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Video obtained by Local 10 News shows North Miami Beach police entering an apartment and finding four children home alone while their mother was away on a three-day cruise to the Bahamas, according to investigators.

Nathalie Belizaire, 29, was arrested Monday after returning to PortMiami from a cruise to the Bahamas. She faces four counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, jail records show.

Belizaire told reporters after leaving jail Tuesday night that arrangements had been made for someone to care for the children. She also accused the father of her youngest child of setting her up.

The father, speaking to Local 10 News by phone through a translator, gave a different account.

He said Belizaire contacted him Thursday and asked whether he could watch their 2-month-old daughter. He said he told her he could not and understood that she planned to ask her mother to care for the children.

The children have different fathers, according to police.

The father said he later contacted the grandmother and learned she did not have the children. He then went to the family’s apartment in the area of Northeast 15th Avenue and 170th Street.

He said he did not have a key but could see the children inside the apartment. Video he provided to Local 10 News shows the children apparently watching television inside.

Concerned about his infant daughter, he called police.

North Miami Beach police said officers responded Saturday and forced their way into the apartment. Officers reported finding four children, including the 2-month-old, inside. Some of the children were found “hiding” in a bathroom, according to the arrest report.

Police said Belizaire had left Friday and was expected to return Monday.

The mother was aboard the Carnival Conquest, a cruise ship that sailed from Miami to the Bahamas, according to authorities. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies waited for her at PortMiami when the ship returned Monday, the arrest report states.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection held Belizaire before North Miami Beach police took her into custody, according to the report.

Belizaire’s public defender told a judge Tuesday that she denied the allegations.

During a hearing, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer questioned why the four children had been left alone.

“The poor kids were home alone,” Glazer said.

Glazer issued four stay-away orders and set Belizaire’s bond at $10,000. Miami-Dade County jail records show she was booked Monday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

The father said he did not intend to set Belizaire up and contacted police because he was concerned about his daughter.

He said he did not know who was caring for the other children after learning that their grandmother did not have them.

The case has since spread widely across social media, with questions about the circumstances surrounding the police call and Belizaire’s claim that someone was supposed to be watching the children.

Local 10 News reached out to Belizaire for comment Wednesday, but she declined to speak.

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All eastbound lanes of the Dolphin Expressway will close at Northwest 17th Avenue beginning at 10 p.m. Friday, and are expected to remain closed until 10 a.m. Saturday.

The closure will allow crews to safely place a reinforcing steel cage for a bridge support structure over the roadway.

Eastbound drivers will be directed to exit at Northwest 17th Avenue and continue south across Northwest Seventh Street. From there, drivers can turn left onto Southwest First Street, travel east and turn right onto South Miami Avenue before accessing ramps for northbound or southbound Interstate 95.

Drivers heading toward Biscayne Boulevard or the MacArthur Causeway can remain on Southwest First Street before turning left onto Biscayne Boulevard and connecting with the MacArthur Causeway entrance ramp at Northeast 11th Terrace.

Drivers traveling on Northwest 12th Avenue who want to reach the Dolphin Expressway eastbound, I-95, Biscayne Boulevard or the MacArthur Causeway can continue south on Northwest 12th Avenue before turning left onto Southwest First Street and following the designated detours.

Westbound lanes on the Dolphin Expressway also closing

Westbound SR 836 will also be affected Friday night.

Two westbound lanes will close beginning at 10 p.m., followed by a full closure of all westbound lanes between Northwest 12th and Northwest 17th avenues at 11 p.m.

The westbound closure is scheduled to remain in place until 8 a.m. Saturday.

Drivers will be directed to exit using the Northwest 12th Avenue ramp and turn left onto Northwest 12th Avenue. They can then turn right onto Northwest Seventh Street, followed by a right onto Northwest 17th Avenue, where they can continue north to reconnect with the Dolphin Expressway westbound lanes.

Drawbridge schedules temporarily changing

The construction will also result in a temporary change to the operating schedules for the Southwest First Street and West Flagler Street bridges over the Miami River.

On Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., both bridges will open on the hour and half-hour.

Outside of that four-hour period, the bridges will follow their normal operating schedules.

Public vessels of the United States, tugs and tugs with tow, as well as vessels in distress, will be allowed to pass at any time.

The temporary bridge schedule change is being made in support of the Dolphin Expressway closure. The U.S. Coast Guard will also announce the change through its notices to mariners.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the work is part of the I-395/SR 836/I-95 Design-Build Project, which is intended to add capacity, improve traffic flow and safety, and improve access along the three highways.

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Authorities said the case against Renel Troutman, 24, came amid an investigation into a “criminal organization” operating within the MDCR system.

“The organization relied upon incarcerated participants, outside organizers, narcotics suppliers, couriers, financial intermediaries, bettors and compromised correctional employees to acquire, transport, introduce, distribute, and finance narcotics and contraband within MDCR facilities,” a federal criminal complaint states.

Troutman was one of those “compromised” jailers, authorities said.

‘5-8 of them thangs’: Jailer helped smuggle drug-laced paper, authorities say

According to the complaint, Troutman worked with an unnamed “principal outside organizer who coordinated narcotics quantities, pricing, deliveries, payments, wagers, and outstanding balances with inmates and outside associates, while communicating with correctional personnel concerning institutional access, timing, inmate movement, and concealment.”

Authorities said Troutman used his knowledge and access to help smuggle in narcotics-laced paper containing the synthetic cannabinoid K2.

They said text message evidence showed Troutman communicating with the organizer and messages “repeatedly referred to ‘papers,’ ‘sheets,’ ‘big s---s,’ “drops,’ ‘scrolls,’ quantities such as ‘5–8 of them thangs’ and ’16 for 35,’ and difficulty ‘fitting 3 in a glove.’”

At one point, authorities said Troutman discussed concealing a shipment within a Panda Express delivery after telling the organizer that his colleagues were “unlikely to open a plate of food.”

They said electronic payment records also tied the individual to Troutman and said the “communications occurred against the backdrop of laboratory-confirmed seizures of synthetic-cannabinoid-laced paper from” the group.

Two seizures mentioned in the complaint, on Feb. 26, 2025 and Aug. 7, 2025, netted sheets of narcotics-laced paper, each representing thousands of individual doses.

The complaint also states Troutman discussed keeping his “face clean” and instructed that messages be deleted after use.

‘Madden’ and ‘Fool’: Allegations include ties to inmate gambling operation

Authorities said he also participated in the organization’s “gambling and related financial operation involving incarcerated bettors” and evidence showed that he communicated with the organizer “concerning wagers, balances, payments, and collection activity.”

Agents said evidence showed Troutman sending the organizer “an accounting identifying outstanding balances of $300 associated with ‘Madden,’ $300 associated with ‘Fool,’ and $2,400 associated with another inmate.” Agents said the organizer sent information on “Fool,” an inmate, including “housing location, psychiatric classification, telephone access, and anticipated movement within MDCR,” in order to help Troutman find him in the jail.

Communications also showed that the two “continued placing and discussing new wagers, including Hard Rock Bet wagers, sports selections, wager amounts, live betting, profit targets, and recurring wagering profits,” according to the complaint.

‘Put a switch on that s---’: Texts show gun discussions, agents say

According to the complaint, messages also tied Troutman to “firearms activity,” including discussions about machine-gun-conversion devices referred to as “switches.”

In one instance, messages showed Troutman explaining that he had a “plug” for switches ― a source capable of supplying them.

“Investigators separately identified an exchange in which (Troutman) told (the organizer), ‘You know why I’m hitting your phone,’ followed by a communication referring to ‘guns,’” the complaint states.

In the complaint, investigators included a text message transcript in which they said Troutman texted the individual, “How imma be looking if a n---a play and try to come in the crib,” followed by three laughing emojis and a photo of Troutman holding a shotgun.

“Put a switch on that s---,” agents said the organizer replied.

According to the complaint, Troutman said he had a “plug” for handguns but “(I don’t know) one for shotguns.”

‘You’ve seen the picture’: What agents say C.O. told them

Authorities said they conducted a search warrant on Troutman’s home on Wednesday and took him into custody.

They said he admitted to learning about the organizer “through an inmate approximately a year and a half earlier and acknowledged using the Hard Rock Bet gambling platform” and “acknowledged his operational role in the Enterprise’s gambling activity.”

Troutman, agents said, “initially attempted to limit his explanation to ‘the bookie,’ but ultimately explained, ‘You can’t put a slip in or anything and you can’t bet without me,’” going on to admit that the organizer’s “Hard Rock account was unusable and that (he) could not wager without (Troutman), including when an inmate associate directed (Troutman) to have (the organizer) ‘put a ticket in.’”

They said Troutman’s explanation for communicating with said “inmate associate” was, “I talk to a lot of people while at work,” saying he did so “to pass the time.”

Authorities said when questioning him about the drugs, however, he tried to claim that messages referring to “sheets” pertained to betting slips.

However, agents said they confronted Troutman with messages regarding “the physical preparation of the ‘papers’ and ‘sheets,’” which “discussed whether the material was the correct size, whether it was too large or too small, its physical thickness, folding it smaller, and physically compressing it.”

“Among other statements, the communications included: ‘That’s good size,’ ‘(t)o(o) big or too small,’ ‘it’s hard to get this s--- real small these s---s kinda thick,’ ‘I can prolly go run it over a few times,’ and ‘Ima try to fold it one more time and go run it over,’” the complaint states.

Troutman then replied by saying the organizer was “trying to make it more than betting” and that he “tried to make (Troutman) ‘do things he doesn’t need to be doing.’”

“When investigators asked what kinds of things (the organizer) was trying to make him do, (Troutman) responded, ‘you’ve seen the picture,’” the complaint states.

Authorities said he departed from his betting explanation after being shown a text message from the organizer stating, “I can’t make that s--- no smaller bro the papers don’t bend that small.”

“I don’t think I should go into detail,” Troutman is accused of telling agents.

Agents concluded that Troutman’s “own admissions and explanations are consistent with the narcotics evidence developed during the investigation.”

Charges could lead to hefty prison term

He now faces federal charges of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute, Hobbs Act extortion under color of official right, conspiracy and racketeering promotion.

He could face decades in prison if convicted.

Troutman was initially booked into the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, but no longer appeared in BSO inmate records as of Thursday afternoon.

Records show his case is being prosecuted in Miami federal court. The federal court docket did not immediately list any upcoming appearances as of Thursday afternoon.

Local 10 News has contacted MDCR seeking comment on Troutman’s arrest.

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Trevor Jay Johnston, 39, of Landis, North Carolina, was arrested on Tuesday after arriving at FLL on a JetBlue flight from Punta Cana, according to court documents made public on Thursday.

Authorities said customs officers pulled Johnston aside for a border search of his belongings and devices and a search of his Samsung Galaxy cellphone revealed “numerous” disturbing files and chats on messaging app Telegram, along with “numerous payments” made by Johnston for the illicit content.

According to a federal criminal complaint, he also had a GIF of child sexual abuse material, as well as screenshots of advertisements offering images and videos for purchase, in his phone’s gallery.

The complaint states that Johnston admitted to “receiving and purchasing files” and said “he did it numerous times because of the ‘rush.’”

Johnston now faces two federal charges related to the possession and transportation of child sexual abuse material.

As of Thursday morning, he was being held in the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail facility on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service.

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One of the changes involves license plate frames. Drivers could be pulled over if a frame covers the registration decal in the upper-right corner of the license plate or blocks the plate number.

Another new law strengthens penalties in certain animal cruelty cases. It is now a third-degree felony for an adult to commit aggravated animal cruelty in the presence of a minor or force a minor to commit an act of aggravated animal cruelty.

School safety and criminal penalties

A new school safety law makes it a second-degree felony to fire a weapon or firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.

House Bill 397 also creates a new criminal offense involving suspects who have been arrested and are released from custody before trial. The law applies when a suspect violates an order prohibiting contact with the alleged victim.

Changes for crashes and rental applications

Drivers involved in crashes will also see a change in the amount of estimated property damage that requires law enforcement involvement.

That threshold has increased from $500 to $2,000.

Another new law targets false information on rental applications.

It is now a third-degree felony to make a false statement about a person’s identity on a rental application, present counterfeit documents to a landlord or impersonate another person.

A memo sent to officers in ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division and obtained by The Associated Press warned they are not authorized to chase vehicles that fail to pull over under any circumstances. Instead, officers should take down the vehicles’ information for further investigation, according to the memo signed by ICE’s executive associate director Marcos D. Charles and dated Wednesday.

The new guidance comes after ICE-initiated vehicle stops have repeatedly escalated when drivers have refused to cooperate or tried to flee. ICE agents have fired their guns during more than a dozen such encounters since last year, killing at least four people and wounding several others.

President Donald Trump's administration has faced internal tension over how to handle traffic stops, which are seen as particularly high-risk encounters.

After fatal shootings of drivers in Maine and Texas in July, ICE officers were directed to temporarily pause most vehicle stops. But the next day, Trump went on social media to direct the agency to continue traffic stops, calling them “one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools.”

ICE has faced intense pressure from the White House to deport more people who are in the country illegally, and its arrests have reached record numbers. At the same time, the agency's rapid hiring spree last year resulted in some poorly vetted and trained officers hitting the streets.

ICE and the Department of Homeland Security had no immediate comment on the policy guidance.

The new memo outlines steps intended to improve the safety of vehicle stops for ICE officers, drivers they are targeting, their passengers and the public.

The memo told ICE’s field office directors that they must ensure vehicles used for traffic stops have lights and sirens that let the public know they are law enforcement vehicles when activated. All officers on the scenes of vehicle stops must wear and activate their body cameras, under the guidance.

In addition, only officers who have completed one of five specific agency training courses can conduct vehicle stops. Officers who have not completed the training courses can only participate in vehicle stops “in a support capacity” as passengers and cannot be the drivers of any of the vehicles involved.

The guidance says ICE officers can continue to use a controversial technique known as pinning, which is defined as “using a vehicle or physical barrier to trap or stop a car,” but only if they have received special training. Similarly, only trained officers can use spike strips that deflate tires to prevent drivers from fleeing.

The memo came the day that courtroom testimony highlighted ways in which two ICE officers involved in a vehicle stop, pursuit and shooting that wounded a delivery driver in Austin last month would not have complied with the new guidance.

During a bond hearing for Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, testimony showed that the officer who shot him wasn’t wearing a body-worn camera. The ICE officer who did have a camera was driving in a separate car and turned it off during the pursuit.

Prosecutors presented surveillance video that showed an ICE agent chasing Garces Perez at high speeds through residential streets after he fled an initial traffic stop.

Garces Perez faces federal assault charges after investigators say he struck an ICE officer with his driver’s side mirror. That officer then shot into Perez's vehicle, lodging a bullet in his back, officials say.

Attorneys for Garces Perez have called the charges against him “retaliation” and have argued that the camera footage was inconclusive because it didn’t fully capture the moment when he allegedly tried to flee.

___

Associated Press reporter Anna Wilder contributed to this report from Austin, Texas.

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Inspectors found more than 30 live flies in various areas, along with food-contact areas in need of cleaning and improperly hot-held rice.

The Chipotle at 6290 S. Dixie Highway in Miami was ordered shut Sept. 29 and was allowed to re-open following a cleanup and re-inspection.

Records show the Chicken Guy in Davie was also ordered shut due to a flying insect issue.

**CHIPOTLE

6290 SOUTH DIXIE HIGHWAY

SOUTH MIAMI

INSPECTION BASED ON COMPLAINT

ORDERED SHUT 9/29

5 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed 15+ live flies on single service items and soda syrup dispensers in kitchen outside of walk in cooler. Observed 1 live fly on wall in ware wash area. Observed 2 live flies at front counter area above POS system next to cold line. Observed 8 live flies in men & women’s restroom. Observed 1 live fly in women's restroom. Observed 6 live flies above and under soda fountain located in lobby.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed interior soiled prep across walk in.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed at front counter: white rice (125F - Hot Holding). As per operator, less than 2 hours.”

**CHICKEN GUY

4301 SOUTH UNIVERSITY DR.

DAVIE

ORDERED SHUT 9/30

9 VIOLATIONS FOUND

“Stop Sale issued due to food not being in a wholesome, sound condition. Presence of insects, rodents, or other pests. Observed approximately 10 ants crawling on and in a container of honey in the prep area. Operator disposed of the container of honey.”

“Live, small flying insects found. Observed approximately 6 small flying insects near the dishwashing area landing on clean dishes and walls. Observed approximately 20 small flying insects in the dry storage area landing in sealed packages of cereal and boxes of single service items. Observed approximately 15 small flying insects in the prep area landing on containers of spices, walls and tables. Observed approximately 5 small flying insects in the mop sink area landing on walls. Observed approximately 15 small flying insects at the front counter landing on registers, containers of ice cream toppings and boxes with bread.”

“Presence of insects, rodents, or other pests. Observed approximately 10 ants crawling on and in a container of honey in the prep area. Operator disposed of the container of honey.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed raw ground beef stored over ready to eat pepperoni and salami in the walk in cooler.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed walls by the triple sink and mop sink soiled.”

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Authorities said the case centers around Janet Risi Field, 66, of Pinecrest, the former CEO of Independent Purchasing Cooperative, a company based near Miami International Airport at 701 Waterford Way, and her brother Steven Louis Risi, 70, of Coral Gables. The two were indicted on Thursday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

IPC, founded in part by Risi Field in 1996 and which she led until she was fired in December 2021, is the “the purchasing and services cooperative” for Subway franchisees and “managed the chain’s North American supply chain and negotiated with vendors to establish the prices franchisees paid for food, supplies and services,” authorities said.

Risi Field took advantage of this, according to the DOJ, “by entering into a secret arrangement with co-conspirators who acted as brokers for IPC vendors who supplied franchisees with goods and services, including deli meats, cheeses and cookies.”

“Under the arrangement, the brokers allegedly shared a portion of the fees generated from vendor contracts with Risi Field and members of her family,” a DOJ news release states. “Risi Field, her brother, and other family members allegedly used shell companies to conceal more than $60 million in illegal bribe and kickback payments.”

The whole thing cost franchisees more than $80 million, a DOJ news release states.

Authorities accuse Risi Field of using the ill-gotten funds to make investments, remodel homes in Florida and North Carolina, buy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and pay for private club memberships, among other things.

Risi Field, prosecutors said, “caused a co-conspirator to fund a multimillion-dollar slush fund used to enrich herself and members of her family, including more than $420,000 paid to a Risi family personal assistant and more than $150,000 to Risi Field’s housekeeper and handyman.”

Additionally, authorities said Risi Field had a co-conspirator pay $8 million to settle a lawsuit from an ex-IPC contractor who had alleged that she maintained an inappropriate financial relationship with vendors and then hid the allegations and settlement from the IPC board.

Prosecutors accuse her and her brother of laundering millions through shell companies and controlled bank accounts, including $3.4 million used for her credit card bills and $1 million deposited into a joint account. Risi Field is accused of causing about $25 million in slush-fund payments, mainly benefiting herself and other co-conspirators.

Authorities said even after she was fired in 2021, IPC’s directors and Subway franchisees remained unaware of the scheme and Risi Field pocketed a $6 million severance payment.

Prosecutors said the siblings are both charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

Risi Field also faces several counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The two are now facing the possibility of decades in federal prison. Court documents were not immediately available online in the federal docket.

Additionally, the two did not appear in federal, Miami-Dade or Broward jail records.

It was the third day of trial on eight charges for Sanon, 67, who was born in Haiti, was a University Eugenio Maria de Hostos medical student in the Dominican Republic, and went on to serve in the Florida Baptist Convention.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean T. McLaughlin called an FBI special agent, who responded to Moïse’s private residence in Pétion-Ville after the deadly raid that involved dozens of mercenaries during the early hours of July 7, 2021.

Martine Moïse, the then-first lady, was shot in the arm. She testified on Tuesday that she heard the mercenaries speaking Spanish. Most of them were former soldiers who had served in the Colombian military.

“I thought everything was over. That I lost everyone. When I saw my children, I regained strength,” Martine Moïse said in court through tears.

On July 11, 2021, Haitian Police Chief Léon Charles announced the arrest of Sanon, who had arrived in a private plane with private security in June at Port-au-Prince.

In May, Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, and James Solages were convicted of the charges related to their role in recruiting the mercenaries. Eight co-conspirators pleaded guilty to related charges, including six who testified.

Pretel Ortiz, who was born in Colombia, and Intriago, who was born in Venezuela, co-owned Counter Terrorist Federal Academy, or CTFA, and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, or CTU Security, both based in Doral, according to prosecutors.

FBI Miami and HSI Miami investigated the cases, with assistance from the Department of State; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement; and the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

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• What to know as trials over the assassination of Haiti’s president resume in Miami

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Jail records show Brandon Marquez Flint, 33, is facing six new charges, including human trafficking involving a person younger than 18, deriving support from the proceeds of prostitution, sexual battery of a minor by an adult, sexual battery of a person ages 12 to 17 involving coercion or threats, delivering drug paraphernalia to a minor and contributing to the delinquency or dependency of a child.

According to a North Miami police, the new charges are tied to information provided to investigators by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force.

On Sept. 18, police said they were notified that a woman involved in a July 9 incident was being reported as a victim of human trafficking in North Miami.

The woman told investigators about a “planned home invasion robbery” that occurred July 9 at a rental home in the 800 block of Northeast 121st Street, according to the report.

Police initially responded to the home after a 911 call reporting a robbery. A woman who was at the home was identified as the caller and interviewed by investigators, according to the report.

The woman told police she had gone to the rental home to meet the victim of the July home invasion for a date.

According to the report, the woman later told investigators she did not know a robbery was going to take place.

Police said the victim of the home invasion robbery was a man who was paralyzed from the waist down and used a motorized scooter. According to an earlier arrest report, those involved in the robbery knew he was paralyzed and considered him an “easy lick,” which police said meant an easy robbery.

The victim said the co-defendant, whom police identified as Marianna Rocio Davila Luna, 26, drove to the rental home to collect money from the paralyzed man who was on the date with her. During the payment transaction, Davila Luna allegedly saw drugs and cash inside the residence and called Flint to tell him what she had seen, according to the report.

Police said Flint and Davila Luna then interrupted the date as the woman was leaving the home, and the planned robbery was carried out.

After leaving the scene and speaking with police, the woman later reunited with Flint and Davila Luna and saw the unidentified man who had participated in the robbery, according to the report. She told investigators she was called “stupid” and a “snitch” and was insulted for contacting police, the report states.

The woman also told investigators that she later learned the robbery had been planned, according to police.

Police said the woman described her relationship with Flint and Davila Luna as one involving “control, force, fear and coercion.” The woman alleged she had been forced to have sex with multiple men in exchange for cash payments or Cash App payments at a “trap house,” according to the report.

The same July 9 incident was the subject of an earlier arrest involving Flint and Jamarcus Brooks.

According to Brooks’ arrest report, investigators said the victim of the robbery was paralyzed from the waist down and used a motorized scooter. Police said Brooks entered the apartment while an armed man was present, forcibly removed the victim from the scooter, tied his hands with a white USB charging cable and dragged him into a bedroom.

Brooks was accused of stealing a bank bag containing about $2,000 before fleeing the residence.

Investigators later identified Flint, who police said goes by the nickname “Twin Twin,” as someone allegedly involved in planning the robbery. According to the earlier report, Brooks told investigators that the victim was known to have money and marijuana and that those involved knew he was paralyzed.

Investigators said they found communications between Brooks and a contact saved as “Twin Twin.” Police said the phone number was linked to Flint.

At about 3:17 a.m. on July 9, shortly before the robbery, Brooks sent Flint a message asking, “Let me know when she coming out?” according to the report. Police said Flint responded with a thumbs-up emoji at about 3:27 a.m.

The robbery occurred moments later as the woman was leaving the residence, according to police.

Later that day, Brooks sent Flint the address of the residence and another message referring to a person with “6ft long dreads” and a “mouth full of golds,” the report states.

Police said Brooks also told investigators that Flint and Flint’s girlfriend later picked him up after he fled the area because of the police response.

Records show Flint was arrested July 12 on charges of home invasion robbery and domestic battery in connection with the robbery that occurred earlier that month.

As of Thursday, Flint and Brooks remained held without bond at the Metrowest Detention Center. Davila Luna’s charges and bond information wasn’t immediately available.

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According to records, Ross, whose real name is William Leonard Roberts, was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center at 6:10 a.m. on a battery by strangulation charge.

The 50-year-old’s arrest comes days after his now ex-girlfriend, Jazzma Kendrick, took to Instagram to publicly accuse him of physically abusing her.

Last weekend, Kendrick posted an Instagram Story, sharing a DM from a fan who told her, “I’m seeing what Rick is seeing your (sic) so gorgeous.”

Kendrick responded, “He saw a punching bag.”

An arrest report from the Miami Beach Police Department names the victim in the case only by the initials J.K.

According to the report, the victim went to the police department Tuesday to report a domestic violence incident that she said occurred on the morning of Aug. 28.

Police said the victim and Ross had been in a relationship for about a year and lived together at the time of the incident.

According to the report, the victim claimed that she was awakened by Ross on Aug. 28, as he was enraged that she had been tagged in a photo on Instagram.

Police said Ross questioned the victim, accused her of lying to him and then slapped her in the face.

The rapper then accused the victim of being involved with a man she claimed she was only friends with, authorities said.

According to the report, Ross followed the victim around as he questioned her and struck her each time she denied the accusations.

Police said Ross also struck the victim several times in the chest and choked her to the point that she couldn’t breathe by grabbing the collar of her hoodie and twisting it.

Authorities said the rapper then grabbed the victim by her ponytail and slammed her into a wall before striking her in the face as she was bent over, leaving her with a “busted lip.”

According to the report, Ross then pushed the victim to the floor of a bathroom, grabbed the shower head and tried to spray her with water.

The victim was able to escape from the bathroom and leave the home, authorities said.

According to the report, the victim returned to the property and waited for Ross to leave before she gathered her belongings and left again.

Police said the victim called a friend to pick her up, but surveillance video shows that the friend was turned away from the property.

According to the report, Ross surrendered himself at the police station Thursday morning and did not provide a statement about the incident.

He appeared in bond court later in the morning, where his attorney, Bradley Horenstein, asked for his release to be expediated because Ross is a “celebrity.”

“Mr. Roberts is a celebrity,” Horenstein told Judge Mindy Glazer.

“So what does that mean?” Glazer asked.

“I don’t know to whatever degree your honor can, but I’d ask that his release be expediated,” Horenstein said. “He’s in a red jumpsuit and for purposes of his safety. I don’t know what your honor can do.”

Glazer appeared to be less than impressed, saying she didn’t know who the rapper was but that he would “be treated fairly just like everybody else here.”

She ultimately granted him a $5,000 bond and he was released from jail shortly after. Glazer ordered him to stay away from the victim.

After posting bond, Ross addressed reporters outside TGK shortly after noon, saying he is “totally innocent” and plans to vacation to Dubai and Paris this weekend.

“First and foremost, I am totally innocent of these fabricated allegations made against me,” Ross said. “Now, I have an amazing team, such an amazing team  … what my weekend looks like, I’ll be in Dubai tomorrow, Paris Saturday and I plan on having a bowl of rigatoni with heavy marinara Sunday."

While Ross is originally from Mississippi, he grew up in Miami-Dade’s Carol City and has homes in Atlanta and Miami Beach’s Star Island.

He has had numerous hit songs over his career, including “Aston Martin Music” and “Hustlin’.”

Según las autoridades, el caso contra Renel Troutman, de 24 años, surgió en medio de una investigación sobre una “organización criminal” que operaba dentro del sistema de MDCR.

“La organización dependía de participantes encarcelados, organizadores externos, proveedores de narcóticos, mensajeros, intermediarios financieros, apostadores y empleados penitenciarios corruptos para adquirir, transportar, introducir, distribuir y financiar narcóticos y contrabando dentro de las instalaciones de MDCR”, señala una denuncia penal federal.

Troutman era uno de esos carceleros “corruptos”, según las autoridades.

“De 5 a 8 de esas vainas”: el carcelero ayudó a meter papel con drogas, según las autoridades

De acuerdo con la denuncia, Troutman trabajaba con un “organizador externo principal”, cuyo nombre no se revela, “que coordinaba con los reclusos y sus socios de afuera las cantidades de narcóticos, los precios, las entregas, los pagos, las apuestas y los saldos pendientes, mientras se comunicaba con personal penitenciario sobre el acceso a las instalaciones, los horarios, los traslados de reclusos y cómo esconder la mercancía”.

Las autoridades indicaron que Troutman usó su conocimiento y su acceso para ayudar a introducir papel impregnado con K2, un cannabinoide sintético.

Según las autoridades, los mensajes de texto muestran a Troutman comunicándose con el organizador, y en ellos se hablaba “una y otra vez de ‘papeles’, ‘hojas’, ‘m----s grandes’, ‘entregas’, ‘rollos’, de cantidades como ‘de 5 a 8 de esas vainas’ y ’16 por 35′, y de lo difícil que era ‘meter 3 en un guante’”.

En un momento dado, Troutman habló de esconder un cargamento en un pedido de Panda Express, después de decirle al organizador que era “poco probable” que sus compañeros “abrieran un plato de comida”, según las autoridades.

Agregaron que los registros de pagos electrónicos también vinculan a esa persona con Troutman, y que “las comunicaciones ocurrieron en paralelo a decomisos de papel impregnado con cannabinoides sintéticos” del grupo, confirmados por laboratorio.

En dos decomisos mencionados en la denuncia, el 26 de febrero y el 7 de agosto de 2025, se incautaron hojas de papel impregnadas con drogas, cada una equivalente a miles de dosis individuales.

La denuncia también señala que Troutman habló de mantener “la cara limpia” y pidió que se borraran los mensajes después de usarlos.

“Madden” y “Fool”: lo vinculan con una red de apuestas entre reclusos

Las autoridades afirmaron que Troutman también participaba en la “operación de apuestas y finanzas con apostadores encarcelados” de la organización, y que las pruebas muestran que se comunicaba con el organizador “sobre apuestas, saldos, pagos y cobros”.

Según los agentes, las pruebas muestran que Troutman le envió al organizador “unas cuentas con saldos pendientes de $300 a nombre de ‘Madden’, $300 a nombre de ‘Fool’ y $2,400 a nombre de otro recluso”. Los agentes indicaron que el organizador le mandó a Troutman información sobre “Fool”, un recluso, que incluía “su ubicación en la cárcel, su clasificación psiquiátrica, su acceso al teléfono y los traslados previstos dentro de MDCR”, para ayudarlo a encontrarlo.

De acuerdo con la denuncia, las comunicaciones también muestran que los dos “siguieron haciendo y comentando nuevas apuestas, entre ellas apuestas en Hard Rock Bet, selecciones deportivas, montos, apuestas en vivo, metas de ganancias y ganancias recurrentes”.

“Ponle un switch a esa m----”: los mensajes hablan de armas, según los agentes

Según la denuncia, los mensajes también vinculan a Troutman con “actividades relacionadas con armas de fuego”, incluidas conversaciones sobre dispositivos que convierten armas en ametralladoras, conocidos como “switches”.

En una ocasión, los mensajes muestran a Troutman explicando que tenía un “plug” para switches, es decir, alguien que podía conseguírselos.

“Por separado, los investigadores identificaron un intercambio en el que (Troutman) le dijo a (el organizador): ‘Tú sabes por qué te estoy escribiendo’, seguido de un mensaje en el que se mencionaban ‘armas’”, indica la denuncia.

Los investigadores incluyeron en la denuncia la transcripción de un mensaje en el que, según ellos, Troutman le escribió a esa persona: “Así es como me van a encontrar si algún n---a se pone a jugar y trata de meterse en la casa”, seguido de tres emojis de risa y una foto suya con una escopeta en la mano.

“Ponle un switch a esa m----”, respondió el organizador, según los agentes.

De acuerdo con la denuncia, Troutman dijo que tenía un “plug” para pistolas, pero que “(no conozco) uno para escopetas”.

“Ustedes vieron la foto”: lo que el oficial les dijo a los agentes

Las autoridades indicaron que el miércoles ejecutaron una orden de registro en la casa de Troutman y lo arrestaron.

Según los agentes, Troutman admitió que conoció al organizador “a través de un recluso hace aproximadamente un año y medio”, “reconoció que usaba la plataforma de apuestas Hard Rock Bet” y “admitió su papel operativo en las actividades de apuestas de la organización”.

Troutman, según los agentes, “al principio trató de limitar su explicación a ‘el corredor de apuestas’, pero al final explicó: ‘No puedes meter una apuesta ni nada, y no puedes apostar sin mí’”. Luego admitió que la cuenta de Hard Rock del organizador “no se podía usar” y que este “no podía apostar sin (Troutman)”, incluso cuando un recluso asociado le pidió a Troutman que el organizador “metiera un boleto”.

Según las autoridades, Troutman explicó que se comunicaba con ese “recluso asociado” porque “hablo con mucha gente en el trabajo”, y que lo hacía “para pasar el rato”.

Sin embargo, cuando lo interrogaron sobre las drogas, intentó alegar que los mensajes que mencionaban “hojas” se referían a boletos de apuestas, según las autoridades.

Los agentes dijeron que entonces le mostraron mensajes sobre “la preparación física de los ‘papeles’ y las ‘hojas’”, en los que “se discutía si el material tenía el tamaño correcto, si era muy grande o muy pequeño, su grosor, doblarlo más pequeño y comprimirlo”.

“Entre otras cosas, los mensajes decían: ‘Ese tamaño está bien’, ‘¿muy grande o muy pequeño?’, ‘cuesta mucho dejar esta m---- bien pequeña, estas m----s son medio gruesas’, ‘a lo mejor le paso por encima unas cuantas veces’ y ‘voy a tratar de doblarlo una vez más y pasarle por encima’”, señala la denuncia.

Troutman respondió entonces que el organizador “quería que fuera algo más que apuestas” y que intentaba que él “hiciera cosas que no debería estar haciendo”.

“Cuando los investigadores le preguntaron qué tipo de cosas (el organizador) intentaba que hiciera, (Troutman) respondió: ‘ustedes vieron la foto’”, indica la denuncia.

Según las autoridades, Troutman dejó de lado la explicación de las apuestas después de que le mostraran un mensaje del organizador que decía: “No puedo hacer esa m---- más chiquita, bro, los papeles no se doblan tanto”.

“No creo que deba entrar en detalles”, les habría dicho Troutman a los agentes.

Los agentes concluyeron que “sus propias admisiones y explicaciones coinciden con las pruebas sobre narcóticos reunidas durante la investigación”.

Podría enfrentar una larga condena

Troutman enfrenta cargos federales de conspiración para poseer sustancias controladas con intención de distribuirlas, extorsión bajo la Ley Hobbs amparándose en su cargo oficial, conspiración y promoción de actividades de crimen organizado.

Si lo declaran culpable, podría pasar décadas en prisión.

Troutman fue ingresado inicialmente en la cárcel principal de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward en Fort Lauderdale, pero el jueves en la tarde ya no aparecía en los registros de reclusos de BSO.

Los registros muestran que su caso se lleva en el tribunal federal de Miami. Hasta el jueves en la tarde, el registro del tribunal no mostraba audiencias próximas.

Local 10 News se comunicó con MDCR para pedir comentarios sobre el arresto de Troutman.

El restaurante cerró el 29 de septiembre y pudo reabrir tras corregir los problemas. Al día siguiente, el 30 de septiembre, los registros muestran que el Chicken Guy de Davie también recibió la orden de cierre por un problema de insectos voladores.

The documents, as described by The New York Times, trace the woman's shift from seeing the alleged encounter as a dismaying embarrassment to seeing it as a sexual assault — one she then reported to campus police, discussed with the university's internal investigators and is pursuing in a lawsuit filed in September. The case has roiled the Ivy League campus and has raised questions about why no criminal case was brought.

According to the Times’ report of records and statements gathered during the inquiry:

The day after the Oct. 19, 2024, party at the Chi Phi fraternity house, the woman got back to her room and told her roommates she'd taken ketamine — a powerful anesthetic sometimes used as a party drug — and had sex with multiple men. The roommates said that at that point, the woman didn't describe the events as rape or assault, but one roommate noted: “I don’t really remember her ever kind of citing that she had said yes to anything that occurred,” the newspaper reported.

