The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations to reach a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators on Wednesday in Qatar.

It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the threat from Iran. However, the U.S. military's Central Command had put out a statement about having a meeting with officials from Mideast nations in Bahrain that said “leaders underscored their shared commitment to the free flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.”

That appears to have been the phrase to anger Iran, which is preparing for the funeral that begins this weekend for the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the war's first moments in February.

“Any failure to comply, deviation from the designated route, or disregard for the navigation protocols of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with an immediate and forceful response from the armed forces, endangering the security of the violating vessels,” the Iranian statement said.

It also said the continued presence of U.S. fighter jets over the strait “causes insecurity in this waterway and threatens regional security.”

“Any attempt by the United States to interfere in security matters or any disruptive action in the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a threat to Iran’s national sovereignty and will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction,” the Iranian warning added.

Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes of the vessels and later charge fees for passage, upending decades of practice in the waterway.

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they won’t agree to the charges. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore sparked attacks across the Mideast last weekend, highlighting the tensions.

The report, which was shared before publication with The Associated Press, plotted 144 suspected drone sightings across Europe, including in NATO members Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the U.K., and Denmark, between 2024 and 2026.

Those sightings peaked in late 2025, forcing the temporary closure of several European airports, including in Germany, Spain and Denmark.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the incidents in her country as the “ most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.”

The IISS said the Russian campaign was designed to fall below the threshold of triggering discussions for a collective NATO response and was a “strategic failure” for Europe that exposed how the continent’s air defenses are not fit to deal with the current threat.

Air Chief Marshal John Stringer, NATO's deputy supreme allied commander in Europe, told AP that it is up to each alliance member to decide how to respond to such threats — and many countries are taking them increasingly seriously.

Several senior European officials said it’s difficult to attribute the drone incursions to Russia, and Stringer did not blame Moscow. But he suggested the activity fits the pattern of behavior seen in a widespread campaign of disruption across Europe that Western officials have blamed on Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Of the handful of countries that have confirmed drone sightings, only Sweden has blamed Moscow directly — when a military drone flew toward a French aircraft carrier from a Russian spy ship.

President Vladimir Putin said in May that Russia is not waging a sabotage campaign against Europe.

European nations struggled to respond to drones, the IISS said

Drones are challenging to detect because they fly low and slow, and on radar can look like birds or planes. They can be launched inside, or near, national borders, bypassing missile defenses, which are designed to detect supersonic missiles fired from abroad. And even if a drone is shot down, it’s extremely difficult to identify where it came from or who sent it and why.

The incursions showed drone defenses in Europe need to rapidly be improved, the IISS said.

Creating a comprehensive picture of threats is often difficult because the responsibility for tackling drones is often split among various authorities, Lt. Gen. Jonny Lindfors, Sweden’s military representative to NATO, told AP. It’s also a “tough decision,” he said, to decide to shoot a drone down because it could cause civilian casualties.

In a June report, Denmark’s Defense Command said the armed forces “could have been in a stronger position” to respond to drone sightings and that there were shortcomings in equipment used to detect them. Following the incidents, Denmark and several other European countries said they would boost their drone defenses.

Countries that may have had a “benign” view of the danger a few years ago have now realized that counterdrone systems are a critical part of air defense, said Stringer.

Russia is launching drones from shadow ships, the IISS said

The IISS plotted the movement of Russian shadow fleet vessels — ships of uncertain ownership that help Moscow dodge sanctions — and concluded that it’s highly likely that Russia is using them as platforms for launching drones.

The report focused on sightings of drones across central and northwest Europe and did not examine incursions along NATO’s eastern flank, where multiple Russian and Ukrainian attack drones have entered European airspace.

On Dec. 2, the Vezhen, a shadow ship linked to the severing of a Baltic cable, sailed in circles off the coast of Ireland when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived for his first official visit, the IISS said. Another ship was nearby, but its signal was off, it said.

At that time, four large military drones were spotted off the Dublin coast, flying for two hours above an Irish navy ship, the report said. The Irish Defense Forces did not reply to a request for comment.

The report cited other sightings that occurred when shadow fleet ships were nearby, several in Denmark.

— On Jan. 3, 2025, as the shadow fleet vessel Arctica sailed along the Danish coast, the IISS said up to 20 drones flew over the port of Koege, Denmark, before disappearing toward the sea.

— On Sept. 22, drone sightings led to the closure of Copenhagen Airport. The IISS found several shadow ships were in the area at the time, including the Arctica and the Boracay.

— Over the next several days, as the Boracay rounded Denmark and several other ships were in the area, more drones were reported over the country, including near military installations.

The IISS said suspicion for at least some of the sightings in September fell on the Boracay. The French military boarded the ship at the end of the month, and President Emmanuel Macron said he can't rule out that the vessel was involved in the drone flights over Denmark.

Denmark’s Defense Command confirmed that drones were identified in the country’s airspace in September and October 2025. It didn’t link them to Russia but noted that Moscow is carrying out hybrid attacks against the West, including those that are of a “character and scope far beyond what Russia carried out before the war in Ukraine.”

“It’s a reasonable assumption” that Russia is launching drones from shadow fleet ships, said Lindfors, though he noted it's often “almost impossible” to attribute them to one nation or actor.

Russia flew drones above military sites, the report said

The report also concluded that Russia likely tried to monitor military sites in the U.K., the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany and force NATO nations to scramble to defend against drones, and so reveal radar positions and gaps in defenses. Among the reports of drones over military installations cited by the IISS were:

— The U.S. Air Force in Europe said there were multiple sightings of drones in November 2024 over four American air bases in the U.K.

— German authorities recorded more than 1,000 suspicious drone sightings in 2025, including over defense companies and military bases where Ukrainian soldiers were training.

— Dutch and Belgian defense officials said drones were spotted in November and December 2025 over military bases in the Netherlands and Belgium. The IISS said the bases are believed to host American B61 nuclear bombs.

— Drone sightings were reported at the Ile Longue submarine base, which hosts France’s nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.

The U.S. Air Force in Europe said it couldn't provide more detail on the incidents in the U.K., the Netherlands and Belgium, nor confirm the presence of American nuclear weapons.

A British defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military information, said a defense police investigation found no evidence to conclusively link the drone sightings in the U.K. to Russia. The Dutch Defense Ministry confirmed drones were seen over Volkel Air Base and said it took steps to defend military sites against drones.

The French army chief of staff headquarters said an investigation of the drones over Ile Longue is ongoing. It didn’t respond to questions about whether the military suspects the drones were launched from shadow fleet ships.

Requests for comment were also sent to defense ministries in Belgium, Denmark and Germany.

With so many incursions, “it would be naive to believe it’s just a coincidence,” said Lindfors, suggesting that such threats are the new normal.

___

Associated Press writers John Leicester, Lorne Cook and Mike Corder contributed.

Aceh’s Sharia court ordered the two people to be whipped with a rattan cane 21 times each for kissing without being married. At least a hundred people witnessed the caning, carried out by a group of people wearing robes and hoods on a stage in Bustanussalatin City Park in Banda Aceh.

The couple, a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, were arrested in April after a Feb. 27 livestream in which they kissed in a car in Banda Aceh went viral and prompted reports to local Sharia authorities.

Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces a version of Islamic law. Indonesia’s secular central government granted the province the right to implement religious law in 2006 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist war.

In 2015, Aceh expanded the law to apply to non-Muslims, who account for about 1% of the province’s population.

The law allows up to 100 lashes for morality offenses including adultery and gay sex. Caning is also allowed to punish people gambling and drinking, and for women who wear tight clothes or men who skip Friday prayers.

The couple caned Thursday were sentenced to 25 lashes each, but it was reduced to 21 strokes because they had already spent four months in prison.

The court also seized a cellphone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok live video as evidence to be destroyed.

Four other people were publicly caned on Thursday for online gambling and adultery.

Amnesty International Indonesia said public caning in Aceh as a form of human rights violation because it is cruel, inhumane and degrading to human dignity, even though Indonesia has ratified a convention mandating the abolition of inhumane punishments.

“Such behavior might be considered inappropriate because social media is viewed by people of various age groups, including children. But is it a crime that warrants imprisonment or even caning? That would be excessive,” said Usman Hamid, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia on Thursday.

Aini Nadhirah, 22, a Banda Aceh resident who attended the caning, said the public concern over the punishment could provide a lesson for others.

“In my opinion, this caning is entirely justified because it serves as a warning to other Aceh residents to be more careful when using social media. It also raises awareness that such actions are unacceptable, thereby educating the public,” Nadhirah said.

___

Tarigan reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.

A total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometers northeast of the capital Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage. Five monks were killed at the site, while three others died at a hospital, according to Mukdahan Governor Worrayan Boonnarat. Fourteen others were hospitalized, with four in critical condition.

The group started the 260-kilometer walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.

Security camera footage shared by a local rescue group, Ruam Jai Mukdahan Rescue Association, shows the monks walking in a single line on the side of a road before the truck crashes into them.

Local police said the boy is now in custody and will be questioned when state child protection officers arrive.

The police said the cause of the accident is still under investigation, but said they were told by the monks that they saw the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and crashed into the group.

The Vatican’s doctrine office went above and beyond the minimal sanctions foreseen by the church’s canon law to respond to the consecrations Wednesday of four new bishops at the society’s Econe, Switzerland, seminary.

The society, known by its acronym SSPX, celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and opposes the modernizing reforms of the Catholic Church, which it considers to be rife with heresies and errors and has accused of straying from the Catholic faith.

During a ritual-filled, five-hour Mass on Wednesday, attended by some 15,500 people and their children, the SSPX consecrated four new bishops in direct defiance of Pope Leo XIV, who had urged the SSPX to hold off for the sake of the church's unity.

In a decree, the Vatican excommunicated the four new bishops and the two bishops who participated in the ceremony. It declared the consecrations a “schismatic act” and declared the society itself had created a schism, or intentional rupture with the Catholic Church.

The Vatican warned the faithful who go to the society’s Masses to stop, declaring “those who adhere formally” to the society are considered themselves schismatic and excommunicated. It declared SSPX priests to be schismatic, and therefore excommunicated, and invalidated the sacraments of confession and marriage that they administer.

The sanctions, especially those targeting the priests, the faithful and the sacraments they can receive, were particularly harsh and reversed concessions the Vatican had granted the SSPX in recent years as part of its outreach to bring the group back under Rome's wing.

French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded the SSPX in 1970 in opposition to the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council. Among other things, the 1960s meetings known as Vatican II revolutionized the church’s relations with other Christians, Jews and people of other faiths and allowed Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular rather than Latin.

Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without papal consent in 1988. The Vatican promptly excommunicated Lefebvre and the four bishops and declared the consecrations a “schismatic act.”

Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 lifted the excommunications as part of his yearslong outreach to the group, but the SSPX today has no legal standing in the church and with Thursday’s decree is declared to be in schism.

The consecrations had posed a crisis for Leo because the American pope has stressed the need for church unity. He has reached out especially to the conservative and traditionalist wing of the church that was in many ways alienated during the Pope Francis pontificate.

But the sanctions imposed Thursday suggest that after nearly five decades of trying to negotiate with the society, the Holy See has had enough.

The Vatican responded so aggressively in part because the group poses something of a threat by representing a parallel, ultra-Catholic, pre-Vatican II church that has grown in the decades since its original break from Rome.

The group now has six bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians training in five seminaries, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates and 250 religious sisters representing 50 nationalities, according to SSPX statistics.

The SSPX has accused the church of being rife with errors, such as modernism and liberalism, and that only it is upholding the true faith of Christ. It has justified the consecrations, citing a “state of necessity” to minister to its faithful.

In his homily during the consecrations Wednesday, the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, the SSPX superior, also insisted the consecrations served Leo and the church.

“We are accused of not respecting the pope,” Pagliarani said. “But it is precisely because we love the pope as the vicar of Christ, as the head of the church, that we don’t want to see the pope humiliated anymore, on the side of false shepherds representing false religions.”

Oil prices fell after negotiators from the U.S. and Iran met separately with mediators from Qatar and Pakistan on Wednesday, as traders eyed developments in talks on achieving a permanent end to the war in Iran.

In early European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.5% to 10,530.26. France's CAC 40 advanced 0.7% to 8,393.60, while Germany's DAX climbed 0.5% to 25,160.50.

In Asia, South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index sank 7.9% to 7,648.09. with chip-related shares trading lower. Memory chipmaker SK Hynix lost 14.6% and Samsung Electronics tumbled 9.1%.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 lost 2.5% to 68,733.15. Shares of chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron shed 7.4%.

Taiwan’s Taiex declined 0.6% as chipmaking giant TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., fell 1.6%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed 0.8% higher at 23,055.03. Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD’s shares rose 8.1% after it reported its sales rose for a second straight month. The Shanghai Composite index fell 2% to 4,028.90.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged less than 0.1% higher to 8,724.50.

India's Sensex climbed 0.6%.

Surging demand for artificial intelligence has pushed many AI and tech stocks higher in recent months, with markets in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan reaping big gains. So far this year, the Kospi and Nikkei 225 have gained about 77% and 33%, respectively.

However, concerns over a potential glut in supply given the massive investments made by Big Tech companies in the U.S. and elsewhere have been clouding investor sentiment.

On Wednesday, chip stocks in the U.S. mostly fell. Micron Technology gave up 10.6%, Intel sank 9%, AMD, or Advanced Micro Devices, dropped 6.9%, Broadcom lost 2.2% and Nvidia slipped 1.3%.

The S&P 500, Wall Street’s benchmark, fell 0.2% to 7,483.23. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped less than 0.1% to 52,305.24, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite dropped 0.7% to 26,040.03.

“AI demand may continue to grow but at a slower pace than expected,” economists Megan Fisher and Vicky Redwood at Capital Economics wrote in a note on Thursday. “Firms and investors may be underestimating the barriers to AI adoption.”

While transformative technologies can be adopted widely, they may still fall short of generating financial returns soon enough in order to justify the massive scale of investments made by many firms, the economists said.

Oil prices fell early Thursday, trading at levels below where they were before the Iran war began in late February. Hopes have risen that crude supplies will improve markedly with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that’s key for the world’s oil transport, even though the number of ships crossing the strait is still limited.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell 0.9% to $70.93 per barrel, lower than the roughly $72 a barrel before the start of the war. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 0.8% to $68.03 per barrel.

In other dealings, the U.S. dollar was trading at 161.10 Japanese yen, down from 162.58 yen, after the yen fell to a four-decade low against the dollar on Wednesday. The euro was trading at $1.1417, up from $1.1377.

After Trump questioned Italy’s reliability as a wartime ally and claimed Giorgia Meloni had groveled for his attention, European leaders rallied to Meloni's side, thawing what had been a frosty relationship over her hard-right political roots.

It is the latest example of how the often divisive American president is helping to draw Europe closer together.

European leaders are finding more reasons to coordinate on defense, tariffs and foreign policy as they confront wars in Ukraine and Iran, a ballooning trade deficit with China, and threats from Russia. That leaves Trump, who has often preferred to negotiate with European countries individually, with less ability to do so, analysts say.

“Most of the mainstream leaders realize that Europe is getting squeezed between China and America, and so, if not now, then when?” said Sudha David-Wilp, vice president at the German Marshall Fund. “They need to act as a bloc in order to maintain Europe’s place in the world.”

This newfound European unity could be tested next week at a NATO summit in Turkey.

European leaders rally around Meloni

Meloni's spat with Trump has helped her strengthen ties with European leaders once wary of her party’s post-fascist roots.

A pivotal moment came in March when she wouldn't allow U.S. bombers headed to the Middle East to use a base in Sicily without parliamentary approval.

For years before then, France and Germany often kept Meloni outside the small-group talks that helped shape Europe’s response to major foreign policy crises. That persisted into 2026 amid disagreements over the Russian war on Ukraine, including Meloni’s rejection of a proposal by Britain and France to send European troops there following a possible ceasefire.

But Trump’s escalating attacks on Meloni — who called Trump's criticism of Pope Leo “unacceptable” — helped shift the dynamic, prompting European leaders to rally around her.

After all, they, too, have been on the receiving end of Trump's barbs.

Meloni was firmly in the fold at a late June meeting in Berlin with the leaders of Germany, France, Britain and Poland. And she met the next day with French President Emmanuel Macron in southern France — the first bilateral summit since the pandemic.

Europe's nationalist parties are adjusting

Even nationalist parties across the continent once aligned with Trump are recalibrating their stances because his trade policies and war with Iran are proving unpopular with voters.

In France, far-right leader Jordan Bardella recently blasted U.S. actions as “foreign interference” and described Trump as “erratic” and “extremely unsteady.” Bardella had previously welcomed Trump's brand of nationalism as a “wind of freedom.”

In Germany, leaders of the far-right Alternative for Germany party have criticized the U.S. military campaign against Iran. The co-leader of the party, Tino Chrupalla, said in March he was “extremely disappointed” with Trump, whom he had viewed as a politician who would avoid new conflicts.

The changing rhetoric comes as elections approach, putting more focus on domestic issues.

“This pushes everyone to consider a European horizon more than an international one,” said Lorenzo Castellani, a political analyst and professor at Rome’s LUISS University,

Beyond Europe’s biggest powers

These dynamics are playing out beyond the European Union, from the Arctic Ocean to the Balkans.

When Trump threatened to take Greenland by force, protests erupted in its capital, Nuuk, and in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. Leaders across the political spectrum bristled at the threatened infringement of European sovereignty and feared it could shatter the already stressed NATO military alliance.

In Albania, a luxury development being planned that is linked to Trump’s family business has become a major political issue, drawing protests in June.

The political risks of close alignment with Trump were perhaps most clearly illustrated in Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — long regarded as Trump’s closest ally in the European Union — was voted out of office in April despite support from the U.S. president and prominent figures in the MAGA movement.

An analysis by the consultancy Maplecroft suggested that negative perceptions of the Trump administration may have weighed on Orbán politically.

Meloni’s balancing act

Though Meloni remains closely aligned with Trump on issues like immigration and security, she has long diverged from him on Ukraine. Her steadfast support for Kyiv has strengthened Italy's ties with European allies and has become a key factor in their increasingly united front toward the U.S.

During their public spat last month, Meloni said her friendship with Trump came with a heavy political cost.

In her response to his accusation that she had “begged” to be photographed with him while at the recent G7 summit in France, she wrote on social media: “As for my popularity, being your friend has certainly not helped it, nor does it depend on my relationship with you.”

A recent Pew Research Center survey found that Trump is deeply unpopular in Italy. According to the survey, the vast majority of Italians — 83% — have no confidence in Trump’s ability to do the right thing regarding foreign affairs. His handling of a range of issues -- including Iran, tariffs, and U.S. immigration policies -- received a low level of support.

With a national election due by 2027 — and possibly as early as next spring — Meloni faces mounting political pressures, including fallout from the unpopular Iran war and her former ties to Trump.

Voters across Europe could hold their own politicians accountable for the actions of an American president beyond their control, said Castellani, the political analyst.

“At a certain point, when voters see the price of gasoline rising because of a war perceived as distant, they ask Meloni for the bill, not Trump.”

___

McNeil reported from Brussels. AP writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Geir Moulson in Berlin, and Justin Spike in Budapest, contributed to this report.

More than a year after first trying to buy Infowars, The Onion on Thursday will debut a send-up under its own website with plans to give some of the revenue to families of the victims in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The families have still received no money from Jones since courts ordered him to pay more than $1 billion for falsely calling the 2012 shooting a hoax.

The Onion will start by sending the families $100,000 from merchandise sales that combine the conspiracy empire’s brand with the The Onion’s logo in rainbow colors, according to CEO Ben Collins, whose company is still in court trying to take control of Infowars.

“Don’t give comedy writers a grudge for 18 months,” Collins said.

The parody will include a series of shows and other content under Infowars branding that spoof Jones’ aggressive mashup of conspiracies linking major news events, dubious scientific claims, attacks on people suffering in tragedies and sales of supplements and survival gear.

Jones' claims that the 2012 shooting that killed 20 first graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut is a hoax have no truth, but Jones continued to amplify them. His followers started to harass victims' families, suggesting they were “crisis actors” and even making death threats.

Jones' Infowars empire had 10 million visitors a month and generated more than $50 million in annual revenues at its peak, according to the company. But the $1.4 billion judgements in defamation cases in Connecticut and Texas, where Jones is based, forced him into bankruptcy and broke Infowars apart.

“All he’s been left with is an iPhone and a fancy microphone," said Chris Mattei, an attorney for nine of the Sandy Hook families.

Jones has moved his show to a different website. An email sent to an address to request interviews went unanswered.

The families knew they could never stop Jones from getting his message out, and he has managed to avoid paying the judgement so far. But they could expose what he said and assure he can never profit again, Mattei said.

“Every dime Alex Jones makes from here until the end of eternity is going to be claimed by the families,” Mattei said.

The Onion stepped in when Collins saw Infowars' assets were going to be sold at auction.

Collins spoke to Sandy Hook families, who said they were briefly skeptical, but then saw how The Onion's staff could use the Infowars style and branding to take the moral high ground and make fun of the people who not only caused them so much pain but they felt also poisoned society.

Collins didn't want to give away too much of the new stuff before it goes live Thursday.

But the new Infowars will maintain The Onion's sharp satire sprinkled with shock value. Collins said there will be a section selling a penis flattening device, a fake “pro oxygen” supplement pill that the host claims can replace breathing, as well as an extended debate on how many Bozo the Clowns there are.

“It’s old-fashioned Infowars — using the tricks that they use to get people addicted to outrage and, I would say, addicted to anticipation, trying to find the thing that’s around the corner that’s going to save your life,” Collins said.

The Onion will keep chasing Jones' property. Collins thinks they will soon get control of the Austin, Texas, studio Infowars once used.

Some families can't wait for that day. Collins said that Robbie Parker, whose daughter died at Sandy Hook, plans to read his book about fighting Jones while dealing with so much grief in the place Jones once sat.

The families at first wanted Infowars shut down forever and Jones never heard from again. But they are now looking forward to seeing what The Onion has planned, attorney Mattei said.

“The idea that it could be turned to some social good. I think it’s even better,” Mattei said. “So, yeah, I think the families are both pleased and amused with what they’ve been able to achieve here.”

So if a certain pop idol were to choose this island, at this moment, for her vows, could anywhere be more fitting?

“This city has always known how to celebrate big moments. But this summer, so many of them have collided at once,” says Rabbi Yael Buechler, 40, of the Riverside section of the Bronx, who is preparing a “Swiftie Shabbat” this weekend with friendship bracelet cookies and a bedazzled challah bread she says is inspired by her “Chuppah Era.” “When I look back on the summer of 2026, I won’t remember just one event. I’ll remember a season when New York felt united in celebration.”

New York is always a city whose seduction battles its struggles, where the thrill of finding a subway car with an open seat meets the realization that it’s empty because its lone passenger is hurling trash across it. The schlepping, the waiting on line, the $9 boxes of cereal and $32 burgers and microscopic apartments with titanic rents, the sidewalk mounds of trash, the gutted rat you nearly step onto in the street. All of it can congeal into too much, separating New Yorkers for a season from New Yorkers for life.

But then there are those days when the streets are a storybook, with all the eclectic, utopian splendor Richard Scarry could muster, where you step out of an impossibly tiny, immeasurably cute cheese shop to find an impromptu classical concert on a front stoop. Neighbors exchange knowing looks at whatever absurdity unfolds before them, parks unfurl like paintings, a kaleidoscope of humanity seems in sync, lights twinkle, dumplings are cheap, pizza is perfect, bagels are fresh from the oven, dreams are all fulfilled.

Optimism emerges for summer in the city

In the battle between the slog of metropolitan life and its many daily gifts, some felt the recent arrival of a thumb on the scale.

The city’s trademark cynicism faded a bit. And in a place where celebrity passersby and visiting monarchs typically get the same collective shrug, a certain exuberance appeared. The beaming young mayor, fresh off an announcement that a swath of New York’s tenants would see no rent hike, was even found jumping into a city pool in a suit and tie.

This town has known seasons of many stripes, from that autumn of grief after 9/11 to that spring of solitude and trepidation as COVID-19 first emerged. They always pass. The city moves forward. But however long this Summer of New York stretches and the city pulsates with positivity, locals are relishing it.

“It’s easy to feel alone in the big city, but we all feel a bit closer right now,” says Dallas Short, a 38-year-old publicist who lives in the Two Bridges neighborhood of Manhattan. “Anything seems possible and attainable right now.”

More than anything, the Knicks’ fantastic run fueled today’s New York temperament, with its underdogs-coming-out-swinging, constantly-rallying-from-behind, Jalen Brunson methodically delivering, OG Anunoby tipping in an impossible shot, and millions of onlookers unsure of what they just witnessed as they slid into a warm bath of delight.

Spike Lee, a sideline fixture for decades and quintessential New Yorker, captured the city's darker side with his film “Summer of Sam,” set in the city's long-remembered summer of 1977. This year, he oozed joy even before victory was sealed.

“This is truly Fun City,” he proclaimed in The New York Times, “born again!”

Then there were those soccer games

Before the thrill of that even wore away, the world’s soccer fans descended, turning Times Square into a Viking longship and points across the city into flag-waving, drum-beating celebrations. In a city whose most iconic statue is a testament to its openness to newcomers, teams from Cape Verde to Paraguay to Congo found local fans and international visitors found compatriots.

“There is electricity in the air,” says Steven Gottlieb, a real estate agent and born-and-bred New Yorker who lives in the Flatiron neighborhood of Manhattan. “Many of us have a love-hate relationship with New York City, but there’s a lot to love right now.”

Which brings us to none other than Taylor Swift.

After moving here over a decade ago, she penned “Welcome to New York,” which called the city a “true love” and portrayed it as an “ever-changing,” “drives you crazy,” “keeps you guessing” paramour.

Asked about her new home at the time, she told Rolling Stone, “In terms of being happy, I’ve never been closer.”

Swift was spotted courtside at Madison Square Garden in Game Four of the Knicks’ run. And if rumors prove to be true, she’ll return to the arena this week to celebrate a marriage to football player Travis Kelce. Should it come to pass, it would arrive on a week capped by all the revelry the city can serve up for the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence, in a fireworks-blasting, tall ships-sailing spectacle.

In this city scarred by terror, darkened by blackout and flooded by storm, no New Yorker would be so naïve as to think it all will last. The rents will rise. The kvetching will return. The smells and the crowds will again grow too much.

Let it be remembered, though: For a blissful moment in the summer of 2026, joy reigned here.

___

Matt Sedensky can be reached at msedensky@ap.org and https://x.com/sedensky

Democratic lawmakers and governors see it as a way to help pay for the joint federal and state insurance program that covers low-income residents as federal policy changes are expected to make the program more expensive for states and may lead to a reduction in the number of people with coverage.

Proponents also say it's about fairness because employers benefit from having some lower-income workers with taxpayer-funded health coverage.

Business groups object. So do some liberal policy organizations.

New Jersey is putting the fee in place

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a measure Tuesday night to charge employers that have at least 50 workers covered by Medicaid, and the state budget she approved earlier in the week counts on raising $145 million this year from the program.

Under the plan, companies will be billed for each employee and employees' dependent receiving Medicaid, the joint state-federal insurance program.

The fees per person would start at $325 a year for companies with 50 to 249 Medicaid beneficiaries and top out at $725 annually for employers with at least 500 recipients.

Federal Medicaid changes are prompting Democratic-led states to act

A bill passed this week in California doesn't impose a charge now, but it does direct the state administration to present lawmakers options for doing so next year.

Finishing the job would fall to the successor of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is leaving office in January. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has made an employer charge part of his election platform.

State Sen. John Laird, a Democrat who sponsored the California proposal, said the big tax and policy law President Donald Trump signed a year ago was a major factor in the need for action because it could prompt the state to spend more on Medicaid to plug holes left by federal changes.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office expects more than 10 million people will be uninsured because of the law by 2034. It requires some beneficiaries to work, be in school or volunteer — and requires even more to document whether they meet the requirements. Most employees at the bigger companies would not be at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as long as they're working at least 20 hours a week.

Laird also said there's an equity issue involved.

“If you're a small business person in California, you are quite likely paying for health insurance for your employees. And through your taxes, you're paying for health insurance for some of the biggest employers in California,” he said. “And that's not fair.”

Legislation with similar intents passed one legislative chamber in both Colorado and Oregon this year, but neither made it to law. A measure was also introduced in Washington.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat who is seeking a third term in November's election, has called for the same move there with the idea of making it a part of the state budget that would kick in two years from now.

Opposition comes from business and some liberal groups

It's no surprise that business organizations have criticized the approach, which would add to their expenses.

“The fact remains that many job-creators are still going to be penalized for something they have no control over,” Christopher Emigholz, the chief government affairs officer at the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, said in a statement. “If an employee declines an employer-provided health plan because they’d rather be on Medicaid, it is unfair to penalize the employer for that employee’s decision.”

Some left-leaning policy organizations also oppose the charges.

Gideon Lukens, who analyzes health policy at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said that while the idea may be well-intentioned, it could lead companies to employ fewer people from low-income household or single parents. He said companies could also consider the policy in decisions about whom to hire or lay off — and also on where to locate or how many workers to employ.

And, he said, it could make employees — or potential employees — less likely to enroll in Medicaid knowing it would make them less attractive to employers.

“Usually, when I see a tax on something it’s going to discourage whatever being taxed,” he said in an interview.

New Jersey's legislation tries to address some of the concerns. It would exempt temporary, seasonal and part-time employees. It would also bar employment decisions based on a workers’ Medicaid status.

The idea has come up before, though it's never stuck for long

Charging companies whose workers are covered by Medicaid isn't a new idea. At least two states have previously enacted it, and it's been proposed in Congress.

Massachusetts lawmakers in 2017 adopted a charge on employers up to $750 per non-disabled worker who was covered through Medicaid or a state-subsidized health exchange plan. The program began in 2018 was not renewed when it expired the next year.

An even earlier policy in Maryland, in 2006, immediately affected only Walmart. An industry group challenged it in court and won, stopping the fees. A federal judge found that it required the company to track and allocate employment benefits differently in Maryland than in other states in violation of a federal law that governs self-insured employee health plans.

The latest generation of proposals may avoid that legal pitfall by not referencing those health plans in the legislation.

Those in the crowd beat their chests rhythmically in the intense summer heat, the wails of women cutting through the noise. Mourners rushed the casket, causing the 86-year-old religious leader's white-wrapped body to tumble out into the crowd.

Initial reports said the chaos killed at least eight people and injured some 11,000 others. It was recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest percentage of a population to attend a funeral, drawing an estimated 10.2 million people — about one-sixth of Iran’s population at the time

Now, as Iran prepares to bury the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, The Associated Press is making its story and historic photographs of Khomeini's funeral available. The story has been edited for typographical errors, but maintains the AP style of the day.

___

Mourners Block Funeral, Postpone Burial; Scores Crushed in the Chaos

By ALEX EFTY

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Millions of mourners beating on their heads and chests today blocked the funeral procession of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and scores of people, including Khomeini’s son, were crushed in the chaos.

The unyielding crowds forced authorities to postpone the burial.

There was no immediate word on if or how many people were killed, injured or simply fainted because of the 91-degree heat. At least eight people were killed and hundreds hurt Monday during a similar huge show of mass grief.

Security forces fired in the air to disperse the crowds, but the grieving multitudes remained, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

The Revolutionary Guards beat mourners on their hands to let go of Khomeini’s coffin.

Khomeini’s only son, Ahmad, 43, was knocked down in the dusty north Tehran square outside the Mosalla Mosque where Khomeini’s body had lay in state since Monday in an air-conditioned glass-encased bier.

Ahmad Khomeini’s white turban fell off as he was being hoisted above the crowds and passed from hand to hand to an ambulance at the edge of the square. He appeared pale and drowsy, but conscious.

The hearse carrying the body was stranded in a sea of mourners clad in black, unable to move forward because of the crowds, IRNA said.

Tehran television said it was “impossible” to break through the grieving multitudes to bury Khomeini before dusk. Islam forbids burying the dead after nightfall.

Khomeini died Saturday at age 86.

He was to be buried at the Baheshte Zahra cemetery, 22 miles south of Tehran, alongside victims of the Islamic revolution that catapulted him to power 10 years ago and thousands killed in the Iran-Iraq war.

The television said alternative arrangements for Khomeini’s burial would be announced later.

Shouts of “Allah Akbar!” God is Great, echoed across the city. The hearse had hardly covered a half mile of the journey two hours into the funeral procession.

Many of Tehran’s 6 million people turned out to bid Khomeini farewell. Millions more converged on the city from other regions, the official media reported.

The procession began at 7 a.m. when Khomeini’s devout militants, the Revolutionary Guards, carried his body down from the bier.

Five helicopters hovered overhead as a martial band played somber tunes.

Khomeini’s body was wrapped in the Islamic republic flag and laid on the ground in the open air as the white-bearded Ayatollah Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani prayed. