung his arms and his elbow struck Reid in the face.

Officials looked at the play and upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2, which comes with automatic ejection. Wembanyama was seen on the bench after the decision was announced, appearing to ask teammates what a Flagrant 2 means.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game that Wembanyama “gets hit on every play."

“At some level, you have to protect yourself,” Johnson said. “Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on him. I get it. We get it. That's part of the game. ... At some stage, he should be protected and if not, he's going to have to protect himself. And unfortunately, stuff like that happens.”

It was the first ejection of Wembanyama's career and, according to Sportradar, it was only the third flagrant foul for the French center — this season's unanimous pick as Defensive Player of the Year and an MVP finalist.

The NBA reviews all plays and typically exercises the right to upgrade, downgrade or rescind flagrant fouls and technical fouls after the fact. In this case, the person with knowledge said, Sunday's play will stand as called.

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

The Astros said Monday that Cárdenas died Sunday at his home in Houston.

Cárdenas joined the Dodgers when they moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn in 1958. He was part of the first Spanish broadcast of the World Series in 1959 and the All-Star Game two years later.

“We mourn the passing of René Cárdenas, who in 1958 with the Dodgers became the first full-time Spanish-language broadcaster in MLB history and would ultimately spend 21 years behind the mic for Los Angeles,” the Dodgers said Sunday in a social media post.

The expansion Houston Colt .45s hired Cárdenas in 1961 for their inaugural season of 1962. He spent 14 seasons with a franchise that was renamed the Astros in 1965, when they moved into the Astrodome.

“With yesterday’s passing of Rene Cardenas, we lost a true legend and pioneer in broadcasting,” the Astros wrote Monday in a statement on social media. “As the franchise first Spanish broadcaster, Rene had a tremendous impact on the success of the Colt .45s/Astros in Houston’s large Hispanic community and beyond. We send our heartfelt condolences to Rene’s family and loved ones.”

Cárdenas returned to his native Nicaragua in 1975 before coming back to MLB in 1981, when he was the first Spanish broadcaster for the Rangers, according to retired Rangers public relations executive John Blake.

A second stint with the Dodgers lasted nearly two decades starting in 1982. He also returned to the Astros, becoming the first to call games in Spanish on television for Houston in 2008.

After retiring, Cárdenas wrote for the Astros’ Spanish-language website and for La Prensa, a Nicaraguan newspaper.

Cárdenas also called high-profile events in other sports, including the Muhammad Ali-Jimmy Ellis heavyweight boxing match at the Astrodome in 1971.

He was inducted into the Nicaragua Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. He was inducted into the Broadcasters Wing of the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2002. He was inducted into the Astros Baseball Media Wall of Honor in 2013.

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

Según un informe de arresto obtenido el lunes por Local 10 News, Janice Garcia, de Miami, se entregó el domingo en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Enfrenta cargos de conducir bajo la influencia del alcohol (DUI) y DUI con lesiones corporales graves.

Según el informe, el choque ocurrió poco después de las 3:30 a.m. del 11 de abril cuando el detective Josh Brown y otro detective patrullaban el Distrito de Kendall en una unidad de dos oficiales.

Los detectives dijeron que Garcia golpeó a Brown con su Mazda MZ3 azul cuando él estaba fuera de su patrulla en el bloque 8500 de Southwest 99th Court.

Brown le dijo a los detectives que Garcia le encendió las luces largas y su compañero dijo que Garcia conducía muy cerca del borde de la calzada.

Según el informe, Brown intentó apartarse del camino del auto, pero fue golpeado y lanzado por los aires.

El personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transportó al detective al HCA Florida Kendall Hospital con heridas que ponían en riesgo su vida.

Las autoridades confirmaron que Brown sufrió una conmoción cerebral y numerosas otras lesiones en todo el cuerpo, y tuvo que recibir un injerto de piel y someterse a una cirugía de tobillo.

Según el informe, Garcia parecía angustiada tras el choque y tenía “el habla arrastrada, ojos enrojecidos y llorosos”, y su aliento olía a bebida alcohólica.

Un miembro del Escuadrón de Control de Conductores Bajo los Efectos del Sheriff le dijo que Garcia le dijo “Dígame cuáles son mis derechos” antes de aceptar participar en las pruebas de sobriedad de campo, que reprobó.

También aceptó proporcionar muestras de sangre, que mostraron que su nivel de alcohol en sangre era de .156% y .154%, por encima del límite de .08% de Florida para conductores, según el informe.

Se espera que Garcia comparezca ante un juez en la audiencia de fianza el lunes.

La Asociación de Oficiales de Policía Hispanos publicó una foto de Brown en su página de Instagram tras el arresto de Garcia, mostrando algunas de sus lesiones.

“Para quienes han preguntado cómo pueden apoyar al detective Brown y a su familia durante este momento difícil, la asistencia a la audiencia ciertamente no pasaría desapercibida”, decía en parte la publicación. “Por favor continúen teniendo al detective Brown y a su familia en sus pensamientos y oraciones.”

The woman was the victim of a gold-purchase scam after fraudsters persuaded her to buy gold to give it to Sumit Pandey, according to police.

“They convinced the victim that her assets were being transferred to a secure government account for safe keeping,” a Coral Gables detective wrote, according to a Miami-Dade arrest warrant.

From August 2025 to January, the victim purchased about $1.9 million in gold coins, according to the arrest warrant.

“By utilizing unregistered phone numbers and a rotating password system typical of government security protocols, [Pandey] reinforced a false narrative that led the victim to believe she was cooperating with law enforcement,” a Coral Gables detective wrote, according to the arrest warrant.

Carroll County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Arkansas contacted the Coral Gables Police Department on March 18, after Pandey’s arrest there, and a Miami-Dade judge issued an arrest warrant on April 21.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Pandey on Friday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

Pandey faced charges of first-degree grand theft, organized fraud, falsely impersonating an officer during the commission of a felony, and unlawful use of a communication device. His bond is $110,000.

Pandey appeared in court on Sunday. A judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and prove that the source of his bail isn’t from criminal proceeds. He also has a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold.

Detail in the warrant

The fire in the area of Florida City was 30% contained after burning about 300 acres, according to the Florida Forest Service.

Miami-Dade firefighters responded to the area of Southwest 344 Street and South Dixie Highway.

“We are working on protecting the communities around Florida City and Homestead, and also making sure that roads stay open,” M-DFR Chief Ralph Baena said.

The smoke from the fire affected air quality and drivers’ visibility. Drivers from Florida City to the Florida Keys experienced road closures on Sunday.

“You can smell it in the air,” Rafael Granadas said in Florida City.

M-DFR personnel warned people with respiratory conditions to keep their windows and doors closed and set their air conditioning systems to recirculate. Emmanuel Villa works outdoors.

“It’s going to be hard at work, breathing all this smoke at work,” Villa said in Florida City about his work in the Florida Keys.

The fire “danger” was moderate and the “potential” high on Monday in Miami-Dade, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ fire danger index report.

Local 10 News Assignment Editors Mercedes Cevallos and Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

Related reports

• Brush fire causes closure of U.S. 1 heading in, out of Florida Keys
• Brush fire ignites in western Broward County

Related social media post

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews continue assisting @FlForestService (FFS) in containing the 172 Ave brush fire in Southeast Miami-Dade near SW 344 Street & S Dixie Hwy. Currently, no structures nearby are affected.

As per FFS, the fire is 210 acres, with 30% contained.

Commuters… pic.twitter.com/rnWGLpcNf5

— Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (@MiamiDadeFire) May 11, 2026

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Online jail records show Cira Quinones Lewis, 60, faces charges of driving with a suspended license and failing to return driver’s license or register with insurance company. She is also being jailed on an immigration hold.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred late Sunday morning along the westbound lanes of I-75 to the west of Indian Trade Road.

A white Dodge sedan, a blue minivan and a motorcycle appeared to be involved in the collision.

Authorities confirmed that two people have died from their injuries, while three others were injured, including a 1-year-old girl who was hospitalized in critical condition.

All of the injured victims were taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.

First responders closed all westbound lanes of I-75 while processing the scene. The highway fully reopened shortly after 4 p.m.

As of Monday morning, Quinones Lewis remained held at the Broward County Main Jail.

The circumstances leading up to the crash remain under investigation, and it’s unclear which driver was at fault.

Los oficiales acusaron a Victoria Roman, quien trabaja como diseñadora gráfica, de haber compartido imágenes manipuladas de una víctima el 19 de noviembre en Instagram, según una orden de arresto.

Roman se entregó a las autoridades el jueves en Davie y fue registrada en la Cárcel Principal del condado de Broward en Fort Lauderdale, según los registros.

Roman, residente de Miramar, compareció ante un juez en la audiencia de fianza el viernes por la mañana. El juez le ordenó mantenerse alejada de dispositivos con acceso a internet.

Roman enfrenta cuatro cargos de promoción de representación sexual alterada. Su fianza fue fijada en $60,000.

Según el informe, Leroy Wright Jr., de 46 años y residente de Miami, fue arrestado el viernes por cargos de delitos contra estudiantes por parte de figuras de autoridad, actividad sexual ilegal con un menor y representación de material obsceno que involucra a un menor.

La policía dijo que la directora de Miami Jackson Senior High School recibió un correo electrónico el 28 de abril de una persona que le informó que Wright, maestro de lectura en la escuela, tenía “una relación” con un estudiante.

La directora presentó finalmente un “informe del modelo de investigación de personal” ante la Oficina de Estándares Profesionales de M-DCPS el jueves pasado, y el informe fue luego remitido al Departamento de Policía Escolar de Miami-Dade, según el documento.

Según el informe, la policía entrevistó el jueves a la persona que envió el correo electrónico a la directora, y esa persona identificó a la víctima.

La policía dijo que luego entrevistó a la víctima en su hogar, en presencia de su madre, y el estudiante les contó que conoció a Wright al inicio del año escolar cuando el maestro se le acercó y le pidió unirse al Club de Primer Año, del cual Wright era el patrocinador adulto.

La policía dijo que el estudiante se unió al club.

Según el informe, la víctima declaró que el primer incidente sexual ocurrió el 29 de abril cuando abrazó a su maestro al salir del salón de clases de Wright.

La policía dijo que el estudiante afirmó que Wright le devolvió el abrazo y luego lo besó durante aproximadamente 6 minutos mientras lo manoseaba.

Wright también besó al estudiante el 1 de mayo y lo manoseó ese día y mientras lo llevaba a casa en su auto el 4 de mayo, según las autoridades.

Según el informe, Wright renunció a sus derechos Miranda y proporcionó algún tipo de admisión, aunque su declaración exacta ante los detectives fue redactada del informe divulgado públicamente.

La policía dijo que Wright fue informado antes de su arresto de que el teléfono celular de la víctima había sido “examinado forenses.”

Fue ingresado al Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight el viernes y permanecía allí el lunes por la mañana sin fianza.

El distrito escolar publicó un comunicado el fin de semana confirmando que Wright sería despedido.

“El tipo de comportamiento del que se acusa a este individuo no será tolerado, ya que va en contra de la conducta profesional que esperamos de todos nuestros empleados”, decía el comunicado. “El Distrito ha iniciado procedimientos de terminación de empleo y se asegurará de que el individuo no pueda buscar empleo futuro en el Distrito. En M-DCPS, la seguridad y el bienestar de todos los estudiantes siguen siendo nuestra máxima prioridad.”

The top-ranked Sinner set the tone when he broke 60th-ranked Popyrin in the opening game.

Sinner is heavily favored to win the Rome tournament with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to a right wrist injury.

Sinner hasn’t lost since Feb. 19, to Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals. He’ll next face a fellow Italian, qualifier Andrea Pellegrino, who beat Frances Tiafoe.

If Sinner raises the trophy in Rome, he’ll become the second man after Novak Djokovic to triumph at all nine Masters 1000 events. Djokovic has won each event at least twice.

Sinner has won five straight Masters events and has the second-most consecutive wins at that level with 30. Djokovic has the record of 31.

Gauff saves match point

Earlier, Coco Gauff saved a match point in the second set of a 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 victory over fellow American Iva Jovic to reach the quarterfinals.

Gauff also survived in the previous round from falling behind by two breaks in the third set against Solana Sierra.

Gauff reached the Rome final last year and is preparing to defend her French Open title.

Roland Garros starts on May 24.

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

The issue of how match officials deal with jostling between players at set-pieces was brought into full focus on Sunday when West Ham was denied a stoppage-time equalizer against title-chasing Arsenal.

In what has been described as the most significant video review in Premier League history, it was adjudged that Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was being impeded by the flailing arm of West Ham player Pablo as they competed for the ball at a corner during a chaotic penalty-area scene where players from both teams were grabbing and pulling each other.

On many other occasions, similar levels of physical contact have gone unpunished, with Premier League officials seemingly having a high tolerance before intervening in a season when English soccer has gone back to basics with its tactics.

Pascal Zuberbühler, the former Switzerland goalkeeper who is the co-ordinator for FIFA’s Technical Study Group at the upcoming World Cup, acknowledged the need to be on top of the issue of grappling at corners “from the beginning” of the tournament.

“This is a trend — yes, of course — but I’m sure for our World Cup, we have the best referees there and the referees will be a key part of this situation,” he said on a video call with reporters.

“It’s difficult for the referees because a little foul on the goalkeeper in between so many people around you, it’s not easy to see this. But I’m very, very sure we, at FIFA, have the best referees anyway and we will deal with this in a very good way.”

For many, it was ironic that Arsenal — which wound up beating West Ham 1-0 to stay on course for a first Premier League title since 2004 — benefited from the controversial call.

Under manager Mikel Arteta, the Gunners have become the most dangerous team in England at corners and free kicks, embracing a designated set-piece specialist coach in Nicolas Jover and setting up specific patterns in dead-ball situations to cause maximum chaos.

Gilberto Silva, a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002 and a Premier League champion with Arsenal in 2004, is also in the FIFA technical group and said dominating set plays was a “very strong weapon” for his former team.

However, he added: “I’m not so sure if the World Cup’s going to be the same way because you don’t have so much time to prepare the team for this tournament.

“Of course it can be a weapon to be used, and they have to use this, but not as a main one.”

The Premier League will be sending dozens of players to the World Cup — being held from June 11-July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico — as well as two of a total of 52 referees, and they'll have to adapt to a different threshold than the one they’ve been under for the previous nine months.

West Ham unhappy as debate continues to swirl

The late VAR call at the West Ham-Arsenal game remained a source of great debate into Monday, given its ramifications.

Not only did it propel Arsenal closer to the title, it also plunged West Ham closer to what would be a costly relegation from the lucrative Premier League.

With two games remaining, West Ham is in third-to-last place — the final relegation spot in the 20-team league.

The BBC reported Monday that the Hammers were set to contact English soccer’s referees’ body to raise its concerns about the decision and request further explanation. There was no official comment from the club, though its players and manager Nuno Espirito Santo were unhappy after the game.

Nuno said match officials had become confused.

“Even the referees don’t know what is a foul and what is not a foul — it creates doubt,” he said.

“You look at every corner in the Premier League and something like this is happening, not just today, but on all the pitches. I am talking about the lack of consistency.”

Arteta praised the match officials –— on-field referee Chris Kavanagh and VAR official Darren England, neither of whom are going to the World Cup — for having the “clarity … to make the right call” under so much pressure.

“Because,” he said, “you’re talking about a moment that can decide the history, the course, of two massive clubs that they are fighting with their lives to achieve their objectives.”

Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann, who ran the line in the 2010 World Cup final, said on the BBC that England “stepped up to the plate, he made the right decision and it’s the biggest VAR call in Premier League history.”

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

The lawsuit comes after state authorities disclosed that ChatGPT gave information to the shooter about time and location to maximize victims on campus, as well as the type of gun and ammunition to use. Authorities say he was also told that an attack can get more media attention if children are involved.

“OpenAI knew this would happen. It’s happened before and it was only a matter of time before it happened again,” Vandana Joshi, whose husband Tiru Chabba was one of two people killed, said in a statement Monday.

OpenAI denied any wrongdoing in “this terrible crime.”

“In this case, ChatGPT provided factual responses to questions with information that could be found broadly across public sources on the internet, and it did not encourage or promote illegal or harmful activity,” Drew Pusateri, a spokesman for the company, said in an email to The Associated Press.

Six people were also wounded in the April 2025 shooting in Tallahassee, when the alleged gunman, Phoenix Ikner, walked in and out of campus buildings and green spaces while firing a handgun. It took place on a weekday just before lunchtime near the school's Student Union, which has food and shops. The lawsuit says Ikner, a Florida State student, asked ChatGPT about the busiest times there.

The suit, filed Sunday in federal court, says OpenAI should have built ChatGPT with guardrails to let someone know that police may need to investigate “to prevent a specific plan for imminent harm to the public.”

Separately, in April, Florida’s attorney general said there was a rare criminal investigation into ChatGPT over whether the AI tool offered advice to Ikner, 21. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and several counts of attempted murder. Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty.

Joshi's husband was a 45-year-old father of two from Greenville, South Carolina, and a regional vice president of the food service vendor Aramark Collegiate Hospitality. The other man who was killed, Robert Morales, 57, was a campus dining coordinator at Florida State.

OpenAI “put their profits over our safety and it killed my husband. They need to be responsible before another family has to go through this,” Joshi said in a statement released by her lawyer.

OpenAI is currently valued at $852 billion.

Several lawsuits have sought damages from AI and tech companies over the influence of chatbots and social media on loved ones’ mental health.

In March, a jury in Los Angeles found both Meta and YouTube liable for harms to children using their services. In New Mexico, a jury determined that Meta knowingly harmed children’s mental health and concealed what it knew about child sexual exploitation on its platforms.

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Associated Press reporter Ed White in Detroit contributed.

According to the Biscayne Park Police Department, the victim hired Eric Bartholomew Brown, 66, of Miami Shores, in November 2021 and agreed to an $87,600 contract to have work done on the pool house at her home on Griffing Boulevard.

State records show Brown is a licensed contractor who runs a company called ROI Construction LLC.

A BPPD arrest report states that Brown “demanded payment for work not performed” and sent an electrician who did shoddy work.

“Multiple electrical components began to malfunction, including shorts, improper lighting function and an issue with her refrigerator,” the report states.

Authorities said not only did the electrician routinely arrive late ― he “installed the electrical panel upside down.”

Police said Brown lied about who the electrician was working under and did roof truss work that was not up to code. A village inspector, they said, noted “that columns were missing, tie beams were not properly secured and the trusses were not the proper size.”

According to police, the victim told investigators that in 2023, “Brown told her he would bite the bullet and purchase the roof trusses, notwithstanding (her) assertion that she had already paid for them and that Brown had not paid the truss company,” saying that Brown requested an additional $4,000 “for plumbing work for which she had already paid.”

Authorities said he later claimed a $52,000 shortfall and while she didn’t make the payment, he later pressured her for payment and she gave him a $25,200 check.

The victim said she “possesses written statements from Brown in which he agreed to repay her” but he’s failed to do so and did not respond to a letter demanding payment, according to the arrest report.

Brown, police said, “sent her a letter in which he allegedly attempted to extort additional payments for items not included in the contract.”

According to the report, the $243,000 figure includes “claimed liquidated damages under the contract.”

Authorities arrested Brown on Thursday on a contractor fraud charge, as well as charges of first-degree grand theft and elderly exploitation.

Court records show a Miami-Dade judge found probable cause for the charges and he was later released from jail on a $22,500 bond.

Moreno, quien gobernó entre 2017 y 2021, es procesado por presuntos delitos cometidos cuando ejerció la vicepresidencia durante la administración de Rafael Correa (2007-2017), con quien posteriormente rompió relaciones.

El caso al que la Fiscalía ha denominado “Sinohydro” investiga el supuesto delito de cohecho en la adjudicación del contrato para la construcción de la central hidroeléctrica Coca Codo Sinclair para lo cual, según el Ministerio Público, se repartieron sobornos por más de 76 millones de dólares.

Moreno es identificado como el supuesto autor directo debido a que la Fiscalía lo señala de haber influido en la entrega del contrato, mientras su esposa, su hija, dos hermanos y un cuñado —que habrían recibido beneficios y ayudado a encubrir los pagos— son procesados como presuntos cómplices. En total 21 personas han sido vinculadas al caso.

Sinohydro comenzó la construcción de la central hidroeléctrica en 2010 con un costo de alrededor de 2.000 millones de dólares y la entregó en 2016. Desde el inicio de sus operaciones ha sido cuestionada por fallas estructurales.

Moreno regresó al país la semana pasada luego de residir cinco años en Paraguay y afrontará el juicio presencialmente en una de las salas de la Corte Nacional de Justicia en Quito. Se prevé que las audiencias se prolonguen durante varias semanas.

El exmandatario ha desmentido las acusaciones en su contra y de sus familiares y ha señalado al también exvicepresidente Jorge Glas (2013-2017), que lo sucedió en el cargo, como responsable de la supuesta corrupción aduciendo que su sucesor dirigía los sectores estratégicos durante el gobierno de Correa.

Glas está preso cumpliendo otras dos sentencias por corrupción.

La ley penal ecuatoriana sanciona el delito de cohecho con penas de tres a 10 años de prisión.

En Ecuador también hay expresidentes vinculados a casos de corrupción como Correa, sentenciado a ocho de cárcel, por supuestos sobornos en el caso Odebrecht. Correa actualmente se mantiene prófugo y reside en Bélgica.

Además, están los exmandatarios Jamil Mahuad (1998-2000), condenado por disposición arbitraria de fondos públicos, y que reside en Estados Unidos, y Abdalá Bucaram (1996-1997), que retornó tras más de una década de exilio en Panamá tras la prescripción de los casos judiciales en su contra.

Missouri’s football program announced in a statement that Hardy was shot early Sunday morning and that the All-America running back underwent surgery for the gunshot wound later that day.

WJTV 12 News reported Hardy was shot in the upper leg, according to police, and the Laurel (Mississippi) Leader-Call reported the shooting happened at an outdoor concert at a bike club in Laurel.

“There had been a scheduled concert there of some rappers, or maybe a couple of different rappers,” Laurel police Sgt. Macon Davis told the Leader-Call. “It drew a large crowd, and then gunshots rang out at the end.”

Three people of interest were in custody, Davis told the Leader-Call. He described the scene as a “melee," saying at least two people were injured and it was a miracle others were not.

The Associated Press left Davis a voicemail requesting more information.

Missouri said it would provide more information on Hardy’s status as it becomes available.

“Ahmad is deeply loved by his teammates, coaches, friends, family and fans,” the statement said. “We will continue to stand beside him and his family through this difficult time, offering our love, prayers, strength and support. A timeline for his return to football activities is unknown at this time.”

Hardy earned first-team Associated Press All-America honors last season and was one of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award given annually to college football’s top running back. He rushed for 1,649 yards to rank second among all Bowl Subdivision players.

Hardy is from Oma, Mississippi. He started his college career at Louisiana-Monroe but transferred to Missouri before the 2025 season.

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

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The vehicle was spotted in the water shortly after 7 a.m. in the area of West 16^th Avenue and 68^th Street, just east of the Palmetto Expressway.

Hialeah Fire Rescue officials told Local 10 News that Hialeah Gardens police notified them about the vehicle and the agency sent their divers to the scene.

Residents in the area told Local 10 News they are worried that someone might have been inside the SUV when it plunged into the canal, however HFR officials said no one was found inside the vehicle.

Divers and tow truck operators worked together to eventually remove the SUV from the canal.

HFR officials said the scene has since been turned over to the police department for further investigation.

Historians are eligible for the award but also anyone from teachers and filmmakers, to podcasters and leaders of a cultural organization.

“The Rubenstein Prize will pay tribute to those who strive to tell an accurate and engaging national story, helping Americans understand who came before them and fostering a deeper appreciation for the responsibilities of citizenship,” Rubenstein said in a statement released Monday. “By studying history, we are better able to see what worked and how to avoid the mistakes of the past.”

The inaugural judges panel will include Pulitzer Prize winners Annette Gordon-Reed, Jon Meacham and Beverly Gage. The winner will be announced in the fall.

El incidente ocurrió en la noche del sábado en Pembroke Road y Southwest 46th Avenue.

Según funcionarios de Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, un total de siete personas resultaron heridas, incluyendo varias alertas de trauma, una de las cuales era un niño.

Las autoridades trasladaron a algunos de los heridos al HCA Florida Aventura Hospital y a otros al Memorial Regional Hospital.

Una de las víctimas fue declarada muerta en el hospital, según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward.

Las autoridades no han divulgado información sobre las causas del accidente.

Another round on storms is expected on Wednesday. If you are looking for some drier time, Friday is probably your best bet. It won’t be dry for everyone but the showers that develop will be sparse compared to earlier in the week.

La policía dijo que una pelea entre cuatro personas estalló en la plaza en el bloque 300 de State Road 7, cuando alguien sacó un arma y comenzó a disparar.

Tres personas sufrieron “heridas de bala que no ponen en riesgo la vida”, dijo la policía.

Las balas también atravesaron múltiples negocios, incluyendo una barbería cuyas puertas de vidrio quedaron destrozadas. Los equipos de limpieza pasaron la mañana del domingo barriendo vidrios rotos y escombros.

El Dollar General y varios negocios vecinos fueron clausurados con tablones tras ser alcanzados por las balas.

Un hombre que hace compras regularmente en la plaza, y que pidió no ser identificado, dijo que el tiroteo pudo haber terminado mucho peor.

“Pudo haber habido una gran pérdida de vidas. Gracias a Dios que no fue así, pero eso es lo que me viene a la mente. Cada una de estas balas pudo haber golpeado a alguien”, dijo.

Las cámaras de Local 10 News estuvieron en la plaza el sábado por la noche mientras la policía acordonaba el área, hablaba con testigos e investigaba el tiroteo.

Un video de la escena mostró daños por balas dispersos en varias vidrieras de cristal.

“Gracias a Dios que nadie murió, especialmente en el Día de las Madres”, agregó el hombre. “Esperemos que atrapen a los responsables, porque esto es un disparate.”

La policía confirmó que los detectives ya identificaron al tirador y trabajan para localizarlo.

Las llamas se ubicaron al noroeste de la intersección de Okeechobee Road y Krome Avenue.

Para las 5 p.m. del domingo, las autoridades informaron que el fuego había quemado aproximadamente 4,600 acres.

Roxanne Gill vive con su novio y su bebé de un año cerca del área donde ardían las llamas. Dice que poco después de que se declarara el incendio el domingo, el fuego tomó el camino de tierra que lleva a su casa, dejándolos atrapados.

“No podíamos salir, el fuego estaba bloqueando el camino de tierra”, dijo. “No había forma de irse. La única manera de salir era en un airboat.”

Gill dijo que han enfrentado incendios en el pasado, pero nunca tan cerca.

“Era enorme, había tanto humo, podíamos escuchar el crepitar, así de malo estaba. Tuve que mojar mi casa con la manguera. Todo el mundo estaba mojando sus tráilers antes de que llegara el departamento de bomberos”, dijo. “Estaba asustada. Estaba sacando todas mis cosas importantes de la casa y estaba enloquecida preguntándole a todos si debía llevarme al bebé, si debía irme, y no había forma de salir. Estaba muy asustada.”

La policía de Pembroke Pines advirtió a los residentes sobre el humo que se dirigía hacia el área de Lake Holly, cerca de Pines Boulevard y US-27.

Los equipos de rescate se apostaron en el área como precaución en caso de que el fuego se acercara y se convirtiera en un peligro.

Roxi era una labrador amarilla de 8 años que comenzó en la Unidad de Narcóticos de Miami-Dade en 2017.

“Ella es una oficial de policía a nuestros ojos, igual que un humano, y esperamos que hoy podamos mostrarle a todos que la honramos y que la extrañamos”, dijo la sargento Samantha Machado de la Unidad K9 del Sheriff de Miami-Dade.

Fue a finales de enero de 2025 cuando los detectives intentaban arrestar a un presunto proveedor de drogas tras meses de trabajo encubierto.

Cuando Anthony Medina, de entonces 33 años, intentó escapar, los detectives dijeron que intencionalmente estrelló su auto contra el SUV K9, empujando el vehículo contra una pared de concreto en el área de Northwest 72nd Street y First Avenue.

Medina se encuentra ahora en prisión enfrentando una larga lista de cargos y esperando juicio.

“Hay un vínculo entre el K9 y su guía que no se compara con ningún otro, y perder a tu compañera en un accidente trágico es simplemente, no hay palabras para describirlo”, dijo Machado.

El guía de Roxi, el detective Jared Hahn, también resultó herido en el choque. Asistió al memorial de Roxi en febrero y estará en Washington D.C. el lunes para hablar en honor a su compañera.

“Ha sido un placer trabajar con ella, era increíble”, dijo Machado.

El nombre de Roxi quedará grabado junto al de otros K9 heroicos que murieron en cumplimiento del deber.

Freddie Hendricks, a middle school theater teacher at Utopian Academy for the Arts in Ellenwood, Georgia, and who founded the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, is getting the special Tony Award that honors educators.

“It feels really great to know that they’re succeeding on that level and that I had a little to do with it,” he told The Associated Press ahead of the announcement on Monday. “It’s just a beautiful thing.”

Hendricks has been an arts educator for more than 30 years and was an honorable mention for the special Tony in 2023 and 2024. He estimates between 20 and 30 of his students have gone on to Broadway, including Tony-nominated Saycon Sengbloh, and one, Kenan Thompson, who is a household star on “Saturday Night Live.”

“I’ve always had a passion for theater. I’m an actor myself and when I got into teaching years and years and years and years ago, it became my passion," he says.

Ellington, who has earned his third Tony nomination for “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” credits Hendricks as “the first person to show me the importance of storytelling in theater.” Ellington watched as shy kids who started quiet at the beginning of Hendricks' class were by the end the featured singer or performer.

Hendricks graduated from Lincoln Memorial University in 1976, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication arts. He created “Soweto, Soweto, Soweto: A Township is Calling!” and has also taught in Europe and South Africa.

He is artistic director, writer and teacher for the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta, which is comprised of students ranging from 11-20. At Utopian, Hendricks trains students in a “rigorous, ensemble-based program of acting, movement and storytelling.”

“A lot of kids these days, they don’t love themselves,” he says. “They don’t know who they are, for one thing. And I just kind of start with that and then go with loving themselves for who they are and letting them know up front, ‘In here, this is a safe space. You’re loved in here. You’re accepted in here. This is your home.’”

Hendricks is known for encouraging his students to come up with topics they care about — poverty, gun violence, teen pregnancy, apartheid or AIDS — and building performances around their ideas from their perspective.

“That just empowered these kids so much,” says Ellington. “Not only empowered them from an internal place of owning who you are, but empowering them as storytellers and showing the importance of storytellers.”

The annual Excellence in Theatre Education Award bestowed by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University recognizes U.S. educators who have “demonstrated exemplary impact on the lives of students and who embodies the highest standards of the profession.”

The award includes a $10,000 prize for Utopian Academy and a pair of tickets to the June 7 Tony ceremony and gala in New York City. Hendricks' students will also receive a visiting master class taught by Carnegie Mellon drama professors.

A panel of judges comprised of the American Theatre Wing, The Broadway League, Carnegie Mellon and other leaders from the theater industry selects the winner, from candidates submitted by the public.

Hendricks imparts the importance of theater skills — like collaborating, listening, interpreting, storytelling, checking your ego, taking criticism — even if his pupils go on to careers outside the arts.

“I just want to let them know that life is great out there and the key to success is to never stop the pursuit of it. Whatever you want, keep going. It’s not going to happen tomorrow. It’s not going to happen next year. Or if it does, you may lose it, but it will come again if you continue to pursue whatever it is that you desire.”

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More on the Tony Awards: https://apnews.com/hub/tony-awards

Existing home sales edged up 0.2% last month from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. Sales were unchanged compared to April last year.

The latest sales figure fell short of the roughly 4.12 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

Sales have been hovering close to a 4-million annual pace now going back to 2023, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

And home prices continued to rise nationally last month, albeit at a slower rate. The U.S. median sales price increased 0.9% in April from a year earlier to $417,700, an all-time high for any April on data going back to 1999, NAR said. Home prices have risen on an annual basis for 34 months in a row.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low. They have remained sluggish so far this year, declining from a year earlier through the first three months of this year.

“This spring homebuying season, so far all the way through April, we can say we are not predicting any increase compared to one year ago,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.

While average incomes are now rising at a faster pace than U.S. home prices, affordability remains a major hurdle for aspiring homeowners.

Years of soaring home prices, especially in the early part of this decade when rock-bottom mortgage rates fueled a buying frenzy, have left many would-be homebuyers frozen out of the market. And a chronic shortage of homes for sale nationally, due partly to years of below-average new home construction, has helped prop up home prices even in a multiyear sales slump.

Homes purchased last month likely went under contract in February and March, when the average rate on a 30-year mortgage ranged from 5.98% — its lowest level in three and a half years — to 6.38%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. The average rate was at 6.37% last week.

While the average rate has remained below where it was a year ago, it has been fluctuating since the war with Iran began, as surging energy prices fuel anxiety about higher inflation.

Those who can afford to buy are benefiting from more properties on the market, although home inventory levels remain well below historical norms.

There were 1.47 million unsold homes at the end of April, up 5.8% from March and up 1.4% from April last year, NAR said. That’s the most homes on the market for the month of April going back to 2019, when the month-end inventory stood at 1.83 million homes.

That’s still short of the roughly 2 million homes for sale that was typical before the COVID-19 pandemic.

April’s month-end inventory translates to a 4.4-month supply at the current sales pace. Traditionally, a 5- to 6-month supply is considered a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

“We really need to see 30% growth in inventory, but we’re not really seeing that,” Yun said.

One factor helping boost the supply of homes for sale is many properties are sitting on the market longer. Properties typically remained on the market for 32 days last month before selling, down from 41 days in March, but up from 29 days in April last year, NAR said.

As homes take longer to sell, asking prices have started falling in many metro areas, especially in the South and Midwest. The national median home listing price was down in April from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com.

The event series announced Monday is called “SI Beyond the Pitch,” which will bring concerts and VIP fan experiences to Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami and New York during the global soccer tournament. Additional performances will include Diplo and Gordo.

The Los Angeles kickoff event is scheduled for June 12 at the Hollywood Palladium with Nelly headlining. Dallas will host a June 20 event at SILO featuring Gordo, while Miami’s June 26 stop at DAER will feature The Chainsmokers. The series concludes July 18 at Cipriani Wall Street with performances from 50 Cent and Diplo.

The series marks one of Sports Illustrated’s biggest pushes yet into live entertainment and experiential events surrounding major sports moments.

“This isn’t just a tournament; it’s the most significant sporting event of a generation to hit American soil,” Joe Silberzweig, founder and CEO of Medium Rare, said in a statement. The series is an expansion of the brand’s growing presence in premium live events tied to major sports weekends and cultural moments.

“We are leaning into that energy to introduce the most high-octane nightlife experiences the global soccer community has ever seen,” he said.

The announcement follows the recent success of SI The Party during Super Bowl weekend, which featured performances from The Chainsmokers and Ludacris alongside celebrity guests including Justin Bieber, Travis Kelce and Ciara.

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

El vehículo fue avistado en el agua poco después de las 7 a.m. en el área de West 16th Avenue y 68th Street, al este de la Palmetto Expressway.

Funcionarios de Hialeah Fire Rescue dijeron a Local 10 News que la policía de Hialeah Gardens los notificó y la agencia envió a sus buzos al lugar.

Residentes del área dijeron a Local 10 News que están preocupados por la posibilidad de que alguien haya estado dentro del vehículo cuando cayó al canal; sin embargo, funcionarios de HFR dijeron que no encontraron a nadie dentro del vehículo.

Dijeron que la escena fue entregada al departamento de policía para continuar la investigación.

Here are the dates when the top teams are scheduled to name their 26-man rosters for the tournament being held in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11-July 19.

FIFA expects to announce the official squad lists on June 2.

France

May 14

Belgium

May 15

Brazil

May 18

Portugal

May 19

Morocco

May 21

Germany

May 21

England

May 22

Spain

May 25

Netherlands

May 25

United States

May 26

Argentina

May 30

Mexico

June 1

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

Cole Tomas Allen was handcuffed and shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform when he appeared in federal court for his arraignment. Allen didn’t speak during the brief hearing. One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.

Allen’s lawyers are asking U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify at least two top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the event when Allen ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, authorities said. In a court filing last week, Allen’s attorneys argued that it creates at least the appearance of a conflict of interest for Blanche and Pirro to be making any prosecutorial decisions in the case.

McFadden, a Trump nominee, didn’t rule from the bench on that question but asked Allen’s attorneys to elaborate on the possible scope of their recusal request. Defense attorney Eugene Ohm said the defense likely would seek to disqualify Pirro’s entire office from involvement in the case. Ohm acknowledged that a bid to disqualify the entire Justice Department would be unlikely.

“That would be quite a request,” the judge said.

McFadden gave prosecutors until May 22 to respond in writing to the defense's request. The judge asked the government to specify whether it believes Pirro and Blanche could be considered victims in the case.

“That might add some clarity here,” McFadden said.

In their filing, Allen's attorneys suggested that the appointment of a special prosecutor might be warranted.

Allen is scheduled to return to court on June 29.

A Secret Service officer was shot once in a bullet-resistant vest during the April 25 attack at the Washington Hilton hotel, which disrupted and ultimately prompted an early end to one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital. The officer fired five shots but didn't hit anybody, authorities said.

Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was injured but was not shot.

Besides the attempted-assassination count, Allen also is charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon and two additional firearms counts. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of the attempted assassination charge alone.

Allen was placed on suicide watch after his arrest, but jail officials removed him from that status after several days. Allen’s attorneys complained that he had been unnecessarily confined in a padded room with constant lighting, repeatedly strip searched and placed in restraints outside his cell.

Allen told FBI agents that he didn’t expect to survive the attack, which could help explain why he was deemed to be a possible suicide risk, a Justice Department prosecutor has said.

Allen was outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife when he took a photo of himself in his room at the hotel just minutes before the attack, according to prosecutors. In a message that authorities say sheds light on his motive, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of actions by Trump's Republican administration.

Authorities have alleged that Allen on April 6 reserved a room for himself at the Hilton where the event would be held weeks later under its typical tight security. He traveled by train cross-country from California, checking himself into the hotel a day before the dinner with a room reserved for the weekend.

Trump was rushed off the stage by his security team at the Saturday night event and appeared at the White House two hours later, still in his tuxedo, to talk about the attack and the suspect.

“When you’re impactful, they go after you. When you’re not impactful, they leave you alone,” the president said. “They seem to think he was a lone wolf.”

Google shared limited information about the attackers and the target, but John Hultquist, chief analyst at the tech giant’s threat intelligence arm, said it represents a moment cybersecurity experts have warned about for years: malicious hackers arming themselves with AI to supercharge their ability to break into the world’s computers.

“It’s here,” Hultquist said. “The era of AI-driven vulnerability and exploitation is already here.”

It comes at a time of leaps in AI's abilities to find vulnerabilities, including the Mythos model announced a month ago by Anthropic. Among those trying to bolster their defenses is President Donald Trump's White House, which has shifted its approach in how it plans to vet the most powerful AI models before their public release.

After following through with a campaign promise to repeal Democratic President Joe Biden's guardrails around the fast-developing technology, the Republican administration and its allies are now sending mixed signals about the government playing a larger role in AI oversight.

“Some people don’t want there to be a regulatory response to this and others do,” said Dean Ball, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation who was previously a White House tech policy adviser and a lead author of Trump’s AI policy roadmap last year.

“I don’t like regulation,” Ball said. “I would prefer for things not to be regulated. But I think we need to in this case."

Google says it found evidence of AI helping in cyberattack

Google said it observed a group of prominent “threat actors” planning a big operation relying on a bug they had found. The vulnerability allowed them to bypass two-factor authentication to access a popular online system administration tool, which Google declined to name.

The company called it a zero-day exploit, a cyberattack that takes advantage of a previously unknown security vulnerability. “Zero-day” refers to the fact that the security engineers have had zero days to develop a fix for the vulnerability.

Google said it notified the affected company and law enforcement and was able to disrupt the operation before it caused any damage. But as it traced the hackers' footprints, it found evidence they had used an AI large language model — the same technology that powers popular chatbots — to discover the vulnerability.

Google didn't reveal which AI model was used in the cyberattack, only that it was most likely not Google's own Gemini or Anthropic's Claude Mythos. Google also didn't reveal which group it suspected in the attack but said there was no evidence it was tied to an adversarial government, though the company said groups tied to China and North Korea have been exploring similar techniques.

Hultquist said that compared with government spies who typically work slowly and quietly, criminal hackers have some of the most to gain from AI's “tremendous capability for speed” in finding and weaponizing security bugs.

“There’s a race between you and them to stop them before they can essentially get whatever data they need to extort you with, or launch ransomware,” he said in an interview. “AI is going to be a huge advantage because they can move a lot faster.”

Anthropic's Mythos has sparked a panic and call for regulation

Trump's Commerce Department announced last week that it signed new agreements with Google, Microsoft and Elon Musk's xAI to evaluate their most powerful AI models before their public release, building on previous agreements the Biden administration made with Anthropic and ChatGPT maker OpenAI. But the announcement later disappeared from the Commerce Department website.

It was the latest example of jumbled signals from the Trump administration in the month since Anthropic announced a new model it called Mythos that it said was so “strikingly capable” at hacking and cybersecurity work that it could only release it to a small group of trusted organizations.

Anthropic created an initiative called Project Glasswing bringing together tech giants including Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft, along with other companies like JPMorgan Chase, in hopes of securing the world’s critical software from “severe” fallout that the new model could pose to public safety, national security and the economy. But its relationship with the U.S. government was complicated by a public and legal fight with the Pentagon and Trump himself over military use of its AI technology.

Its top rival, OpenAI, has since introduced a similar model. The company said Friday it was releasing a specialized cybersecurity version of ChatGPT that would only be available to “defenders responsible for securing critical infrastructure” to help them find and patch vulnerabilities in their code.

Ball said he's optimistic that, over the long term, AI tools that are increasingly good at coding will make us safer from the routine cyberattacks afflicting hospitals, schools and other organizations. In the meantime, however, he said there are “untold trillions of lines of software code” supporting the world's computing systems that are at risk if AI tools are unleashed to exploit all of their bugs.

It could take years to harden all of that software — a process that Ball believes would be aided by coordination from the U.S. government.

In the meantime, Ball predicts a “transitional period" where cybersecurity risks rise significantly and “the world might actually be more dangerous.”

Police said a fight broke out involving four people at the plaza in the 300 block of State Road 7 when someone pulled out a gun and started shooting.

Three people “sustained non-life-threatening gunshot injuries,” police said.

Bullets also ripped through multiple businesses, including a barbershop where the front glass doors were shattered. Cleanup crews spent Sunday morning sweeping up broken glass and debris.

The Dollar General and several neighboring businesses were boarded up after bullets pierced their storefronts.

One man who shops at the plaza regularly, and asked not to be identified, said the shooting could have ended much worse.

“There could have been a major loss of life. Thank God that there wasn’t, but that is what comes to mind. Each one of these bullets could have hit someone,” he said.

Local 10 News cameras were at the plaza Saturday night as police taped off the area, spoke with witnesses and investigated the shooting.

Video from the scene showed damage from the bullets scattered across several glass storefronts.

“Thank God nobody was killed, especially on Mother’s Day,” the man added. “Let’s hope they catch the people responsible because this is just nonsense.”

Police confirmed that the shooter has been identified by detectives and they are working to locate that person.

The league on Monday announced the Week 1 matchup of NFC East rivals at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The full schedule will be released Thursday with other games revealed in the coming days.

This is the eighth time in the past 15 years the Cowboys and Giants are opening the season against each other.

Dallas is always a national television draw as “America's Team,” and New York could get more prime time exposure with Super Bowl winner John Harbaugh coaching and Jaxson Dart established as the franchise quarterback coming off his eventful rookie year. It is set to be Harbaugh's Giants debut.

If healthy, it would also be the first meaningful game between Dart and Dak Prescott. While each started the season finale on Jan. 4, the teams were eliminated from playoff contention by then.

This also could be the NFL debuts for a pair of former Ohio State teammates: Giants linebacker Arvell Reese, taken with the fifth pick, and Cowboys safety Caleb Downs, drafted not long after at No. 11.

Dallas at New York also means neither of those teams will be the visitor at Seattle on Wednesday night, Sept. 9, when the defending champion Seahawks unveil their Super Bowl banner and kick off the season. Chicago, Arizona, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Chargers or a title-game rematch against New England are the remaining possibilities.

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

The shooting occurred at a shopping plaza along South State Road 7, between Southwest Second Court and Aztec Boulevard.

Three to four people were involved in a fight before the shooting, according to Maj. Michael Druzbik, a spokesman for the Margate Police Department.

“Those involved sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” Druzbik wrote in a statement.

Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 to remain anonymous.

Location

One of the more notable matchups in Nebraska’s state primary on Tuesday features two Democratic contenders for U.S. Senate who accuse each other of being “fake” candidates with no intention of competing to win the general election. The outcome could impact whether Nebraska has a competitive general election for the seat.

Voters in the Cornhusker State also will choose nominees for a full slate of contests ranging from governor to state Legislature and local offices.

Topping the ballot is the U.S. Senate race, where Republican incumbent Pete Ricketts is seeking a full term, following his 2023 appointment and 2024 special election victory to replace Republican Ben Sasse.

Although Ricketts faces four Republican primary challengers, he’s already looking ahead to an expected general election contest against independent candidate Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic and military veteran who came within 7 points of defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in her 2024 reelection bid.

The Democratic nominee will be either pharmacy technician and community college instructor Cindy Burbank or pastor Bill Forbes.

The Nebraska Democratic Party supports Burbank for the primary and Osborn for the general election. The party originally had planned not to field a general election candidate to coalesce support behind the independent Osborn. Forbes’ last-minute candidate filing, along with past statements and political positions, has prompted allegations from party leaders that he entered the primary so that a Democrat would be on the fall ballot, siphoning votes away from Osborn and helping Ricketts.

Forbes denies the allegation. State records indicate he is a registered Democrat.

Burbank was also a late entrant to the race, and she cites keeping Forbes off the November ballot as a major priority of her campaign. On her website, she says Osborn “deserves a fair shot against Ricketts.”

Nebraska’s Republican Secretary of State, Bob Evnen, had Burbank tossed from the ballot in March following a complaint filed by the Republican Party of Nebraska alleging she was not running in good faith. The Nebraska Supreme Court ordered Burbank back on the ballot.

The primary contest will not break any fundraising records. Burbank received about $4,300 for her campaign as of April 22, while Forbes reported zero monetary contributions to his.

Republicans have held both of Nebraska’s U.S. Senate seats since the 2012 election, and the state is not a top target for Democrats looking to retake the chamber in 2026. But an upset over Ricketts or even a competitive race could give the party more breathing room as it looks to flip Republican seats in Alaska, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio.

In the race for governor, incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Pillen faces five primary challengers, while former state Sen. Lynne Walz and frequent candidate Larry Marvin compete for the Democratic nomination. Marvin has previously run for U.S. Senate four times since 2012.

In the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District, six active candidates are running for the Democratic nomination to replace retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon. Omaha City Councilmember Brinker Harding is unopposed for the Republican nomination. The seat is critical to Democratic hopes to retake the chamber.

There are also 11 primary elections for Nebraska's unicameral state legislature. The races are nonpartisan, but many candidates run as Republicans or Democrats. Each race will have two winners advance to the general election, though voters can vote for only one candidate.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Nebraska falls within both the Central and Mountain time zones, but all polls close simultaneously at 9 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, secretary of state and state Legislature.

Who gets to vote?

Nebraska voters registered with a political party may vote only in their own party’s primary. In other words, Democrats can’t vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. The state Democratic and Libertarian parties allow independent or unaffiliated voters to vote in their primaries. The state Republican and Legal Marijuana NOW parties allow independent or unaffiliated voters to vote in federal contests only. Voter ID is required.

How many voters are there?

As of May 1, Nebraska had about 1.3 million registered voters, about 621,000 Republicans and about 328,000 Democrats.

How many people actually vote?

About 219,000 votes were cast in each of the two Republican U.S. Senate primaries in 2024, which was about 18% of registered voters at the time. Pillen’s Republican primary for governor in 2022 had about 270,00 total votes cast, or about 22% of registered voters. The Democratic gubernatorial primary that year had about 100,000 votes, roughly 8% of registered voters.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 39% of the Republican primary vote and about 65% of the Democratic primary vote was cast before Election Day in both the 2022 and 2024 primaries.

As of Thursday, about 56,000 Republican primary ballots and about 49,000 Democratic primary ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

More than three-quarters of Nebraska’s 93 counties tend to release all or nearly all of their early and absentee vote results in the first vote update of the night, often before any results from in-person Election Day results are available. Nearly two-thirds of counties tend to release no or relatively few in-person Election Day results in their first report, including the most populous counties of Douglas and Lancaster.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In Ricketts’ last U.S. Senate primary in 2024, the AP first reported results just as polls closed statewide at 9 p.m. ET. About 90% of the vote had been counted by 12:10 a.m. ET, with the final vote update of the night a little more than an hour later at 1:35 a.m. ET with about 98% of the total vote counted. The AP declared Ricketts the winner at 9:10 p.m. ET.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Recounts are automatic in Nebraska if the vote margin is 1% of the total vote or less in races where more than 500 votes are cast. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 175 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

A boat captain, identified only as Leo, said a boat exploded during startup, likely because of a gas leak, and it was the “scariest moment” of his life.

“When we looked back out, we saw three people flying off the boat and a puff of smoke,” said Patrick Lee, a witness who added that he saw victims who were “very badly burned” in stretchers.

Anthony Torres said his wife, Adriana Rojas, was among the 11 injured during a Mother’s Day weekend celebration and said she called him after the explosion.

“She was screaming, ‘Help me! Help me! I’m burned! The boat blew up! Help me! Help me!’”

More than 25 MDFR units, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, and the U.S. Coast Guard responded shortly before 12:50 p.m.

“Injuries were from burn injuries, some were traumatic injuries as well,” MDFR Battalion Chief Juan Arias said.

Torres was at Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center, where Rojas was hospitalized.

“She has got second-degree burns all throughout her legs, her buttocks, her chest, her left arm, and the left side of her body,” Torres said.

The cause of the explosion remained under investigation on Saturday afternoon, according to Melissa Brevik, a spokeswoman for the FWC.

“Preliminary information indicates a charter vessel carrying several passengers was in Biscayne Bay, near the Haulover Sandbar, when an explosion occurred on board,” Brevik wrote in a statement. “Passengers aboard the vessel were injured.”

Local 10 News Assignment Editors Sofia Mendez and Mariana Ortiz contributed to this report.

The incident happened around 10:26 p.m. on Saturday at Pine Channel Nature Park, located at 29550 Overseas Highway on Big Pine Key.

Deputies noted that the park was not open, as it had closed at 7:30 p.m.

According to authorities, a patrolling deputy observed the suspect, identified as Julie Graham, of Port Charlotte, Florida, “seated on a park bench with drug paraphernalia in plain view.”

Deputies said Graham refused to provide identification and attempted to walk away before pulling away and resisting, knocking off the deputy’s glasses, grabbing and striking him as he struggled to handcuff her.

Graham has since been charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, tampering with evidence, and being in a park after hours.

Authorities said no serious injuries were reported.

After being medically cleared, deputies said Graham was taken to jail without further incident.

It happened late Saturday night along Pembroke Road and Southwest 46th Avenue.

According to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue officials, there were a total of seven people injured, including several trauma alerts, one of who was a child.

Authorities said they took some of the injured to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital and others to Memorial Regional Hospital.

One of the victims was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

Officials have not released information regarding what led up to the crash.

Roxi was an 8-year-old yellow lab who started in the Miami-Dade Narcotics Unit in 2017.

“She’s a police officer in our eyes, just like a human, and we hope that today we can show everyone that we honor her and we miss her,” said Miami-Dade Sheriff’s K9 Unit Sgt. Samantha Machado.

It was late January of 2025 when deputies were trying to arrest a suspected drug supplier after months of undercover work.

When Anthony Medina, then 33 years old, tried to get away, deputies said he intentionally slammed his car into the K9 SUV, forcing the vehicle into a concrete wall in the area of Northwest 72nd Street and First Avenue.

Medina is now in jail facing a long list of charges and awaiting trial.

“There’s a bond between the K9 and the K9 handler that is like no other bond, and to lose your partner in a tragic crash is just, it’s beyond words,” said Machado.

Roxi’s handler, Deputy Jared Hahn, was injured in the crash.

He made his way to Roxi’s memorial that February and will be in Washington D.C. on Monday to speak in honor of his partner.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with her, she was amazing,” said Machado.

Roxi’s name will now be etched among other heroic K9s who were killed while in the line of duty.

Sanctions were also slapped on seven centers suspected of indoctrinating the children or training them to serve in the armed forces, either for Russia or pro-Russian militias inside Ukraine.

Over 130 people and “entities” are now under EU travel bans and asset freezes over the abductions.

EU headquarters said the measures target “those responsible for the systematic unlawful deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, including indoctrination and militarized education, of Ukrainian minors, as well as their unlawful adoption and removal to the Russian Federation and within temporarily occupied territories.”

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, about 20,500 children have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-held territories in eastern Ukraine.

EU officials say many of the children are stripped of their Ukrainian identity and culture, given Russian passports and put up for adoption. Some are forced into schools for indoctrination or into military camps.

“Russia is trying to erase their identity,” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže said Monday at a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels, where the sanctions were endorsed. “When you look at the Genocide Convention, it’s one of the features of the genocide crime. So, it’s very serious.”

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions.

Around 2,200 children have been returned, but identifying them is complicated. Those taken at a young age can be difficult to recognize just a few years later. Getting them home is a harrowing task, and while Ukraine has reintegration structures in place some may face a long period of adaption when they return.

The EU on Monday was hosting, alongside Canada, a meeting of the 47-country International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia and rally support for work to verify and trace those who are taken.

“War has really many faces, but stealing the children is really one of the most horrific,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said ahead of the gathering. “We should stop this, and Russia should pay.”

The officials targeted by Monday’s sanctions include the heads of children’s camps, government representatives and military officers in charge of youth training.

One of the 16 named was Lilya Shvetsova, head of the “Red Carnation” camp in occupied Crimea. The EU said she supervised “activities aimed at shaping the political and ideological views of children present at the facility, including Ukrainian children.”

Like others on the list, she was determined to be “supporting and implementing actions and policies contributing to the deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, including indoctrination, or militarized education of Ukrainian minors.”

From parachuters landing on the sand to roaring fighter jets overhead, day two of the Air Dot Show delivered plenty of thrills for spectators packed along Fort Lauderdale Beach.

“This is amazing, seeing it on the beach and the wind, it’s just gorgeous,” said Katrina Reneau, who was visiting from Islamorada.

One of the biggest attractions of the show was the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor demonstration.

“F-22 is unparalleled in its power, in its fight performance,” said Tora Thorne, a safety observer with the F-22 demonstration team.

Thorne said he has been piloting the fighter jet for four years.

“Flying the jet is a rewarding experience every single day,” he said. “Every time I get a chance to fly, I take a second to really appreciate how fortunate I am to do that.”

The aircraft wowed crowds with high-speed maneuvers, flares and aerial stunts that drew cheers from the beach below.

“It is the most powerful, amazing plane in the world and it gets to show off to us right here,” Reneau said.

Attendees said the show also gave them a greater appreciation for members of the military.

“I am in awe, like it’s given a new respect to what our guys do in the services,” said attendee Latoya Black.

“It’s an honor,” Black added. “It’s an honor to see what really goes on. This is the fun part for them, so when you imagine what they have to do to keep us safe, it gives a new form of respect.”

The event also featured F-18s, Red Bull Air Force performers and the Thunderbirds.

“This is pure power and talent,” Reneau said.

Organizers said the air show not only entertains crowds, but also helps educate younger generations about the military and the aviation industry -- and could inspire future careers in the field.

The reelection bid caps an eventful 12 months for Baraka. The contest takes place almost a year after he was arrested at a protest outside a federal immigration detention center. The charges were later dropped, and he sued the federal prosecutor at the time, alleging false arrest and malicious prosecution.

Baraka later placed second against then-U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill in the Democratic primary for governor. Sherrill went on to win the general election. Baraka is a Democrat, but the office of Newark mayor is nonpartisan, and candidates do not run under a party label.

The candidates challenging Baraka are artist Tanisha Garner, developer and contractor Noble Milton, community organizer Sheila Montague, community activist Debra Salters, former Newark Municipal Court administrator Nasheedah Singleton, tech entrepreneur Jhamar Youngblood and Douglas “Rodney” Davis, whose campaign platform includes ending “casual Fridays” in City Hall.

Montague placed a distant second behind Baraka in the 2022 mayoral race, receiving about 17% of the vote. In 2024, she and Salters sought the Democratic nomination to replace the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald Payne. They placed 7th and 11th, respectively.

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a June 9 runoff election.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare a winner in the Newark mayoral race.

Who gets to vote?

Any registered voter in Newark may participate in the mayoral election.

How many voters are there?

There were about 159,000 registered voters in Newark in the 2025 general election.

How many people actually vote?

About 18,000 votes were cast in the 2022 mayoral election.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 16% of vote in the 2022 mayoral election was cast before Election Day.

As of Thursday, about 2,700 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election, almost all of them from Democrats.

When are early and absentee votes released?

In Essex County, for which Newark is the county seat, the first vote report of the night typically includes nearly all results from early and absentee voting, with no results from in-person Election Day voting.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

The timing of vote releases for past elections is available for Essex County but not for Newark specifically. In the 2025 general election, the AP first reported results in Essex County at 8:06 p.m. ET, or six minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 10:10 p.m. ET, with about 93% of total votes counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Recounts are very rare in New Jersey. The state does not have automatic recounts, but candidates and voters may request and pay for them, with the cost refunded if the outcome changes. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 28 days until the June 9 mayoral runoff, if needed.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

Organizers told Local 10 News that Guinness has confirmed they set a record Saturday at Chewy Bark Park in Coral Gables with 277 dogs at the world’s largest dog pool party.

Chewy hosted the party as breeds of all shapes and sizes shared the kiddie pools, as well as some cool treats -- all in an effort to secure their spot in the record books.

“We wanted to go big, we wanted to make it fun, splashy and we brought in Guinness World Records,” one organizer said. “They’re here today onsite and they’re counting every dog that is here towards our record.”

A crowd gathered at a gas station across the street watching a helicopter drop water on the flames from above as crews worked to contain the fire.

Kay, who was driving north on U.S. 1 after visiting her daughter in Islamorada, said traffic came to a standstill as she approached Florida City.

“This last probably mile took almost half an hour,” she said.

U.S. 1 was shut down in both directions in Florida City while firefighters battled the blaze.

Antonio, who lives nearby, said he saw flames, smoke and ashes while driving home from work in Key Largo.

“We saw the flames, the traffic, the cherries, the ashes blowing everywhere down the road,” he said.

Antonio said traffic was bumper to bumper for drivers trying to head north.

“The traffic’s crazy right now, it’s bumper to bumper,” he said.

He added that brush fires in the area have become a familiar sight over the years.

“Used to it after the three fires I’ve seen,” Antonio said. “Because the fire right next to the RV park, it’s at least once a year. The woods catch on fire over there.”

On Monday, Chaim Gubitz will stand trial for animal cruelty.

According to authorities, tests confirmed that a woman’s two pet cats were both poisoned at their home along Northeast 119th Avenue in Biscayne Park.

Police said Gubitz, a neighbor, would leave aluminum trays and plates with food mixed with poison along the fence.

Soon after, pet cats Little and Stella died.

Surveillance video captured Gubitz placing more trays in the victim’s yard.

She said she followed him to find out where he lived and then called police, who confirmed the presence of poison.

“They were rescues and they were beloved family members,” said pet owner Katherine. “It was incredibly painful to have such a loss.”

Officers investigating the crime said what happened to those cats was cruel, excessive and unnecessary.

“I was so horrified and so angry when I realized what had happened, when I realized that their lives were cut short, not due to natural circumstances, but because they had been endangered by my neighbors,” said Katherine.

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran’s response to his latest proposal was “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!”

Also, Trump will travel to Beijing this week for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. But Beijing’s deep economic ties to Iran, as well as trade tensions over tariff threats stretching back to Trump’s first term, could crimp the meeting, even though the Republican president has for years effusively praised Xi.

Trump also said Monday that he would indefinitely suspend the federal gas tax, though Congress needs to approve the move. The war continues to send fuel prices skyrocketing and rattle world markets. After Trump’s comment on the weakness of the ceasefire, the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 2.9% to $104.18.

Here's the latest:

Satellite images appear to show oil slick drifting south of Iran’s Kharg island

The images from Monday reviewed by The Associated Press appear to show an oil slick drifting in the Persian Gulf southward from the island, Iran’s primary crude oil terminal.

The slick is believed to be the same one observed last week off the western side of Kharg Island.

The slick was first observed a week ago through Satellite images. It’s unknown whether the spill was caused by a malfunction, an airstrike or something else.

On Monday, it looked like the slick had spread out, apparently dissipating. It is currently 47 miles (75 km) wide and appeared to be 28 miles (45 km) south of Kharg Island.

US warns banks to watch for suspected Iranian money-laundering networks

The Treasury Department wants U.S. banks and other financial institutions to monitor for suspected Iranian money laundering networks that use their funds to smuggle sanctioned oil through shell companies and crypto networks.

The move, which effectively deputizes the global financial system to help disrupt Iran’s sanctions-evasion infrastructure, comes as the U.S. and Iran reached another impasse over how to end their war while their ceasefire has grown increasingly shaky.

The Trump administration is calling on banks to flag certain customers who may launder funds for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard — including newly formed companies moving unusually large amounts of money, firms that route payments through multiple intermediaries or transactions connected to Iranian crypto firms, among other indicators.

▶ Read more

Trump to sign executive orders on beef supply

The two orders, according to a White House official, are meant to address short-term supply issues in the U.S. beef market.

The official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the orders in advance of their signing, said the plans will expand beef imports and support the renewal of America’s domestic cattle herd.

The orders were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

—- Seung Min Kim

Officials tout new website for mothers

Trump administration officials shared more details Monday about the website they stood up in time for Mother’s Day, at the URL moms.gov.

“It is one-stop shopping for IVF, for prenatal care, for postnatal care, for nutrition, for baby formula, and of course, for TrumpRx,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in the Oval Office.

The website centralizes government-led guidance on nutrition and health surrounding pregnancy and links out to Trump’s website for discounted drugs, TrumpRx.

The site also prominently displays a link to a pregnancy center resource called Option Line run by the anti-abortion group Heartbeat International. It signaled the administration staking out its side on the abortion debate as the Supreme Court weighs whether to restrict access to abortion pills by mail nationwide.

Trump likens Jimmy Lai to Comey as he plans to discuss case with Xi

The U.S. president said he’ll bring up the plight of Jimmy Lai in China this week but he compared the pro-democracy activist to one of his most detested foes.

“Jimmy Lai, you know, he caused a lot of bedlam,” Trump told reporters Monday. “It’s like saying to me, ‘if Comey ever went to jail, would you let him out?’ That might be a hard one for me.”

Trump is referring to former FBI director James Comey, whom he fired in 2017 over his handling of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The Justice Department is now prosecuting Comey on charges of making threats against the president. Its first indictment of Comey was dismissed.

“Jimmy Lai, he caused lots of turmoil in China. He tried to do the right thing. He wasn’t successful, went to jail, and people would like him out,” Trump said. “And I’d like to see him get out too.”

Asked about hantavirus, Trump says ‘I hope it’s fine’

Trump made the comment Monday in the White House as countries around the world repatriated passengers from a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak.

“I hope it’s fine. All I can do is everything that a president can do, which is something — which is actually somewhat limited,” Trump said.

Among the cruise ship passengers who tested positive were a French woman and an American. Some experts have said U.S. authorities were slow to respond, but Trump said he thought the response was, “I think fine.”

“The one thing with this one is that it’s much harder to catch,” Trump said. “It’s been around for a long time, people are very familiar with it.”

What is a gas tax holiday?

A gas tax holiday is a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax, currently set at 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel fuel. That does not include state taxes, which often are higher.

The tax provides more than $23 billion per year in revenue for federal highway and public transit programs.

The president cannot suspend the federal tax on his own. Congress would have to approve the move.

Both the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans.

Trump says he’ll suspend federal gas tax

Trump answered yes when asked if he would suspend the federal gas tax amid higher prices stemming from the war with Iran.

He said the price of oil and gas would drop “like a rock” as soon as hostilities are over. Asked how long the suspension would last, he said “until it’s appropriate.”

The president cannot suspend the federal tax on his own. Congress would have to approve the move.

The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Trump says Iran went back on allowing the US to remove its highly enriched uranium

Trump claims that Iran told his administration that it would allow the U.S. to come in and help extract its highly enriched uranium but went back on that in its latest ceasefire proposal.

“They changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper,” he said.

Trump added that besides taking the uranium, the U.S. wants Iran to “guarantee no nuclear weapons for a very long period of time and a couple of other minor things, but they just can’t get there. So they agree with us and then they take it back.”

Iran has not publicly agreed to give up its enriched uranium and insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

Trump says Iran ceasefire is on ‘life support’

President Trump on Monday said the Iran ceasefire is on “life support” after he rejected the country’s latest proposal for not including a nuclear concession.

Asked if the ceasefire was still in place, Trump said he’d say it’s “unbelievably weak” and on “life support.”

“I would call it the weakest right now after reading that piece of garbage they sent us,” Trump said during an unrelated appearance in the Oval Office. “I didn’t even finish reading it.”

Democrats vow to fight $1 billion Senate security proposal for White House ballroom

Republicans returning to Washington on Monday are facing questions about a $1 billion Senate security proposal that could help pay for President Trump’s ballroom as Democrats say they’ll try to defeat it.

Senate Republicans added the money for White House security to a spending bill that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies Democrats have blocked since February. The steep security proposal was put forward after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month.

Republicans are using a partisan budget maneuver to push the spending legislation through Congress without any Democratic votes. But in a letter to colleagues Monday morning, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will fight it in other ways, including by pushing the Senate parliamentarian to strike the ballroom security money from the budget bill and offering amendments forcing Republicans to vote on it.

▶ Read more

Trump administration announces new rule establishing a fertility benefit

Trump held an event in the Oval Office on Monday to announce that the Labor Department was issuing a new regulation to formally create a fertility benefit option for employers that could be offered to workers outside normal health insurance plans.

The Trump administration said in October that it had struck a deal with a drugmaker to reduce the cost of fertility medication.

Trump asked his guests at the event to speak quickly because generals were waiting for him to discuss the war in Iran.

Two regional diplomats say one issue frustrating Trump is Iran’s demand for war damages

They noted that, traditionally, reparations are paid by the defeated side and Trump is wary of the term “reparations” appearing in Iranian proposals, as agreeing to it could be seen as acknowledging defeat.

Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the ongoing negotiations.

One diplomat added that Pakistan is working to broker a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the war and maintaining broader dialogue on unresolved issues.

He said Islamabad has support from other regional countries, and that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir have been in contact with both sides, as well as regional governments, to help ensure the ceasefire holds, the war ends and the parties agree to in-person talks next week.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— Munir Ahmed

Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz?

Maritime experts say granting Iran exclusive sovereignty over the strait — or allowing it to collect tolls on ships passing through — would violate a basic and enduring principle of international maritime trade: freedom of peaceful navigation. It’s an ancient idea that was codified by the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea, which took effect in 1994.

Before the war, the strait was an international waterway through which ships were meant to pass freely.

Agreeing to Iranian sovereignty would cement the country’s control over the waterway — eroding the freedom of navigation on which global trade depends and potentially making other global choke points subject to geopolitical power plays.

Suspect’s lawyers seek to have Justice Department officials recused from the case

Cole Tomas Allen’s lawyers are asking U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden to disqualify at least two top Justice Department officials from direct involvement in prosecuting him because they could be considered victims or witnesses in the case, creating a potential conflict of interest.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro were attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner when Allen ran through a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer, authorities said. Defense attorney Eugene Ohm said the defense likely would seek to disqualify Pirro’s entire office from involvement in the case.

McFadden didn’t rule from the bench on that question but asked Allen’s attorneys to elaborate on the possible scope of their recusal request.

Allen is scheduled to return to court on June 29.

Man charged in White House correspondents’ dinner attack pleads not guilty

The California man accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with guns and knives has pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to kill President Trump and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer who tried to stop the attack.

Cole Tomas Allen was handcuffed and shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform when he appeared in federal court for his arraignment Monday.

Allen didn’t speak during the brief hearing. One of his attorneys entered the plea on his behalf.

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Oil prices rise after Trump rejects Iran’s latest peace proposal, but US stocks hold steady

Oil prices are rising as the war with Iran threatens to drag on for longer, but the U.S. stock market is nevertheless holding near its record heights.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 1.7% to above $103 Monday after President Trump blasted Iran’s latest proposal to end their war as totally unacceptable. The rejection keeps the two sides in an uneasy limbo, one that’s already driven the price of Brent up from roughly $70 per barrel before the war.

But the S&P 500 slipped just 0.1% from its record. The Dow fell 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.2%.

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Voter confusion and headaches for election officials follow hasty GOP push to redraw US House seats

Thousands of Louisiana voters have already cast early ballots for congressional candidates in what soon could be the wrong districts. Alabama’s primaries are a week away, but the state could force a do-over for voting on U.S. House races. A new congressional map in Tennessee upended races that had been underway for months.

Republicans’ rush to gerrymander congressional districts across several Southern states after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling hollowed out the Voting Rights Act is confusing voters and creating logistical headaches for local election officials. The changes are hitting while primary season is in progress.

The chaotic upheaval to an election season that could determine which party controls the U.S. House is the latest fallout from an intensely partisan gerrymandering battle initiated by President Trump last year to protect Republicans’ slim majority.

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Trump’s deal making with Xi may determine Hong Kong jailed activist Jimmy Lai’s fate

Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai once hoped Trump could help stop the imposition of a controversial national security law. The law not only took effect but was also used to sentence him to 20 years in prison.

Ahead of an anticipated trip by Trump to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, Lai’s son said his family is now hoping that Trump can help secure his father’s release.

Lai, a prominent critic of Beijing, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that was shut down during a crackdown following the city’s massive anti-government protests in 2019.

Trump is expected to discuss trade, the Iran war and Taiwan with Xi. But he said he is also planning to bring up Lai, telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, “there’s a little bitterness, I would say, with him and Jimmy Lai.”

Lai’s son says his family is hopeful that Trump could help, adding that it’s easier to resolve than many of the other complex geopolitical issues the leaders will discuss.

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World shares are mixed and oil rises after Trump rejects Iran’s response to ceasefire proposal

World shares were mixed Monday after Wall Street set more records, and oil rose more than 2% following U.S. President Donald Trump’s rejection of Tehran’s response to the latest U.S. proposal on ending the war in Iran.

U.S. futures edged less than 0.1% lower.

In early European trading, Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.2% to 10,253.99. Germany’s DAX fell less than 0.1% to 24,328.17, and France’s CAC 40 lost 0.8% to 8,049.31.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.5% to 62,417.88 after briefing reaching another record high in intraday trading at above 63,300. Technology-focused investment holding company SoftBank Group, one of Japan’s largest stocks, fell more than 6%.

South Korea’s Kospi gained 4.3% to 7,822.24. It also hit an all-time intraday high, led by gains from tech-related stocks including Samsung Electronics and memory chipmaker SK Hynix.

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Iran war could make Trump’s trip to China a bit chillier than his first-term visit

Long before this week’s trip to China, Trump was already predicting on social media that Xi Jinping would “give me a big, fat hug when I get there.”

But Beijing’s deep economic ties to Iran, as well as trade tensions over tariff threats stretching back to Trump’s first term, could crimp the good feelings when Trump flies to Beijing this week — even though the Republican president has for years effusively praised Xi, making it clear he sees China’s leader as a competitor strong enough to warrant his respect and admiration.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that Beijing is willing to work with the U.S., based on equality and mutual respect, to expand cooperation, manage differences, and add stability to a turbulent world. The diplomacy between the leaders “plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role” in the bilateral relation, he said.

There will be plenty of ceremonial splendor, but the grandeur is not expected to rival Trump’s first visit to China in 2017, which Beijing dubbed a “state visit-plus.”

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Trump-Xi summit comes with high stakes for Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its own

Trump, in his return to the White House, has demonstrated greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, an approach that is raising questions ahead of this week’s summit with Xi Jinping about whether the U.S. leader could be open to dialing back support for the island democracy that Beijing views as its breakaway province.

Trump in December authorized an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan — the largest weapons sale ever to the island — but has not yet moved forward with delivery and even acknowledged that he’s discussed the sale with Xi. He’s groused that Taiwan “stole” America’s semiconductor business and called on Taiwan to pay the U.S. for protection.

All the while, Trump has, with the threat of hefty tariffs, prodded Taipei to agree to massive investments in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas and crude oil.

His rhetoric is fueling speculation in Beijing, Taipei and Washington about America’s commitment to help the island defend itself.

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Iran and the US are at an impasse ahead of Trump’s China trip

Iran and the United States reached an impasse again Monday over how to end their war while their ceasefire grew increasingly shaky, with the two sides exchanging fire in recent days, ships and Gulf states being targeted, and fighting flaring between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The volatility could tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict, with Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and America’s blockade of Iranian ports still in place. Trump is expected to use a trip this week to China to urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to pressure Iran into making concessions and end the current limbo. Beijing is the biggest buyer of the Islamic Republic’s sanctioned crude oil, giving it leverage.

Trump said Sunday that Iran’s response to his latest proposal was “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” Ending the blockade before discussing Iran’s nuclear program would eliminate a major point of leverage for Trump in the talks.

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The plane, which was heading to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday,” according to a post on the airport’s official X account.

Passengers were evacuated via slides, and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. An airport spokesperson said 12 passengers received minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals.

Concerns about evacuation

Some people on board expressed concern about the evacuation, including being stuck in the plane for several minutes as smoke filled the cabin and left on the tarmac in the cold once they were out. Video also showed some passengers coming down the slide with what looked to be their carry-on bags.

“We are gathering information about the emergency evacuation to determine if it meets criteria for a safety investigation,” NTSB spokesperson Sarah Taylor Sulick said early Sunday, adding that the agency might have more details in a few hours.

Frontier Airlines didn’t respond early Sunday to a request for information about the evacuation.

Unanswered questions

A spokesman for the Denver Police Department said Sunday the investigation into the incident was ongoing and that the identity of the person on the runway will be confirmed and released by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.

The CEO of the Denver airport, Phil Washington, said he “knows” there are questions still to be answered.

“As this is an active investigation with numerous other agencies involved, it is going to take some time as we are still confirming what information we can share at this time,” Washington said in a statement. “This was a horrible and preventable tragedy that has affected many due to the actions of one person who apparently trespassed at an airport and lost their life as a result.”

Two minutes after jumping a fence, the person crossed the runway and was hit. The only details the airport has released was that they do not believe the person was an airport employee.

Pilot alerts control tower

“We’re stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”

The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”

The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now” before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”

Frontier Airlines said in a statement that flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the collision.

The airline said the plane was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members.

“We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities,” the airline said.

Passengers detail chaotic scene

Passengers said panic took hold on the flight after an engine caught fire and the cabin began filling with smoke.

“Honestly, I thought I was going to die,” passenger Mohamed Hassan told Colorado’s 9NEWS.

“A lot of people next to me were screaming and crying. I just closed my eyes,” he said. “At that time, you’re not really thinking of anything, you know? Because we were just about to take off and I heard that boom, so I wasn’t sure what happened. I just thought something really, really bad happened.”

Passenger Nikil Thalanki told local media outlets that he felt “this jerk” as the plane was about to take off, adding that it felt like the wheels had left the ground but then came back down.

“There was fire on the engine. There was lots of sparks that are happening. Immediately came to a stop,” Thalanki said. “As soon as we saw the sparks on the flight, smoke filled the cabin completely. It was super hard to breathe.”

Kimberly Randle said passengers were panicking and desperate to get off the aircraft.

“In a few minutes, they finally opened the door. People were running to get out of the plane,” he said. ”It was chaos everywhere.”

Evacuations on NTSB radar

The NTSB has for years expressed concerned about evacuations, especially passengers leaving with their carry-ons. In an April report on the evacuation aboard a United Airlines flight at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, the NTSB described a troubling scene.

Passengers were evacuated via slides and stairs last year from the jetliner after an engine problem during takeoff caused smoke and fire on the right wing.

Despite the flight attendant telling passengers to remain seated, several began shouting, “fire on the engine, let me get out!” That trigged “widespread panic” and prompted many passengers to get up and start retrieving their belongings. Some climbed over seats and began obstructing the aisle.

Three large men insisted the evacuation occur, pushing past a flight attendant and going down a slide before it had fully deployed — causing it to deflate and become unusable.

“Cabin crew training emphasizes assertive command presence and passenger control during evacuations; however, this event demonstrates how rapidly escalating passenger behavior can affect evacuation dynamics even in the absence of confirmed fire or smoke conditions,” according to the report.

The incident in Denver came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident or the name of the employee.

“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. “We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”

___

AP reporter John Raby contributed from Charleston, West Virginia.

Lewis, a Miami-based artist featured in this week’s Fresh Face, said her art began as a personal tool for understanding the world around her and has since evolved into a platform for storytelling, community engagement and mentorship.

Lewis described struggling with traditional educational methods growing up and said visual expression became her primary way of processing experiences.

“I had a hard time learning and picking up different educational tactics,” she said. “The best way for me to learn was in the visual process.”

After high school, Lewis initially considered enlisting in the military, but her family encouraged her to apply to an art school. She was accepted, a moment she said shifted her perspective on her future.

“That’s when I was like, OK, now these ain’t doodles no more,” she said.

Lewis studied abstract expressionism, and her early work reflected that style.

She said her artistic direction shifted in 2015 following the unrest in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, when she began combining abstraction with figurative work.

As her career progressed, her pieces began selling, and she said she made a point of sharing proceeds with people featured in her work.

“That was my way of giving back to the community,” she said. “Having my art mean more than just a pretty picture.”

Now, Lewis says her work has attracted major cultural figures. She recalled a request from Rihanna for a piece she ultimately declined, explaining she makes it a practice to keep at least one work from each collection.

Rihanna later commissioned a different project, Lewis said, involving a portrait of herself and A$AP Rocky for their children’s room.

She also cited sales to Jay-Z and said Sharon Stone has been in contact regarding her work.

Despite her growing profile, Lewis said the city of Miami has played a key role in grounding her creatively.

“I made some of my favorite pieces on the planet here in Miami,” she said, adding that she plans to continue collaborative projects in the city, particularly with younger artists.

Lewis also told Local 10 that she is currently working on a new collection expected to include around 20 pieces and is planning additional community-based art events in the Miami area.

Click here to learn more about the local artist.

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According to an incident report from the Hollywood Police Department, Sapp went to the department’s headquarters at 3250 Hollywood Blvd. around 10:45 a.m. on March 3.

While there, police said Sapp, 53, made an “unusual amount of requests,” preventing a female city employee from performing her duties.

Police said a Hollywood police lieutenant repeatedly told Sapp he could not record video inside an official police area, but Sapp allegedly refused and continued recording.

In a separate incident on April 22 around 11:15 a.m., a court filing obtained by Local 10 News states Sapp showed a detective a video connected to the March incident and insisted he had greeted the employee by saying hello.

However, the city employee later described Sapp in a statement as “rude, aggressive and intimidating.”

According to the report, Sapp also referenced “an ongoing court case” involving the employee and said she could potentially lose her job as a result.

Authorities said Sapp was later issued a notice to appear in court.

Court records show Sapp is facing with one count of interference with city employees in the performance of official duties.

Officials said the ordinance makes it unlawful to “obstruct, hinder, impede, delay and/or frustrate” city employees while carrying out official duties.

As part of the case, Sapp was also ordered to have no contact with victims or witnesses and remain at least 500 feet away from employees who work inside the building.

In a video posted to Instagram on April 20, Sapp defended his actions.

“I’m trying to do right and see what’s happening in my city hall where we pay a lot of money,” Sapp said.

Sapp also questioned whether he could speak with a city employee “at the door,” despite a sign outside the room stating: “Restricted access: Employees Only.”

In the same video, Sapp said he was “just trying to do right,” adding that he wanted “to see what was happening in my city hall where we pay a lot of money and they gave themselves a raise.”

Sapp also claimed that he was assaulted, threatened with arrest and thrown out of city hall in a place where he believed you can ask questions.

Sapp is scheduled to appear in court on June 10 for a hearing on the case.

Job Title: Network Engineer (CCNP / Cisco ISE / Security-Focused)

Location: On-site (South Florida) → Hybrid after ramp-up

Schedule: Includes on-call rotation

Overview

We’re seeking a hands-on Network Engineer to join a small, high-performing IT team supporting a fast-paced, 24/7 television broadcasting environment. This role is heavily focused on secure design, implementation, and operations, with a strong emphasis on Cisco technologies, identity-based networking, and cross-team collaboration.

Candidates must be able to analyze network traffic, troubleshoot complex connectivity issues, configure routing and segmentation, and maintain highly available network services in a production environment where downtime directly impacts broadcast operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and support enterprise network infrastructure across a multi-site environment.
• Engineer and maintain network security controls with a cybersecurity-first mindset.
• Deploy and manage Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) for NAC, posture, and 802.1X authentication.
• Configure and support Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) firewalls, VPNs, and policies.
• Implement and troubleshoot:
• • BGP routing
  • Policy-Based Routing (PBR)
  • Site-to-site and remote access VPNs (Cisco Secure Client).
• Support 802.1X authentication, certificate-based access, and endpoint posture validation.
• Maintain and optimize network monitoring and alerting systems using SolarWinds and Elasticsearch for centralized logging, event analysis, troubleshooting, and operational visibility.
• Collaborate with systems teams on integrations with:
• • Active Directory
  • PKI / certificate services
• Create and maintain network diagrams and documentation.
• Support virtualization networking.
• Follow and contribute to change management processes (planning, approvals, validation, rollback).
• Participate in on-call rotation and incident response
• Continuously evaluate and recommend new technologies and improvements and help with purchase decisions.

Required Qualifications

• CCNP certification (required)
• Minimum 3 years of hands-on enterprise networking experience.
• Strong hands-on experience with:
• • Cisco routing & switching (Nexus and Catalyst)
  • Cisco ISE (design, deployment, troubleshooting)
  • Cisco FTD firewalls
  • Meraki Firewalls
  • VRF, HSRP, VLANs, ACLs, and policy-based routing (PBR)
  • Routing protocols including BGP and OSPF/EIGRP
  • 802.1X (wired/wireless) and NAC implementations
  • Cisco Secure Client (VPN)
  • Certificate-based authentication / PKI
  • Experience with infrastructure automation tools such as: 
  • • Ansible 
    • Terraform 
  • SolarWinds or similar monitoring platforms
  • Active Directory integrations (LDAP, group-based access, etc.)
  • VMware and/or Hyper-V networking
• Strong documentation discipline and experience with change management protocols.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Cisco ISE certification (highly preferred).
• Experience integrating network infrastructure with security platforms (EDR/XDR, SIEM, etc.).
• Familiarity with Zero Trust / identity-based networking models.
• Familiarity with software-defined networking (SDN) concepts and platforms.

Soft Skills

• Self-motivated, proactive, and accountable.
• Strong troubleshooting and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration across technical teams.
• Willingness to bring new ideas, challenge assumptions, and stay current with emerging technologies.

Work Environment

• On-site required initially, hybrid schedule available after onboarding and demonstrated proficiency.
• Small team environment with high visibility and impact.
• Exposure to real-world, production-critical systems and security operations.

***All of the essential functions of this position are not necessarily described in this posting.

***We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, age gender, marital status, disability, matriculation or political affiliation. Any offer of employment is conditioned on successful completion of a pre-employment drug and alcohol screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks. A Valid driver’s license is required.

Please follow the link below to apply for the Position Network Engineer:

https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/wplg/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/8934

Manager Name: Darren Alline

WPLG/TV

3401 West Hallandale Beach Boulevard,

Pembroke Park, Florida 33023

dalline@wplg.com

No phone calls, please.

The flames were located to the northwest of the intersection of Okeechobee Road and Krome Avenue.

As of 5 p.m. Sunday, officials said the fire had burned around 4,800 acres.

Roxanne Gill lives with her boyfriend and her 1-year-old near where the flames were burning.

She says shortly after the fire broke out Sunday, it overtook the dirt road that leads to their home, trapping them.

“We couldn’t leave, the fire was blocking the dirt road,” she said. “There’s no leaving. The only way to leave was to take an airboat.”

Gill said they have dealt with fires in the past, but never this close.

“It was huge, there was so much smoke, we could hear it crackling, that’s how bad it was. I had to hose down my house. Everyone was hosing down their trailers before the fire department came,” she said. “I was scared. I was getting all my important stuff out of our house and I was freaking out, asking everyone if I should take the baby, if I should leave, and there’s no way of leaving. I was super scared.”

Police in Pembroke Pines warned residents about smoke that was heading toward the Lake Holly area, near Pines Boulevard and US-27.

Fire rescue crews were staging in the area as a precaution in case the fire approached and became a danger.

Zbigniew Ziobro was a key figure in the government led by the nationalist conservative Law and Justice party that ran Poland between 2015 and 2023. That administration established political control over key judicial institutions by stacking higher courts with friendly judges and punishing its critics with disciplinary action or assignments to faraway locations.

Ziobro announced in January that he had been granted asylum in Hungary, then led by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

On Sunday, Ziobro told right-wing Polish broadcaster Republika that he had arrived in the United States the previous day — coinciding with the inauguration in Budapest of Orbán's successor, Péter Magyar, who defeated the longtime leader in an election last month. He said that he was using a document granted to him along with his right to asylum, Polish news agency PAP reported.

Current Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government came to power in late 2023 with ambitions to roll back the judicial changes made by its predecessor, but efforts to undo them have been blocked by two successive presidents aligned with the nationalist right.

In October, prosecutors requested the lifting of Ziobro’s parliamentary immunity to press charges against him. They allege among other things that Ziobro misused a fund for victims of violence, including for the purchase of Israeli Pegasus surveillance software.

Tusk’s party says Law and Justice used Pegasus to spy illegally on political opponents while in power. Ziobro says he acted lawfully.

On Monday, the national prosecutor's office said in a social media post that it was investigating the whereabouts of Ziobro, and looking into whether other individuals assisted him in "fleeing and evading criminal liability, thereby obstructing the investigation into the justice fund."

Current Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said in a post on X Sunday evening that Poland had invalidated Ziobro's travel documents, including his diplomatic passport, and that Warsaw will ask the U.S. and Hungary about the legal basis for Ziobro to leave Hungarian territory and enter the United States.

Ziobro's travels raise the possibility of tension between Warsaw and Washington.

Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór told The Associated Press that “we don’t want this issue to become political."

“Our relationship with the U.S. goes much deeper than what happens with Ziobro," he said. "But we do want our citizen to eventually return to Poland and face justice.”

It happened late Sunday morning along the westbound lanes of I-75 to the west of Indian Trade Road in Weston.

There appeared to be a white Dodge sedan, a blue minivan and a motorcycle that were involved in the crash.

Rescue crews said there were multiple trauma alerts among the injured that included a 1-year-old who was taken by helicopter to the hospital.

Five people were taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where two of the victims died.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, one of the drivers involved in the crash had a suspended driver’s license.

FHP identified the driver as 60-year-old Cira Quinones Lewis.

FHP said Lewis was being held in custody due to a request by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers.

First responders closed all westbound lanes of I-75 while processing the scene. The highway fully reopened shortly after 4 p.m.

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The cruise ship is scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Monday.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said 102 passengers and 13 crew members became ill and have since been isolated.

The cruise line also confirmed it disinfected all areas of the ship and increased sanitizing procedures.

“Princess Cruises can confirm that a limited number of individuals reported mild gastrointestinal illness during the April 28 Caribbean Princess voyage from Port Everglades,” the cruise line said in a statement. “We quickly disinfected every area of the ship and added extra sanitizing throughout the voyage. Upon arrival to Port Canaveral on May 11, Caribbean Princess will undergo comprehensive cleaning and disinfection before departing for her next voyage.”

CDC officials say this is the fourth gastrointestinal illness outbreak reported on a cruise ship so far this year.

In March, authorities confirmed that more than 150 people fell ill on a Princess cruise ship that also departed from Port Everglades.

He chose to be an infertility specialist to help people. Thirty years later, scientific advancements made that easier than ever but created more ethical dilemmas.

As co-director of a fertility clinic in suburban Washington, D.C., Gordon grew troubled over helping create surplus embryos, which would often languish in storage or be discarded. With the expansion of genetic testing, couples could choose the sex of their baby. They could screen out painful or fatal diseases, but also milder impairments like hearing loss.

“It’s too morally problematic,” Gordon thought. “I don’t know where you draw the line.”

In 2018, his wife pushed him to change how he practiced. They both believed in the sanctity of embryos as part of their Christian faith. But as Allison Gordon looked around the home where they had raised four children, their comfortable life now seemed bought by “ill-gotten gains.”

John Gordon soon bought a practice in Knoxville, Tennessee, and aligned it with his evolving faith-based views. His Rejoice Fertility clinic does not discard viable embryos, genetically test them or donate them to science. It also limits how many embryos it creates.

His career pivoted alongside a growing debate over in vitro fertilization. Recent legal decisions have prompted questions about IVF, from the U.S. Supreme Court ending federal abortion rights to the Alabama Supreme Court designating embryos as children. IVF remains popular in polling though, and President Donald Trump has taken steps to expand access.

Trump’s conservative Christian base is less supportive of IVF. The Catholic Church has long opposed IVF, and evangelicals are increasingly grappling with it. In 2024, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest U.S. Protestant denomination, called for IVF restrictions when it destroys “embryonic human life.”

Gordon believes his practice addresses many moral concerns. He was 55 when he made this intimidating shift: “I don’t like changing toothpaste brands.”

But, he said, “I need to practice in a way that I can live with the decisions I’m making.”

The discarded embryo dilemma

Rejoice draws patients from around the country. Evangelical brochures and a wooden cross sit in the waiting room. Outside the recovery area, a Bible verse reads: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

In January, Maggie and Cade Lichfield, Latter-day Saints in Knoxville, held an ultrasound photo, their second since a pregnancy was confirmed after three failed embryo transfers. They understand IVF’s controversies but appreciate that Rejoice does not genetically test or discard embryos.

“You’re still letting God be God,” Maggie Lichfield said. “He is in control.”

Domenic and Olivia D’Agostino thought they would forgo IVF for religious reasons until they found Rejoice, nearly two hours by car from their Tennessee home.

They didn’t know a non-discard facility existed. “That was the biggest one for me because in my eyes there’s not much difference between discarding an embryo and abortion,” Domenic D’Agostino said. “We just weren’t really willing to do that.”

It felt providential. Gordon shares the couple’s interest in Reformed theology and the idea that God is sovereign over all things — including the vagaries of fertility treatments.

“My favorite thing that he does is he prays with us before transfers,” Domenic D’Agostino said. “He focused in on the sovereignty of God in it and submitting to God’s will in this process.”

A conversion experience

Gordon was raised Jewish outside Boston, the son and grandson of physicians. He received a premier education: prep school followed by Princeton, then medical school at Duke and residency at Stanford.

He met his wife at Duke, where she earned a doctorate in engineering. Allison Gordon grew up Christian in a small North Carolina town. A minister and a rabbi presided at their wedding; for years they maintained an interfaith marriage.

It wasn’t until their oldest son was in third grade and hospitalized with a life-threatening ailment that Gordon had a conversion experience. “I got down on my knees, and I said, ‘OK, you’ve got my attention, Lord.’”

After their son recovered, the couple joined a mainline Presbyterian church, where Gordon was baptized in 2000. Today they are part of the conservative evangelical Presbyterian Church in America. Elders of their church, Christ Covenant, support Rejoice’s mission.

Rejoice does not require employees or patients to share Gordon’s religious beliefs. Sarah Coe Atkinson, Rejoice’s senior embryologist, said, “I don’t necessarily believe in everything he believes in, but I believe in what we’re doing in terms of helping these embryos become lives.”

She oversees the lab, which accepts almost any embryo, no matter its condition. “Sometimes the ugliest embryos make the prettiest babies,” she likes to say.

When a couple received a donated embryo that had been frozen for nearly 31 years, Rejoice provided their care. The child, born in 2025, broke what is believed to be a record for the longest-frozen embryo to result in a birth.

To train others, Atkinson created a library of antiquated embryo storage devices and how to open them, cataloged in a binder with plastic sheet protectors. Instructions for an old glass ampule recommend a face shield with the warning: “Might explode.”

A Christian approach to IVF

Medical experts estimate about 1.5 million frozen embryos are stored in the U.S., though advocates say that number could be higher.

Gordon strives not to add to that. He tailors treatments around patients’ ideal family size. He specializes in offering IVF cycles with less fertility medication, which is more affordable and generally results in fewer eggs. Patients can also fertilize fewer eggs. Other clinics offer these options but Rejoice is unusual in prioritizing them.

The downside is if patients go through their small number of embryos and need another IVF cycle, which typically costs between $8,000 and $10,000 at Rejoice. Despite that expense, Gordon said his patients largely want to create fewer embryos because of their beliefs.

Emily Martin is haunted by the handful of embryos she has in storage. “I would wake up in the middle of the night just like, ‘Oh, what have we done?’ And just this heaviness,” she said.

An anti-abortion Christian in Knoxville, she wishes she had found Rejoice before making more embryos than she would use at another clinic. “That portion is something that’s not being talked about enough,” she said.

In rare cases when his patients have unused embryos, Gordon asks them to be placed for adoption. Embryo donations are known as embryo adoptions within conservative Christian circles, which view embryos not as property but as children.

The clinic recently launched Rejoice Embryo Rescue, which Gordon calls an “orphanage.” Rejoice stores donated embryos and works with agencies, most of them Christian, that specialize in coordinating embryo adoptions.

Adrienne and Colby McKnight had considered traditional adoption before they heard about adopting embryos through their homeschooling community in Augusta, Georgia.

They adopted an embryo they named Gloria, which had been frozen 11 years. When the embryo transfer did not end in pregnancy, they grieved but remained grateful.

“Really it’s just giving her a chance at life and just freeing her from being frozen,” Adrienne McKnight said. “Either way she gets to continue on. She gets to be with the Lord.”

Through Rejoice, they recently adopted two more embryos.

Bridging the worlds of IVF and religion

“It’s hard to be torn between your faith and your work,” Gordon said. Invoking a biblical passage, he said Christians are called to show “faith through our works.”

Rejoice has allowed him to reconcile those two things, though it’s been challenging. His relationship with the physician he bought the clinic from deteriorated, resulting in legal disputes.

Gordon has also faced criticism from other Christians and anti-abortion activists who believe any form of IVF is unethical.

“He’s moving in the right trajectory,” said Matthew Lee Anderson, a Christian ethicist at Baylor who opposes IVF. “It’s impressive that he’s taken the steps that he has to change how he is doing business, and I hope for more.”

Gordon does not regret starting over and plans to bring on more doctors.

One Sunday after church, he was back at the clinic. In the lab, Atkinson prepared a North Carolina couple's frozen embryo so it could be transferred that afternoon.

As the embryo thawed, it unfurled in a culture dish, its cells plumping with rehydration. There in the lab was a chance at life, soon to be sent off with hope — and at Rejoice — a prayer.

Four weeks later, there was welcome news: The patient was pregnant.

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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.

Republicans' rush to gerrymander congressional districts across several Southern states after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling hollowed out the Voting Rights Act is confusing voters and creating logistical headaches for local election officials. The changes are hitting while primary season is in progress.

The chaotic upheaval to an election season that could determine which party controls the U.S. House is the latest fallout from an intensely partisan gerrymandering battle initiated by President Donald Trump last year to protect Republicans' slim majority.

The Supreme Court's decision last month severely weakening the Voting Rights Act required Louisiana to reconsider a map drawn in 2024 with two majority minority congressional districts that elected Black representatives. The GOP-controlled Legislature could eliminate one or both in a state where roughly 30% of the population is Black.

The ruling also encouraged Republicans in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee to consider eliminating four Democratic districts among them, three represented by Black lawmakers. Florida has a new map meant to cost Democrats four of their eight seats, out of 28.

In Louisiana, 66-year-old New Orleans resident Sallie Davis voted early last week. Her ballot allowed her to vote for Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, but a sign at her polling booth showed his race crossed off with a ballpoint pen. She was confused and frustrated — especially when a poll worker told her to go with what the sign seemed to convey. She's now worried that her entire ballot will not be counted.

"I was supposed to believe a piece of paper with an X on it marking out the person I wanted to vote for,” she said, her voice breaking as she recounted her experience later. “I think I have been disenfranchised. I think my vote, that I just voted on, it's not going to count or something. I think it's illegal.”

Primaries postponed, deadlines compressed

Louisiana's primary is Saturday, and a week of early voting there began May 2, two days after Republican Gov. Jeff Landry declared an emergency and suspended congressional primaries to give lawmakers a chance to draw a new map.

The Louisiana secretary of state's office said nearly 179,000 primary ballots had been cast as of Friday, including about 53,000 absentee ballots returned by mail. The ballots included U.S. House races, but votes in those contests won't be counted.

In a “60 Minutes” interview that CBS aired Sunday, the governor started to say, “It's not a big deal,” but didn't complete the word “deal.”

“If anyone has a grievance, take it to the United States Supreme Court,” he said.

In Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee, Republicans said new maps for increasing GOP seats would better reflect their states' conservative values. Alabama lawmakers passed legislation Friday allowing a do-over of congressional primaries.

Alabama’s primary is May 19, and voting in congressional races will occur then as planned, but with the old districts. Those votes would end up not counting if a court allows the switch to different districts.

Mississippi held its primaries in March, but a federal court has ordered it to redraw its state Supreme Court districts, and Trump is pushing Republicans to redraw the state's four congressional districts.

A special session of its Legislature is set for May 20. Renovations of the House chamber will force members to meet at the Old State Capitol, where, decades ago, Mississippi lawmakers passed Jim Crow laws suppressing Black voting.

“Modern-day voter suppression relies on election administration errors and chaos, and that’s what we’re going to see play out in all of these states,” said Amir Badat, a Jackson, Mississippi, voting rights attorney and activist.

Tennessee continues yearlong fight

Tennessee was the first state to enact a new map since the U.S. Supreme Court decision, but Trump's push for redistricting started in Texas last year. Democrats countered in California and tried but ran afoul of the courts in Virginia.

Tennessee’s new map divided Memphis among three congressional districts. Before its enactment last week, the state’s elections coordinator told county officials in a memo that it would mean reprogramming election systems, retraining poll workers and possibly adjusting precinct boundaries, meaning some voters’ polling places could change.

Tennessee's congressional primaries will go forward Aug. 6 as planned, with candidates required to qualify by Friday.

In South Carolina, lawmakers could move all the state's June 9 primaries to August, or just the congressional races. While mail balloting is limited because the state requires an excuse, more than 6,800 mail ballots already had been sent to voters — with 260 returned — as of Friday, the state Elections Commission said.

A separate election for congressional primaries would cost $3 million and the time for preparations would be compressed, Conway Belangia, the commission's executive director, told lawmakers Friday.

“It will be difficult, but it will be possible,” he said.

Activists see problems ahead for voters

Michael McClanahan, the NAACP's Louisiana State Conference president, is hearing “total confusion” as voters call him and ask, "Is there an election?”

“People say, ’I ain’t going to vote because the governor’s suspended the election,'" he said. "But he didn’t, he only suspended one aspect of it.”

In Alabama, Senate Democratic leader Bobby Singleton said he has been fielding calls from confused public officials.

“These are the people who are the head of elections,” he said. "They don’t know what to do.“

Voting rights activists see a harbinger for Memphis voters in problems that arose in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2022, when Republican legislators divided the state's capital city into three congressional districts to take a seat from Democrats. A state report said more than 3,000 Nashville-area voters were assigned to incorrect districts and more than 430 cast ballots in the wrong races in the November 2022 election.

“It’s going to be really hard for the election commissions to be able to keep up with this short timeline,” Matia Powell, executive director of the voting rights nonprofit Civic TN, said during a conference call Friday with other voting rights activists in the South.

Some fear confusion will lead to distrust and apathy

Anneshia Hardy, executive director of Alabama Values, which provides support to voting and civil rights groups, said people will lose trust in elections if they believe the rules can change every two years.

“Once people stop believing that the process is stable and fair, disengagement is going to increase, and that's one of the biggest dangers here,” she said. “Democracy doesn’t just depend on voting systems existing but really on people believing that their participation matters.”

At least a few Democratic voters who went to the Louisiana Capitol on Friday to protest the gerrymandering expressed doubt about whether they still have a political voice.

Davis came to the State Capitol in Baton Rouge and had a bullhorn with her for a protest in which she yelled, “Whose vote? Our vote!”

David Victorian, a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran from Baton Rouge, said: “I’m concerned for the survival of the democracy that we’re supposed to be living in.”

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Hanna reported from Topeka, Kan. Associated Press writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., and Kim Chandler, in Montgomery, Ala., contributed.

Ukrainian authorities said Monday that Russian drones, bombs and artillery shelling struck civilian areas of the northeastern Kharkiv and southern Kherson regions, killing at least two people and wounding seven others, including a 14-year-old boy.

Russia’s Defense Ministry insisted the military has “strictly observed” the ceasefire and accused Ukraine of repeatedly violating the agreement.

Similar ceasefires announced since Russia invaded its neighbor more than four years ago also have failed to stop the fighting, and U.S.-led diplomatic efforts over the past year have come to nothing.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said data from NASA observations indicated military activities decreased but did not stop after U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy had accepted his request for a ceasefire running Saturday through Monday.

The move was meant to mark Victory Day, the Russian celebration marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The ISW noted late Sunday that “ceasefires without explicit enforcement mechanisms, credible monitoring, and defined dispute resolution processes are unlikely to hold.”

Russia and Ukraine prepare to exchange prisoners of war

Trump had said there would also be an exchange of prisoners, declaring that the break in fighting could be the “beginning of the end” of the war. Zelenskyy said the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side is being prepared.

There are no signs that the two sides are ready to budge from their key negotiating positions, however.

Putin wants all of the Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland, even though his army hasn’t completely captured it, but Zelenskyy says he won’t surrender it. Zelenskyy has offered a ceasefire and a face-to-face meeting with Putin, which the Russian leader has ruled out until a negotiated settlement is almost finalized.

Putin suggested at the weekend that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who has had close business ties to Russia, could act as a mediator. But German and European officials scotched that possibility even while accepting that the European Union could take a more significant role in peace efforts after being largely sidelined by Washington over the past year.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who has a friendly relationship with Trump, said in comments published Monday that Europe needs to engage directly with Moscow.

“It’s time to start talking to Russia,” Stubb was quoted as saying in Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas cautioned the bloc must get its objectives straight before attempting to negotiate with the Kremlin.

“Before we discuss with Russia, we should discuss amongst ourselves what we want to talk to them about,” she told reporters in Brussels.

US remains engaged in diplomacy to end the war, Zelenskyy says

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha joined EU foreign ministers for the Brussels meeting. “We have mainstream peace talks under the leadership of the U.S., and we need this track and we need U.S. leadership. But Europe could play also its role,” Sybiha said.

Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine has “nearly daily communication” with Trump administration representatives. Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief, in recent days met with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the United States, according to Zelenskyy.

“Importantly, America remains engaged in diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said on X.

Sybiha noted that in recent months Ukraine has improved its performance on the battlefield, reducing the bigger Russian army to a slow and costly slog on the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line, while using its domestically developed long-range drones and missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia.

“We have a new reality on the battlefield … Ukraine became stronger after the most difficult winter,” Sybiha said.

Almost 20 countries seek Ukraine's drone technology

Cutting-edge drone technology has been one of the main drivers of success for Ukraine's short-handed army. It has also drawn other countries' attention, enhancing Ukraine's international standing.

Zelenskyy said nearly 20 countries in the Middle East and the Gulf, the South Caucasus and Europe are at various stages of entering into deals with Ukraine for battle-tested drones. In return, Ukraine is getting fuel and money.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was the latest senior European official to visit Kyiv, arriving Monday on an unannounced visit set to focus on furthering defense cooperation between the two countries.

Germany has become the world’s top provider of security assistance to Ukraine, accounting for roughly one-third of all aid the country receives, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Monday, according to Ukrainian media.

Germany has helped provide an “unprecedented package” of air defense missiles for Ukraine, Fedorov said, and has begun financing the production of medium- and long-range strike drones, which he described as critical for deep-strike operations.

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

The stalled diplomacy and recent exchanges of fire could tip the Middle East back into open warfare and prolong the worldwide energy crisis sparked by the conflict. Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil and gas shipments, and America is blockading Iranian ports.

Asked at the White House if the ceasefire was still in effect, Trump said it’s on “life support.”

“I would call it the weakest right now after reading that piece of garbage they sent us,” Trump added. “I didn’t even finish reading it.”

Trump also said he supported a suspension of the federal tax on gasoline — just over 18 cents per gallon and 24 cents for diesel. Congress, which is controlled by Republicans, would have to approve. The tax brings in more than $23 billion each year.

His pledge came after fuel prices surged past $4.50 a gallon last week. Trump predicted that the price of oil and gas would drop “like a rock” as soon as hostilities are over.

The two sides remain far apart

Trump has demanded a major rollback of Iran’s nuclear activities, while Iran is pushing for a more limited agreement that would reopen the strait and lift the blockade ahead of further negotiations.

On Monday, Trump claimed that Iran had said it would allow the U.S. to come in and help extract its highly enriched uranium but went back on that in its latest ceasefire proposal. “They changed their mind because they didn’t put it in the paper,” he said.

Iran has not publicly agreed to give up its uranium, saying it has a right to enrich and that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

Two regional officials told The Associated Press that Iran has offered to dilute part of its highly enriched uranium and transport the rest to a third country. Russia has previously offered to take it. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomacy.

Trump is expected to use a trip this week to China to urge President Xi Jinping to pressure Iran. Beijing is the biggest buyer of Iran’s sanctioned crude oil, giving it leverage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war with Trump on Feb. 28, has also demanded that all of Iran's highly enriched uranium be removed from the country.

He told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired Sunday that if that can't be accomplished with negotiations, Israel and the U.S. agree “we can reengage them militarily.”

Iran's proposal included far-reaching demands

Iran's proposal asked that the U.S. recognize its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, formalizing its control over the international waterway. Iran has effectively closed the strait since the start of the war, allowing only a small number of ships to pass and charging tolls.

But experts say such an arrangement would likely violate international law that provides for freedom of navigation. That proposal is also likely to be widely rejected by the international community. The strait was open to international traffic before the war.

Iran is also demanding war reparations from the U.S., the lifting of international sanctions, the unfreezing of Iranian assets held abroad and an end to the war between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to Iranian state TV.

Israel and Hezbollah have continued to exchange blows, mainly in southern Lebanon, since a nominal ceasefire took hold last month.

“We did not demand any concessions — the only thing we demanded was Iran’s legitimate rights,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday. “The American side still insists on its one-sided views and unreasonable demands.”

Pakistan still trying to negotiate a deal

Two regional diplomats familiar with the ongoing talks said that Pakistan was continuing its efforts to broker a compromise.

One of the diplomats said Pakistan was trying to arrange a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war and paving the way for a broader dialogue on issues where the two sides remain divided.

Pakistan had hoped to help finalize the memorandum last week, but the effort did not materialize, and mediators are still working on various proposals, the diplomat said.

The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the behind-the-scenes diplomacy, added that Islamabad is receiving support from other regional countries in its peace efforts.

Iran keeps up its executions

Meanwhile, Iran executed another man it accused of spying for both the CIA and Israel's Mossad intelligence service. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Erfan Shakourzadeh had worked on satellite communications and relayed classified information to those intelligence services.

Iran has carried out a string of executions since nationwide protests swept the country in January. Activist groups have long accused Iran of carrying out closed-door trials during which defendants are unable to fully defend themselves. Iran's judiciary chief has repeatedly said that Tehran would increase the speed with which it carried out hangings to fight back against its enemies at home and abroad.

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Magdy reported from Cairo and Kim from Washington. Associated Press reporter Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed.

The House, which is dominated by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s allies, voted 257-25 with nine abstentions. The two impeachment complaints against Duterte, which will now be elevated to the Senate for a trial, mark an initial setback to her plan to seek the presidency in 2028.

Shortly before the impeachment vote in the House, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who had vowed to immediately put the vice president to trial, was ousted by 13 of 24 senators, including supporters of the vice president and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

It's not immediately clear how the vice president's impending impeachment trial would be affected by the Senate leadership change, but Sotto told reporters that he and his allies would insist that the proceedings against the vice president should be immediately taken up once submitted.

A standoff in the Senate

A tense standoff ensued when Sen. Roland dela Rosa, an ally of former President Duterte — who is facing trial before the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands — suddenly appeared in the Senate after months of absence. National Bureau of Investigation officers tried to run after dela Rosa but failed to reach him as he dashed into the Senate's plenary hall and sought the protection of fellow senators.

Rodrigo Duterte was arrested in March last year and detained in the Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity. The charges are in connection with deadly anti-drugs crackdowns he ordered while he was in office.

Dela Rosa once served as the national police chief under Duterte, and was the first to enforce the bloody campaign against illegal drugs that left thousands of mostly petty suspects dead. Philippine police officials have summoned dela Rosa to appear before them for an investigation into his role in the Duterte-era killings.

In The Hague, the ICC on Monday unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa for the crime against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons” allegedly committed between July 2016 and the end of April 2018, when he headed the national police.

It remains unclear how the warrant would be enforced as dela Rosa remained in the Senate’s protective custody.

Duterte had survived an impeachment bid last year

The vice president has generally denied any wrongdoing without answering the criminal allegations against her in detail. Her lawyers said Monday they were ready to defend her in a trial.

“While questions of constitutional significance remain pending before the Supreme Court, we are fully prepared to defend the vice president before the Senate,” the lawyers said in a statement, adding that “it is incumbent upon the prosecution to discharge the burden of proof.”

She has repeatedly accused Marcos, his wife and his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, of corruption, weak leadership and attempting to muzzle her because of speculation she may seek the presidency in 2028 when Marcos’ six-year term ends.

Last year, she was also impeached by the House but survived by successfully petitioning the Supreme Court to declare the impeachment bid unconstitutional on a technicality.

Rep. Gerville Luistro, who heads the House Justice Committee, said the impeachment complaints included several criminal allegations, like huge bank transactions over the years that Duterte has not declared as required by law and misuse of confidential funds of her office as vice president and as education secretary, a post she once held under Marcos.

Luistro also cited threats made by the vice president during an online news conference in 2024 to have Marcos, his wife and Romualdez killed by an assassin if she herself was assassinated, as their political disputes escalated. The vice president then warned that her threat wasn’t a joke.

The vice president later said she wasn’t threatening him but was expressing concern for her own safety. Her threatening remarks set off a criminal investigation and national security concerns.

“These are matters that go into the integrity and accountability and fitness of a public official occupying the second highest position in our government,” Rep. Leila de Lima, who endorsed one of two impeachment complaints against Duterte, told fellow lawmakers.

“Impeachment is not political persecution,” de Lima said in response to allegations by Duterte's followers.

The vice president's husband, Manases Carpio, has filed criminal complaints against Luistro and other legislators and officials after government records of the couple’s bank transactions were made public in a recent House hearing. They said that violated the country’s bank secrecy law.

The vice president remains popular, based on independent surveys. Sara Duterte and President Marcos were running mates in a whirlwind alliance in the 2022 election but have since had a bitter falling out.

She has accused Marcos of allowing the ICC to carry out what she described as the “kidnapping” of her father in violation of Philippine laws.

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Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan and Aaron Favila contributed to this report.

Senate Republicans added the money for White House security to a spending bill that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies that Democrats have blocked since February. The steep security proposal was put forward after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last month.

Republicans are using a partisan budget maneuver to push the spending legislation through Congress without any Democratic votes. But in a letter to colleagues Monday morning, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will fight it in other ways, including by pushing the Senate parliamentarian to strike the ballroom security money from the budget bill and offering amendments forcing Republicans to vote on it.

“The Republican-controlled Congress is preparing to answer this moment with a deficit-busting, party-line bill that pours billions more taxpayer dollars into a rogue ICE operation and a billion-dollar ballroom, while doing nothing to end the illegal war in Iran or ease the Republican affordability crisis bearing down on working families,” Schumer wrote in the letter.

It’s unclear if the security money will even have enough backing among Republicans. The House has not released its bill yet, but the Senate is expected to start voting on its version of the legislation this week.

While most GOP lawmakers have remained quiet on the proposal as they spent their recess out of Washington, some have publicly questioned whether they would support it.

“I’m going to look at it very carefully and make sure those things are in the national interest,” said Rep. Rob Wittman, a Virginia Republican who was in the Capitol last week to briefly gavel in a pro forma session of the House.

“I want to know the exact nature of the expenditures that would go there for security. So I think it’s a little premature to look at that and say, you know, yes or no to it," Wittman said.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., also said he wanted to hear more details about the proposal. He asked colleagues to recognize the “volatile times” and the need to ensure the president, members of Congress and guests can gather in a safe location.

"If Republican and Democratic members can take a step back and say this is a real security issue, then maybe it will get done. But if Democrats dig in, it’ll be really challenging to pass that, as you can only imagine,” Haridopolos said.

Trump has said the ballroom's construction would cost $400 million and use private funds, but he had not proposed a number for security costs.

The Senate bill would designate the money for the U.S. Secret Service, including for “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the ballroom project, which Trump and other Republicans have been pushing since Cole Tomas Allen was charged with storming the April 25 media dinner at the Washington Hilton with guns and knives.

The legislation says the money would support enhancements to the ballroom project, “including above-ground and below-ground security features,” but specifies it may not be used for non-security elements.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle praised Republicans last week for including the money for the “long overdue” project, saying it would “provide the United States Secret Service with the resources they need to fully and completely harden the White House complex, in addition to the many other critical missions for the USSS.”

The White House has said in court documents that the East Wing project would be “heavily fortified,” including bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility underneath the ballroom. Trump has said it should include bulletproof glass and be able to repel drone attacks.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to block construction of the project, but a federal appeals court said last month that it can continue in the meantime.

But Paris is expected to use the two-day Africa Forward Summit, which it is co-hosting, to push a new Africa policy that focuses more on English-speaking countries and offers what it calls a “partnership of equals." Its new defense agreement with Kenya marks the direction it hopes to go.

France has long maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway over its former colonies dubbed Françafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region. But after years of criticism from leaders and opposition parties in those countries over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach, France has been forced to withdraw most of those troops.

The summit — France's first in an English-speaking African country — will be attended by more than 30 heads of state and government, including from Francophone countries. On his arrival Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron said France may disagree with West African governments but “never disagrees with the people.”

Kenya’s newly ratified defense agreement with France has been criticized by civil society groups for granting too much immunity from local law to French troops, a sensitive issue in a country where a similar agreement with the United Kingdom has left a trail of hard-to-prosecute crimes against locals.

At a time when many African nations, particularly in the Sahel region, are reducing or expelling foreign military presences in what they say is a quest to reclaim their sovereignty, Kenya is hosting a growing international military presence.

The Kenya-France Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed on Oct. 29, 2025, by Kenya’s Defense Minister Soipan Tuya and French Ambassador to Kenya Arnaud Suquet and ratified by parliament on April 8. The same month, it also ratified defense agreements with countries including the Czech Republic, China and Italy.

While defending the defense agreements, parliament defense committee chair Nelson Koech said Kenya's treaties with advanced militaries provide training and intelligence-sharing opportunities that will make its defense stronger.

Koech said the agreements were not a “surrender of sovereignty,” adding that newer agreements guarantee that foreign troops will be tried in Kenya in the event of serious crimes such as murder.

A month ahead of the summit, a contingent of around 800 French troops arrived in Kenya aboard a navy ship.

The agreement grants visiting French forces primary jurisdiction over their personnel for on-duty offenses, echoing broad legal protections in past UK pacts that shielded British soldiers from Kenyan courts amid scandals like the 2012 murder of a young woman named Agnes Wanjiru and the deadly 2021 Lolldaiga ranch fire.

A British soldier is due to be extradited after Kenyan courts found him answerable for the 2012 death of Wanjiru, who was last seen alive in his company near the British troops’ training grounds in Nanyuki, central Kenya.

Apple Corps Ltd, the company founded by the Fab Four, announced Monday that it will open a new seven-floor fan experience at the company's early headquarters. The building is the place where the band's “Let It Be” album was recorded and its rooftop was the site of the Beatles' last public performance on Jan. 30, 1969.

The attraction in central London will allow fans access to the rooftop, studios and extensive Beatles archives.

“It was such a trip to get back to 3 Savile Row recently and have a look around. There are so many special memories within the walls, not to mention the rooftop. The team have put together some really impressive plans and I’m excited for people to see it when it’s ready,” Paul McCartney said in a statement announcing the attraction.

“Wow, it's like coming home,” Ringo Starr said in a statement.

An opening date for the attraction has not yet been announced.

Interest in the Beatles remains high, with four biopics in production. Peter Jackson's 2021 documentary series, “The Beatles: Get Back,” relied heavily on footage filmed during the “Let It Be” recording sessions and of the farewell rooftop performance.

In 2023, artificial intelligence helped create the final Beatles recording, the song “Now and Then,” which relied on recordings by the original Beatles.

Starmer said he would “face up to the big challenges” and restore hope to the country, in part by forging closer ties with the European Union, six years after the U.K.'s acrimonious departure from the bloc.

“I know I have my doubters and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will,” Starmer said during a speech in London intended to kickstart his fightback against detractors.

It did not appear to have the intended effect. In the hours after the speech a steady stream of Labour lawmakers spoke to the media or posted on social media saying Starmer should resign, either now or soon.

Several of those calling for him to go were ministerial aides, in an apparently coordinated move aimed at putting pressure on Starmer's Cabinet to deliver an ultimatum.

Labour despondent at election losses

Labour has been plunged into gloom by heavy losses last week in local elections across England and legislative votes in Scotland and Wales. The elections have been interpreted as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since he swept to power in a landslide less than two years ago.

Starmer's government has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps and policy U-turns on issues including welfare reform. He has been further hurt by his disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

Last week’s elections saw Labour squeezed from both right and left, losing votes to both Reform UK and the “eco-populist” Green Party. The result reflects the increasing fragmentation of British politics, long dominated by Labour and the Conservatives.

Starmer hopes to regain more momentum with an ambitious set of legislative plans to be set out in a speech Wednesday by King Charles III at the State Opening of Parliament.

In Monday's speech, he vowed to prove to millions of people “tired of a status quo that has failed them” that the government is on their side.

He said Labour is in “a battle for the soul of our nation,” and warned Britain will go down “a dark path” if Reform UK, the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, comes to power.

Starmer told an audience of party lawmakers and activists that the government will take control of Britain's energy, economic and defense security and make the country fairer. He announced plans to nationalize what is left of the once-mighty British Steel, a move that could save some industrial jobs in an area where working-class voters have deserted Labour for Reform UK.

Starmer also pledged to put Britain “at the heart of Europe” and forge closer ties with the 27-nation EU. Farage, who spearheaded the Brexit campaign, and Reform UK oppose any move to get closer to the EU.

Brexit has been a drag on the British economy, and President Donald Trump's “America First” economic and foreign policy has spurred Britain to seek closer defense, security and economic cooperation with its European neighbors.

Starmer’s government has already moved to ease trade restrictions with the EU, and he said he will secure a youth mobility deal so young people can spend a few years working across the continent.

Labour supporters are largely anti-Brexit, which failed to deliver the benefits its backers promised. But Starmer has been reluctant to reopen a debate that bitterly divided the country. He has ruled out seeking to reenter the EU, or to rejoin the bloc's customs union or single market, things that would make a big economic difference.

Rivals weigh making a move

British politics allows parties to change leader midterm without the need for a new election.

None of the high-profile Labour politicians considered potential challengers to Starmer — including former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham — has yet called for him to resign.

Rayner did not explicitly call for Starmer to quit, but accused him of presiding over “a toxic culture of cronyism” and said the government must “stay true to Labour and social democratic values” and ease the cost of living for working people.

Labour lawmaker Catherine West, who had vowed to trigger a leadership challenge if Monday's speech didn’t mark a major turning point, said she would hold off for now, though she urged Starmer to resign by September.

More than 50 other lawmakers also urged him to announce a departure date, with the number ticking up in the hours after the speech.

“I don’t think we saw a plan from the prime minister this morning in order to implement the kind of change that this country needs, and I therefore think it’s time for us to look for new leadership," lawmaker Chris Curtis told Sky News.

But some who attended Starmer's speech said kicking out the man who led them to victory in 2024 would be counterproductive.

“You can't be changing prime ministers two years in,” said Kevin Craig, a former local councilor in London. “It's really important we stay grown-up now.”

Passengers from the ship began flying home aboard military and government planes Sunday after the MV Hondius anchored in the Canary Islands. Personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks escorted the travelers from ship to shore in Tenerife, an effort that continued Monday.

Three cruise ship passengers have died, and six people with confirmed or suspected cases of hantavirus are being quarantined, according to the World Health Organization. The lab results of the American who tested positive were inconclusive, WHO spokesperson Sarah Tyler said Monday.

Health authorities say the risk to the broader public is low from the first-ever hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. While there is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus, the WHO says early detection and treatment improves survival rates.

The ship's captain, Jan Dobrogowski, issued a video message Monday praising passengers and crew for their courage and perseverance, and he called for respect for their privacy.

“I could not imagine sailing through these circumstances with a better group of people, guests and crew alike,” he said.

New cases in France, United States

The French woman who tested positive for the hantavirus is in intensive care in stable condition at a Paris hospital, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Monday. He said four French passengers who returned Sunday have tested negative but remain in isolation at the same hospital.

One of 18 evacuated passengers flown to the U.S. also tested positive for the hantavirus but is not showing symptoms, while another had mild symptoms, U.S. health officials said.

After landing early Monday, 16 American passengers — one of them a British-U.S. dual citizen — were taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which has a federally funded quarantine facility and a biocontainment unit for treating people with highly infectious diseases. They were being assessed to determine if they had close contact with any symptomatic people and their risk levels for spreading the virus.

An American who tested positive for hantavirus on the cruise chip was taken to the Omaha campus' biocontainment unit and will be tested again. The passenger “is doing well and not having symptoms at this time,” said Dr. Angela Hewlett, the unit's medical director.

The others taken to Nebraska will be monitored in quarantine for several days. They arrived “in good shape, good spirits,” said Dr. Michael Wadman, the quarantine unit's medical director.

Two additional American passengers, a couple, arrived Monday at a medical facility at Emory University in Atlanta. One of them has mild symptoms and will be tested for hantavirus.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean, just because someone has symptoms, that they’re going to end up having this illness,” said Dr. Brendan Jackson of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

Some public health experts have accused the U.S. government of being slow to respond to the hantavirus outbreak. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rejected the notion that cuts at his agency had left the U.S. less prepared.

“We have this under control," Kennedy said Monday, “and we’re not worried about it.”

WHO recommends close monitoring of former passengers

The evacuation of passengers from Tenerife was due to wrap up on Monday, with 22 of the 54 passengers and crew remaining on the ship set to disembark. The remaining 32 will remain on the ship as it returns to the Netherlands.

South African health authorities said on Monday that the condition of a British man admitted to a hospital in Johannesburg and being treated for hantavirus was gradually improving. He was evacuated from the ship on April 27 after becoming ill.

The Hondius left the southern Argentine port of Ushuaia on April 1 and a Dutch passenger died on board April 11. It wasn’t until early May that the WHO said it was reacting to a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the ship, which by that time was off the West African island nation of Cape Verde.

The Dutch couple who presented the first two cases had traveled through Argentina, Chile and Uruguay before boarding the ship, the WHO said. They visited sites where the species of rat known to carry Andes virus was present.

Health officials say risk to public is low

Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms — which can include fever, chills and muscle aches — usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday that the general public should not be worried about the outbreak. “This is not another COVID. And the risk to the public is low. So they shouldn’t be scared, and they shouldn’t panic.”

WHO is recommending that passengers’ home countries “have active monitoring and follow-up, which means daily health checks, either at home or in a specialized facility,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness.

Numerous countries have said their people will be quarantined or hospitalized for observation.

The ship's captain, Dobrogowski, said his thoughts “are with the ones that are no longer with us, and whatever I say will not ease this loss, but I’d like you to know that they are with us every day in our hearts and our thoughts.”

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Corder reported from the Hague, Netherlands. AP journalists Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Mike Stobbe in New York and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed reporting.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil climbed 3.5% to $104.88 after President Donald Trump said the U.S.-Iran ceasefire was on “life support” after he rejected Iran's latest proposal to end their war. The rejection raises the stakes for Trump’s trip this week to China, where he could urge President Xi Jinping to pressure Iran into making concessions. Xi has leverage because China is the biggest buyer of Iran’s sanctioned crude oil.

The war has already sent the price for a barrel of Brent up from roughly $70 and delivered a blast of painful inflation through the global economy. That’s because it has shut the Strait of Hormuz and kept oil tankers stuck in the Persian Gulf instead of delivering crude to customers worldwide.

Still, the U.S. stock market has been setting records recently on hopes that the war will not keep oil prices high for very long. U.S. companies are meanwhile producing even bigger profits than analysts expected, while signals suggest the U.S. economy is holding up even though households are feeling discouraged by expensive gasoline and tariffs.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.3% from its record set Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 56 points, or 0.1%, as of 1:25 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% higher and on track to set its own all-time high.

Mosaic helped drag on the market after the fertilizer company reported much weaker results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company is benefiting from higher prices for its products, but it’s also contending with much higher prices for sulfur and other raw materials because of logistics snarls created by the war with Iran.

Mosaic’s stock fell 1.4%, and more stocks within the S&P 500 sank than rose.

Stocks of companies whose customers have the least cushion to absorb higher gasoline prices struggled, and Dollar General fell 5.9%. Businesses with big fuel bills likewise had some of the market's sharpest losses, including drops of 4.5% for Carnival and 2.9% for Southwest Airlines.

Helping to offset that was Fox, which rose 3.1% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

More than four out of every five companies in the S&P 500 index that have reported their results for the latest quarter so far have topped profit expectations, and they're on track to deliver overall growth of nearly 28%, according to FactSet. If that turns out to be the case, it would be the best growth since the end of 2021.

Outside of earnings reports, Beazer Homes USA soared 32.8% after Dream Finders Homes offered to buy it in a deal valuing it at roughly $704 million. A combination would create the country’s seventh-largest homebuilder, and Dream Finders is asking Beazer’s shareholders to push its management and board to OK the deal after making several attempts itself.

Dream Finders added 1.3%.

Tech stocks were also strong, continuing their big run amid big spending in the boom around artificial-intelligence technology. Gains of 2.4% for Nvidia and 7.3% for Micron Technology were two of the strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia. France’s CAC 40 fell 0.8%, and South Korea’s Kospi soared 4.3% for two of the world’s bigger moves

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. The 10-year yield rose to 4.41% from 4.38% late Friday.

Yields have moderated a bit this month, but they remain well above where they were before the war began. Higher yields can raise rates for mortgages and other kinds of loans going to U.S. households and businesses, which in turn can slow the economy. Higher yields also tend to push downward on prices for stocks and other kinds of investments.

A report on Monday said the pace of sales for previously occupied U.S. homes was weaker last month than economists expected.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

San Francisco-based startup Andon Labs has put an artificial intelligence agent nicknamed “Mona” in charge at the eponymous Andon Café in the Swedish capital. While human baristas still brew the coffee and serve the orders, the AI agent — powered by Google’s Gemini — oversees almost every other aspect of the business, from hiring staff to managing inventory.

It is not clear how long the experiment will last, but the AI agent appears to be struggling to turn a profit in Stockholm’s competitive coffee trade. The cafe has made more than $5,700 in sales since it opened in mid-April, but less than $5,000 remains from its original budget of $21,000-plus. Much of the cash was spent on one-time setup costs, and the hope is that it eventually levels out and makes money.

Many cafe patrons have found it amusing to visit a business that's run by AI. Customers can pick up a telephone inside the cafe and ask the agent questions.

“It’s nice to see what happens if you push the boundary,” customer Kajsa Norin said. “The drink was good.”

Experts worry about AI's role going forward

Experts say ethical concerns abound, ranging from technology's role in humankind's future to conducting job interviews and judging employee performance.

Emrah Karakaya, an associate professor of industrial economics at Stockholm’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, likened the experiment to “opening Pandora’s box" and said putting AI in charge can cause many problems. What might happen, he said, if a customer gets food poisoning? Who’s to blame?

“If you don’t have the required organizational infrastructure around it, and if you overlook these mistakes, it can cause harm to people, to society, to the environment, to business,” Karakaya said. “The question is, do we care about this negative impact?”

Founded in 2023, Andon Labs is an AI safety and research startup that says it focuses on “stress-testing” AI agents in the real world by giving them “real tools and real money.” It has worked with ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Claude’s Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Elon Musk’s xAI, and the startup says it is preparing for a future where “organizations are run autonomously by AI.”

The Swedish cafe is billed as a “controlled experiment” to explore how AI might be deployed going forward.

“AI will be a big part of society in the future, and therefore we want to make this experiment (to) see what ethical questions arise when we have AI that employs other people and runs a business,” said Hanna Petersson, a member of Andon Labs’ technical staff.

The lab previously held pilots that put Anthropic’s Claude AI in charge of a vending machine business and a San Francisco gift store. The vending machine simulation revealed some worrying traits: The AI agent told customers it would issue refunds but never did, and it also intentionally lied to suppliers about competitor pricing to gain leverage.

AI agent struggles with inventory orders

Mona got to work after it was prompted with some basic instructions, Petersson said. The team told it to try to run the cafe profitably, be friendly and easygoing, and figure out operational details by itself but ask for new tools if needed.

From there it set up contracts for electricity and internet, and secured permits for food handling and outdoor seating. The agent then advertised for staff on LinkedIn and Indeed, and set up commercial accounts with wholesalers for daily bread and bakery orders. It communicates with the baristas via Slack, often messaging them outside of working hours, which is a workplace no-no in Sweden.

Other problems have arisen, particularly related to inventory.

The AI agent has placed orders for 6,000 napkins, four first-aid kits and 3,000 rubber gloves for the tiny cafe — plus canned tomatoes that aren’t used in any dish the cafe serves.

And then there’s the bread. Sometimes the agent orders far too much, while other days it misses bakeries’ daily deadlines, forcing the baristas to strike sandwiches from the menu.

Petersson said the ordering issues are likely due to the AI assistant’s “limited context window.”

“When old memory of ordering stuff is out of the context window, she completely forgets what she has ordered in the past,” Petersson said.

Barista Kajetan Grzelczak said he isn’t worried about being replaced by AI just yet.

“All the workers are pretty much safe,” he said. “The ones who should be worried about their employment are the middle bosses, the people in management.”

The American League has been taking it on the chin.

By the end of the night Sunday, only three AL teams had a winning record, and one of them was the Athletics, who were only two games above .500. The Rays (26-13) and Yankees (26-15) are the only junior circuit teams that have been really impressive, and the latter ran into quite a roadblock against the NL Central's Brewers.

If the season ended now, the last two AL wild cards would be the White Sox and Rangers, who are both 19-21.

Eleven AL teams are under .500. That's the most through May 10 of any league in the divisional play era, according to Sportradar. The 2019 AL and the 2012 and 2010 NL each had nine teams under .500 at this point in the year.

Part of what makes this scenario possible is the proliferation of interleague play. The NL is 107-82 against the AL this season for a .566 winning percentage. The best interleague season was when the AL had a .611 winning percentage against the NL in 2006. But there were only 252 interleague games that whole year. There have already been 189 this season.

The more interleague games, the further one league can move ahead of the other. And even at the top of the AL East, the Rays are 8-10 against the NL and 18-3 against the AL.

Crucial stretch

Despite the soft AL playoff race, Orioles fans have become increasingly ornery as their team sputters at the start of a second straight season. Baltimore is 18-23, just 1 1/2 games out of a postseason spot, but May has already included a four-game sweep in the Bronx in which the Orioles were outscored 39-10.

Now the Yankees come to Baltimore for a three-game set, and the Orioles host the Rays in a series that starts Memorial Day. The big question in Baltimore is whether the Orioles can simply stay afloat for the rest of the month and avoid digging too big a hole.

Motown mess

It was a rough week for the starting rotation that was supposed to be such a strength in Detroit. Tarik Skubal was scratched from his start Monday and could be out a while because of loose bodies in his elbow. Then Framber Valdez was shelled by Boston on Tuesday and hit Trevor Story with a pitch, drawing a five-game suspension.

Jack Flaherty hasn't been good either and Justin Verlander has made only one start.

The Tigers are 19-22, although that means they're only a half-game out of a wild card and 1 1/2 out of first place in the AL Central.

Trivia time

Milwaukee's Aaron Ashby is already 7-0 in relief this season. Pittsburgh's Roy Face holds the modern single-season record for relief wins with 18 in 1959. But who has the career mark?

Performance of the week

Andy Pages had three homers and six RBIs for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 12-2 win over Houston on Wednesday. It's been Pages — not Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman or Kyle Tucker — making an outsized offensive contribution early this season for the two-time defending champs. Pages is hitting .333 with nine home runs and 35 RBIs.

Comeback of the week

Down to their last out Sunday, the San Diego Padres tied the game against St. Louis on Nick Castellanos' two-run homer. Then they won 3-2 in 10 innings on Manny Machado's walk-off sacrifice fly.

The Cardinals had a win probability of 95.4% in the bottom of the ninth, a ccording to Baseball Savant.

San Diego already has four walk-off victories this season, second to the Chicago Cubs' six. Neither has a walk-off defeat.

Trivia answer

Hall of Fame knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm earned 124 of his 143 wins in relief.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

“I think we upgraded a couple years ago and connected the computer to a TV,” Quinn says. “I wouldn’t want to do it any different.”

Quinn has good reason to keep any good luck charm. In all six of those awards ceremonies, Neon has won the Palme, the prestigious top honor of the Cannes Film Festival. It’s an unparalleled streak for one of the most sought-after prizes in movies, second only to the best picture Oscar. No other studio has ever come close to anything like it.

“No one ever believes it, but we’ve never gone to Cannes thinking we were going to win the Palme d’Or,” Quinn says. “It’s been a surprise every single year.”

When the 79th Cannes Film Festival gets underway Tuesday, Neon — a 60-person company founded in 2017 — rides in as an unlikely heavyweight. It’s backing more than a quarter of the 22 films in competition for the Palme. Its odds of making it seven in a row are good. Some of the most hotly anticipated titles — including Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi's “All of a Sudden,” Korean auteur Na Hong-jin's “Hope” and James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” — are Neon’s.

Altogether, the indie distributor has nine films in Cannes. All, Quinn notes, they signed on for before the films' Cannes invite.

“I hate to break it to everyone but don’t hate us for our good taste,” says Quinn. “Who’s chasing who here? Thierry (Frémaux, Cannes artistic director) is going to make up his own mind and we’re going to make up our own mind. It just so happens that we agree.”

Big studios are absent at Cannes, but Neon is everywhere

When Frémaux announced the lineup of this year’s festival, he lamented the almost nonexistent presence of Hollywood’s major studios. “When the studios are less present in Cannes, they are less present full stop,” he said.

While studio releases like Warner Bros.’ “One Battle After Another” and Universal’s upcoming “The Odyssey” can be major Oscar players, a wide swath of the most original movies of the past decade have been released by specialty labels like Neon and A24.

Both have risen to prominence at international film festivals like Cannes and at the Oscars by focusing on filmmakers, not IP.

“It’s not rocket science and there’s nothing secret about it,” says Quinn. “It’s pursuing the directors and films we want to be a part of.”

Quinn had worked at Samuel Goldwyn Films and Magnolia Pictures before, in 2011, launching Radius, a boutique label with Harvey Weinstein. Though, at Neon, Quinn expected A24 to be his chief competition, he found himself often bidding against Netflix, on movies like Neon’s first acquisition, the Margot Robbie-led “I, Tonya” and Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.”

“We did not outbid them but we out-passioned them,” says Quinn.

Neon does produce films (like the upcoming “I Love Boosters”), but it largely sticks to distributing movies in North America, often with awards campaigns attached to their releases. It has boarded its Palme d’Or winners — “It Was Just an Accident,” “Anora,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Titane” and “Parasite” — in a variety of ways.

Some were acquired in Cannes. Some, like “Parasite,” Neon boarded at the script stage. Quinn signed up for the body horror freak-out “Titane” even though the script made no sense to him. He just believed in its writer-director Julia Ducournau. In that way, Neon is the ultimate anti-algorithm studio.

And yet faith in filmmakers and good taste have carried Neon to the greatest heights of Hollywood. Both “Parasite” and “Anora” won best picture at the Academy Awards after winning the Palme. Neon nearly swept the best international Oscar category last March, with four of the five nominees: the winning “Sentimental Value,” “Sirāt,” “The Secret Agent” and “It Was Just an Accident.”

Breaking subtitle barriers

“Parasite” famously became the first non-English-language film to win best picture — a triumph for the “1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,” as Bong Joon Ho noted in his acceptance speech.

Neon, majority owned by Dan Friedkin’s 30West, is far from competing with studio blockbusters at the box office. (Its biggest ticket seller thus far was Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs,” with $75 million.) But Neon has proved there’s a larger audience than many would have expected for daring, often international cinema.

They are, Quinn says, “agnostic” about where its titles come from, and the company’s small size means they can give each movie a bespoke rollout. And by the end of the year, Neon will gather its releases into a DVD box set, even though many voters don’t have DVD players anymore.

“Audiences are desperate, desperate for creativity,” Quinn says. “Films are not packaged goods. The idea that this art form that is so subjective is treated as a P & L (profit and loss statement), I don’t know how you can make good creative decisions when you’re dealing with billions of debt looming at your door.”

Neon’s slate in Cannes is typically wide-ranging. Also up for the Palme is Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord,” with Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve; Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Sheep in the Box”; and “The Unknown,” by “Anatomy of a Fall” cowriter Arthur Harari. It also has Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Her Private Hell”; Arie Esiri and Chuko Esiri’s “Clarissa” and William and David Greaves’ already lauded documentary, “Once Upon a Time in Harlem.”

Some of the movies that escaped Neon’s grasp still irk Quinn. He missed out on Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters,” the Palme winner in 2018.

“The idea that we would have won seven Palmes in a row is completely outlandish,” Quinn says. “But that’s a huge regret.”

The gap between young and older Americans' views of the job market now is greater than in any other country among the 141 surveyed, according to the Gallup World Poll. In the United States, 43% of those aged 15-34 believe it’s “a good time” to find a job in the area where they live, well below the 64% of those aged 55 and over who say the same.

Around the world, it's the opposite. Globally, the median share of younger people who say it’s “a good time” to find work in their local job market is 48%, compared with 38% among older people.

The findings reveal a generational rift in Americans' views of economic opportunity, with young people feeling increasingly downtrodden about job prospects, while older people still largely think it's a good time to find work. The schism is likely to continue fueling generational divides in politics, where younger voters have focused on economic issues such as housing costs and have registered less faith in institutions.

“It’s an incredibly new phenomenon,” Benedict Vigers of Gallup said of young Americans' pessimism. He added that last year was the first time in Gallup’s decades of polling that young Americans were more pessimistic about the job market than their peers in other developed countries. “Has this happened in most other advanced economies? The answer is a resounding no.”

Younger and older Americans differ on how easy it is to find a new job

Young people, with fewer physical limitations and family responsibilities — along with an ability to adapt more quickly than older counterparts — normally are more optimistic about their ability to land work.

But the new Gallup analysis finds the U.S. is one of only five countries where younger people are at least 10 points more pessimistic about the availability of work than older ones, joining China, Hong Kong, Norway, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates.

Among the 141 countries surveyed, younger Americans ranked 87th in job market expectations. Even that is striking, Vigers said, because young Americans have long stood out globally for their optimism about job opportunities. Other countries, such as New Zealand and Canada, had lower levels of optimism among the youngest group, but there was no significant generational divide.

The divergence between younger and older Americans happened suddenly. Every U.S. age group registered a drop in confidence in the job market after 2023 — following a post-COVID rebound in 2021 and 2022 — but those 34 and younger saw the largest decline in recent years. The share of younger Americans saying it was “a good time” to find a job plunged by 27 percentage points from 2023 to 2025. That's comparable to the rate of decline for young people during the 2008 global financial crisis, which also saw a drastic drop in confidence for older Americans. But that hasn't happened in the last few years. In fact, older Americans’ views have barely dropped.

Older Americans also have a sunnier view of the economic landscape more generally, according to recent AP-NORC polling. About 8 in 10 adults under 35 describe the U.S. economy as very or somewhat poor, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in April. Only about 6 in 10 adults 55 and older say the same, although a majority still see the U.S. economy negatively.

John Della Volpe, a pollster who regularly surveys U.S. youth for the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics, said young people are frequently frustrated at how prior generations don't understand their current economic challenges.

“It's just another thing that drains their mental health — 'my parents don't understand that their pathway at this stage in life that I'm in was so much easier,'” Della Volpe said.

Job market optimism among younger adults approaches Great Recession levels

Younger Americans’ job market views now register close to the level they did in 2010, when the country was still deep in the Great Recession. This is not the first Gallup poll to find striking levels of pessimism among young Americans — they also register notably high levels of anxiety about pocketbook issues compared with people their age in other countries.

A separate Gallup survey on perceived U.S. job prospects found pessimism emerging at the end of 2024 and continuing into 2025. That coincides with the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term and the rise of artificial intelligence, which many fear will transform the labor market and eliminate many entry-level jobs.

The new poll finds the most frustrated groups of young people are those who haven’t secured a first job yet, college graduates and young women. But the heightened pessimism spreads across all subgroups of younger Americans, including men and those who haven't attended college.

“Whoever they are, they are more pessimistic than they were three years ago,” Vigers said of young Americans.

The older Americans who have a less dire view of the job market are themselves more likely to be retired and not looking for work. They’re also more likely to own their own homes, a longtime building block of American prosperity that has increasingly seemed out of reach to younger people.

Day-to-day financial concerns were a key issue in the 2024 election, particularly for younger voters, and Trump improved on his previous performance among this group as he ran on a platform of economic prosperity, fighting inflation and affordability. But like other groups that were important parts of Trump's 2024 coalition, some younger Americans have soured on the president as inflation continues, recent AP-NORC polling finds.

About 8 in 10 adults under 35 disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy and the cost of living, the recent AP-NORC poll found, compared with about 6 in 10 older adults.

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The Gallup World Poll results are based on telephone interviews conducted among approximately 1,000 U.S. adults from June 14 to July 16, 2025. The margin of error is ±4.4 percentage points for the U.S. sample.

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Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.

His African American studies professor lectured about what is known today as the Tulsa Race Massacre — the days in 1921 when white mobs carried out a scorched-earth campaign against an outnumbered Black militia protecting the fabled Black Wall Street, a prosperous all-Black community.

“I actually told a teacher, ‘I’m from Tulsa. That’s not true,’” Solomon-Simmons recalled. “And of course, I was wrong.”

That day planted a seed for the then-aspiring attorney, who went on to lead a reparations campaign for the living survivors of the massacre and their descendants. Nearly 105 years later, no one has been compensated for what they lost, and none of the culprits have been held accountable.

That fight for reparations is the subject of Solomon-Simmons’ first book, “Redeem a Nation: The Century-Long Battle to Restore the Soul of America,” which is intended as a blueprint for justice in historic atrocities that Black Americans endured but never received reparations for. The book hits shelves Tuesday.

After the massacre, more than 35 city blocks of the neighborhood known as Greenwood were leveled in fires, an estimated 191 businesses were destroyed, and roughly 11,000 Black residents were displaced. The state of Oklahoma declared the death toll to be only 36 people, although many historians and experts who have studied the event put the death toll between 75 and 300.

Greenwood, founded in 1906, had been a bustling city within a city, with Black-owned grocery stores, soda fountains, cafes, barbershops, a movie theater, music venues, cigar and billiard parlors, tailors and dry cleaners, rooming houses and rental properties.

“If you can ignore Greenwood, which was the beacon of Black prosperity and Black progress in the history of this country, then you can ignore Black people in general,” Solomon-Simmons recently told The Associated Press. “I think that’s why people around the nation are so focused on the work that we’re doing, because they understand what it means to all of Black America.”

Solomon-Simmons’s book comes just months before the United States will mark 250 years since its founding in 1776. That was 89 years before the institution of chattel slavery — meaning an enslaved person was held as legal property of another — was abolished. The civil rights attorney questions the idea that Americans can truly celebrate the country's accomplishments when it has yet to pay reparations, which historians say informs modern day disparities in wealth between Black and white people.

“We cannot talk about what America has been and will be, without making sure that these issues are discussed and we get reparatory justice for both” slavery and the Tulsa massacre, Solomon-Simmons said.

'America has never had a soul'

In 343 pages, Solomon-Simmons does more than recite the history of the massacre or make a legal thriller out of his reparations campaign. For him, securing justice for the survivors and descendants of the massacre is also about healing a nation whose earliest promises of equality for all rang hollow.

“When I speak of repairing America’s soul, I do not mean restoring something that was once whole,” Solomon-Simmons writes in the book. “America has never had a soul. … There was no moral center to recover.”

He suggests that America's soul cannot be repaired if it is forced to choose between rebuilding the nation or repairing Black America. They must do both, he says.

“The struggle for justice in Greenwood is not about returning to a mythical past. It is about proving whether America can build a soul at all through truth, through justice, through repair.”

Reparations for slavery and other historical racial injustices has been debated in the U.S. since Reconstruction, through the Civil Rights Movement and for much of the 21st century. Jennifer L. Morgan, a professor of history at New York University, said such debates are complicated by the question of exactly who pays the reparations and exactly who receives the payment.

“I don’t think that we’re talking about individuals who owe anybody else reparations. I think we’re talking about states, about institutions, about the nation,” Morgan said. “America is still grappling with reparations because America is still grappling at the legacy of slavery, racial discrimination, Jim Crow, and violent exclusion of Black people from the body politic.”

Some opponents of reparations argue there are no living culprits or direct victims of enslavement, much less people with verifiable claims of harm that can be presented in a court of law.

Solomon-Simmons disagrees.

“We know who did the massacre — the perpetrators are still living in Tulsa,” he said referring to the city and the chamber of commerce, which plaintiffs alleged had a hand in obstructing Greenwood's recovery.

There is one remaining massacre survivor involved in the reparations lawsuit: 111-year-old Lessie Benningfield Randle.

“If we cannot get her reparations while she’s alive, for the massacre, it’s gonna make it that much harder for us to get reparations for enslavement, Jim Crow, redlining and all those things that we are owed,” Solomon-Simmons said.

Fight for Tulsa reparations continues

In the book, Solomon-Simmons reflects on what committed him to the reparations fight.

While in law school, he was introduced to high profile civil rights attorneys working for the Reparations Coordinating Committee — the late Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree Jr., who mentored Barack and Michelle Obama; and the late Johnnie Cochran, who is widely known for defending O.J. Simpson during his trial for murder of his ex-wife. Solomon-Simmons became a law clerk for the committee.

After witnessing Ogletree argue a Tulsa reparations case in federal court in 2004, Solomon-Simmons said the practice of law stopped being just a credential for speaking, writing, or teaching. It became a calling.

In 2020, Solomon-Simmons led a lawsuit on behalf of 11 plaintiffs, including the last three known living survivors of the massacre, against the City of Tulsa and seven defendants. The suit was the first of its kind in state court and the first to get far enough to see a judge. In 2024, the Oklahoma Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit. In the final days of the Biden administration, the Justice Department released a report saying it had determined there is no longer an avenue for criminal prosecution over the massacre.

But the fight continues, Solomon-Simmons says, for cash payment to Randle and other descendants, as well as the return of land stolen after the massacre and during a period of urban renewal in Tulsa.

In 2025, the city’s first Black mayor, Monroe Nichols, endorsed a broad proposal dubbed Project Greenwood, which calls for financially compensating Randle, funding a scholarship program for descendants of victims, and designating June 1 as Tulsa Race Massacre Observance Day.

Solomon-Simmons also runs the nonprofit Justice for Greenwood, which he founded a year before the community marked the centennial of the massacre in 2021.

“One thing I’ve learned from this work, and as a lawyer in general, is that people want justice,” he said. “People want reparations, but people (also) want acknowledgment. They want to be seen. They want people to understand that something happened to them and their family, and they want an apology.”

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Aaron Morrison is the race and ethnicity news editor at AP.

That's the message from a leading pediatricians group, which just released the first new guidance in 13 years about this unstructured time at school and how it needs to be protected.

The updated policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics comes after years of shrinking recesses and worsening children’s health.

The group “has always supported play – free play for kids – but it’s been increasingly threatened over time,” partly by the drive for higher test scores, said Dr. Robert Murray, a lead author. “It has a very powerful benefit if it’s used to the fullest.”

The new guidance, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, is similar to the previous policy statement but cites the latest research on why these breaks are essential for kids’ academic success and mental, physical, social and emotional growth.

For example, new evidence shows that kids need pauses between concentrated bouts of learning so the brain can hold and store the information. Researchers also say recess gives kids a chance to navigate relationships and build confidence, which is just as important for older kids as younger ones.

Murray and his colleagues also stressed the importance of physical activity in preventing obesity, a condition that now affects about 1 in 5 U.S. children and teens.

Given these benefits, they recommend that recess be protected and never withheld for academic or punitive reasons, as sometimes happens in schools.

“If the child is disruptive or rude and disrespectful, recess is one of the things that teachers use to punish kids,” Murray said, adding that students struggling with behavioral issues or grades are often the ones who need recess most.

But those students aren’t the only ones losing out. Recess has been waning for all kids. Since the mid-2000s, up to 40% of school districts nationally have reduced or eliminated recess, according to data from the group Springboard to Active Schools in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Today, the duration of recess varies widely across U.S. schools, ranging from less than 10 minutes to more than an hour a day, the pediatrics group said. Older kids generally get less time than younger ones.

Ideally, studies show, kids should get a minimum of 20 minutes a day and multiple breaks. In other countries such as Denmark, Japan and the United Kingdom, students get breaks after every 45 minutes to 50 minutes of classroom instruction.

“They should get a long enough period of time where they can de-stress and blow off steam and prepare for the next class,” Murray said.

Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, a childhood obesity expert at Mass General Brigham for Children in Boston, said she’s glad about the updated recess recommendations. She’s seen the importance of recess as both a doctor and mother of two. She recalled how her 8-year-old son learned how to play basketball at recess and now loves the game.

Fiechtner, who wasn’t involved in creating the guidance, agrees with the recommendation that middle and high school students need recess, too.

“As kids get older, they’re more on their screens. So it’s really helpful, I think, for outdoor activity and recess to be happening,” she said. “Recess is great. We all kind of need recess.”

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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.

Trump in December authorized an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan — the largest weapons sale ever to the island — but has not yet moved forward with delivery and even acknowledged that he's discussed the sale with Xi. He's groused that Taiwan “stole” America’s semiconductor business and called on Taiwan to pay the U.S. for protection.

All the while, Trump has, with the threat of hefty tariffs, prodded Taipei to agree to massive investments in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and to purchase billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas and crude oil.

Trump's rhetoric is fueling speculation in Beijing, Taipei and Washington about America’s commitment to help the island defend itself and whether the Republican president could be persuaded to cede ground on the long-standing U.S. posture toward the island.

Taiwan’s backers are concerned that Taipei will be “on the menu” when Trump and Xi sit down for talks, said retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery.

“I do worry that we have a transactional president and a transactional opportunity could arise, and then we would have a challenge,” said Montgomery, now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank that supports robust U.S. backing of Taiwan.

Rubio says US policy is unchanged

The Chinese have signaled they intend to make Taiwan a central part of the talks between Xi and Trump this week. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised Taiwan during a call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to prepare for the trip, and urged the United States to “make the right choices” about its policies toward the island in order to safeguard “stability” between the two nations, according to a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

But Rubio said U.S. policy has not changed. “We don’t want to see any forced or compelled change in the situation,” he told reporters in Rome on Friday, saying it “would be destabilizing to the world.” He noted that Taiwan would not be “a feature of our trip, but it’ll certainly be an item that’s discussed.”

White House officials have underscored that Trump, who also approved $330 million in aircraft parts for Taiwan's military in November, has already approved more in military sales for Taiwan in the first year of his second term than the roughly $8.4 billion that Democratic President Joe Biden approved over his four years in office.

Taiwan has been under pressure from the Trump administration to increase its defense spending, and on Friday its lawmakers broke months of gridlock to approve $25 billion in arms purchases. It was significantly less than the $40 billion proposal put forward last year by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te. A senior Trump administration official, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said it was disappointing that the parliament did not fully fund Lai's proposal.

Taiwanese government officials have expressed concern about China's rhetoric ahead of the summit, though they've also taken some comfort from Rubio's measured comments.

“(China) may attempt some maneuvering during the talks, but the U.S. has repeatedly reiterated, through both public and private channels, that its policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged,” National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen told reporters.

Xi may look to loosen US-Taiwan ties

The key question, China experts say, is just how far Xi will try to go in his effort to prod Trump closer to Beijing's view.

China sees the self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province, to be annexed by force if necessary. It prohibits countries it has diplomatic relations with from having formal ties with Taipei. Since establishing diplomatic relations with modern China in 1979, the U.S. has managed to stay within the framework of Beijing’s demands while maintaining informal support for Taiwan and providing it with arms.

As part of the U.S. ambiguity on Taiwan, Washington acknowledges Beijing’s position that Taiwan is part of China but does not explicitly endorse it. The U.S. has also historically stated it “does not support” Taiwan’s independence and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo between Taiwan and China.

But analysts say Xi could seek to persuade Trump — who already has demonstrated a willingness to blur the lines of traditional diplomacy — to loosen ties with Taiwan through curbs on U.S. arms sales or with informal limits on visits by prominent U.S. officials to the island. In February, Trump suggested he broke from longstanding U.S. policy and consulted with Xi on arms sales to Taiwan.

“Even if we don’t see something as dramatic as a formal shift in declaratory policy, this time around, there is always a risk that President Trump may make an off-the-cuff remark given he’s not necessarily somebody who appreciates the nuances of longstanding policy language,” said Patricia Kim of the Assessing China Project at Brookings Institution in Washington.

White House sits out Japan-China rift

A row between U.S. ally Japan and China has also raised speculation about the strength of Trump's commitment to Taiwan. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan was of concern to the region and could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan, requiring the use of force.

Trump made back-to-back calls with Takaichi and Xi that same month, though he's remained largely silent about the spat.

“I know they have a little bit of an edgy relationship,” Trump said as he hosted Takaichi for talks in March. He added, “I’ll be speaking Japan’s praises when I’m in China with President Xi.”

Additionally, Trump’s backing of Taiwan faced scrutiny after the 2026 U.S. National Defense Strategy omitted direct mention of the island.

The best-case scenario for Taiwan

One card Taiwan holds is its robust semiconductor sector, the world’s largest, which the U.S. relies on to maintain an edge in its advanced-technology race against China.

“Trump at the very least realizes the role that Taiwan plays in the U.S.’s economic growth,” said Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University. “So I think that is sort of the main silver lining in thinking that nothing drastic will change in terms of policy toward Taiwan.”

While Trump is known for his transactional nature, his administration has not viewed difficult aspects of the U.S.-China relationship as “fungible” issues that can be traded, said Edgard Kagan, a former senior State Department official who served under Trump and Biden on East Asia policy issues.

“The president understands leverage. My experience of being in meetings with him, he has a very, very acute sense of how to use it,” said Kagan, who is now the China Studies chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “And so I think that the idea that there’s going to be a trade where the president sort of sacrifices U.S. interests in Taiwan in order to get other things — I think it’s unlikely based on my own experience of how he operates.”

In the end, whether the island comes out of the Xi-Trump summit on a stronger or weaker footing will likely be judged by the leaders’ public statements.

After his last face-to-face encounter with Xi in October, Trump claimed that Xi hadn't broached the issue and that Chinese officials “know the consequences” of taking military action against Taiwan.

“I think the best-case scenario Taiwan can hope for is that Taiwan is not talked about publicly or, at the very least, in a minimal way,” Nachman said.

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Mistreanu reported from Taipei. Associated Press writer Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.

Naz Reid took the fateful elbow to the neck from a frustrated Wembanyama and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds to help the Timberwolves finish strong after some shaky stretches.

“Pain is weakness leaving the body,” Reid said. “That’s it.”

Edwards hit a 27-footer to bring the Wolves to within 94-91, turning to shout at the crowd for some help down the stretch. His catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the wing with 5:12 left put them up 98-97, their first lead since midway through the third quarter.

Then the big men went to work without Wembanyama patrolling the paint. Rudy Gobert, who had 11 points and 13 rebounds, converted a three-point play with 3:02 left off a high-low feed from Reid and later threw down a dunk for a 107-101 lead with 1:56 to go after a slick pass from Julius Randle.

Reid’s follow shot with 40 seconds left gave the Wolves a seven-point lead, before Dylan Harper had a rebound, a drawn foul, a steal and two free throws to help the Spurs pull within three.

After managing to corral a full-court baseball toss from inbound passer Jaden McDaniels as De'Aaron Fox undercut his leaping catch and caused a loose ball, Ayo Dosunmu drew a foul and sank two free throws with 9.8 seconds left to put the game out of reach and tie the series at two games apiece.

San Antonio hosts Game 5 on Tuesday, with Wembanyama’s status to be determined by the league following the Flagrant 2 foul call and automatic ejection he was levied for the excessive contact to Reid.

Harper and Fox each scored 24 points and Stephon Castle added 20 as the Spurs guards unflinchingly took the baton from their 7-foot-4 superstar and turned the rest of the night into a midrange clinic with an array of pull-up jumpers in and around the paint.

“Just trying to be what the team needed me to be,” said Harper, the second overall pick in the NBA draft last year. “I think I did OK. Obviously the main goal is to win. We didn't get that done.”

The crowd at Target Center went wild when Wembanyama walked off the floor with Minnesota leading by two, but the Wolves never fully took advantage of the gift created by his absence. They've long had a tendency of losing their edge, particularly defensively, when an opponent's star player is missing.

“When every team is missing their best player, everybody plays free. They get more shots, more confident,” Edwards said. “So I think it was a lot harder on us.”

After committing six turnovers in a 20-point third quarter, the Wolves found themselves in another eight-point hole early in the fourth following Fox's 3-pointer before delivering another clutch finish.

“We have a resilient group of guys. No matter the circumstances, we are going to keep fighting and give everything we have and keep trusting one another,” Gobert said. “Just making the right play. That’s who we are. We might not be always consistent with that, but I feel like when it matters, we raise our level.”

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A crowd of about 300 supporters and political allies gathered outside the Klong Prem Central Prison to greet the 76-year-old billionaire populist.

Thaksin was a telecommunications magnate who founded his own political party in 1998 and served as prime minister from 2001 until a military coup ousted him in 2006 while he was abroad. His ouster triggered nearly two decades of deep and sometimes violent political polarization, while his political machine staged several comebacks even as Thaksin himself stayed in self-imposed exile to escape what he said was political persecution through the courts.

His three children, including former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and other family members also arrived early to welcome him.

Thaksin emerged from the prison gate in a white polo shirt and blue pants and was embraced by his family. He smiled brightly as he walked around to greet his supporters who chanted “we love Thaksin,” and gave red roses to him. He then left without speaking to reporters.

He arrived at his residence in western Bangkok about an hour later. In a video streamed by Thairath News, Thaksin was seen rolling down the car window to greet a small group of supporters waiting at his home, responding to reporters' shouted questions that “I was in hibernation, I can't remember anything now.”

Thaksin was the first elected prime minister in Thai history to serve a full four-year term. Policies like a national healthcare scheme and projects to build roads in less developed parts of the country drew devoted support from the poorer segments of society, particularly in the rural north and northeast, but his popularity and sometimes high-handed style created deep fractures between his base and the country’s urban elites, royalists, and military.

He was charged with abuse of power over allegations including using his position to benefit his own business interests and illegally approving a state lottery project that caused losses to the government.

Thaksin was convicted in absentia, but returned to Thailand to be sentenced in 2023 as the Pheu Thai Party, his most recent political vehicle, formed a government. He was widely believed to have reached a secret accommodation with the traditional royalist establishment. He was originally sentenced to eight years in prison, but it was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, which he was granted permission to serve from a suite in Bangkok’s Police Hospital on medical grounds.

After protests that he had received unwarranted special treatment, the Supreme Court in September 2025 ordered Thaksin to serve his sentence in prison.

A Justice Ministry panel agreed last month to grant him parole as part of a review of more than 900 eligible prisoners’ cases, citing his good behavior in prison, his age and the low risk that he would repeat his offense.

After his release, Thaksin will be on probation for four months, during which he must reside at his declared home in Bangkok, wear an electronic monitoring bracelet, and report regularly to probation officials.

Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn became the country’s youngest prime minister in 2024 but was removed from office by the Constitutional Court in August 2025 after a recording was released of a compromising phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.

The Pheu Thai party managed only a third-place finish in this year’s general election.

With one frustrated swing of his right elbow on Sunday night, Wembanyama changed the course of Game 4 — and perhaps the series.

Ejected after striking Timberwolves center Naz Reid in the throat early in the second quarter, Wembanyama was confined to watching his teammates admirably overcome his notable absence before fading down the stretch in a 114-109 defeat that evened the series at two games apiece.

“It was a whole lot of grabbing and pushing and shoving, but that’s a part of the game,” said Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, who matched his career high with 24 points. “The next man has got to step up. I think we all did a great job of controlling what we can control.”

Wembanyama was swarmed by Reid and Jaden McDaniels after grabbing an offensive rebound following a missed 3-pointer. With McDaniels tugging on his left arm, Wembanyama snapped and jabbed his right arm back toward Reid — and struck him square in the neck.

Television replays showed Harper behind the scrum with a stunned expression, his mouth agape. McDaniels quickly bearhugged Wembanyama to try to avoid escalation, and the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama took a seat on the bench while the officials reviewed the video with the fans at Target Center chanting, “Kick him out!”

The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck. That penalty triggers an automatic ejection, immediately swinging the balance of a pivotal game in the series toward the Timberwolves. The Spurs had the lead after their 115-108 win in Game 3 on Friday.

When the penalty was announced, Wembanyama appeared to ask teammate Harrison Barnes, "What does that mean?” He slapped hands with each of his Spurs teammates on his way off the floor, with the arena sound system blaring Michael Jackson's “Beat it!”

Wembanyama finished with four points, four rebounds and three fouls in 13 minutes.

“I’m glad he took matters into his own hands. Not in terms of hitting Naz Reid — by all means, being very clear about that,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I'm glad Naz Reid is OK, and I didn’t want him to elbow him, but he’s going to have to protect himself.”

Johnson raised a concern beyond simply how the Timberwolves have been playing Wembanyama, who was the first overall pick in the 2023 draft.

“The level of physicality that opponents have been trying to impose on him since his first days in the league, combined with the lack of protection from the referees, is really disappointing,” Johnson said. "And to a certain extent, it’s starting to become downright nauseating.”

With Reid, Julius Randle and McDaniels in their frontcourt, the Timberwolves have had plenty of muscle and tenacity to send at Wembanyama, even if he's been good enough offensively to overcome it. He had 39 points on 13-for-18 shooting from the floor in Game 3.

“You never want anyone to get hurt, but you could see the frustration. I could see where he's coming from,” Harper said. “We've got his back, and I think he can learn from that, and he just knows not to do that again.”

Now the series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5 on Tuesday, with the league certain to assess the play for potential further punishment, but Johnson dismissed any concern about a suspension.

“There was zero intent," he said. "I think it would be ridiculous.”

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In all, the SEC got 12 of its 15 teams into the field.

Regional play starts Friday, with the top 16 seeds hosting. The eight teams that get through super regionals the next week will play in the Women's College World Series, which starts May 28 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

Alabama (49-7) didn't catch a break in the seeding — the Crimson Tide could face Belmont superstar pitcher Maya Johnson in regional play. Johnson leads the nation with a 0.66 earned run average and was the No. 3 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft.

Texas (42-10) returns pitcher Teagan Kavan, who was the Most Outstanding Player of the Women's College World Series last year and led the Longhorns to the SEC Tournament title this season. The Longhorns beat Alabama in the SEC championship game.

Oklahoma (48-8) is the No. 3 overall seed, despite losing in its opening game at the SEC Tournament. The Sooners have won four of the past five national titles and reached the semifinals last year. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso, also the USA national coach, has won eight national championships.

Nebraska is seeded fourth. The Cornhuskers (46-6) beat UCLA to win the Big Ten tournament title on Saturday. Nebraska's Jordy Frahm led Oklahoma to a national title in 2023 as Jordy Bahl before transferring, then later getting married and changing her name.

The SEC has Arkansas (42-11) as the No. 5 seed, Florida (48-10) at No. 6 and Tennessee (42-10) at No. 7.

UCLA (47-8) is the No. 8 seed. Megan Grant just set the single-season record with 38 home runs. Jordan Woolery, who bats behind her at third in the lineup, has 107 RBIs and was the Big Ten Player of the Year.

Florida State (49-8) is No. 9 overall. The Seminoles won the national title in 2018 and were runner-up in 2021 and 2023.

Texas Tech fell all the way to No. 11 overall, despite a 52-6 record. Star pitcher NiJaree Canady led the Red Raiders to the championship series last year. She has more help this year, including pitcher Kaitlyn Terry.

The other top 16 seeds that will host include No. 10 Georgia (38-18), No. 12 Duke (39-14), No. 13 Oklahoma State (38-15), No. 14 Oregon (40-12), No. 15 Texas A&M (36-17) and No. 16 LSU (37-17).

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

Here's a more substantial number than four for the Knicks: Try winning in the playoffs by almost 20 points a game.

Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns — you too, Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet — have stretched New York's steamroll through the postseason into the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight year.

The 76ers were but a pesky speed bump for the Knicks as they rolled to a series sweep and their seventh straight postseason win overall under coach Mike Brown.

Perhaps the only drawback from the Knicks soundly thumping the 76ers 144-114 on Sunday is the expected lengthy layoff before New York gets a crack at either Cleveland or Detroit in the conference finals. Detroit leads Cleveland 2-1 in the series with Game 4 set for Monday.

“Yeah, you like the rhythm that you're in,” Brown said. “But if we expect to be who we're capable of being, we'll find a way to stay consistent with what we're doing, whether it's the energy level, the effort level, or embracing-slash-focusing on the details that we have to be able to understand in order to get a win.”

The Knicks, as the kids say, understood the assignment and refused to let Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and the rest of a Sixers team brimming with confidence after rallying from a 3-1 series deficit in the first round to beat Boston ever pose a serious threat at pulling off a second straight upset.

As for the time off, the Knicks could use a few extra days of rest, especially for injured forward OG Anunoby. Anunoby missed Games 3 and 4 with a strained right hamstring and remained day to day. The 6-foot-7 Anunoby, who is considered the Knicks’ top defender, is averaging 21.4 points in the postseason.

That type of monster production is tricky to replace and in the long haul — of which the Knicks expect to be part of this season — it just may be if Anunoby misses a serious amount of time. In a short sample size, the Knicks thrived, especially against a emotionally flattened Sixers team on the brink of a sweep.

McBride, once known for his defense but who has since blossomed into a reliable outside threat, started for Anunoby and essentially won the clincher in the first quarter. McBride hit seven 3-pointers, going 4 for 4 in the first quarter when the Knicks sank 11 of 13, and scored 25 points overall. With Knicks fans on their feet and exclaiming “Deuuuce,” McBride hit one, two, three, four — four! — 3-pointers in succession for a 20-6 lead and the South Philadelphia arena rocking like it was Madison Square Garden.

“I definitely knew the Knicks had crazy fans,” McBride said.

The hype of the Knicks' fans takeover in Philadelphia was very much real and reached fever pitch levels in Game 4.

Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet were among the A-list Knicks fans that had tickets to Friday night's game in Philly. In Game 4, fans found their way around the Sixers' supposed ticket-buying barriers about as easily as the Knicks hit 3-pointers and passed the eye test of taking up the overwhelming bulk of the 19,746 fans inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Embiid's pleas ahead of the series for Sixers fans not to sell their tickets to Knicks fans fell on deaf ears and led to deafening roars for New York. Knicks fans amusingly printed off photos of Embiid getting posterized by Mitch Robinson on a Game 3 dunk. Knicks fans waved the photos at the oft-injured Embiid while he shot free throws, and they yelled at him “Mr. Glass,” a fictionalized movie character with brittle bone disease.

“I used to think Philly was a sports town, I don’t know if it is anymore,” Knicks forward Josh Hart said.

Home-court edge, even on the road, only means so much in the playoffs.

What really matters can often be found in the box score.

The Knicks had 33 assists on 49 baskets in Game 4 and added to their streak of turning close-out games into blowout games. After beating Atlanta by 51 points to clinch their first-round series win, they led by as many as 44 points in Game 4 against the Sixers and won by 30.

The Knicks’ 19.4 point-per-game margin of victory is the largest through two rounds since the playoffs went to 16 teams in 1984.

The Knicks haven’t reached the NBA Finals since 1999 and haven’t won the championship since 1973. Yet, they've turned the postseason into their playground and are listed as the favorite to emerge from the East and are behind only defending champion Oklahoma City and San Antonio to win the title.

“We're still writing out story,” Brunson said.

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And nobody has even been drafted yet.

If there is one characteristic that the players expected to be at the very top of next month's draft share, it is confidence. They know they're good, and they don't mind telling you that they're good. And for the teams now in position to get those top players — Washington at No. 1, Utah at No. 2, Memphis at No. 3 and Chicago at No. 4 — the next few weeks are going to be teeming with promise.

“Since I’m in this draft class, I’m going to say we’re one of the best draft classes,” said Dybantsa, who led Division I men's college basketball in scoring this past season. "We’ll see how that pans out and how our careers pan out, but if you ask me right now, I think we’re one of the best draft classes.”

Fair enough.

An unforeseen trade or something popping up in the medical exams that will take place over the next few weeks could change things, but for now, it seems like the first four names Commissioner Adam Silver will call on June 23 will be BYU's Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson.

They are not the only four good players in this draft. Far from it, it seems. But there does seem to be a significant amount of star power at the top, which made Sunday's draft lottery feel perhaps a bit more consequential than others.

“I feel like it can be the best ever," Wilson said when asked how good the Class of 2026 can be. "We have a deep draft and I feel like everybody wants to play hard and prove themselves. And it’s just a matter of time before we can do that.”

Indiana was devastated not to get a pick after having the league's second-worst record this season. The Pacers — who made the NBA Finals a year ago — surrendered the No. 5 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers to help pay off the trade made this season for center Ivica Zubac, who surely is going to help Indiana when Tyrese Haliburton returns from his torn Achilles.

But to miss out on grabbing some of the talent available this year, put simply, that hurt Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard.

“Today, it stings,” Pritchard said. “But wait ‘til next season. Let’s give this group an opportunity to go compete for a championship, because they've proven they can do it.”

Wizards President Michael Winger likes to get into the math of things, and he knows a 14% chance isn't exactly great. But it was as good as anyone else in that draft lottery, and in the end it was good enough to get Washington that No. 1 pick.

But why?

“I don’t have a compelling answer for that. I think that ultimately it was just our time. I think it was time to get that pick," Winger said. "Whether it’s because there’s a special athlete at the top of the draft that we want or organizationally we’re ready for a player like that, whatever the case may be ... the basketball gods decided that this was our year.”

The Wizards were the big winner. They weren't the only winner.

Oklahoma City gets a lottery pick in this draft because of the years and years and years that general manager Sam Presti spent on collecting both good players and draft capital. That means the reigning champions — maybe back-to-back champions by draft time — will only get even better.

The Clippers got a top-five pick, Memphis gets a No. 3 pick, Chicago's rebuild will see the Bulls land an extremely good player, and Utah — which was fined $500,000 this year for sitting some players in the fourth quarters of games — is sitting at No. 2.

“Agree to disagree,” is what Jazz owner Ryan Smith famously wrote when the NBA hit him for the half-million-dollar fine. The credo now might be wait and see; the Jazz have a lot of young talent, and now will get even deeper on that front.

Jazz guard Keyonte George was at Sunday's lottery. He said the Jazz are keeping the receipts — his way of saying yes, Utah has taken note of all the tanking talk that dogged the team this season.

“We’re going to make sure we go at our own pace, understand we’re a new group and we’re on our journey to something special," George said. "But yeah, as a group, we’ll have a chip on our shoulder for sure.”

There's a lot of basketball left to be played this season. New York is in the NBA's final four already, awaiting Cleveland or Detroit in the Eastern Conference finals. Oklahoma City can get back to the Western Conference finals on Monday, and if the Thunder get there they'll be waiting for either San Antonio or Minnesota.

But draft talk is picking up speed. And given how much talent is out there, that's understandable.

“A lot of people are saying we’re the best class in the last 10 years,” Peterson said. "So, we’re going to try our best to be that.”

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

El incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 10:26 p.m. del sábado en Pine Channel Nature Park, ubicado en 29550 Overseas Highway en Big Pine Key.

Los detectives señalaron que el parque estaba cerrado, ya que había cerrado a las 7:30 p.m.

Según las autoridades, un detective en patrulla observó a la sospechosa, identificada como Julie Graham, de Port Charlotte, Florida, “sentada en un banco del parque con parafernalia de drogas a plena vista.”

Los detectives dijeron que Graham se negó a identificarse e intentó alejarse antes de forcejear y resistirse, derribando los lentes del detective, agarrándolo y golpeándolo mientras él intentaba esposarla.

Graham enfrenta cargos de agresión a un agente del orden, resistencia al arresto, posesión de marihuana, posesión de parafernalia de drogas, alteración de evidencia y permanecer en un parque fuera de horario.

Las autoridades dijeron que no se reportaron heridas graves. Tras recibir alta médica, Graham fue trasladada a la cárcel sin más incidentes.

Inland evening showers are expected to diminish overnight, with hot temperatures set to soar again Monday. As winds continue blowing out of the southeast, a few showers could move onshore during the morning commute.

Additional showers and storms are expected to develop inland again with the daytime heating. Some storms could produce gusty winds.

Rain chances are expected to increase Tuesday as showers are fueled by a front moving southward before stalling. Temperatures will moderate into the upper 80s by Wednesday.