Texts between accuser and one of the accused

The following day, the woman got a text message from one of the men she would later accuse in her sexual assault lawsuit. He texted that he “just wanted to apologize for how things went down the other night” and regretted that he and a fellow fraternity brother — also now a defendant in the woman's lawsuit — had been too intoxicated to “shut it down and kick people out before it got way out of hand.”

The woman texted back that “at the end of the day non of the sexual stuff was illegal” that she had liked being with the two men.

But by Oct. 23, 2024, she was growing distraught that word of the episode had spread around campus. Soon, she saw a post in an online forum about campus Greek life that asserted that Chi Phi brothers had gang raped a sophomore and should be reported.

“That’s the first time I had ever heard the narrative change that I wasn’t a whore and that I was assaulted,” she later told investigators.

Over the days after that post, her tone became more aggrieved — “how could you let this happen?” — as she kept communicating with the first Chi Phi brother who'd texted her after the party. Still, she planned to attend the fraternity's Halloween Party, until she was disinvited.

On Nov. 3, 2024, she texted the man: “let’s be clear that 90% of what happened that night was not consensual,” saying she'd been given a lot of ketamine. While her memories were patchy, they included a humiliating, drug-laced sexual act, she wrote.

“I know that i told u i felt uncomfortable and i didn’t know anyone in the room,” she added.

She went to Cornell campus police five days later and spoke to them again on Nov. 14 and 15, 2024, telling them: “I can say with 100% confidence I was raped,” according to a report by CBS New York, which said it obtained a transcript of her police interview.

Cornell plans a forum Thursday night

Cornell's student government planned a public forum Thursday on sexual violence to allow students to demand “institutional accountability" and talk about their own experiences on campus.

Cornell has said it suspended the Chi Phi fraternity indefinitely and disciplined or expelled some students, but the university has declined to provide specifics, citing student privacy rules.

The local district attorney, Matthew Van Houten, declined at the time to bring any criminal charges, but this week said he would reopen the investigation based on new information in the woman’s lawsuit, which identifies her only by the pseudonym Jane Doe.

He has maintained the woman’s first account to police didn’t include allegations that she was drugged against her will, incapacitated beyond the ability to consent, or forced into sex. After CBS News this week revealed details from the police interview transcript, he told the network he'd never seen her detailed account and had relied instead on a statement written by a campus police officer and signed by the accuser.

She's suing seven men who she said participated in the assault, as well as the university, the fraternity, and others.

Lawyers for two of the men she is suing have denied they participated in a sexual assault. One said his client hadn't touched the woman or engaged in any drug use. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the other men or their representatives have been unsuccessful.

Under pressure from the public and politicians, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, the private university agreed Wednesday to bring in outside lawyers to independently investigate how it handled the woman’s allegations.

A small group of campaigners from the “Stop the Game” initiative had gathered close to the stadium and displayed a Palestinian flag and banners in support of Ireland player Gavin Bazunu, who decided Saturday to boycott both of his team’s matches against Israel.

A larger protest organized by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign was due to take place outside the stadium later, as well as other protests it organized around the country.

They’re calling for Ireland to boycott its remaining Nations League match against Israel — Ireland’s “home” game though it’s set to be played without any fans present in in Backa Topola, Serbia on Sunday.

The Football Association of Ireland moved the game to an neutral venue for “operational reasons” in June following widespread calls for a boycott. It also followed the FAI’s own motion the previous November calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions.

The “Stop the Game” initiative, which on Wednesday issued an open letter to the squad and its coach Heimir Hallgrimsson asking them not to play on Sunday, has also asked the Irish government and FAI to cancel the game.

Ireland already played Israel’s “home” game in Debrecen, Hungary last Sunday, when the Irish players wore black armbands and scored three first-half goals to win 3-0.

The players deliberated for hours Saturday on whether they should play at all after Bazunu informed the coach that morning that he wished to withdraw from both games.

FAI chief executive David Courell said the players voted and that a “a significant majority” were in favor of playing. Widespread reports suggested the vote was 14-8 in favor, excluding Bazunu, who had already departed.

Bazunu, Ireland’s reserve goalkeeper, was back in the squad for Austria’s visit.

The team has been coming under increasing pressure in Ireland, where affinity with Palestinians is strong, to boycott both games against Israel.

The FAI has resisted the calls, arguing the team could be hit with punishing sanctions by UEFA. Ireland is co-hosting the 2028 European Championship with England, Wales and Scotland.

Irish fans threw tennis balls onto the field during Ireland’s friendly game against Qatar in May to protest against the games against Israel going ahead.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The Texas Board of Pardons and Parole, which is appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, rejected Amber Guyger's initial parole request in 2024 but approved her case over the objections of the victim's family the first time she was eligible to return.

Guyger was convicted of murder in the 2018 killing of Botham Jean, an accountant from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia, who had been eating a bowl of ice cream when Guyger entered his home and shot him.

The shooting drew widespread attention because of the strange circumstances and because it was one in a string of shootings of Black men by white police officers. Guyger’s sentencing hearing also included a stunning courtroom scene when Jean’s brother and the Black judge presiding over the case embraced the sobbing officer.

During her murder trial, Guyger said that after a long shift at work and still in uniform, she walked up to Jean’s apartment — which was on the fourth floor, directly above hers on the third — and found the door unlocked. She said she thought the apartment was her own and that Jean was an intruder when she drew her service weapon and entered.

Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt said Jean's family “strongly opposed this parole.”

“They stood up again and again to ask that the full sentence be served. A 10-year sentence was already a fraction of what was lost. Releasing Ms. Guyger after seven years makes that loss feel even smaller in the eyes of the system. It is not smaller,” Merritt said.

In 2024, a jury awarded Jean’s family nearly $100 million in a federal civil trial.

In granting her release, the board said it reviewed a “plethora” of information in her case.

The board said Guyger's record did not include a documented pattern of violent or assaultive arrests or convictions, and showed she has participated and completed programs in her prison treatment plan to get and keep a job when she is released. It said she also “maintained a satisfactory institutional adjustment.”

The board said the state prison system will determine when she is released. Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

De acuerdo con esos registros, Ross, cuyo nombre real es William Leonard Roberts, fue ingresado en el Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center a las 6:10 a.m. por un cargo de agresión con estrangulamiento.

El arresto del artista de 50 años se produce días después de que su ahora expareja, Jazzma Kendrick, lo acusara públicamente en Instagram de maltratarla físicamente.

El fin de semana pasado, Kendrick publicó una historia en Instagram con un mensaje directo de un seguidor que le decía: “Ya entiendo lo que Rick ve en ti, eres bellísima”.

Kendrick le respondió: “Él vio un saco de boxeo”.

Un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Miami Beach identifica a la víctima solo con las iniciales J.K.

Según el informe, la mujer acudió el martes a la estación de policía para denunciar un incidente de violencia doméstica que, según dijo, ocurrió en la mañana del 28 de agosto.

La policía indicó que la víctima y Ross llevaban alrededor de un año de relación y vivían juntos cuando ocurrieron los hechos.

De acuerdo con el informe, la mujer aseguró que ese 28 de agosto Ross la despertó furioso porque la habían etiquetado en una foto en Instagram.

La policía detalló que Ross la interrogó, la acusó de mentirle y luego le dio una bofetada.

Después, el rapero la acusó de tener algo con un hombre que, según ella, era solo un amigo, informaron las autoridades.

Según el informe, Ross la siguió por la casa mientras la interrogaba y la golpeaba cada vez que ella negaba las acusaciones.

La policía señaló que Ross también le dio varios golpes en el pecho y la asfixió hasta dejarla sin poder respirar: la agarró por el cuello de la sudadera con capucha y lo retorció.

Las autoridades afirmaron que luego el rapero la agarró por la cola de caballo, la estrelló contra una pared y la golpeó en la cara mientras estaba agachada, lo que le dejó el labio partido.

Según el informe, Ross después la tiró al piso de un baño, agarró la regadera e intentó echarle agua.

La víctima logró salir del baño y escapar de la casa, indicaron las autoridades.

De acuerdo con el informe, la mujer regresó más tarde, esperó a que Ross se fuera y luego recogió sus pertenencias y volvió a marcharse.

La policía explicó que la víctima llamó a una amiga para que la recogiera, pero un video de vigilancia muestra que a esa persona no la dejaron entrar a la propiedad.

Según el informe, Ross se entregó el jueves en la mañana en la estación de policía y no hizo declaraciones sobre el incidente.

Horas después compareció en una audiencia de fianza, donde su abogado, Bradley Horenstein, pidió que se agilizara su liberación porque Ross es una “celebridad”.

“El señor Roberts es una celebridad”, le dijo Horenstein a la jueza Mindy Glazer.

“¿Y eso qué quiere decir?”, le preguntó Glazer.

“No sé hasta qué punto su señoría pueda hacerlo, pero le pido que se agilice su liberación”, insistió Horenstein. “Ya tiene puesto el uniforme rojo, y es por su seguridad. No sé qué pueda hacer su señoría”.

Glazer no pareció muy impresionada. Dijo que no sabía quién era el rapero, pero que lo iban a “tratar de manera justa, igual que a todos los que están aquí”.

Al final le concedió una fianza de $5,000, y Ross salió de la cárcel poco después. La jueza le ordenó mantenerse alejado de la víctima.

Tras pagar la fianza, Ross habló con los periodistas a las afueras de TGK poco después del mediodía. Aseguró que es “totalmente inocente” y dijo que este fin de semana piensa irse de vacaciones a Dubái y París.

“Ante todo, soy totalmente inocente de estas acusaciones inventadas en mi contra”, afirmó Ross. “Tengo un equipo increíble, de verdad increíble… Así va a ser mi fin de semana: mañana voy a estar en Dubái, el sábado en París y el domingo pienso comerme un plato de rigatoni con bastante salsa marinara”.

Aunque Ross es originario de Mississippi, creció en Carol City, en Miami-Dade, y tiene casas en Atlanta y en Star Island, en Miami Beach.

A lo largo de su carrera ha tenido numerosos éxitos, entre ellos “Aston Martin Music” y “Hustlin’”.

The university showcased the work of some of its most notable alumni, including the creators of CAPTCHA, the person credited with developing the hashtag and artist Andy Warhol.

The examples were presented to highlight the possibilities a Carnegie Mellon campus could bring to Miami, combining a focus on technology and innovation with an emphasis on the human side of those advances.

The event included remarks from Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Griffin is providing $3 billion to support the creation of the university’s Wynwood campus, one of the largest gifts in higher education history.

The planned 35-acre campus in Wynwood is expected to accommodate about 3,500 students and employ more than 900 faculty and staff, according to the university.

University officials say Miami’s entrepreneurial culture and openness to new ideas make the city a natural location for the campus. They also say the school will take a different approach to education, with students and faculty focused on addressing societal challenges through technology and innovation.

Jahanian said the Miami campus will be built specifically for the changing demands of innovation.

“CMU Miami will be designed from the ground up - for a new era of innovation,” he said.

DeSantis also highlighted the importance of technology and said Florida is well positioned to play a role in that future.

The governor said the university’s presence will have an impact on the state beyond the campus itself.

Construction is scheduled to begin next year, with the university expecting the campus to open as soon as 2028.

Según los registros de la cárcel, Brandon Marquez Flint, de 33 años, enfrenta seis nuevos cargos: trata de personas con una víctima menor de 18 años, vivir de las ganancias de la prostitución, agresión sexual de un adulto contra un menor, agresión sexual con coacción o amenazas contra una persona de entre 12 y 17 años, entregarle parafernalia de drogas a un menor y contribuir a la delincuencia o dependencia de un menor.

De acuerdo con la Policía de North Miami, los nuevos cargos se basan en información que el Grupo Especial contra la Trata de Personas de la Fiscalía Estatal de Miami-Dade les entregó a los investigadores.

La policía informó que el 18 de septiembre le notificaron que una mujer involucrada en un incidente ocurrido el 9 de julio había sido reportada como víctima de trata de personas en North Miami.

Según el informe, la mujer les habló a los investigadores de un “robo planificado” que ocurrió el 9 de julio en una casa de alquiler en la cuadra 800 de la calle 121 del noreste.

La policía acudió inicialmente a la vivienda tras una llamada al 911 que reportaba un robo. Los investigadores identificaron como autora de la llamada a una mujer que estaba en la casa y la entrevistaron, según el informe.

La mujer le contó a la policía que había ido a la casa de alquiler para tener una cita con el hombre que luego sería víctima del asalto.

De acuerdo con el informe, más tarde la mujer les dijo a los investigadores que no sabía que iba a ocurrir un robo.

La víctima contó que la coacusada, a quien la policía identificó como Marianna Rocio Davila Luna, de 26 años, llegó en auto a la casa para cobrarle al hombre con el que ella estaba en la cita. Durante ese pago, Davila Luna presuntamente vio drogas y dinero en efectivo dentro de la vivienda y llamó a Flint para contarle lo que había visto, según el informe.

La policía indicó que entonces se planeó el robo, que se llevó a cabo cuando la mujer salía de la casa.

Según el informe, después de irse del lugar y hablar con la policía, la mujer volvió a reunirse con Flint y Davila Luna, y vio al hombre no identificado que había participado en el robo. Les dijo a los investigadores que la llamaron “estúpida” y “soplona” y que la insultaron por haber contactado a la policía.

La mujer también contó a los investigadores que después se enteró de que el robo había sido planeado, según la policía.

De acuerdo con la policía, la mujer describió su relación con Flint y Davila Luna como una de “control, fuerza, miedo y coacción”. Según el informe, aseguró que la obligaban a tener relaciones sexuales con varios hombres a cambio de pagos en efectivo o por Cash App en una “trap house”, como se conoce a las casas donde se venden drogas.

Ese mismo incidente del 9 de julio ya había dado lugar a un arresto anterior de Flint y de Jamarcus Brooks.

Según el informe de arresto de Brooks, los investigadores indicaron que la víctima del robo estaba paralizada de la cintura para abajo y usaba un scooter motorizado. La policía señaló que Brooks entró al apartamento mientras había un hombre armado presente, sacó a la fuerza a la víctima del scooter, le amarró las manos con un cable blanco de cargador USB y la arrastró hasta un dormitorio.

Brooks fue acusado de robar una bolsa bancaria con unos $2,000 antes de huir de la vivienda.

Más adelante, los investigadores identificaron a Flint, a quien según la policía apodan “Twin Twin”, como una de las personas que presuntamente planearon el robo. De acuerdo con el informe anterior, Brooks les dijo a los investigadores que se sabía que la víctima tenía dinero y marihuana, y que los involucrados sabían que estaba paralizada.

Según el informe, Brooks también le dijo a la policía que la víctima sería un “golpe fácil”, es decir, un robo sencillo.

Los investigadores dijeron haber encontrado mensajes entre Brooks y un contacto guardado como “Twin Twin”. La policía indicó que ese número de teléfono estaba vinculado a Flint.

A eso de las 3:17 a.m. del 9 de julio, poco antes del robo, Brooks le escribió a Flint: “¿Me avisas cuando salga ella?”, según el informe. La policía señaló que Flint respondió con un emoji de pulgar arriba alrededor de las 3:27 a.m.

El robo ocurrió momentos después, cuando la mujer salía de la vivienda, según la policía.

Más tarde ese mismo día, Brooks le envió a Flint la dirección de la casa y otro mensaje en el que hablaba de una persona con “rastas de seis pies de largo” y “la boca llena de dientes de oro”, según el informe.

La policía indicó que Brooks también les dijo a los investigadores que Flint y su novia lo recogieron después de que él huyera de la zona por la llegada de la policía.

Los registros muestran que Flint fue arrestado el 12 de julio por cargos de robo con allanamiento de morada y violencia doméstica en relación con el robo ocurrido a principios de ese mes.

Hasta el jueves, Flint y Brooks seguían detenidos sin derecho a fianza en el Metrowest Detention Center. Los cargos de Davila Luna y la información sobre su fianza no estaban disponibles de inmediato.

Trevor Jay Johnston, de 39 años y residente de Landis, Carolina del Norte, fue arrestado el martes al llegar a FLL en un vuelo de JetBlue desde Punta Cana, según documentos judiciales que se hicieron públicos el jueves.

Las autoridades indicaron que los agentes de aduanas apartaron a Johnston para someter sus pertenencias y dispositivos a un registro fronterizo. Al revisar su celular Samsung Galaxy, encontraron “numerosos” archivos y conversaciones perturbadoras en la aplicación de mensajería Telegram, además de “numerosos pagos” que Johnston había hecho por ese contenido ilegal.

De acuerdo con una denuncia penal federal, en la galería del teléfono también había un GIF con material de abuso sexual infantil y capturas de pantalla de anuncios que ofrecían imágenes y videos a la venta.

Según la denuncia, Johnston admitió que “recibía y compraba archivos” y dijo que “lo había hecho muchas veces por la ‘adrenalina’”.

Johnston enfrenta ahora dos cargos federales relacionados con la posesión y el transporte de material de abuso sexual infantil.

Hasta el jueves en la mañana, permanecía en la cárcel principal de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward a disposición del Servicio de Alguaciles de EE.UU. (U.S. Marshals Service).

Un cliente residencial que consume 800 kilovatios-hora al mes sufrirá un aumento de la factura mensual alrededor de un 18%, de 229 a 271 dólares, según el Negociado de Energía de Puerto Rico, que aprobó el alza.

La nueva tarifa se mantendrá vigente hasta al menos el 31 de diciembre y se espera que eleve un costo de vida ya alto en la isla de 3,2 millones de habitantes, donde más del 40% de los residentes vive en la pobreza.

La nueva tarifa de 33,86 centavos por kWh supera con creces la tarifa promedio de 18,3 centavos por kWh para clientes residenciales en el territorio continental de Estados Unidos, según la Administración de Información Energética de Estados Unidos.

Luma Energy, que supervisa la transmisión y distribución de electricidad en Puerto Rico, había solicitado un aumento de más de seis centavos por kWh y subrayó que no generará ingresos adicionales para la empresa, sino que cubrirá un incremento de costos.

"Esta diferencia se debe a un mayor consumo de energía ante las altas temperaturas del verano, al alza en el costo del petróleo en todo el mundo por el conflicto en Medio Oriente, que limita el transporte de combustible y encarece el producto, al mayor uso de las baterías de los clientes y al uso de combustible más caro cuando las plantas de generación no producen suficiente energía”, señaló Luma en un comunicado.

El aumento se produce cuando los apagones persisten casi una década después que la red eléctrica de Puerto Rico quedara arrasada por el huracán María, cuando azotó la isla en 2017 como una poderosa tormenta de categoría 4, aunque la red ya era débil debido a décadas de falta de mantenimiento e inversión.

La semana pasada, un gran incendio que se desató en una subestación dejó a más de 200.000 clientes sin electricidad en el más reciente apagón que afectó la isla.

El Negociado de Energía indicó en un comunicado a última hora del miércoles que aprobó un aumento de 5,28 centavos por kWh para reducir la carga financiera sobre los clientes.

Precisó que no trasladó el costo de 17,6 millones de dólares asociado con lo que calificó como presuntos incumplimientos de New Fortress Energy para suministrar combustible de junio a agosto.

“Los costos de combustible no deben trasladarse automáticamente al consumidor por el solo hecho de haber sido incurridos o facturados”, manifestó el Negociado de Energía.

New Fortress Energy suministra gas natural a plantas de generación eléctrica en la costa norte de Puerto Rico. Actualmente, esas plantas están usando diésel —lo que eleva los costos— porque a un buque cargado con un envío de gas natural se le ha impedido entrar a la bahía de San Juan desde hace dos semanas debido a su tamaño. El caso sigue empantanado en los tribunales.

El Negociado de Energía explicó que investiga unos 19 millones de dólares que, según Luma, se pagaron por volúmenes de gas que funcionarios afirman que excedieron lo que Genera PR “finalmente necesitaba o podía recibir”. Genera PR supervisa la generación de electricidad en Puerto Rico.

El aumento ocurre cuando la administración de la gobernadora de Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González, impulsa la cancelación del contrato con Luma, con el caso actualmente trabado en los tribunales por demandas en curso.

A Luma y a Genera PR se les adjudicaron contratos al tiempo que la estatal Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica de Puerto Rico lucha por reestructurar su carga de deuda de más de 9.000 millones de dólares.

En 2024, el petróleo representó el 63% del uso total de energía de la isla; el gas natural, el 31%; el carbón, el 5%; y las energías renovables, el 1%, según la Administración de Información Energética de Estados Unidos.

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

Ross, whose legal name is William Roberts II, faces a felony charge of battery by strangulation, as well as a misdemeanor battery charge, according to online court records.

An attorney for Ross, 50, said in a statement that Ross is being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear.

“The ex did not even file a police report until a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place,” defense attorney Steve Sadow said in the statement. “Mr. Roberts is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges. He respectfully requests that his friends, fans and the general public not prejudge the situation and allow the judicial process to run its course.”

Jail records showed that Ross was being held Thursday morning on $5,000 bail. An arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Ross is a longtime South Florida resident who gained prominence in 2006 with his debut single “Hustlin.”

The rapper and entrepreneur helped put Miami on the musical map in the early 2000s, when most hip-hop fans looked to Atlanta and Houston as Southern rap headquarters. “Hustlin'" was certified platinum twice by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sparked a bidding war for Ross. He eventually signed with Def Jam Records, headed by Jay-Z.

Ross’ debut album, “Port of Miami,” also went platinum, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was the first in a series of chart-toppers, including 2008’s “Trilla” and 2009’s “Deeper Than Rap.” He has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards.

In 2008, he founded the influential label Maybach Music Group (MMG), boosting the careers of signees like Wale, Meek Mill and French Montana.

His most recent album, “Set In Stone,” was released in July. ___

This story was first published Oct. 1, 2026. It was updated Oct. 1, 2026, to remove information about an unrelated prior case involving Rick Ross because details weren’t immediately clear.

Her mother had breast cancer in 2022, so she got in the habit of doing self-exams. Last year, “Mari” pressed down with her fingers in the shower when she felt the lump that changed her life.

“I felt a small lump the size of about a marble on my left breast,” she said as TikTok user “MariXXaran.”

Mari said her health insurance company didn’t make it easy for her to schedule a mammogram after her primary care physician decided the lump she had found required one.

“We need to advocate for more screenings, for earlier screenings,” she said on TikTok.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which influences how insurers define coverage, recommends routine average-risk screening starting at age 40, but historically recommended starting at 50.

“Following a mammogram and ultrasound, there was obviously something found in both imaging, which is when my doctor decided that I needed to do a biopsy,” she said on TikTok.

“Mari” said the tumor in her left breast was larger than 2 inches, or about 6 centimeters. Healthcare providers took a tissue sample and examined it under a microscope.

She had felt the lump in mid-July 2025. Her diagnosis on Sept. 3, 2025: Triple-negative, an invasive type with cancerous cells that lack estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 protein receptors.

She said she dropped out of her graduate program after meeting with an oncologist.

“The first thing they will tell you is that your fertility could be affected. That was the toughest pill to swallow for me. I don’t remember crying much for the cancer, but it did hit me pretty hard when my doctor told me that I needed to look into options and that I needed to act quickly,” she said on TikTok.

Since cancer treatment can damage the ovaries, reduce egg counts, or induce early menopause, “Mari” started fertility treatment on Sept. 5, 2025. With the help of ovarian stimulation medications, her doctor was able to retrieve 13 unfertilized mature eggs and freeze them for future use.

“I am so grateful I was able to do that because my dream has always been to start a family,” she said on TikTok.

On Thursday, at 23, her treatment plan, so far, has included chemotherapy, surgery to remove both breasts, radiation, and immunotherapy, according to U-Health.

“I just hope that next year, in my second year since being diagnosed, my life is a lot different because right now I am really going through it,” she said on TikTok.

Breast cancer awareness: Facts to know

• Breast cancers in women under 40 are more likely to have features that can contribute to poorer prognoses and outcomes: larger tumor size, advanced tumor stage, negative hormone receptor status,
• The breast cancer incidence rate in women under 50 has been rising faster than in women over 50
• Rates of metastatic breast cancer in women under 40 have risen
• Women under 50 are now nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with cancer compared to men of the same ages

Source: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Related story

Uno de los cambios tiene que ver con los marcos de las placas. La policía podrá detener a los conductores si el marco tapa la calcomanía de registro, ubicada en la esquina superior derecha de la placa, o si oculta el número de la placa.

Otra de las nuevas leyes endurece las penas en ciertos casos de crueldad animal. Ahora es un delito grave de tercer grado que un adulto cometa crueldad animal agravada frente a un menor o que obligue a un menor a cometerla.

Seguridad escolar y penas por delitos

Una nueva ley de seguridad escolar convierte en delito grave de segundo grado disparar un arma o un arma de fuego a menos de 1,000 pies de una escuela.

La ley HB 397 también crea un nuevo delito para los sospechosos que han sido arrestados y quedan en libertad antes del juicio. La norma se aplica cuando el sospechoso viola una orden que le prohíbe tener contacto con la presunta víctima.

Cambios en accidentes y solicitudes de alquiler

Los conductores que tengan un accidente también notarán un cambio en el monto de daños materiales estimados a partir del cual se requiere la intervención de la policía.

Ese límite subió de $500 a $2,000.

Otra ley nueva apunta contra la información falsa en las solicitudes de alquiler.

Ahora es un delito grave de tercer grado mentir sobre la identidad de una persona en una solicitud de alquiler, presentarle documentos falsificados a un arrendador o hacerse pasar por otra persona.

Tom Tiffany, the Republican congressman backed by President Donald Trump, has raised more than $26 million during the past two months, with $24 million-plus coming from just three people.

It has given Tiffany a big cash advantage, according to fundraising reports filed Wednesday. He pulled in twice as much money as Democrat David Crowley, the Milwaukee county executive, heading into the Nov. 3 election.

“We’re watching several billionaires here decide they want to play kingmaker in this race and the voters are the ones getting screwed out of this election,” said Nick Ramos, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which tracks donations and spending in state races.

The bulk of Tiffany's money came from Diane Hendricks, Richard Uihlein and Liz Uihlein, who are longtime power players in Republican politics. Hendricks owns ABC Supply in Beloit, which sells roofing and building supplies. The Uihleins own Wisconsin-based Uline Corp., which sells boxes and other shipping supplies, and they live in Illinois.

Crowley, speaking to supporters on Wednesday night in Madison, said “Tiffany is willing to sell the state of Wisconsin, our precious state, to the highest bidder.”

Tiffany's campaign, when asked to respond, pointed to Crowley's fundraising in California this week with former Vice President Kamala Harris and the money that Crowley has accepted from the Wisconsin Democratic Party. The state party has taken in about $15.5 million in donations from billionaire Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, since 2019.

Crowley has raised about $12 million to date and benefited from nearly $3 million in transfers from the state party. Records show the party received $1 million each from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Democratic megadonor Lynde Uihlein, who is Richard Uihlein's cousin, over the past two months.

Tiffany's campaign said Crowley is “fully embracing an agenda of higher taxes, soft-on-crime policies, and massive data centers all over Wisconsin.”

It's been a sensitive topic for Tiffany. Last week, after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on billionaire donations to his campaign, Tiffany barred reporters from the newspaper from attending one of his events in Milwaukee.

The infusion of support from megadonors is possible under a 2015 state law that allows unlimited contributions to state political parties. Individuals cannot give more than $20,000 to a candidate, but parties can transfer as much as they want. Democrats have also utilized the law, but Tiffany’s heavy reliance on three megadonors for the majority of his fundraising is unlike anything ever seen before in Wisconsin.

A Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday showed the race to be about even. The poll of 692 likely voters was conducted between Sept. 16 and Sept. 23.

Wisconsin is accustomed to extremely tight statewide elections. Five of the past seven presidential elections were decided by less than a percentage point. The past two races for governor, won by Democrat Tony Evers, were decided by 1.1 percentage point and 3.4 percentage points, respectively.

Evers is not seeking a third term, creating the first open race for governor in 16 years. Democrats are hoping to hang onto the office and flip control of the Legislature, which has been majority Republican since 2011.

Tiffany has been able to use the funding advantage to outspend Crowley on campaign advertising $40 million to $26 million, according to data compiled by AdImpact, which tracks media spending and ad buys.

Of the $43 million Tiffany has raised for the race to date, about $34 million has come from Wisconsin Republican Party transfers after the party received about $38 million from Hendricks and the Uihleins.

The Uihlein family is helping another way. Restoration of America PAC, which is funded by Richard Uihlein, has reported spending about $12.5 million to help Tiffany. It is one of several conservative groups spending on the race.

Twenty-one states, led by New York, are challenging the Environmental Protection Agency's power plant rule. The coalition also includes Pennsylvania's governor, the District of Columbia, New York City, Chicago and the city and county of Denver. They argue that “gutting one of the country’s most significant climate protections” will set the nation back decades and worsen the climate crisis.

The EPA announced last month it's revoking the Biden-era rule, and said it is taking a separate but related step to prevent future administrations from regulating climate pollution from power plants.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said the federal government is showing “callous disregard” for Americans’ health and the environment, and future generations will pay the price. Power plants that burn fossil fuels are a major source of planet-warming pollution.

“Dismantling these protections is a betrayal of American families, and the stakes are too high to allow this administration to once again put profits over people,” James said in a statement Thursday.

The EPA said it does not comment on pending litigation. However, it has said the repeal would save the industry more than $300 billion in costs and help “unleash” American energy. EPA Assistant Administrator Aaron Szabo said in September that it will allow utilities to “make the best decision for the ratepayers based on cost and cost savings, instead of being required to shut down facilities.”

The coalition is petitioning the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to review the EPA's decision and strike down the repeal. It says the EPA unlawfully abandoned the pollution limits without properly considering reasonable alternatives or the enormous health and climate costs of allowing more pollution into the atmosphere. The coalition also told the EPA it intends to sue over the agency's failure to regulate pollution from many gas-fired power plants.

The rule change for power plants, first proposed last year, represents a fundamental shift from efforts by Democratic Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama to address climate change and regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap the sun’s heat. Environmental groups say it will come at a cost to Americans’ health and further degrade the environment.

The separate rule proposed last month could prevent future administrations from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The proposal, expected to be made final next year, follows on EPA’s action earlier this year revoking a scientific finding that long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

The coalition includes the states of New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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McDermott reported from Providence, R.I.

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

A person familiar with the ruling said the decision was made after officials did an in-game review and determined Wilson never left the court area while pointing and shouting at the fan. She wasn't ejected for that reason.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the incident.

Wilson, a four-time MVP, said after the game that the fan had been shouting and pointing at her. She was called for a technical foul and the fan was escorted out of the court area, but later returned to see Indiana’s 99-89 season-saving victory.

The person also said that the fan didn’t violate the Fan Code of Conduct so was allowed to return to their seat.

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Según las autoridades, el caso gira en torno a Janet Risi Field, de 66 años y residente de Pinecrest, exdirectora ejecutiva de Independent Purchasing Cooperative, una empresa con sede cerca del Aeropuerto Internacional de Miami, en el 701 de Waterford Way, y a su hermano Steven Louis Risi, de 70 años y residente de Coral Gables. Ambos fueron acusados formalmente el jueves, informó el Departamento de Justicia de EE.UU.

IPC, que Risi Field ayudó a fundar en 1996 y dirigió hasta que la despidieron en diciembre de 2021, es “la cooperativa de compras y servicios” de los franquiciados de Subway. Según las autoridades, la empresa “administraba la cadena de suministro de la marca en Norteamérica y negociaba con los proveedores los precios que los franquiciados pagaban por alimentos, suministros y servicios”.

De acuerdo con el Departamento de Justicia, Risi Field se aprovechó de esa posición “mediante un acuerdo secreto con cómplices que actuaban como intermediarios de los proveedores de IPC que abastecían a los franquiciados con productos y servicios, como fiambres, quesos y galletas”.

“Según la acusación, los intermediarios compartían con Risi Field y miembros de su familia una parte de las comisiones que generaban los contratos con proveedores”, señala un comunicado del Departamento de Justicia. “Presuntamente, Risi Field, su hermano y otros familiares usaron empresas fantasma para ocultar más de $60 millones en sobornos y comisiones ilegales”.

En total, el esquema les costó a los franquiciados más de $80 millones, según el comunicado.

Las autoridades acusan a Risi Field de usar ese dinero mal habido para hacer inversiones, remodelar casas en Florida y Carolina del Norte, comprar joyas por cientos de miles de dólares y pagar membresías en clubes privados, entre otras cosas.

Según la fiscalía, Risi Field “hizo que un cómplice financiara un fondo secreto multimillonario que utilizaba para enriquecerse ella y sus familiares, incluidos más de $420,000 pagados a un asistente personal de la familia Risi y más de $150,000 a su ama de llaves y a su encargado de mantenimiento”.

Además, las autoridades afirman que Risi Field hizo que un cómplice pagara $8 millones para resolver una demanda de un excontratista de IPC, quien alegaba que ella mantenía una relación financiera indebida con los proveedores. Luego, según la acusación, le ocultó esas denuncias y el acuerdo a la junta directiva de IPC.

La fiscalía acusa a los hermanos de lavar millones de dólares a través de empresas fantasma y cuentas bancarias bajo su control, incluidos $3.4 millones con los que se pagaron las tarjetas de crédito de ella y $1 millón depositado en una cuenta conjunta. A Risi Field también se le acusa de generar unos $25 millones en pagos desde el fondo secreto, que beneficiaron principalmente a ella y a otros cómplices.

Las autoridades señalaron que, incluso después de su despido en 2021, los directivos de IPC y los franquiciados de Subway seguían sin saber del esquema, y Risi Field se embolsó una indemnización de $6 millones.

Según la fiscalía, ambos hermanos enfrentan cargos de conspiración para cometer lavado de dinero y dos cargos por realizar transacciones monetarias con bienes derivados de actividades ilícitas específicas.

Risi Field enfrenta además varios cargos de fraude electrónico y de conspiración para cometer fraude electrónico.

Los dos podrían pasar décadas en una prisión federal. Los documentos judiciales no estaban disponibles de inmediato en el registro en línea del tribunal federal.

Tampoco aparecían en los registros de las cárceles federales ni de los condados Miami-Dade o Broward.

The 27-year-old man was arrested in central London on Thursday, and police have searched two properties in the U.K. capital, Counter Terrorism Policing said in a statement.

A 26-year-old British national was interviewed by police “under caution,” which means the interview was recorded and can be used in future prosecutions.

Five men, all British nationals in their 20s and from London, were arrested in the early hours of Sunday on suspicion of explosives and terror offenses close to the RAF Fairford air base, which has been used by American bombers to strike Iran. The suspects have since been released on bail.

Scores of residents were evacuated from their homes near the base as armed police officers and army bomb-disposal experts swooped on the rural area. Police later said they had found a quantity of an accelerant – gasoline – in three vans linked to the five suspects, but no explosives.

Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counter terrorism policing, said the investigation “is hugely complex, and our specialist teams are interrogating multiple lines of inquiry.

“As we’ve made clear, we’re looking at all possible angles — including possible foreign state involvement,” she said.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the U.K. sees “strong indications” that Iran played a part in the incident. He did not provide details about what the suspects were planning or why the U.K. thinks Iran was involved.

Iran denies involvement. It has previously said that it considers any base used to attack its territory a legitimate target.

RAF Fairford, 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of London, has been used by American bombers during decades of conflicts in the Middle East, including this year’s war with Iran.

Top U.S. officials have criticized the decision to grant five suspects bail, with President Donald Trump saying “I wouldn’t have done that” and Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying a lot of people were “disturbed” by the move.

Burnham said authorities have the investigation under “the strongest grip and the closest control,” and British officials had been “talking to counterparts in the United States all week to explain what is happening here, how things are being done.”

The arrests came at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states, with British security services saying Russia and Iran have both used proxies to commit crimes on U.K. soil. British officials have said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states, including Iran, increased by 50% in the six months to December 2025.

U.K. officials say proxies linked to Iran have been behind a string of arsons and other attacks in Britain and other countries, many of them targeting the Jewish community and intended to sow fear. They have previously warned that Tehran could expand its targets in the U.K. if conflicts in the Middle East continue.

