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Online jail records show Basil Billings, 63, faces charges of offense against student by authority figure and lewd and lascivious touching of certain minors.

Billings is listed on the Broward County Public School District’s website as a reading teacher at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale.

According to a spokeswoman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, Billings was arrested “as result of an investigation into a series of incidents with a student at Dillard High School.”

The spokeswoman said in an email to Local 10 News that Billings “attempted to have an inappropriate relationship with a student, including inappropriate comments, notes, and physical touching.”

She said he was taken into custody Thursday at a Broward County Public Schools Administration office.

Billings’ arrest report states that the female was 16-year-old student when the inappropriate contact began in October 2025.

It states that Billings “squeezed the victim’s body against his body,” then “released the victim from his over aggressive hug” and when he did so, he “used his hand and intentionally grabbed her breast for a few seconds.”

On Jan. 7, Billings passed a note to the victim telling her to stay after class, and after class was over, he “made her take his cellphone number” so that he could save her number but she never did, according to investigators.

Dillard High School student Javious Tafari told Local 10 News that he was shocked to hear about the allegations.

“Just shocked, surprised,“ he said. ”Never really thought he (Billings) would be arrested for that or arrested in general.”

While students expressed shock and disgust over the allegations, records indicate Billings has no prior arrests. The school district’s website identifies him as a reading teacher at Dillard High School, where he has worked since 2004.

Billings appeared in court Friday morning where a judge set his bond at $35,000 and ordered that he not have any contact with the victim or any minors and to stay away from all schools.

“Broward County Public Schools takes all matters involving student safety seriously and is deeply disturbed by the allegations involving this individual,” the school district said in a statement to Local 10 News. “On May 1, 2026, Basil Billings was placed on administrative reassignment away from the school and students, due to the ongoing investigation. The District will take all appropriate future actions, up to and including termination, based on the outcome of the case.

“Broward County Public Schools continues to work closely with law enforcement regarding this matter and defers to Fort Lauderdale Police for any additional information.”

Records show that Billings posted a bond of $35,000 on Friday, and he has been ordered to stay away from the victim and any school.

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According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Cessna 172P crashed around 11:30 a.m. after departing from North Perry Airport.

Authorities said the plane, registered as N96100, was carrying two women who were pulled out and then transported to a nearby hospital as trauma alerts.

Sky 10 flew over the scene around 11:45 a.m. and observed the plane overturned on the grounds of the South Florida State Hospital campus near 800 E. Cypress Drive.

Pembroke Pines police said all occupants were conscious and breathing following the crash, and no additional injuries were reported. Authorities said traffic in the area is not expected to be affected.

“It’s a good thing for that because it was headed right for a building where patience receiving mental health and medical care live,” said Pembroke Pines Mayor Angelo Castillo.

Castillo said the small plane experienced engine failure before striking a tree and overturning near an empty retention pond on the hospital campus.

Records show the aircraft is registered to Blue Sky Aviation, a South Florida-based flight training company.

“These kind of occurrences are happening over and over and over and I’ve had it,” Castillo added. ”The residents of the city of Pembroke Pines have had it, and so I’m calling on Broward County to do what they have to do.”

Authorities have not yet released additional details about those on board or what may have caused the plane to go down.

12:30 p.m. report

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11:45 a.m. breaking news report

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Attorney Judd Rosen, who represents Dydzuhn, said she had just walked out of the MarinaBlue, a 60-story skyscraper at 888 Biscayne Boulevard.

Raydean Johnson, a homeless man armed with a shank made out of a tire pressure gauge and a nail, attacked her from behind, according to police.

“I started to see fists flying at me from, you know, my peripheral vision, like hooks,” Dydzuhn, 36, said, adding, “I realized, ‘Oh my God! This is a person attacking me!’”

Johnson, 49, punched her, slammed her head on the ground, and stabbed her, according to police. Rosen said Dydzuhn was “seconds away” from being killed.

“In the moments where I was fighting for my life, it was like that was all I was focused on, was fighting for my life, trying to defend, you know, however I could, to try to block a death blow,” Dydzuhn said.

MarinaBlue security did not stop the attack, Rosen said. Dydzuhn said she was on the ground when she “made peace” with dying.

“That’s one of the worst feelings,” Dydzuhn said.

A good Samaritan intervened, and police officers responded. Dydzuhn said she has been visually impaired after surviving the horrific attack on May 19.

“I had to call my parents, and you know, break the news to them,” Dydzuhn said through tears.

Police officers arrested Johnson after a standoff that shut down Biscayne Boulevard for about two hours. A witness recorded a video showing police officers deploying Tasers and Johnson collapsing.

Dydzuhn had to undergo emergency surgery. On Friday, with bruises on her face and eyes injured, she said she struggles with both pain and terrors.

Miami-Dade corrections held Johnson without bond on Friday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center near Doral.

Johnson faced a new case on charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery with great bodily harm, criminal mischief while armed, resisting arrest with violence, and resisting arrest without violence.

Johnson also had five warrant cases on a probation violation, six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal mischief, and aggravated battery on a police officer.

Los registros carcelarios en línea muestran que Basil Billings, de 63 años, enfrenta cargos por delito contra estudiante por figura de autoridad y tocamiento lascivo de ciertos menores.

Billings figura en el sitio web del Distrito Escolar Público del Condado Broward como maestro de lectura en Dillard High School en Fort Lauderdale.

La policía informó que la víctima es un estudiante de 16 o 17 años.

Local 10 News se comunicó con las Escuelas Públicas del Condado Broward para saber si se ha tomado alguna medida contra Billings.

También hemos solicitado su informe de arresto.

Billings compareció ante la corte la mañana de este viernes, donde un juez fijó su fianza en $35,000 USD y ordenó que no tenga contacto con la víctima ni con ningún menor, además de mantenerse alejado de todas las escuelas.

Vea Local 10 News o actualice esta página para obtener información actualizada.

El abogado Judd Rosen, quien representa a Dydzuhn, dijo que ella acababa de salir del MarinaBlue, un rascacielos de 60 pisos ubicado en el 888 de Biscayne Boulevard.

Raydean Johnson, un hombre sin hogar armado con un arma hechiza hecha con un medidor de presión de neumáticos y un clavo, la atacó por la espalda, según la Policía.

“Empecé a ver puños volando hacia mí desde mi visión periférica, como ganchos”, dijo Dydzuhn, de 36 años, y agregó: “Me di cuenta: ‘¡Dios mío! ¡Esta persona me está atacando!’”

Según la Policía, Johnson, de 49 años, la golpeó, le estrelló la cabeza contra el suelo y la apuñaló. Rosen dijo que Dydzuhn estuvo “a segundos” de ser asesinada.

“En los momentos en que estaba luchando por mi vida, era como si eso fuera lo único en lo que estaba enfocada: luchar por mi vida, tratando de defenderme de cualquier manera posible para intentar bloquear un golpe mortal”, dijo Dydzuhn.

El personal de seguridad de MarinaBlue no intervino. Dydzuhn dijo que estaba en el suelo cuando “aceptó” que su atacante iba a matarla.

“Esa es una de las peores sensaciones”, dijo Dydzuhn.

Un buen samaritano intervino y agentes de Policía respondieron al incidente. Dydzuhn dijo que ha quedado con discapacidad visual tras sobrevivir al horrible ataque del 19 de mayo.

“Tuve que llamar a mis padres y, ya sabes, darles la noticia”, dijo Dydzuhn entre lágrimas.

Los agentes arrestaron a Johnson después de un enfrentamiento que obligó al cierre de Biscayne Boulevard durante unas dos horas. Dydzuhn tuvo que someterse a una cirugía de emergencia.

El viernes, Dydzuhn dijo que lucha tanto con el dolor como con el terror que le dejó el ataque.

El sistema correccional de Miami-Dade mantenía a Johnson sin derecho a fianza el viernes en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Johnson enfrentaba un nuevo caso con cargos de intento de asesinato, agresión agravada con grandes lesiones corporales, daños criminales mientras estaba armado, resistencia al arresto con violencia y resistencia al arresto sin violencia.

Johnson también tenía cinco casos por órdenes de arresto relacionadas con violación de libertad condicional, seis cargos de agresión agravada con arma mortal, daños criminales y agresión agravada contra un agente de Policía.

The climate-disclosure rule has been on hold since last year, after the Republican-led commission said it was pausing its legal defense in the wake of legal challenges by business groups and Republican state attorneys general.

The SEC said in a statement that it is now moving to rescind the disclosure rules “in their entirety because they exceed the scope of the agency’s statutory authority." The rules, finalized in 2024, “impose substantial costs on public companies and their shareholders that are not justified by the informational benefits they may provide to some investors,” the commission said.

Eliminating the rule will “avoid the practical effect of dictating corporate behavior” and ensure that agency rules will "be imposed only when the expected benefits justify the likely costs and burdens,” SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said in a statement.

Environmental groups said the action would leave investors without information they need to accurately assess financial risks and other hazards related to climate change.

“The SEC’s mission is to protect investors and the public by ensuring they have access to material information,” said Kathy Fallon, director of land systems at the nonprofit Clean Air Task Force. “While imperfect, the rule was an important step toward giving investors consistent information about financially material climate risks, including the use of carbon offsets.”

She urged the commission to retain the rule and enforce disclosure requirements "that give both investors and the public the transparency they need.”

Repeal of the climate-disclosure rule is among dozens of environmental rollbacks imposed in President Donald Trump's second term. The Environmental Protection Agency has eliminated major climate change programs, promoted deregulatory efforts that Trump calls the largest such move in American history and canceled billions of dollars in Biden-era environmental justice grants.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has focused on weakening or eliminating regulations perceived as climate-friendly, including revoking a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

Zeldin has said his actions will put a “dagger through the heart of climate change religion.”

The SEC, an independent agency whose members are appointed by the president, approved the climate rule in March 2024 on a party-line vote. Three Democratic commissioners supported it and two Republicans opposed.

The commission currently has three Republican members, including Atkins, and no Democrats.

The 2024 rule was one of the most anticipated in recent years from the nation’s top financial regulator, drawing more than 24,000 comments from companies, auditors, legislators and trade groups over a two-year process. The vote brought the U.S. closer to the European Union and states like California, which have imposed similar corporate disclosure rules.

A public comment period will remain open for 60 days following publication of the proposal in the Federal Register, expected in the next few days.

Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, and it’s long been considered the leading cause of preventable death.

The preliminary findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were based on survey responses from more than 24,200 adults. In the survey, CDC officials defined current cigarette smoking as smoking at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and now smoking every day or some days.

In the mid-1960s, 42% of U.S. adults were smokers. The rate has been gradually dropping for decades, due to cigarette taxes, tobacco product price hikes, smoking bans, public education campaigns and changes in the social acceptability of lighting up in public.

In 2024, the percentage of current adult smokers fell below 10% for the first time. Last year, it was 9%, according to the new survey.

The use of electronic cigarettes has been inching up among adults, but has held about steady in 2025, at about 7%.

“The continued decline in smoking is a monumental public health achievement that has saved millions of lives and billions in healthcare costs,” said Yolonda Richardson, president and chief executive of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and research organization.

Richardson said current smoking-prevention efforts have been set back by cuts President Donald Trump's administration made that eliminated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health and its “Tips from Former Smokers” advertising campaign.

She cited estimates that the “Tips” campaign alone helped more than 1 million Americans quit smoking and saved over $7.3 billion in healthcare costs.

“This critical work must be restored and sustained to continue reducing smoking-related disease, death and healthcare costs nationwide,” Richardson said.

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

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Henry Quintero, 44, entered the plea in court, acknowledging the charge as part of a deal with prosecutors. When asked by the judge if he wished to plead guilty, Quintero responded that it was in his “best interest.”

The crash happened in September around 3:30 p.m. along U.S. 1 and East Palm Drive.

Investigators said officers arrived to find multiple vehicles damaged, including one that had rolled over. Authorities said no serious injuries were reported.

Police said Quintero, then 43, showed signs of impairment at the scene, including slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and the smell of alcohol. He refused field sobriety tests, according to investigators.

His arrest was caught on bodycam video that was released by investigators.

Following Friday’s plea, Mark Lefcourt, Quintero’s attorney, described the incident as an isolated lapse.

“He’s been 20 years as a decorated police officer,” Lefcourt said. “What happened here is one bad day and I’m fortunate to be here with him today and to rectify the felony charge and to otherwise make sure that one bad day does not affect him for the rest of his life.”

As part of the sentence, Quintero will be required to pay $15,000 in restitution and complete 10 hours of community service each month during his probation.

Homestead police previously relieved Quintero of his duties without pay pending the outcome of the case. Officials have not said whether he will be reinstated.

He is scheduled to serve his probation under the terms of the agreement.

Homestead police released a statement to Local 10 News on Friday on the ongoing investigation involving one of their one.

“Once all relevant information has been received and reviewed, the department will make decisions based on the facts, the findings of the investigation, and the standards expected of our personnel,” the statement read in part. “Because this remains an active administrative matter, no further comment will be provided at this time.”

The case was seen as the first major legal test of an election reform that has been pushed nationally by President Donald Trump and has gained favor among many Republicans, though U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliot said she was not deciding whether requiring proof of citizenship itself is constitutional. Her ruling late Thursday night on a narrower question of New Hampshire law was significant, however, because it underscored the potential perils of implementing strict requirements for voters to document their U.S. citizenship so they can cast a ballot.

Elliot found that changes in 2024 to the state voter registration law unconstitutionally removed one method of proof -- namely, a voter’s sworn affidavit attesting to citizenship.

“The evidence shows that this is the only method of proof available to a significant number of New Hampshire voters,” she wrote.

The changes took effect last year, after former Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, signed the bill two years ago. The attorney general’s office said it plans to appeal the judge’s ruling, calling the citizenship requirements a “common-sense approach to voter registration and election administration designed to protect the integrity of our elections.”

The ruling was a win for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and other plaintiffs who argued that the changes that took effect last year were burdensome and unnecessary.

“New Hampshire’s elections have always been safe, secure, and accurate — and this law could have unconstitutionally and needlessly prevented thousands of eligible voters from casting a ballot,” said Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire.

In her ruling, Elliott said eliminating the affidavit option created a significant burden for voters and did little, if anything, to further the state's interests. She noted that an expert on voter fraud found only 47 instances of wrongful voting out of roughly 8.3 million votes between 1998 and 2024. During that time, only eight noncitizens may have cast ballots, she said.

“If wrongful voting is rare in New Hampshire, wrongful voting by noncitizens is essentially non-existent,” she wrote.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Coalition for Open Democracy, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, the Forward Foundation and five voters, called the state’s voter registration law one of the most restrictive in the nation. During town elections last fall, some voters had trouble gathering passports, birth certificates or other proof of citizenship.

New Hampshire is not the only state with a proof-of-citizenship law for voters. Arizona, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming have similar laws already in effect, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Florida passed a law this year requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote, but it won’t take effect until next year.

A similar law in Kansas, which required proof of citizenship for state and federal elections, was found in 2018 to violate both the U.S. Constitution and the National Voter Registration Act after it prevented more than 31,000 citizens from registering to vote.

Arizona established a two-tiered system after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the state could not require citizenship documentation for federal elections. In August 2024, the court allowed some parts of the state’s proof-of-citizenship law to be enforced as the legal fight continued in lower courts.

The ruling comes as Trump is trying to push a proof-of-citizenship bill, the SAVE America Act, through Congress. Voting rights advocates say such a federal requirement could disenfranchise millions of people. A 2025 University of Maryland study estimated that 21.3 million Americans who are eligible to vote do not have or have easy access to documents to prove their citizenship, including nearly 10% of Democrats, 7% of Republicans and 14% of people unaffiliated with either major party.

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan said he will reimplement the use of voter affidavits for registrants to prove citizenship, but noted the ruling doesn't affect other 2024 changes to the law, including a requirement that those registering to vote provide documentary proof of identity, age and address. Voters also will continue to be required to show proof of identity on Election Day.

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Carr Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio.

The U.S. Coast Guard had stopped a 46-foot Seahorse fishing vessel arriving from the Bahamas on Sunday off Government Cut in Miami-Dade County, records show.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration special agents in Miami were investigating the case.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Pedro Llanes, Lazaro Rodriguez, and Antonio Cruz shortly before 9:20 p.m. on Sunday, records show.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate records, Llanes, 61, and Rodriguez, 62, were at FDC Miami on Friday afternoon.

Llanes, Rodriguez, and Cruz, 48, each face a charge of conspiracy to import more than five kilos of cocaine into the United States.

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“Se logró la recuperación y gestión digna de los cuerpos de 48 personas, al parecer combatientes, en el área donde se registraron los enfrentamientos”, indicó la estatal Defensoría en un comunicado.

Los enfrentamientos se registraron el martes en zona rural del departamento del Guaviare entre las facciones al mando de Alexander Díaz Mendoza, alias “Calarcá”, y Néstor Gregorio Vera, alias “Iván Mordisco”, quienes no se acogieron al histórico acuerdo de paz entre el Estado y las FARC firmado hace una década.

Las fuerzas militares coordinaron acciones la víspera para el ingreso de la misión humanitaria en la que también participaron el Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja y las misiones de las Naciones Unidas y la Organización de los Estados Americanos en el país.

El CICR especificó en la red social X que participó en la misión facilitando el diálogo con las distintas partes en conflicto y apoyando la entrega de insumos de bioseguridad para recuperar los cuerpos.

Entre los cuerpos que aún restan por identificar en el instituto forense, habría menores de edad “presuntamente combatientes”, víctimas de reclutamiento forzado, dijo a la prensa la defensora del Pueblo, Iris Marín Ortiz.

Según el ejército, se enfrentaron entre sí por el control de economías ilegales como el narcotráfico y la extorsión en Guaviare, ubicado en la región de la Amazonía colombiana, de difícil acceso por su geografía y seguridad.

Marín explicó que los enfrentamientos se enmarcan en una situación que ha evolucionado de forma violenta desde 2024, cuando se produjo una ruptura al interior de la disidencia Estado Mayor Central, dando como resultado las dos facciones que ahora son enemigas.

Las fuerzas militares reforzaron la seguridad en la zona tras los combates en busca de brindar seguridad para las elecciones presidenciales del domingo, en las que se elegirá a quien sucederá en el poder al presidente Gustavo Petro.

La facción de alias “Iván Mordisco” sostuvo negociaciones de paz con el gobierno de Petro hasta 2024 como parte de su política de “paz total”, sin embargo, se retiraron de la mesa y arreciaron los ataques contra la fuerza pública y la población civil.

Con alias “Calarcá”, Petro dejó en vilo las negociaciones desde abril tras cuestionar su voluntad de paz luego de ataques contra la fuerza pública.

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Investigators identified the suspect as Jean Richard Adoux.

The incident occurred near the 4100 block of West Hillsborough Boulevard, in front of La Brasa Grill, according to an arrest report.

Coconut Creek police said Adoux was acting as a caregiver for the child “with the mother and father’s knowledge” at the time of the incident.

According to police, a witness parked next to a Kia where the girl was sitting alone. Officers said the witness told them that after ordering food and returning about 20 minutes later, she saw the girl crying and banging on the window and immediately called 911.

“The person that was arrested came out. Opened the car door and took the child out. Fire rescue noticed that. Once the child is out fire and rescue leaves but still we have to come in and investigate,“ said Scotty Leamon, spokesman for Coconut Creek police.

Police said officers reviewed surveillance video from inside the restaurant that showed Adoux speaking with the manager for about 15 minutes before sitting at a table with the manager for another 35 minutes.

Investigators said the temperature outside at the time was 85 degrees.

An officer wrote in the report that “the vehicle being off with the windows all rolled up could have resulted in severe injury or death of the child.”

Police said the girl, who is related to the suspect, did not appear to have any obvious injuries at the scene.

According to jail records, Adoux is facing one count each of child neglect without great bodily harm and leaving a child unattended in a vehicle for more than 15 minutes.

As of Thursday evening, he was being held on a $10,000 bond at the Broward Main Jail.

Los investigadores identificaron al sospechoso como Jean Richard Adoux.

El incidente ocurrió cerca de la cuadra 4100 de West Hillsborough Boulevard, frente a La Brasa Grill, según un informe de arresto.

La policía de Coconut Creek dijo que Adoux estaba actuando como cuidador de la menor “con el conocimiento de la madre y el padre” al momento del incidente.

Según la policía, una testigo estacionó su vehículo junto a un Kia donde la niña estaba sentada sola. Los agentes dijeron que la testigo les informó que, después de ordenar comida y regresar unos 20 minutos más tarde, vio a la niña llorando y golpeando la ventana, por lo que llamó de inmediato al 911.

“La persona que fue arrestada salió, abrió la puerta del vehículo y sacó a la niña. Los rescatistas de bomberos notaron eso. Una vez que la menor salió, bomberos y rescate se retiraron, pero nosotros aún teníamos que llegar e investigar”, dijo Scotty Leamon, portavoz de la policía de Coconut Creek.

La policía indicó que los agentes revisaron videos de vigilancia del interior del restaurante, los cuales mostraban a Adoux hablando con el gerente durante unos 15 minutos antes de sentarse con él en una mesa por otros 35 minutos.

Los investigadores dijeron que la temperatura exterior en ese momento era de 85 grados.

Un agente escribió en el informe que “el hecho de que el vehículo estuviera apagado y con todas las ventanas cerradas podría haber provocado lesiones graves o la muerte de la menor”.

La policía dijo que la niña, quien es familiar del sospechoso, no parecía presentar lesiones evidentes en la escena.

Según los registros de la cárcel, Adoux enfrenta un cargo de negligencia infantil sin causar grandes lesiones corporales y otro cargo por dejar a un menor sin supervisión dentro de un vehículo por más de 15 minutos.

Hasta la noche del jueves, permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal de Broward con una fianza de $10,000 USD.

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The purchases at a City Furniture store in Hollywood were delivered to a townhouse at the InTown Apartments in Little Havana, according to deputies.

Ashley Almeida had also used someone else’s identity to lease the townhouse at 1900 SW 8th St., according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputy’s arrest report.

Detectives started investigating fraud in April after Synchrony Bank reported stolen identities were behind several City Furniture credit card accounts.

Kevin Kattoura, a City Furniture employee in Oakland Park, had “submitted” 10 of the applications, and “received commission payments for the fraudulent sales,” a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy wrote, according to an arrest report.

Broward deputies arrested Kattoura, 44, on Tuesday and corrections booked him at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale.

Miami-Dade deputies arrested Almeida, 47, shortly after 6:10 p.m. on Thursday after she arrived at the townhouse with the furniture, according to deputies.

Corrections booked Almeida shortly after 11:05 p.m. on Thursday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. She appeared in bond court on Friday.

Kattoura faced charges of second-degree grand theft, computer crime to defraud, obtain property by fraud, and creating, possessing, or using a fictitious identity. His bond was $20,000.

Broward County Circuit Judge Francis Viamontes was set to preside over Kattoura‘s case.

Almeida faced charges of fraudulent use of identification, third-degree grand theft, and organized fraud. Her bond was $5,001.

Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Cristina Miranda was set to preside over Almeida’s case.

De acuerdo con los agentes, las compras realizadas en una tienda City Furniture en Hollywood fueron entregadas a una casa adosada en los apartamentos InTown Apartments en Little Havana.

Según un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, Ashley Almeida también utilizó la identidad de otra persona para alquilar la vivienda ubicada en 1900 SW 8th St.

Los detectives comenzaron a investigar el fraude en abril después de que Synchrony Bank reportara que identidades robadas habían sido utilizadas para abrir varias cuentas de tarjetas de crédito de City Furniture.

Kevin Kattoura, empleado de City Furniture en Oakland Park, había “presentado” 10 de las solicitudes y “recibido pagos de comisiones por las ventas fraudulentas”, escribió un agente de la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward en un informe de arresto.

Los agentes de Broward arrestaron a Kattoura, de 44 años, el martes y fue ingresado en la cárcel principal del condado Broward en Fort Lauderdale.

Los agentes de Miami-Dade arrestaron a Almeida, de 47 años, poco después de las 6:10 p.m. del jueves, cuando llegó a la vivienda con los muebles, según las autoridades.

Almeida fue ingresada poco después de las 11:05 p.m. del jueves en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Compareció ante el tribunal de fianzas el viernes.

Kattoura enfrenta cargos de hurto mayor en segundo grado, delito informático para defraudar, obtención de bienes mediante fraude y creación, posesión o uso de una identidad ficticia. Su fianza fue fijada en $20,000 USD.

El juez del circuito del condado Broward, Francis Viamontes, tenía previsto presidir el caso de Kattoura.

Almeida enfrenta cargos de uso fraudulento de identificación, hurto mayor en tercer grado y fraude organizado. Su fianza fue fijada en $5,001 USD.

La jueza del circuito del condado Miami-Dade, Cristina Miranda, tenía previsto presidir el caso de Almeida.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Kennedy Center board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations. The administration had announced the work would begin in July and last approximately two years, but Cooper's ruling halts those plans for now.

“The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,” he wrote.

Cooper also concluded that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.

The judge, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, ordered the defendants to remove Trump's name from the institution's façade and any “official materials,” such as digital or physical signs, within two weeks.

"May the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts be renamed absent Congressional authorization? The answer, plain from the face of the statute, is no. Nor can any other individual be memorialized on the front portico of the building," Cooper wrote.

The White House had no immediate comment.

Trump determined to leave his mark on DC

Trump has made it a priority of his second term to leave his personal stamp on some of the most historic spots in Washington. He demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. His name or image have been added to government buildings, including the U.S. Institute of Peace and Justice Department headquarters. He is pushing for a triumphal arch overlooking the Potomac River.

Opponents have challenged other Trump construction projects in court — and won favorable rulings. But the district court judges likely won't have the final say as the administration pursues appeals.

Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said Friday the institution is “confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center.” She said the decision would be reviewed “carefully.”

“Though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi said. “With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”

Cooper held hearings in late April for parallel lawsuits challenging the project. One was filed by a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations. The other was brought Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board. He ruled in favor of Beatty’s request but rejected the other challenge.

Beatty called the decision a win for the Kennedy Center and the performing arts. “Now hopefully people can come back to work, we can continue to be the Kennedy Center that we were intended to be,” she told The Associated Press.

Justice Department attorneys said renovation plans for the building are limited in scope and well within the board’s authority to make without needing outside approvals.

How much of an overhaul is needed?

The plaintiffs worry the president and his board allies will flout preservation rules designed to maintain the building’s historic fabric. In earlier statements in court hearings, attorneys for the Beatty and the preservation groups raised doubts about the limited scope of the project, pointing to Trump’s statements that he would “fully expose” the building’s steel skeleton.

Beatty has said she was “very fearful that we’ll see what happened with the East Wing and what happened with the Rose Garden” if the center is closed and the renovations allowed unsupervised, referring to major changes the president has made at the White House.

Mike Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director and chief operating officer, spent several weeks during the spring walking a bipartisan group of lawmakers and their staffs, along with journalists and Washington city officials, through the expansive building that sprawls across 1.5 million square feet.

The tours were intended to show that the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1965, was in genuine need of an overhaul. The walkthroughs showed severe water damage, apparent in some places through discoloration and pooling. Some pieces of equipment, including several 800-ton chillers that help cool the building, are decades old and in need of replacement.

Floca told reporters in April that he considered doing the repairs individually but insisted it was his recommendation to Trump to close the building and move forward with the renovation all at once.

Trump, a Republican, has taken a keen interest in the Kennedy Center’s operations since he returned to White House last year. He installed a handpicked board that named him chairman. His name was added to the façade of a building that is considered a living monument to Kennedy.

The Kennedy Center has kept up performances ahead of the closure, though at a much slower pace than in previous years. Trump attended the premiere of the musical “Chicago” in March and other shows, including “Moulin Rouge” are slated for June.

Bill Maher, the comedian who has had an up and down relationship with Trump, is expected to be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on June 28, an event that was anticipated to be one of the final big moments at the Kennedy Center before the closure.

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Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer, Collin Binkley and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Angelique Hernandez, de Ocala, reclamó un premio de $1 millón USD del juego raspadito Gold Rush Legacy en la sede de la Lotería de Florida en Tallahassee el 5 de febrero, según informó la Lotería de Florida.

Los funcionarios dijeron que Hernandez eligió recibir sus ganancias en un único pago global de $640,000 USD.

Indicaron que Hernandez convirtió $20 USD en $1 millón USD cuando compró el boleto ganador en un Publix ubicado en 10301 SE U.S. Highway 441, en Belleview.

“El juego raspadito Gold Rush Legacy de $20 USD fue lanzado en abril de 2024 y ofrece cuatro premios mayores de $10 millones USD y 20 premios de $1 millón USD”, indicó la lotería en un comunicado. “Este juego también ofrece más de $894 millones USD en premios en efectivo. Las probabilidades generales de ganar son de una entre 2.97”.

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Angelique Hernandez, of Ocala, claimed a $1 million prize from the Gold Rush Legacy Scratch-Off game at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee on Feb. 5, according to the Florida Lottery.

Officials said Hernandez chose to receive her winnings as a one-time, lump-sum payment of $640,000.00.

They said Hernandez turned $20 into $1 million when she purchased her winning ticket from Publix, located at 10301 SE U.S. Highway 441., in Belleview.

“The $20 Scratch-Off game, Gold Rush Legacy, launched in April 2024 and features four top prizes of $10 million and 20 prizes of $1 million!” the lottery said in a news release. “This game also features more than $894 million in total cash prizes. The game’s overall odds of winning are 1-in-2.97.”

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Patrick Conor Russell, 37, taught at Saint Andrew’s School, a private Episcopal boarding school at 3900 Jog Road in Boca Raton. He has since been fired, school representatives say.

According to court documents, the investigation into Russell began after FBI agents in the Cincinnati area executed a search warrant on another person, identified as “Subject 1,” as part of an investigation into child sexual abuse material.

Agents said as they searched a device belonging to “Subject 1,” they found thousands of files of child sexual abuse material and reviewed chats on messaging app Zangi. They said they identified chats with a user going by the handle of “Jack C,” later revealed to be Russell.

Authorities said the two exchanged links involving “sexually explicit content involving minors” and Russell made remarks expressing an interest in “teen boys and girls.”

According to the complaint, Russell discussed a sexual roleplay scenario in which “Subject 1″ was “a student in my high school English class” and expressed sexual desires for his students.

Authorities said Russell further “discussed being a teacher and a coach” and sent “Subject 1″ apparent photos of boys who attended his school and “made sexually explicit comments about these apparent students,” whom they said he described as “two cuties I know.”

Russell, agents said, “also discussed wanting to find someone who can ‘bait’ the students at his school into sending nude pictures” and described seeing his students naked in locker rooms as a coach.

“Haha it’s both the best and the worst,” agents said Russell told the other person. “Get to see them so much. But too risky to try much more. Which is why I’m always in search of someone who can bait to try and get nudes of them!! Lol.”

Agents said he added, “Although….when I’m helping them stretch I get to touch them. Thighs. Waist. Arms. Chest. Even touched some bulges before. Hehe.”

Authorities said the two were also in a group chat dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse content.

According to the complaint, agents took Russell into custody as he left his Deerfield Beach home and searched his home and devices. The complaint states that he told agents “he has been ‘battling’ this for a while.”

“While (Russell) says he has never touched a minor inappropriately, he admitted to engaging in inappropriate conversations about minors, some of which were sexual in nature,” FBI Special Agent Kristin Chandler wrote in the complaint.

Authorities said a search of Russell’s phone indicated he remained in and interacted with group chats dedicated to sharing child sexual abuse videos.

Records show Russell had been scheduled to appear in Fort Lauderdale federal court on Friday morning on two federal charges related to the possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material. As of Friday afternoon, he was being held in the Broward Sheriff’s Office Main Jail facility on behalf of the U.S. Marshals Service.

A representative from St. Andrew’s School shared a message that Head of School Ethan Shapiro sent to parents following Russell’s arrest, reading, in part:

“We have terminated Mr. Russell’s employment, and he is not permitted to return to campus, access any school equipment or property, attend any school events, or interact with any students or employees.

“We will, of course, continue to cooperate with law enforcement throughout their investigation. As of right now, we are sharing with you what we know. If and when we receive additional information that we are able to share with the community, we will certainly do so.

“Meanwhile, if you have any questions or concerns, please be in touch with Saint Andrew’s School Chief Safety Officer Rob Adams or me.

“Our greatest responsibility is and always will be the safety, security, and well-being of all of our students, particularly those who rely on us to teach, nurture, and inspire their educational pursuits. Anything that compromises our ability to deliver on these aims will not be tolerated, and we will always act quickly and in the best interests of our community.”

Ethan Shapiro, Head of School

Patrick Conor Russell, de 37 años, impartía clases en la Escuela Saint Andrew’s, un internado episcopal privado ubicado en 3900 Jog Road, Boca Raton. Desde entonces, ha sido despedido, según informaron representantes de la escuela.

De acuerdo con documentos judiciales, la investigación contra Russell comenzó después de que agentes del FBI en el área de Cincinnati ejecutaran una orden de registro en la vivienda de otra persona, identificada como “Sujeto 1”, como parte de una investigación sobre material de abuso sexual infantil.

Los agentes declararon que, al registrar un dispositivo perteneciente al “Sujeto 1”, encontraron miles de archivos de material de abuso sexual infantil y revisaron conversaciones en la aplicación de mensajería Zangi. Identificaron conversaciones con un usuario conocido como “Jack C”, quien posteriormente se reveló que era Russell.

Las autoridades indicaron que ambos intercambiaron enlaces con contenido sexualmente explícito que involucraba a menores, y que Russell hizo comentarios expresando interés en adolescentes.

Según la denuncia, Russell describió un escenario de juego de rol sexual en el que la “Persona 1” era un estudiante de su clase de inglés de la escuela secundaria, y expresó deseos sexuales hacia sus alumnos.

Las autoridades añadieron que Russell también habló de ser profesor y entrenador, y envió a la “Persona 1” fotos de supuestos chicos que asistían a su escuela, haciendo comentarios sexualmente explícitos sobre estos supuestos estudiantes, a quienes describió como “dos chicos guapos que conozco”.

Los agentes afirmaron que Russell también habló de buscar a alguien que pudiera “provocar” a los estudiantes de su escuela para que le enviaran fotos desnudos, y describió haber visto a sus alumnos desnudos en los vestuarios como entrenador.

“Jaja, es lo mejor y lo peor a la vez”, le dijo Russell a la otra persona, según los agentes. “Las veo mucho. Pero es demasiado arriesgado intentar algo más. Por eso siempre ando buscando a alguien que pueda provocarme para intentar sacarles fotos desnuda. ¡Jajaja!”

Los agentes dijeron que añadió: “Aunque… cuando las ayudo a estirar, puedo tocarlas. Muslos. Cintura. Brazos. Pecho. Incluso he tocado algunos bultos. Jeje.”

Las autoridades dijeron que ambos también estaban en un chat grupal dedicado a compartir contenido de abuso sexual infantil.

Según la denuncia, los agentes detuvieron a Russell cuando salía de su casa en Deerfield Beach y registraron su domicilio y sus dispositivos. La denuncia afirma que les dijo a los agentes que “llevaba tiempo luchando contra esto”.

“Si bien (Russell) dice que nunca ha tocado a un menor de forma inapropiada, admitió haber participado en conversaciones inapropiadas sobre menores, algunas de las cuales eran de naturaleza sexual”, escribió la agente especial del FBI Kristin Chandler en la denuncia.

Las autoridades indicaron que una revisión del teléfono de Russell reveló que permanecía en chats grupales dedicados a compartir videos de abuso sexual infantil e interactuaba con ellos.

Los registros muestran que Russell tenía programada una comparecencia ante el tribunal federal de Fort Lauderdale el viernes por la mañana por dos cargos federales relacionados con la posesión y recepción de material de abuso sexual infantil. Hasta el viernes por la tarde, permanecía detenido en la cárcel principal de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Broward, bajo custodia del Servicio de Alguaciles de Estados Unidos.

Un representante de la Escuela St. Andrew’s compartió un mensaje que el director, Ethan Shapiro, envió a los padres tras el arresto de Russell, que decía, en parte:

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Hammer traveled to an apartment in San Antonio de los Baños to meet with the mother of a political prisoner and political dissidents.

“President Trump and Secretary Rubio are insisting that all of the political prisoners be free,” Hammer said during the recorded meeting, according to the video.

The meeting included Carlos Manuel Pupo Rodríguez, a leader of the Partido Unión por Cuba Libre, or PUNCLI, an opposition party.

The meeting also included María Angélica Ramírez, the mother of Denis Hernández Ramírez, who remained behind bars in Artemisa.

“He is fine, health-wise; he is just very tense,” Ramírez told Hammer about her 33-year-old son, according to the video.

Both Pupo Rodríguez and Hernández Ramírez were arrested in 2021 over protests during a shortage of food and medicine. Their charges were contempt and public disorder.

Catholic church leaders intervened, and although both were released last year, Hernández Ramírez was rearrested in March.

Hammer, who grew up in Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, served as the U.S. ambassador to Chile from 2014 to 2016.

The U.S. State Department’s video

Related stories

• Cuban government publishes 2,010 names of prisoners pardoned in April
• Water shortages worsen across Cuba as oil supplies dwindle
• Analysis: As war with Iran possibly nears end, is Cuba next?

Hammer viajó a un apartamento en San Antonio de los Baños para reunirse con la madre de un preso político y con disidentes políticos.

“El presidente Trump y el secretario Rubio están insistiendo en que todos los presos políticos sean liberados”, dijo Hammer durante la reunión grabada, según el video.

En la reunión participó Carlos Manuel Pupo Rodríguez, líder del Partido Unión por Cuba Libre (PUNCLI), una organización opositora.

También participó María Angélica Ramírez, madre de Denis Hernández Ramírez, quien permanecía encarcelado en Artemisa.

“Está bien de salud; simplemente está muy tenso”, le dijo Ramírez a Hammer sobre su hijo de 33 años, según el video.

Tanto Pupo Rodríguez como Hernández Ramírez fueron arrestados en 2021 por las protestas ocurridas durante una escasez de alimentos y medicamentos. Los cargos en su contra fueron desacato y alteración del orden público.

Líderes de la Iglesia católica intervinieron y, aunque ambos fueron liberados el año pasado, Hernández Ramírez fue arrestado nuevamente en marzo.

Hammer, quien creció en Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela y Brasil, se desempeñó como embajador de Estados Unidos en Chile entre 2014 y 2016.

El video del Departamento de Estado de Estados Unidos.

Historias relacionadas

• El gobierno cubano publica 2.010 nombres de presos indultados en abril.
• La escasez de agua se agrava en toda Cuba a medida que disminuyen las reservas de petróleo.
• Análisis: A medida que la guerra con Irán posiblemente se acerca a su fin, ¿será Cuba la siguiente?

Sky 10 sobrevoló la escena alrededor de las 11:45 a.m. y observó la aeronave volcada en el campus del South Florida State Hospital, ubicado en 800 E. Cypress Drive.

La policía de Pembroke Pines informó que todos los ocupantes de la avioneta están conscientes y respirando, y que no se han reportado lesiones adicionales. No se espera que el tráfico se vea afectado en el área.

Las autoridades aún no han divulgado detalles adicionales sobre la aeronave ni sobre las circunstancias que rodearon el accidente.

The decision, announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, marked a rare reprieve for people protected by temporary measures which have been harshly criticized by Republicans. The extension comes amid ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.

The decision was automatic, meaning that the administration missed the deadline by which they were supposed to decide on whether to extend the measure called Temporary Protected Status for Lebanese people living in the U.S. who are covered by the program. By statute, the status automatically extends for six months if the department misses the deadline.

It was an unusual outcome for an administration that has cancelled the protections that had covered people from 13 countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Syria from deportation.

TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife, giving people authorization to work in increments of up to 18 months. More than 1 million immigrants from 17 countries were protected by TPS at the beginning of the Trump administration, after the Biden administration greatly expanded its use.

The program has been at the center of a controversy.

Republicans and critics of TPS argue that the program and its protections deviate from their original temporary intent, taking on a quasi-permanent character when extended. Its defenders assert that it is a fundamental humanitarian program that prevents vulnerable individuals from being forced to return to dangerous conditions.

The DHS notice said that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and current Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who has led the department for the past two months, “were unable to make an informed determination on Lebanon’s TPS designation.”

The extension allows existing beneficiaries to keep their protections through Nov. 27, 2026, “if they still meet the eligibility requirements for TPS,” according to the notice. The work permits that were already issued for Lebanese TPS holders will be valid until the same day.

This is the second time the Trump administration has automatically extended a TPS designation. The first happened nearly a year ago with South Sudan, but the protections were terminated in November 2025, after the six-month extension period.

There are dozens of lawsuits challenging the termination of TPS at federal courts in different states. The Supreme Court is set to make a decision on TPS that protected Haitians and Syrians during the summer, and the result is expected to have an impact on all the other cases.

Advocates welcomed the extension.

“Extending Temporary Protected Status means Lebanese nationals in the United States will not be forced back into dangerous conditions but allowed to stay and continue supporting their families and contributing to their local communities,” said Kelly Razzouk, vice president of policy and advocacy at the International Rescue Committee.

José Palma, national coordinator of the National TPS Alliance—an advocacy group that has fought in federal courts against the cancellation of TPS for several countries—welcomed the extension of protections for the Lebanese.

“But we need to find a permanent solution for all TPS beneficiaries,” he warned.

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Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.

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The Democratic congresswoman, who represents Florida’s 24th Congressional District, made the announcement Friday morning during the ceremonial naming of a Miami Gardens street in recognition of her decades of service to South Florida, particularly her advocacy for education and youth development.

After much prayer and reflection, I have decided not to seek reelection at the conclusion of my current term in Congress.

Serving this community has been the honor of a lifetime. Together, we have fought for working families, protected opportunities for future generations, and… pic.twitter.com/jRievOf8es

— Rep. Frederica Wilson (@RepWilson) May 29, 2026

The ceremony officially designated Northwest 206th Terrace between 45th Avenue and 47th Avenue as Frederica S. Wilson Boulevard. The roadway is adjacent to Dr. Frederica S. Wilson/Skyway Elementary School, a campus that already bears the Democratic congresswoman’s name.

Wilson attended the event alongside local elected officials, educators, students, and community members.

City leaders say the street naming recognizes Wilson’s longstanding commitment to public service, education, and empowering young people throughout South Florida.

Wilson has built a reputation as a champion for education throughout her career, serving as an educator, school principal, state legislator, and member of Congress. Her advocacy has focused on expanding educational opportunities and supporting children and families across Miami-Dade County.

Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones (SD-34) and State Rep. Ashley Gantt (D-District 109) both released statements after Wilson’s announcement, with Gantt confirming that she would seek Jones’ seat in the Florida Senate as he seeks the seat vacated by Wilson.

“Before she was my Congresswoman, she was my principal.

”Like so many people across South Florida, I have known Congresswoman Frederica Wilson not only as an elected official, but as a mentor, an advocate, and a relentless champion for young people. I was proud to be part of the inaugural 500 Role Models program, which has since grown into the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, impacting the lives of thousands of young Black boys across our community.

“Whether in the classroom, the community, or the halls of Congress, she dedicated her life to helping young people see possibilities for themselves that they may not have otherwise imagined.

“From the School Board, to the Florida Senate, to the United States Congress, she has spent decades opening doors, creating opportunities, and fighting for the people she serves. She has worn many hats throughout her remarkable career, literally and figuratively, but the hat she wore best was that of a public servant.

“As she begins this next chapter, we thank her for a lifetime of service, leadership, and love for the community she has faithfully served. Her impact will be felt for generations to come.

“She will forever be our principal, our Congresswoman, and one of South Florida’s greatest public servants.”

Florida Sen. Shevrin Jones

“Today, I want to first take a moment to honor a true South Florida icon whose supreme service and selfless service is an example to us all. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson has spent her life fighting for our community, as a teacher, a state legislator, and for 16 years as a fearless voice for us in Congress. Her signature hats are as legendary as her heart. We owe her a debt that cannot be repaid, and I am grateful for every door she opened and every barrier she broke.

“As Congresswoman Wilson passes the torch and Senator Shevrin Jones announces his campaign for Congressional District 24, this moment also creates an opening, and I believe I am ready to fill it. I am announcing today that I am running for Florida Senate District 34.

“Our community deserves a bold, pragmatic voice in the Florida Senate — someone who will continue to stand up against attacks on our rights, our schools, and our democracy without flinching. That is the standard Congresswoman Wilson set. That is the standard I intend to meet and follow.

“Four years ago, our community entrusted me with the greatest honor; to be their voice in Tallahassee and fight for stronger neighborhoods, better schools and a brighter future. I am ready to do it as their state senator.”

State Rep. Ashley Gantt

In what would be the most sweeping change to the federal grantmaking process in years, the proposed regulations would require senior appointees to review funding to see if it complies with the law and the president's priorities.

The rules would also give administration officials more freedom to terminate grants that have already been awarded, a process that could jeopardize millions of dollars in ongoing research.

The Office of Management and Budget, which issued the more than 400-page proposal, said President Joe Biden's administration allowed a lack of transparency, accountability and oversight in the federal grant process that led to “woke” programs receiving federal funding.

“Collectively, these policies wasted a great amount of taxpayer resources and caused great harm to public trust in government,” the document reads. “The proposed reforms are necessary to ensure greater accountability for use of public funds.”

After a public comment period, OMB and federal agencies will decide whether to revise the proposal before finalizing it as soon as this summer.

Scientists have said the move will cripple the scientific engine that has made America the world's leader in research and development by giving control over federal research funds to people who are influenced by politics. They've raised concerns the changes will delay grant review and approval, slowing scientific progress and medical breakthroughs.

Friday’s proposal fulfills an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last summer. Throughout the president's second term, his administration has been terminating research grants on topics that the president deems inappropriate for study, including transgender health and diversity, equity and inclusion.

The LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign slammed the Trump administration’s draft regulations, saying they would strip money from any program that acknowledges diversity, abortion or the existence of transgender and nonbinary people.

“Withholding public grants from programs that depend on them because you refuse to acknowledge the humanity of certain communities is not good government - it’s fascism,” said spokesperson Laurel Powell. “We will fight back.”

Debido al recrudecimiento de la crisis económica, el cuidado personal se ha convertido en un problema para muchos, sobre todo entre los sectores más vulnerables. Pero estos barberos encontraron una manera de prestar un servicio mientras ofrecen capacitación para jóvenes que quieren adquirir experiencia en el oficio.

“Lo principal es el impacto humanitario”, dijo el jueves a The Associated Press Andrés Talavera Calvo, de 41 años y quien enseña a unos siete jóvenes aprendices los secretos de cortes, afeitadas y otros arreglos.

El grupo se instala todos los jueves en la Plaza San Juan de Dios y los martes en La Maestranza para prestar servicios de belleza a quienes se acerquen.

La mayoría de los usuarios son personas mayores, sobre todo hombres que además de cortarse el pelo reciben una afeitada o un arreglo de cejas. Pero si alguna mujer desea un corte sencillo nadie se lo niega.

“En muchas barberías el servicio se ha vuelto inaccesible”, comentó Talavera mientras corregía un tijeretazo o un movimiento de cuchilla de un aprendiz a la sombra de los aireados árboles del parque.

Este grupo de acción comunitaria depende del proyecto Arte Corte —un salón de belleza de larga data en la isla y asociado a un proyecto vecinal en La Habana Vieja desde finales de los años 90— y atiende no menos de 30 personas por jornada.

A comienzos de la década, cuando se desató la crisis en la isla, un corte sencillo para varón podía costar unos 200 pesos cubanos, lo que equivale ahora a poco menos de 0,50 centavos de dólar. Con la inflación, un estilista cobra actualmente entre 1.000 y 3.000 pesos cubanos, lo que supone entre dos y cinco dólares.

El problema es que los salarios y las pensiones se quedaron atrás y un jubilado recibe por mes unos 2.000 pesos.

La crisis de un lustro se agravó dramáticamente desde enero pasado con un cerco petrolero impuesto por Estados Unidos y que tiene a Cuba semiparalizada.

En un contexto de migración y dificultades, algunos jóvenes apuestan por aprender un oficio.

“Estamos buscando poder ayudar a la comunidad y hacemos estos cortes que nos preparan (también) para lo que nosotros queremos, que es ser artistas dentro del gremio”, comentó Miguel Alexis Pedroso, de 28 años, y uno de los aprendices del proyecto.

———-

La corresponsal Andrea Rodríguez contribuyó con este reporte

So where's the reality?

The graphic shared by President Donald Trump may be correct about the specific items he listed. It's hard to know because he used data that isn't publicly available and he didn't specify what time frame he used.

But specific grocery items go up and down all the time, and his post ignores the broader reality consumers are facing at the supermarket: Overall, food prices have risen since his inauguration, and at a faster pace than they typically did before the pandemic. Most economists expect them to continue to do so in the coming months as a spike in diesel fuel prices lifts the cost of shipping groceries to stores around the country.

The April gain in grocery prices was the largest in 2 1/2 years. The 2.9% increase is only modestly above the 20-year average of 2.6%, though in the decade before the pandemic, grocery prices rose an average of just 1.1% a year.

And the increase comes after much larger, painful spikes that took place in 2021-22 under former President Joe Biden. Grocery costs soared nearly 28% from just before the pandemic in February 2020 until Trump took office in January 2025.

In his social media post, Trump focused on nine specific items without looking at overall grocery costs. He said that avocado prices have fallen 19%, cheese has dropped 5.6%, fresh berries and butter have dropped 13%, olive oil prices are down 16%, while chicken breasts are down 2.4% and eggs 90%.

Trump's post cited data from Circana, a private company, as published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Neither Circana nor USDA responded by press time to requests from The Associated Press. The White House also did not respond to an email seeking comment on the post.

Still, many of Trump's figures are in the ballpark of those in the government's consumer price index, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest-profile gauge of inflation. That data shows cheese prices falling 3.1% in April compared with a year ago. Egg prices have dropped 39% from a year earlier and 60% from the peak in March 2025, short of Trump's 90% claim.

Many of the items Trump cited have gotten cheaper for reasons that have little to do with broader economic trends. Egg prices have fallen because chicken flocks have recovered after being devastated by the avian flu, and in part because the Trump administration allowed nearly 1 billion eggs to be imported last year.

The price of olive oil has declined recently because its production has recovered after a two-year drought.

Chicken breasts, according to the consumer price index, averaged $4.17 a pound in April, up from $3.97 when Trump was inaugurated. Still, chicken breast prices are down 0.3% from a year earlier. Butter has fallen 5.8% in price in the past year, according to the BLS.

Yet the president left out all the items that have jumped in price and kept grocery costs elevated. Many factors are pushing up food costs, including Trump's own policies: His tariffs have made many imported items more expensive, while droughts are also pushing up prices. A jump in oil prices from the Iran war has made fertilizer more expensive, but the impact of that will take months to show up on grocery store shelves. Pricier diesel fuel is pushing up shipping costs, which effects nearly everything on store shelves.

Consumers paid 6.5% more for fresh fruit and vegetables last month than they did in April 2025, and 8.8% more for meat, according to the Labor Department.

Tomato prices have shot up 40% in the past year after the Trump administration imposed a 17% duty on fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico in July 2025.

And dry weather in the Western U.S. has pushed up beef prices, which in April were 15% higher year-over-year. Coffee prices were up 18.5%, partly due to drought and other weather conditions that have hurt global coffee production.

In consumer confidence surveys, Americans still cite high prices as a top concern. Those surveys have found that consumers generally have a dim outlook on the economy, even as the unemployment rate stays low and the economy continues to grow at a modest pace.

Polls also find that most Americans have soured on Trump's economic policies, and Democrats have benefited in recent elections by raising “affordability” concerns, an issue that is also likely to play a role in this year's midterm elections.

Henry Quintero, de 44 años, presentó la declaración de culpabilidad ante el tribunal, reconociendo el cargo como parte de un acuerdo con los fiscales. Cuando el juez le preguntó si deseaba declararse culpable, Quintero respondió que era lo que más le convenía.

El accidente ocurrió en septiembre alrededor de las 3:30 p.m. en U.S. 1 y East Palm Drive.

Los investigadores dijeron que los agentes llegaron al lugar y encontraron varios vehículos dañados, incluido uno que había volcado. Las autoridades indicaron que no se reportaron lesiones graves.

La policía dijo que Quintero, que entonces tenía 43 años, mostraba señales de estar bajo los efectos del alcohol en la escena, incluyendo dificultad para hablar, ojos enrojecidos y olor a alcohol. Según los investigadores, se negó a realizar pruebas de sobriedad en el lugar.

Su arresto fue captado por una cámara corporal cuyas imágenes fueron divulgadas por los investigadores.

Tras la declaración de culpabilidad del viernes, Mark Lefcourt, abogado de Quintero, describió el incidente como un error aislado.

“Ha sido un agente de policía condecorado durante 20 años”, dijo Lefcourt. “Lo que ocurrió aquí fue un mal día y me siento afortunado de estar aquí con él hoy para resolver el cargo grave y asegurar que ese mal día no lo afecte por el resto de su vida”.