The president, who sat down with Time magazine for a 75-minute interview published Thursday, sidestepped multiple questions about Netanyahu's reelection bid. Israelis are set to vote Oct. 27, in the first national elections since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

The absence of an endorsement is a setback for the Likud party politician, who has billed his tight ties to Trump as a selling point for keeping him in power.

“I can only say that I’m not involved in politics anymore,” responded Trump, when asked if Israelis should give Netanyahu another term.

The U.S. president is in fact ramping up his campaigning for Republicans in the November midterms, and has made a public flex of his political influence abroad on a scale that few if any U.S. presidents have exerted.

He has endorsed candidates like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his unsuccessful bid for a fifth term, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Polish President Karol Nawrocki, as well as several Latin American leaders.

Trump's tepid comments sharply contrast with his more fulsome displays of support for Netanyahu in the past. In a 2019 campaign, Netanyahu purchased massive billboards picturing him with Trump and the message “Netanyahu. In Another League." Trump, in turn, highlighted the campaign ad in his own social media feeds.

Trump says Israeli leader is resilient

In the Time interview, Trump, however, didn't miss an opportunity to highlight his own record on Israel as the reporters made several attempts to get him to talk about Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, and his reelection battle.

Trump did note that Netanyahu has shown resilience over the course of his political career.

The Israeli leader is in the midst of a yearslong corruption trial, faced massive protests in 2023 after introducing a plan to restructure Israel’s judiciary and his image has been tarnished by his government's intelligence and security lapses ahead of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.

Last November, Trump sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu on the corruption charges and praised the prime minister as “a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister.”

“Well, people have written off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times," Trump said. "I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi.”

On Netanyahu’s most serious opponent, centrist Gadi Eisenkot, Trump said, “I don’t hear bad things about him.”

In June, before Eisenkot announced he was running, Trump said he would “most likely” endorse Netanyahu but that he would have to see who he was running against him first.

The US-Israeli relationship has become strained

Trump remains a popular figure in Israel.

During his first term, he lent unprecedented support to Israel’s claims to territory seized in war, including by moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

The robust support continued in his second term, as he backed Israel’s actions in Gaza and joined it in bombing Iran. Netanyahu has been a frequent guest at the White House and frequently speaks to Trump on the phone.

The alliance has been particularly beneficial to Netanyahu, who has sought to tie himself to Trump to improve his image at home.

But there has been strain between the two leaders over the course of the seven-month Iran war.

Trump was critical of Israel’s decision to attack a critical Iranian gas field in the first weeks of the conflict. Trump in June called Netanyahu “crazy” and said that he was “a little bit perturbed” as Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran.

Netanyahu makes a risky move

In August, Netanyahu rejected Trump’s latest plan to advance the stalled ceasefire in Gaza, pushing back on the U.S. administration's call for Israel to withdraw from territory it controls in Gaza until Hamas has been disarmed.

With the move, Netanyahu rolled the dice on potentially angering Trump, who he has repeatedly said is the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.

Going along with Trump's plan could arguably be more perilous for Netanyahu’s reelection chances as the country remains deeply traumatized by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that happened on his watch. Netanyahu's nationalistic base opposes concessions to the Palestinians.

—

Madhani reported from Jerusalem.

A residential customer that consumes 800 kilowatt-hours a month will see the monthly bill rise about 18%, from $229 to $271, according to Puerto Rico’s Energy Bureau, which approved the increase.

The new rate will remain in effect until at least Dec. 31 and is expected to drive up an already high cost of living on the island of 3.2 million people, where more than 40% of residents live in poverty.

The new rate of 33.86 cents per kWh far surpasses the average rate of 18.3 cents per kWh for residential customers in the U.S. mainland, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Luma Energy, which oversees the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico, had requested an increase of more than six cents per kWh and stressed that it would not generate additional revenue for the company, but rather cover an increase in costs.

“The difference is driven by higher energy consumption due to high summer temperatures, rising global oil prices resulting from the conflict in the Middle East — which has constrained fuel transportation and increased costs — greater use of customer batteries, and the need to rely on more expensive fuel when power plants do not generate enough electricity,” Luma said in a statement.

The increase comes as outages persist nearly a decade after Puerto Rico’s power grid was razed by Hurricane Maria when it struck the island in 2017 as a powerful Category 4 storm, although the grid was already weak given a lack of maintenance and investment for decades.

Last week, a large fire that erupted at a substation left more than 200,000 customers without power in the latest outage to hit the island.

The Energy Bureau said in a statement late Wednesday that it approved an increase of 5.28 cents per kWh to reduce the financial burden on customers.

It noted that it did not pass along the cost of $17.6 million associated with what it called alleged failures by New Fortress Energy to supply fuel from June to August.

“Fuel costs must not be automatically passed on to the consumer simply because they were incurred or billed,” the Energy Bureau said.

New Fortress Energy supplies natural gas to power generation plants on Puerto Rico’s north coast. Currently, those plants are using diesel — driving up costs — because a vessel laden with a delivery of natural gas has been blocked from entering the San Juan Bay for two weeks given its size. The case remains mired in court.

The Energy Bureau said it also is investigating some $19 million that Luma said was paid for gas quantities that officials say exceeded what Genera PR “ultimately needed or could receive.” Genera PR oversees the generation of power in Puerto Rico.

The increase comes as the administration of Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González pushes to cancel the contract with Luma, with the case currently tied up in court with ongoing lawsuits.

Luma and Genera PR were awarded contracts as Puerto Rico’s state-owned Electric Power Authority struggles to restructure its more than $9 billion debt load.

In 2024, petroleum represented 63% of the island's overall energy use; natural gas accounted for 31%, coal 5% and renewables 1%, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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Hurricane Rachel was located about 230 miles (370 kilometers) off the southern tip of Baja California on Thursday, chugging forward at 6 mph (9 kph) as a powerful hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center reported winds of 105 mph (165 kph).

Rachel was projected to move along the Mexican coastline before veering west in the Pacific.

Mexican authorities said Thursday that, as Hurricane Rachel moves across the Pacific, they remain on alert because of forecasts of very heavy rain in the states of Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, and Jalisco, and the possibility of landslides, rising river levels, overflowing rivers and flooding in low-lying areas.

On Wednesday night, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico warned U.S. citizens in Cabos San Lucas, a popular vacation destination for Americans, of beach and port closures and deadly rip currents.

The Pacific has seen an unusually busy hurricane season, which experts have attributed to El Niño, which has fueled crippling droughts in Mexico and Central America and floods in other parts of the region. In the Pacific, it has resulted in warmer waters and wind patterns that act as fodder for hurricanes. Tropical Storm Nolo continued its northwest approach away from Hawaii on Thursday, though the National Weather Service said it could strengthen into a hurricane by the weekend.

Storm remnants drench central U.S.

The region from eastern Colorado to northern Illinois, along with parts of Texas and Oklahoma, was still under flood watch Thursday as storm remnants continued to batter the region, flooding streets and neighborhoods and setting off water rescues.

Wednesday was the wettest day on record for Lincoln, Nebraska, which received 6.1 inches of rainfall, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Climate Office. In Omaha, which received 4.7 inches of rain Wednesday, the fire department said it responded to 80 water rescues over a three-hour period ending early Thursday. Some floodwaters reached depths of 8 feet.

In Chicago, a wastewater treatment and stormwater management utility urged residents to conserve water use to prevent flooding and stormwater backup.

“We encourage everyone to conserve water when possible to create more capacity in our systems,” utility President Kari K. Steele said in a statement Wednesday.

In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly issued an emergency proclamation on Wednesday ahead of the storms that allows state resources to assist first responders in hard-hit communities.

As the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, put it: “Hollywood isn’t creative enough to come up with stories like this!”

While major questions remained unanswered Thursday about the attacker and his motivation, the tale of everyday heroes saving the FlyDubai flight from disaster quickly became legend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warmly embraced the plumber shortly after the passengers’ arrival in Tel Aviv late Wednesday, and later posted a five-star review for Yaniv Hayoun’s professional services, calling him “a hero who has saved many lives.”

“He can help you too — I highly recommend him!” Netanyahu added on X.

Hayoun was among several Israelis recommended for the Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism, while Indian Capt. Smit Machchhar was praised by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “a HERO.”

One met the prime minister wearing a bloody shirt

Many of the details emerged in a rush shortly after the passengers, most of them Israeli, landed back home to cheers and waving flags.

Hayoun, apologizing for his bloody shirt, within minutes was telling the prime minister and journalists what happened.

There had been little time for him and the others to think. Passengers screamed after spotting the copilot stabbing the captain, and the flight from Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv began a steep dive. Some believed they were about to die.

A handful of Israelis reacted, hurtling up the aisle after the badly wounded captain managed to open the cockpit door. That was crucial, as cockpit doors are typically locked to prevent hijackings.

They had to struggle, Hayoun said, with the captain’s body resting against it.

The plumber seized the controls, just like in the movies

Hayoun said the copilot appeared to be trying to damage the plane’s controls. He grabbed the copilot, and others began struggling with the man.

Hayoun then tackled the controls. He had no training, but he remembered what he had seen in movies.

“I asked him, how did you know how to do that? And he said, ‘Well, I, I watched these air disaster films,’” Netanyahu told Fox News on Thursday.

It was not clear who among the passengers had security experience, though military service is compulsory for most men and women in Israel.

Soon, crew who had been traveling on the plane stepped in to stabilize it, issuing a mayday call and seeking a place to land.

"He managed to stabilize the plane by the skin of his teeth," another Israeli praised for intervening, Asaf Rajuan, told journalists. Aviation experts have marveled that the plane didn’t crash after a descent so sharp that the rudder was torn away.

A dentist treated the wounded pilot

The handful of Israeli passengers grappled with the copilot for several minutes before subduing him and binding his hands with the cord from a set of headphones.

One of them, Dr. Shota Musayev, a dentist, also attended to the captain, who appeared to have lost a lot of blood. “He was just praying the whole time and was in contact with me, and I was afraid we would really lose him,” Musayev said.

In video that Musayev shot and shared with The Associated Press, the captain lay on the floor of the cabin, saying his head was in pain.

Musayev later told journalists he and the other responders knew they'd had just seconds to act before a “critical event.”

But even with the copilot bound and subdued, they were scared that other attackers might be on the plane. They sent other people around the cabin to stand by.

“We didn’t know where we were going to land. Underneath us there was only desert. We were afraid that they were taking us to a hostile country,” Rajuan said. “We didn’t know who to trust. We didn’t know if the pilot was with us or not … We started suspecting the flight attendants, too.”

Finally, just about an hour after the plane issued a distress call, it made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia.

Now, investigators from across the region are working to understand what led to the attack. The copilot still has not been publicly identified.

As of Thursday evening, the world had not yet heard from the central hero, the captain, who India’s Embassy in the United Arab Emirates said was “in good health and recovering well.”

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Associated Press reporter Areej Hazboun in Jerusalem contributed.

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This version restores comments that an earlier version mistakenly said were Hayoun's.

The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 7.28% from 7.03% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday, the biggest leap in four years. A year ago, the average rate was 6.34%.

It is the sixth consecutive week that mortgage rates have increased.

The average rate is now the highest it’s been since Nov. 22, 2023, when it reached 7.29%, and it's not climbed this fast week-to-week since October 2022.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also climbed this week. That average rate increased to 6.60% from 6.42% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.55%.

Higher mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month to borrowers’ costs, limiting homebuyers’ purchasing power. As rates rise, that can also lead prospective home shoppers to delay buying.

In late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage briefly dipped to 5.98%, its lowest level going back to late 2022. The roughly 1 percentage point increase in the rate since then translates roughly into an additional $276 a month cost for a borrower financing a $400,000 home loan at the current average rate.

Depending on a borrower’s income, credit and other factors, they may qualify for a rate on a 30-year mortgage that is below or above the current average.

The housing market has been stuck in a rut this year in large part because of elevated mortgage rates, which have been climbing in the months since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

Mortgage rates are influenced by inflation, Federal Reserve policy and bond-market investors’ expectations for the economy, among other factors. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Expectations of higher inflation amid surging oil prices have pushed up the 10-year Treasury yield, which was at 3.97% in late February, before the war began. It surged to 5.27% in midday trading on the bond market Thursday. That puts it roughly back to where it was in 2007, on the eve of the real estate-induced financial crisis.

High yields slow the overall economy by making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money, while undercutting prices for stocks and other investments.

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.

Last month the National Association of Realtors said that existing home sales fell 2% in August from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million units. That was their slowest annual pace in more than a year.

And many potential homeowners are now hitting the brakes.

Mortgage applications, which include loans to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage, tumbled 6% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. This marks the fourth straight weekly drop.

Applications for loans to refinance existing mortgages also declined.

The elevated mortgage rates are driving more prospective homebuyers to adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs. Such loans, which typically offer lower initial interest rates than traditional 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages, accounted for more than 10% of all mortgage applications last week, MBA said.

The 21-year-old competitive Fortnite player, better known as Clix to his more than 8 million Twitch followers, already provides hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of gaming equipment through an annual holiday giveaway. Through his new holding company, launched Thursday, he is formalizing those efforts into the Dr3amin Access Fund.

Fortnite, one of the world's most popular video games, features last-one-standing showdowns where players hunt down each other's customizable avatars across an ever-shrinking map. Content creators have found loyal audiences by live streaming their exploits on platforms such as Twitch, the livestreaming platform owned by Amazon, and clipping the most eye-catching segments into viral short-form videos.

But the equipment needed to compete at higher levels is pricey — and getting pricier. The massive data center buildout has pushed up the costs of computers, graphics processors and memory chips. Conrod recommends a setup that can handle at least 120 frames per second for a GPU-intensive game such as Fortnite. And even sub-$500, entry-level PCs are becoming scarcer, according to Joost van Dreunen, a longtime games industry researcher and adjunct assistant professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

“Anybody who is starting up early in their career, anybody who is building their first PC, is having an increasingly difficult time finding hardware and components for it," he said.

Conrod understands the squeeze. His parents couldn't afford a “crazy gaming computer” when he started playing when he was five. As Fortnite took the gaming world by storm, with publisher Epic Games offering $100 million tournament prizes, Conrod said he had to make do with a “worst of the worst” computer running 30 frames per second.

After months spent begging his parents to help buy a roughly $1,600 computer, Conrod said, his dad wrote up a contract: the teenager would have three months to pay him back by working for his plumbing company throughout the summer.

Conrod ultimately needed just two weeks' worth of Fortnite earnings to honor the deal.

“If I never had that PC, if I never had access to that computer, this career — this setup that you see — would not be a thing," Conrod said, speaking from his Dallas bedroom where he streams to thousands of viewers for hours at a time.

By age 14, it was time for another conversation. He'd made nearly $200,000 through the Fortnite World Cup and felt he couldn't balance classes with his career. Waking up for middle school at 6 a.m. to then compete in tournaments at 6 p.m. left him exhausted. “You can't be tired when you're playing,” he explained. Reaction times, he said, have to be “crisp." After some hesitation, his parents agreed to let him go all-in on competitive gaming.

Esports is still a place where it's “very hard to make a living,” according to van Dreunen. The real money is clustered at the top, he said, and there's no “healthy” talent ecosystem. There's also the stigma — many people still don't view competitive gaming as a legitimate career, both he and Conrod emphasized.

Conrod hopes that by lifting the financial burden of buying a computer, he can get more parents to let their children test the professional limits of their hobby. “They also have to get good grades if they're in school,” he added, noting that he made the “still delusional but a little less delusional” move to drop out only when he'd won “a good amount of money.”

Full Box Inc., his new holding company, is inspired by MrBeast’s sprawling media empire, which houses the YouTube megastar’s food brands, production company and philanthropy. Full Box Inc. encompasses Clix’s clothing brand, clipping agency and game studio, among other endeavors.

He's still figuring out the funding model for the Dr3amin Access Fund. Some proceeds from his clothing brand will support the initiative. Other brands will have the opportunity to donate during his end-of-year giveaway, Clixmas. And he'll give some, too; last year he said he personally contributed about $100,000 as Clixmas gave away five custom PCs daily throughout the month of December.

Conrod got some proof of concept this past weekend. His team took fourth place — and $120,000 — among 50 duos at the Fortnite Global Championship in Belgium. Among his competitors was a gamer known online as Joshreyli. They'd met two years ago during the first-ever Clixmas when Conrod challenged his audience to eliminate him during a one-on-one match in exchange for a computer. Josh won, got the PC and has since earned six figures as a pro, according to Conrod.

“It’s like a full-circle moment of what helps me want to do more stuff like this,” Conrod said. "Those stories fire me up.”

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Job Listing: Associate Producer

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Oversee the complete preparation of newscast including writing stories and coordinating with: reporters, executive producers, assignment desk staff and production department. The producer will also coordinate the program in the control room. Must be able to use knowledge of current events to participate in editorial process and write scripts.

Qualifications:

• Knowledge of television news
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills required
• Ability to work flexible hours including nights, weekends and holidays
• Ability to work in a fast-paced high-energy environment with daily deadlines and changing priorities
• 3-5 years’ experience as a writer or producer in a commercial news operation required
• College degree in journalism or broadcasting preferred
• News computer knowledge necessary

***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, or political affiliation. Any offer of employment is conditioned on successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks. A valid driver’s license is required.

Please follow link below to apply for Associate Producer Position:

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No phone calls please.

Fighting between Houthi rebels and government forces overnight stirred fears that the Iran-backed rebels may be advancing toward Taiz City in southwestern Yemen.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Thursday. Full coverage is available here.

Trump says Iran's peace offer doesn't measure up

Trump said in a Time magazine interview published Thursday that he won't now accept proposals from Iran that “he wouldn't have approved a year ago.”

He left open the possibility of resuming bombing Iran after the Nov. 3 election. He refused to offer details, telling journalists, "I can’t tell you that because look, you know, you’re asking, where are you going to bomb?”

Trump rejects reports Israeli leader was warned about Hamas' Oct. 7 attack

The U.S. president told Time magazine that he only heard about those reports on the same day that the Sept. 28 interview was conducted with Time reporters, adding “I can't imagine this.”

Trump said had Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu been forewarned, “he would have done something about it" or "would have had people at least alert.”

An Israeli newspaper reported that Netanyahu was directly warned by the president of the United Arab Emirates that Hamas was planning a major offensive just days before the militant group attacked on Oct. 7, 2023.

Netanyahu strongly rejected the report.

Trump dodges question whether Netanyahu deserves reelection

In the same Time magazine interview, Trump repeatedly avoided answering directly whether Netanyahu should be reelected in elections later this month.

Trump said that he's “not involved in politics anymore” and touted his own record on Israel.

But he said Netanyahu shouldn't be underestimated even if "people have written off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times.”

Of Netanyahu’s opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, Trump said: “I don’t hear bad things about him.”

US takes aim at Iran’s automotive and rail industries

The Trump administration on Thursday announced sanctions on Iran's automotive and rail industries in attempts to get the country to capitulate, citing entities based in Indonesia, the UAE and Germany, among other countries.

Two of Iran’s largest auto manufacturers, Iran Khodro Co. and SAIPA Iranian Automobile Manufacturing Co., were sanctioned alongside several foreign companies that provide auto parts and raw materials.

The actions by the U.S. Treasury come as Trump officials highlight how Iran's currency has fallen to new record lows. The administration credits the continued erosion of the Iranian economy to its months-long economic campaign and has no plans to cease the financial penalties anytime soon even as negotiations between the two countries have restarted.

Clashes raise fears that Houthi rebels are ready to make more gains

Iran-backed Houthi rebels clashed with government forces overnight into Thursday in residential neighborhoods in eastern Taiz, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Mokha, which the Houthis seized last month.

A main road linking Taiz and Aden was cut off due to the latest clashes.

Al-Thawra Hospital, located a few kilometers from the clashes, received six bodies and 35 wounded people Thursday, according to hospital manager Abdelrahman al-Sabry.

The official told The Associated Press by phone Thursday the number of dead and wounded was similar to those in early September, when fighting was intense before clashes de-escalated.

Renewed violence in Yemen has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands. The Houthis captured the strategic city of Mokha and a number of Red Sea islands last month, extending their reach to the key maritime waterway of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

It was the Houthis’ biggest land grab in years and ended a 2022 ceasefire that largely stopped major fighting in Yemen’s 12-year civil war.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said Thursday the rebels targeted a power distribution station in the area of Medina two days earlier. The strike shut down a transformer, but didn't affect the power grid. The Houthis have yet to respond to the claim.

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By Marzouk al-Jaberi and Fatma Khaled

Iran admonishes U.K. for linking Tehran to air base sabotage plot

Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned Britain’s ambassador in Tehran on Thursday to “strongly protest” allegations by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham linking Iran to a sabotage plot at RAF Fairford, Iranian state television reported.

The ministry dismissed allegations that Iran was connected to the alleged plot as “baseless” and called on the British government to provide an official explanation and change its approach toward Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had also posted on X that the U.K. was "barking up the wrong tree.”

Netanyahu says FlyDubai suspect slipped through the security cracks

Netanyahu told Fox News Thursday that the suspect in the FlyDubai incident was an Omani national who got through a loophole in Israeli constraints barring pilots from countries like Oman that don’t have diplomatic relations with Israel.

He said both countries are “interested in making sure this doesn’t happen again" and warned that “it might be attempted again because we have indications that Iran and its proxies are trying to conduct attacks against Israel and Israelis right now in this election season.”

FlyDubai passenger says pilots who landed plane were British

Yaniv Hayoun, a passenger aboard the FlyDubai flight, said after arriving in Tel Aviv Wednesday night that the two British pilots who safely brought the aircraft in to land were sitting "one row in front of me, row six, and I was in row seven.”

Saudi Arabia nixes popular Soundstorm music festival

The Soundstorm music festival in Saudi Arabia has been canceled for this year, and organizers said it will return in 2027.

No reason was given for the cancellation. The festival, which in the past has featured international stars including Bruno Mars, Cardi B and DJ Khaled, is the latest major entertainment event in the kingdom to be cancelled this year.

Organizers MDLBEAST had earlier announced the cancellation of the 1001 music festival in Riyadh, which was scheduled for the end of the month. A week ago, organizers postponed the sixth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival from December to the fourth quarter of 2027.

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

Administration officials argue the new requirement will help the federal government stop immigrants lacking permanent legal status from collecting federal benefits they are not eligible for, potentially saving taxpayers up to $2 billion. But taxpayer and privacy advocates say the data could be used to help find and deport those people.

“It could be used as an immigration enforcement tool and that is probably the reason why they are doing this,” said David Bier, director of immigration studies at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute.

Most Americans will see it as a new checkbox that gives the government even more information on taxpayers. But those living in the country illegally face a more complicated choice: Declare on a tax return that they are not authorized to live in the U.S. or lie on the return, which is a felony. Some may stop filing their taxes altogether.

“It’s dragging the IRS into this administration’s immigration policies,” said Nina Olson, executive director for the Center for Taxpayer Rights.

The IRS posted its draft 1040 form for 2026 in late August. It includes the question, “At the time you file your return, are you, and your spouse if filing jointly, a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or an alien lawfully authorized to work in the U.S.?" There are “Yes” or “No" checkboxes for both the filer and their spouse. A draft of a second form, known as Schedule 3-A used to claim refundable tax credits, asks a similar question.

The questions are not optional. Every tax filer must certify under penalty of law their immigration or citizenship status to the IRS to file their return.

The Treasury Department says the new question is meant to keep immigrants lacking permanent legal status from taking advantage of refundable tax credits, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit. These are credits for which low- and middle income workers and families may qualify that often result in a refund back to the taxpayer.

In a statement, a Treasury Department official said the information will be “subject to a variety of privacy, disclosure and other legal protections.” The statement did not say whether the information will be shared with immigration enforcement agencies.

Despite not being authorized to live and work in the U.S., immigrants that do not have permanent legal status do pay taxes. A 2024 report by the National Taxpayer Advocate found 3.8 million tax returns where a taxpayer used an Individual Tax Identification Number, or ITIN. While an ITIN can be issued for a variety of purposes, undocumented workers who cannot obtain a Social Security number are among those who use them.

IRS data show that taxpayers who filed those nearly 4 million returns paid $14.4 billion in income taxes and $6.5 billion in Social Security and Medicare taxes.

A valid Social Security Number, not an ITIN, is required to qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. The IRS checks Social Security Numbers against Social Security Administration records for each claim of the EITC.

Because of this process, Olson said she believes the new proposal is unnecessary.

“Your citizenship or residency status is not information the IRS needs to process a return. It’s not even information the IRS needs to process these tax credits,” she said. “The IRS already has Social Security data on taxpayers, as well as ITIN information. It already has what it needs to process a return.”

Immigrants lacking permanent legal status are generally not eligible for federal benefits after Congress overhauled federal welfare programs in the mid-1990s. A tax filer needs to be a U.S. citizen or a green card holder to claim the EITC or CTC, with some limited exceptions.

But some immigrants in the U.S. who presently qualify for some of these credits would not under the new policy. This would include people covered under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, those with temporary protected status and temporary workers in the country under H1-B visas.

The Trump administration argues in its proposal that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, the law that governs who is eligible for benefit programs, should be applied to refundable tax credits as well. The research paper published this week estimates that 671,000 people, including 309,000 children, will lose the Earned Income Tax Credit under this policy. Another roughly 1.1 million people, including 574,000 children, will lose the Additional Child Tax Credit.

Most of the children that would lose eligibility to these credits are U.S. citizens, according to these researchers at Boston University, Columbia University and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, because one or more of their parents’ citizenship or immigration status.

The Trump administration has tried to use the IRS to implement its immigration policies before. Last year, the Treasury Department agreed to share confidential taxpayer information of immigrants with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people.

The data-sharing agreement was halted by a federal judge, which found that it violated federal taxpayer privacy laws, and the halt remains in effect as the case works its way through the courts. However, before it was stopped, it was found that the IRS had already turned over the addresses of 47,000 people to ICE.

En un comunicado, la cancillería dijo que “Argentina rechaza que el Reino Unido caracterice el recurso argentino al arbitraje en el marco de la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar como un intento de ‘socavar’ los derechos de alguien”.

El comunicado sostuvo que el recurso al arbitraje busca “preservar los legítimos derechos del pueblo argentino sobre sus recursos naturales” y cuestionó a Gran Bretaña por no honrar la convención del mar e intentar imponer su interpretación “infundada” como una "verdad absoluta”.

El martes el gobierno de Milei dio un plazo de dos semanas a Londres para que detenga un proyecto petrolero en aguas del archipiélago que Argentina reclama desde 1833, y que los británicos llaman Falklands, bajo la amenaza de impulsar un arbitraje internacional para resolver el caso.

La británica Rockhopper Exploration y la israelí Navitas Petroleum Development and Production Limited desarrollan el yacimiento Sea Lion con el aval de las autoridades de las islas bajo dominio británico.

Uma Kumaran, subsecretaria parlamentaria de Estado, reaccionó en contra de la advertencia del gobierno de Milei y anunció en X que el gobierno británico le comunicó a la embajadora argentina Mariana Plaza “que los esfuerzos por obstaculizar la actividad económica lícita” en las islas son “intentos deliberados de socavar la prosperidad y la seguridad económica de un pueblo autónomo”.

La funcionaria a cargo en Gran Bretaña de la cartera de Territorios de Ultramar aseveró que la población de las islas puede gestionarse “sin intimidación" ni "coacción” y que está "en duda la fiabilidad de Argentina como socio del Reino Unido”.

Kumaran sostuvo que las actividades relacionadas con los hidrocarburos en la plataforma continental de Malvinas están reguladas por la legislación del archipiélago y se llevan a cabo en conformidad con el derecho internacional, incluida la Convención de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Derecho del Mar.

La escalada entre ambos gobiernos comenzó en septiembre cuando Milei presentó un proyecto de ley para sancionar a petroleras que operan “ilegalmente” en Malvinas y anunció la instalación de una base naval en la provincia de Tierra del Fuego, el punto continental más cercano al archipiélago situado en el Atlántico sur.

Ese mismo mes una jueza federal argentina ordenó a las petroleras británica e israelí frenar el proyecto Sea Lion.

En 1982 Argentina y Gran Bretaña libraron una guerra por la soberanía del archipiélago que terminó con la victoria británica. En un referendo en 2013 los isleños votaron a favor de seguir siendo un territorio británico de ultramar.

Among them is Remy, a 5-year-old dog described by shelter staff as sweet, gentle and loving. Remy was surrendered after her family could no longer afford her care. She has allergies that are being managed with medicated baths and periodic injections from a veterinarian.

Remy is good with children and is calm around people, but the shelter recommends a meet-and-greet if she would be joining a home with another dog. She should not live with cats.

The shelter also has cats available for adoption, including Dakota, a playful 5-month-old kitten.

The Humane Society is hosting its first-ever Fall VIP After Dark mixer, focusing on dogs and cats that have been at the shelter for more than 30 days. Adoption fees for those VIP pets will be waived during the event.

Shelter officials are encouraging the community to attend and meet animals like Remy and the many other dogs and cats still waiting for a home.

Click here for more information if you would like to adopt a pet.

SpaceX launched commander Jessica Watkins and her crew for NASA after a three-week delay to fix their Dragon capsule’s leaking fuel system. Thick clouds threatened all morning to halt the countdown but in the end, the skies cleared enough to allow for a safe liftoff.

Although their stay at the International Space Station will last a long six months, the flight there promised to be the quickest yet for Elon Musk’s company: a mere eight-hour transit with an arrival well before bedtime.

With the late morning liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Watkins became the first Black woman to lead a crew to orbit. A geologist who worked with NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity a decade ago, Watkins is making her second trip to the space station following a lengthy stay in 2022.

“Thanks for an amazing ride,” Watkins radioed after reaching orbit.

The others are newcomers to space: NASA’s Luke Delaney, a retired Marine; Canada’s Joshua Kutryk, a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force; and Russia’s Sergey Teteryatnikov, a former submariner. They will replace four astronauts who have been living at the orbiting laboratory since February.

This was the 13th crew launched by SpaceX for NASA, not counting 2020's test flight. All four embrace their Crew-13 designation that pays homage in their mission patch to Apollo 13. The harrowing 1970 moonshot ended with the astronauts’ safe return.

References to the number 13 abounded Thursday. Watkins and her crew rode to the launch pad in black Teslas bearing plates that read “Lucky 13.” What's more, they carried up a small crocheted golden dragon named Lucky with a four-leaf clover around its neck.

“We figured it wouldn't hurt to bring a little of our own luck just in case, but clearly we don't need it,” Watkins said from orbit, noting they were “four of the luckiest humans on or off planet Earth.”

Kutryk will become the fourth man to become a father while orbiting Earth. Wife Heather is due to give birth to their third child in late November. The Canadian Space Agency promises plenty of support for the entire family when the big day comes.

“A lot of life-changing things can happen over six months,” NASA manager Dana Weigel said on the eve of liftoff, noting that the space agency will do its best to keep Kutryk looped in to his family.

In 2004, NASA provided a radio link between space station astronaut Mike Fincke and his wife’s delivery room during the birth of their daughter. Five years later, Randy Bresnik, commander of next year’s Artemis III mission, dialed in to his wife’s hospital from orbit.

The happy news traveled more slowly for Austrian astronaut Franz Viehbock. His daughter was born a few hours after he launched to the Soviet Union’s Mir space station in 1991. He was not informed until the next day.

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In 2027 — nearly six decades after King's title at the Foro Italico — the Rome clay-court event will finally award women the same amount of total prize money as men, as part a “major milestone” initiative that the WTA Tour announced Thursday.

The initiative means that all combined WTA 1000 events will award equal prize money for the first time. Besides the Italian Open, the holdouts had been the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open.

The other combined 1000 events in Indian Wells, California; Miami; Madrid and Beijing; as well as all four Grand Slams, already offer equal prize money.

“Achieving equal prize money across all combined WTA 1000 tournaments is a major milestone for tennis,” WTA chair Valerie Camillo said. “It demonstrates the WTA’s continued commitment to leading the sports industry in delivering our athletes competitive and financial equality and is a testament to the enduring nature of the founding vision of the WTA.”

In 2023, Italian Open organizers pledged to have equal prize money starting in 2025 but didn’t carry through on the promise.

The total men’s prize money this year in Rome was $9.6 million while the women got $8.3 million.

Alex Eala effect

Also announced for next year was an expanded WTA 250-level tournament in Manila, Philippines, amid massive interest surrounding home player Alex Eala, who is ranked 18th.

In January of this year, the Philippines hosted a WTA 125-level tournament.

Also, the number of annual WTA 500 level tournaments required for players ranked in the top 50 was reduced from six to four, resulting in a total base playing commitment of 14 WTA tournaments plus the four Grand Slams in 2027.

The announcements come after the WTA recently selected Charlotte, North Carolina, to host its flagship event, the WTA Finals, for the next three years in an NBA arena.

“The WTA is stepping up to deliver more for players and tournaments in 2027,” Camillo said. “We have listened to player feedback on the demands of the calendar and responded with a meaningful reduction in commitments."

The WTA relied heavily on its tour architecture council, a working group chaired by third-ranked Jessica Pegula.

“As players, we’re on the road most of the year, so having more flexibility in our schedules and commitments makes a real difference,” Pegula said. “The 2027 changes give us more ability to build our seasons around our own goals — competitively and personally. That’s an impactful step forward for players.”

The WTA said the updates “will be implemented as a one-year pilot" for 2027, allowing it to "evaluate the impact of the changes across the tour to inform decisions for 2028 and beyond.”

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See AP’s full tennis coverage here

The show came at an uneasy moment for luxury: cosmetics giant L’Oréal overtook Louis Vuitton owner LVMH as France’s most valuable listed company in September. And consultants forecast modest growth in personal luxury goods this year after two years of contraction.

Designer Chemena Kamali returned to Chloé’s archives for her spring-summer 2027 “Obsession” collection.

It was a personal declaration of affection for the house — and a test of how much decoration its promise of easy dressing could bear.

Luxury, ready to wear

Gaby Aghion founded Chloé in Paris in 1952, pioneering luxury ready-to-wear: finely made designer clothes sold ready-made, rather than couture created for individual clients.

The idea helped bridge exclusive dressmaking and mass production, offering luxury with less formality.

That inheritance sets a demanding standard: elaborate workmanship should not make the clothes look difficult to wear.

“I wanted something deeply personal — to return to things I love, the emotions they trigger in me,” Kamali said.

Broderie anglaise — embroidery punctuated by small decorative holes — appeared on crisp cotton and sheer organza.

Kamali traced the patterns to 19th-century needlework, while raised floral embroidery recalled the 1960s. Puffed sleeves, tiered ruffles and swinging tassels added volume and movement.

At times, flowers, lace and tassels competed within a single look.

The workmanship impressed, but the result could feel crowded: a lot of visible effort for clothes meant to suggest ease.

Lingerie offered a leaner proposition. Kamali cut away lace to create what she called “romantic harnesses,” framing exposed skin with delicate lines.

A metallic bust strap added a hard glint among the floating fabrics.

These pieces needed fewer flourishes to command attention.

Romance meets rainwear

The coats supplied the collection’s most convincing change of pace: reds and yellows interrupted the softer colors, while wide-brimmed hats pushed the proportions toward the theatrical.

Fishermen’s coats and capes provided the starting point.

Kamali layered transparent vinyl in smoky shades over her silhouettes, bringing sharper outlines to the collection’s softness.

Here, the contrast worked. Substantial outerwear gave the delicate clothes a counterweight, and the bold shapes carried the drama without requiring another layer of ornament.

Tailoring brought further definition. Kamali cited Chloé’s scalloped 1972 “Noël” tuxedo as a reference, revisiting the house’s history of adapting men’s suiting for women.

It offered a firmer framework for her romantic instincts, and her affection for Chloé was clear.

The strongest moments came when that familiarity produced a clear idea: a fisherman’s coat expanded to dramatic proportions, or lingerie stripped back to its outlines.

Those transformations gave the collection direction.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman ordered the dismissal of David Hearn’s case with “prejudice,” which would block U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office from refiling the felony charge against him. The judge ruled nearly a month after hearing attorneys’ arguments.

Hearn’s lawyers say Trump administration officials have continued to falsely accuse the Maryland resident of vandalizing the reflecting pool despite Pirro’s decision to drop the case on July 31. Trump responded by saying Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella.”

Edelman said the case presents “exceptional circumstances” that warrant dismissing the case permanently. He agreed with defense attorneys that the government “shot first and asked questions later” by charging Hearn in a “a lightning-fast indictment process.”

“While the government wishes to hold open the possibility of the development of evidence that would support a future prosecution, its own representations make plain that such a possibility is theoretical at best, and more likely, is simply fanciful,” the judge wrote.

Permanently dismissing the case protects Hearn from prosecutors electing to revive the case under political pressure from Trump, the judge said.

“Although the prosecutors assigned to this case have deemed it meritless, the President of the United States has repeatedly disparaged them and pressured them to change course,” Edelman wrote.

In a court filing in July, Pirro said new evidence produced by the Interior Department showed Hearn wasn’t responsible for damage to the pool’s lining. Pirro’s office attributed the damage instead to a botched installation by a contractor as well as a rush to complete the project in time for this summer’s America 250 celebration in Washington.

Pirro’s admission was an embarrassing setback for the White House. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has backed Trump’s claims that vandals damaged the pool.

Hearn has said he was on a bike ride on June 19 when he reached in to examine the pool’s newly peeled coating and briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool. But he said he obeyed a park worker’s command to let go of it.

Hearn was charged with one count of property destruction, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. His lawyers questioned whether prosecutors properly presented the grand jury with adequate evidence to support the charge and the amount of damage alleged by the government.

Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, competed in three Summer Olympics, earning his best finish, ninth, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee says on its website.

Trump, a Republican, appointed Pirro, a former Fox News host, to serve as the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia. Edelman was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Hearn’s attorneys said the ruling is “a victory for the rule of law and for an innocent American seeking justice” and allows Hearn to “move forward with his life as he deserves.”

“This administration chose to pursue an unjust prosecution against Mr. Hearn. It should not get repeated chances to wield the power of criminal prosecution against someone who should never have been prosecuted,” the lawyers said in a statement.

Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon said armed men raided the community late Sunday, setting fire to homes and killing residents.

“It is still impossible to establish a definitive death toll due to access difficulties and communication problems,” he said.

Wails filled the air in Kenscoff as survivors found the bodies of friends and family strewn on the streets early Monday.

“They killed my son!” one woman kept yelling as people nearby tried to comfort her.

One man flung himself on the side of the road, head on his right arm as he cried on the ground. Nearby, people picked up the bodies of those killed, some wrapped in blood-spattered sheets.

Robert Jean recalled how he heard shooting before dawn and tried to rouse people from their sleep to escape being killed. He said he was frantically looking for his brother, who was killed: “I was calling to see if everyone was safe. I could not find my brother.”

Another Kenscoff resident blamed the government for the killings.

“If only we had a good police force that would have placed an armored truck here, what happened here would have been prevented,” said Verti Enold-Saint as he lifted a sheet over the body of his brother-in-law.

Farmer Mathurin Pierre, 41, told AP that he lost 14 loved ones and that an unknown number remain missing.

Massillon blamed the attack on members of Viv Ansanm, which the U.S. government designated as a foreign terrorist organization last year.

“They sowed chaos,” Massillon said.

He said gang members targeted a church and homes including those owned by Dr. Jean “Bill” Pape. He is a renowned doctor who runs a nongovernmental organization in Haiti that helps patients including those with HIV and tuberculosis.

Haiti’s Office of Citizen Protection issued a statement decrying the massacre, saying dozens of people, including “numerous” young Haitians, were killed.

Vladimir Paraison, director of Haiti’s National Police, visited the area and defended police officers as journalists pressed for answers.

“The police never lowered their arms,” he said. “Look at how many police officers are here; the response is in front of you.”

Jean Fritz Patterson Dorval, head of Port-au-Prince’s prosecutor’s office, also came under pressure. He said there are eight armored vehicles in Kenscoff, adding that “there are technical responses that only the mayor and the police can answer.”

No further details about the attack were available. A spokesperson for the U.N.-backed gang suppression force did not return a message seeking comment.

Haiti’s government issued a statement condemning what it called a heinous criminal attack. “Reinforcements are being deployed,” it said. “Kenscoff will not be abandoned.”

It said that security forces were ordered to pursue those responsible. “The population must remain confident,” the government said, adding that it would not back down.

Gangs control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince, the capital, with Viv Ansanm repeatedly targeting nearby Kenscoff.

Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, where more than 3,100 people were reported killed from January to June and another 1,189 injured, according to U.N. statistics.

The attack comes less than a week after the U.S. government deported more than 160 people to the troubled Caribbean country for the first time since the Trump administration won a legal battle to end Temporary Protected Status for some 350,000 Haitians.

Haiti’s government has said some of the deportees included TPS holders. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Monday in a statement to the AP that those deported Friday included several gang members with criminal records ranging from assault to drug trafficking.

Haiti is scheduled to hold general elections for the first time in more than a decade on Dec. 13, and it has been registering voters in Port-au-Prince and beyond. Experts have warned it’s currently too dangerous to hold elections.

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Associated Press reporter Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

It is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community nestled in the hills above Port-au-Prince.

Sunday’s attack on Kenscoff pierced the belief that security in the troubled Caribbean country was improving.

“This is a major political and security test, for the government, for the police and for the international mission,” said Romain Le Cour, head of the Haiti Observatory at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

He said the threat of executing hostages is a trap: If forces don’t act, they’ve failed to protect them; if they do and hostages die, the gangs will blame the state.

Kenscoff resident Marc Paul, 42, said gangs kidnapped his brother, stepmother, stepfather and two cousins. He said his 16-year-old niece also was kidnapped and raped but was able to escape and has reunited with him.

“I had to run over bodies,” he said as he recalled how he fled the attack. “I can’t sleep knowing all these people died.”

Paul and his family had already lost their home to a previous gang attack in January 2025, but he said it was not as violent as Sunday’s attack. Paul was upset about the video the gangs posted: “My brother is probably going to die.”

A threat posted on social media

In a video posted on social media, the gang leader threatened Vladimir Paraison, director of Haiti’s National Police.

“Paraison, if any of our soldiers are hurt, I will kill all of them,” he said, referring to the hostages.

The gang member identified himself as Izo 2, a reference to Izo, or Johnson André, one of Haiti’s most powerful gang leaders.

Le Cour said Izo 2 is also known as “Didi” and leads the armed group in Kenscoff on behalf of and in coordination with Izo and other gang leaders.

Kenson Paul, the 17-year-old nephew of Marc Paul, said he managed to escape the attackers.

“They have not called us to let us know what they want,” he said of the gang. “I worry for my family’s life.”

Le Cour said the aim of Sunday’s attack could be to force Haiti’s police and the U.N.-backed gang suppression force to disperse even more of their limited resources.

“They don’t have enough personnel,” Le Cour said in a phone interview. “If you force them to deploy more troops, it would inevitably be at the expense of other areas.”

The attack might also just be a show of force and a message to Haiti’s government and police as the country prepares to hold general elections on Dec. 13 for the first time in more than a decade.

“This is a message to the government and the police that their claims of protection do not match reality,” Le Cour said. “The gangs are saying: when we choose to attack, we can, and we will succeed.”

Attacks on Kenscoff have escalated

The first major attack on Kenscoff occurred in January 2025, and since then, there have been sporadic attacks in the mountains surrounding the city center.

But Sunday’s attack was the largest yet. At least five of the 47 people killed were children, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti, known as BINUH.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack on Tuesday, noting that 22 of the victims were reportedly executed in a church compound where they had sought shelter: “The relentless gang attacks on communities and the loss of lives underscore the alarming security conditions in Haiti,” he said.

Kenscoff Mayor Jean Massillon told The Associated Press on Tuesday that gangs set fire to 25 homes and killed two government employees including his cousin, who served as his security detail.

“The atrocity of this crime reminds us that we have to continue working stronger every day to bring peace to the community,” Massillon said. “I’m optimistic that the state will continue working to eradicate the gangs in Kenscoff.”

Gangs are coveting Kenscoff because it allows them to surround and control the upscale community of Pétion-Ville and alternate routes connecting Haiti’s capital to its southern region, said María Fernanda Arocha, a researcher with the nonprofit Armed Conflict Location & Event Data.

Between January and August this year, security operations had managed to reduce violence in Kenscoff by 66% prior to the attack, she said in a statement.

“While security forces have concentrated their efforts on operations aimed at regaining control in the central areas of Port-au-Prince, criminal groups have instead sought to expand into rural communities that are vulnerable due to the limited response capacity of the police, but which remain strategic hubs,” she added.

Haitians demand police protection

Some survivors accused the government of not providing enough protection prior to the attack, with Haiti’s National Police rejecting those accusations.

Le Cour said that if police and armored vehicles were indeed stationed in Kenscoff prior to the attack, then the assertion is concerning: “You let the gangs come in even if you had everything in place?”

Haiti’s National Police issued a statement Tuesday saying Paraison ordered an investigation to establish the truth about the attack “whether due to complicity or negligence.” He also ordered additional specialized units to the area, saying “It is an obligation to protect the civilian population.”

Armed men control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and swaths of land in Haiti’s central region and beyond.

Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, where more than 3,050 people were reported killed from January to June, according to U.N. statistics released Tuesday.

The U.N. noted that nearly 800 rapes were reported from April to June, with 87% of those cases representing collective rapes.

At least 81 people also were reported kidnapped during that time period, according to a new U.N. report.

“These figures represent only a portion of the total number of people kidnapped,” it stated. “In many cases, victims’ relatives do not report kidnappings to the police or service providers and choose to negotiate directly with the kidnappers, believing that this approach allows for a quicker release and avoids possible reprisals.”

The number of kidnappings reported from April to June represents a more than 40% increase compared with the previous quarter.

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Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Ross, whose legal name is William Roberts II, faces a felony charge of battery by strangulation, as well as a misdemeanor battery charge, according to online court records.

An attorney for Ross, 50, said in a statement that Ross is being wrongfully accused by an ex-girlfriend whose true motivations are unclear.

“The ex did not even file a police report until a month after the claimed incident allegedly took place,” defense attorney Steve Sadow said in the statement. “Mr. Roberts is innocent and has pled not guilty to the charges. He respectfully requests that his friends, fans and the general public not prejudge the situation and allow the judicial process to run its course.”

Jail records showed that Ross was being held Thursday morning on $5,000 bail. An arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 22.

According to news reports, Ross pleaded no contest in 2017 to kidnapping and assault charges and was sentenced to probation after he and his bodyguard were accused of holding two groundskeepers against their will at Ross’ suburban Atlanta house. Ross was also accused of beating one of the men with a pistol, chipping his teeth and mangling his jaw.

The groundskeepers alleged that Ross stormed into his guest house, where they were living, and beat them with a gun. Ross disputed the beatings in a 2015 countersuit against the men, and said they weren’t supposed to be living on his property. He also alleged that the men were attempting to extort him.

Ross is a longtime South Florida resident who gained prominence in 2006 with his debut single “Hustlin.”

The rapper and entrepreneur helped put Miami on the map in the early 2000s, when most hip-hop fans looked to Atlanta and Houston as Southern rap headquarters. “Hustlin'" was certified platinum twice by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and sparked a bidding war for Ross. He eventually signed with Def Jam Records, headed by Jay-Z.

Ross’ debut album, “Port of Miami,” also went platinum, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was the first in a series of chart-toppers, including 2008’s “Trilla” and 2009’s “Deeper Than Rap.” He has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards.

In 2008, he founded the influential label Maybach Music Group (MMG), boosting the careers of signees like Wale, Meek Mill and French Montana.

His most recent album, “Set In Stone,” was released in July.

The professional photographer he hired was friendly and supportive, he said, and he liked watching her work during the several hours they spent together. She shot some close-ups in her studio and then took outdoor images of Eil near the Seekonk River, one of his favorite spots in Providence, Rhode Island.

“There was so much emotion wrapped up in publishing this book, which I had worked on for over a decade,” Eil said of the 2024 shoot that helped launch his true-crime book about a doctor who prescribed massive amounts of opioid painkillers. “By the time I took these photos, it was near the end of that process. It was a moment to put my face on the book, and I liked how I looked in a place that I love.”

Headshots used on social media profiles, business websites and in other career contexts are like virtual handshakes, often introducing people to potential employers, collaborators or audiences long before an in-person meeting.

It's natural to want to feel good about your appearance in those pictures, but conveying the image you want to project is even more important, said Chris Gillett, a Houston-based photographer who specializes in headshots.

“It’s going to be a first impression, and the research on first impressions shows that they’re formed instantly and are sticky,” Gillett, a former attorney, said.

Even a millimeter shift in a smile or an eyebrow can change someone’s expression, he said. A smile should look authentic, while confidence is communicated through the eyes. The face should always be the focus; that's why Gillett prefers classic headshots — which show the head and shoulders — over portraits that feature folded arms or waistlines.

“It’s the simplest form of people photography, but it’s endlessly fascinating,” he said.

Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to creating and using headshots:

Make sure you’re recognizable

There’s no rule of thumb for how often to update your headshots, Gillett said. Just make sure they still look like you. A noticeable difference between a headshot and how you look in person can erode trust.

Heavily edited photos present the same hazard, said Emily Lauro, an area director for Goodwin Recruiting, a New Hampshire-based company that matches job seekers and employers.

“Look like you on your best professional day and not a completely different person,” Lauro said. “They’re not meant to be how photogenic you are. They’re meant to be your real likeness and image.”

Figure out what you’re trying to communicate

Gillett once did headshots for two young lawyers. One wanted to convey that she was tired of being underestimated. The other liked being underestimated because it could throw her opponents off guard.

“There’s no right answer to how you want to be perceived,” Gillett said. “The only wrong answer is leaving it up to chance.”

Your headshot should also align with your profession. A startup founder may want a photo that emphasizes innovation and energy, while a financial adviser may want to convey trustworthiness and reliability.

Know when and where to share headshots

It’s generally not a good idea to put a headshot on your resume, said Jenny Battershell, the director of marketing for Goodwin Recruiting.

Resume designs should be simple and straightforward, she said. Photos can confuse automated resume-tracking systems, which are designed to scan text.

Including a photo on a resume could also have unintended consequences. Battershell said Goodwin Recruiting works with employers to get them to recognize and overcome biases, but they can exist. She remembers one client who had a successful first interview by phone but was rejected when the employer saw the client’s unusual hair color during a second-round video interview.

Lauro said the absence of a photo or a less-than-stellar one on a LinkedIn page wouldn't deter her from working with a qualified job candidate.

“If someone is open to work and they don’t have a photo and their qualifications line up with the job, I’m reaching out to them anyway,” she said. “Some people are more social media savvy than others.”

Consider the pros and cons of AI-generated headshots

Artificial intelligence has made it easier and cheaper to obtain a headshot. ChatGPT can turn a selfie into a headshot with a few prompts. The website HeadshotPro uses AI to turn a few selfies into 30 headshots for $29. By comparison, Gillett charges $290 per sitting plus $295 for each headshot you pick.

AI-generated headshots may suffice for people who are short on time or money, but Gillett thinks the confidence that comes from learning to hold yourself in front of a camera is invaluable.

“I can make you look like the best version of yourself possible, but only you can make you better,” he said.

Headshots created with the help of AI may raise other issues. They can look heavily edited and unrealistic, Lauro said. You want a potential employer to focus on your experience and qualifications, not on whether your photo is authentic.

Eil said using an AI headshot would have robbed him of the experience of working with the local photographer who knew how to bring out his personality in her work. If cost is an issue, he suggested looking for a photography student or even a friend who might be willing to shoot some headshots. Professional headshots are also sometimes offered as a free perk at conferences.

“The AI thing just bums me out,” Eil said. “AI headshots tend to look uncanny and unnatural. Even if it was photorealistic, I wouldn’t have those warm memories of that day and this thing we produced together.”

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Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

Rick Case Automotive Group is making it possible for hundreds of kids in our communities to take their very own bike out for a spin. You can be part of the magic.

Beginning today, Local 10 viewers can donate gently used bikes at any Rick Case Automotive Group dealership in Broward County. The bikes will be spruced up for kids to receive them just in time for the holidays.

“Life changes and kids grow up, so it’s quite common that families have bikes in the garage that their kids have outgrown,” said Rita Case, President and CEO of the Rick Case Automotive Group. “Bring them to us, so those bikes can be rejuvenated and passed along to kids who will continue to cherish them.”

For 45 years, Rick Case Bikes for Kids has impacted generations of young South Floridians. Since that time, the annual program has collected more than 124,000 bikes in Florida, Georgia and Ohio.

Through December 20, the bikes collected and refurbished will be given to kids and teens at the Boys & Girls Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, Women in Distress and other local charitable organizations, churches, synagogues and schools.

“A core childhood memory is learning to balance on two wheels for the first time and removing the training wheels,” added Case. “Every child deserves that sense of accomplishment, and every parent deserves that bonding experience.”

Bikes can be dropped off at the following Rick Case Automotive Group dealerships:

• Rick Case Honda / 15700 Rick Case Honda Way (I-75 at Griffin Road), Davie
• Rick Case Acura / 875 North State Road 7 (on 441 at Sunrise), Ft. Lauderdale
• Rick Case Hyundai / 925 North State Road 7 (on 441 at Sunrise), Ft. Lauderdale
• Rick Case Hyundai / 3550 Weston Road (I-75 Auto Row), Davie
• Rick Case Honda Cycles / 15701 Rick Case Honda Way (I-75 at Griffin Road), Davie
• Rick Case Alfa Romeo/Maserati / 3500 Weston Road (I-75 Auto Row), Davie
• Rick Case Volkswagen / 3520 Weston Road (1-75 Auto Row), Davie
• Rick Case Kia / 14500 W Sunrise Blvd, Sunrise (Sunrise at the Sawgrass Expressway)

The dealerships are open seven days a week. For specific hours and more information, visit RickCase.com.

Deputies arrested David Armeda at 2:25 p.m. on Wednesday at Macy’s at Dadeland Mall, at 7303 North Kendall Drive, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

“He had in his possession multiple stolen credit cards with several different names,” a deputy wrote, adding that Armeda was “under the effects of methamphetamine,” according to the arrest report.

Surveillance videos showed Armeda stealing from mailboxes on July 31, at 9150 and 9120 Fontainebleau Boulevard, according to the MDSO arrest report. The U.S. Postal Service estimated Armeda caused damage to a mailbox valued at about $28,125.

Miami-Dade corrections booked Armeda at 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to inmate records.

Armeda faced three criminal charges in two new cases. He also had a warrant case while out on felony bond for attempted tampering with physical evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to use.

In the July case, he faced charges of criminal mischief of a $1,000 or more and knowingly removing or taking mail from a mail depository.

In the Wednesday case, he faced a charge of criminal use of personal identification information.

Pike is in critical condition at the hospital where she was taken after Wednesday night's failed execution, but her lawyers said they didn't know specifics of how she's faring.

“Christa is alive right now. We don’t have a sense of her prognosis or much update on her health at the moment," attorney Randy Spivey said during a news conference. "But we know she is alive right now and receiving livesaving medical care.”

Attorney Steve Ferrell said Pike feared there would be complications with the lethal injection because of a lifelong blood disorder that made it tough to get needles into her veins.

“Throughout her life, she’s explained to us that she had trouble having blood drawn,” Ferrell said.

Spivey said he counted at least seven needles that were used in her left arm alone.

“Ms. Pike was not just cooperative but was helping to instruct the people placing the IV lines” as to where they might put them,” Spivey said. “She told them over and over, please try higher on my shoulder.”

Pike's lawyers said the failed execution amounted to “torture,” and they called for her death sentence to be commuted.

An execution fails

The state tried to execute Pike by lethal injection, but neither the initial nor backup dose of pentobarbital killed her and she was still snoring when the execution chamber’s microphone was cut off more than an hour into the attempt. She was later taken to a hospital for treatment.

At one point during Wednesday night’s execution attempt, she asked prison officials if her arm was supposed to feel that way, though it’s unclear if it was after the first dose entered her body, as officials don’t share that information. Later, more than an hour after the process began and nearly 30 minutes after a backup dose of pentobarbital was administered, she could be heard snoring loudly.

On Thursday, Republican Gov. Bill Lee indefinitely postponed Pike’s execution and Tennessee’s lone remaining one that had been scheduled for this year. He also ordered an independent review of what happened, calling it “deeply disturbing.”

But Pike's lawyers said such a review would be insufficient.

Pike, 50, was sentenced to death for a murder she committed at age 18. She would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years.

An appeals court stopped the lethal injection an hour before it was scheduled to begin, but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that stay hours later.

It was the second time this year that Tennessee was unable to complete an execution, though in the other case, officials couldn't find a suitable vein for an IV line so the drugs weren't administered.

May Martinez, whose daughter was murdered by Pike and her boyfriend and who traveled to Nashville to watch the execution, told NBC News that “it was a mess.”

Governor halts another 2026 execution

The failure, which one death penalty expert described as unprecedented, led Gov. Bill Lee to order a review and to indefinitely postpone Pike's execution and Tennessee's lone other one that had been scheduled for this year. It also reignited the debate over the state’s execution procedures, including its single-drug lethal injections.

“There are very few answers this morning. It’s very early," Lee told reporters Thursday at an unrelated event, noting he had received no updates on Pike's condition. "The people of our state deserve to have those questions answered."

He called what happened “deeply disturbing” and said it appeared prison staff followed procedure.

Pike, 50, had been scheduled for execution Wednesday morning for the killing she committed at age 18 and would have been the first woman executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years. An appeals court stopped the execution an hour before it was to start, but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that stay hours later.

Officials gave Pike two doses of pentobarbital, her attorneys said in court filings late Wednesday. The drug has been used in executions in multiple states and by the federal government, but there have been concerns raised about the potential for “unnecessary pain and suffering.”

The Tennessee Department of Correction said in a statement that it “followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office.”

Tennessee changed its execution method two years ago

Tennessee announced in 2024 that it was switching from a three-drug series for lethal injections to the single drug pentobarbital. That came more than two years after the state abruptly halted the execution of Oscar Smith and acknowledged it had failed to ensure its lethal injection drugs had been tested properly.

Robin M. Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said what Pike experienced is “singular and unparalleled” in that she survived long enough to be moved to a hospital.

Seven other people have survived medical problems due to an execution team's failure to access a vein to administer lethal injection drugs, but no one has stayed alive after receiving the drugs used in such executions, she said.

Executions in the U.S. have fallen sharply since the beginning of this century amid growing public opposition and concerns about the costs and the drugs used. But the number of executions nearly doubled last year behind a record increase in Florida.

Pike would have been the 30th person executed in the U.S. this year.

Pike was awake in the execution chamber

Strapped to a gurney in the execution chamber, Pike described herself as at peace.

When asked if she had any last words, Pike said several things, including, “I’m at peace. I’m ready to be free. ... This is a happy day.”

But she remained awake, and at one point complained about the feeling in her arm. The chamber's curtains were closed, suggesting it had been five minutes since the first dose was administered. But they were reopened three minutes later.

An hour after officials first raised the curtains, witnesses reported that a second dose of pentobarbital was administered. Pike could still be heard snoring behind a closed curtain until the microphone was cut off almost 30 minutes later.

Lawyers for Pike filed an emergency motion with the Tennessee Supreme Court seeking to immediately halt and stay the execution, saying she was in “unnecessary agony” and the procedure violated her right to be executed free of cruel and unusual punishment. They also filed motions with two other courts.

Last May, Tennessee officials called off the lethal injection of Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and killing three people in 1994, after executioners tried for over an hour but failed to find a suitable vein for a backup IV line.

Pike didn't deny her role in the killing

Pike and her boyfriend were convicted of the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, a classmate. The killing stoked fears of Satan worship because of a pentagram carved on Slemmer’s body.

Pike’s boyfriend wasn’t eligible for the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the killing and received a sentence of life in prison. He was denied parole last year.

Pike didn't dispute that she helped kill Slemmer, but supporters argued that Pike's age at the time of the murder, her mental illness and her allegations of severe sexual abuse should be considered. She was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder after the killing.

“It took me numerous years to even realize the gravity of what I’d done,” she once said.

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This story was updated to correct the spelling of Randy Spivey's last name.

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Associated Press writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, Ed White in Detroit, Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

Good’s partner, Becca Good, and brother, Brent Ganger, accused the government and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot into her SUV and killed her, Jonathan Ross, of unjustified and excessive use of force.

The Jan. 7 shooting, captured on bystander video, was “the predictable and intended product” of the Trump administration’s crackdown on Somali and other immigrants in Minnesota, an exercise that officials dubbed Operation Metro Surge, the lawsuit said.

“She was the love of my life,” Becca Good said at a news conference announcing the lawsuits. “I’m here today because last January, the whole world had to watch as our entire universe was destroyed — as the sunshine who was my amazing Renee was robbed from us, from her children, and from her community.”

The killings of Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, and another U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis just weeks later sparked outrage across the country and calls to rein in immigration enforcement. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration officers during Trump’s second term.

The crackdown, a pillar of Trump’s second term, has prompted a slew of lawsuits filed by everyone from Chicago-area pastors to more than a dozen states and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested, but few have been convicted of any crimes.

“What happened to Rene was completely senseless,” Ganger said. “And the fact that there’s been no accountability, no investigation, no expression of condolence, no change in policy is completely mind blowing.”

“The hole in my family and myself created by my sister’s passing is hauntingly apparent,” he added.

The lawsuits — one against the government, the other against Ross and officials including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, ex-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House border czar Tom Homan — seek unspecified damages for wrongful death, conspiracy and other violations.

“Our government has become a grave and mortal threat to its own citizens,” the family’s lawyer, Antonio Romanucci said.

The Justice Department has not responded to an email seeking comment.

Ross shot Good as she turned her car away from him

Renee Good was killed while driving home with Becca on a street where masked federal immigration officers were conducting an enforcement operation, the lawsuits said. They had just dropped their six-year-old son off at school,

Renee stopped their SUV in the street and honked her horn to warn people about the operation while Becca got out and started recording video with her cellphone, the lawsuit said.

Bystander video shows Renee Good in the driver’s seat of a red SUV blocking part of the road and repeatedly honking her horn. Two immigration officers get out of a truck, their faces covered, and one orders Good to get out of the car. She reverses briefly, then turns the steering wheel as the officer says again, “get out of the car.”

Almost simultaneously, Becca Good, standing in the street, shouts: “Drive, baby, drive!”

One officer standing in front of the vehicle pulls his weapon and fires into the windshield. He lurches back as the car turns away from him. The officer, who is now very close to the open window on the driver’s side, fires two more times, fatally shooting Renee Good, according to an analysis of the videos by The Associated Press and others.

Federal officials at the time said the officer acted in self-defense and that Good had engaged in “an act of domestic terrorism.”

Becca and Renee Good were not legally married, according to a family lawyer, but referred to one another as wives. They had only recently relocated to Minneapolis from Kansas City, Missouri.

“I don’t hate the people that took Renee from us,” Becca Good said.

“But what I want them to understand: Every single day they get to look at their children and their wives and their sisters and know what they took from our family. They took a mother away from her children. They know that. And they will carry it forever.”

Government tried to hide the truth, lawsuit says

The family’s wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. government seeks damages for “the immense suffering” Good endured in the final moments of her life “and for the profound and permanent losses that her death has inflicted upon her family.”

The other lawsuit, against Ross and top federal immigration officials, paints Operation Metro Surge as a conspiracy to trample the civil rights of Somali and other immigrants and accuses the administration of targeting Becca instead of thoroughly investigating Good’s killing.

The government sought to hide evidence of what happened to Good, the lawsuit said, and senior officials were concerned that pursuing a civil rights investigation into the killing would undermine Trump’s claims that she had tried to kill an officer.

Operation Metro Surge, the lawsuit said, was a “carefully planned, coordinated effort” to make Somali and Hispanic immigrants “the object of aggression and abduction.” The crackdown, the lawsuit said, used intimidation, violence and the threat of arrest to intimidate neighbors and allies “who observed, documented and warned of that campaign.”

Other defendants include: Corey Lewandowski, a Trump campaign manager who also served as one of Noem’s advisers; former acting director of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons; former U.S. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino; and 10 unnamed federal agents.

The news conference announcing the lawsuit was held in the atrium of University of St. Thomas School of Law, and dozens of law students stood on balconies of upper floors watching the family and lawyers speak.

“The time is absolutely now for accountability for the deep damage done by ICE and others,” Ganger said. “We will not be quiet. We will not go away.”

Good's partner acknowledges other lives lost

In social media accounts, Renee Good described herself as a “poet and writer and wife and mom.” On Pinterest, a profile picture shows her smiling and holding a young child, alongside posts about tattoos, hairstyles and home decorating.

In an interview shortly after her death, her mother, Donna Ganger, told The Associated Press: “She had this way of making you feel special and loved that I didn’t even understand that until we lost her.”

Good's partner noted the broader loss to communities nationwide.

“As we have tried to navigate our own massive loss, I am also devastated by how many other lives have been destroyed in this darkest of times,” Becca Good said in a news release Thursday. “So many other families are dealing with the loss of their loved ones; to everyone who has had to witness it — the pain of this moment extends far beyond our family. What happened to us should never happen to any family.”

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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire.

Right on cue, we’ll be watching a strong fall front swing into the Gulf early next week before stalling out from Florida down into the lower stretches of the southwestern Gulf for later next week.

We first mentioned this area in Tuesday’s newsletter and forecast models have gradually perked up in their interest since. Development odds for Google’s bellwether 1,000-member AI-based DeepMind ensemble system – which has run a little hot for unformed disturbances so far this season – have crept up from around 20 to 30% on Tuesday to now just over 50%.

Similarly, the 100-member, traditional physics-based Euro ensemble is now up to around 30 to 40% in its development odds of at least a tropical storm strength system forming in the nook of the southern Gulf and Bay of Campeche from late next Wednesday through Friday.

Sloppy subtropical-like system?

It’s a little early to tease out specifics if something tries to form along the stalled front later next week, but in general the orientation and strength of the strong subtropical jet stream over the northern Gulf suggests this one won’t have an easy time at quick organization.

If anything, with the amount of wind shear in place, odds favor a sprawling, sloppy subtropical-like system – with storminess shunted off to the north and east – if something were to move into the central or northern Gulf by next weekend (weekend of October 10th).

Of course, with waters at record warmth for the time of year, it’s worth following the trends in the models to see if upper-level winds open up any window for something more.

At least for now, most scenarios don’t point to a strong system if development occurs, but we’re still 7 to 10 days out so it’s just something we’ll want to monitor – primarily for the northern Gulf Coast for the holiday weekend.

Quiet otherwise across the Atlantic

Other than storminess and low pressure along the stalled front next week in the Gulf, the rest of the Atlantic basin should stay quiet for the first part of the month.

The justices will consider whether immigrants who have been living in the U.S. have a right to a hearing to determine if they should remain detained while challenging their possible deportation.

The case will test a key pillar of the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration agenda.

Most appeals courts to have considered the issue have found that it violates federal law to detain immigrants, including those living in the U.S. illegally, without a bond hearing. Those decisions conflict with rulings by the 5th and 8th circuits, which held that immigrants accused of illegally entering and remaining in the U.S. must be detained while their deportation cases are pending.

The high court agreed to hear the case of Ricardo Aparecido Barbosa da Cunha, a citizen of Brazil. Authorities say he entered the United States illegally two decades ago and applied for asylum in 2016. He sought a bond hearing after an immigration judge determined that his detention was mandatory following his September 2025 arrest.

He has never been charged or convicted of a crime, his attorneys said. The court is expected to hear the case in the coming months.

President Donald Trump’s administration had urged the high court to take up a different but related case that involves the broader constitutional implications of the new policy.

Attorneys from the Republican administration argue the circuits’ split is “disrupting the orderly administration of immigration law.” They say the nation’s courts have been inundated with thousands of petitions filed by immigrants challenging the government’s legal interpretation.

“The result is an unworkable patchwork of inconsistent immigration enforcement, where aliens present without admission are subject to mandatory detention in some circuits but are entitled to bond hearings and often released in others,” lawyers for the administration wrote.

The plaintiffs are immigrants represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, which says hundreds of district court judges have joined most circuits in rejecting the Trump administration’s new reading of the statutes. Plaintiffs’ lawyers say the administration is trying to deny bond hearings for immigrants apprehended anywhere in the U.S. — no matter how long they’ve lived in the country — rather than limiting the restriction to noncitizens stopped at the border.

“Millions of noncitizens could be affected by the government’s new interpretation,” ACLU attorneys wrote.

The Trump administration says its new mandatory detention policy is legal under a 1996 immigration law. The policy change departs from the practices of prior administrations, which typically allowed most noncitizens without criminal records to request a bond hearing if they were arrested away from the border.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Fewer storms are on the way tomorrow into the weekend. It will not be completely dry, but we will have a lot more dry time in between rounds. High temperatures will be warmer with the sunshine returning, so expect us to reach near 90°.

The first national school choice scholarship program, the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, will launch Jan. 1, establishing a taxpayer-funded incentive for families to choose private or homeschooling in participating states. Taxpayers who donate to an organization passing out the scholarships will receive a federal tax credit, a perk expected to further fuel the conservative school choice movement.

About 96% of children in those states should be eligible, according to the department. Children attending public schools could use the scholarships for extra learning expenses.

“Education freedom is the key to unlocking opportunity and success for our next generation of students,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a statement issued Thursday. The federal scholarship program, she said, will ensure “every child has access to the education they need, not one limited by ZIP code, family income, or government‑imposed barriers.”

School choice scholarships have been available for decades in conservative-led states and throughout the South, giving individual students taxpayer-funded grants ranging from a couple thousand dollars to more than $30,000 a year. In places where they are available to all students regardless of income, such as Florida and Arizona, the majority of students using the money were already in private or home school or were from affluent neighborhoods, an analysis by The Associated Press showed.

The federal program departs from most state programs by not forcing students to leave public school to qualify for a scholarship. Public school students could use the money for tutoring or special education therapies, although the Republican administration has not provided specific criteria for eligible expenses yet.

Regulators say they have set up the program in a way that will make it easier for poor students to apply, proposing to let students use proof of participation in a government assistance program in lieu of providing income documentation. Foster children would not have to provide any income verification when they apply, officials said.

Experiences with school choice scholarships in other states have shown barriers to using the programs go beyond paperwork hurdles. Many families often do not know scholarship programs exist. Federal officials have not said how they would tell taxpayers and students about the scholarships.

How the scholarship and tax credit will work

Taxpayers will have the chance to donate to a scholarship program in a participating state, even if they do not live there, starting Jan. 1. Individuals can donate up to $1,700 and receive a federal tax credit for the same amount in exchange. Federal officials propose a couple filing jointly could give as much as double that amount.

Scholarship organizations in each state would decide how much to grant to each child who applies, depending on available funds and student need. Children could qualify if they are in elementary through high school and their families earn up to three times the area's median income. For a family of four in Houston, for example, that equates to more than $300,000.

Scholarship recipients could use their funding to pay for religious or private school tuition, homeschooling costs, tutoring and special education therapies, books, computers and other expenses connected to enrollment or attendance, according to officials at the Treasury Department.

At least 30 states have opted in, and more may sign up

States could not turn to laws or regulations to narrow the uses for the scholarships or the type of organization that can grant them, federal officials said.

But states can choose whether to participate in the program.

According to the most recent Treasury Department list, as of mid-September these states are in for 2027: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Governors from Arizona, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Oregon have said their states will not join, with some arguing these programs divert resources from public schools.

More than two dozen states have yet to say what they will do. In New York, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul has been supportive, and the state is expected to sign up.

Governors deciding whether to participate face many competing objectives and interests. There is the opportunity to bring significant new education money to students who need extra support, such as tutoring or extra speech therapy that their public school does not provide. At the same time, large scholarship programs in states such as Florida and Arizona have accelerated a growing enrollment crisis in public schools.

Even so, the federal program is expected to bring taxpayer money for private school tuition to several states that have yet to embrace vouchers or education savings accounts.

Education advocates disagree on whether states should participate

In Massachusetts — a state with historically robust public school funding, caps on charter school expansion and no taxpayer funding for private school tuition — education advocates on both sides are lobbying the governor to take a stand and pushing the public to register their opinion.

The state’s association of school superintendents opposes the idea that districts should take advantage of the program by creating their own nonprofits to accept donations and distribute scholarships. Many big city school districts around the country already have their own foundations. In Massachusetts, where every municipality has its own district, the majority of the more than 300 school systems have no such entity.

“Districts face a significant disadvantage compared to the private school networks that already have elaborate fundraising and scholarship infrastructure in place,” reads the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents’ position paper. The group said requiring families to apply for scholarships and, in many cases, prove income eligibility were “bureaucratic hurdles that will certainly leave behind our most vulnerable families.”

On the other side, former Boston City Councilor and former public schoolteacher Annissa Essaibi George has argued Boston Public Schools faces severe budget shortfalls and needs new streams of income.

And besides, she argued in an op-ed published in a neighborhood newspaper: “Massachusetts taxpayers will be eligible to take advantage of this program whether the governor opts in or not. The only question is whether those dollars come back to Massachusetts children, or instead flow to students in states that moved faster.”

In just a few years, after donations from taxpayers pick up, the IRS and the Treasury Department predict the program will direct nearly $26 billion into as many 2.2 million scholarships each year.

The federal tax-credit scholarship program was signed into law last year by President Donald Trump as part of his signature tax breaks and spending cuts bill. The public has 60 days to comment on the Treasury Department's proposed regulations.

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

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The university said $2 billion of Griffin’s gift will support the launch of Carnegie Mellon University Miami, a new campus planned for more than 35 acres in Wynwood.

Construction is slated to begin in 2027, with the first students expected to enroll in 2028, pending regulatory approvals.

Griffin bought the land for $1.1 billion from Moishe Mana.

Mana describes selling the land as a passing of the torch, but continuing the same mission.

A $3 billion bet on Florida.@CarnegieMellon and Ken Griffin just chose Miami for a new research university built around problems that matter: human health, national security, energy, and advanced manufacturing.@EducationFL is a partner in that effort. Great campuses don’t… https://t.co/xYNpDLef8h

— Henry Mack (@HenmackIII) September 30, 2026

He also calls it the largest land assemblage deal in Florida history.

Once completed, CMU said the Miami campus will support more than 3,500 undergraduate, master’s and PhD students, nearly 300 faculty members and more than 600 staff members.

“Wynwood’s reputation as the place to be is further strengthened by the addition of CMU’s Miami campus,” Miami Commissioner Christine King, who represents District 5, said in a statement to Local 10 News. “This marks the next chapter in Wynwood’s evolution and a significant moment for our Miami community. The institution will create new opportunities for partnerships, jobs, education, and economic growth. Wynwood has always been a place where creativity and new ideas thrive. CMU’s arrival ensures this spirit will endure for generations to come.”

The remaining $1 billion of Griffin’s gift will support Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh campus. Half will provide flexible support for the university’s highest priorities, while $500 million will be invested in its School of Computer Science, which will be renamed the Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science.

According to CMU, the $3 billion contribution is the largest gift ever made by an individual in the history of higher education and is also Griffin’s largest-ever gift.

“What Ken is doing is monumental,” Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon, whose district covers Wynwood, said in a statement to Local 10. “$2 billion to establish Carnegie Mellon University Miami is another powerful affirmation of Miami’s continued growth as a center for education, innovation and opportunity. As more world-class universities choose to join our community, it proves that we’re doing something right.

“Investments like this should help connect our residents, particularly our young people, to education, research, careers and the economic opportunities being created around them. We welcome Carnegie Mellon to Miami and look forward to the lasting impact this institution can have on generations to come.”

A new campus in Wynwood

CMU said its Miami campus will be designed differently from a traditional university, organizing education and research around major societal challenges rather than academic majors.

At launch, the university plans to focus on areas including human health and biological discovery, national security and strategic capabilities, energy and climate resilience, and advanced manufacturing and industrial transformation.

Interdisciplinary teams of students, researchers, industry leaders and government partners will work together on those challenges, according to the university. Humanities, arts and design will also be incorporated into the campus’ approach.

CMU said the Miami location will be developed as a comprehensive university campus where both education and research are central to its mission, rather than simply extending individual programs or research projects from its Pittsburgh campus.

Plans for the more than 35-acre Wynwood campus include space for industry research laboratories and venture studios, allowing students, faculty, industry and community partners to work alongside one another.

“We are deeply grateful to Ken Griffin for his extraordinary vision, partnership and belief in what Carnegie Mellon can achieve,” CMU President Farnam Jahanian said.

Jahanian said technological changes, including advances in artificial intelligence, require universities to rethink how students are educated, research is conducted and partnerships are formed.

“Together, we have an opportunity to extend the very qualities that have long distinguished Carnegie Mellon — our agility, creativity, interdisciplinary culture and relentless focus on impact — to build a new model for higher education that meets the urgency of this moment,” Jahanian said.

Griffin: Miami campus is a ‘generational opportunity’

Griffin said bringing Carnegie Mellon to Miami will place the city “at the heart of humanistic and scientific advancement” while expanding the university’s international reach.

“CMU Miami represents a generational opportunity to build a new center of research and intellectual life — one that will attract exceptional students, scholars, and researchers from across the globe and rank among the world’s most important academic institutions,” Griffin said.

He said the campus will also work to cultivate talent and knowledge that can launch new enterprises, contribute to Miami’s economy and community, and advance the country’s prosperity.

Griffin will also join Carnegie Mellon’s Board of Trustees.

Jahanian said the university intends to work with the Miami community as the project moves forward.

“Every great Carnegie Mellon story begins with partnership,” Jahanian said. “Our relationship with Pittsburgh has shaped CMU for more than a century, and we believe the connections we build in Miami will enrich both cities. We look forward to listening, learning and working alongside our neighbors to create new opportunities for collaboration, innovation and shared prosperity.”

The demonstrations erupted in Paris-region schools last week and have snowballed, with police making hundreds of arrests in clashes with the young protesters. Authorities have reported many dozens of injuries, including from hurled objects but also, in some suspected cases, from police riot-control projectiles.

The protests are quickly blowing up as a hot topic in the election campaign to replace President Emmanuel Macron, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term next May. They are also heightening pressure on the government beset by France's growing financial problems, and overshadowing the release on Thursday of its proposed cost-cutting budget for 2027.

At a Paris high school where students barricaded an entrance, 18-year-old Salama Gargouri said protesters want to target “overloaded schedules, the system, the teachers, people who don’t listen to us, the university application process.”

High school students in France often start classes at 8 a.m. and remain at school until late afternoon.

“Older people say, ‘Kids, go to school from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.’ But you don’t know what that does mentally,” said Janna Tahari, another Paris high school student.

Arson, thrown projectiles and other violence on the margins of some protests have caused mounting injuries and recriminations. The interior minister has issued orders for police to break up blockades that prevent pupils from attending classes and to put a stop to violence and vandalism.

Juliette Estiville, a high school Spanish teacher, said that the repression of the protests led her to join the students.

“So, I’m here just to provide protection, to form a barrier between the police and the students,” she said. “And indeed, today went well, it’s going well, but I really think that the teachers who come to the blockades are really just there to protect our young people.”

Education Minister Edouard Geffray said Thursday's violence included a school set on fire and staff doused with gasoline. He said he issued instructions that classes be held remotely when blockades or damage to schools put students at risk.

"Violence will not deprive our students of their fundamental right to education,” Geffray said in a post on X.

Far-left presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Mélenchon has denounced the government response as repressive. His critics have accused Mélenchon's party of inciting violence and using the unrest to score points ahead of the presidential election.

The office of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he asked ministers to cancel any planned official trips in the coming days, to enable authorities and police to focus on dealing with the demonstrations.

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Samuel Petrequin in Paris contributed to this report

Is he done with Portugal? Or will he make peace with his coach and be back for the next international break?

There were few answers on Thursday, a day after the all-time leading scorer in men's international soccer decided to walk out on Portugal’s training camp in a decision announced a few hours after Jesus said the star forward would not start the game against Denmark in the Nations League.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo, who played in his sixth World Cup this year, only said that in due course he would “tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons” behind his departure.

The federation also gave few details, saying only that Ronaldo left the training camp and the rest of the team would remain focused on Thursday's game against Denmark.

There was already a new holder of Ronaldo’s famous No. 7 jersey, with Rafael Leão set to wear it on Thursday. Because of UEFA rules, Portugal had to assign the number to another player after Ronaldo left the roster. Other players have worn the No. 7 in Ronaldo's absence in the past.

In Portugal, the news of Ronaldo's departure fueled speculation that the country's biggest sporting star, who had already hinted that this is his last season in soccer, would not play again for the national team.

“Is this the end?” read Thursday's front-page headline of the JM newspaper based in Ronaldo's native Madeira.

“A sad farewell,” the Portuguese sports paper A Bola said.

“CR7 turns his back on the national team,” read the headline on the O Jogo newspaper.

Portuguese media also reported that Portugal Prime Minister Luís Montenegro got involved in the situation, having talked individually to Ronaldo, Jesus and soccer federation president Pedro Proença.

Possible suspension for Ronaldo?

Regardless of Ronaldo's and the federation's decisions going forward, the star player could possibly face a harsh punishment for leaving the training camp.

The federation's disciplinary regulations say that any player who “abandons or fails to appear” without justification at a training session, match or activity of the national teams, or any activity related to representing the federation, “shall be sanctioned with a suspension of one to six months,” in addition to a fine.

It says the “absence or abandonment shall result in the player’s automatic preventive suspension.”

Ronaldo did tell the federation that he was leaving, but it wasn't clear whether the decision would be considered justified in accordance with the federation's regulations.

Neither the federation nor Ronaldo's representatives immediately responded to requests for comment by The Associated Press on Thursday.

Next steps for the Portugal star

Ronaldo reportedly traveled to Madrid, his home for many years while playing for Real Madrid and where he usually stays when not playing with Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

His social media post offered few hints about what's next.

“Following the national team coach’s news conference, and after a conversation with the president of the Portuguese football federation, I decided to leave the national team’s training camp,” Ronaldo said.

He ended his message by saying that “now is the time to wish good luck to Portugal and to all my teammates.”

Many had been expecting Ronaldo to retire from the national team after the World Cup. And while confirmed he wouldn't appear at another World Cup, he vowed to continue playing and pursuing the milestone of 1,000 career goals. He currently stands at 979, with an international men's record of 146 goals coming for Portugal.

Ronaldo recently said that this Saudi Pro League season is likely to be the last of his professional career. Al-Nassr’s next match is Oct. 9.

Coach dismisses talk of a feud with Ronaldo

Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Al-Nassr last season when they won the Saudi Arabian league title together, took over from Roberto Martínez after Portugal's round-of-16 elimination at the World Cup. He said Wednesday in the pre-game news conference that he was not planning to start Ronaldo in the Nations League match against Denmark. But he dismissed the notion there was a feud between him and Ronaldo, and said the player told him that he would accept any decision he would make.

“It seems like there was an issue between us, but there was no issue,” Jesus said before Ronaldo announced his decision to leave.

Ronaldo didn't play Sunday in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Norway. He hadn't trained with the rest of the group since, sparking widespread rumors about a possible spat with Jesus. The coach said Ronaldo would practice normally on Wednesday, but he ended up deciding to leave.

Jesus acknowledged that someone with the stature of Ronaldo deserved a different type of attention from coaches, but emphasized that the “rules are the same for everyone.”

Jesus admitted that he told Ronaldo that he would play at least a few minutes against Norway, but changed his mind because of the game's circumstances. He said he's the one making the team choices and "no player will ever make a decision for me.”

He said it was a mistake to send Ronaldo to warm up for as long as he did, and then not use him against Norway. Jesus added that “any player” would be upset about that.

Ronaldo started in Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales last Thursday but was substituted in the 67th minute. On Tuesday, he posted on Instagram a photo of him wearing the kit accompanied by the country’s flag and a heart emoji.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

She got neither.

Wang Xiyu of China defeated Eala 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals on Thursday to set up a final against fellow Chinese Zhang Shuai. Zhang defeated Yuliya Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2.

In addition to the loss, Eala could still face a $10,000 fine for withdrawing from the China Open in Beijing — a mandatory WTA 1000-level event — to represent the Philippines at the Asian Games.

“Yeah, of course — disappointed,” Eala said. "It’s hard right after the match. I will have to process the emotions and process the match.”

Eala led 5-0 in the first set, but Wang closed to 5-3 and seemed to gain an edge before Eala took the set.

“I think it happened — momentum shift happened,” Eala said. "Everyone’s constantly trying to find a way. So I think she played really well today.”

The 21-year-old described losing to the 85th-ranked Wang as a learning moment. Eala is ranked 18th and is one of the rising stars in the game.

“I just think I take away a great experience," Eala said ”Of course, some lessons that I have to process."

Eala defeated Wang 6-4, 6-3 on clay five months ago at the Italian Open, their only previous meeting.

It was different this time on a hard surface.

Both Eala and the other semifinal loser, Putintseva, were awarded bronze medals.

“First of all, I believed in myself and believed that I could do it,” the 25-year-old Wang said. "Step by step, I was able to beat her.”

In the final Wang faces Zhang, who is 37 and has been a mentor to many younger Chinese players. She has won two Grand Slam doubles titles and could land a berth in the Olympics by beating her younger student.

“Of course, this is definitely one of my motivations,” Wang said of the Olympics. “But I hope I can focus on every single point — every single strike of the ball.”

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SNTV video journalist Nicky Zhu contributed to this report.

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See full AP coverage of Asian sports here

The Labor Department said Thursday that initial jobless claims ticked down to 197,000 from a revised 198,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, dropped by 2,500 to 200,000.

Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can be a sign of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have mostly stayed below 220,000 — historically low.

The American job market has remained sturdy despite higher energy prices that have squeezed businesses and consumers since the fighting with Iran began Feb. 28.

Layoffs are low. Businesses, remembering the labor shortages that followed the end of pandemic lockdowns, are reluctant to let go of staff. They’re hiring — but modestly by the standards of recent years.

So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have been adding an average of 80,000 jobs a month, including a surprising 162,000 in August. That is an improvement on a lackluster 2025 when monthly job creation averaged 9,700 as high interest rates and President Donald Trump’s unpredictable trade policies discouraged hiring.

The Labor Department will release the jobs report for September next week. It’s expected to show that employers added 90,000 jobs and that the unemployment rate remained low at 4.1%, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

Hiring remains well below the 166,000 monthly jobs created, on average, in 2023 and 2024, and the 491,000 a month recorded during the 2021-2022 hiring boom that followed COVID-19 lockdowns.

The new numbers come as Trump and Vice President JD Vance hit the campaign trail on Thursday, heading to heavily Republican areas to shore up lagging enthusiasm in their party ahead of next month’s midterm elections. Trump will go to Texas and Oklahoma while Vance stumps in Florida, areas where GOP candidates were once expected to glide to victory but are now facing tougher races.

The Latest:

Rubio to visit NATO allies Iceland, Greece and Portugal next week

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to NATO allies Iceland, Greece and Portugal next week for talks on defense cooperation, trade and energy security.

The State Department said Thursday that Rubio would visit Reykjavík, Athens, and Lisbon from Oct. 5-8 as the Trump administration continues to press for NATO members to boost their defense spending.

Iceland is a key member of an Arctic bloc of nations and is seen by the U.S. as critical to ensuring the high North region remains free of unwanted Russian and Chinese interference. Iceland recently took umbrage when President Trump posted a map on social media depicting the island covered with the U.S. flag, prompting concerns that his designs on Greenland had been expanded.

In Greece, the department said Rubio will be focused on trade and energy, as Greece is seen as a pivotal transit point for U.S. liquified natural gas shipments that the administration hopes to sell throughout Europe.

In Portugal, Rubio will concentrate on economic, and technology cooperation, the department said.

President Trump says Iran may be linked to the FlyDubai co-pilot who tried to crash an Israel-bound plane

The president was asked by reporters at the White House on Thursday whether he’d been briefed about any links between the pilot behind the attack and Tehran, and he said “We’re working on it right now.”

“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said. He did not offer details.

When asked if the U.S. would retaliate against Tehran if it was behind the attack, Trump said, “Oh they’ll be hit, very hard, don’t worry.”

“You just ask them,” he added. “They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard.”

Trump gives himself an A+ despite dismal polling numbers

“I give us an A-plus on the government, on economics, on everything,” Trump told reporters Thursday at the White House. He claimed that inflation levels are now “really good” and predicted oil prices will fall soon.

A new AP-NORC poll finds that Americans are far less satisfied, with just 26% approving his handling of the overall economy, a new low. A majority of U.S. adults blamed Trump’s policies for high costs.

Trump gave himself high marks after being asked about recent complaints that his successes aren’t getting enough attention.

Trump has expressed frustration about messaging ahead of November’s midterm elections, saying on Wednesday that “we’re doing an extremely poor job of promotion and an extremely great job of running the country.”

Trump hosts Thune at the White House

Just before departing for Oklahoma and Texas on Thursday, the president met privately with Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the White House.

The meeting was confirmed by a person with knowledge of it, granted anonymity to discuss a private meeting.

Thune has sometimes been a foil for the president, especially as the longtime senator resists changes that Trump wants to make to how the Senate operates. But the two men talk regularly and both are campaigning aggressive for the GOP ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.

By Seung Min Kim

Trump suggests Iran war ‘should help’ GOP in the midterms -- but says it is possible it hurts

Asked if the increasingly unpopular war would threaten his party’s chances in November, Trump at first responded, “It’s possible.” But then he added, “It should help, because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”

The president said “100 percent of the people” oppose Iran having nuclear attack capabilities “including worldwide.”

“So, when you say it that way, It would help,” Trump added. “If you don’t say that, it could hurt.”

US could have 3 carriers in the Mideast soon, official says

A group of ships that together carry over 7,000 sailors and 2,000 Marines are heading to the Middle East, a U.S. official said.

That includes the recently deployed USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group. It could mean three carriers are in the region as early as the end of October, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations.

That would be an unusually high U.S. naval presence of more than 20,000 sailors and Marines and hundreds of aircraft. It comes as the war with Iran stretches past seven months. The Navy previously had three carriers in the Middle East in April -- the first time since 2003.

The USS George H.W. Bush and the USS George Washington are there now, along with the USS Boxer amphibious readiness group. The Pacific-based Washington had moved to the Middle East to relieve the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln.

By Konstantin Toropin

Trump is headed to Oklahoma to ‘thank’ voters

The president’s travel schedule in the coming days has been a bit of a curiosity: Why is he spending his time in deep red territory that should be easy political ground for Republicans?

Trump’s answer: He wants to thank the voters of Oklahoma for supporting him overwhelmingly in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections.

“I’ve won 87 out of 87 counties,” Trump said, inaccurately stating the number of counties in Oklahoma. He continued: “They’ve been just an unbelievable state.”

He insisted that “you have to give back, too” when a state supports someone in such large margins. Trump also noted that Oklahoma has a key governor’s race this year, and later got the number of counties in the state correct.

US takes aim at Iran’s automotive and rail industry in latest effort to get Tehran to capitulate

The Trump administration on Thursday targeted the remaining sector of Iran’s already heavily-sanctioned industrial infrastructure, singling out entities based in Indonesia, the UAE and Germany.

Among those sanctioned are two of Iran’s largest auto manufacturers, Iran Khodro Company and SAIPA Iranian Automobile Manufacturing Company, as well as several foreign auto industry supply providers and overseas companies in China and Germany that provide the country with source materials like mining and metals.

The actions by the U.S. Treasury come as Trump officials are touting the latest number coming out of Tehran this week, showing its currency falling to new record lows.

The administration credits the continued erosion of the Iranian economy to its months-long economic campaign and has no plans to cease the financial penalties anytime soon even as negotiations between the two countries have restarted.

A new online center opens to support borrowers defaulting on their student loans

The joint announcement by the Trump administration’s Treasury and Education departments follows a surge in defaults since payments came due again following a lengthy pause intended to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further complicating the situation has been the end of the most affordable income-driven repayment option, the SAVE plan, sharply raising loan payments for many borrowers.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in Wednesday’s announcement that the “Department of Education was never intended to serve as the fifth largest bank in America.”

Borrowers can use the online portal to get their payments back on track through consolidation or “loan rehabilitation” using a digital process that replaces what the agencies described as an “arduous paper-based approach that has been in place for decades.”

Borrowers have frequently complained that figuring out the status of their loans has been confusing and involves hours on the phone.

The portal also will make it easier to sign up for a temporary interest rate reduction available to some borrowers who sign up for auto payments.

New ad in GOP-leaning Wisconsin district speaks to Democrats’ upset hopes

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has released its first ad this campaign in a congressional district Republicans have held for more than 30 years.

The ad released Thursday is for first-time Democratic candidate Mitchell Berman. He’s a nurse who’s trying to knock off four-term Republican incumbent Rep. Bryan Steil, who worked as a lawyer for a plastics manufacturer before going to Washington.

The DCCC's willingness to spend in a district that has consistently favored Republicans is another sign of growing optimism among Democrats that they can pull off the midterms upset they’re hoping for.

The ad contrasts Berman’s hunting deer with Steil making money while serving in Congress.

“Bryan Steil and I both chase bucks,” Berman says in the ad. “Difference is, mine has antlers.”

The DCCC said it was spending $271,000 initially on the ad’s visibility, but that could increase.

AP-NORC poll measured how much blame for inflation Republicans attribute to Trump

The poll found about two-thirds of Republicans say higher than usual prices are because of factors outside of Trump’s control, but about one-third say it’s because of Trump’s policies.

“It definitely doesn’t feel like we have trended in the right direction,” agreed Kristen Slaven, 41, a mental health therapist who lives in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, and typically votes Republican.

“Obviously, wars don’t help. When they’re necessary, I understand. But our focus on renaming bodies of water and pieces of land, that’s just stupid to me when people can’t feed their family.”

Republicans surveyed by AP-NORC voice concerns about Trump

Trump is hitting the campaign trail with an aggressive schedule of rallies, having asked voters to pretend that he is on the ballot as he tries to bolster turnout in midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress.

But Trump’s dismal numbers in the poll published Thursday show he remains deeply unpopular, with even some Republicans faulting him for failing to deliver on promised relief.

“Groceries are just like kind of out of control. It seems like everything is going up,” said Bethany Lnenicka, 41, who operates a small farm in Fairfax, Iowa. “It’s just insane. And of course your income doesn’t go up.”

A political independent who typically votes Republican and has voted for Trump three times, Lnenicka said “I just do not feel like it has gotten a lot better.”

DC judge permanently dismisses case charging ex-Olympian with vandalizing Reflecting Pool

D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the case against David Hearn with “prejudice,” which would block U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office from refiling the felony charge under political pressure from Trump.

Hearn’s lawyers say Trump administration officials have continued to falsely accuse the Maryland resident of vandalizing the reflecting pool despite Pirro’s decision to drop the case on July 31. Trump responded by saying Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella.”

In an embarrassing setback for the White House, Pirro informed the court that new evidence produced by the Interior Department showed the damage resulted from a botched installation by a contractor rushing to complete the project in time for this summer’s America 250 celebration in Washington.

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Rising bond yields rattle markets worldwide and overshadow hopes for AI stocks

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 5.32% on Thursday, near its highest level since 2002. It was less than 4% before the war with Iran began. The higher borrowing costs are helping to overshadow optimism that the artificial-intelligence industry can keep climbing.

The S&P 500 is heading toward its seventh loss in the last eight days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq composite are trading downward. The losses were even sharper in Europe, where bond yields saw a significant jump overnight.

High yields slow the overall economy by making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money, while undercutting prices for stocks and other investments. Worries about high inflation are festering as oil prices climbed again Thursday. The price for a barrel of Brent crude jumped 3.3% to $101.24, swinging on uncertainty about any end to the U.S. war with Iran.

Renee Good’s family describes a Trump administration conspiracy

The civil rights suit says the shots fired by Jonathan Ross, the immigration officer who killed Good, “were the predictable and intended product of the operation.”

A news release from the family’s lawyers says the lawsuit describes as a “carefully planned, coordinated effort between senior federal officials and private actors to make two ethnic communities — Minnesotans of Somali and Hispanic descent and origin — the object of aggression and abduction, and to silence by intimidation, arrest and violence the neighbors and allies of those targeted communities who observed, documented and warned of that campaign.”

The lawsuit also alleges “collaboration of federal agencies and individuals with private entities for an operation with discriminatory design, racially targeted pursuit and seizure of individuals without regard to their legal status, and each defendant’s participation in the conspiracy.”

The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuits.

Renee Good’s family sues US government and immigration officials

The family of the 37-year-old woman killed by an immigration officer during a federal crackdown in Minneapolis is alleging wrongful death and other violations of federal law.

The two lawsuits were filed by Good’s partner, Becca Good, and Renee’s brother Brent Ganger. One says her death was caused by battery, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. The other alleges a conspiracy to interfere with civil rights.

The named defendants include Jonathan Ross, the immigration officer who shot her; White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller; former Homeland Security head Kristi Noem; former U.S. Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, Corey Lewandowski, President Donald Trump’s campaign manager, and others.

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Supreme Court grants review of Trump administration’s mandatory detention policy for immigrants

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to review a Trump administration policy denying bond hearings for immigrants as the government carries out a sweeping immigration crackdown.

The justices will consider whether immigrants who have been living in the U.S. have a right to a hearing to determine if they should remain detained while challenging their possible deportation.

Appeals court judges from nine of 11 federal circuits have concluded that detaining immigrants without a bond hearing violates federal law.

Those decisions conflict with rulings by the 5th and 8th circuits, which held that immigrants accused of illegally entering and remaining in the U.S. must be detained while their deportation cases are pending.

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Trump says he’d pardon administration officials

In the Time magazine interview, the president indicated he’s open to issuing pardons for members of his administration.

“Yeah, sure I’d do that,” he said.

Scrutiny is sure to ramp up on key members of the Trump administration should Democrats take one or both chambers of Congress in this fall’s midterm elections.

Trump justified his thinking by pointing to former President Joe Biden’s preemptive pardons he issued for key government officials and family members as he was departing the White House.

Trump exaggerated what Biden did, saying: “Sleepy Joe Biden, he gave pardons to everyone.”

Trump says his low poll numbers are ‘fake numbers’

The president said in an interview with Time magazine conducted on Monday that “pollsters are corrupt” and the bad polls “are fake.”

Trump, in the interview published Thursday, said his own pollster told him his numbers “are much higher than the numbers.”

“I would beat anybody running today by 20 points,” he said.

Trump dismisses reports that Netanyahu was warned about Hamas operation days before Oct. 7 attack

The president said in an interview with Time magazine conducted on Monday that he was hearing about those weeks-old reports for the first time that day and said, “I can’t imagine this.”

If Netanyahu had known about it, “he would have done something about it. Certainly, he would have had people at least alert,” Trump said in the interview published Thursday.

An Israeli newspaper reported in early September that Netanyahu was directly warned by the president of the United Arab Emirates that Hamas was planning a major offensive just days before the militant group attacked on Oct. 7, 2023.

Trump dodges on whether Netanyahu deserves reelection

In the Time magazine interview, Trump repeatedly avoided answering directly whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be reelected later this month.

“I can only say that I’m not involved in politics anymore,” said the U.S. president, who is ramping up his campaigning for Republicans in the November midterms.

Trump then touted his own record on Israel rather than answering directly whether Netanyahu should be reelected, despite several attempts from Time journalists.

Trump finally answered: “Well, people have written off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times. I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi.”

Of Netanyahu’s opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, Trump said: “I don’t hear bad things about him.”

More bombing of Iran ‘possible’ after midterms, Trump says

Trump said in a Time magazine interview published Thursday morning that it’s “possible” he’ll ramp up bombing in Iran after the Nov. 3 midterms.

When pressed further by Time journalists, Trump continued: “I can’t tell you that because look, you know, you’re asking, where are you going to bomb?”

He said in the interview, conducted Sept. 28, that he rejected the latest ceasefire proposal from Iran because “things that I wouldn’t have approved a year ago I wouldn’t have today.”

Trump cited as an example an offer from Iran to “open up the Strait” of Hormuz, but said the overall proposal was “not good enough.”

Todos los carriles en dirección este del Dolphin Expressway cerrarán en la Northwest 17th Avenue a partir de las 10 p.m. del viernes, y se espera que permanezcan cerrados hasta las 10 a.m. del sábado.

El cierre permitirá a los trabajadores colocar de forma segura una estructura de acero de refuerzo para un soporte de puente sobre la autopista.

Los conductores que viajen hacia el este deberán salir en la Northwest 17th Avenue y seguir hacia el sur, cruzando la Northwest Seventh Street. Desde ahí, pueden girar a la izquierda en la Southwest First Street, avanzar hacia el este y girar a la derecha en South Miami Avenue para tomar las rampas de acceso a la Interestatal 95 en dirección norte o sur.

Quienes se dirijan a Biscayne Boulevard o al MacArthur Causeway pueden seguir por la Southwest First Street, girar a la izquierda en Biscayne Boulevard y tomar la rampa de entrada al MacArthur Causeway en la Northeast 11th Terrace.

Los conductores que circulen por la Northwest 12th Avenue y quieran llegar al Dolphin Expressway en dirección este, la I-95, Biscayne Boulevard o el MacArthur Causeway pueden seguir hacia el sur por la Northwest 12th Avenue, girar a la izquierda en la Southwest First Street y seguir los desvíos señalizados.

También cerrarán los carriles hacia el oeste

El tráfico en dirección oeste de la SR 836 también se verá afectado el viernes por la noche.

Dos carriles en dirección oeste cerrarán a partir de las 10 p.m., y a las 11 p.m. se cerrarán por completo todos los carriles en esa dirección entre la Northwest 12th Avenue y la Northwest 17th Avenue.

Está previsto que este cierre se mantenga hasta las 8 a.m. del sábado.

Los conductores serán desviados por la rampa de salida de la Northwest 12th Avenue, donde deberán girar a la izquierda. Luego pueden girar a la derecha en la Northwest Seventh Street y nuevamente a la derecha en la Northwest 17th Avenue, para seguir hacia el norte y volver a tomar el Dolphin Expressway en dirección oeste.

Cambio temporal en el horario de los puentes levadizos

Las obras también obligarán a modificar temporalmente el horario de funcionamiento de los puentes de la Southwest First Street y de West Flagler Street sobre el río Miami.

El sábado, de 6 a.m. a 10 a.m., ambos puentes se abrirán a la hora en punto y a la media hora.

Fuera de ese periodo de cuatro horas, los puentes funcionarán con su horario habitual.

Las embarcaciones públicas de Estados Unidos, los remolcadores, solos o con remolque, y las embarcaciones en peligro podrán pasar en cualquier momento.

El cambio temporal en el horario de los puentes se hace para apoyar el cierre del Dolphin Expressway. La Guardia Costera de EE.UU. también anunciará el cambio a través de sus avisos a los navegantes.

Según el Departamento de Transporte de Florida, las obras forman parte del proyecto de diseño y construcción I-395/SR 836/I-95, que busca aumentar la capacidad, mejorar el flujo del tráfico y la seguridad, y facilitar el acceso a lo largo de las tres autopistas.

Un video obtenido en exclusiva por Local 10 News muestra a agentes de la policía de North Miami Beach entrando a un apartamento y encontrando a cuatro niños solos en casa mientras su madre estaba en un crucero de tres días a las Bahamas, según los investigadores.

Nathalie Belizaire, de 29 años, fue arrestada el lunes al regresar a PortMiami de un crucero a las Bahamas. Según los registros de la cárcel, enfrenta cuatro cargos de negligencia infantil sin daño corporal grave.

Al salir de la cárcel el martes por la noche, Belizaire dijo a los periodistas que había hecho arreglos para que alguien cuidara a los niños. También acusó al padre de su hija menor de haberle tendido una trampa.

El padre, quien habló con Local 10 News por teléfono a través de un traductor, dio una versión distinta.

Dijo que Belizaire se comunicó con él el jueves para preguntarle si podía cuidar a la hija de ambos, de 2 meses. Según él, le respondió que no podía y entendió que ella pensaba pedirle a su madre que cuidara a los niños.

Según la policía, los niños son de padres distintos.

El padre contó que después se comunicó con la abuela y supo que ella no tenía a los niños. Entonces fue al apartamento de la familia, en la zona del Northeast 15th Avenue y la 170th Street.

Dijo que no tenía llave, pero podía ver a los niños dentro del apartamento. Un video que entregó a Local 10 News muestra a los niños, aparentemente, viendo televisión adentro.

Preocupado por su bebé, llamó a la policía.

La policía de North Miami Beach indicó que los agentes acudieron el sábado y entraron a la fuerza al apartamento. Según el informe de arresto, encontraron adentro a cuatro niños, entre ellos la bebé de 2 meses, y algunos estaban “escondidos” en un baño.

La policía dijo que Belizaire se había ido el viernes y tenía previsto regresar el lunes.

Según las autoridades, la madre viajaba a bordo del Carnival Conquest, un crucero que zarpó de Miami rumbo a las Bahamas. Agentes de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade la esperaron en PortMiami cuando el barco regresó el lunes, según el informe de arresto.

La Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de EE.UU. retuvo a Belizaire antes de que la policía de North Miami Beach la arrestara, según el informe.

El defensor público de Belizaire le dijo el martes a una jueza que su clienta niega las acusaciones.

Durante una audiencia, la jueza de circuito de Miami-Dade Mindy Glazer cuestionó por qué los cuatro niños habían quedado solos.

“Los pobres niños estaban solos en casa”, dijo Glazer.

Glazer emitió cuatro órdenes de alejamiento y fijó la fianza de Belizaire en $10,000. Según los registros de la cárcel del condado Miami-Dade, fue procesada el lunes en el centro correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

El padre dijo que no tenía intención de tenderle una trampa a Belizaire y que llamó a la policía porque estaba preocupado por su hija.

Añadió que no sabía quién estaba cuidando a los otros niños después de enterarse de que no estaban con su abuela.

Desde entonces, el caso se ha difundido ampliamente en redes sociales, con preguntas sobre las circunstancias de la llamada a la policía y sobre la afirmación de Belizaire de que alguien debía estar cuidando a los niños.

Local 10 News intentó comunicarse el miércoles con Belizaire para obtener sus comentarios, pero ella se negó a hablar.

The race pits current mayor and lawyer Howard Weinberg against real estate broker Alberto Zaltzberg.

Weinberg, the incumbent, is serving his first four-year term. He faces challenger Zaltzberg in November. Municipal elections in Aventura are non-partisan.

Weinberg says his record on property taxes shows that he knows people are struggling with the cost of living in Aventura.

“We have one of the lowest property tax rates in all of Florida. If people look at their tax rate and I tell them it’s 1.72, there are cities where it’s 6,” Weinberg said.

Asked about keeping buildings and condominiums safe, Weinberg said the city has a strong inspection process.

“We have a very robust inspection system,” he said. “We get the reports, we read the reports, we send our inspectors out there.”

Weinberg said the first thing he would do if re-elected would directly affect residents’ wallets.

“There will never be an increase in our property tax rate as long as I’m your mayor,” Weinberg said. “It’s the very first promise I made. Promise made, promise kept.”

Zaltzberg, meanwhile, said Aventura has been his home for 15 years and he is ready to lead. If Zaltzberg wins, he would become Aventura’s first Latino mayor.

Asked how he would make buildings and condos as safe as possible, Zaltzberg said the city should take a more active role.

“The first thing the city can do is be more proactive with the inspections, create more control over the boards to do what they need to do,” he said.

Asked what he would do on his first day in office to give people relief in their wallets, Zaltzberg said the city’s spending and policies need review.

“We need to review all topics and listen to people on what we can cut or change,” he said.

Election Day is Nov. 3.

Correction: An earlier version of this article and video erroneously referred to Weinberg as a Democrat and Zaltzberg as a Republican. We apologize for this error.

Experts say they’re increasingly seeing people use the plans for everyday expenses like groceries, bills, transportation and, sometimes rent.

“It has been very hard out there for a lot of people," said Sara Rathner, NerdWallet’s credit card expert. “It’s a tough job market, and it’s a rough economy, and the cost of the things that we buy every day has been going up, in some cases more than people’s incomes.”

Pay-in-four plans, which generally allow consumers to pay for purchases in four installments over six weeks, accounted for about half of the $160 billion in buy now, pay later spending last year, according to the study. Use of those plans has increased nearly 80% since 2023.

The rest of the plans were either longer- or shorter-term loans.

How consumers are using buy now pay later

When Elizabeth Brown first used buy now, pay later, she had just started living by herself and was earning a salary that made it hard to afford basic expenses. She would buy groceries and, once she got her paycheck, pay for them through buy now, pay later. Six years later, things haven’t changed much.

“I used buy now, pay later so I can have the furniture I need. I have groceries in my fridge because of it. I don’t necessarily feel shameful for using it because at the end it’s very beneficial to me at this point of my life,” said Brown, 26, of Columbia, South Carolina, who works as a clinical service member at an optical store.

Buy now, pay later products have evolved. Rent now, pay later services are one form, which break rent into multiple payments.

“It isn’t really just a convenience element anymore; it really is becoming a cash flow challenge,” said Mark Elliott, chief customer officer at Happen Bank, a financial services company formerly known as Lending Club.

Jordan Williams, 28, first used buy now, pay later to get concert tickets to Hozier. Then, when she experienced financial hardship after her daughter was born, she started leaning on it to pay for some of her groceries.

“There’s just not a lot of resources, and that makes me angry because this shouldn’t be something I have to do," said Williams, a lecturer and content creator from Greensboro, North Carolina. "We should be able to just afford groceries. I feel angry and then I feel embarrassed.”

For a long time, Williams felt ashamed about having to use buy now, pay later for basic expenses. She now feels less alone after talking with other people who also have debt.

If you're going to use buy now, pay later plans, here are some expert recommendations:

Read the fine print

The most well-known buy now, pay later product is pay-in-four, where you can pay back what you owe in four payments, one every two weeks, with a 0% annual percentage rate, or APR. However, not every buy now, pay later loan has the same terms. Before you commit to buying something using buy now, pay later, Ed deHaan, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, recommends that you read your contract carefully.

“So-called buy now, pay later products are popping up that are not good deals at all," deHaan said. "Some of them charge hefty fees, both upfront and if you miss a payment."

In general, if you miss a buy now, pay later payment, you can face fees, interest or the possibility of being banned from using the services in the future.

Know how it impacts your credit score

In the past, buy now, pay later loans didn’t impact your credit score, but that has changed. Buy now, pay later agencies now report credit lending activity to one of the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

“Entering into a buy now, pay later plan for now isn’t going to affect your credit in any way, but missing a payment can, so that’s where you really want to be careful,” Rathner said.

Credit reporting depends on the company and its policies. For example, both Affirm and Klarna report to Experian and TransUnion. Afterpay does not report to any credit bureau.

Only borrow what you can pay back

Before purchasing something with buy now, pay later, deHaan recommends pausing to consider whether it’s an amount you can pay back.

“The general advice for credit is that it's very easy to spend and hard to pay off," deHaan said. “And most of us, many of us, are not good at making good predictions about what we will be able to pay in the future.”

When using buy now, pay later, Brown set herself a limit of $100 a month across payments, and she avoids signing up for payments every two weeks and instead chooses the monthly payment options.

Avoid stacking plans

As with credit cards, you can sign up for multiple buy now, pay later plans. These loans can quickly balloon until they become unmanageable. If you don’t want to risk snowballing into debt, avoid stacking buy-now, pay later loans, said Carla Sanchez-Adams, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center.

“Avoid multiple purchases because then it gets really hard to track, especially if they’re with different companies,” Sanchez-Adams said.

If you have to utilize multiple loans, make sure you keep track of the payment amounts and dates so you avoid late fees, she added.

Seek out additional resources

Looking into additional resources such as food banks, SNAP or hardship help programs in your area can be helpful, Rathner said.

“If you are stretched thin for affording food and going into debt to do so, it could be time to seek out additional help," she said. “So this is hopefully less of a struggle for you and your family while you’re going through this difficult time.”

Seek help from a nonprofit credit counseling agency

If you've reached a point where you have too many buy now, pay later loans and maybe some credit card debt too, it might be time to seek help from a credit counseling agency. Two well-known resources for finding nonprofit credit counseling agencies are the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Financial Counseling Association of America. Both can help you connect with certified agencies and counselors.

“You have financial stress, you have work stress, you have family stress," Rathner said. “Get help with the financial stress because that can help you feel more in control of this area of your life. And it can help take one step at a time toward paying down your debts and feeling more in control.”

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The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

Democratic Majority for Israel is calling on the party to continue providing security and military assistance to the country while supporting a negotiated path to statehood for both Israelis and Palestinians and a future for Gaza that doesn't include Hamas.

It notably does not insist on unyielding support for Israel, acknowledging that “Israel’s security does not require support for every decision made by an Israeli government.” The document also calls on Israel to “act decisively against settler threats, intimidation, and violence.”

The framework is being released at a sensitive moment for Democrats following a primary season in which voters from New York to Michigan embraced candidates who backed positions including ending military aid to Israel. If Democrats retake control of the U.S. House or Senate in next month's elections, these candidates could play a significant role in shaping the debate over America's posture toward Israel.

The issue could also play prominently in the early stages of the next presidential campaign, which could begin shortly after the midterms.

Democratic Majority for Israel's chief executive, Brian Romick, said his goal is to provide a “helpful guide for our mainstream Democratic candidates on how to engage with a complicated issue."

“It's important to remind Democrats and Americans that there's value in the U.S.-Israel relationship,” he said. “We thought it was important to kind of lay out a forward-looking vision.”

The question is whether such a framework will go very far in shaping the views of Democrats, who are increasingly skeptical of Israel.

About 58% of Democrats said the U.S. is “too supportive” of the Israelis, according to a June survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, up from 45% in January 2024. Roughly half of Democrats believe that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war with Hamas, an accusation Israel rejects.

Former Obama administration chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who has argued Democrats need to return to the political center ahead of launching a potential presidential bid, went to Israel in July and delivered a blistering speech warning the country was at risk of becoming a “territorial pariah." He specifically called out Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has closely aligned himself with President Donald Trump, a Republican.

Emanuel, who's also a former congressman, Chicago mayor and U.S. ambassador, blamed Netanyahu for driving Israel to a “dead end,” emboldened by poor decisions from American leaders.

The framework from Democratic Majority for Israel takes a less strident view on Netanyahu, who faces another election this month. “Support for Israel,” the group argued, “transcends any one Israeli government.”

The group took a similarly long view on military and security assistance for Israel, arguing it shouldn't be stopped now even as it acknowledged the possibility of change in the future.

“Over time, and by mutual agreement, today’s partnership should be capable of evolving beyond the traditional assistance framework toward an increasingly reciprocal relationship centered on joint investment, innovation, and technological advantage,” the framework reads. “The objective should be to build the partnership both countries will need to confront the threats and seize the opportunities of the coming decades.”

Daniel Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama, acknowledged “strong, passionate views” on the issue.

“Clearly, not everyone will agree with every aspect” of the framework, he said. “But I think there’s a lot there that many Democrats would find speaks to them.”

Trantalis discussed the measure Wednesday during Fort Lauderdale’s 2026 State of the City address at The Parker, where he also highlighted the city’s investments in public safety, infrastructure and quality of life.

According to the city, the proposed amendment would increase property tax exemptions and impose controls on local government spending.

The city said homesteaded homeowners would pay less in property taxes under the measure, while local governments would receive less revenue to pay for services.

Trantalis emphasized that the city is not advocating for or against the amendment, but said residents should understand what it could mean before casting their ballots.

“As mayor, it is not my role to tell you how to vote,” Trantalis said. “But I believe I have a duty to help educate the public and ensure you understand what is being proposed.”

The mayor encouraged residents to learn more about the amendment and its potential effects and to participate in the November election.

Trantalis highlights city investments

During his State of the City address, Trantalis also pointed to projects and services supported through Fort Lauderdale’s budget.

Over the past year, the city opened a new police headquarters, moved forward with major drainage projects, resurfaced more than 10 miles of roads and repaired or replaced more than 22 miles of sidewalks, according to the city.

Fort Lauderdale has also continued improvements to its parks, while the new Prospect Lake Clean Water Center is scheduled to officially open Oct. 15.

The city said it has expanded public safety initiatives and invested in affordable housing while continuing work related to homelessness, transportation and the protection of Fort Lauderdale’s waterways.

Fort Lauderdale also adopted a budget without raising its property tax rate for the 20th consecutive year, according to the city. The city said it continues to maintain a AAA bond rating and has established a new Emergency Reserve Fund and updated its Financial Integrity Principles.

“Our results are real and measurable,” Trantalis said. “We strengthened the foundations of our city with generational investments that will serve our residents for decades to come.”

Trantalis closed his address by emphasizing the long-term impact of decisions being made today.

“We have built a stronger foundation,” he said. “A foundation that is ready for whatever challenges lie ahead. A foundation that will support new opportunities, new ideas and new generations.”

Zidane faces Italy again on Friday, this time in a suit as France's coach. The Nations League game at Stade de France will be his first at home since taking charge of Les Bleus.

Although 20 years have passed, the headbutt incident remains one of soccer's most iconic and talked-about moments.

Why was Zidane sent off?

After the two briefly exchanged words, Zidane jogged forward to join the play. He suddenly stopped, turned around and stooped his head to push it into Materazzi.

As the Italian players reacted angrily, Zidane adjusted his captain's armband before speaking to Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo, who brandished a red card high in the air in front of a stunned crowd in Berlin.

In July, Elizondo told Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport that neither he nor his two assistants had seen the incident. Elizondo was only alerted to it by the fourth official, long before video reviews existed in soccer.

As the images were replayed on French television, the late soccer commentator Thierry Gilardi expressed the disbelief of millions watching the drama unfold back home.

“Oh Zinedine, not that. Not that, Zinedine. Oh no, not that," Gilardi pleaded. "Not today, not after everything you’ve achieved.”

Head bowed, Zinedine walked solemnly past the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy he had raised eight years earlier when France won the World Cup. With Zidane gone, Italy won the ensuing penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.

Zidane vs. Materazzi

They were the main protagonists of that tense final.

Materazzi's early foul on winger Florent Malouda led to Zidane scoring with an audacious Panenka-style penalty.

As he stepped up, Zidane avoided eye contact with Gianluigi Buffon, the world’s best goalkeeper at the time, thus negating Buffon's options to read what he would do. He sent Buffon the wrong way with a brilliantly-disguised scuffed shot, with the ball hitting the underside of the crossbar and bouncing over the line.

Zidane almost scored again but his injury-time header was superbly tipped over by Buffon. Soon after, Zidane was in the dressing room as the last game of his career ended in shame.

Speculation abounded as to what made ZZ blow his top.

“He triggered something by mentioning my sister Lila," Zidane told sports daily L’Equipe in 2022. “Sometimes it’s in moments like those that you might do something wrong.”

Materazzi said teammate Gennaro Gattuso had scolded him for not marking Zidane on an earlier header.

“Shortly thereafter in a similar situation I held (Zidane) by the shirt a little in order so he couldn’t jump," Materazzi explained. "I said sorry twice. Then he said, ‘If you want my shirt I’ll give it to you later,’ and I said something to him. But nothing worse then what we used to say as kids playing on the beach in Bari.”

Popularity and admiration

Zidane’s two goals in the 1998 World Cup final win against Brazil made him an overnight superstar, with his face famously beamed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. A Ballon d’Or award followed and, two years later, his inspired performances led Les Bleus to glory at the European Championship.

Despite the red card, his popularity remains undiminished and hundreds of fans cheered him outside the French soccer federation's headquarters when he was appointed France coach after the World Cup, replacing Didier Deschamps.

France players Esteban Lepaul and Manu Koné have spoken with admiration about Zidane's training sessions.

Zidane has won his first two games in charge away from home, 1-0 against Turkey and Belgium. Italy's rebuilding under returning coach Roberto Mancini began with a 2-0 home loss to Belgium, but there is optimism following a 4-1 win at Turkey.

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AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Rome contributed ___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The expansion highlights a broader challenge for the jewelry industry: reducing the environmental footprint of precious metals while meeting growing demand for jewelry. Using recycled gold and silver can reduce the need for newly mined metals, but experts say making that shift requires reliable supply chains and greater transparency.

The new facility in Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam will produce up to 60 million pieces of jewelry a year, increasing the company’s manufacturing capacity by 50% while cutting its carbon footprint by 17%, CEO Berta de Pablos-Barbier told The Associated Press.

“We are leading the way and we really hope that the rest follow,” she said.

Pandora expands in Vietnam as manufacturers seek clean power

After 37 years in Thailand, Pandora wanted to expand its manufacturing base to increase flexibility and strengthen supply-chain resilience, Pablos-Barbier said.

She said that it chose Vietnam for its skilled artisans who can meet Pandora's standards for craftsmanship, its business environment and its strong infrastructure.

Access to renewable energy infrastructure to power factories is increasingly an "important factor" for Pandora and other Danish companies, Lina Gandløse Hansen, Denmark's ambassador to Vietnam, said.

Pandora's Vietnam facility, with 7,000 workers, will be powered entirely by renewable electricity from the sun and wind, with solar panels installed on its rooftops and plans to work with local solar farms, the company said.

It is also across the road from the $1 billion factory that toymaker Lego opened in 2025, where it says it makes toys without adding planet-warming gases to the atmosphere.

Vietnam has rapidly expanded renewable energy and had Southeast Asia’s largest installed solar and wind capacity at the end of 2024. But the country still relies heavily on coal to power its fast-growing economy, making it important for manufacturers to shift toward cleaner electricity as Vietnam works toward net-zero emissions by 2050.

Manufacturing makes up a fifth of Vietnam’s GDP and consumes half the energy it uses. There are plans to phase out its coal power plants by 2040.

Using recycled gold and silver to make jewelry

Pandora's commitment to using recycled gold and silver was a “big deal," said Saleem H. Ali, who leads the program on critical minerals and inclusive energy transitions at the United Nations University.

He said gold is especially easy to recycle and unlike metals such as copper, it does not break down or rust. Silver can also be recycled, although it can tarnish and needs to be cleaned.

“That is why it is so valuable. We still have gold from the ancient Egyptians, in pretty good shape,” he said.

The Danish company switched to using 100% recycled silver and gold for new jewelry in August 2024.

Its factories receive small grains of refined metal from recyclers in Europe and Asia, sourced from items ranging from medical equipment to old cutlery, said Pandora’s chief sustainability officer Mads Twomey-Madsen.

It also means finding suppliers, smelters or refiners that use only recycled material. There's also a risk that some could add newly mined material into the mix, Ali said. “That involves a lot of auditing.”

Pandora began changing its wider supply chain five years ago by adopting standards set by the Responsible Jewellery Council, an industry group that promotes responsible practices including on human rights, workers’ rights and environmental impacts, Twomey-Madsen said. The company uses independent auditors, he said.

He said the ultimate goal is for the entire supply chain, including the energy-intensive process of heating and separating metals from other materials to remove impurities, to be powered by clean energy.

Other challenges include urban mining and tracing gold

Recovering valuable metals from discarded products and other waste is a challenge, Twomey-Madsen said.

The world is producing more e-waste than ever — 62 million metric tons in 2022, projected to grow to 82 million metric tons by 2030, according to a report by the United Nations' International Telecommunications Union and research arm UNITAR. Much of this is processed informally, where workers can be exposed to toxic substances while recovering valuable metals such as gold and silver.

More than 1,000 harmful substances have been found in e-waste or produced when it is improperly recycled, including lead, mercury, cadmium and other toxic chemicals, according to the World Health Organization.

Ali, the critical minerals expert, said that artisanal gold mining — when individuals or small groups extract gold using simple tools — was now the largest cause of mercury pollution worldwide. Miners in poor countries may use the toxic metal to separate gold from other materials, harming people and the environment.

He said there have been efforts to improve gold sourcing, but tracing gold remains difficult. South Asia, in particular, has high demand for gold and jewelry sellers often don’t ask where their gold comes from.

“Once it gets melted, it’s very hard to track it,” he said.

Twomey-Madsen said that the company hopes its commitment to buying recycled metals will show suppliers that there is a growing market for the materials. He added that Pandora initially paid a premium for recycled gold and silver, absorbing the higher cost and investing with suppliers to build a more reliable supply chain for the materials.

Making jewelry is far less emissions-intensive than sectors such as aviation or cement. But he said a switch by the entire industry switching to recycled gold and silver could prevent about 58 million metric tons (63.9 million U.S. tons) of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.

“That is comparable to the entire emissions of New York City,” he said.

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Ghosal reported from Hanoi, Vietnam

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

A three-judge tribunal found that Campbell, 56, had been “deceived” by Bianka Hellmich, a fellow trustee in the anti-poverty charity Fashion for Relief, which hosted fundraising events in Cannes and London.

Two years ago, the Charity Commission, which registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, found “multiple instances of misconduct and/or mismanagement" at the charity. This included using charity funds to pay for her stay at a five-star hotel in Cannes, as well as spa treatments, room service and cigarettes. As a result, it imposed the ban on Campbell.

In its ruling, the tribunal confirmed there had been “serious misconduct and mismanagement,” but concluded that the “failures in the management of the charity’s finances and the misuse of its funds” resulted from Hellmich’s conduct. These, it added, were “concealed” from the supermodel.

The judges found that Hellmich “used forged documents” and also deceived professional advisers and the Charity Commission.

The judges also said that while Campbell shared responsibility for the charity failing to file its accounts on time, this did not mean she was unfit to be a charity trustee.

Following the judges' verdict, Campbell said she was “so grateful” and that she wanted to get back to helping people.

“Giving back has been part of who I am, so having that questioned hurt deeply," she said.

During the four-day hearing in June in London, Campbell had said her “only mistake” was trusting Hellmich, who she alleged forged her signature and lied about her credentials as a charity lawyer.

The commission had opposed Campbell’s challenge and said the five-year ban should be upheld.

A probe into Fashion for Relief was opened by the commission in 2021, with the charity dissolved and removed from the register of charities in 2024.

Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry gave the diplomats 48 hours to leave Addis Ababa, citing their “involvement in activities that pose a direct threat to Ethiopia's national security." Ethiopia last week accused Eritrea of financing rebels in the Tigray region, who took control of several towns in renewed fighting against federal forces.

Eritrea's Foreign Ministry called the move “astounding” and said it had “no option but to reciprocate in kind and sever all diplomatic ties with Ethiopia with all the negative corollaries that this entails.”

An intelligence service official, who was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed that there had been three blasts in three different locations in Addis Ababa overnight, but declined to provide further details.

A diplomatic source who requested anonymity for his safety described hearing a blast at 7 p.m. near the defense headquarters, followed by a siren. Residents near the defense headquarters also said they heard a blast near a factory in the area past midnight.

It remains unclear whether the blasts were related to an attack or were part of training exercises at the defense headquarters.

The explosions came hours after the National Intelligence and Security Service banned the flying of drones in Addis Ababa and surrounding areas.

In Tigray, the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front recently took over the region's main airport, forcing a suspension of flights.

The United Nations has called for de-escalation of the fighting and dialogue between the government and seven opposition groups that recently formed an alliance to challenge Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The renewed fighting has shattered a 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war in Tigray. The TPLF is an armed political group based in Tigray, and for years it was the dominant party in a coalition that ruled Ethiopia between 1991 and 2018. It has been outlawed by Abiy’s government.

New fighting brings fresh hardships

Displaced people living in camps since the 2020 war in Tigray said Thursday that they could hear gunfire from kilometers (miles) away near the Hitsats camp in northwestern Tigray.

The camp is home to about 16,000 people who have been living there for six years and are now afraid they may be displaced again.

“We hear fighting supported by heavy artillery, and drones hover in the sky every day,” a resident told The Associated Press over the phone.

Residents in the Tigrayan capital, Mekelle, say communication, banking and other essential services have been disrupted by the fighting.

Abdelaziz Ahmed, 35, a merchant, said the lack of cash caused by disruptions to banking services was affecting his business.

“People cannot buy anything because they lack cash, so we cannot sell. My current stock won’t last more than a month. My only hope is that all these challenges pass and peace is restored in Tigray,” he said.

A taxi driver who declined to be named because of fears for his safety said fuel prices had doubled on the black market.

"The war has made life extremely difficult. We don’t even have money for food or rent,” he said.

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AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that only 17% of U.S. adults approve of the Republican president's handling of the cost of living. Just 26% approve of his handling of the economy overall, marking a new low.

A majority, 65%, of U.S. adults now blame Trump’s policies for persistently high costs more than factors outside of his control, signaling growing weariness over his aggressive use of tariffs and continued unhappiness with the war with Iran.

The dismal numbers come just weeks before midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress and while Trump is hitting the campaign trail with an aggressive schedule of rallies. But Trump — who has asked voters to pretend that he is on the ballot as he tries to bolster turnout — remains deeply unpopular, with even many Republicans faulting him for failing to deliver on promised relief.

“I was hoping it would be better or different, but it’s not really good," said Robert Gault, 66, a retired factory worker from Bradford, Pennsylvania, who describes himself as a Republican.

“Our president, I thought, was going to help the country, and so far he has not really seemed to have done that with the economy or in general. He’s not really done what I was hoping he would," said Gault. "He said, 'Make America Great Again.' And I have not seen him do that.”

Costs drag on Trump as the economic pain keeps coming

Over the last few months, Americans have grown more worried about being able to afford basics like groceries and gas. About half of U.S. adults now say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to fill their tanks, up from 39% in July. About half are also highly concerned about being able to afford food.

Prices are "extremely exorbitant. Just the cost of everything is going up as a result of fuel,” said Pedro Sanchez, 52, of Perris, California, who voted for Trump and works in law enforcement. “I used to have a lot more disposable income. I don’t have that any more. It’s gotten eaten up because of all these increases in the cost of everything.”

Trump’s current approval on the economy is a 14 percentage point drop from March 2025, just after he took office for the second time. His struggles on the issue mark a significant departure from his first term, when the economy was often a point of strength.

Trump spent much of the 2024 campaign hammering President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats, on inflation and promising to lower prices. Now, there's widespread disappointment with his performance. About 7 in 10 Americans say Trump’s handling of the cost of living has been “worse than expected." That includes roughly half of Republicans, who are also broadly concerned about being able to afford groceries and gas.

“Groceries are just like kind of out of control. It seems like everything is going up," said Bethany Lnenicka, 41, who operates a small farm in Fairfax, Iowa. “It's just one thing and the next week it's another thing. It's just insane. And of course your income doesn’t go up.”

A political independent who typically votes Republican and has voted for Trump three times, Lnenicka said she had hoped his second term would be more like his first.

“I just do not feel like it has gotten a lot better," she said.

About 6 in 10 Republicans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, according to the new poll, up from about half in April.

“It definitely doesn’t feel like we have trended in the right direction," agreed Kristen Slaven, 41, a mental health therapist who lives in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, and typically votes Republican. She said Trump is focused on the wrong things.

“Obviously wars don’t help. When they’re necessary, I understand. But our focus on renaming bodies of water and pieces of land, that’s just stupid to me when people can't feed their family," she said.

“I had hoped that it would be better,” Slaven added.

Some Republicans are still willing to cut Trump some slack

Despite their frustration, most Republicans, 67%, say factors outside of Trump's control are more to blame for high prices.

“I think inflation is a very difficult thing to tackle," said Fred Naumann, 51, a Republican and longtime Trump supporter who lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Though he would like to see interest rates come down, Naumann, who works in the automotive industry, supports tariffs and the war with Iran, believing it was necessary.

Overall, however, most Americans, 69%, continue to say the war has not been worth fighting, up slightly from 64% in July. Only 28% approve of how Trump is handling Iran.

Americans are also unhappy with Trump's trade wars. Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults approve of how he is handling trade negotiations with other countries, down from about 4 in 10 in March. And 64% say he has “gone too far” on imposing new tariffs on other countries, up from 58% in January.

Overall, the picture is not better. Only about 3 in 10 Americans approve of how Trump is handling his job as president. And about 6 in 10 say the country as a whole is “much” or “somewhat” worse off than when he began his second term.

The issue on which Trump maintains relative strength is border security, with about half of Americans saying they approve of his performance.

Trump faces more blame than Biden did

Trump's low grade on the economy rivals Biden’s 28% approval rating in June 2022, when there was record-high inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Americans were less likely to blame Biden in the lead-up to that year's midterm elections, a sharp contrast with the solid majority who hold Trump responsible now. In October 2022, 44% of Americans said Biden’s policies were responsible for high prices, while 55% blamed factors outside of his control.

Sanchez, a Republican who voted for Trump, blames him, at least in part.

“I think he has a lot to do with it. This war in Iran, the tariffs that he’s placing on other countries, obviously are affecting us. Those two things are things he’s been directly involved in that directly affect the economy,” he said. “I think with Biden, a lot of the stuff was outside of his control. It was all the COVID and how that affected everything else. I don’t think that there was much that he could have done."

He had high hopes for Trump's return. Now, things seem worse than under Biden.

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Colvin reported from New York.

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The AP-NORC poll of 2,140 adults was conducted Sept. 24-28 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

It appears his stance has softened.

Klopp, now Germany coach, was asked to comment on the explosive verdict published Tuesday that found City guilty of all the serious financial charges brought by the Premier League relating to 2009-18, when City was building a squad that would later go on to dominate English soccer — often at Liverpool's expense.

“I know I once said something that I’d come if there was ever a parade," Klopp told a news conference late Wednesday, "but it doesn’t feel like that now.

"I don’t feel like I need to have my bus parade. I can wait and stay totally relaxed.”

Klopp won the Premier League once with Liverpool — in the 2019-20 season — and finished second to Pep Guardiola's City teams by one point in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons after memorable title races that raised the bar in terms of points earned and the standard of football played.

Klopp said his respect for Guardiola, who was at City from 2016 until leaving this summer, hadn't changed.

“My respect for Pep Guardiola and the football that City played in the time when we played against each other, what they played on the field, the opponents they were at the top level, is much too high for me to say anything now," Klopp said. "If there are some punishments handed down, then it’s obviously not anything to do with me so I’ll just wait. I’m completely OK about what happened and what we achieved.”

Klopp had adopted a more jokey tone in January 2025 when he was asked how he would respond to City being stripped of its titles in the event of being found to have broken Premier League rules.

Speaking at a time when he was head of global soccer at Red Bull, Klopp said: "If it would happen, I told all the people who wanted to, ‘Just book a flight to Mallorca. I will buy the beer!’ We’d have our own parade in my garden.”

Klopp's latest comments came ahead of Germany's match against Serbia in Munich on Thursday, when he’ll aim to avoid the unwanted record of being first coach to go winless in their first three games with Germany's men's national team.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Children and staff at the school were in shelters when the drone hit, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said, and its warhead didn’t explode. No casualties were reported, but the building’s brick facade showed a large hole, revealing a staircase, and burn marks alongside smashed windows.

Kyiv has felt like a city under siege in recent weeks, with repeated air raid alerts, punctuated by loud explosions from drone and missile strikes. The onslaught aims to terrorize civilians, officials and analysts say, and break their will to resist 4½ years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The strain is showing. Maryna Lystopad, 35, said her hair has started falling out due to the stress from escalating attacks and never knowing where the next attack will hit.

"It’s really horrible. I can’t take it anymore. I think, I think that soon we’re all going to leave. I’m really not doing well,” she told The Associated Press. “I’m constantly anxious. I can’t relax. I keep thinking that if something happens, if something hits, one of my relatives could be killed.”

Lystopad said she recently had to travel to another part of Kyiv and had been “genuinely stressed" the whole way there.

“I kept checking, like, whether anything was flying in, where it was going, where am I supposed to go? Where am I supposed to run?” she said.

Ukraine's air defenses are stretched

The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine hasn’t seen major shifts since last year, but the country is struggling to fend off Russia’s intensified aerial attacks on cities that include ballistic missiles and high-flying jet-powered drones.

Reflecting the urgency of Ukraine’s plight, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held a conference call Thursday with senior military and government officials in charge of protecting infrastructure, as some areas fall behind on implementing previously agreed measures.

He said the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry will review agreements Ukraine has made with partner countries on supplying ammunition for air defenses and F-16 fighter jets, with an updated schedule of deliveries to be presented within 24 hours.

“It is important that we have additional missiles in October,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

In response to Russia's attacks, Ukraine has fired its long-range drones at manufacturing plants deep inside Russia and has targeted Russia’s drone launch sites. Zelenskyy said Thursday that Kyiv’s forces struck a site in Russia’s southwestern Oryol region that is used to store and launch attack drones.

Ukraine also has repeatedly attacked Russia's oil refineries from Moscow to Siberia, sparking a widespread fuel crisis. President Vladimir Putin said in a rare admission Thursday that because of these strikes, “according to our estimates, we lost around 1%" of gross domestic product.

“They started attacking oil refineries and openly declared the goal of damaging our economy. Did they achieve their goal? Partially,” Putin said at a meeting of the Valdai Club forum of international foreign policy experts.

Separately, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had deployed its domestically developed short-range FP-7 ballistic missile in combat for the first time, without elaborating on when or where the mission took place. Accompanying the post was an image of a missile being launched, and he said the next stage would be to scale up production. The Associated Press was not able to verify the claim independently.

To turn the tide, Ukraine needs U.S.-made Patriot missiles that can effectively defend against ballistic missiles, but they are in short supply since the Iran war began. A plan to produce them inside Ukraine could take years to bear fruit.

Kyiv is racing to produce interceptors that can bring down fast-moving jet-propelled drones as the swift cycle of military innovation during the war continues.

Sanctions are key to stopping Russia, Ukraine says

Ukraine wants tougher sanctions imposed on Russia to prevent it from getting key high-tech components for its arsenal.

Britain on Thursday imposed sanctions on 31 Russian individuals, entities and ships it says are linked to disinformation, attempts to avoid energy sanctions and the mistreatment of Ukrainian civilians in areas seized in the war by Russia.

Moscow, meanwhile, is pressing its advantage before Ukraine comes up with an answer to the latest challenges.

Two Russian drones hit an important bridge across the Dnipro River in Kyiv on Thursday, Klitschko said, with traffic suspended until a safety inspection could be done.

Also, the Parkovyi data center in Kyiv, which provides cloud services and server hosting, was critically damaged and has stopped operating following repeated Russian strikes, the company said. Client data has been moved to backup sites in the European Union, it said on Facebook.

Russia steps up a campaign against Ukraine's power grid

Ukrainian officials didn’t report any energy infrastructure being hit Thursday, a day after what officials said was the biggest Russian attack on the power grid since spring.

Wednesday's barrage marked “the beginning of Russia’s strike campaign aimed at degrading Ukraine’s energy security ahead of winter … and forcing Ukraine to capitulate,” said the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.

Russia is expected to step up attacks on the electricity supply as the weather gets colder. It was 19 degrees Celsius (66 F) in Kyiv on Thursday, and mild temperatures were set to continue.

In a surprise development, Russia for the first time on Wednesday used a jet-powered drone fitted with a warhead designed to sever high-voltage pylons, said Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy on defense technology.

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AP reporter Volodymr Yurchuk in Kyiv contributed.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

“London Falling” by Patrick Radden Keefe is on the shortlist for the 50,000-pound ($67,000) Baillie Gifford Prize. The New Yorker magazine writer won the prize in 2021 for “Empire of Pain,” his book about the Sackler pharmaceutical family and its role in unleashing America’s opioid crisis.

The biography-heavy list of finalists includes Nicholas Boggs’ “Baldwin: A Love Story,” about the American writer James Baldwin; Matthew Sweet’s biography of romance novelist Barbara Cartland, “The Great Dictator”; Edmund Richardson’s study of Alexander the Great, “Alexander: God, King, Man”; and Andrea Wulf’s “The Traveler,” about the 18th-century naturalist and explorer George Forster.

Anand Gopal’s Syrian saga “Days of Love and Rage: A Story of Revolution” rounds out the list.

Journalist Kirsty Lang, who is chairing the judging panel, said, “there is something for everyone: a romantic novelist, a civil rights activist, an 18th-century explorer, an ancient king, the Syrian revolution told from the ground up, and a dark portrait of contemporary London.”

“It is an eclectic list united by stories of people navigating a world full of conflict as well as hope,” she said.

The winner will be announced Nov. 4 at a ceremony in London.

Founded in 1999, the prize recognizes English-language books in current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. It has been credited with bringing an eclectic slate of fact-based books to a wider audience.

Riding powerful pitching led by Cam Schlitter and Max Fried, Yankees batters broke though just enough against Red Sox starters and beat up Boston’s bullpen in sweeping their rival in the Wild Card Series.

“We’re going to continue to rely on amazing starting pitching like we have all year,” Ben Rice said after Wednesday night’s 9-2 win. ”Especially in the postseason, that’s what you need.”

Schlittler and Fried combined to go 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA against the Red Sox with 16 strikeouts and two walks in 12 1/3 innings.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone must decide whether to open against the Rays with Gerrit Cole, who was set to start a Game 3 against Boston, or Carlos Rodón.

“Obviously, Gerrit’s lined up for that. Carlos is very much in play for that,” Boone said. “We have a ton of confidence in both guys. I think they’re both throwing the ball really well.”

Boone said it was possible Schlittler, Fried, Cole and Rodón all will start against the Rays. New York's starters led the major leagues with a 3.30 ERA.

“That’s been the biggest strength for us throughout the year,” Boone said. “It sustained us. It got us through some difficult times. And I feel like they’re all in a good place right now.”

New York’s best-of-five series against the Rays has an extra off day between Games 1 and 2, allowing Schlittler to start the second game and come back on normal rest for a Game 5.

Whether Judge will return to the lineup remains unclear.

Sidelined since Sept. 16 by a strained right calf, Judge has resumed hitting.

“Saturday’s a long ways away, but I’m doing everything I can, all morning, night, during the game, everything to prepare myself to be ready to go,” Judge said. “So I want to be in there. So we’ll see what happens.”

Tampa Bay won the season series 7-6 en route to an AL-best 98-64 record, their runners often spinning around the bases like a roulette ball going around the wheel. The Rays were sixth in the major leagues with a .326 on-base percentage and tied for second with 164 stolen bases.

Rays batters struck out the fewest times in the major leagues at 1,145, an average of about two per game fewer than the Yankees.

Because they won the AL East and had a bye, the Rays will enter the series with five days’ rest — which some in baseball is convinced causes rust.

“The alternative is playing three must-win games or two out of three. I’ll take where we’re at,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Rays left-handed pitchers held lefty batters to a .205 average during the regular season. Yankees lefty batters hit .500 (11 for 22) against Boston southpaws.

“They faced so many guys for months there where we were very left-handed, where in the fifth inning every day it was one lefty and then another one because that’s how they attack us,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “So I’d like to think some of that familiarity and reps and all that prepared us well.”

New York was second in the majors with 223 home runs, three behind Houston. What was often a home-run-or-bust batting order diversified in the Wild Card Series.

Homegrown players — Rice, Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr., Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells — combined for 11 RBIs.

“The young guys have done a tremendous job,” outfielder Cody Bellinger said. “It’s been fun to watch. It’s fun to watch them grow and they’ve been a huge part of our success.”

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Outside groups aligned with the two major parties have pledged heavy spending in a battle for control of closely divided legislatures in at least a half-dozen states. But that's just the tip of the spear in their political jousting.

In numerous other states, the parties are striving to make or break a legislative supermajority — an important threshold that allows them to enact laws with little regard to dissent. And in several states, competitive gubernatorial races could determine whether one party achieves a political trifecta, grasping hold of both legislative chambers and the top executive spot.

Party control of state governments can shape policies on contentious issues including abortion, school choice, data centers and the use of law-enforcement surveillance cameras. In a few states, the electoral outcomes this cycle could also have congressional redistricting implications for 2028.

The state races also carry significant implications for Trump's agenda, because the elected officials can either aid or resist his immigration enforcement actions, social safety net limitations and efforts to alter voting procedures.

All told, voters in 46 states will choose more than 6,100 lawmakers in November, accounting for about 83% of all legislative seats nationwide, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Thirty-six states will hold gubernatorial elections.

Trump's approval ratings could swing state legislatures

Historically, the party of the president typically loses U.S. House seats in midterm elections. That also is true of state legislative seats.

In midterm elections over the past 50 years, the president's party has lost an average of 7.9% of its house and assembly seats up for reelection in states, according to research by Steven Rogers, a political science professor at Saint Louis University. In Trump's first midterm, in 2018, Republicans lost 8.7%, Rogers said.

A similar showing this year could spell the end of Republican control of legislative chambers in Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Minnesota currently has the nation's tightest margins, with an even split between Democrats and Republicans in the House and a one-seat Democratic edge in the Senate.

Trump's poor public approval ratings could play a role in those states. For voters choosing state house and assembly candidates, presidential approval typically has three times the impact of state legislative approval, Rogers said.

Edith Jorge-Tuñón, president of the Republican State Leadership Committee, conceded that her party is in a defensive position.

“I think we knew going into this cycle, Democrats have an advantage,” said Jorge-Tuñón, whose group works to elect Republicans to legislative seats and statewide offices. But she argued that voter frustration with Democratic leadership in states like Minnesota or Oregon could provide a buffer against that advantage.

Racine could be key to Wisconsin political control

Wisconsin provides an example of how political power could swing. Democrats haven't fully controlled Wisconsin's government since 2010. But new legislative districts, ordered by the liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court, give Democrats a shot at flipping both Republican-led chambers.

Democrats’ hopes run through downtown Racine. Located along the shores of Lake Michigan north of Chicago and south of Milwaukee, Racine is a Democratic stronghold known both for its rich manufacturing past and as the kringle capital of Wisconsin. Danish immigrants brought the buttery, oval-shaped pastry to the area in the 1800s, and bakeries in downtown Racine continue to make the sweet treats and ship them around the country.

Under Republican-drawn maps enacted in 2011, most of Racine was removed from the 21st Senate District to make the seat safe for Republicans. But the new map added back the city’s north side and more Democratic-favorable areas in Milwaukee County and removed conservative rural areas.

The Republican incumbent decided to retire rather than seek reelection under the more competitive lines, further bolstering Democratic hopes.

Democrats are optimistic they will pick up the two seats needed to flip control of the Senate in November. They need to flip five seats to gain control of the Assembly. An open governor's office, also on the ballot, gives them a shot at full control.

“In a year like this with the president and his war jacking up the prices of gas, Democrats are in a really strong position,” said Will Karcz, spokesperson for Wisconsin Senate Democrats.

A single seat could sway power in some states

In North Carolina, Republicans need to gain just one state House seat — without losing any Senate seats — to reestablish a three-fifths supermajority. That threshold is important because it gives Republicans the ability to override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein without needing any Democratic votes.

Iowa Republicans face a similar math equation to regain a two-thirds legislative supermajority, which could matter even more if Democrats win the race to replace Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who chose not to seek reelection.

A loss of just one state Senate seat could cost Republicans a supermajority in Florida. Meanwhile, a pickup of one seat could result in a new Democratic supermajority in New York.

Among other battlegrounds, a swing of just a few seats could break a Republican supermajority in Missouri and gain Democratic supermajorities in Colorado and Nevada.

This year's state elections could affect 2028's congressional elections

If Democrats are able to win full control in Minnesota, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, they could use their new trifectas to redraw U.S. House districts ahead of the 2028 elections. They would be copying tactics employed by Republicans ahead of this year's elections in states such as Texas and Florida and by Democrats in California.

Republicans currently hold 20 of the 33 total congressional seats in those three northern states. So Democrats could make notable gains if they redraw districts to their advantage.

In Arizona and Michigan, where Republicans also hold an edge in congressional seats, redistricting would be more difficult because the task is assigned to an independent commission. California was in a similar situation. But Democratic lawmakers there placed an amendment on the statewide ballot last year allowing them to sidestep a commission to enact a new congressional map.

Both major parties are openly fundraising off the partisan redistricting stakes.

“Every election in this moment … potentially is about redistricting,” said Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Known as the driest nonpolar desert on Earth, a massive portion of the Atacama Desert has been covered in flowers after the El Niño weather pattern brought heavy rains to the region earlier this year. The unusually large amount of water allowed millions of seeds and bulbs to sprout and bloom, many of them after remaining dormant for decades.

“It is a unique phenomenon; there are more than 200 plant species,” Jorge Carabantes, head of the Protected Areas Department at the National Forest Corporation (CONAF), told The Associated Press. “This is a flowering event that is obviously extraordinary and unusual, very different from other blooms that occur elsewhere on the globe.”

The Atacama lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, stretching some 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) all the way down the northern coast of Chile.

Although flowering is common during the transition from winter to spring, this year the rocky, brownish dunes that make up the desert’s traditional landscape have turned into a vibrant, colorful carpet of wildflowers during a historic Desierto Florido, or “flowering desert.”

“I always thought it was just going to be brown. That’s my image of a desert, just brown,” said Felix Banda, 51, who was born in Chile but has lived his whole life in Australia. “I knew that it had rained a lot, so I was expecting to see some beautiful greenery, but this is an incredible landscape,” he added about his first visit to the Atacama.

Record rainfall turns into a visual spectacle

Between July and August, Chile recorded record rainfall in several regions, with some levels never seen since measurements began in the 1950s. The heavy precipitation was driven by a super El Niño, a climate phenomenon that causes sharp rises in global temperatures and is becoming increasingly strong.

“Since rainfall records began, these are the most significant figures in terms of volume: 160, 180, 190 millimeters (6 to 7 inches) in some locations,” explained biologist César Pizarro, head of the Biodiversity Conservation Section at CONAF Atacama. “What has happened now has an origin, and it is called ‘super El Niño.’”

The storms have caused flooding, havoc and devastation in several parts of Chile. In the north, they have also enabled the historic desert bloom, with an estimated coverage of ​​some 17,000 square kilometers (6,560 square miles) this year. This area is similar in size to the Santiago Metropolitan Region, the country’s largest and most populous area.

According to CONAF projections, this is expected to be the most intense and extensive Desierto Florido since 1997.

That's because, Pizarro said, the heavy rainfall activated the desert’s biological material, known as germplasm. This includes seeds, bulbs, and tubers but also the eggs of various invertebrates and reptiles.

The result is a true visual spectacle featuring more than 200 species of plants and flowers in a variety of colors, shapes and forms. Red and yellow ñañucas, purple rock purslane, white suspiros, orange terciopelos and the native garra de león, one of the desert’s most iconic species, have transformed the hills, plains and ravines of the Atacama.

“There are hills and mountain ranges where no greenery or flowers had been seen for more than 30 or 40 years,” Pizarro added. “This desert germplasm can remain (dormant) for many years, even decades. The hills this year are the best example of that.”

Tourism picks up

Whether arriving from within Chile or overseas, tourists are venturing into the remote, inhospitable areas of the Atacama to admire the millions of flowers adorning vast areas of the desert, stretching from the coast to the horizon.

According to data provided to the AP by the National Tourism Secretariat, the Atacama region is expected to see nearly 300,000 overnight trips by the time the natural phenomenon ends in November, positioning Desierto Florido as one of the region’s main tourist attractions this season.

Chef Franco Moya, 37, and his girlfriend traveled nearly 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) from Santa Cruz, a town in central Chile’s Colchagua Valley, to several parts of the desert to celebrate his birthday.

“It was striking to see how the flowers grow in such a dry place,” he said. “It’s my first time here ... and it was a truly surprising moment.”

Verstappen arrives at F1's first race in Malaysia since 2017 with the prospect looming of a first winless season since his rookie year in 2015 as Red Bull struggles to keep up with Mercedes at the front despite recent improvements.

"We are scoring quite a few podiums now but I want to win. That’s what I’m here for and I’m getting close, but I want to at least win one race this year. So I hope we can do it at some point," Verstappen said Thursday ahead of this week's race, which is branded as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

"We’re anyway not fighting for the championship, so for us it’s a big learning curve, but the last few weekends have been a lot better (than) at the start of the season."

Verstappen's desperate charge against George Russell on the final straight in Baku on Saturday ended in his fourth runner-up finish in the last eight races. He's sixth in the standings with barely half of leader Kimi Antonelli's points tally.

Exactly how many races are left in 2026 for Verstappen to chase an elusive win remains unclear given the uncertainty over the final two scheduled races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Eight are left on the schedule including those races, but if they can't go ahead, F1 could opt for one replacement event in Italy.

Asked which tracks might suit his chances best, Verstappen said: "You don’t really know because it also depends on what (upgrades) other people are bringing constantly. I don’t really care to be honest. As long as I win one that would be nice."

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See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by six wickets in a match reduced to 13 overs each innings because of a wet outfield. India handed a crushing 124-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the second semifinal, with four Sri Lankan batters failing to score.

Political tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors will likely be in focus once again when the cricket rivals contest Saturday's final in Japan.

No handshakes on cards

One of the sport's traditions has been dispensed with in recent matches between India and Pakistan, with players not shaking hands before or after their contests.

Cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan brought the two countries to the brink of war last year, with the acrimony also spilling onto the cricket field.

Indian cricketers have avoided handshakes with Pakistan players, and have refused to accept the trophy and medals from a Pakistani official at more than one tournament.

The Indian men’s team beat Pakistan three times in the Asia Cup, including the final, but Suryakumar Yadav’s team refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi and didn't shake hands with Pakistan players in any of the three games.

The Indian women’s team didn't shake hands with the Pakistan team in during a match at the continental championship, and also refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi when it won the women’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Sri Lanka routed for 45

Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 80-run blitz off 46 balls propelled India to 169-7, and 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck two sixes and six fours in his aggressive 38.

Sri Lanka, fielding a second-string lineup, lost the top three batters – Sineth Jayawardene, Lasith Croospulle and Sohan de Livera -- without scoring as Jasprit Bumrah claimed two wickets in his opening over and Croospulle was run-out.

Only Nuwanidu Fernando (15) managed to reach double figures as Sri Lanka got bundled out for 45 in 9.5 overs.

Bumrah warmed up for the final with figures of 2-7, while spinners Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Abhishek Sharma shared five wickets in between them.

India, after being put into bat, got away to a blazing start before Sooryavanshi was dismissed soon after the batting powerplay.

Sri Lanka hit back in the middle overs before Kishan rallied, smacking five sixes and four boundaries to give India a strong total.

Samad and Muqim shine for Pakistan

Abdul Samad smashed an unbeaten 30 off just 15 balls and left-arm spinner Sufyan Muqim snared 3-28 in Pakistan’s convincing win over Bangladesh.

Towhid Hridoy showed aggression in Bangladesh’s total of 111-7 with a knock of 42 off 25 balls that featured four sixes before he was dismissed by Muqim in the penultimate over.

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See AP’s full cricket coverage here

October is finally here — and so is the best version of the Padres, as they demonstrated in their two-game destruction of the Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series.

The Padres are hitting, pitching and executing at a level rarely seen in a city that has never celebrated a World Series title, and this streaking group is eager to keep chasing San Diego's impossible dream.

“We feel great right now, but we're not done,” Manny Machado said Wednesday night after the Padres finished off the Cubs with a 4-1 victory in Game 2. “Winning games like these, it just makes you hungrier to win more.”

The MLB-leading Milwaukee Brewers are up next in the NL division series starting Saturday, but the Padres' clubhouse is full of players who clearly can't wait to test themselves against the best.

“It’s going to be (some) of the highest-level baseball games ever played, so we’re looking forward to it,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said between cigar puffs in the Padres’ booze-soaked clubhouse.

The Padres beat the Cubs by a combined 12-1 in a thorough two-game domination of their 89-win opponent. San Diego's vaunted pitching staff held the majors' highest-scoring offense to eight low-impact hits while the Padres racked up 21 hits of their own, including four homers.

But this is similar to what the Padres have been doing to the majority of their opponents ever since they turned around their season in the second half.

Despite a roster laden with tested veterans and young talent coming off four playoff appearances in the previous six years, the Padres needed four months to find their best form. They scuffled around .500 into the All-Star break and had a losing record on July 25.

And then San Diego got an enormous confidence boost from a three-game sweep of the Brewers at Petco in early August. The Padres eventually won their final seven series and finished with 91 victories, surging past the Cubs and the Phillies to claim the first wild-card berth and homefield advantage in the opening round.

That’s a big deal to the Padres, who won 51 games at Petco Park during the regular season in front of the fans who turn this downtown stadium into a lively party each night during the summer.

“At the beginning, it was tough — it was rough,” said Tatis, who finished with 25 homers despite inexplicably not hitting his first until June 1. “We were looking really ugly. I was looking really ugly. We decided to turn it around, and with this group, nothing is impossible.”

Even the improbable happens with regularity for the Padres these days.

For instance, Gavin Sheets stepped up to the plate on a plantar plate tear in his left foot in Game 2 and blasted a pinch-hit homer on his only swing of the Wild Card Series.

Sheets was determined not to miss the playoffs, and he fought his way back onto the Padres' roster on the last weekend of the regular season even though he probably isn't healthy enough to play defense in October. He got just one chance to contribute against the Cubs, and he set off a celebration.

Sheets said the Padres are glad they didn't have an opening-round bye. They wanted to keep their roll going — and this demolition of the Cubs only boosted San Diego's confidence in its ability to beat the best.

“I think you gain a lot of momentum from series like this,” Sheets said. “Obviously the Brewers are a 1 seed for a reason. They’re a great team. They’ve got great arms. We’ve played them strong all year, and we know what they offer. ... We’re going to start in Milwaukee, and it’s going to be just like here. It’s going to be rocking. But I think there’s some momentum that gets built when you play these two games.”

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Trump was asked by reporters at the White House whether he had been briefed about any links between the pilot behind the attack and Tehran. He said, “We’re working on it right now.”

“I would say the answer, based on what I’m hearing, is yes, but we’re working on it right now,” Trump said. He did not offer details.

Asked if the U.S. would retaliate against Tehran if it was behind the attack, Trump said, “Oh they’ll be hit, very hard, don’t worry.”

“You just ask them,” he added. “They know what happened. They’ll be hit very hard.”

Passengers got into cockpit to take control of jet

Passengers on the FlyDubai plane — which was carrying 174 people, mostly Israelis, from the United Arab Emirates to Tel Aviv — have described how the bloodied Indian captain managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they grappled with the copilot and stabilized a descent so sharp that the plane’s rudder was torn away.

“We felt helpless, suspended in midair, and I didn’t know who to turn to. But it was all instinct to survive,” Asaf Rajuan, who was among those who intervened, said in a statement shared by Israel’s presidency.

A regional official briefed on the investigation said the suspect, an Omani citizen, was under arrest and confirmed that Saudi authorities were working with countries, including Israel, to try to determine a motive. He said the UAE, the United States and Oman also were involved.

“All possible scenarios, from terrorism to mental disorders, are being looked into. Nothing is ruled out for now,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing probe.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, without giving details, claimed the attacker underwent Islamist indoctrination. Asked who helped radicalize him, the prime minister told Fox News channel’s “Fox and Friends" he did not know.

When asked by The Associated Press how the prime minister knew the copilot underwent indoctrination, Netanyahu’s office said it would not comment.

Netanyahu told Fox that the suspect apparently got through a loophole in Israeli aviation rules that normally bar pilots from flying to Israel if they are from countries that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, which Oman does not.

The copilot has not been publicly identified. Video shot inside the plane by Dr. Shota Musayev, a dentist who treated the captain, shows the copilot on his knees, with his hands tied behind his back.

Capt. Smit Machchhar, widely praised as one of the heroes of the flight, was recovering in the Emirati capital of Abu Dhabi, the Indian government said Thursday.

It was not clear what the copilot used as a weapon.

Israeli investigators will join the interrogation of the copilot

Israeli intelligence and security officials were in Saudi Arabia to help investigate the copilot, according to another regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Israel has requested that the copilot be sent to Israel for the investigation, though it is unclear if that request will be granted, the official said.

Saudi Arabia does not have formal diplomatic ties with Israel, but the countries have long cooperated on security and intelligence matters through alternative channels.

The UAE government said its own investigation team had begun looking into the attack and “whether it was linked to any terrorist purpose,” noting that Emirati authorities have jurisdiction because the plane is registered there and UAE law applies to crimes committed on board.

Asked if there is any indication of Iranian involvement, Netanyahu told Fox News “it’s too early to say.”

Netanyahu earlier said he also spoke with the UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who agreed that Israel would join the interrogation of the suspect.

Trump told reporters at the White House that he and Netanyahu discussed the incident “at length” by phone and it seemed as though the copilot “was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.”

Oman's government has not commented.

Israel says it received no specific warning of an attack

Netanyahu had warned in recent days of heightened security threats, though he told CNN that Israel had received no specific warning. The country is a week away from the anniversary of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which has triggered the war in Gaza — and weeks away from an election.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said most of the people on board were from Israel, along with others from India and the UAE. The U.S. State Department said four passengers had American citizenship.

FlyDubai has said its flights to and from Israel would be suspended. Netanyahu told CBS that Israel plans to fly home anyone stranded in Dubai as a result.

Someone in cockpit sent out discreet distress codes

Someone in the cockpit sent out two four-digit codes to discreetly signal distress while the plane flew erratically near the Jordanian border with Saudi Arabia, according to Flightradar24.com. The first code was “7700,” the universal “squawk” signal for an emergency, then “7500,” which indicates unlawful interference, including a possible hijacking.

The codes are used by pilots when speaking over the radio may not be possible or wise.

FlyDubai said Wednesday that the jet was secured by on-duty crew members “who diverted and landed the aircraft safely.” A regional official said the crew members were pilots in training. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

School where captain trained calls safe landing ‘miraculous’

In the chaos that began about two and a half hours after takeoff, the flight descended from 33,000 feet to 17,000 feet (around 10,000 meters to 5,100 meters) in about a minute, before making an erratic circle close to the Jordanian border and landing in Tabuk, according to Flightradar24. The site identified the aircraft as a Boeing 737 Max 8.

FlyDubai said crew members helped secure the plane but released no details about them.

The head of the New Zealand flight school where the Indian captain trained, Philip Kean, called it “miraculous" that the aircraft, which was never designed for that sort of dive, did not break up completely.

During the frantic search for a place to land, a person who heard the flight’s communications with air traffic control described the plane being turned away by Saudi Arabia and Jordan before eventually landing in Tabuk in Saudi Arabia while passengers screamed in the background. The pilot’s voice was trembling as he called “mayday” and said a hijacking was taking place.

The air traffic controllers gave no reason for the refusals. The person who heard the communications spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Laurie Kellman in London contributed to this report.

Rescuers continued searching Thursday for a fifth person who was aboard the aircraft and went missing after the Wednesday night crash.

The Coast Guard, area firefighters and divers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were among emergency personnel who worked through the night, Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy said at a news conference.

“We’re still doing an active search for the person who’s missing and then in addition to that, the divers and the remote operated vehicle are going to get a look at more of the wreckage and hopefully if there’s a sunken fuselage … we’re hoping to get a better picture of that this morning,” Crecy said.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Crecy said the helicopter went down shortly after takeoff and hit the water a short distance from the island.

Authorities were working on identifying the victims, she said.

“We believe that the medical aircraft was transporting a person off the island for additional medical care on the mainland,” Crecy said, adding that she did not have more information on the transport or the patient.

According to preliminary information released by the Federal Aviation Administration, the pilot and a cabin crew member were killed. Another cabin crew member was seriously injured and a passenger had minor injuries, the FAA said.

The crash came 11 days after a firefighting helicopter went down and killed two pilots in Yosemite National Park in California, and two weeks after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles, killing two people.

First responders were called to the crash shortly before 8 p.m. Wednesday and pulled four people from the water. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and two, in stable condition, were brought to hospitals on the mainland, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Firefighters on the island were able to get to the scene quickly by boat, Crecy said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating and identified the helicopter as a Eurocopter EC-135-P2. NTSB staff were expected to arrive on the scene later Thursday. The aircraft will be brought to a secure facility for evaluation, a board spokesperson said.

Authorities said the helicopter was submerged in 240 feet (73 meters) of water off Catalina, which is located about 22 miles (35 kilometers) off the mainland of Los Angeles County.

The helicopter landed on the island shortly after 7 p.m., following a 24-minute flight from an airport in Oceanside, California, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.

The helicopter was operated by REACH Air Medical Services of Sacramento, California.

“At this time, we are gathering information and coordinating with emergency responders and authorities,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones and colleagues affected by this tragedy. We are focused on supporting our team and everyone impacted during this incredibly difficult time.”

The company said it was unable to share additional details, out of respect for the people involved and the ongoing emergency response.

Since first debuting in a surprise, no-phones screening at the Telluride Film Festival on Sept. 6, “You Can See Everything” immediately transformed into one of the year's most buzzed-about films.

Shot secretly over three years, the nearly three-hour documentary captures Holmes, founder of the medical testing company Theranos, in the 34 days before reporting to prison. But as fans of Fielder would expect, little in how “You Can See Everything” follows a conventional route.

Moviegoers lined up outside the Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center as early as 3 a.m. in hopes of attending the sold-out 8 p.m. screening.

“You Can See Everything,” which A24 will release Oct. 16, is a hard-to-believe coda to a preposterous saga. Even Fielder isn’t sure what to make of the surreal odyssey he and Oppenheim captured.

“I am still struggling to this day to understand what I went through,” Fielder said in a Q&A following the screening.

After her conviction on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy, Holmes entered a Texas prison in May 2023. In a headline-grabbing scandal that rocked Silicon Valley, one of the most surprising and surreal twists was revealed only this month.

Holmes chose to let Fielder, the absurdist comedian of “Nathan For You” and “The Rehearsal,” and the documentary filmmaker Oppenheim, intimately film her life with her partner, the California hotel heir Billy Evans, and their two children.

At this dramatic moment in their lives, Fielder lived in a guest house at their Del Mar, California, beachside home. The filmmakers shot from morning to night. Fielder interviews the couple while in bed, or the bathroom.

“I mean, I cannot tell you how weird it was that we were there,” Fielder said. “I wouldn't think I'd be, like, the person that you would want for your final 34 days of freedom. I'm not the most, like, comforting.”

The filmmakers happened to hear that Holmes and Evans had reached out to A24 about the prospect of making a documentary. Fielder didn't initially think it would amount to a feature film, but he was curious just to meet Holmes.

“When I met her, I remember having this weird experience,” Fielder explained. “She seems so genuine at times but then I'm like, (expletive), tracking my thoughts and being like, ‘I know she’s a liar.'”

“Every person who worked on this movie was going through a similar cognitive dissonance,” said Oppenheim, who directed the just-released “Primetime,” starring Robert Pattinson as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen. “We would unpack the day's events and no one could agree on seemingly mundane moments that would transpire.”

In “You Can See Everything,” Fielder seeks not only to grasp what is true and not true about Holmes, but to grapple with deeper questions of identity, performance, fiction and control.

Holmes founded Theranos with her then-romantic partner Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. They promised the company would revolutionize healthcare with a technology that could quickly scan for diseases and other health problems with a few drops of blood taken with a finger prick.

The hype helped them raise nearly $1 billion from investors. By 2014, Theranos was valued at $4.5 billion.

But after the company's purported technology advances were exposed in a series of explosive articles in The Wall Street Journal, the company collapsed. In 2018, the U.S. Justice Department charged Holmes and Balwani with a litany of white-collar crimes.

Balwani was separately convicted in 12 felony counts of fraud and conspiracy and sentenced to nearly 13 years in a South California prison.

The filmmakers more than once asked the Alice Tully Hall crowd to preserve the surprise twists and turns the movie takes as it shifts. That includes dramatic recreations with the aid of an A-list star and other elaborations, all in an effort to get closer to the truth.

But even as Fielder and Oppenheimer pleaded for viewers not to discuss the film in too much detail, they were clearly eager to debate and try to make sense of “You Can See Everything.”

“As each scene that happens, it's happening and we're documenting it. There's no plan of what's going to happen next at any point,” Fielder said. “This is a path that opened up to us and we just followed it.”

“Se ha desmontado una organización criminal enquistada en la justicia y en la administración de una institución muy importante en nuestro país como es el Ministerio Público la cual, encabezada por Roger Mariaca, se volvió una organización criminal destinada a proteger e incentivar el narcoterrorismo en el país”, dijo en una conferencia de prensa el ministro de Gobierno, Marco Antonio Oviedo.

El operativo policial contó con apoyo de la agencia antidrogas de Estados Unidos DEA y otros organismos internacionales pero fue ejecutado por policías bolivianos, indicó Oviedo, quien estaba acompañado en la conferencia por sus colegas de Defensa, Ernesto Justiniano, y de la Presidencia, Fernando Aramayo.

Oviedo también señaló que se detuvo a cuatro integrantes del Ministerio Público en un gran despliegue en el que se confiscó dinero que estaba en una ambulancia que salía del domicilio de Mariaca. Posteriormente, el fiscal Daniel Ortuño indicó que los agentes hallaron 3,53 millones de bolivianos (unos 294.000 dólares) y otros 10.000 dólares en el vehículo.

Mariaca enfrentará acusaciones de integrar una organización criminal, legitimar ganancias ilícitas y tráfico de drogas, según el ministro.

Oviedo recordó que las autoridades habían detenido, pero luego liberaron rápidamente, al presunto narcotraficante uruguayo Sebastián Marset en 2023 cuando Mariaca era fiscal regional en Santa Cruz. “Lo dejaron ir y, no sólo eso, le devolvieron los bienes incautados”, afirmó. Marset fue finalmente capturado en Bolivia en marzo de este año y enviado a Estados Unidos para enfrentar cargos por lavado de dinero.

Está previsto que el viernes la Asamblea Nacional debata de designación de un nuevo Fiscal General.

EEUU respalda al presidente boliviano

El secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, señaló en su cuenta de X que la administración Trump respalda firmemente al presidente boliviano Rodrigo Paz “mientras este adopta medidas firmes y decisivas para combatir el narcotráfico, la corrupción sistémica y el crimen organizado transnacional en Bolivia”.

"Las acciones emprendidas por Bolivia demuestran el tipo de liderazgo necesario para hacer de nuestro hemisferio un lugar más seguro, más fuerte y más próspero”, indicó Rubio.

El lunes el Departamento de Estado había anunciado la revocación de las visas de 1Maruaca y de otros 11 bolivianos entre jueces, policías y exautoridades para “cumplir los compromisos de defender la gobernanza democrática en todo nuestro hemisferio frente a la corrupción y el narcotráfico”.

Mariaca fue designado fiscal general en 2024 con el apoyo de más de dos tercios de los miembros de la Asamblea Legislativa, que entonces estaba dominada por el partido de izquierda Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) que gobernó por casi 20 años.

Paz gobierna desde noviembre del año pasado y dio un giro en la administración del país y se acercó a Estados Unidos.

Junto con otros presidentes latinoamericanos Paz se ha sumado al denominado Escudo de las Américas, una iniciativa estadounidense que busca luchar contra los cárteles de droga y el crimen organizado.

Xander Bogaerts drove in the first run for the surging Padres, who followed up their 8-0 victory in Tuesday's opener with another dominant mound performance. The Cubs led the majors in runs and the NL in homers this year, but they managed just eight hits — seven singles — over 18 innings against San Diego's inspired staff.

Ethan Salas drove in a run while becoming the youngest player to catch a postseason game in major league history for the Padres, whose 20-3 surge since Sept. 5 has them looking like a threat in the NL. With their fifth playoff series victory in the past seven years, the Padres advanced to face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in an NL division series this weekend.

“It's our entire group coming together, finding ways to win ballgames over and over,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said between puffs on a cigar in the Padres' beer-soaked clubhouse. “This feels great, but we've already been to this part before, and we're all so hungry to go farther.”

One year after the Cubs eliminated the Padres in three tough Wild Card games at Wrigley Field, the Padres reversed the result in two romps before frenzied sellout crowds at Petco Park.

“It’s nice to finish in two,” manager Craig Stammen said. “Saves our bullpen a little bit, and we can decide who’s going to start Game 1. We haven’t decided that yet, but it definitely sets us up better with two days off. Get those guys fresh and ready to go.”

Nico Hoerner had half of the Cubs’ hits in the series, and he drove in Chicago’s only run in the fourth inning. He also got their only extra-base hit of the series with a ninth-inning double off Mason Miller, but the Padres’ vaunted closer calmly finished the save and set off another massive celebration on the field.

“It didn’t go well here,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We just didn’t play well enough. They’re playing really well. We just couldn’t get anything going offensively, obviously. Look, when you’re in this position, you’re going to be disappointed. You’re going to feel unfulfilled, and that’s just dominating everything you feel right now. Maybe as you reflect, I think I can get to some better places. Right now, that’s all I feel.”

Probable NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong and veteran slugger Alex Bregman struggled mightily atop the Cubs’ lineup in San Diego, going a combined 0 for 15 with a walk and eight strikeouts over these two games. Bregman played just over a week after he was hit in the face with a foul ball.

“Those were the two guys we marked as we don’t want those guys to beat us in this series,” Stammen said. “We tried our best to set up our pitching to handle them. In the first game, we were just lucky we got out to a bigger lead. It’s a lot easier to pitch to those guys with a bigger lead.”

After hitting two homers in the first inning of Game 1, the Padres waited until the second inning of Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead. Ty France led off with a double off Kevin Gausman and scored on Bogaerts’ single before Salas hit a line-drive flyout to center, scoring Jackson Merrill.

Salas, the prized 20-year-old prospect recalled Sept. 1, also became the youngest player to appear in a postseason game for the Padres.

Chicago finally scored when Seiya Suzuki singled and eventually came home on Hoerner’s ground ball to center off Nick Pivetta. Stammen immediately yanked his starter in favor of his intimidating bullpen, and Bradgley Rodríguez escaped a bases-loaded jam.

Rodríguez also pitched the fifth to earn the victory in his postseason debut.

“Those guys, they're so good at what they do,” Pivetta said. “It was a pleasure to watch.”

After Bogaerts’ double chased Gausman in the fourth, Sheets crushed a 100.8 mph fastball from Daniel Palencia into the right-field bleachers. Sheets, the fan-favorite outfielder who is playing with a nagging plantar injury in his left foot, delivered his second career postseason homer and his first since 2021 as a White Sox rookie.

“That was one of the cooler home runs I've ever seen,” Merrill said.

The shot was the Padres’ first pinch-hit postseason homer since 2005, and their long-suffering fans’ cheers rattled the park.

Up next

Game 1 of the division series is Saturday in Milwaukee. The Padres took four of six from the Brewers this season, even sweeping a three-game series at Petco Park in August.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Pittsburgh will receive two draft picks from Dallas, a sixth-rounder in 2027 and a second-rounder in 2028, one of the people told The Associated Press. Both people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn't announced the deal.

Porter has been inactive all three games this season for the Steelers. The fourth-year pro has been dealing with a back issue and had also been in the middle of a stalemate with the Steelers over a new contract.

The 26-year-old Porter, a second-round pick out of Penn State in the 2023 draft, was seeking an extension as he entered the final year of his four-year rookie deal.

The Cowboys are getting Porter after earlier Wednesday putting safety Jalen Thompson (hamstring) on injured reserve with a designation to return. They also signed three defensive backs to their practice squad.

Safety P.J. Locke (torn plantar fascia) was already on injured reserve. He and Thompson were offseason acquisitions by the Cowboys as a part of retooling the secondary.

It's the second major trade between the Cowboys and Steelers in two years.

Before the 2025 season, Pittsburgh sent receiver George Pickens to Dallas for draft picks. He made the Pro Bowl in his Dallas debut, setting career highs with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

Pickens is playing this season on a $27.3 million franchise tag and has 16 catches for 150 yards without a score.

The Steelers took Pickens out of Georgia in the second round in 2022. While his talent was on display during three seasons with the Steelers, so were enough instances of petulant or indifferent behavior for then-coach Mike Tomlin to question his maturity.

Dallas and Pittsburgh also made a lower-profile trade during the preseason this year. The Cowboys acquired offensive tackle Broderick Jones and a fourth-round pick in next year’s draft for third- and sixth-round choices.

Not only is Dallas suddenly seeking reinforcements in the secondary, but the defense as a whole is off to another rough start after being one of the NFL's worst in 2025.

The Cowboys are second-to-last in rushing defense and one of four teams without an interception. Dallas had a franchise-worst six picks on defense last season.

In a 34-31 loss to Baltimore in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, the Cowboys let Lamar Jackson complete a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers when the Ravens had just 7 seconds on the clock after a tying field goal by Dallas. Jackson got a timeout called with a second remaining, and Tyler Loop kicked a winning 56-yard field goal.

While the Cowboys had hopes of a quick turnaround with 34-year-old Christian Parker as a first-time defensive coordinator, the first three weeks have shown otherwise. In a season-opening loss to the New York Giants, Dallas had just two possessions in the second half because the defense couldn't get a stop.

Porter was among the top 20 in the NFL in pass breakups over his first three seasons with 31. He had two seasons of double-digit passes defended. Last season, DaRon Bland was the leader for Dallas with six as the Cowboys finished last in the league in passing defense.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Capt. Smit Machchhar, who is from India’s financial hub of Mumbai, was seriously injured in Wednesday's attack. Passengers described how the pilot still managed to open the cockpit door, allowing them to enter and restrain the attacker as the Boeing 737 descended sharply, according to witnesses and Israeli authorities.

The attack forced the flight carrying 174 people from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Tel Aviv, Israel, to make an emergency landing in Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia. FlyDubai said the aircraft was secured by on-duty crew “who diverted and landed the aircraft safely.”

Machchhar was taken to a hospital in stable condition, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, said late Wednesday. Embassy officials said Thursday that his family had been briefed on his recovery.

India's Modi lauds the pilot’s courage

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called Machchhar a hero.

“In the face of the gravest danger and despite being seriously injured, he showed immense courage and an unwavering resolve to protect the lives of others. His valor helped save hundreds of lives and avert a great tragedy,” Modi wrote on X.

Modi also praised the captain for demonstrating ”patience, presence of mind and courage,” saying his “actions prevented another 9/11-like attack from happening." He said he had spoken with Machchhar's parents and wife and that the pilot was undergoing treatment.

“Smit’s bravery fills every Indian with pride,” Modi said.

The captain trained as a pilot in New Zealand

According to Machchhar's LinkedIn profile, he has worked for FlyDubai for about four years. Before joining the airline, he spent 11 years with SpiceJet, an Indian low-cost carrier, where he served as a senior commander and line training captain. He logged more than 9,750 flying hours with SpiceJet, according to the profile.

SpiceJet, in a post on X, praised Machchhar’s “heroic courage” and “selfless actions.” “You are a hero to us all, Captain,” the airline wrote.

Machchhar, who is married and has two children, trained as a pilot at Mainland Air in the New Zealand city of Dunedin for 18 months, beginning in 2008, the school's head Philip Kean told 1News, a New Zealand television news channel.

Kean said Machchhar "did very well” as a student and later returned to India, where he worked as a recruiter for the school.

“We’re all very proud of him here and wish him a speedy recovery,” Kean said.

The school, which opened in 1991, offers a range of certifications, from private pilots' licenses to a diploma in aviation, and is popular with international students.

A report published last year by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority found that 39 international students, all from India, were enrolled at the school at the time of its review, accounting for half of its total enrollment.

The pilot had previously spoken about handling emergencies

In a podcast interview last year, Machchhar recalled how nervous he was and how he made mistakes during his first commercial flight in India, and the lessons he learned from the experience.

“At that stage, relaxing would have been the best option,” he told interviewer Zalak Mehta of the “Bona-Fide Banter” podcast.

“Stressing is not going to help, at least … in this industry,” he added.

Machchhar also described an onboard emergency when a pregnant woman went into premature labor, forcing the crew to divert the plane. He said he followed procedures carefully and ensured a safe landing on the first attempt.

“It was methodical. It was quick. It was as quick as it should have been," he said.

Israel's Netanyahu praises the pilot as do his neighbors in Mumbai

Wednesday's attack triggered a major security response in Israel, with authorities scrambling fighter jets in case of a possible hijacking.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attacker, an Omani national, was arrested in Saudi Arabia and was undergoing interrogation there. His motive for the attack was not immediately clear.

Netanyahu also praised Machchhar’s “extraordinary bravery” in a post on X, saying the wounded captain fought back after being stabbed, opened the cockpit door and helped passengers and crew overpower the attacker, preventing what Netanyahu described as a “catastrophic midair disaster.”

“He saved the lives of 174 people, including Israeli citizens and other nationals,” Netanyahu wrote.

Shota Musayev, a dentist and eyewitness, told The Associated Press how the wounded Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door to let them in before they grappled with the copilot.

Musayev then treated Machchhar.

“Poor pilot, he was just praying the whole time and was in contact with me, and I was afraid we would really lose him,” Musayev said.

In Ghatkopar East, the Mumbai suburb where Machchhar’s family lives, neighbors spoke of how easy-going he is and also lauded his courage.

“He has a lot of bravery in him,” said Ami Sapani, a neighbor who knows the family. “God is with him.”

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Saaliq reported from New Delhi. Associated Press journalists Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington, New Zealand and Adam Schreck in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said its strikes were against militant hideouts in two locations and that initial reports suggested 22 militants had been killed. It did not immediately comment on the reports of civilian casualties. Its claim of militants killed could not immediately be independently verified.

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan confirmed that at least 10 civilians, most of them children, were killed in the strikes on the southern province of Helmand and the eastern province of Kunar. It said nine people were injured in the airstrikes.

The strikes come amid repeated cross-border clashes between the two countries, while Pakistan has repeatedly carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan since tensions between the two countries spiraled dramatically earlier this year. The two neighbors have longstanding disputes over militant activity along their border.

“Civilians continue to be affected by cross-border hostilities. UNAMA reiterates its call for de-escalation, dialogue, respect for international law and prevention of further civilian harm,” the U.N. mission said in a statement.

Last week, UNAMA said it had documented over 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan from cross-border violence so far this year. Pakistan denies striking civilians and says it targets militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Afghanistan denies harboring militants.

The spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the airstrikes destroyed three civilian homes.

“We condemn this act and consider this an act of aggression and a crime that violates all universally accepted principles,” he said.

Mohammad Hashim, a 30-year-old resident of the village that was bombed in Kunar province, said the strike occurred at around 3 a.m.

“I heard a woman calling out, asking for the stones to be moved off her; she was trapped underneath,” he said. “We pulled her out, she was injured.” He said that digging through the rubble, he also found the bodies of two men and four children.

Another local resident, 32-year-old Mohammad Habib, said one of those killed was a shepherd who was not affiliated with any militant or government groups.

“He was a very poor and humble man. He would let his goats out in the morning without anyone even herding them, and they would go out in the morning and return home in the evening, and (Pakistan) martyred him,” he said.

Pakistan's Ministry of Information said the airstrikes were “well planned and calibrated” against militant hideouts and camps, and had “been carried out in Afghanistan with precision and accuracy.” It added that large quantities of weapons and ammunition were located in the hideouts and were destroyed.

Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing militants, particularly the Pakistani Taliban — formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP — to operate from Afghan territory and carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The TTP is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since seizing power in 2021. Kabul denies providing the group a safe haven and has rejected Pakistan’s accusations.

“The threat to Pakistan emanates from Afghanistan," Pakistan's ministry said. "Our action precisely targeted the terrorist hubs.”

“Maximum precautions were taken and it was ensured that no collateral damage occurs,” the statement said and added that its campaign “will continue at full pace to wipe out" the threat of militants from the country.

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Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

The South American animals, of various sizes and colors, roam among the tables at the Tiganjica Ethno-Village resort near Stajicevo, north of Belgrade, happy to interact with the guests.

The Alpaca Cafe here opened only a week ago and is a rare sight in Europe. Tiganjica resort owner Zoran Ostojin said he got the idea in Slovakia.

“My wife and I were in an Alpaca cafe in Slovakia and we were fascinated,” Ostojin told The Associated Press. “We wanted people in our country to get to know alpacas and feel this animal and its energy.”

Calm and friendly, alpacas are known for their mild character and easy disposition. While related to llamas and camels, alpacas are smaller, loved for their soft fleece and gentle humming sounds they produce to communicate.

The alpacas in Tiganjica mingle with the visitors who often come in organized tours to see the animals and spend time in their company.

Written on a board are house rules. Visitors are asked not to approach the alpacas from behind or feed them any food they brought along. Guests are instead given small buckets with carrots, lettuce and apples.

Visits must be prearranged and the cost is around 10 euros ($11.35), which includes a drink and a bucket with alpaca food.

All six animals differ in character, according to the alpacas' carer Simona Frangi, who said a black alpaca called Ljubica is grumpy, while Snezana is the herd leader despite being the smallest of all.

“They are very sensitive to people's intentions,” Frangi explained. “They feel if someone wants to harm them, they move away. But if someone wants to offer something, they will come close.”

Ostojin runs a small zoo within his resort, which also includes a restaurant and a garden on the family estate. Ostojin said it all started because he and his brother were bringing over injured animals to care for since they were boys.

The first alpaca came as a present from the Belgrade Zoo eight years ago. Ostojin said he “very much liked the energy, the emotion that this animal sends out.”

“Almost like a healing ability,” he said.

There was still about a month to go.

“A lot of the guys felt the same way,” the 37-year-old Benn said. “But with that, we got some rest, more time to prepare for this year and get our bodies right. Three years before, had some good runs. Not good enough, so it was nice to get some rest and take advantage of that extra time.”

The season opener at home Friday night against St. Louis will end the Stars' longest gap in five years between the end of one season and the start of the next. It comes 155 days after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Dallas reached the Western Conference Final three seasons in a row before that, playing 100 games combined each time until at least late May with no more than 136 days until the next season opener.

“I think you want to find the positive things you can, and I think this was a big break for the guys,” general manager Jim Nill said. “They’ve played a lot of hockey, a lot intense hockey, a lot wear and tear, and this (was) a break physically and a break mentally. ... Look forward to seeing the results now on the ice."

The Stars were ready to go when camp started

At the start of the condensed training camp two weeks ago, before an expanded 84-game regular season, Nill said some players had been skating and working out at the team's facility since July.

When the Stars lost Game 6 at Minnesota on April 30, it was the first time since 2018 they were done playing before the start of May. They missed the playoffs then and had 180 days until the 2018-19 season opener.

“Everyone can use that extra time,” forward Jason Robertson said. “I’d rather have taken less time, obviously. But it was a different summer ... Maybe more time to train, more time to reflect. I feel good. I’m sure everyone else feels good.”

The Stars had more time to rest, recover and train

The extra time was certainly good for Mikko Rantanen, top center Roope Hintz and 34-year-old Tyler Seguin.

Rantanen returned for the end of the regular season and playoffs after a torn MCL in the Olympics, but Hintz didn't make it back after tearing his left hamstring on March 6. Seguin, at the end of his $78.8 million, eight-year contract, had right ACL surgery in December and was limited to 47 games the past two seasons because of injuries.

"The players that were banged up, they’re healthy now,” Nill said.

There were also benefits for Benn and 35-year-old Matt Duchene, both going into their 18th NHL seasons. And even 23-year-old center Wyatt Johnston after playing in all 390 Stars regular-season and playoff games since his NHL debut four years ago.

“For a summer of that length that he hasn’t had probably since he’s 19 ... he looks bigger and stronger," second-year coach Glen Gulutzan said.

Gulutzan said Benn, the only player he also had in his first stint as Stars coach from 2011-13, is probably the skinniest that he’s ever seen him.

“He trained like crazy this summer. He is actually really lean,” Gulutzan said. “He did some things differently than he normally did. He’s always trained hard and all that stuff, but just the way he went out and skated and practiced, I know he put an emphasis on different areas.”

Benn said the game is getting faster and that he’s “just trying to keep up.”

It was a long wait for the Stars even with early opening date

Dallas will be among the last seven teams that play season openers Friday night. The NHL season began Tuesday, and 10 teams will already be multiple games into their schedule by then.

Still, that Oct. 2 opening date is the earliest for the Stars since Oct. 1, 1999, when they raised the banner for the Stanley Cup championship they won 3 1/2 months earlier.

The Stars last made the Stanley Cup Final in the Canadian bubble that ended in late September 2020, after a nearly five-month pause because of the pandemic. There was a 116-day gap before a reduced 56-game regular season opened the following January. They then missed the postseason and had 157 days before a normal October opener, and the first of their current five consecutive playoff seasons.

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Bueckers waved toward her backcourt mate, but she wasn't telling Ogunbowale to get out of the way. She was telling her to get open.

After all, Bueckers knew who the hot hand was — and it wasn't the 2025 No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year who is in her first playoff series.

Ogunbowale took a pass from Bueckers on the left baseline, dribbled toward the corner and hit an off-balance corner 3-pointer, sending the game to overtime and her on the way to a WNBA playoff-record 45 points as the Wings won a thriller 108-100 on Wednesday night, forcing a Game 3 in their first-round series.

The deciding game will be Friday night in San Francisco, where the Valkyries won the series opener by 24 points.

Golden State is trying to advance in the playoffs for the first time in the franchise’s second season. The Wings are trying to reach the semifinals for the second time in six postseason appearances since moving to the Dallas area in 2016.

Ogunbowale opened the extra period of Game 2 by banking in a 3, then hit another one to put Dallas ahead for good at 103-100 with 1:46 remaining. The four-time All-Star easily topped her previous playoff best of 24 points after scoring 10 points on just seven shots in the series opener.

“We felt like we got pushed around out there when we played in San Francisco and especially me personally I don’t feel like I was aggressive,” said Ogunbowale, who was 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, 12 of 23 overall and 16 of 18 on free throws. “I didn’t know what I would score. I was going to shoot regardless because I just feel like seven shots isn’t enough to win playoffs and I have to be aggressive whether it’s going in or not.”

Bueckers, who scored 10 points, was mired in a 3-for-13 shooting night that included an air ball on a 3-pointer with the Wings trailing by three in the final two minutes of regulation. But she assisted on Ogunbowale's tying 3, and again on a the banked 3 to start OT. Bueckers had four assists.

“For us to do what we did today without Paige having the type of game that she always has offensively for us, to come out with a win is huge,” Wings coach Jose Fernandez said. “We had other people step up.”

Ogunbowale's shot for a 93-93 tie with 4.1 seconds left in regulation of Game 2 was followed by Gabby Williams getting called for an offensive foul on the inbound play after a Golden State timeout.

That call was reversed on replay, so instead of Aziaha James having a chance to give Dallas the lead at the free-throw line, there was a jump ball at center court with 3.0 seconds to go. After a scramble for the loose ball, Golden State's desperation shot was way off target, and after the buzzer.

Williams scored a career-high 36 points, regular season or playoffs, but missed all six of her shots in the final 1:31 of overtime to finish 12 of 23 from the field.

“We got one at home, and we got to bring our best,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “That was not our best. Tomorrow’s got to be clear minds, clear focus, clear game plan, and then be ready to go for the game at home.”

Ogunbowale scored 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime — 11 in each period. She passed her previous overall career high of 41 points with the 3 that put Dallas up for good.

Dallas' Alysha Clark tied her playoff career high with 21 points, and Aziaha James added 13.

Kaila Charles scored 14 points for the Valkyries, and Kayla Thornton had 13.

With the scored tied at 98 in the extra period, Ogunbowale and Tiffany Hayes had to be separated after making contact. Both were called for flagrant fouls, and each made a pair of free throws with 2:26 remaining.

The Valkyries didn't score again, shooting 2 of 12 in overtime.

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Trump’s travel to Texas and Oklahoma kicks off what the president said will be a 32-day campaign blitz leading up to Nov. 3.

Vance stumped in Florida, putting the Republican Party’s highest-ranking officials in areas where GOP candidates once expected to have glide paths to victory but are now facing tougher races. The vice president tried to cast their party as representing common sense in the face of a Democratic push to the left.

“I have the easiest job in the world,” Vance said in Lakeland, Florida. “I get to talk about how crazy the Democrats are.”

Trump and Vance could have their work cut out for them, though.

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that only 17% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of the cost of living. Just 26% approve of his handling of the economy overall, marking a new low.

Republicans have expressed growing pessimism about their chances in the election, which will determine control of Congress, as the president has repeatedly dismissed concerns about high costs and gas prices as his unpopular war in Iran drags on.

According to Trump, his party’s headwinds are merely a matter of poor public relations about a job he says is well done.

“I give us an A+ on the government, on economics, on everything,” Trump said Thursday, as he left the White House, while blaming the press for not covering the positive aspects of his administration.

That followed Trump saying Wednesday, “We’re doing an extremely poor job of promotion and an extremely great job of running the country."

He said he'd traveling all over, attempting to persuade GOP voters to pretend his name is on the ballot.

“I’m going out because nobody’s selling it,” Trump added.

Democrats say Trump and the Republicans are desperate

Delanie Bomar, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement that “the president is barnstorming the country, energizing our base, and supercharging Republican candidates in battleground districts and beyond.”

The Democratic National Committee said Trump and Vance are "desperately trying to rally their base as the midterm elections approach and Republicans face defeat.”

“Donald Trump and JD Vance started a deadly and costly war with Iran that sent the economy spiraling and pushed prices even higher, and now — in the final stretch to the midterms — they’re desperately pleading with voters to 'give (them) another chance,'” said DNC deputy communications director Kendall Witmer.

In Oklahoma, Trump will campaign with Republican Mike Mazzei, who is running against Democratic state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson in the race for governor.

Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said Trump’s campaign rally shows that Republicans “are in full-on panic mode.”

“This race continues to get more competitive — and national Republicans are right to be worried about Mazzei,” he said.

The event will be held on the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, putting Trump in the company of just a handful of U.S. presidents who have visited tribal nations while in office.

Before his evening Oklahoma stop, Trump is touring a truck manufacturing facility in Texas, where Republicans are spending heavily to try to bolster state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a Senate race. Paxton faces a very competitive challenge from Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.

Paxton was planning to be with Trump at the official White House event Thursday in Denton, two campaign officials familiar with Paxton’s plans said on the condition of anonymity to discuss the candidate’s schedule before it was made public.

Vance is also stumping for GOP candidates

Trump will be campaigning in more politically competitive areas in the days and weeks ahead as he embarks on his travel blitz, but Republican officials will not send him to places where they think his presence could drag down their candidates, according to a person familiar with the party’s strategy who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Trump’s Oklahoma visit, and likewise one on Friday to Alabama, are aimed at hitting two targets with one stop, the person said.

Republican officials have noted that Durant is close to the Dallas and Fort Worth media market, meaning Trump’s message will also be carried to Texas voters, and he’s expected to talk about Paxton even while addressing voters in the neighboring state.

His Friday stop in Mobile, Alabama, is aimed not only at boosting Sen. Tommy Tuberville as he runs for Alabama governor but also at shoring up support in Florida’s adjacent panhandle for Republican Rep. Byron Donalds. Donalds is running for Florida governor against David Jolly, the Republican-turned-independent who is now running as a Democrat.

Donalds' campaign in heavily GOP Florida comes as Republicans there have faced some turbulence and voter concerns about affordability and artificial intelligence data centers have become central issues.

While Trump is in Oklahoma and Texas, Vance campaigned for Donalds in central Florida. That came a day after the vice president campaigned in Texas, rallying with Republican candidate Eric Flores, who is in a tight U.S. House race in south Texas.

Vance, speaking in Harlingen, Texas, on Wednesday, acknowledged broader discontentment over the high prices in the U.S. but shifted the blame away from Trump and Republicans.

“I know that there are people out there who are frustrated by the pace of progress,” he said, but "we have spent every single day fighting for you, digging ourselves out of the hole that Joe Biden left us in.”

Trump will also campaign on Saturday in Vandalia, Ohio, and on Monday in Grand Island, Nebraska.

Trump is expected to campaign for the GOP almost daily

In a meeting on Capitol Hill this week, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles described privately to GOP senators that Trump will have a near-daily sprint of campaigning ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.

Wiles showed Republicans the president’s upcoming travel schedule, which attendees described as extensive and almost every day, all across the country.

West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said that White House officials are “acknowledging the headwinds” but that “they have a strategy, and we have a strategy,” including money that the president’s operation will continue to deploy.

Capito also defended the White House’s plan to send Trump to traditionally conservative territory, arguing that he can motivate the Republican base not just where he travels but elsewhere in the country because he has such a broad reach.

“He can get more of his voters out — that are going to be our voters — than anybody else,” Capito said.

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Associated Press reporters Seung Min Kim in Washington, Jesse Bedayn in Austin, Texas, and Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.

The administration has dedicated enormous resources to what election experts and administrators characterize as a comparatively small issue — noncitizens who, often due to misunderstanding the law, add their votes to the tens of millions of ballots cast during national elections.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced federal charges against 10 people in Minnesota alleged to have voted illegally over the last three elections, a period in which more than 8 million ballots were cast in the state.

“We’re focused on providing accountability and restoring trust in our elections,” Blanche said, lamenting that the media did not take seriously the charges for voter fraud his office has brought.

He said those added up to 90 for various types of election misconduct, including 50 against people who are alleged to have voted as noncitizens.

Even the 90 cases, which conflate voter fraud cases involving citizens of both political parties with those alleging noncitizen voting, are nominal in terms of the number of votes cast during presidential elections. It's nowhere near enough votes to swing any significant federal or even state election.

The U.S. had nearly 228 million registered voters for the 2024 presidential election, with more than 152 million ballots cast.

“They're incredibly low numbers no matter how you slice it," said Aaron Blacksberg of the Institute for Responsive Government, who was on a panel of election officials and experts on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., just before Blanche's announcement.

Noncitizen voting is part of administration's messaging about widespread voter fraud

The continuing drumbeat from the administration about voter fraud and noncitizens casting ballots, even when their own investigations show it's rare, is one reason Democrats, civil rights groups and many election officials are bracing for the possibility of Trump intervening in the November vote.

The election officials who gathered with Blacksberg held a media roundtable during which they reassured voters that they are prepared for any possible disruptions this fall.

Democrats and civil rights groups have filed multiple lawsuits to try to prevent the Trump administration from sending armed agents to the polls, something the administration insists it will not do. Trump has lamented that he did not order the military to seize voting machines in 2020, leading many election officials and Democrats to brace for that possibility in the fall.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a letter to a U.S. senator last month that there are no such plans for the military.

The scarcity of actual fraud or voting by noncitizens was one reason why election officials, courts and some of Trump’s own officials rejected his claims that he lost the 2020 election due to massive fraud. Now back in office, Trump has launched a sweeping probe to try to retroactively prove his false claims. His administration has directed Homeland Security and other federal agents to scour voter rolls to identify noncitizen voters. A whistleblower statement filed earlier this month with Congress says the effort may violate state laws and gives agents only 12 minutes to determine whether a flagged person is actually a citizen.

Distinguishing any noncitizens on voter rolls from the many legal voters who may have similar names, birth dates or other identifying information is why many voting rights groups and Democrats have resisted the administration's aggressive campaign. They worry it would disenfranchise more legal voters than it would block illegal ones.

Plenty of evidence to show that noncitizen voting is a minuscule problem

There's a history behind those concerns. In Kansas, a 2011 law requiring proof of citizenship to vote blocked the registration of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens before a federal judge declared the law unconstitutional.

Trump pushed Republicans to pass a law reminiscent of the Kansas measure, but it could not overcome resistance in the Senate from Democrats and even some Republicans. The president then tried to limit mail voting through executive action, but that was blocked by the courts and ultimately stopped from taking effect for the midterms by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The administration has routinely issued press releases noting large numbers of “suspected” noncitizen voters in certain areas, only to have to later amend the total to something far less.

In July, Trump claimed Nevada had 1,500 noncitizen voters on its rolls, but after his administration had to identify them to the state, the number of actual registered noncitizens turned out to be zero.

More recently, the top election official in Arizona's Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, announced that the Trump administration's noncitizen database flagged 60 possible noncitizen voters in a county where more than 2 million voters cast ballots in 2024. The actual number of illegal voters, disclosed by county prosecutors when they filed charges this week, was eight. The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to use that database to find purported illegal voters during November’s election.

Investigations in previous years resulted in similar findings. In Ohio, prosecutors secured indictments against nine people for voting as noncitizens over the span of 10 years. The state has some 8 million registered voters. During the presidential election two years ago, Georgia’s secretary of state found that just 20 of the state’s 8.2 million registered voters were not U.S. citizens.

On Wednesday, Blanche acknowledged that such cases were sporadic and not connected, undercutting the notion — promoted by Trump himself — that they are tied to some vast conspiracy to throw elections: “I don’t think we can say there’s a pattern we’ve identified,” Blanche said. “You know, I think that — that every case is different.”

DOJ's 10 charges in Minnesota amount to tiny fraction of 8.5 million ballots cast

Administration officials continued to toss around large-sounding numbers during the news conference. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed his agency “has 1,600 voter fraud cases that we're investigating and 300,000 more that we're getting to.”

Daniel Rosen, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota, alleged that “the state itself fosters an environment that seems to encourage non-citizens to break the law and vote.”

In a statement, the office of Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, noted that it is a felony for a noncitizen to cast a ballot.

“These indictments affirm the fact that noncitizen voting is a vanishingly rare crime,” it said. “If these indictments result in convictions, that will amount to ten individuals over a period in which around 8.5 million votes were cast in Minnesota.”

Voters must attest that they are U.S. citizens when they register to vote. Violating that can be punishable as a felony, leading to jail time and deportation.

Blanche alluded to the complexity and effort that go into these probes.

“These cases aren’t easy, right? So if you get a list of suspected voters who shouldn’t be voting, whether they’re here illegally or they’re just not eligible to vote because they’re aliens, you can’t just go and arrest them. There’s a full investigation that” the federal government has to do.

Election experts say that's why federal law enforcement has traditionally not mobilized to combat an issue that is almost nonexistent. Most voter fraud cases are prosecuted locally.

“It does appear that there have been a lot of resources redirected away from things like violent crime and counterterrorism, which is where Homeland Security usually focuses its efforts,” said David Becker, a former Department of Justice attorney who now runs the Center for Election Innovation & Research.

Becker added that it would not have been “unusual at all in past administrations to deprioritize” the voting focus because “it’s just such a small issue.”

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Riccardi reported from Denver.

“It should be normal to take time to create your next album. I know we live in a world where we want everything fast,” the three-time Grammy winner said in an interview with The Associated Press. For inspiration, she said she had to let life take its course.

“I’m OK with people asking for more music or feeling like, ‘Dang, I missed her.’ Or this is a comeback, because that makes me feel like there was a gap in time where they noticed that I was gone,” the artist said.

The “On My Mama” singer returns Friday with “Frequency of Love,” a 22-track studio project that follows her Grammy-winning “Jaguar II,” which she made in 2023.

The new album is powered by singles like the house-flavored “Reach Out,” yacht R&B-inspired “Juicy” and “Let Me,” which is a slow jam that already reached No. 1 on Billboard’s adult R&B airplay chart. Some of the new work features heavyweights Bruno Mars and SZA, as well as R&B hitmakers Bryson Tiller, Leon Thomas and Chlöe Bailey.

“I’m really, really, really passionate about love. ... A lot of it was just reflective of what I was going through or feeling while dating,” said Monét, who originally considered creating a yacht-R&B album. “The album covers many bases, including love for my daughter, love for the world, what I want to see for it.”

Monét aimed to channel Michael Jackson's risk-taking artistry

“Frequency of Love,” executive produced by Camper, takes listeners on a sonic excursion beyond romance, with several interpolations of classic '90s R&B songs skillfully peppered throughout.

“Almost,” which includes a reference to Brandy’s “Almost Doesn’t Count,” is a sensual take on feeling sexually unsatisfied, while “For You” reimagines Kenny Lattimore’s classic romantic ballad. “Care for Somebody (Interlude)” is Monét's rendition of a song she first encountered as a child while watching Halle Berry in “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” with her grandmother.

Michael Jackson’s musical growth between “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” inspired Monét’s creative process. While she’s quick to halt any comparison to the commercial and critical acclaim of one of music’s most prolific artists, she aimed to channel the same risk-taking artistry.

“I did not make ‘Thriller,’” Monét said. “I just made my version of what I would make with that mindset.”

The singer, 37, is keenly aware of heightened expectations. But she was slightly unprepared for some negativity that followed her 2024 Grammy wins for best new artist, best R&B album and best non-classical engineered album.

“I think there was a flip from me being an underdog that everyone wanted to support,” she said. “If I get millions of supporters, I can also have millions of haters. But who am I paying attention to? And that’s what the album for me is about.”

Monét was in the recording studio — and in the kitchen

Recently serving as a special guest on the European stretch of Bruno Mars’ “The Romantic” tour, Monét is gearing up for her own “Frequency of Love” dates, visiting 27 North American cities starting in late October.

After beginning her career penning songs for Ariana Grande, Blackpink, Chloe x Halle and Selena Gomez, Monét is still interested in writing collaborations and working with “unexpected” artists. She also dreams of writing scripted TV and film projects, including a comedy.

A creative at heart, Monét also recently graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education as its top student. During class, she’d listen to music associated with the country of the dish she was preparing. Often bringing meals to her production team during recording sessions, she says the vibes of the international music, and the camaraderie that food and fellowship can bring, would influence some of the sonic tones of her songs.

So why would a performer at the height of her career become a chef?

“Maybe rebellion. ... I want to do something that I don’t get paid for, that I’m not defined by,” said Monét. “You don’t have to make your schedule around only the things that clearly pay you. And you never know where it will take you.”

“Frequency of Love” will largely dictate where her career is headed next. But Monét hopes to move with intention and a spirit of gratitude, which she's prioritizing throughout her life.

“I went through a moment where I was critical of everything. I was looking around and seeing what could be better: criticizing myself, the workplace, the state of my mood, the state of music, state of voice, my body, just nitpicking everything,” she said. “And so, it’s really been a journey to come to a place where I can operate in that shift — that paradigm shift — that makes me OK with everything that is, and also OK with everything that is going to come.”

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Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.

The rally is part of Trump’s recent campaign push through deep red states, where he has been stumping for Republican candidates and promoting his agenda ahead of November’s midterm elections.

It was not immediately clear why Trump picked the location for his rally. The Choctaw Nation is renting its venue for the rally but not sponsoring the event, it said.

“We hope his visit provides an opportunity to learn more about what we do as a sovereign nation for our members and for all people in southeast Oklahoma,” Choctaw Nation Principal Chief Gary Batton said in a statement.

It's not the first time Trump has been to a tribal nation. In the homestretch of the 2020 election campaign, Trump visited the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and endorsed its push to secure federal recognition as a tribal nation, which he signed into law in 2025.

Tribal delegations have been meeting with presidents in Washington since the Early Republic, but presidential visits to reservations have been few and far between. The purpose and tone of those visits have changed dramatically as the relationship between the U.S. and tribal nations has evolved.

Early visits promoted assimilation

What was likely the first visit to a reservation by a sitting U.S. president occurred by happenstance. While traveling to Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1883, President Chester A. Arthur met with Shoshone and Arapaho leaders on the Wind River Reservation and complimented the tribes’ “practice of industrial pursuits,” according to an account by Lt. Gen. Philip Sheridan at the time.

While there, Arthur’s delegation pressed Shoshone Chief Washakie and Arapaho Chief Black Coal to consent to breaking up the reservation they shared into private parcels — a move aimed at dismantling tribal sovereignty and solving what Arthur termed the “Indian problem.” Both chiefs refused.

Other early presidential visits to tribal land similarly reflected an era when the U.S. tried to undermine tribal sovereignty and assimilate Native people into white society. Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 trek to Havasupai land at the bottom of the Grand Canyon preceded the forced removal of that tribe to make way for a national park.

During his 1927 visit to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, President Calvin Coolidge promoted assimilationist boarding schools.

Recent presidential visits have focused on tribal sovereignty

President Bill Clinton made Pine Ridge a stop on his 1999 “New Markets Tour,” billing the visit as the first by a sitting president to tribal land since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 1934 trip to the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. Clinton acknowledged the federal government failed to meet its obligations to hundreds of tribal nations and called for investment in Pine Ridge's economy.

“We have tried to have a more respectful, more proper relationship with the tribal governments of this country, to promote more genuine independence, but also to give more genuine support,” Clinton said.

In 2014, President Barack Obama met with Dakota youths and attended a powwow on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, speaking about expanding economic and educational opportunities in Indian Country and promoting tribes' inherent right to govern themselves. The following year, Obama spent time in the Iñupiaq village of Kotzebue in Alaska, highlighting the impacts of climate change on Arctic communities.

President Joe Biden made a somber apology

In 2024, President Joe Biden traveled to the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona to formally apologize for the federal government’s role in separating Indigenous children from their families and forcing them to attend boarding schools run by the U.S. and churches. A probe by Biden’s administration found that in addition to being stripped of their languages and cultures, many of those children experienced physical, emotional and sexual abuse. At least 970 died, and federal officials acknowledged the true number is likely higher.

Speaking alongside boarding school survivors and their descendants, Biden called that 150-year era a “blot on American history.”

“It’s a sin on our soul,” Biden said. “Quite frankly, there’s no excuse that this apology took 50 years to make.”

The visit marked a rare acknowledgment of the assimilationist policies that shaped some of the earliest presidential encounters with tribal nations.

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This story is published through the Global Indigenous Reporting Network at The Associated Press.

And top starter Sonny Gray wasn't happy about being lifted after only 70 pitches.

“I think I’m the best pitcher in the American League going through the order the third time. I think that’s a fact,” Gray said. “I would have liked to have been trusted in that moment.”

For the second consecutive season, the Red Sox were sent home for the winter by their biggest rivals as the New York Yankees rolled to a 9-2 victory Wednesday night and a two-game sweep of their Wild Card Series.

Boston was outscored 18-2 overall and left to lament a miserable finish to this roller-coaster ride of a season that included Tracy taking over when Alex Cora was fired in April.

Tracy's decision-making came under scrutiny after both playoff games against the Yankees. In Boston's 9-0 defeat a night earlier, Tracy pulled rookie starter Payton Tolle after 4 2/3 innings and 83 pitches in a 1-0 game.

Last year, the Red Sox won their Wild Card Series opener before losing to New York in a deciding Game 3 as they got overpowered by Cam Schlittler, who pitched another playoff gem against his hometown team Tuesday night.

“To have it end here two times in a row is tough,” shortstop Trevor Story said.

Facing a Yankees lineup missing injured slugger Aaron Judge, the Red Sox gave up 26 hits in two games despite a pair of effective performances from their starting pitchers.

At the plate, Boston mustered only seven hits and finally snapped a 26-inning postseason scoring drought that dated to last year when Willson Contreras homered just over the right-center fence in the sixth Wednesday.

“It’s obviously been an eventful year," Tracy said. "In the moment right now you can’t think much more other than anything but the fact that we just lost a playoff series.”

Needing a victory to extend their season, the Red Sox sent Gray to the mound and the 18-game winner certainly gave them a chance. Boston trailed 1-0 in the fifth when the right-hander allowed a two-out single to Ben Rice that put runners at the corners.

Tracy then yanked Gray, eager to hand the ball to baseball's best bullpen during the regular season.

“I felt good. You know, I felt crisp. I felt sharp. I felt like I was just out there competing. And yeah, I mean, I got clipped for a solo homer and then some singles, but I felt like I stayed on the attack throughout. I was just executing what I wanted to do," Gray said. “I’m frustrated, for sure. You know, not ready for it to end. A lot of emotions.”

Asked about the move, Contreras put his finger over his lips to zip them shut.

“It’s not enough when you have talent or you have data or you have computers that’s telling you what to do, because this is baseball," he said. "The data is here to help us, but at the end of the day you are going to have to need experience and veteran guys to win games.”

In both games of the series, Tracy gave the ball to left-handed reliever Erik Miller after taking out his starting pitcher.

On Tuesday, Rice greeted Miller with a 423-foot solo homer to straightaway center field.

On Wednesday, Tracy summoned Miller to face a different left-handed hitter, Cody Bellinger — who batted .274 against lefties this season and .259 versus right-handers. In fact, his .310 batting average against left-handers over the past two years was the best of any left-handed hitter in the majors.

Bellinger made Tracy and the Red Sox pay, lining an RBI single to right field.

“We’re struggling to score runs,” Tracy said. “And when you get in spots where you're struggling to score runs and you’re already trailing, you feel like you’ve got to be aggressive and go.”

Back from a shoulder injury, ace starter Garrett Crochet entered in the sixth for his first outing since April 25 and first relief appearance since 2023 with the Chicago White Sox. The left-hander opened with a strikeout, but Spencer Jones reached safely on a wild pitch, and Crochet never got an out.

Bellinger's three-run homer off right-hander Garrett Whitlock capped a six-run inning that made it 8-1, and the Red Sox were done. A bullpen that led the majors with a 3.00 ERA during the regular season finished this series with a 20.25 ERA after giving up 15 runs, 15 hits and seven walks in 6 2/3 innings, with a .484 opponents' batting average.

Boston's latest downfall in the Bronx was a crushing end to a wild 2026 season for the Red Sox, who stumbled to a 32-46 start. Tracy was the skipper at Triple-A Worcester before getting promoted to interim manager in Boston, and the team finally began to take off with a four-game sweep of the Yankees at Fenway Park in late June.

After clinching a wild-card spot last week, the Red Sox removed the interim tag and named Tracy the 49th manager in team history, signing him to a three-year contract that runs through the 2029 season, with a club option for 2030. The team also exercised the 2029 and 2030 options on chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

“I wasn't there for the highs and lows,” Crochet said. “For this team to do what it did do, to make it to this point, was nothing short of miraculous.”

Led by Gray and Contreras, among others, the Red Sox went on a 15-game winning streak in July that equaled a franchise record and used a 32-5 surge to climb back into contention. They became the fourth team in major league history to reach the postseason after falling 14 games under .500, and the first to qualify after losing as many as 44 of its first 75.

Gray, who can become a free agent after the World Series, went around the clubhouse to hug each of his teammates following Wednesday's defeat.

“I'm proud of what we accomplished,” the pitcher said. “We were left for dead there for a while.”

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

“I can tell you right now that the group isn’t satisfied with this,” he said.

The White Sox used a big first inning and a three-run homer from Chase Meidroth to propel them to a 7-3 victory and series win.

It’s the first time Chicago has won a playoff series since beating Houston in the World Series in 2005. Under the direction of Venable, the second-year skipper, and with a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV, the White Sox advanced to face AL Central champion Cleveland in the AL Division Series beginning Saturday in Cleveland.

They’re thrilled to give their fans in Chicago at least a couple of home playoff games after playing their first two postseason games on the road. Their first game at Rate Field will be Game 3 on Wednesday.

“They have been incredible all year,” Meidroth said. “So, the main thing was getting back to Chicago for some postseason baseball, and so we’re really blessed that we get to do that.”

The White Sox, who lost 100 games in each of the last three seasons, are the only team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth.

It’s an improbable and swift turnaround that most people — not even owner Jerry Reinsdorf — saw coming.

“I didn’t think it would come to fruition this fast, I really didn’t,” he told reporters postgame. “I really thought 2027 was the year that we would contend. But nobody told the players that they couldn’t do it.”

The White Sox were expected to be the worst team in their division again this season but instead made a 24-game jump to go 84-78 and capture a wild-card playoff spot.

Meidroth shared the important qualities that allowed them to defy expectations.

“Belief, energy, those are the two things,” he said. “Confidence. We got a young, hungry group, some veteran guys that we lean on. But, yeah, it’s been the same all year. We believe we can win every game.”

Entering this season, it had been an awful stretch for the White Sox, who set the record for most losses since 1899 when they dropped 121 games in 2024. It was a year that Reinsdorf reflected on as “depressing” on Wednesday night.

He lauded the work general manager Chris Getz did to build a strong foundation for the team to grow. And pointed to the blockbuster trade of left-hander Garrett Crochet to the Boston Red Sox after that dreadful season that netted them Meidroth, catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery as a turning point.

Venable, the 43-year-old who is in his first managerial role, is glad to have helped bring the White Sox back to respectability after their years in baseball’s basement.

“I’m really proud and I’m really just happy for everybody who over the last few years had experienced White Sox baseball when it obviously wasn’t at its best,” he said. “And it’s such a storied franchise and Jerry puts so much into this team, loves this team so much, and to be able to reward him and the city of Chicago who have been in our corner and supported us from day one that I’ve been there, it just feels really good.”

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here