Como parte de la sentencia, Quintero deberá pagar $15,000 USD en restitución y completar 10 horas de servicio comunitario cada mes durante su período de libertad condicional.

Anteriormente, el Departamento de Policía de Homestead relevó a Quintero de sus funciones sin salario mientras se resolvía el caso. Las autoridades no han informado si será reincorporado.

Está programado para cumplir su libertad condicional bajo los términos del acuerdo.

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Referring to it as the Everglades Detention Center, DeSantis said he has no plans for the state to close the migrant detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

He did say, however, that the idea is not for it to be open forever, but to temporarily handle issues he blames on the Biden administration’s immigration policies.

He pushed his “Save Our Homes” property tax plan ahead of a special session.

“We have the property tax in front of the Florida Legislature. We’ve had a lot of legislators who have been really productive on this,” DeSantis said. “I know they’ve been talking to their constituents for many, many weeks and months. We’ve been talking about this for pretty much after the last legislative session in 2025. We were looking forward to this November election to have something on the ballot.”

Lawmakers are expected to gavel in starting Monday.

Al referirse al lugar como el Centro de Detención Everglades, DeSantis dijo que no tiene planes de que el estado cierre el centro de detención de migrantes conocido como “Alligator Alcatraz”.

Sin embargo, afirmó que la idea no es que permanezca abierto para siempre, sino que funcione de manera temporal para atender problemas que atribuye a las políticas migratorias de la administración Biden.

También promovió su plan de impuestos a la propiedad “Save Our Homes” antes de una sesión especial.

“Tenemos el tema de los impuestos a la propiedad ante la Legislatura de Florida. Hemos tenido muchos legisladores que han sido realmente productivos en esto”, dijo DeSantis. “Sé que han estado hablando con sus constituyentes durante muchas, muchas semanas y meses. Hemos estado hablando de esto prácticamente desde después de la última sesión legislativa de 2025. Esperamos que en las elecciones de noviembre haya algo en la boleta”.

Se espera que los legisladores inicien la sesión a partir del lunes.

“Lo despreciaba. Ahora nos gusta el arroz con huevo, me está salvando, lo mezclo con salchicha", dijo el viernes a The Associated Press Adela Gutiérrez, una ama de casa de clase media y madre de una niña.

Gutiérrez explicó que su familia consumía un pollo a la semana pero ahora come medio. Para sacarle más provecho, desmenuza la carne y la mezcla por ejemplo con arroz.

La jubilada María Helena Rodríguez dijo por su lado que desde hace una semana se alimenta día por medio de arroz con huevo ya que “el poco pollo que llega” debe racionarlo. "Tengo cinco perros y ellos también están a dieta”.

Apenas seis meses después de asumir el mando, el presidente de signo conservador enfrenta una escalada de protestas sindicales que se ha extendido a todo el país para pedir su renuncia ante la falta de respuestas a la peor crisis económica en 40 años.

Siguen los bloqueos; los precios se disparan

La carne aviar es la más consumida en Bolivia por su precio accesible, pero su costo se ha duplicado a causa de los bloqueos que cercan La Paz. También los huevos se venden al doble de precio, y la carne de vacuno, frutas y verduras están por las nubes.

Los usuarios de las redes sociales comparten recetas de carne de soya, seitán — un alimento de origen vegetal hecho a base de gluten de trigo— y apanados de lentejas.

El epicentro de las protestas es La Paz, una ciudad entre montañas andinas con cuatro rutas que la conectan con el resto del país y los puertos en el Pacífico. Sólo una está abierta parcialmente, las otras tres están tomadas por manifestantes.

El Ejecutivo ha tenido que organizar puentes aéreos con ayuda internacional para llevar productos básicos a la ciudad que es la sede gubernamental.

Dos “corredores humanitarios” en carreteras que las autoridades intentaron implementar con apoyo de policías y soldados para permitir el paso de suministros básicos a La Paz no han prosperado. Los bloqueadores han vuelto a cerrar las rutas.

La víspera se frustró el diálogo entre el Ejecutivo y la Central Obrera Boliviana — el mayor sindicato campesino y principal líder de las protestas. La COB no acudió a una instancia de negociación porque exige que la justicia derogue las órdenes de detención en contra de sus dirigentes por las violentas protestas en La Paz.

En Santa Cruz, el motor agroindustrial en el oriente, el pollo se remata a mitad del precio porque no puede llegar los mercados. En Cochabamba, centro del país, el avicultor Wilson Mazala ha denunciado en medios de prensa la muerte de más de 100.000 pollos en granjas por falta de alimento. “La escasez se sentirá los siguientes meses porque no hay repoblamiento”, dijo.

La escasez de combustible ha causado además que los hospitales racionen el oxígeno y la alimentación de los pacientes. Más de 500 cisternas están varadas en las rutas con combustible, según las autoridades.

Comedores populares sienten el efecto

Ancianos en situación de extrema pobreza ahora solo almuerzan un solo plato. La sopa y la fruta fueron sacados del menú del comedor popular San Calixto, donde el almuerzo es gratuito.

“Así podemos estirar un poquito”, dijo María Condori, la encargada.

El plato del viernes es un guiso de trigo, con arroz, que los abuelos deboraron y se marcharon.

“Debo caminar horas por mi plato de comida”, dijo Juan Espriella, de 83 años, que debe pasar los bloqueos de la vecina ciudad de El Alto para recibir su almuerzo.

En tanto, en el comedor popular del mercado Yungas tuvieron que incrementar el precio del almuerzo un 5%. Muchas familias con mayores ingresos acudieron.

“Primera vez que vengo. No estamos cocinando porque no podemos conseguir y gracias a Dios podemos pagar”, contó Roger Tapia, de 48 años.

Malestar de empresarios

Empresarios y organizaciones civiles de Santa Cruz presionan para que el gobierno declare el estado de excepción.

El mandatario dice que recibió un país quebrado tras dos décadas de gobiernos socialistas y pide tiempo.

Paz ha denunciado una conspiración, pero afirmó que atenderá las demandas reivindicativas.“Todo lo que sea de utilidad para el pueblo tiene que generar a través del diálogo y eso estamos haciendo. Los bloqueos solo castigan a las familias”, dijo hace dos días.

Su gobierno ha rechazado el uso de las fuerzas del orden para despejar las rutas ante el temor de posibles bajas que agraven el conflicto.

Blue Origin said its New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine-firing test being conducted ahead of a satellite launch planned for next week. No one was hurt, according to officials at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

“It’s too early to know the root cause but we’re already working to find it,” Bezos said via X. ”Very rough day, but we’ll rebuild whatever needs rebuilding and get back to flying. It’s worth it.”

The massive New Glenn was grounded in April after it left a satellite in the wrong orbit because of engine failure. It was only the third flight of the rocket that Blue Origin intends to use to launch landers to the moon for NASA, including the landers that will take astronauts to the lunar surface.

The company had been on track to launch a prototype lunar lander to the moon on a flight test this fall. Earlier this week, the space agency awarded Blue Origin a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to launch a pair of moon buggies in the next few years as part of the Artemis program.

“Spaceflight is unforgiving, and developing new heavy-lift launch capability is extraordinarily difficult,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said via X. He promised to provide information on any impacts to the Artemis program, including the moon base that he recently outlined.

Homes shook in nearby Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach around 9 p.m., with residents turning to social media to wonder what happened. Launch Complex 36 is visible from the beach, and the internet quickly filled with photos of an orange fireball.

The rocket was supposed to blast off next week with internet satellites that are part of the Amazon Leo constellation in orbit.

Emergency crews remained more than an hour after the explosion. Officials stressed there was no threat due to fumes or other potential hazards.

Space Force officials said the explosion would not affect upcoming launches by other companies from other pads. United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is due to blast off Friday night with a batch of Amazon Leo satellites, the same kind that this rocket was supposed to take up.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk, who’s had his own share of rocket explosions, offered his condolences. “Sorry to see this, I hope you recover quickly,” he told Blue Origin via X.

Towering at 321 feet (98 meters), New Glenn made its debut in 2025. It is named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, and is much bigger and more powerful than the New Shepard rockets that have carried tourists to the fringes of space from Texas.

___

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

La ceremonia designará oficialmente la Northwest 206th Terrace, entre la 45th Avenue y la 47th Avenue, como Frederica S. Wilson Boulevard. La vía se encuentra junto a la escuela primaria Dr. Frederica S. Wilson/Skyway Elementary School, un campus que ya lleva el nombre de la congresista demócrata.

Se espera que Wilson, quien representa al Distrito Congresional 24 de Florida, asista al evento junto al concejal de Miami Gardens Reggie Leon, funcionarios electos locales, educadores, estudiantes y miembros de la comunidad.

Los líderes de la ciudad afirman que el nombramiento de la calle reconoce el compromiso de larga trayectoria de Wilson con el servicio público, la educación y el empoderamiento de los jóvenes en todo el sur de Florida.

El programa incluirá comentarios de funcionarios electos y líderes comunitarios, seguidos por la develación ceremonial del nuevo letrero de la calle.

Estudiantes y educadores de la escuela Dr. Frederica S. Wilson/Skyway Elementary School también participarán en oportunidades fotográficas conmemorativas para celebrar la ocasión.

Wilson ha construido una reputación como defensora de la educación a lo largo de su carrera, desempeñándose como educadora, directora escolar, legisladora estatal y miembro del Congreso. Su labor se ha enfocado en ampliar las oportunidades educativas y apoyar a los niños y familias en todo el condado Miami-Dade.

El evento está programado para comenzar a las 10 a.m. del viernes.

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What began as a simple act of compassion in response to a heartbreaking tragedy has grown into Firewall Centers, a nonprofit organization serving thousands of Broward County students every day through free after-school education, mentoring and life-changing support.

For Andy Fernandez, the journey started in 2001 after watching a news report about 13-year-old Sherry Maresco, a South Florida girl who died from a drug overdose while left unsupervised. The story deeply affected him.

“All of a sudden, that happened on the news and he said, ‘Janeth, we should go to that trailer park and see if there are other kids that we can talk to,’” Janeth, who is a former educator, said.

The couple followed through on that impulse. Alongside another couple from their church, they began hosting weekly gatherings for children at the Davie mobile home park where Sherry had lived.

At first, the focus was on building relationships, character and faith. But it quickly became clear that the children needed more than encouragement.

“It’s great to build their character, to talk about faith,” Andy said. “But it’s also necessary to provide them an education.”

The realization led to a life-changing decision.

In 2003, Andy and Janeth, who owned a successful manufacturing business, decided to devote themselves fully to serving underserved youth. A year later, Andy sold his warehouse and equipment to pursue the mission full-time.

“The next year in 2004, that’s when I sold off my little warehouse, my equipment and said this is what we are going to do for a while and see where it goes,” he said.

That leap of faith became Firewall Centers.

The nonprofit provides free, high-quality after-school programming designed to help students succeed academically and personally. The organization’s name comes from the biblical passage Zechariah 2:5, reflecting its goal of creating protective barriers around young people and helping them navigate life’s challenges.

“For us, we’re setting up firewalls in the lives of students,” Andy explained.

The organization’s mission is rooted in what the founders describe as the greatest commandment: to love others.

“Everything revolves around living love every day,” Andy said.

For many students, that love has translated into opportunity.

Abner Molina was one of them.

As a young boy, he first visited Firewall Centers for a simple reason.

“They invited me in for a sandwich and I was like, ‘Oh, free food,’” Molina recalled.

What he found was much more than a meal. Through the mentorship of Andy Fernandez and the support of the organization, Molina developed skills, confidence and ambition.

“And that’s how I met Pastor Andy, and he’s been a solid rock for me in terms of mentorship,” he said.

Today, Molina, 31, is the CEO of his own technology company.

“It took me 10 to 12 years to get to the position that I am right now, and it’s just the start to everything I’ve dreamed of,” he said.

His story is one of many success stories that have emerged from Firewall Centers over the past two decades.

What started in a modest modular unit inside a mobile home park has expanded into an organization operating at 14 Broward County schools. The nonprofit now serves approximately 2,000 students each day, providing educational support and mentorship to children who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

Yet despite the growth, the mission remains tied to the memory of the young girl whose story inspired it all.

Sherry Maresco never had the chance to realize her dreams. But her legacy lives on through the thousands of children whose lives have been touched by Firewall Centers.

“I think that she would definitely say that she made a difference,” Andy said.

At this point, he noted, the organization has impacted tens of thousands of young people—and will continue to reach many more in the years ahead.

The future of Firewall Centers includes expansion into Miami-Dade County schools and, eventually, other states. But for the Fernandez family, the goal remains the same as it was when they first walked into a mobile home park more than two decades ago: helping children build brighter futures.

From one child’s tragedy emerged a movement of hope—proof that a single act of compassion can change countless lives.

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Lo que comenzó como un simple acto de compasión en respuesta a una tragedia desgarradora se ha convertido en Firewall Centers, una organización sin fines de lucro que atiende a miles de estudiantes del condado Broward todos los días mediante educación gratuita después de clases, mentoría y apoyo que cambia vidas.

Para Andy Fernandez, el camino comenzó en 2001 después de ver un reportaje sobre Sherry Maresco, una niña de 13 años del sur de Florida que murió por una sobredosis de drogas mientras se encontraba sin supervisión. La historia lo afectó profundamente.

“De repente, eso apareció en las noticias y él dijo: ‘Janeth, deberíamos ir a ese parque de casas móviles y ver si hay otros niños con los que podamos hablar’”, dijo Janeth, ex educadora.

La pareja siguió ese impulso. Junto con otra pareja de su iglesia, comenzaron a organizar reuniones semanales para niños en el parque de casas móviles de Davie donde había vivido Sherry.

Al principio, el enfoque estaba en construir relaciones, carácter y fe. Pero rápidamente quedó claro que los niños necesitaban más que palabras de aliento.

“Es excelente fortalecer su carácter y hablar sobre la fe”, dijo Andy. “Pero también es necesario brindarles educación”.

Esa comprensión llevó a una decisión que cambiaría sus vidas.

En 2003, Andy y Janeth, propietarios de una exitosa empresa manufacturera, decidieron dedicarse por completo a servir a jóvenes desfavorecidos. Un año después, Andy vendió su almacén y su equipo para dedicarse a tiempo completo a esa misión.

“Al año siguiente, en 2004, fue cuando vendí mi pequeño almacén, mi equipo y dije: esto es lo que vamos a hacer por un tiempo y veremos hacia dónde nos lleva”, dijo.

Ese salto de fe se convirtió en Firewall Centers.

La organización sin fines de lucro ofrece programas gratuitos de alta calidad después de clases diseñados para ayudar a los estudiantes a tener éxito académica y personalmente. El nombre de la organización proviene del pasaje bíblico Zacarías 2:5 y refleja su objetivo de crear barreras protectoras alrededor de los jóvenes y ayudarlos a enfrentar los desafíos de la vida.

“Para nosotros, estamos estableciendo cortafuegos en las vidas de los estudiantes”, explicó Andy.

La misión de la organización está basada en lo que sus fundadores describen como el mayor mandamiento: amar a los demás.

“Todo gira en torno a vivir el amor todos los días”, dijo Andy.

Para muchos estudiantes, ese amor se ha traducido en oportunidades.

Abner Molina fue uno de ellos.

Cuando era niño, visitó Firewall Centers por una razón sencilla.

“Me invitaron a entrar para comer un sándwich y pensé: ‘Oh, comida gratis’”, recordó Molina.

Lo que encontró fue mucho más que una comida. A través de la mentoría de Andy Fernandez y el apoyo de la organización, Molina desarrolló habilidades, confianza y ambición.

“Así fue como conocí al pastor Andy, y ha sido una roca sólida para mí en términos de mentoría”, dijo.

Hoy, Molina, de 31 años, es director ejecutivo de su propia empresa tecnológica.

“Me tomó entre 10 y 12 años llegar a la posición en la que estoy ahora, y esto apenas es el comienzo de todo lo que he soñado”, dijo.

Su historia es una de muchas historias de éxito que han surgido de Firewall Centers durante las últimas dos décadas.

Lo que comenzó en una modesta unidad modular dentro de un parque de casas móviles se ha expandido hasta convertirse en una organización que opera en 14 escuelas del condado Broward. Actualmente, la organización atiende a aproximadamente 2,000 estudiantes cada día, brindando apoyo educativo y mentoría a niños que de otro modo podrían quedarse rezagados.

Sin embargo, a pesar del crecimiento, la misión sigue ligada al recuerdo de la joven cuya historia inspiró todo.

Sherry Maresco nunca tuvo la oportunidad de cumplir sus sueños. Pero su legado vive a través de los miles de niños cuyas vidas han sido impactadas por Firewall Centers.

“Creo que ella definitivamente diría que marcó una diferencia”, dijo Andy.

A estas alturas, señaló, la organización ha impactado a decenas de miles de jóvenes y continuará llegando a muchos más en los próximos años.

El futuro de Firewall Centers incluye expandirse a escuelas del condado Miami-Dade y, eventualmente, a otros estados. Pero para la familia Fernandez, el objetivo sigue siendo el mismo que tenían cuando entraron por primera vez a un parque de casas móviles hace más de dos décadas: ayudar a los niños a construir futuros más prometedores.

De la tragedia de un niño surgió un movimiento de esperanza, una prueba de que un solo acto de compasión puede cambiar incontables vidas.

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Good News South Florida se transmite los viernes en el noticiero matutino de Local 10 a las 10 a.m. También se retransmite los viernes a las 3:30 p.m. y los domingos por la mañana a partir de las 6 a.m.

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Miami police identified the suspects as 25-year-old Earl Gerry Baldwin and 21-year-old Zakis Kawone James, both of Miami-Dade.

According to arrest reports, officers responded to the home on April 4 after the victim reported that two masked men had entered the residence and robbed him at gunpoint.

The report states that he victim told investigators he was in the kitchen when two men wearing ski masks entered through an unlocked front door.

Police said shortly after, one of the intruders allegedly pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded cash, repeatedly asking, “Where’s the money?” as the two men searched the home.

Investigators said the gunman took the victim’s iPhone 16 Pro Max while both suspects searched bedrooms for money. The victim told police the suspects also asked about his younger brother before continuing their search.

According to the reports, the gunman kept the victim at gunpoint while the other suspect ransacked rooms throughout the home. After failing to find any money, the men left the victim inside his mother’s bedroom, closed the door and fled, investigators said.

Authorities said the victim then ran to a neighbor’s home and called police.

Detectives said surveillance footage obtained from nearby locations showed a silver Chevrolet Trailblazer parked near the home before the robbery.

According to the reports, video showed two suspects exiting the SUV and walking toward the residence before entering the home. Minutes later, the pair were seen running from the property and getting back into the vehicle, which drove away.

Investigators said license plate reader data identified the SUV and showed it traveling through Miami shortly after the robbery. Historical reader data and GPS records linked the vehicle to a residence in the 700 block of Northwest 65th Street, according to the reports.

Detectives said additional surveillance footage later captured Baldwin inside the SUV while wearing clothing matching what was seen during the robbery.

Investigators said they also identified him during a separate contact on May 15 and later obtained cellphone records and location data that allegedly placed his phone in the area of the robbery and traveling with the SUV before and after the crime.

According to James’ arrest report, detectives identified him through surveillance footage, a resident database search and facial recognition software.

Investigators also obtained surveillance footage showing James making a purchase at a Walmart in Miami Gardens after the robbery using a debit card in his name, the report states.

Police said cellphone data associated with James’ phone also placed him at the robbery scene and traveling with the SUV throughout the day.

On Thursday, detectives executed a search warrant at the Northwest 65th Street residence and took both men into custody, according to the reports.

Baldwin was transported to the Miami Police Department’s robbery office, where he was advised of his Miranda rights and invoked them, according to his arrest report.

James waived his Miranda rights and provided a statement to detectives, according to his arrest report. Details of the statement were redacted from the publicly released report.

Jail records show both men are each facing one count of armed robbery with home invasion.

As of Friday, both were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where their bonds were listed as “to be set.”

La policía de Miami identificó a los sospechosos como Earl Gerry Baldwin, de 25 años, y Zakis Kawone James, de 21 años, ambos residentes de Miami-Dade.

Según los informes de arresto, los agentes respondieron a la vivienda el 4 de abril después de que la víctima reportara que dos hombres enmascarados habían ingresado a la residencia y lo habían robado a punta de pistola.

El informe indica que la víctima les dijo a los investigadores que estaba en la cocina cuando dos hombres con pasamontañas entraron por una puerta principal que estaba sin seguro.

La policía dijo que poco después, uno de los intrusos presuntamente apuntó una pistola a la víctima y exigió dinero en efectivo, preguntando repetidamente: “¿Dónde está el dinero?”, mientras ambos hombres registraban la vivienda.

Los investigadores dijeron que el hombre armado tomó el iPhone 16 Pro Max de la víctima mientras ambos sospechosos revisaban las habitaciones en busca de dinero. La víctima les dijo a los agentes que los sospechosos también preguntaron por su hermano menor antes de continuar la búsqueda.

Según los informes, el hombre armado mantuvo a la víctima encañonada mientras el otro sospechoso revolvía habitaciones en toda la casa. Tras no encontrar dinero, los hombres dejaron a la víctima dentro de la habitación de su madre, cerraron la puerta y huyeron, según los investigadores.

Las autoridades dijeron que la víctima corrió entonces a la casa de un vecino y llamó a la policía.

Los detectives dijeron que videos de vigilancia obtenidos de lugares cercanos mostraban una Chevrolet Trailblazer plateada estacionada cerca de la vivienda antes del robo.

Según los informes, las imágenes muestran a dos sospechosos bajándose del SUV y caminando hacia la residencia antes de ingresar. Minutos después, fueron vistos corriendo fuera de la propiedad y regresando al vehículo, que luego se alejó.

Los investigadores dijeron que datos de lectores de matrículas identificaron el SUV y mostraron que circulaba por Miami poco después del robo. Datos históricos de esos lectores y registros de GPS vincularon el vehículo con una residencia ubicada en la cuadra 700 de Northwest 65th Street, según los informes.

Los detectives dijeron que imágenes de vigilancia adicionales captaron posteriormente a Baldwin dentro del SUV usando ropa que coincidía con la observada durante el robo.

Los investigadores también dijeron que lo identificaron durante otro contacto el 15 de mayo y posteriormente obtuvieron registros telefónicos y datos de ubicación que presuntamente ubicaban su teléfono en el área del robo y viajando con el SUV antes y después del delito.

Según el informe de arresto de James, los detectives lo identificaron mediante imágenes de vigilancia, una búsqueda en una base de datos de residentes y software de reconocimiento facial.

Los investigadores también obtuvieron videos de vigilancia que muestran a James realizando una compra en un Walmart de Miami Gardens después del robo utilizando una tarjeta de débito a su nombre, indica el informe.

La policía dijo que los datos del teléfono celular asociados al dispositivo de James también lo ubicaban en la escena del robo y viajando con el SUV durante todo el día.

El jueves, los detectives ejecutaron una orden de registro en la residencia de Northwest 65th Street y detuvieron a ambos hombres, según los informes.

Baldwin fue trasladado a la oficina de robos del Departamento de Policía de Miami, donde fue informado de sus derechos Miranda e invocó esos derechos, según su informe de arresto.

James renunció a sus derechos Miranda y proporcionó una declaración a los detectives, según su informe de arresto. Los detalles de esa declaración fueron censurados en el informe divulgado públicamente.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que ambos hombres enfrentan un cargo de robo a mano armada durante invasión de vivienda.

Hasta el viernes, ambos permanecían detenidos en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde sus fianzas figuraban como “pendientes de fijación”.

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In this case, investigators said Carlos Alberto Jean, 37, of northwest Miami-Dade, was not a stranger to the victim.

Authorities said the girl, now 14 and living outside of Atlanta, told investigators that Jean, a friend of her father’s, molested her in a vehicle in April 2023, when she was 10.

Hialeah police said the crime happened while her father was in a store at a shopping plaza at the corner of East Eighth Avenue and Ninth Street.

According to an arrest report, the girl told a forensic interviewer in Georgia that Jean had “asked her for permission to touch her private part” as she held her baby brother on her lap.

She told him no, but he “moved the child” and did it anyway, the report states. According to police, Jean stopped molesting the girl when her father returned to the car.

A Hialeah Police Department detective, who observed the forensic interview remotely, said the girl told her stepmother what happened when she returned home, who later told the girl’s father.

The report doesn’t state why there was a three-year delay in reporting the crime.

Police said they went to Jean’s home in the 200 block of Northwest 150th Street on Thursday to arrest him on charges of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under 12 and misdemeanor battery. He declined to speak with investigators.

As of Friday, records show he was being held without bond in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, pending a pre-trial detention hearing.

En este caso, los investigadores dijeron que Carlos Alberto Jean, de 37 años y residente del noroeste de Miami-Dade, no era un desconocido para la víctima.

Las autoridades indicaron que la niña, que ahora tiene 14 años y vive en las afueras de Atlanta, declaró a los investigadores que Jean, un amigo de su padre, abusó de ella en un vehículo en abril de 2023, cuando tenía 10 años.

La policía de Hialeah informó que el crimen ocurrió mientras su padre se encontraba en una tienda en un centro comercial ubicado en la esquina de la Octava Avenida Este y la Novena Calle.

Según el informe de detención, la niña declaró a un entrevistador forense en Georgia que Jean le había “pedido permiso para tocarle sus partes íntimas” mientras sostenía a su hermanito en el regazo.

Ella le dijo que no, pero él “trasladó a la niña” y lo hizo de todos modos, según el informe. De acuerdo con la policía, Jean dejó de abusar de la niña cuando su padre regresó al auto.

Un detective del Departamento de Policía de Hialeah, que observó la entrevista forense de forma remota, dijo que la niña le contó a su madrastra lo que sucedió cuando regresó a casa, quien posteriormente se lo contó al padre de la niña.

El informe no explica por qué hubo un retraso de tres años en la denuncia del delito.

La policía informó que el jueves acudió al domicilio de Jean, ubicado en la cuadra 200 de la calle Northwest 150, para arrestarlo bajo cargos de abuso sexual lascivo de un menor de 12 años y agresión menor. Jean se negó a hablar con los investigadores.

Según los registros del viernes, permanecía detenido sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, a la espera de una audiencia de detención preventiva.

Esto ha provocado un trayecto muy complicado hacia el trabajo y la escuela, y se han emitido varias alertas de inundación para Upper Keys y cerca del centro de Miami.

Esta primera ronda de fuertes lluvias saldrá del área antes de las 11 a.m. y las alertas de inundación serán canceladas, sin embargo, hay mucha humedad en la atmósfera y es probable otro período de lluvias intensas y tormentas más tarde el jueves, principalmente después de las 2 p.m.

Esas tormentas de la tarde y noche podrían causar más inundaciones en algunas zonas, por lo que se recomienda prepararse para un difícil regreso a casa más tarde en el día.

Este patrón tormentoso comenzará a desplazarse principalmente hacia horas de la tarde desde el viernes y durante el fin de semana. Será durante esos períodos secos en la mañana cuando el sol calentará el ambiente y creará una atmósfera muy inestable que provocará fuertes tormentas vespertinas.

Podríamos acumular más de 6 pulgadas de lluvia en algunas áreas durante los próximos 5 a 7 días, reduciendo significativamente la sequía que hemos estado experimentando.

El sargento Kelvin Cox, de la MDSO, mató a tiros a Kristofer Laboy, de 24 años, afuera de un edificio dentro del complejo Sunset Palm Villas Association, ubicado justo fuera de los límites de la ciudad de Miami en Northwest 85th Street Road y Fourth Court, el 17 de junio de 2025.

Agentes de la Unidad de Intervención contra Robos de la MDSO intentaron detener a Laboy, quien conducía un Chevrolet Corvette amarillo con vidrios polarizados oscuros.

Según un memorando de la Fiscalía Estatal de Miami-Dade, “Laboy había llevado a los agentes del orden en una persecución prolongada y a alta velocidad que puso en peligro la vida de muchas personas (y) casi provocó varios choques al conducir a altas velocidades entre el tráfico y por el lado equivocado de las vías”.

La evidencia en video y el testimonio de otro agente, concluyeron los fiscales, mostraron que después de que la persecución terminó en el complejo, Laboy salió del vehículo deportivo con un arma y “corrió directamente hacia” Cox.

Los fiscales concluyeron que una “persona razonable” en la posición de Cox “habría creído que el uso de fuerza letal era necesario para prevenir una muerte inminente o un gran daño corporal” para sí mismo u otras personas, lo que los llevó a concluir que Cox “estaba legalmente justificado en usar fuerza letal” y no debía enfrentar cargos.

Cox ha servido en la MDSO y su predecesora, el Departamento de Policía de Miami-Dade, durante más de dos décadas.

Los detectives de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade acusaron a Nathan Cooper de dispararle a Shawn Webster, empleado del Departamento de Agua y Alcantarillado del condado Miami-Dade.

La madre de Webster, Clarice Webster, dijo a Local 10 News que el conflicto entre los dos padres comenzó por sus hijos.

Cooper “llegó a la casa” de Webster “siendo irrespetuoso” y “le disparó a mi hijo a quemarropa frente a sus hijos”, dijo Clarice Webster.

Según los agentes, Cooper estuvo prófugo durante aproximadamente 70 días. Huyó después de la balacera ocurrida el 17 de marzo cerca de Northwest Fifth Avenue y 83rd Street, en el área de West Little River de Miami-Dade.

Personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladó a Shawn Webster, de 33 años, al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital para recibir tratamiento por heridas de bala.

Los detectives identificaron a Cooper como un delincuente convicto que se encontraba bajo libertad supervisada federal. Tiene antecedentes de arrestos en Miami-Dade que se remontan a cuando tenía 18 años.

Cooper, también conocido como Christopher Kendrick y Antwan Morris, fue liberado de prisión el 3 de abril de 2024, según el Departamento Correccional de Florida.

Los registros muestran que Cooper fue sentenciado a cinco años de prisión en 2023 después de ser declarado culpable de una agresión agravada ocurrida en 2016 en el condado Miami-Dade.

Se emitió una orden de arresto contra Cooper el 20 de marzo, y miembros de la Fuerza de Tarea Regional Sureste para la Captura de Fugitivos del Servicio de Alguaciles de Estados Unidos lo arrestaron el 26 de mayo en Norcross, Georgia, según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade.

La sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz elogió a los agentes, a los alguaciles federales adjuntos y a los oficiales de la fuerza de tarea por la investigación y el arresto. Cooper enfrenta un cargo de intento de asesinato en primer grado con un arma mortal.

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Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detectives accused Nathan Cooper of shooting Shawn Webster, a Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer employee.

Webster’s mother, Clarice Webster, told Local 10 News that the conflict between the two fathers started with their children.

Cooper “came to” Webster’s house “being disrespectful” and “shot my son point blank range in front of his children,” Clarice Webster said.

Cooper was on the run for about 70 days, according to deputies.

Cooper fled after the shooting on March 17 near Northwest Fifth Avenue and 83^rd Street in Miami-Dade’s West Little River, according to deputies.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel took Shawn Webster, 33, to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center to be treated for gunshot wounds.

Cooper has an arrest record in Miami-Dade going back to when he was 18.

Cooper had been sentenced to five years in prison in 2023, after he was convicted of a 2016 aggravated battery in Miami-Dade County, records show.

Cooper, also known as Christopher Kendrick and Antwan Morris, was released from prison on April 3, 2024, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

After the shooting on March 17, detectives identified Cooper as a convicted felon who was on federal supervised release.

A warrant was issued for Cooper’s arrest on March 20, and members of the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested him on May 26 in Norcross, Ga., according to the M-DSO.

Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz praised deputies, deputy U.S. Marshals, and task force officers for the investigation and arrest.

Cooper faces a charge of first-degree attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

It’s the first vehicle my dad learned to drive, as a young boy helping with farm chores during the day and adventuring with friends at night. At the time, the 1956 International Harvester S-130 had no sentimental value. Its worth was tied to its usefulness.

Or as my dad explains, “it was just a truck.”

Pickups were made for work. Until the first purpose-built ones rolled off American assembly lines in the early 20th century, people DIY-ed their own. They became icons of a rural ideal, potent enough to inspire and populate many a country song.

Today, they are mainstays on American roadways. While they’re still used to haul things, some are more luxury than workhorse; cool enough to be lifted or lowered and comfortable enough for Sunday drives.

As for the pickup that once powered the now-defunct Meyer family farm, it will soon have just one job: to look pretty.

It’s an unexpected turnabout. If it had been planned, my dad might have picked an easier truck to restore. International’s S series from the 1950s had a blink-and-you-miss-it production life. Practically speaking, that means sourcing replacement parts is a challenge — even for my brother Andy, who is good at finding things that are hard to find.

He’s the one who spotted the truck for sale. And though it was worse for wear, he couldn’t resist hauling it back home. In the years since, he and my dad have embarked on a replacement-parts treasure hunt that's unearthed my dad’s childhood memories along the way. Stories of my dad behind the wheel as a child taking the neighbor boys on late-night hunting trips, the precarious ways he and his siblings accomplished their farm chores and the uncle whose prom date rode shotgun.

Their odyssey through online auctions and Illinois backroads has taken on a life of its own. What started with restoring one 1956 International Harvester has turned into owning five 1956 International Harvesters in various states of repair. Only one is too far gone to fix up.

I asked my dad why he keeps hauling them home. “I’m possessed,” he joked dryly.

But if I’m honest, I already knew the answer. There’s joy in the journey. So why not?

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

The entrance of Israel’s troops into the village of Dibbine, near the town of Marjayoun, came as Israeli airstrikes killed at least six people. Five were killed in an airstrike on the villages of Deir Qanoun al Nahr and Abbasiyeh, while a municipal policeman was killed in the village of Ebba, state media reported.

In Washington, a six-member Lebanese military delegation was meeting on Friday with Israeli military officials in the first direct military talks between the two countries in decades.

A nominal ceasefire went into effect on April 17. A senior Lebanese military official told The Associated Press Friday that the Lebanese delegation, led by the army's head of operations Brig. Gen. George Rizkallah, would be to make it comprehensive.

The official added the Lebanese delegation will request the reactivation of the committee monitoring the enforcement of an earlier U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the war between Israel and Hezbollah in late 2024.

Another Lebanese official, who is briefed throughout the day about the ongoing talks at the Pentagon, also said the delegation would seek the comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire and a stop to ongoing hostilities.

He said implementation would be followed by talks at a later date on matters such as deploying the Lebanese army along the border and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media about the ongoing talks in Washington.

President Joseph Aoun's office said he received a call Friday from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and they discussed the situation in Lebanon and the latest developments in the Middle East. Aoun's office said the president told Rubio that efforts should concentrate on implementing the ceasefire as it is “the essential entry point for transitioning to any other issues.”

In April, Lebanon and Israel held the first direct talks in Washington in more than three decades.

The Israeli military issued several evacuation warnings for southern Lebanon on Friday, forcing hundreds of families to flee to safer areas further north.

Israeli troops fought Hezbollah fighters inside the villages of Yohmor and Zawtar al-Sahrqieh near the city of Nabatieh after they crossed the strategic Litani River, which the Israeli military has used as a de facto boundary. Large areas to the south are under Israeli military control, despite the April ceasefire.

Hezbollah, whose members have been fighting Israeli troops for days in the area, said in statements that its members struck Israeli troops inside Yohmor.

The two villages are close to the Crusader-built Beaufort castle that is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Israeli border and overlooks wide parts of southern Lebanon. It was not clear if Israeli troops are trying to capture the castle, which lies north of the Litani.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern front Friday where he spoke to members of the military. “I must tell you that there are very impressive results here. Our forces have crossed the Litani; they have advanced to controlling positions,” he said.

“We are operating in Beirut, in the Bekaa, across the entire width of the front, and we are dealing Hezbollah a crushing blow,” Netanyahu said referring to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs where Israel's air force struck on Thursday.

The violence in southern Lebanon came as U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

Iran did not immediately confirm any deal. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday evening confirmed there was a tentative agreement, but said it was unclear if President Donald Trump would approve it.

Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said Friday that any deal between Iran and the U.S. would stop Israel’s offensive in Lebanon. Officials in Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, have said that they insist that a deal with Washington would stop the latest Israel-Hezbollah war that started on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after Israel and Iran attacked in Iran.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war has left 3,200 people dead in Lebanon and over 1 million people displaced.

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Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb contributed to this report from Beirut.

Here are some key things to know as Broadway's biggest night approaches, including how to watch, the top nominees, who is poised to make history and what shows secured performance slots.

When are the Tony Awards?

The Tonys will be broadcast to both coasts on June 7 from 8-11 p.m. Eastern/5-8 p.m. Pacific, live from Radio City Music Hall.

How can I watch them?

On CBS and streaming for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers in the U.S.

Who's hosting the Tony Awards?

Pink, a three-time Grammy Award winner, will make her debut as MC.

A pre-show will be broadcast on Pluto TV from 6:35-8 p.m. Eastern/3:45-5 p.m. Pacific. Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess will host that telecast. Viewers can access it on their smart TV, streaming device, mobile app or online by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the “Live Music” channel, found within the Entertainment category on the service.

What performances will there be?

The seven best new musical and best musical revivals — "The Lost Boys," “Schmigadoon!,” “Titanique,” “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Ragtime” and “The Rocky Horror Show.”

How many awards are there?

A total of 26 competitive categories, from lead and featured actors to scenic, costume and lighting design. Some technical award handouts may be pre-taped and winners won't appear on the live show, only cut down into edited bits sandwiched into the telecast.

What are the top nominees?

There are two top nominees: “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!” each earned a leading 12 Tony Award nominations. “The Lost Boys” is an adaptation of a 1987 teen movie vampire thriller, and “Schmigadoon!” is an adaptation of an Apple TV series that gently mocks Broadway musicals. They're followed by a revival of “Ragtime,” a big, soaring musical celebrating early 20th-century America, with 11 nominations, and “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller’s masterpiece that looks at the unraveling of the American Dream, starring Nathan Lane, which nabbed nine nods.

Who is vying for best new play and musical?

For new musicals, it's “The Lost Boys," “Schmigadoon!,” “Titaníque” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).”

For new plays, it's “The Balusters,” “Giant,” “Liberation” and “Little Bear Ridge Road.”

Can history be made?

History has already been made, in a way. June Squibb became the oldest Tony-nominated actor in history at 96 and could become the oldest Tony winner, surpassing Lois Smith who was 90 when she won in 2021.

Nathan Lane is hoping for his fourth Tony, which would make him tied as the most-awarded male performer in Tony history, alongside Boyd Gaines and Frank Langella. If he does win for best lead actor in a play for the revival of “Death of a Salesman,” he'd have Tonys in three separate acting categories, previously winning featured actor in a play for “Angels in America” and lead actor in a musical twice for “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “The Producers.”

And for the first time since 2002, the contenders for best leading actress in a musical are all first-time nominees: Sara Chase ("Schmigadoon!"), Stephanie Hsu ("The Rocky Horror Show"), Caissie Levy ("Ragtime"), Marla Mindelle ("Titanique") and Christiani Pitts ("Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York").

Will there be other performances?

Other performances include the original lead cast members of “The Book of Mormon” — Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Rory O’Malley and Nikki M. James — this year celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Broadway's big season

The 2025-2026 Broadway season set a new box office record for the second year in a row. Over the 52 weeks of the season, Broadway brought in a combined total of $1,910,903,835, a smidge higher than last season’s then-historic total of $1,892,650,959. Last season also had 53 weeks instead of the usual 52, a Broadway accountant trick.

In more gloomy news, attendance was actually down — 14,577,322 versus 14,658,531 from last season. And the average paid admission was $131.09, continuing an ever upward trend.

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For more coverage of the 2026 Tony Awards, visit https://apnews.com/hub/tony-awards.

Approval came after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana's current map as an illegal racial gerrymander because it was drawn to include two majority-Black districts, weakening the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act meant to prevent discrimination against minorities at the ballot box.

That decision intensified a national redistricting battle fueled by President Donald Trump’s efforts to protect the Republicans’ slim House majority in the midterm elections. Louisiana is one of several Southern states now redrawing their maps to help Republicans.

Louisiana Republicans had considered drawing a map giving the party a shot at winning all six of the state’s U.S. House seats. But that would have required adding more registered Democrats to Republican-held districts, potentially backfiring with GOP losses.

The map approved Friday in a 28-10 state Senate vote reflected Republican arguments that a 5-1 map is safer for the GOP. Republicans currently hold four of Louisiana's six congressional seats.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign the new map into law, even as threats of more litigation emerged Friday.

A half-hour Senate floor debate revolved around Democrats contending that the proposed map is racially gerrymandered to squeeze more Black voters — who tend to be registered Democrats — into a single district.

Democratic state Sen. Royce Duplessis pointed out that some fellow Southern states, such as South Carolina, had refused to redraw their maps in the middle of an election year, and said Louisiana is participating in a “vicious, vicious race to the bottom.”

The bill's sponsor, Republican state Sen. Jay Morris, repeatedly insisted that party affiliation, not race, drove district boundaries.

“I purposely put more Democrats into District 2 to make the remaining districts better performing for Republicans,” Morris said at one point.

Morris said he told the map demographers to avoid including any data on race or including those statistics in information shared with lawmakers before the vote.

Democratic state Sen. Sam Jenkins told Morris, “I think it’s a racially gerrymandered district that's going to get us into a lot of trouble here."

“Agree to disagree,” Morris told Jenkins.

Louisiana is currently using a map ordered by a lower court in 2024 to comply with the Voting Rights Act by including a second district with a majority-Black population.

That map, however, was challenged in court, and the Supreme Court responded on April 30 by striking it down as an illegal racial gerrymander.

Landry postponed the state’s closed U.S. House primary slated for May 16. He later signed a law making the U.S. primary open and shifted the date to Nov. 3 to allow time for Republican lawmakers to draw and pass a new map. All candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will be on the ballot for voters in their district.

The proposed map redraws Democratic U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields' district, clustering it around predominantly white communities in the Baton Rouge area and southern Louisiana. It also adds part of Baton Rouge to a heavily Democratic, majority-Black district based in New Orleans currently represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter.

More lawsuits were expected over the new map.

Democrats say the proposed map could draw a legal challenge over racial gerrymandering, and the ACLU of Louisiana suggested Friday that it could sue, calling the map a “racial gerrymander hiding behind the thin veneer of partisanship” and warning that "this fight is just beginning.”

Meanwhile, the plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court's decision criticized the Legislature's map earlier this week for leaving a majority-Black district in place.

In the weeks following the Supreme Court’s decision, several other Republican-controlled Southern states have seized upon a weakened federal Voting Rights Act to try to redraw their own congressional districts.

So far, Republicans are winning the redistricting contest. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they will win a narrowly divided U.S. House in November. Republicans think they could gain as many as 15 seats from their redistricting efforts so far, while Democrats think they could gain six seats from new districts in California and Utah.

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Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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This story has been corrected to show that Landry ultimately postponed Louisiana's closed U.S. House primary elections to Nov. 3, not “later this summer” after signing a law making the primary election open.

The company fueled the hulking New Glenn rocket Thursday night, hoping to briefly ignite the engines ahead of a satellite launch next week. But the 321-foot (98-meter), rocket blew up, taking part of the pad with it.

Aerial views on Friday revealed heaps of crumpled structures on the ground, with just one tower and the water tank still standing. Emergency officials warned the public to avoid any wreckage that might wash ashore and to instead call 911. There were no reported deaths or injuries.

It’s a major setback for Blue Origin, coming just one month after the entire New Glenn fleet was grounded because of an upper-stage engine issue that dumped a satellite in the wrong orbit.

Named after John Glenn, the first American in orbit, New Glenn is the rocket that Blue Origin plans to use to launch landers to the moon under NASA's Artemis program that aims to build a sprawling base near the moon's south pole. The goal is to land the first Artemis moonwalkers as early as 2028. Earlier this week, the space agency awarded a new contract to Blue Origin worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

One of the biggest rockets to reach orbit, New Glenn has seven first-stage engines fueled by liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas, which is essentially methane. It has flown three times.

None of the assigned 48 Amazon Leo satellites were on board the newest rocket when the blast occurred. Another batch of Amazon Leo satellites — competing with SpaceX's Starlinks to provide internet service to remote locales — awaited liftoff several miles away at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, courtesy of United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket.

Within 12 hours of the explosion, SpaceX launched more Starlinks to orbit Friday morning. CEO Elon Musk has two Florida pads in action, one on the Space Force side where the latest Falcon 9 lifted off and the other at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Blue Origin has just one Florida pad: Launch Complex 36 dating back to the early 1960s. NASA's Mariner and Pioneer interplanetary probes rocketed away from there, as well as the moon-bound Rangers and Surveyors. The Washington state-based Blue Origin spent more than $1 billion rebuilding the launch complex — taking it from double pads to a single — after leasing it from the Air Force in 2015.

The company's smaller New Shepard rockets soar from Texas, skimming space for a few minutes with tourists and science experiments. Those suborbital hops were paused in January so the company could focus on New Glenn and upcoming moonshots. All that is now on hold, pending the investigation into the explosion.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said late Thursday that the space agency will evaluate near-term impacts to the Artemis program, which saw four astronauts fly around the moon in April. That Artemis II mission was hoisted by NASA's Space Launch System rocket.

Before the explosion, Blue Origin was on track to launch a prototype lunar lander to the moon on a New Glenn this fall, with another lander due to rocket into orbit around Earth in 2027 for docking practice by the soon-to-be-announced Artemis III crew.

A touchdown by two astronauts on Artemis IV — using a Blue Moon lander or SpaceX's Starship, whichever is ready first — was targeted as early as 2028.

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

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Officer Corey Vanderhoof jumped into the water and rescued a man and his 161-pound Great Dane from the Hurricane Hole lagoon.

The man said he had been struggling to keep himself and his dog afloat for nearly 20 minutes, according to the Key West Police Department.

On Friday, the department shared the report with the public and hailed Vanderhoof as a hero.

El agente Corey Vanderhoof se lanzó al agua y rescató a un hombre y a su gran danés de 161 libras de la laguna Hurricane Hole.

Según el Departamento de Policía de Key West, el hombre dijo que había estado luchando por mantenerse a flote junto con su perro durante casi 20 minutos.

El viernes, el departamento compartió el informe con el público y calificó a Vanderhoof como un héroe.

Según Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, cuatro personas requirieron tratamiento por enfermedades relacionadas con el calor.

Sky10 sobrevoló el Aeropuerto Ejecutivo Miami-Opa Locka, donde se observó a personal de MDFR y agentes de la policía de Opa-locka en la escena mientras las víctimas eran trasladadas en camillas.

Los pasajeros se sintieron mal en un avión de GlobalX que tenía como destino Luisiana.

GlobalX es una aerolínea chárter utilizada por el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE) para deportaciones, pero no está claro si estaba siendo utilizada con ese propósito en el momento de este incidente.

Según funcionarios del aeropuerto, el sistema de aire acondicionado de la aeronave sufrió una falla y MDFR fue llamado para asistir a los pasajeros afectados por el calor.

Esta es una noticia en desarrollo y será actualizada cuando haya nueva información disponible.

“Usted pasó junto a mí sosteniendo un teléfono con su mano derecha, manipulando ese teléfono”, le dice el agente a Kathleen “Katie” Thomas, de 36 años.

“Obviamente no”, responde Thomas mientras se ríe y levanta su brazo derecho, mostrando que le falta la mano derecha.

“Entonces, ¿quiere dar por terminado esto?”, pregunta ella.

“No quiero dar por terminado esto. Usted tenía una mano levantada, manipulando algo”, responde el agente.

“Usted acaba de decir mi mano derecha”, replica Thomas.

“Bueno, pensé que vi su mano derecha”, dice el agente.

“Entonces no la vio”, responde Thomas.

Thomas publicó las imágenes de la cámara corporal en Instagram y TikTok, donde obtuvieron millones de “me gusta”.

En el video, aunque ella le muestra al agente que no tiene mano derecha, el agente insistió en su versión.

“Le estoy preguntando ahora: ¿tenía o no tenía su teléfono en la mano?”, pregunta el agente.

“No lo tenía”, responde Thomas.

“¿No tenía su teléfono en la mano?”, vuelve a preguntar el agente.

“No lo tenía”, responde Thomas.

“¿Jura ante Dios que no tenía un teléfono en la mano?”, pregunta el agente.

“Lo juro ante Dios”, responde Thomas.

Los registros judiciales muestran que Thomas recibió una citación de $116 USD a pesar de la evidencia presentada, pero posteriormente fue desestimada a solicitud del agente involucrado.

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According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a Coast Guard boat crew, working alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and CBP Office of Field Operations officers, intercepted a suspected drug-smuggling vessel about 1 mile east of Cape Florida on Sunday.

The operation resulted in the seizure of roughly 900 pounds of cocaine. Federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Miami Division have taken custody of the three suspects and the narcotics as the investigation continues.

“The Coast Guard and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners remain vigilant in our shared efforts to keep our maritime borders safe by preventing illicit narcotics from reaching our communities,” said Lt. Matthew Ross, Coast Guard Station Miami Beach commanding officer. “I couldn’t be more proud of the professionalism of our law enforcement crews and our continued collaboration with our partners to safeguard American lives.”

Officials said the seizure is part of a broader multi-agency effort to combat transnational criminal organizations involved in narcotics trafficking and other illicit activities.

The Coast Guard serves as the lead federal agency for maritime drug interdiction, while Customs and Border Protection works to secure the nation’s borders through land, air and maritime enforcement operations.

No additional information about the suspects has been released as the investigation remains ongoing.

Según la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos, una tripulación de una embarcación de la Guardia Costera, trabajando junto con oficiales de Operaciones Aéreas y Marítimas de la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos (CBP) y de la Oficina de Operaciones de Campo de la CBP, interceptó una embarcación sospechosa de contrabando de drogas aproximadamente a una milla al este de Cape Florida el domingo.

La operación resultó en la incautación de unas 900 libras de cocaína. Agentes federales de la División de Miami de la Administración para el Control de Drogas (DEA) tomaron custodia de los tres sospechosos y de los narcóticos mientras la investigación continúa.

“La Guardia Costera y nuestros socios federales, estatales y locales de las fuerzas del orden permanecen vigilantes en nuestros esfuerzos compartidos para mantener seguras nuestras fronteras marítimas al evitar que narcóticos ilícitos lleguen a nuestras comunidades”, dijo el teniente Matthew Ross, comandante de la Estación Miami Beach de la Guardia Costera. “No podría estar más orgulloso del profesionalismo de nuestras tripulaciones encargadas de hacer cumplir la ley y de nuestra continua colaboración con nuestros socios para proteger las vidas de los estadounidenses”.

Los funcionarios dijeron que la incautación forma parte de un esfuerzo más amplio de múltiples agencias para combatir organizaciones criminales transnacionales involucradas en el tráfico de narcóticos y otras actividades ilícitas.

La Guardia Costera actúa como la principal agencia federal para la interdicción marítima de drogas, mientras que la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza trabaja para asegurar las fronteras del país mediante operaciones de control terrestre, aéreo y marítimo.

No se ha divulgado información adicional sobre los sospechosos mientras la investigación sigue en curso.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff del condado Monroe (MCSO), los agentes acudieron poco antes de las 6 a.m. a la vivienda de Bradly Shawn Shadduck, de 56 años, y su esposa, Lynne Alane Shadduck, de 62 años, ubicada en 136 Maracaibo Lane.

Los agentes dijeron que Bradly Shadduck fue a la casa de su vecino de al lado “con una manta de los Cleveland Browns y sin ropa” y le dijo: “Llama al 911, hermano; toda mi maldita casa está llena de sangre, cubierta de sangre por todas partes, dilo, estarán aquí”.

Según un informe de arresto de la MCSO, los agentes llegaron y encontraron la vivienda “completamente desordenada”, con varios artículos del hogar rotos y “sangre y manchas de sangre por todo el piso, además de un gran charco de sangre ubicado en el centro de la sala”.

Los agentes dijeron que Bradly Shadduck “estaba completamente desnudo y cubierto únicamente con una manta”, mientras que Lynne Shadduck yacía desnuda en el pasillo, ensangrentada, golpeada e inconsciente, pero aún respirando.

El informe indica que cuando los agentes le preguntaron a Bradly Shadduck qué había ocurrido, simplemente respondió: “Esto acaba de pasar”, pero “se negó a proporcionar detalles adicionales sobre el incidente y repetidamente dijo que su esposa necesitaba ayuda”.

Los paramédicos trasladaron a Lynne Shadduck al Lower Keys Medical Center, donde fue declarada muerta más tarde esa misma mañana.

Las autoridades dijeron que Bradly Shadduck les comentó a los detectives que él y su esposa habían consumido “comida y muchas bebidas” en un restaurante de Summerland Key la noche anterior y afirmó que el desorden en la vivienda era resultado de “sexo rudo”.

“Bradly dijo que cuando bebe, se desmaya y no recuerda nada”, escribió el agente de la MCSO Paul McNalley en el informe de arresto. “Bradly no recuerda haber ido a la casa de su vecino a pedir ayuda. Luego pidió un abogado”.

En un video que lo muestra yendo a la casa de su vecino para solicitar la llamada al 911, los agentes dijeron que Bradly Shadduck “parece estar mojado y posiblemente acababa de ducharse”.

Indicaron que otro video lo muestra golpeando las ventanas y la puerta de otro vecino poco menos de dos horas antes.

“En ese momento, Bradly estaba sin camisa y usando un par de pantalones cortos de color claro. Se le escucha respirar con dificultad e intenta abrir la puerta principal ingresando un código de acceso, pero no tuvo éxito”, escribió McNalley. “Se observa a Bradly golpeando las ventanas y puertas durante aproximadamente dos a tres minutos. Luego se le ve agarrando la baranda con ambas manos y sacudiéndola. (El propietario de la vivienda) dio consentimiento para registrar el área y se encontraron dos huellas ensangrentadas en esa baranda”.

Las autoridades dijeron que una orden de registro de la vivienda reveló posteriormente sangre “en toda la residencia”, incluyendo toallas, el baño y el dormitorio principal.

“El pasillo principal tenía una mancha de sangre en el piso como si la víctima hubiera sido arrastrada por el pasillo hasta el baño”, escribió McNalley.

McNalley concluyó que las pruebas mostraban lo que parecía ser “una pelea y lucha significativa por parte de la víctima”, aunque señaló que Bradly Shadduck no presentaba lesiones.

Hasta la mañana de este viernes, Bradly Shadduck permanecía detenido en la cárcel de Key West de la MCSO sin derecho a fianza.

Los registros muestran que tiene programada una audiencia de instrucción de cargos para el próximo viernes.

Los fiscales señalaron el viernes que la decisión del tribunal del estado brasileño de Pará, en el norte del país, marca un hito significativo en la protección del patrimonio.

Fordlandia, hoy un pueblo fantasma y un distrito de la ciudad de Aveiro, fue construida en 1927 en Pará por la empresa Ford Motor Co. como una metrópolis destinada a asegurar un suministro constante de caucho natural para neumáticos.

Diseñada como un idílico suburbio estadounidense, en su momento fue el tercer asentamiento más grande de la región amazónica. Sin embargo, las enfermedades devastaron las plantaciones de árboles de caucho, lo que llevó al abandono de la ciudad. En 1945, el gobierno brasileño adquirió el lugar.

En 2015, la fiscalía federal de Brasil en Pará demandó al organismo de patrimonio arquitectónico Iphan y a la ciudad de Aveiro por no preservar Fordlandia. También exigió que las autoridades otorgaran a la ciudad estatus de protección.

“Fordlandia es un capítulo emblemático en la historia de Brasil y de la industria mundial. El proyecto fue un esfuerzo estadounidense para desafiar el monopolio británico del caucho, llevando infraestructura de vanguardia —incluidos un hospital, agua corriente, electricidad y un cine— al corazón de la Amazonia en la década de 1920”, declaró la fiscalía federal en Pará en un comunicado.

Pese al fin del emprendimiento comercial, las autoridades subrayaron que el distrito sigue siendo una parte importante de la memoria nacional de Brasil y que debe preservarse para las generaciones futuras.

Un juez en Pará ordenó hace dos semanas que tanto las autoridades federales como las locales restauren Fordlandia. La decisión se produjo tras más de una década de procedimientos judiciales.

Aunque el distrito no está reconocido oficialmente como sitio patrimonial, el tribunal determinó que posee importancia histórica, cultural y arquitectónica, que según la Constitución brasileña debe protegerse.

El fallo también exige que el gobierno y el municipio elaboren e implementen un plan de recuperación para el distrito, con posibles sanciones económicas en caso de incumplimiento.

___________________________________

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___________________________________

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

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According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded just before 6 a.m. to the home of Bradly Shawn Shadduck, 56, and his wife, Lynne Alane Shadduck, 62, at 136 Maracaibo Lane.

Deputies said Bradly Shadduck went to his next door neighbor’s house “with a Cleveland Browns blanket and no clothes on” and told his neighbor to “call 911, dude; my f---ing whole house is full of blood, covered everywhere with blood, say it, will be there.”

According to an MCSO arrest report, deputies arrived to find the home “in complete disarray” with several broken household items and “blood and blood smears throughout the floor, along with a large pool of blood located in the center of the living room.”

Deputies said Bradly Shadduck “was completely naked and only covered with a blanket,” while Lynne Shadduck was lying naked in the hallway, bloodied, bruised and unconscious, but still breathing.

The report states that when deputies asked Bradly Shadduck what happened, he simply said, “This just happened,” but “refused to provide any additional details regarding the incident and repeatedly stated his wife needed help.”

Medics took Lynne Shadduck to Lower Keys Medical Center, where she would be pronounced dead later that morning.

Authorities said Bradly Shadduck told detectives he and his wife had “food and lots of drinks” at a restaurant on Summerland Key the previous night and claimed the home was in disarray because of “rough sex.”

“Bradly said that when he drinks, he passes out and doesn’t remember anything,” MCSO Deputy Paul McNalley wrote in the arrest report. “Bradly doesn’t remember going to his neighbor’s home asking for help. Bradly then asked for a lawyer.”

In video showing him going to his neighbor’s home to make the 911 call request, deputies said Bradly Shadduck “appears to be wet and possibly just took a shower.”

They said an additional piece of video showed him banging on the windows and door of another neighbor a little less than two hours before.

“Bradly at this time is shirtless and wearing a light-colored pair of shorts. Bradly is heard breathing heavily and attempts to open the front door by entering a passcode, but was unsuccessful,” McNalley wrote. “Bradly is seen banging on the windows and doors for approximately (two to three) minutes. Bradly is then seen grabbing the railing with both hands and shaking it. (The homeowner) gave consent to search and there were two bloody prints located on that railing.”

Authorities said a search warrant of the home later revealed blood “throughout the entire residence,” including on towels and in the bathroom and master bedroom.

“The main hallway had a bloody smear on the floor as if the victim was dragged down the hallway to the bathroom,” McNalley wrote.

McNalley concluded that evidence showed what appeared to be “a significant fight and struggle for the victim,” but he noted that Bradly Shadduck was unhurt.

Bradly Shadduck, as of Friday morning, was being held in MCSO’s Key West jail facility with no listed bond.

Records show he’s set to be arraigned next Friday.

Entre una baraja de 11 aspirantes presidenciales, las encuestas han mostrado una reñida carrera entre tres punteros: el oficialista Iván Cepeda y los opositores de signo conservador Abelardo de la Espriella y Paloma Valencia, dejando atrás a otros candidatos que representan a sectores más moderados.

“Colombia es un país que permanece profundamente dividido en temas sociales, económicos y políticos”, aseguró a The Associated Press el analista político Sergio Guzmán. “Petro es una figura polarizante, pero no es impopular: cuenta con cerca del 40% de aprobación, según encuestas, y también tiene un muy alto rechazo entre algunos sectores”, agregó.

Petro, quien militó en su juventud en una extinta guerrilla, logró hace cuatro años una victoria histórica para la izquierda. Una vez en el poder, ha buscado que su legado continúe porque asegura que cuatro años no fueron suficientes para un “cambio” que favorezca a los más vulnerables, alegando que la oposición no le permitió ejecutar todos sus proyectos.

Su gobierno logró que la pobreza monetaria —que se mide a partir de un mínimo de ingresos mensuales de 127 dólares— disminuyera pasando del 36,6% en 2022 al 31,8% de la población en 2024, según el último dato oficial disponible. Mientras que el salario mínimo mensual pasó de 309 dólares en 2022 a 554 dólares en 2026.

Para Sandra Borda, profesora de Ciencia Política de la Universidad de Los Andes, no se trata tanto de un escenario de polarización, sino de un panorama político más amplio del que tuvo Colombia antes de que la izquierda fuera un jugador importante en las urnas, en un país gobernado tradicionalmente por la derecha y los moderados.

La campaña electoral ha transcurrido en medio de una preocupación por la violencia y el constreñimiento a los electores. La Misión de Observación Electoral, conformada por organizaciones de la sociedad civil, calcula que un tercio del país es susceptible de sufrir actos de violencia asociados a grupos armados ilegales. En el último mes múltiples ataques con explosivos causaron más de 20 muertos y decenas de heridos entre la población civil y las fuerzas de seguridad.

Propuestas antagónicas

Cepeda, senador y candidato por el oficialista Pacto Histórico, ha prometido profundizar la agenda política de Petro —su padrino político y amigo— ampliando programas sociales que den “vida digna para millones” de personas y continuando con la reformas del sistema pensional, laboral y de la salud.

"Que el cambio se dé definitivamente en Colombia y que las propuestas lleguen a las personas más necesitadas, en este caso en nuestro territorio que sufre mucho... mueren los niños de desnutrición”, dijo a AP Rubén Antonio Díaz, oriundo del departamento de La Guajira, en el norte del país.

Entre los punteros, Cepeda es el único que continuaría con la política de “paz total” con la que Petro inició diálogos paralelos con grupos armados, a los que aún no ha logrado desarmar. Aunque aseguró que les exigirá que cesen ataques a la población civil.

Terminar con la inseguridad

Valencia, del Centro Democrático, y De la Espriella, del movimiento independiente Defensores de la Patria, han centrado su propuesta en “enfrentar la crisis de seguridad” combatiendo delitos como el narcotráfico, la extorsión y el secuestro para así “recuperar” el control territorial por parte del Estado en sitios donde operan los ilegales.

Con más seguridad, dice Valencia, también se impulsaría un mayor crecimiento económico beneficiando a las empresas con menos impuestos y reactivando la explotación de combustibles fósiles. Es una política contraria a la de Petro, que ha buscado acelerar una transición energética.

De la Espriella haría ajustes fiscales que reduzcan el tamaño del Estado en una “cuarta parte” y también reduciría la carga tributaria para el sector empresarial.

“Los negocios están de capa caída, no hay credibilidad y la situación laboral del país es increíble con la inflación”, aseguró a la AP Víctor Julio Rodríguez, un comerciante de Bogotá que votará por De la Espriella.

Los analistas señalan que ambos candidatos opositores compiten por un mismo sector del electorado, pero se podrían unir para un eventual balotaje en caso de que ninguno obtenga la mitad más uno del total de los votos en la primera vuelta.

Prosecutors said Friday that the decision marks a significant milestone in heritage protection.

Fordlandia, now a ghost town and a district of the city of Aveiro, was built in 1927 in Pará by the Ford Motor Co. as a rubber-tapping metropolis intended to secure a steady supply of natural rubber for tires.

Designed to resemble an idyllic American suburb, it was once the third-largest settlement in the Amazon region. However, disease ravaged the rubber tree plantations, leading to the city’s abandonment. In 1945, the Brazilian government acquired the site.

In 2015, Brazil’s federal prosecutors’ office in Pará sued the country’s Iphan architectural heritage agency and the city of Aveiro for failing to preserve Fordlandia. They also demanded that authorities grant the city protected status.

“Fordlandia is a landmark chapter in the history of Brazil and of global industry. The project was an American effort to challenge the British monopoly on rubber, bringing cutting-edge infrastructure—including a hospital, running water, electricity and a movie theater — to the heart of the Amazon in the 1920s,” the prosecutors’ office in Pará said in a statement.

Despite the end of the commercial venture, officials emphasized that the district remains an important part of Brazil’s national memory and should be preserved for future generations.

Two weeks ago, a judge in Pará ordered both federal and local authorities to restore Fordlandia. The decision came after more than a decade of legal proceedings.

Although the district isn't officially recognized as a heritage site, the court found that it possesses historical, cultural, and architectural significance, which the Brazilian Constitution mandates must be protected.

The ruling further requires the government and municipality to develop and implement a recovery plan for the district, with potential financial penalties for noncompliance.

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“You drove past me holding a phone with your right hand, manipulating that phone,” the deputy tells 36-year-old Kathleen “Katie” Thomas.

“Obviously not,” Thomas says while laughing and holding up her right arm, showing that she’s missing her right hand.

“So you wanna call this a day?” she asks.

“I don’t want to call this a day. You had a hand up, manipulating,” the deputy responds.

“You just said my right hand,” Thomas counters.

“Well, I thought I saw your right hand,” the deputy says.

“So you didn’t,” Thomas responds.

Thomas posted the bodycam footage on Instagram and TikTok where it gained millions of likes.

In the video, although she shows the deputy she doesn’t have a right hand, the deputy doubled down.

“I’m asking you now; did you or not have your phone in your hand?” the deputy asks.

“I did not,” Thomas responds.

“You did not have your phone in your hand?” the deputy asks again.

“I did not,” Thomas responds.

“Hand to God, you didn’t have a phone in your hand?” the deputy asks.

“Hand to God,” Thomas says.

Court records show Thomas was given a $116 citation despite the presented evidence, but it was later dismissed at the request of the deputy involved.

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Jeyner Francisco Monzon was arrested Thursday by the Miami Police Department in connection with the April 16 theft, according to an arrest report.

The victim, who lives near the 1500 block of Northwest 53rd Street, reported that several Amazon packages containing dog supplies and jewelry cleaning products valued at about $111 had been delivered to his home that morning, the report states.

Police said after being awakened by barking dogs and going outside to feed them, the victim checked his cellphone and saw that the packages had been delivered. They said when he went to the front porch, the packages were gone.

Investigators said the victim reviewed Ring camera footage, which showed a Monzon arriving at the home on a black bicycle at about 11:44 a.m.

They said the video showed the suspect placing the packages into a black backpack before leaving eastbound on Northwest 53rd Street toward Northwest 15th Avenue about a minute later.

A Miami police detective obtained the video and created a flyer seeking help identifying the suspect.

On Thursday, officers located a man matching the flyer and identified him as Monzon, according to the report. He was then taken to MPD headquarters, where he was read his Miranda rights and interviewed by detectives.

Police said Monzon waived his rights and was shown the surveillance video. His statement was redacted from the publicly released report.

Jail records show he is facing one count each of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and petit theft of a dwelling or curtilage.

As of Friday morning, the Nicaraguan national was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where he was placed on an immigration hold and his bond was listed as “to be set.”

Miami police said investigators believe Monzon may be connected to other package thefts that have not been reported. Anyone who believes they may have been victimized is encouraged to contact MPD’s General Investigations Unit at 305-603-6030 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.

Jeyner Francisco Monzón fue arrestado el jueves por el Departamento de Policía de Miami en relación con el robo ocurrido el 16 de abril, según un informe de arresto.

La víctima, que vive cerca de la cuadra 1500 de Northwest 53rd Street, reportó que varios paquetes de Amazon que contenían suministros para perros y productos para limpiar joyas, valorados en aproximadamente $111 USD, habían sido entregados en su casa esa mañana, indica el informe.

La policía dijo que después de despertarse por los ladridos de los perros y salir a alimentarlos, la víctima revisó su teléfono celular y vio que los paquetes habían sido entregados. Indicaron que cuando fue al porche delantero, los paquetes ya no estaban.

Los investigadores dijeron que la víctima revisó las imágenes de una cámara Ring, las cuales mostraban a Monzón llegando a la vivienda en una bicicleta negra alrededor de las 11:44 a.m.

Según la policía, el video muestra al sospechoso colocando los paquetes en una mochila negra antes de marcharse hacia el este por Northwest 53rd Street en dirección a Northwest 15th Avenue aproximadamente un minuto después.

Un detective de la Policía de Miami obtuvo el video y creó un volante solicitando ayuda para identificar al sospechoso.

El jueves, agentes localizaron a un hombre que coincidía con la imagen del volante y lo identificaron como Monzón, según el informe. Posteriormente fue trasladado a la sede de la Policía de Miami, donde se le leyeron sus derechos Miranda y fue interrogado por detectives.

La policía dijo que Monzón renunció a sus derechos y se le mostró el video de vigilancia. Su declaración fue censurada en la versión pública del informe.

Los registros carcelarios muestran que enfrenta un cargo de allanamiento de una vivienda desocupada y un cargo de hurto menor en una vivienda o sus alrededores.

Hasta la mañana del viernes, el ciudadano nicaragüense permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde se le colocó una retención migratoria y su fianza figuraba como “pendiente por establecer”.

La policía de Miami dijo que los investigadores creen que Monzón podría estar relacionado con otros robos de paquetes que no han sido reportados. Cualquier persona que crea haber sido víctima puede comunicarse con la Unidad de Investigaciones Generales de la Policía de Miami al 305-603-6030 o con Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477.

Ahead of the meeting, Trump said he was looking to make a “final determination.” A senior administration official later said the roughly two-hour meeting with national security aides had concluded.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, would not say whether Trump had made a decision to sign off on the tentative agreement.

Trump confirmed the high-level talks the day after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had come to terms on a tentative agreement. The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days as new talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

Trump wrote on social media that “Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb.” He said the strait must be reopened for international navigation and all sea mines destroyed.

Iran’s main negotiator said Friday that it has “no trust in guarantees or words,” only actions, underscoring lingering distrust after the U.S. and Israel have twice attacked Iran over the past year while it was engaged in nuclear negotiations.

“No step will be taken before the other side acts,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. “We do not gain concessions through talks, but through missiles."

Nuclear issues remain unresolved

Later, but before Trump's meeting concluded, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told a state broadcaster that the agreement “has not been finalized yet.”

On Thursday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggested negotiators were trying to strike general terms on Iran’s nuclear program, with the specifics to be hammered out in the ensuing talks.

Baghaei, however, said Friday that Iranian officials were "focused on the end of war and are not discussing the details of the nuclear plan at this point.”

Iran also wants any deal to include a truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, where fighting has intensified despite a nominal ceasefire. And the Islamic Republic has been seeking the release of billions of dollars in frozen funds.

Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security commission and is close to top leaders, posted on social media Friday that Iran “sets the terms: cash for cash, credit for credit, nothing for nothing.”

The Islamic Republic has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful and has not publicly committed to giving up the stockpile. It's believed to be buried under three nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last year.

Trump returned Friday to his on-and-off demand for the removal of the cache as part of a deal. The material would be unearthed by the U.S., in coordination with Iran and the IAEA, “and DESTROYED,” he posted.

Deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz

The proposed memorandum makes clear that Iran would not be able to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz and that it would have to remove all mines from the vital waterway within 30 days, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. would gradually lift its blockade on Iranian ports and would also agree to relax sanctions, allowing Iran to sell more of its oil.

Baghaei said Iran and Oman, which lie on opposite sides of the strait, would manage it and “adopt mechanisms” for transit through it, "based on their own national interests and the interests of the international community.”

The two nations' foreign ministers discussed the issue by phone earlier Friday, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who wrote on X that he had expressed solidarity “in the face of any threat.”

On Wednesday, Trump had warned Oman — a U.S. ally — not to enter into any agreement with Iran to share control of the strait or the U.S. will “have to blow them up.”

Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel launched a surprise attack on Feb. 28 that killed Iran's supreme leader and other top officials. Before then, the waterway was open to international traffic, and around a fifth of the world's oil and gas passed through it.

The closure of the strait has caused the price of fuel and other goods to soar, with the effects felt far beyond the Middle East.

Iran has said it lets some commercial vessels pass — about two dozen daily in recent days, compared with more than 100 a day before the war. But the Islamic Republic also has charged tolls for at least some ships and established a formal gatekeeper agency earlier this month, spurring a new round of U.S. sanctions this week.

The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, condemned the sanctions Friday but deemed them a a sign of its own “positive performance.”

Since the ceasefire began about seven weeks ago, the U.S. and Iran have traded strikes and accusations of ceasefire violations. But they have not returned to full-scale hostilities and have kept negotiating.

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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Farnoush Amiri in New York, and Matthew Lee in Washington, contributed.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, scheduled a June 12 hearing for arguments on whether to extend her order barring the government from moving forward with its “Anti-Weaponization Fund” while pending litigation challenges it. The administration created the fund to resolve President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.

A Justice Department spokesperson said it's “extremely confident” that the fund is legally supported “by ample precedent,” including from settlements during the administration of President Barack Obama, a Democrat. "We will not allow the policy preferences of judges to interfere with our efforts to provide restitution to victims of lawfare,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The White House declined to comment on the judge’s ruling, referring questions to the Justice Department.

The judge, who was nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, gave the government another week to respond in writing to the plaintiffs' arguments in favor of freezing the fund's creation and operation, including any payments in or out of it.

The fund has generated a fierce backlash since it was announced last week, with even Republicans pressing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the eligibility considerations and the possibility that even violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, would be free to seek compensation.

The Justice Department hasn’t formed the five-member commission that will decide on payout criteria, so there has been no money paid out yet or claims accepted.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys from the legal advocacy group Democracy Forward are seeking a court order halting the fund’s implementation and preventing the Trump administration from disbursing any payouts from it. The federal suit claims there is no legal basis or accountability behind the fund.

“President Trump and his allies have long accused Democrats of using the government and the legal system as political weapons,” plaintiffs' lawyers wrote. “In doing so, the (Trump) administration fails to acknowledge the unprecedented campaign of targeting individuals and entities for retribution on personal and ideological grounds that it has carried out.”

Brinkema said it’s important to maintain the status quo — for at least the next two weeks — and to ensure that no funds are “irreversibly disbursed” from the fund. Her order temporarily prohibits the Trump administration from transferring any money to the fund, considering any claims or disbursing any money from it.

The Virginia lawsuit's plaintiffs include a fired prosecutor and a college professor acquitted of assaulting federal agents at a protest.

“The unlawfulness that has imbued the Anti-Weaponization Fund from its inception requires that it be wholly dismantled,” the suit says.

At least two other lawsuits, both filed separately in Washington, also are challenging the fund's creation. A lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington refers to the fund as “a jaw-dropping act of presidential corruption.” Two police officers who helped defend the Capitol from a mob of Trump supporters sued last week.

During a congressional hearing, Blanche wouldn’t rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6 could be eligible for fund payouts.

Nearly 1,600 people were charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Over 1,200 were convicted and sentenced before Trump handed out mass pardons, commuted prison sentences and ordered the dismissal of every pending Jan. 6 criminal case last year.

One of the plaintiffs in the Virginia case is former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Floyd, who prosecuted Capitol riot cases in Washington before he was fired last year by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. Floyd believes his firing was retaliation for his Jan. 6 work.

“The President’s targeting of me and others involved in January 6 prosecutions leaves our country in a very dark place, sending a message that insurrection and sedition will be protected (and even encouraged) as long as it is on behalf of this administration,” Floyd said in a court filing.

Another plaintiff is California State University Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello, who was acquitted of an assault charge. He was accused of throwing a tear gas canister at federal agents during a 2025 protest against an immigration raid at a Camarillo, California, cannabis farm.

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Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County. All five of the people who died were in vehicles hit by the bus, and three of the injured are in critical condition, police said.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that traffic was slowing southbound for an upcoming work zone,” state police said in a news release. “A bus failed to slow for traffic and struck six vehicles."

It was not immediately known what the bus was being used for or how many people were aboard.

The crash is under investigation and charges are pending, police said.

Southbound lanes remained closed seven hours after the crash, with traffic being detoured.

The craft carrying Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang of the Shenzhou 21 crew touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia region in the evening. Their return came as China prepares for its first lunar landing by 2030.

The crew had completed various tasks, from processing and transmitting experimental data to transferring remaining supplies, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted the China Manned Space Agency as saying. They also shared their experience with the Shenzhou 23 crew who arrived at the space station on Monday, Xinhua said.

Xinhua reported earlier that the crew had completed three spacewalk activities. Zhang Jingbo, the space agency's spokesperson, said that Zhang Lu, who was also on an earlier Shenzhou 15 mission to the space station, had completed seven such operations in total — becoming the Chinese astronaut with the most spacewalks, the report said.

Zhang Lu said he felt extremely emotional when he returned to China. He said at the astronauts' mission wouldn't have been possible without the care and support from their families and comrades, as well as the the backing of leaders and those involved in the project.

Zhang Hongzhang recalled his time away from the planet.

“Looking at Earth from space, I really felt that humanity is an indivisible community with a shared future," he said.

One of the three astronauts who arrived at the Tiangong space station with the Shenzhou 23 craft is set to stay for a year. Tiangong means “Heavenly Palace" in Chinese.

The astronauts are Zhu Yangzhu, the commander, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, also identified by Chinese authorities as Li Jiaying, using the Mandarin transliteration of her name. Lai, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, is the first astronaut from the city on a space mission.

As China steps up its space program, its astronauts have carried out multiple missions to the Tiangong space station, developed after China was effectively excluded from the International Space Station on U.S. concerns over national security.

The U.S. is seen as China’s top space rival, with NASA aiming to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028.

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Liu Zheng contributed to this report from Beijing.

A Local 10 News crew went to Westland Mall Thursday to meet with the man at the center of the case after he agreed to speak in a public place.

Joseph Saroza has been arrested and is facing multiple counts of fraud. Police say he scammed at least six people through bogus Facebook Marketplace apartment rentals around Miami, taking deposits for units that didn’t exist and allegedly providing fake keys. Detectives say victims lost thousands of dollars.

But in an exclusive interview with Local 10 News, Saroza pushed back, saying he’s the one who was actually scammed by someone else.

Investigators say people paid deposits, received fake key cards and leases, and were ultimately swindled.

After reporters went to Saroza’s home Wednesday night seeking his side of the story, he later called and agreed to talk.

When asked about the scam, he said he didn’t know about it.

“Correct,” Saroza said. “It’s the other guy. The money to bond me out was raised by family members.”

Local 10 News’ Jeff Derderian also pressed him about alleged fake key cards, leases and cash payments from victims.

“Like I told you on the phone, if I have to work for three years straight, I’ll do it,” he said.

When asked why he allegedly cut off communication with people who believed they were renting apartments, Saroza said he was not the one controlling the phone tied to the operation.

Saroza says he is done with the apartment rental business, but he remains in the legal system. He is now facing multiple fraud charges tied to the alleged scheme.

Meanwhile, former Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before House lawmakers investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse cases, a long-awaited appearance that brings fresh scrutiny of the administration’s botched release of the Epstein case files.

Here's the latest:

Judge temporarily blocks payouts from Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ settlement fund

A federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s administration from paying any claims through a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for Trump allies who believe they were victims of a weaponized government.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday also barred the government from moving forward with the fund’s creation while litigation is pending to challenge it.

The judge scheduled a June 12 hearing for arguments on whether to extend the order blocking payouts from an “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which the government created to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.

The fund has created a fierce backlash since it was announced last week, with even Republicans pressing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the eligibility considerations and the possibility that even violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, would be free to seek compensation.

▶ Read more

Pam Bondi interview gets underway on Capitol Hill

The former attorney general is appearing before House lawmakers as they investigate how the government has handled the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.

Bondi was ousted as attorney general last month, but her in her previous testimony to Congress she has been defiant in the face of lawmakers’ questions about how the Department of Justice handled the release of case files on Epstein. She is also accompanied today by Department of Justice officials — an arrangement Democrats have criticized.

Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse also appeared outside the House office room where the interview is happening behind closed doors. They pressed the committee chair, Republican Rep. James Comer, to closely question Bondi.

“We want justice for the survivors, we do,” Comer told them.

South Carolina Democrats expected to celebrate after failure of Trump-backed redistricting push

Democrats may be in a more celebratory mood than usual as they gather Friday in South Carolina, a state led almost entirely by Republicans.

The party is holding events days after the GOP-led state Senate shot down an effort backed by President Donald Trump to redraw House district lines to help Republicans this fall. That move was aimed at ousting longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s lone congressional Democrat and a party powerbroker who’s been in office since 1993.

Friday’s gatherings kick off with the Blue Palmetto Dinner, an annual party fundraiser that typically showcases potential presidential contenders and the party’s national figures. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will be the headliner.

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Pam Bondi to face closed-door questioning from House lawmakers over Epstein files

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before House lawmakers investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse cases, a long-awaited appearance that brings fresh scrutiny of the administration’s botched release of the Epstein case files.

Bondi was defiant in previous public testimony when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. It’s unclear whether she’ll bring the same approach Friday, now that she is no longer in charge of the Justice Department. The session will be held behind closed doors.

The transcribed interview will give lawmakers a chance to dig for information on the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files and other related matters, including the prison sentence of his former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Justice Department moved Maxwell to a prison camp in Texas last August.

“I think she absolutely could clear up many missing pieces if she wanted to,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. “Now it’s a question of whether or not she is willing to be transparent.”

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Judge refuses to block Trump order to limit mail voting. There’s no immediate effect on the midterms

A federal judge has declined to halt Trump’s executive order creating a federal voter list and limiting mail voting, clearing the way for potential sweeping changes in how American elections are run shortly before this year’s midterm elections.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee in Washington, late Wednesday rejected the request by Democrats and civil rights groups that had argued Trump’s order would likely be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules. Nichols agreed with the Republican Trump administration’s contention that it was too early to block the order because it has yet to be implemented.

Nichols’ ruling leaves the door open for further challenges when the Trump administration moves to implement the president’s directive. A separate lawsuit seeking to block the executive order is underway in Boston. No matter how rapidly the administration acts, no voting changes are expected during primary elections, which continue into next month.

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Treasury Secretary Bessent confirms limited steps toward a $250 bill featuring Donald Trump

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that his department has prepared the design for a $250 bill featuring Trump, anticipating the passage of stalled legislation in Congress to put the president on a new denomination of legal tender.

Bessent said at the White House that authorizing the new currency will be up to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, but that “we’ve created the bill” because “we have to be prepared.”

The secretary downplayed the idea that the administration is pushing the matter, despite Trump’s penchant for infusing his name and likeness across the nation’s capital and into the observances of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Yet he also insisted there is nothing inappropriate about Trump’s visage being part of the seminal national celebration.

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Top federal prosecutor in Chicago denies investigation into E. Jean Carroll, disputing media reports

The top federal prosecutor in Chicago denied Thursday evening that his office had opened an investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist who has said Trump sexually assaulted her 30 years ago, hours after multiple news organizations reported that the Justice Department was investigating whether she had lied during the course of civil litigation against Trump.

The Associated Press and other news organizations, citing anonymous sources, reported that the federal prosecutors’ office in Chicago had opened an investigation into Carroll.

But Andrew Boutros, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, issued a statement roughly 24 hours after the first report was published saying that his office “has not opened — and has never opened — a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll.”

A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation, initially told the AP on Thursday morning that investigators were focused on Carroll but later clarified that the actual focus was on a nonprofit that had helped fund her case.

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US and Iranian negotiators reach tentative deal to extend ceasefire and start new nuclear talks

U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

Iran did not immediately confirm any deal. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday evening confirmed there was a tentative agreement, but said it was unclear if Trump would approve it.

“It’s hard to say exactly when or if the president’s going to sign,” Vance told reporters.

He added: “We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points.”

The emerging memorandum of understanding came as the fragile ceasefire in the war between the U.S. and Iran appeared to be wavering. The latest flare-up in fighting happened less than a day earlier, when Kuwait intercepted missiles fired from Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.

▶ Read more

— Aamer Madhani, Jon Gambrell, Michelle L. Price and Sam Metz

“As the mayor of Chicago, we are incredibly elated and proud of him,” Johnson told The Associated Press in an interview Friday, a day after meeting the American pope in a private audience.

The mayor said it was comforting to know that someone who comes from the city of Chicago "can speak to justice” and defend “the most vulnerable among us.”

Johnson, a first-term progressive Democrat leading the third-largest U.S. city, traveled to Rome with a delegation of some 50 local officials, drawing strong media interest. He is a leading critic of U.S. President Donald Trump and has applauded Leo for pushing back against the war in Iran and Trump administration immigration policies.

Johnson said he used the meeting to thank the pope “for his courage and his strength and particularly his moral stance,” framing the encounter as a convergence of civic leadership and moral authority.

He noted the meeting underscored areas of alignment between Chicago’s policy agenda and the pope’s emphasis on social justice, particularly on the legacy of slavery and the treatment of migrants.

Johnson said the pontiff’s apology for the Catholic Church’s role in slavery reinforced his administration’s push for reparations, including efforts to fund a task force examining the lasting impact on Black Americans.

“The fact that the pope made a very clear declaration apologizing for the church’s role in slavery … is an affirmation to the work that we’re doing,” he said.

Johnson stressed the visit reflects an effort to position Chicago within a broader international push for human rights, with the pope’s global influence lending weight to the city’s agenda on justice, migration and reparative policies — and potentially extending that message well beyond the U.S.

Focus on migrants' conditions amid US crackdown

Migration was also central to their discussion. Johnson said Pope Leo asked directly about conditions in Chicago following a broader U.S. immigration crackdown and efforts to deport migrants.

“He wanted to know the conditions on the ground in Chicago … how we were responding,” Johnson said, adding the pontiff was aware of “the mass effort to deport immigrants from the city of Chicago and really around the country.”

Johnson described outlining the city’s response to migrants facing fear and uncertainty, including rapid-response efforts to ensure families had access to schools and basic necessities. He also highlighted executive actions intended to shield migrants, saying Chicago’s approach has been adopted by other municipalities.

Johnson framed the meeting as the beginning of broader cooperation between city government and the Vatican. “We talked about how his pulpit and my pen can come together to protect all of humanity,” he said, referencing both descendants of enslaved people and immigrant communities.

The mayor also emphasized the shared Chicago background, saying the city’s history of activism makes it “uniquely positioned for this moment.” On Thursday, he marked the visit by presenting Leo with a key to the city and inviting him to celebrate Mass in Chicago’s Grant Park.

It’s at least the second official invitation that Leo has received to visit the United States. U.S. Vice President JD Vance invited Leo soon after he became pope last May.

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Associated Press writer Silvia Stellacci in Rome contributed to this report.

The 15th-ranked player is in an excellent run of form and extended her winning streak on clay to 15 matches. Ahead of Roland Garros, she won in Madrid — the biggest title of her career — after she claimed another clay-court title in Rouen, France.

She previously reached the fourth round in Paris in 2021, when she lost to Swiatek. A rematch is coming up next after Swiatek defeated fellow Polish player Magda Linette 6-4, 6-4.

Also advancing to the fourth round was Wang Xiyu of China, who beat Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-3, 7-5. The Chinese qualifier has still not dropped a set in her campaign.

In men’s action, a day after top-ranked Jannik Sinner was upset after he twice failed to serve out the match in the third set, three-time champion Novak Djokovic later takes on Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca.

Second-seeded Alexander Zverev, chasing a first major title in Paris, continues his quest for his first major trophy against Frenchman Quentin Halys during the evening session. Andrey Rublev meets Nuno Borges and Casper Ruud faces Tommy Paul.

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

The concert, set for Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Miramar Cultural Center, will feature performances by Spragga Benz, Wayne Wonder, Ky-Mani Marley and other guest artists.

“We’re going to give you what it feels like, being in Kingston around our time, our era which is the 90s, early 2000’s,” Benz told Local 10’s Alexis Frazier.

Event organizers say the event is designed to recreate the atmosphere of Jamaica’s dancehall scene, complete with island-inspired décor, food and music.

“So we’re looking forward to bringing that energy on stage, and making the audience feel like they’re back in House of Leo or one of those famous dancehalls in Jamaica,” Benz said. “We want to create the atmosphere of that as well.”

Organizers say part of the proceeds from the concert will go back to Jamaica.

Benz also said the show reflects the longtime friendships between many of the performers.

Wayne Wonder and Assassin — they’re really good friends of mine, schoolmates,” he said. “Our journey is different from that of other artist(s). We have a lot of things that intertwine, completely separate from music.

Wonder also had kind words for Benz when being interviewed by Frazier.

“Spragga is like my number one. Great family, great friend,” he said. We actually went to the same high school, so he’s my classmate also."

He also reflected on the inspiration behind his music.

“I write from a good place,” he said. “It has to be something that gives me that spark to start the conversation, then I put my pen to action.”

Click here if you would like to purchase tickets.

The release of the funds was a signal of Brussels’ embrace of the new government in Budapest after the 16-year tenure of Viktor Orbán, who was allied with Russia and antagonized the EU.

The agreement, announced during a media briefing in Brussels on Friday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, capped off weeks of negotiations between Magyar’s government and the EU to release the crucial funding that is badly needed by Hungary’s slumping economy.

Magyar called the deal “a historic breakthrough” for the nation, and said that his government was "very grateful, and we are ready to continuing cooperating together in the interest of the Hungarian people and all the European citizens.”

Partly by campaigning on forging stronger ties with the EU, Magyar's earthquake success in the April election ended the long tenure of Orbán, who had vilified von der Leyen and other powerbrokers in the 27-nation bloc as he hollowed out institutional checks and balances in Hungary.

Those actions, and concerns over corruption and the erosion of judicial independence, prompted the EU to freeze the billions in funding to Budapest in 2022. A year later, the commission found that the government had carried out sufficient reforms to have around 10.2 billion euros ($12.1 billion) released.

On Friday, von der Leyen said that only a few weeks since Magyar's new government took office, "we can already feel a strong wind of change across Hungary.”

“A great deal of work has already been achieved in very short time, and markets are already taking notice. Investors confidence is returning. Trust is being rebuilt,” she said.

After Magyar's party Tisza won a super-majority in parliament, which enabled deep and quick reforms, leaders in Brussels and Budapest prioritized releasing the funds as soon as possible to help Hungary's economy, which has stagnated for years.

The funds are split between 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) of COVID-19 recovery funds and more than 6.3 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in the cohesion funds designed to lift up struggling economics within the EU.

Magyar's government has undertaken crucial changes like restoring judicial independence, academic and media freedom, and launching broad anti-corruption efforts in order to get access to the money.

On Friday, Magyar formally submitted Hungary's request to sign on to the European Public Prosecutor's Office, the EU’s corruption watchdog based in Luxembourg that Orbán's government had long refused to join.

Unlocking the funds involved difficult negotiations between Hungarian and EU officials, Magyar said on Friday. “There were some points when I thought it is hopeless and it is not feasible so quickly and everything," he said. "But we are here and we are very happy, and I am sure that all the Hungarians will be very happy.”

Von der Leyen also announced deeper integration of Hungary into EU institutions. For example, Hungarian students will once again be able to join the Erasmus scholarship program that allows students to attend schools across the EU, an opportunity that had been suspended under Orbán.

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Justin Spike reported from Budapest.

Police held 30 students overnight for questioning. Authorities said school administrators would face disciplinary action for safety violations after an exit door was found to be locked during the panicked rush to escape the building. At least 79 people were injured.

Education Minister Julius Ogamba said two teachers were aware that students were planning something but failed to take appropriate action, without elaborating.

A full day after the blaze, some parents said they had still not been told whether their children were under arrest or just being questioned.

“We have not even been told about the eight that police have arrested,” a parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear that her daughter could be victimized, told The Associated Press. “We are just here and no one is giving us any information.”

At a hospital morgue some 28 kilometers (18 miles) from the school, other parents awaited DNA tests to identify their children. A distraught father, John Muiruri, said they were being given conflicting information about the location of the bodies.

“They have just been doing some sideshows, trying to prevent us from knowing the truth, but the reality we have come to know is that we have lost our children," he said. “What we want to know is where are the remains of our daughters.”

The Utumishi Girls School, located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, is managed and sponsored by the police, and many of the students are daughters of police officers.

“Investigators have conducted extensive interviews with students, teaching staff and other witnesses, while forensic teams carry out a detailed review of available CCTV footage,” John Marete, a spokesman for the investigative arm of the national police, said in a statement.

Education Minister Ogamba said the school's board of management had been dissolved and the principal would face disciplinary action for failing to comply with safety regulations.

“In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked, contrary to the prescribed safety requirements,” he said.

Fires at schools have long been a cause of concern for education officials in East Africa, where classrooms and dormitories are often crowded and firefighting equipment is rarely within reach.

Fires are sometimes attributed to electrical faults but there have also been cases of students burning down schools because of disciplinary issues.

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Associated Press journalist Zelipha Kirobi in Gilgil, Kenya, contributed.

“Sleeping by the Lion Carpet,” regarded as one of Freud’s masterpieces, is going up for sale at Sotheby’s on June 24, with a presale estimate of 25 million pounds to 35 million pounds ($33 million to $47 million).

Tilley hasn’t seen any of the millions that the portraits have fetched at auction. But she doesn’t regret a thing.

“It did change my life,” Tilley told The Associated Press as she sat in front of the 7 ½-foot (2.3-meter)-high nude image of herself in the auction house showroom. “Who would have thought I’d be in Sotheby’s?”

“Sleeping by the Lion Carpet,” painted in 1996, is the last of Freud’s four monumental portraits of Tilley reclining, resting or dozing. An earlier painting, “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping,” sold at auction in 2008 for $33.6 million, at the time a record for a living artist.

“I was thrilled I was in ‘The Guinness Book of Records,’” said 69-year-old Tilley, who has a rich laugh and an air of delight at the twists her life has taken. “Unfortunately, it didn’t say my name. There was a picture and it said ‘Benefits Supervisor.’ But I was still thrilled that it was there.”

Cups of tea and paint everywhere

Freud, a grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, is famed for fleshy nudes of friends, family and the artist himself. He slathered oil paint to capture his subjects’ mottled skin tones in portraits that are both unsparing and warm. He even painted Queen Elizabeth II — fully clothed. By the time of his death aged 88 in 2011, he was the most acclaimed British portrait painter of the 20th century.

His reputation has only grown since. Another picture of Tilley, “Benefits Supervisor Resting,” was auctioned in 2015 for $56.2 million. In 2022, his painting “Large Interior, W11” sold for $86 million.

Tilley met Freud through her friend Leigh Bowery, the late Australian performance artist, who also posed for the painter. She recalls “trudging up the stairs” to Freud’s London studio for sittings that involved plentiful tea and chitchat, punctuated by a good lunch. Each portrait was the product of months of work.

“Sleeping by the Lion Carpet,” Tilley says, “was the most comfortable one, because I was sitting up in a chair. Lying down on the sofa looks comfortable, but after a while it got a bit painful.”

Freud painted his friends, lovers, children and colleagues, and the results are bold and exposing. Tilley says that has never bothered her.

“I’m not really vain,” she said. “Sometimes I get out of bed in the morning, and I look at my legs and go, ‘Oh, they look just like that painting.’”

She loved the messy energy of Freud’s studio, where “he used to make you a drink and whisk it up with a dirty old paintbrush, and there was paint absolutely everywhere. I’d go home and there’d be bits of paint all over me.”

Tilley was part of a 1980s and '90s London creative scene, alongside figures like Bowery, who ran the avant-garde Taboo nightclub and died in 1994 aged 33. She says she enjoyed Freud’s tales of an earlier Bohemian era.

“I used to love hearing about when he was roaring around in a Rolls-Royce open top with Cecil Beaton and Marlene Dietrich and goodness knows (who), and when he met Judy Garland,” she said. “I used to love getting the stories of his youth and his misbehavior.”

Freud's ‘magnum opus’ up for sale

Tilley is unperturbed that her image is ending up in the hands of the ultra-wealthy. “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping” was bought in 2008 by Roman Abramovich, the then-owner of Chelsea Football Club, who was sanctioned by the U.K. after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“Sleeping by the Lion Carpet” is part of a June 24-25 sale from the collection of British billionaire Joe Lewis, the former majority owner of Premier League soccer team Tottenham Hotspur, which is still owned by his family. Also going under the hammer are works by Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and others, collectively valued at more than 150 million pounds ($201 million).

There's a chance “Sleeping by the Lion Carpet” could set a new record. Oliver Barker, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, describes it as Freud’s “magnum opus.”

“This is a painting that during his lifetime was very much described by Lucian as being the apogee of everything that he was trying to achieve as a painter,” Barker said. “The market knows, and it’s very savvy, it wants to go for the best of the best — and this is it.”

Tilley, who is retired and lives on England's south coast, says Freud “gave me a couple of etchings, and then I sold them, because I’d rather have the money, and I went on holiday.”

She says she doesn’t regret Freud not leaving her one of the paintings. Her place in art history is secure.

“When I was younger, I used to read art books the whole time and read all about the Pre-Raphaelites and the Impressionists, all the goings on, how they’re all friends and interconnected and all the models knew each other," she said.

“And now, I’ve only just realized, I’m part of that. And that’s thrilling for me that I’ve achieved my ambition without really knowing it.”

The eruption on May 29, 2006, was likely triggered by commercial gas drilling by a local exploration company, according to scientific research, contradicting an Indonesian government minister at the time who insisted it was a natural disaster.

Residents gathered to remember those killed, and the homes and neighborhoods they once lived in before boiling mud slowly swallowed them up in the Porong subdistrict in Sidoarjo.

For years, experts have been searching for ways to slow the spread of the sludge. But all measures, including the construction of holding dams, to stop it have failed. The volcano continues to erupt to this day.

The 14 deaths included a worker who was killed in August 2006 when the digger he was using fell off a levee, and the 13 other victims died in November 2006 when an underground gas pipeline beneath one of the holding dams exploded.

Tens of thousands of residents were displaced after losing their homes, land, jobs and even their ancestors’ graves.

One resident, Sastro, 55, lost his house and his former job as a factory worker. The factory where he worked was submerged in mud, along with thousands of other structures within the 572-hectare (more than 1,400-acre) sea of mud.

Twenty years later, he now works as a motorcycle taxi driver, ferrying visitors on daily trips to the site, which has become a tourist destination in East Java.

“As far as I can tell, things have been really tough ever since the Lapindo incident,” said Sastro, who like other Indonesians uses a single name.

Local mining company PT Lapindo Brantas was exploring for gas in the area of the disaster in May 2006.

Indonesia’s president at the time, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, ordered the company to pay $420 million in compensation to villagers who lost their homes and to help the government fund its emergency operations.

However, the government subsequently provided emergency financial assistance to compensate the affected victims. While Lapindo Brantas did provide some aid, it was a fraction of the total.

After two decades, white smoke can be seen billowing from the center of the mud lake, indicating that hot mud is still erupting from the vent. Excavators dredging the bottom of the mud pond have become a common sight.

Aerial photographs show the vent as a small dot in the middle of the vast expanse of the mud lake. That dot marks the vent that caused one of the largest and longest-lasting disasters in Indonesia.

The mud flow has affected more than 1,100 hectares (around 2,700 acres) as it submerged 19 villages across three subdistricts.

To this day, many survivors still face issues. They include environmental contamination, health and civil registration problems, and the uncertainty of life left in the wake of the disaster, said Lucky Wahyu Wardana, from the Indonesian Forum for Living Environment, or WALHI, in East Java.

“The Lapindo tragedy must serve as a lesson for the government to stop relying on extractive industries, as the costs of the impact far outweigh the benefits.

“Not only have lives been lost, but children who once lived in the affected areas have lost their future and face health consequences,” Wardana said. “In addition, many parents have lost their sense of history regarding their origins and hometowns.”

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Edna Tarigan reported from Jakarta.

Local 10 News’ Cuba analyst Andy Gomez said he has stayed in touch with officials on the island.

“I am a great believer in the Kissinger theory of staying in touch with our enemies more than your friends,” he said. “Recently they did confirm for me that they have drones for defensive purposes and they wanted to be very clear, they told me that it was for defensive purposes.”

The acquisition of drones by Cuba raises an interesting question following the recent indictment of Raul Castro in connection to the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue plane shootdown.

“If we were to go get Raul Castro, I’m afraid that those defensive drones will become offensive and they will fire (at) the United States,” said Gomez. “However, I have great faith on our military capabilities and our intelligence community.”

Which is why he said the existence of drones could slightly complicate the idea of going to Cuba and bringing the aging communist leader into U.S. custody.

This comes as U.S. Southern Command recently posted on social media that it has established a new autonomous warfare command. They posted a video showing a military exercise in Key West earlier this year featuring its “autonomous, semi-autonomous and unmanned platforms and systems” used to counter threats in the region.

The #FLEX2026 exercise in Key West, Florida, is advancing the objectives of the newly established SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC) to embrace cost-effective autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms and systems to counter threats and challenges in the region. https://t.co/C9HUqyRVgM

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 1, 2026

Welcome to the Caribbean, Nimitz Carrier Strike Group!

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the embarked Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17), USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) are the epitome of readiness and presence, unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic… pic.twitter.com/83mfzSIKzd

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 20, 2026

“It’s a message to Cuba, more than anything else,” said Gomez.

Earlier this week, Cuba Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Josefina Vidal Ferreiro said on PBS that the country is taking threats from the U.S. seriously.

Last week, a U.S. aircraft carrier and its strike group of fighter jets and radar-jamming equipment entered the southern Caribbean.

“We have always favored dialogue with the United States,” said Ferreiro. “It would be naive for us not to be ready in order to defend ourselves in case there is an aggression from the United States to Cuba. Cuba will defend itself.”

Added Gomez: “The base in Guantanamo is very close to where they can get hit, so that’s a possibility, but I’m completely assured that our military capability will be able to intercept these drones from Key West up north.”

Sudan Doctors Network, a group that tracks violence across the country, blamed forces affiliated with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for carrying out the attacks on Thursday on villages in al-Murrah area located west of Barah town in North Kordofan.

It said the attacks worsened already “catastrophic humanitarian conditions that citizens are enduring due to the ongoing war."

A full-scale war erupted in April 2023 after long-simmering tensions between the army and the Rapid Support Forces escalated. The Kordofan region has become one of the conflict’s main epicenters, with fighting intensifying on several fronts, including through drone warfare.

The paramilitary RSF and its allies control the western Darfur region and areas in the Kordofan region along the border with South Sudan — both regions rich in oil fields and gold mines. The RSF also repeatedly clashed with the army over Barah.

Thursday's attacks were carried out during the second day of Eid al-Adha or “Feast of Sacrifice,” an Islamic holiday celebrated by millions of Muslims around the globe.

The doctors' network said in its statement that “targeting villages and civilian areas and liquidating citizens in this horrific manner constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

North Kordofan's governing administration condemned the attacks in a statement on Friday and said that “such crimes will only increase the citizens’ unity behind the armed forces in defense of the security and stability of the state and Sudan in general.”

Earlier this month, intense clashes in southern Sudan in South Kordofan between forces linked to the rebel group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North and the Otoro tribe killed over 61 people, including nine children. Last week, a drone strike on a bustling market in central Sudan killed 28 people and wounded dozens more.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 after long-simmering tensions between the army and RSF erupted into a full-out war. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million, and pushed many parts of the country into famine. More than 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Both of Sudan’s warring sides have been accused by the United Nations and rights groups of committing atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence against civilians. Aid groups say the true toll could be much higher as access to areas of fighting across the vast country remains limited.

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For 30 years, the festival has been a home for storytelling right here in South Florida.

“It’s so important for representation to have these platforms that are just all about us because you never know whose mind and perception you’re gonna change with the diversity, with the examples of not onscreen jobs and opportunities behind the scenes,” said singer and actress Coco Jones.

It’s a festival that has welcomed creators, industry pros, and dreamers, making it possible for new voices to be seen and heard.

The premiere of “Strung” marked the start of this year’s celebration, with the stars of the film hitting the red carpet.

Singer and actress Chloe Bailey stars in “Malcolm D,” Malcolm D. Lee’s new thriller.

She plays a talented violinist whose new role as a music tutor for an elite family turns into a psychological battle for her safety.

The film is expected to premiere June 26, but those in attendance at the festival got an early preview.

At the premiere, Bailey revealed what she’s most excited for viewers to see.

“There’s a lot of twist and turns and mess, and you’ll be fully indulged,” she said. “That’s what I love about it.”

Beyond the glam, ABFF has been a gateway, providing access to aspiring filmmakers and building bridges across the industry, and what better to honor three decades of thriving than with a homecoming on Miami Beach.

“It feels phenomenal,” Bailey said.

For more information, visit the festival’s website.

He is being detained inside Alligator Alcatraz, and Perez fears for her brother’s life.

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Her fears add to months of mounting concerns over alleged inhumane conditions inside the facility, claims state officials have denied.

“They treat us like we are the scum of the earth,” said detainee Arlexis Linares during a phone call with his sister.

Linares said detainees often go hungry and questioned the quality of the water they are given to drink.

“They don’t drink that water. They drink bottled water,” Linares said.

“We drink this mystery water,” Linares added. “I call it mystery water because I don’t know where the water comes from.”

As the facility reportedly begins the process of shutting down, the state is now facing another lawsuit.

This time, the Center for Biological Diversity argues diesel-fueled generators at the facility are emitting “significant amounts of dangerous air pollutants that are harmful to human health and the environment.”

An attorney for the environmental group told Local 10 News, “Small businesses that emit air pollution go get air pollution permits, but the state thinks it’s above the law.”

The lawsuit also points to a state-commissioned environmental assessment that said no significant adverse impacts were expected from operating the facility, with the exception of air quality.

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“This place meant the world to us -- income, our everything -- now left stranded,” said Gary Lopez, manager of JC Motors and Gary Used Auto Parts.

The business has been in Lopez’s family for 30 years.

“This was devastating. It’s not two days, you know, it’s 30 years,” Lopez said. “My father started as an employee, worked his way up and eventually got the opportunity to buy it.”

The fire broke out Monday evening around 5 p.m. near Cairo Road and Northwest 131st Street, spreading across several businesses and destroying nearby establishments.

Days after the fire, Lopez remains focused on the people who helped build the business alongside him.

“Not only were they staff, the crew -- that’s brotherhood, that’s family,” Lopez said.

Lopez is trying to support his employees by creating a GoFundMe page to help them get through the loss.

“They have families, they have kids, they have life going on. Life doesn’t stop,” Lopez said. “As long as we’re here, that’s all that matters.”

The event was organized by the Broward Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy in partnership with Sunshine Circle.

Some of the women in attendance were more than 100 years old, including Holocaust survivors. Organizers said the goal was to provide a morning filled with care, connection and companionship.

Volunteers said the gathering was about more than beauty treatments. They said it was also about making sure these seniors feel seen, supported and celebrated.

Attendees shared smiles, conversation and a chance to relax while enjoying the special day created in their honor.

The WHO said Friday authorities have reported 125 confirmed cases in Congo, including 17 confirmed deaths. Additionally, there are 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths.

Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan ministry of health said Friday.

“To come here is to really show to the community that they’re not alone," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the airport in Kinshasa late Thursday.

“Pushing orders from my comfortable office in Geneva is easy, but I’m asking my colleagues to work with the community and I am asking communities to protect themselves,” he added.

The outbreak “can be stopped,” he said, but is “very complex.”

Challenges like the high number of people displaced by armed conflict in the region and food insecurity are complicating efforts, Tedros said. Aid supplies reached the heart of the outbreak this week but medical personnel continue to struggle with a lack of equipment, a distrustful population and armed groups in the volatile region.

Containment has been particularly difficult because the disease likely spread for weeks before it was first identified in mid-May.

Outbreak spreading faster than response

The outbreak continues to spread faster than the response, despite health facilities becoming more organized and more equipment arriving.

The Bundibugyo virus, the current kind of Ebola, has no approved treatment or vaccine.

Anaïs Legand, a researcher in the WHO emergencies program, cited a patient discharged Wednesday as a “positive development” since it is the only documented recovery of a confirmed Ebola patient during the current outbreak.

Legand said at a U.N. briefing in Geneva Friday that five other infected people were also likely to recover.

The average fatality rate of Bundibugyo virus is around 30 to 50%, she said.

Medical aid donated by the European Union arrived in Ituri, the heart of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, on Thursday, with more shipments expected over the next eight days. The U.S. announced $80 million in additional aid on the same day, bringing its total commitment to more than $112 million.

At Rwampara Hospital, where a treatment center has been established, the response looks far more organized than in previous days, with more staff deployed, stronger prevention measures and teams in protective gear visible across units — though patients continue to arrive around the clock, according to an Associated Press reporter in Bunia, the provincial capital.

The same progress was noted at Bunia General Hospital, where new medical kits, support personnel and emergency funding appear to be reinvigorating operations.

David Munkley, the eastern Congo director of World Vision, said more equipment and supplies are still needed.

“We know what is required in terms of personal protective equipment, in terms of supporting communities and ensuring proper sanitation hygiene practices,” Munkley told the AP. “So the moment of truth is, are we going to fund it or not?”

Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told reporters Thursday night they are exploring more drugs “that can help save even more lives, because ... this disease initially presents just like any other infectious disease we’re familiar with: dizziness, headache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.”

The continent's top public health body will “ensure that we have a vaccine and a treatment for Bundibugyo" by the end of the year, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said Thursday.

Distrust, travel bans could complicate response

Dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by anger among residents over the stringent medical protocols for handling the victims' bodies, which clash with local burial rites. Residents have launched at least three attacks against health centers.

Attacks in Ituri by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.

The illness also has been reported in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels have reported two cases.

After Uganda closed its border with Congo, the WHO chief said Thursday he discourages countries from imposing travel bans. “There are ways to manage workers and to manage cases without having a strong, restricted travel ban,” Tedros said.

The Trump administration last week announced a temporary ban on the entry of people without U.S. passports who have visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days. A Kenyan court Friday suspended a U.S. plan to house Ebola-exposed Americans at a facility in Kenya rather than flying them home, following backlash from medical workers and activists.

More than 230 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff are working on the Ebola response, including screeners at four U.S. airports and personnel deployed to Congo and Uganda, the agency said Friday.

But current and former staffers say many have unaddressed safety concerns, particularly over whether the Trump administration would repatriate infected personnel.

“The U.S. government refusing to repatriate first responders who may contract Ebola would be an abandonment of our government’s duty,” said the National Public Health Coalition, a group of current and former CDC workers.

___

Kabumba reported from Bunia, Congo, and Banchereau from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Monika Pronczuk in Dakar and Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.

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According to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, four people required treatment for heat-related illnesses.

Sky 10 was over Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, where MDFR crews and Opa-locka police officers were observed at the scene while victims were being taken away on stretchers.

Those passengers fell ill on a GlobalX plane that was bound for Louisiana.

Global X is a charter airline used by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement for deportations, but it’s unclear if it was being used in that capacity at the time of this incident.

According to airport officials, the aircraft’s air conditioning malfunctioned and MDFR was called to assist passengers who were impacted by the heat.

Operations at the airport were unaffected.

The party is holding events days after the GOP-led state Senate shot down an effort backed by President Donald Trump to redraw House district lines to help Republicans this fall. That move was aimed at ousting longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s lone congressional Democrat and a party powerbroker who has been in office since 1993.

Friday's gatherings kick off with the Blue Palmetto Dinner, an annual party fundraiser that typically showcases potential presidential contenders and the party’s national figures. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will be the headliner.

Clyburn’s own signature event, his “World Famous Fish Fry,” follows the dinner. A gathering that began years ago as a thank you to campaign supporters, it’s become its own destination for White House aspirants. For one minute, they along with South Carolina Democrats seeking a litany of offices have their stump speech moment, appearing alongside Clyburn, whose backing has boosted presidents.

The events are happening as early-in person voting is underway in South Carolina's primary, which is June 9. Voters will choose nominees for offices statewide, including governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Had Republicans in the state Senate not rejected the plan pushed by the White House, those congressional votes would have been canceled and a new primary scheduled under revised districts.

Republicans rebuked redistricting with voting underway

The state Senate vote on redistricting failed Tuesday, the first day of early voting, with some senators saying it was simply too late to change district lines.

Clyburn, who is Black, condemned a White House-led effort he said had been aimed at “zeroing Democratic voters, zeroing African American voters out of the process.”

“I know the state, and I am embarrassed that so many people in our legislature will allow strangers in Washington to tell them what to do, when to do it and how to do it,” Clyburn said as he cast his vote in Orangeburg on Tuesday.

The political drama in South Carolina is part of a Republican strategy to redraw voting districts to the GOP’s advantage in an attempt to hold on to a slim House majority in the midterms. Republicans have moved quickly to try to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Clyburn keeps his kingmaker role

At least for now, Clyburn's district has been preserved, as has his place as the Democrat to whom White House hopefuls look for guidance in navigating the state's electorate.

Among the 21 presidential hopefuls who took the stage at his fish fry in 2019 was Joe Biden, who later turned around early 2020 primary stumbles and won a resounding victory here after Clyburn endorsed him.

At 85, the dean of South Carolina's Democrats is currently seeking an 18th term representing the 6th District, one he seems certain to secure now that the redistricting threat has been turned back.

But Clyburn, among the oldest Democrats serving in Washington, has called it an “open question” as to whether this term could be his last, and the Democratic field looking to replace him is anticipated to be massive, whenever he leaves office.

Beshear is a possible 2028 candidate

The conclusion of November's midterm elections will mark the unofficial start to a 2028 presidential primary season. Although Democrats' voting order won't be set for months, the early attention primary has already begun in earnest in a variety of states — including South Carolina — that candidates are banking on playing a pivotal role in choosing party nominees.

Beshear, by all indications, is angling to be among them. He has focused much of his attention on the labor leaders on whose support Biden relied in his successful 2020 campaign. Already this year, the two-term governor keynoted the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention, fundraised for local Democrats and took questions at AFL-CIO headquarters.

Last summer, he spent two days in South Carolina, addressing an AFL-CIO convention and meeting with party leaders across the state.

Beshear isn't the only national-level luminary in town. California Rep. Ro Khanna, who has also been to South Carolina several times in recent months, is set to headline the state convention on Saturday and also attend Friday's dinner.

South Carolina's yearly confab comes as the Democratic National Committee mulls its primary calendar for 2028. The state is pitching to go first again, although party luminaries say they wouldn't see it as a loss if another state led off the calendar.

The important facet, they stress, is that South Carolina maintain its status as an early primary state, a position that brings the state that consistently votes Republican in general elections cyclical attention — and campaign spending — from Democrats that it otherwise wouldn't enjoy.

On Thursday, Democratic party chairs in five southern states wrote a letter to DNC officials urging them to again pick South Carolina to go first overall.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

But the first Black woman to hold the post insists she should keep leading the struggling city of nearly 4 million that will host the 2028 Olympics. Homicides have dipped. Street homelessness is down. Homes destroyed in last year's wildfires are being rebuilt, though critics say too slowly.

“There’s more work to do,” Bass says.

Los Angeles mayoral races — indeed, some of the mayors themselves — often are forgettable in a city where politics takes a back seat to the Lakers, Dodgers and Hollywood. But this year has been different as Bass attempts to overcome lingering fallout from the Palisades Fire, the most destructive in Los Angeles history. Bass was in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when the flames ignited.

Among the thousands of people who lost their homes was reality television personality Spencer Pratt, now running to replace the mayor who he blames for the destruction.

In another sign of how political media has evolved, the biggest sensation in the race has been campaign videos created with artificial intelligence where Pratt takes on a superhero persona to battle street criminals and Democratic politicians. Created by filmmaker Charles Curran, Pratt has shared the videos on his own platforms.

Unless a candidate receives a majority of the vote in Tuesday's primary, the top two will advance to a general election in November.

The race is officially nonpartisan, but Bass is a Democrat, as is progressive city council member Nithya Raman, who made a last-minute decision to challenge her one-time ally.

Pratt, who rose to fame alongside his wife, Heidi Montag, on “The Hills,” is a registered Republican who has received a nod of approval — if not an outright endorsement — from President Donald Trump.

Polling shows a tight race

A University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times, found Bass tightly clustered with Raman and Pratt, with other candidates trailing. The poll of 1,351 of likely voters conducted between May 19 and May 24 gave no candidate a statistically significant edge.

It's a perilous position for an incumbent, spotlighting widespread public doubts about her leadership.

On a recent Saturday, Bass was greeted by cheering supporters under brilliant sunshine in a Mid-City neighborhood where she dropped off her ballot in a collection box. For an unpopular mayor facing a dicey future, she appeared relaxed, smiling broadly, petting dogs and fawning over toddlers in strollers.

Asked about Pratt drawing national attention, she dismissed him as a political dilettante.

“He is an entertainer and that’s what he’s doing is entertaining,” Bass said.

She also questioned how Pratt, who received a tacit blessing from Trump, would be received in a city where less than 15% of voters are registered as Republicans. The president is widely unpopular in California outside his conservative base — Trump received just 32% of the vote in Los Angeles County two years ago — and a Republican hasn't been elected mayor since 1997.

“This is Los Angeles,” Bass said. “This is not a MAGA city.”

Among the crowd applauding Bass was Diane Mitchell Henry, a registered Democrat and event planner, who said she was impressed with the mayor's many years of government experience.

“She knows the heartbeat of Los Angeles,” she said. “I trust her.”

A November runoff appears likely with 14 names on the ballot.

Democratic strategist Garry South expects Bass, despite her slumping popularity, to advance on Tuesday, probably alongside Pratt.

He questioned whether Pratt's online video barrage was reaching people who actually vote. The most reliable voters in the state tend to be older, white, affluent homeowners.

“Most voters are over 50, pure and simple. You are not going to grab that demographic by posting clever stuff on YouTube and Instagram,” South said.

The contest bears some similarity to the 2022 race, when billionaire developer Rick Caruso promised to expand spending on police at a time of widespread concerns over crime and homelessness. Bass won by nearly 10 points.

A struggling city looks to the future

While immediate concerns in Los Angeles are focused on wildfire reconstruction and homelessness, the city also is grasping for a vision for its future.

Hollywood jobs have been decamping for years for cheaper filming locations. A downtown renaissance was crushed by extended pandemic closures and many office buildings remain desperate for tenants. The city has long struggled to provide basic services, whether paving buckled streets and sidewalks or keeping streetlights on. The restaurant industry has witnessed a long string of high-profile closures. Trump administration immigration raids have shaken residents. The city's notorious gridlock continues unabated.

Bass was elected in 2022 promising to end the unchecked homeless crisis and deal with increasing crime as smash-and-grab robberies became national news. She has lined up most of the Democratic establishment behind her, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the city’s powerful labor unions.

"We are not going to have this level of failure in our city for four more years," Pratt told CNBC on Thursday. The city “is not safe. It’s disgusting. We pay with our money to give needles to drug addicts to overdose in front of kids.”

Raman has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve street paving and other basic services. Residents are “hungry for a different future for this city — one that is affordable, functional, creative and safe,” she said in a statement Thursday.

Bass brushed off the competition.

“We’re almost to the finish line,” she said after dropping off her ballot. “I’m feeling good.”

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Lao and Thai rescue workers posted the news on social media, along with a video showing the first rescued villager with a lamp strapped to his forehead. The villager, who was not immediately identified, was walking unsteadily with the assistance of two men. They handed him over to other team members amid a waiting crowd for a medical check.

The five had been found by divers on Wednesday, but that left rescue workers with two serious tasks: extricating the five and finding two more who are still missing.

Evacuations of the other four were suspended until tomorrow because they were not ready, said Chakkit Taengtang of Sai Than Association, one of the Thai rescue organization at the scene.

Rescue teams had pumped water out of the flooded cave’s passages on Friday, but a morning rainstorm complicated their work. The trapped men have already been supplied with water, soft food, and foil blankets to keep them warm.

The villagers had reportedly entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their way out. One other villager escaped in time and alerted the authorities to the seven left behind.

A video shot inside the cave on Thursday vividly illustrated the desperation the trapped men were feeling.

Thai rescue diver Norrased Palasing spoke with a trapped villager named Khamla, who urged the divers to let the group attempt to swim out immediately

“I can’t go on. I don’t have any strength,” he said.

Norrased sought to reassure him, telling him that the water was being drained, and handing over blankets and food. He cautioned Khamla to eat slowly to avoid digestive problems.

Divers from several nations joined the rescue effort

Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand were joined by Japanese and Malaysian colleagues. Indonesian and French specialists also had been reported to be coming to the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane.

Working in the dark in unfamiliar surroundings, divers had to make their way through twisting, narrow, flooded passages with jagged walls.

A good rescue plan depends on “the length of the dives involved, the restrictions and the sheer size of the passages that they are in, and the support that’s available," said Gary Mitchell, press officer for the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team, which is associated with the British Cave Rescue Council.

Other necessities normally include the space and equipment to recharge air or oxygen cylinders, and a medical team.

Rescuers must weigh risks of waiting for flooding to recede

At the same time, rescuers must weigh the high risks of guiding survivors without diving skills through zero-visibility water against the strategy of waiting for water levels to recede, said Mitchell, who took part in the complicated 2018 cave rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach. Several of the divers at the Lao site had also taken part in the Thai rescue.

“You can’t leave people underground too long without medical support, without proper food, sustenance, clean water ... before their condition is going to deteriorate,” Mitchell warned Thursday from Wales in a video interview.

The five found Wednesday were identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing, and Laen. They were reportedly in good health but exhausted from dehydration and lack of food.

A video filmed by Norrased showed the emotional moment he and Finnish diving instructor Mikko Paasi emerged from the water and discovered the trapped men sitting on a rock surrounded by floodwater.

Mued delivered a message to his family on camera, saying, “Don’t worry mom, dad. I’m still strong, I’m still healthy. Tomorrow I will be home. I love you, mom and dad.”

Lao officials say the villagers normally forage in the mountainous surroundings for a living.

The villagers are believed to have been searching for gold

The villagers had been reported to have entered the cave to look for gold deposits. Bounphong Khammanyvong, a local official in Longcheng, the district where the cave is located, said they had noticed rocks or sand with unusual colors in the cave, so they entered it in the hope of digging them out to see if they were valuable.

Bounphong, in an interview on Thursday with local media outlet Xaisomboun Province Television, said the villagers entered the cave on May 20, contradicting rescuers who put the date at May 19.

——-

Associated Press journalists Danica Kirka in London and Haruka Nuga in Bangkok contributed to this report.

U.S. administration officials said on Thursday that the U.S. was planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to share the administration’s plans. They said the facility would be at Laikipia Air Base and would be operational with 50 quarantine beds by Friday.

The Kenyan government said it was in discussions with the U.S. on support for Ebola preparedness, but declined to address whether the country would establish a treatment facility for Americans. The U.S. government intends to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

The High Court in Nairobi on Friday put a stop to any deal on the Ebola facility until petitions against it are heard on Tuesday.

An organization formed to defend Kenya’s Constitution, Katiba Institute, and the Kenya Law Society separately challenged any presence of Ebola-related facilities. The Kenya Law Society asked the court to nullify any agreements signed between the U.S. and Kenya on the project, citing public health risks and a lack of public participation.

It also said that Kenya lacks “the high-containment infrastructure required to safely manage such a facility, exposing the public to serious health risks.”

A Kenyan doctors' union on Thursday issued a 48-hour strike notice should the country proceed with the deal. It said the U.S. was clear that they would not allow Ebola on their soil and that Kenya should not become a “dumping ground.”

“As the vanguard of Kenya’s healthcare system, we are utterly disgusted by the government’s apparent willingness to trade national biosecurity and the lives of its citizens for foreign aid,” the union’s chairperson, Davji Atellah, said in a statement.

Ordinary Kenyans have been angered by the plan.

“Why do they want to get infected people and bring them to Kenya? Kenya is not a dumping area for such sick people," laborer Cedric Akweyu said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Student Wycliff Otieno also expressed concern. “It is like the government has been given a lot of money by the U.S. So, it is like they are selling us,” he said.

In northeastern Congo, health workers with scant supplies have been struggling to contain an outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, a kind of Ebola that has no approved treatment or vaccine.

The Congolese government has confirmed more than 1,000 suspected cases, with at least 220 deaths, since it declared an outbreak on May 15. But the virus had been spreading undetected for weeks and the WHO suspects it is much larger than what has been reported.

The virus also has reached neighboring Uganda, which has confirmed seven cases and one death.

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Associated Press journalist Jackson Njehia in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed.

He looks likely to sharply escalate the Russian aerial attacks on the Ukrainian capital in the hope it will shore up his sagging domestic approval ratings and persuade an increasingly pessimistic audience at home that Moscow is winning the war, now in its fifth year.

Russia’s warning to carry out “consistent and systematic” missile strikes on Kyiv, accompanied by a call for evacuating foreign embassies from the capital, signals Putin’s intention to expand Russia's barrage despite the heavy costs and potential international outrage.

Massive drills of Russia's nuclear forces earlier this month and a series of belligerent statements from Moscow warning Kyiv’s European allies about possible retaliation for what the Kremlin cast as their involvement in Ukrainian drone attacks have underlined Putin’s intention to up the ante.

As Russia's advance stalls, Ukraine boosts long-range strikes

After a series of gains last year, Russia’s advances along the over 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line have ground to a near halt recently, and Ukraine’s armed forces have launched successful counterstrikes and reclaimed some ground.

“The character of the war is shifting in favor of Ukrainian forces, at least for now,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in a recent analysis. “Russian forces’ rates of advances are stagnating while Ukrainian forces are employing novel tactics and operational concepts in efforts to break out of positional warfare.”

The battlefield gridlock undermines Putin’s declared goal of quickly capturing the eastern Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control. Kyiv has rejected his demands to withdraw from the region as a condition for a ceasefire.

At the same time, Ukraine has significantly expanded its long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities and arms factories, inflicting increasing damage.

Putin scaled down the annual May 9 Victory Day parade, fearing Ukrainian drone strikes. Days later, a massive drone attack on Moscow's suburbs killed three and showed that even the densely protected capital isn’t fully immune from assault, shattering Kremlin efforts to cast the conflict as something distant that doesn’t affect ordinary Russians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks were “significantly changing the situation — and, more broadly, the world’s perception of Russia’s war.”

Acknowledging the growing threat of Ukraine's deep strikes, Russian lawmakers this week approved a bill that says the country’s banks should bear the cost of installing drone-jamming systems on their premises, rather than rely on the military.

“From Russia’s perspective, these attacks are just going to get worse,” said Thomas Withington of the Royal United Services Institute in London. He added that Ukraine's increasingly audacious drone attacks were “exacting not only a political but an economic cost in Russia.”

The war is taking a toll on the Russian economy and morale

Russia’s economy has stagnated as the initial boost from massive military spending has petered out. The government has raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to keep the budget deficit under control. And even though the U.S. war in Iran has meant windfall oil revenues for Russia, fundamental economic challenges remain.

Putin is expected to play down the negative dynamics at next week's international economic forum in St. Petersburg, an annual event intended to showcase Russia’s achievements.

Nigel Gould-Davies of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said in an analysis that “war-fueled high prices of capital, labor and goods, as well as rising taxes, have begun to depress the civilian sectors,” resulting in "a dual economy of overheated military output and civilian stagnation.”

While Russia has relied on volunteer soldiers to fight the war, offering them comparatively high wages and other benefits, Gould-Davies argued that “there are signs that this incentive may no longer be working effectively, and that Russia has begun to lose more troops than it can recruit.”

To sustain the war, the Kremlin will have to forcibly mobilize human and material resources, requiring it to “curtail the last remaining post-Soviet market freedoms, labor freedom, and freedom of movement,” he said.

In a sign of brewing discontent, some social media influencers previously loyal to the Kremlin have started to openly criticize government policies.

A move by authorities to restrict cellphone internet and block popular messaging apps has upset daily routines for millions, causing open grumbling. Natalya Kasperskaya, a prominent IT entrepreneur and a staunch Kremlin supporter, harshly criticized the shutdowns and attempts to block virtual private networks, warning that they cause massive damage to the tech sector.

Tatyana Stanovaya, a Russia expert who founded the R.Politik newsletter focused on Kremlin politics, noted the spreading Ukrainian drone attacks along with mobile internet shutdowns and rising taxes have eroded Putin’s standing. While he faces no immediate threats to his rule, “the gradual fading of Putin’s credibility is real,” she said.

In early spring, Russian opinion polls, including one by a government-run pollster, recorded a dip in Putin’s approval ratings, although they rose slightly in May in the state-controlled poll after the organization changed its methodology to include face-to-face interviews. Many observers believe the numbers may be inflated amid a widespread crackdown on dissent.

“Putin is losing his magic,” Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center wrote in a commentary. “Power remains undivided in his hands, but its spell is fading. Even loyalists complain about the mounting restrictions and repression, and once-upbeat businesspeople are now despondent.”

Russia's new threats to Ukraine and the West

Citing a May 22 Ukrainian drone attack on a college dormitory in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine that Moscow said killed 21 people, Putin ordered a massive missile strike on Kyiv and its surrounding region. Sunday's barrage that involved Russia’s new hypersonic Oreshnik missile killed two, injured scores of others and destroyed or damaged many buildings.

On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow will launch “consistent and systematic” strikes on Kyiv to target drone-making facilities and “decision-making centers.” It urged foreign diplomats to leave the capital — a demand rejected by Ukraine’s allies.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to warn him of the coming strikes and push for the evacuation of its diplomats.

“The danger in all of these wars as they continue and then they go on is that they always have the threat of escalation, of spreading into something new,” Rubio told reporters after the call.

The Iran war has effectively put U.S. mediation efforts in Ukraine on hold and drained American missile arsenals, delaying the delivery of U.S.-made Patriot missiles that Ukraine desperately needs to fend off Russian attacks.

Moscow-based military analyst Sergei Poletaev said Russia sees the shortage of air defense assets in Kyiv as an opportunity.

“Kyiv’s air defenses have been exhausted enough to make a massive attack efficient,” he said in a recent commentary.

Accompanying the declared blitz on Kyiv, Russia issued a barrage of threats aimed at Ukraine's European allies.

The Defense Ministry published a list of facilities in Europe that it said were involved in manufacturing drones and their components for Ukraine. And Moscow’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned the Baltic nations that their NATO membership won’t protect them from Moscow’s retaliation if they allow Ukraine to launch attacks from their territory. Those allies have denounced Moscow's claims.

“We are actually very, very close to direct military confrontation,” said Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Bondi, who spent roughly four hours on Capitol Hill for her closed-door interview, was again defiant when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. In her opening statement, she stood behind the Department of Justice's handling of the case files and said that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, now the acting attorney general and Trump's former personal attorney, had overseen the process to publish them.

“The bottom line is: justice and transparency in this matter have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and his administration,” she said, according to her opening statement.

Bondi's transcribed interview presented lawmakers with an opportunity to question a Cabinet official who was central to the political firestorm over Epstein that at times has rattled Trump's Republican administration. She initially raised expectations for the full release of the Epstein case files, only to later backtrack. That reversal prompted Congress to step in and pass the law requiring the release.

But Democratic lawmakers said that Bondi told them she would not speak about the president in the interview and, consulting with a lawyer from the Department of Justice, said that she could decline those questions because she agreed to appear before the committee voluntarily.

“It's a sham in there," said Democratic Rep. Dave Min of California during a break in the interview. "They are not answering any questions.”

Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia said he asked Bondi whether Trump had any knowledge of Epstein's crimes before they became public. Reading from his notes of the exchange, Walkinshaw told reporters that Bondi's response was, “I'm not certain of the extent of his knowledge.”

Epstein killed himself in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking and sexually abusing underage girls. Trump was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s but has said he cut ties with him years before Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state charges in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Survivors tried to confront Bondi

Several survivors of Epstein's abuse gathered outside the Capitol office where the interview was taking place. They tried to make their presence known to Bondi as she entered the room, but several said they were shoved aside by police officers.

“I just hope that she does have a moment where she remembers her own humanity and our humanity and finds her compassion and remembers that this is a bigger story than political rhetoric,” said Danielle Bensky, one of the survivors.

The survivors also implored lawmakers to hold Bondi accountable for the handling of the Epstein case files' release, which included the personal information of potential victims.

They confronted the committee chair, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, and he told them that he would press for the complete release of case files mandated by law.

“We want justice for the survivors, we do,” Comer added.

Bondi told lawmakers in her opening statement that releasing the Epstein case files was “an enormously complicated and labor-intensive process” and conceded that the Justice Department had made redaction errors. But she mostly defended the department’s work, saying that it had complied with the law and demonstrated “an unprecedented commitment to transparency.”

Even after being ousted as attorney general last month, Bondi has stayed within the Republican president's orbit.

Trump appointed Bondi, who revealed this week that she is being treated for thyroid cancer, to a White House panel on artificial intelligence this week, and she was be accompanied Friday by Justice Department officials, including Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department's Civil Rights Division, acting as her counsel.

Democrats called that arrangement a conflict of interest.

Dhillon told reporters after the interview that she had been there to “represent the interests of the Department of Justice” because Bondi was answering questions about her time as attorney general. She said she had advised Bondi to only answer questions that were within “the ground rules laid with the committee” and not on other topics.

Interview was not videoed

Friday's interview was only the latest clash between Bondi and Democrats.

Bondi was subpoenaed by the committee in March in a bipartisan vote, but she tried to head off that demand by holding a closed-door meeting with lawmakers. The maneuver only added to the enmity between her and Democrats on the committee.

Bondi's departure from the Justice Department also raised doubts about the enforcement of the congressional subpoena. After the committee's Democrats maneuvered to press for a civil contempt of Congress resolution against Bondi, she agreed to sit for a transcribed interview rather than a sworn deposition.

Democrats on the Oversight panel criticized that arrangement, saying it allowed Bondi to decline to answer questions. They also objected to Comer's decision not to video the interview.

“We continue to be incredibly disappointed of the decision to not have this interview videotaped and then released to the American public,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the panel.

Comer has said he allowed Bondi to sit for a transcribed interview rather than a deposition as an incentive to cooperate. Previously, he had enforced a subpoena on former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after they resisted the demand. Both of their depositions were video-recorded.

Comer said that Bondi could face prosecution if she lies to Congress and that the committee would release a transcript of the interview.

Meanwhile, Democrats suggested they could still press to enforce the subpoena for Bondi. They also said they wanted to subpoena Blanche. Both actions would need Republican support.

“It's important that we continue to keep this pressure on them,” said Democratic Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

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Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP's coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein case at https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein.

The drone was tracked overnight by radar in Romanian airspace, crashed onto the roof of the building in the Danube port city of Galati and sparked a fire, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The two injuries were minor and several people were evacuated.

It was the latest in a series of drones — from both Russia and Ukraine — to hit a NATO member since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The incidents have left the 32-member military alliance on edge. Friday's incursion drew strong condemnation across Europe, with leaders calling Russia's actions reckless and irresponsible.

Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter, and alerted residents of the affected areas, but the aircraft didn’t engage the drone in the city, which is located near the borders of Ukraine and Moldova.

Romania asked NATO to speed up the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to its military, the Foreign Ministry said, calling the incursion a serious violation of international law.

Asked about the drone during a state visit to Astana, Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said its origin is yet to be determined, telling reporters that “no one can say what origin a particular aircraft has until it has been examined.” He urged Romania to turn the drone over to Russia for it to conduct “an objective investigation.”

But Romanian President Nicusor Dan identified the drone as Russian.

“We had a Russian drone, Geran-2, leaving Russia. We know the trajectory, we know where it went through Ukraine, we know where it entered Romania, part of a swarm of 43 Russian drones, of which only one reached Romanian territory,” a statement from Dan said.

He said later that investigators determined it was probably carrying at least 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of explosives.

Gen. Gheorghe Maxim, interim commander of the Romanian armed forces' joint staff, told a news conference that the drone in Galati wasn't “an attack from Russia against Romania,” but he added that “Romanians should understand that Russia is a threat to the security of the countries in the area.”

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Dan, praising the country's “principled, prompt, and strong” response. In a social media post, he said the countries’ militaries were in contact and that "we will remain in constant communication with Romania and continue working together to protect lives from all potential Russian threats.”

Earlier drones in Romania

Romania has confirmed drone fragments landed on its territory on multiple occasions since the war began, including in Galati last month, but no one was hurt in any of those incidents, with debris falling in remote areas.

Dan convened Romania’s top defense body Friday to discuss what he called “the worst incident to hit the national territory” since the war began.

After the Supreme Council of National Defense met in Bucharest, Dan said the Russian consul in the Black Sea port of Constanta has been declared persona non grata and that the consulate will be closed. Foreign Minister Oana Toiu summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev and told him the consul had 72 hours to leave Romania.

Territorial violations have become so common in Romania in recent years that lawmakers adopted legislation last year allowing the army to shoot down drones entering its airspace as a last resort. But the country has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.

Russia has been using long-range missiles and drones to damage Ukraine’s power grid and hammer cities, and Ukraine has braced for further heavy bombardments. Kyiv also has sent long-range drones deep into Russia to attack oil refineries, military bases and and other infrastructure.

Friday's incident adds to recent drone-related incursions in Europe. Ukrainian drones have hit the chimney of a power plant in Estonia and empty fuel tanks in Latvia, and also were shot down by Romanian fighter jets stationed in Lithuania. Ukrainian officials apologized and said the drones were aimed at military targets in Russia, but veered off course by Russian electronic interference.

Poland, Croatia, Romania and non-NATO member Moldova all have reported airspace violations and found drone fragments on their territory since the war began. The airspace violations have raised questions about the state of air defenses on NATO’s eastern flank.

A senior U.S. military official recently told reporters the number of “hybrid activities” — drone incursions, hacking attacks and other acts short of military force in Europe that can be attributed to Russia — have increased in recent years and are part of a campaign to achieve strategic objectives without actually going to war.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the ongoing situation, said it is believed that there's an opportunity for the U.S. and other NATO countries to be more aggressive in countering these actions, particularly since there is a belief that Russia won't see the responses as escalatory.

Allies' condemnation

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he had spoken to Dan and expressed “absolute solidarity” with its ally.

"NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory. We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones,” he said in a post on X.

A senior NATO military official said the alliance detected and tracked the Russian drone, but it entered Romanian airspace only minutes before striking the apartment building in Galați. It was traveling at nearly 200 kilometers per hour (nearly 124 mph) over a populated area less than 15 kilometers (less than 10 miles) from the border, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military information.

NATO is assessing what more can be done to optimize Romania's and NATO’s network of sensors and shooters to safely neutralize such threats, the official added.

NATO allies spoke informally about the incursion, but no official meeting was scheduled Friday. Romania can request formal NATO consultations if it believes its territory or security is under threat.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia "has crossed yet another line,” and that the European Union will draft a 21st set of sanctions against Moscow.

Putin also was asked in Kazakhstan about comments that NATO is capable of destroying Russian military assets in Moscow's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad. He responded that Russia “has every means to raze to the ground anyone who tries to do so.”

He said nations posing a direct military threat to Russia “are legitimate targets,” responding to an earlier claim by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service that Ukraine sent troops to Latvia to launch drones at Russia. Officials in Latvia and other Baltic nations rejected Moscow’s claims.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the risk of such “serious incidents” was raised by “ Putin’s increasing nervousness, driven by military setbacks.”

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Putin’s National Security Council, told European leaders to “just shut up” about the drone.

Medvedev, known for his provocative and inflammatory statements, said in an expletive-filed post on his messaging channel MAX that the leaders were “scoundrels” and “imbeciles” and that their countries were part of the “warring nations” in the conflict.

“European drones, their spare parts, and other weapons, not to mention intelligence data, are used daily in attacks on our country,” he wrote. “Their operations result in damage to residential buildings, killing civilians.”

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This story was corrected to delete Galati being east of the borders of Ukraine and Moldova. The city is west of them.

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McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England. Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Emma Burrows in London contributed.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, notching its seventh consecutive gain and ninth straight winning week — the longest such streak since 2023. The benchmark index set an all-time high for the fourth day in a row.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7% and the Nasdaq composite added 0.2%. The Dow and Nasdaq also reached new heights after posting record highs earlier in the week.

Big technology stocks have been behind much of the market’s record-breaking streak. Their pricey stock values give them more influence in directing the market higher or lower. In May alone, technology stocks within the S&P 500 rose more than 15%, while most of the sectors in the benchmark index actually lost ground.

“The rally has been largely tech-led and supported by resilient earnings, but the key question is whether it can be sustained,” wrote Angelo Kourkafas, senior global strategist at Edward Jones, in a research note.

Tech stocks also powered the market higher Friday. Microsoft rose 5.4% and Broadcom gained 4.7%.

Dell Technologies surged 32.8% to lead all stocks in the S&P 500 after delivering profits that blew past expectations. The company also raised its outlook, citing powerful demand for AI computing.

Most other sectors in the S&P 500 lost ground Friday. Among the decliners: Paramount Skydance fell 1.9%, Amazon.com dropped 1.2%, and Costco Wholesale closed 3.9% lower.

Wall Street has been gaining ground despite worries that the U.S. war with Iran is worsening inflation and jeopardizing economic growth.

The U.S. and Iran are reportedly working toward a deal to extend a ceasefire. That eased pressure on oil prices. The price for August delivery of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.7% to settle at $91.12 per barrel. It is still well above the $70 per barrel level in late February before the war began. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude oil for July delivery fell 1.7% to settle at $87.36.

Treasury yields held relatively steady as oil prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.44% from 4.45% late Thursday.

Still, high oil prices remain a key concern for Wall Street. The war has stifled the flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped through the waterway.

That has pushed up prices for gasoline and a wide range of goods, feeding inflation and squeezing consumers and businesses. Prices were already rising before the war began from the ongoing impact of tariffs.

Several reports this week reflected inflation’s rise and impact on consumers. A measure of inflation preferred by the Federal Reserve accelerated in April to its highest level in three years. Consumer confidence is slipping amid the squeeze from rising inflation.

Wall Street’s worries about rising inflation have been somewhat muted by the latest round of corporate profit reports. Companies in the S&P 500 have reported profit growth of 28% overall for the most recent quarter, according to FactSet. The overwhelming majority of companies in the S&P 500 have already reported their latest results. That could mean investors’ focus may shift back toward inflation, consumers’ behavior and the Fed’s path ahead for interest rates.

The Fed has been holding its benchmark interest rate steady as it closely watches rising inflation. It is expected to continue holding rates steady at its next meeting in June and through the year, according to CME’s FedWatch tool. Cutting interest rates could help lower borrowing costs and give the economy a jolt, but it could also worsen inflation at time when prices are already high and rising.

Despite the market turbulence caused by the conflict in the Middle East, stocks notched further gains in May. The S&P 500 closed out the month with a 5.1% gain. It’s up 10.7% so far this year.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 16.43 points to 7,580.06 on Friday. The Dow gained 363.49 points to 51,032.46, and the Nasdaq added 55.15 points to finish at 26,972.62.

Markets in Europe and Asia mostly rose.

Game 7 is Saturday night in Oklahoma City, with the winner hosting the New York Knicks on Wednesday night to open the NBA Finals.

Wembanyama and the Spurs responded to a listless 127-114 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday night with their most energized outing of this see-saw series.

“(Playing with desperation) just feels like it erases kind of all the little mistakes that we do that are human nature, whether it’s in the regular season or previous games,” Wembanyama said. “Just got to fight that all the time and put your backs against the wall. It feels like it’s the best opportunity to be able to play.”

Dylan Harper had 18 points, Stephon Castle added 17 and Devin Vassell had 12 points and two thunderous blocks for San Antonio.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was limited to a team-high 15 points on 6-for-18 shooting for defending champion Oklahoma City.

“I just think all of our focus and attention was on the defensive end,” Castle said. “I don’t think scoring against them has been a problem for us. I think just our self-infliced mistakes, like turnovers and allowing them to get offensive rebounds and easy buckets is what slows us down."

The Thunder were scoreless for eight minutes in the third as the Spurs ran off 22 straight points to make it 92-64 with 56 seconds left in the quarter.

“I don’t know that it was necessarily anything we did wrong,” Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said. “I thought we were ready to play. I felt confident going into the game, and I felt confident at halftime. It had the makings of a road win if we could be the team that threw the punch in the third and they were the team that did that.”

The average margin of victory has been 15.3 points, with the Spurs winning by an average of 18.3 points.

Wembanyama has been at the forefront of all three victories.

The 7-foot-4 star joined Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan as the only players in franchise history with five games of 25 points and 10 rebounds in a single postseason.

Wembanyama made his first two shots — both 3-pointers — and blocked Gilgeous-Alexander’s layup in the first 1:27 as San Antonio took a 9-2 lead.

“I think we were consistent and we did what we needed to do,” Wembanyama said. “Trusted the game, trusted the basketball gods.”

Wembanyama had 11 points, five rebounds an assist and a block in the opening quarter.

The series remained physical and contentious, with the Thunder's Chet Holmgren jawing with and bumping into Vassell after the Spurs' wing blocked the 7-footer’s dunk attempt in the second quarter.

Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams returned after reinjuring his hamstring in Game 2 and missing the next three games. Williams was limited to one point on 0-for-1 shooting in 10 minutes.

Holmgren had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

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

Designers from across the world are here to own the night, sending models down the runway in the latest trends in swimwear.

News houses are also making their Swim Week debut, including Resa.

There was the long robe that the San Antonio star wore to his home arena on Thursday night, done to celebrate an Islamic holiday but also reminding some of his look last summer at a Shaolin temple he visited while seeking physical, mental and spiritual growth. There was the freshly cropped hair, another sign that he was all business.

“I’d seen a picture pregame,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell told NBA TV afterward. “I knew he was locked in from there, for sure.”

Sure enough, on the court, Wembanyama was back to his dominant self as well.

Facing an elimination game for the first time in his career, Wembanyama — who had a fiery pregame address for teammates, something he doesn’t typically do — seemed as comfortable as could be. He had 28 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two assists, on 10-for-21 shooting in 28 minutes, leading the Spurs past the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-91 to tie the Western Conference finals at 3-3.

“I think we were consistent,” Wembanyama said. “And we did what we needed to do.”

Game 7 is Saturday night in Oklahoma City, the place where Wembanyama started this West title series with a 41-point, 24-rebound masterpiece that carried the Spurs to a double-overtime win. If he gets another win on Saturday, he and the Spurs will be heading to the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.

From the outset, Wembanyama’s imprint was on Game 6. After winning the opening tip-off, his next three plays went like this — made 3-pointer, blocked shot, another made 3-pointer. The tone was set, and the Spurs never trailed.

It was a very different approach from Game 5, when Wembanyama had 20 points on just 4-for-15 shooting.

“I would say his overall activity,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, when asked to describe the biggest differences between Games 5 and 6 for his biggest and best player. “That, probably from my perspective, was just from his will and intent on leaving his imprints on the game.”

Wembanyama got most of the fourth quarter off, with the game having long been decided. Game 6 wasn’t over, but it’s a safe bet that he was already thinking about Game 7. Harrison Barnes, the team’s third-oldest player, was in Wembanyama’s ear during the fourth quarter on the Spurs’ bench, offering some wisdom.

He spoke. Wembanyama nodded. Whatever the message was, it was clear.

“Listening to the experienced people, whether it’s on our team, on our staff or outside,” Wembanyama said when asked what’s the first thing he thinks of when preparing for a Game 7.

The robe that he wore to Thursday’s game, he confirmed in French during his postgame news conference, wasn’t an homage to his time last June in China at the Shaolin temple — but rather to celebrate Eid al-Adha, an Islamic holiday. And during that same French portion of his remarks, he was asked if he can take a moment to even contemplate how far the Spurs have come.

Short answer: no.

“I have absolutely no desire to do that right now,” he said.

The formula for this series held true again Thursday. When Wembanyama is the most dominant player, the Spurs have won. When he isn’t, they’ve lost. Good hasn’t been good enough — in the three Spurs losses, he’s averaged 22.3 points on 43% shooting. In the three Spurs wins, he’s averaged 34 points on 51% shooting.

“He’s not always perfect and we’ve got to help him at times, obviously,” Johnson said. “He’s 22 years old, but his passion and desire for being right where he is and at the forefront of it all and to take the responsibility and the role and the burden of what he does ... I don’t know what else to say. He is comfortable with that regardless of the outcome and what that may look like.”

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

Then he listened to pronouncer Jacques Bailly, and his dour body language vanished as he nodded vigorously, his tell that, yes, he knew the words he was asked to spell. All of them.

“Once I get the word,” Shrey said, “I'm not really nervous anymore, because then it's all in my control.”

Shrey arrived as a favorite and walked away as a National Spelling Bee champion Thursday night, outlasting a deep and experienced group of finalists and beating Ishaan Gupta in a lightning-round tiebreaker that looked like it was over as soon as Shrey raced through his first word.

His final tally: 32 words spelled correctly in 90 seconds, a record for the shootout-style finish that was first used in 2022.

“I was counting and I'm like, OK, this is more than 30,” said Shrey's mother, Khyati Mehta. “And at that point, I'm like, ‘I think this is it.’"

Ishaan battled gamely, getting 25 words right during the spell-off, but he was more deliberate and hesitant from the start. The competitors stood next to each other as Scripps officials announced what everyone in a lively crowd at Constitution Hall already knew, and Shrey turned and shook Ishaan's hand.

After Sarv Dharavane bowed out in third place for the second consecutive year, Shrey and Ishaan had only one conventional round before the buzzer for the spell-off was placed on the stage. Ishaan was escorted away — the tiebreaker is the only time spellers get the same words — and Shrey had a last bout with nerves as he stood there for five minutes while crews tried, and failed, to fix a technical glitch with the buzzer.

“That was really, like, scary for me,” he said.

The spell-off moves so fast that it’s impossible to tell which word secures the title, but Scripps later announced that “bromocriptine” — a polypeptide alkaloid that mimics the activity of dopamine — was the winner. Shrey could get a dopamine hit from the winner's haul of $52,500 in cash, a custom trophy and a package of prizes.

He becomes the 31st of the past 37 champions with Indian heritage, a run that began with Nupur Lala's victory in 1999.

Bouncing back from a school bee stunner

A 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, Shrey took an unusual route to the title. He finished third in 2024, but last year he was absent. He missed his regional bee, too — because, woozy from a virus that caused a fever, he blanked on the word “calipers” and bowed out of a competition that any speller of his talent would consider child's play: the spelling bee at Day Creek Intermediate School.

“Right now I’m probably the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m just so happy and relieved, and just such a flood of emotions,” Shrey said. “At my school bee last year, I was really dejected and just very upset. It didn’t even sink in until the next day. I had a really tough time, but I’m glad I was able to bounce back.”

After a few months off, he rededicated himself, seeking every edge he could find through coaching and study guides. In online bees against many of the same spellers he faced this week in Washington, he won again and again.

“Whenever I would quiz him, he would take notice of his missed words. He'd analyze every missed word he had, try to figure out why he missed it,” said Sohum Sukhatankar, a co-champion in 2019 who coached Shrey along with Sam Evans and Vijaya Ganesh. “All the time I coached him, he'd never miss a word twice.”

Evans, who has worked with each of the past three champions, said Shrey's work ethic stood out.

“I’ve really never seen someone put this much effort into spelling bees, into learning everything that he possibly can,” Evans said. “Shrey is relentless.”

A high-quality final comes to an abrupt end

The spell-off will never be popular among bee purists who prefer to see the final two contestants go head-to-head for as many rounds as it takes. Because it emphasizes speed and memorization, it lacks the intrigue of watching a speller work out the intricacies of a tricky word with odd vowel patterns or sneaky double consonants.

“It's a perversion of many values that I and many in the spelling community hold dear,” said Navneeth Murali, who competed through 2020 and now coaches. “I think everyone would have liked to see a duel, but it looks like the spell-off is here to stay. It’s something that we’ll have to adapt to.”

A stout, experienced group of nine finalists showed off their skills by going 18 for 18 at the start, breezing through the first spelling and vocabulary rounds. Aiden Meng ended that streak when he was tripped up by “catometope” to start the second spelling round.

Then the crowd gasped when the bell rung on two thought to be capable of winning it all: Oliver Halkett for “Faesulae” and Zwe Spacetime for “vaesite,” words with tricky combinations of origins and vowel sounds.

Oliver and Zwe are eighth-graders, which means they have now aged out of the competition. Sarv, a 12-year-old sixth-grader from Dunwoody, Georgia, has two years of eligibility left to try to repeat Shrey's achievement of going from third to first. Ishaan, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Jersey City, New Jersey, can try again next year too.

The bee’s move from a suburban convention center to Constitution Hall was a point of contention for spellers and their families because of inconveniences it caused. But Thursday's finals had a lively atmosphere, with more intimate seating and better sight lines bringing the crowd closer to the action, and the broadcast got a reboot with ESPN's Mina Kimes hosting alongside longtime analyst Paul Loeffler.

Though the way Scripps determined the champion will be debated — and Shrey didn't even get the winner's usual shower of confetti — there was no doubt he was deserving.

“When it comes to competition, he goes all the way,” said his father, Gaurav Parikh.

Or, as Evans put it: “He's got that dog in him.”

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This story corrects the spelling of Gaurav Parikh’s first name

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Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow his work here.

The setting sun was framed by a canyon of skyscrapers Thursday as it sunk below the horizon, perfectly aligned with the Manhattan street grid.

The dramatic spectacle was just the first of the year. A fuller version of the setting sun is expected to be seen between New York's famed skyscrapers on Friday. The phenomenon then repeats on July 11 and 12.

Manhattanhenge happens about three weeks before and after the summer solstice.

Over the years, it has become a must-see event, bringing photographers and others out onto the city sidewalks on spring and summer evenings.

Some background on the uniquely New York experience:

Where does the name Manhattanhenge come from?

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson coined the term in a 1997 article in the magazine “Natural History.” Tyson, the director of the Hayden Planetarium at New York's American Museum of Natural History, said he was inspired by a visit to Stonehenge as a teenager.

The future host of TV shows such as PBS' "Nova ScienceNow" was part of an expedition led by Gerald Hawkins, the scientist who first theorized that Stonehenge's mysterious megaliths were an ancient astronomical observatory.

It struck Tyson, a native New Yorker, that the setting sun framed by Manhattan's high-rises could be compared to the sun's rays striking the center of the Stonehenge circle on the solstice.

Unlike the Neolithic Stonehenge builders, the planners who laid out Manhattan did not mean to channel the sun. It just worked out that way.

When is Manhattanhenge?

Manhattanhenge does not take place on the summer solstice itself, which is June 21 this year. Instead, it happens about three weeks before and after the solstice. That's when the sun aligns itself perfectly with the Manhattan grid's east-west streets.

Viewers get to choose between two different versions of the phenomenon.

On Thursday, and again on July 12, half the sun is above the horizon and half below it at the moment of alignment with Manhattan's streets, according to the Hayden Planetarium.

On Friday and July 11, the whole sun will appear to hover between buildings just before sinking into the New Jersey horizon across the Hudson River.

Where can you see Manhattanhenge?

The traditional viewing spots are along the city's broad east-west thoroughfares: 14th Street, 23rd Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street and 57th Street.

The farther east you go, the more dramatic the vista as the sun hits building facades on either side of the street. It is also possible to see Manhattanhenge across the East River in the Long Island City section of Queens.

Is Manhattanhenge an organized event?

No, not really.

Seeing Manhattanhenge is mostly a DIY affair. People gather on east-west streets a half-hour or so before sunset and snap photos as dusk approaches. That's if the weather is fine. There's no visible Manhattanhenge on rainy or cloudy days.

Do other cities have similar sunset events?

Similar effects occur in other cities with uniform street grids. Chicagohenge and Baltimorehenge happen when the setting sun lines up with the gridded streets in those cities in March and September, around the spring and fall equinoxes. Torontohenge occurs in February and October.

But Manhattanhenge is particularly striking because of the height of the buildings and the unobstructed path to the Hudson River.

Smalley, still seeking his first PGA Tour victory, had one of a bevy of bogey-free 5-under 65s on Thursday and was one of 12 players a shot behind six first-round leaders.

Lee Hodges, among those who had to sit through a two-hour weather delay during his round, finished with a bogey at the par-4 ninth. He was at 64 along with reigning U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, Ryan Gerard, Andrew Putnam, Tom Kim and Matt McCarty, who birdied No. 9 two groups ahead of Hodges.

It's the second-most leaders after 18 holes at Colonial behind the eight atop the leaderboard in 2022.

Keegan Bradley, Brian Harman, Jordan Smith, Ricky Castillo and Luke Clanton matched Smalley with five birdies and no bogeys. The other six players at 5 under included 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland and eight-time tour winner Billy Horschel.

There were another 13 players at 4 under, putting 31 players within two shots of the lead at Hogan's Alley. Defending champion Ben Griffin, whose won three times last year, was 2 under.

“It’s one of my favorite courses we play all year because I don’t think there’s any one person that it caters to,” Hodges said. “You don’t have to bomb it. You’ve got to have your whole game here. I think it’s a great test of golf.”

Smalley finished three shots behind Aaron Rai at the PGA, tied with Jon Rahm after leading by two through 54 holes. The Duke alum spent the next few days focused more on travel plans for the U.S. Open and British Open than his return to Texas.

Smalley found that his Lone Star State vibe is still a good one. He is on a six-tournament run of finishing 21st or better. The first two were in Houston and San Antonio, followed by a tie for second in the team event in New Orleans.

The PGA finish matched that career best, and Smalley finally picked up a golf club again last Thursday, then picked up where he left off at Colonial. Four of his five birdie putts were inside 5 feet, including a 134-yard approach to inside a foot at the par-4 15th.

Colonial is tough when it's dry and windy, but it's neither right now in North Texas. Plenty of recent rain has been accompanied by calm winds.

“We would throw grass up and it was kind of coming right back down to our feet,” Smalley said. “So definitely more of the scorable conditions I’ve seen around here, but still not an easy golf course. To have no bogeys on the scorecard anywhere is nice, especially here.”

Kim, a South Korea native who lives in Dallas, is the closest thing to a hometown favorite with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth skipping Colonial for the first time since the Dallas residents became household names. Both cited busy schedules.

Kim twice had the lead by himself at 7 under, but bogeyed the par-4 fifth and followed a birdie at the sixth hole with another bogey at No. 7, his 16th.

Hodges went in front with five birdies in a six-hole stretch to start his back nine, but he had to punch out of the rough at No. 9 and ended up missing a long par putt.

Gerard made all 17 of his putts inside 15 feet, finishing with eight birdies and two bogeys. Putnam's bogey-free round included four birdies over his final eight holes, which were on the front nine.

“It was nice to get a couple putts to go in,” said Gerard, whose only tour victory came at last year's Barracuda Championship, seven years after Putnam's only tour win at the same event. “I know the stats are probably going to lean more putting, but I’ve been hitting my driver really well.”

Harman, the 2023 British Open champion playing Colonial for the 13th consecutive year and 14th time in 15 years, ran off third birdies over four holes early and had two more on the first three holes of his back nine.

“I love playing golf in Texas, man,” said Harman, who has two top 10s at Colonial. “I love this weather. I like it hot. I like the course a lot. It’s holding up pretty good for itself. The greens are soft and the scores are still, there’s nothing crazy out there.”

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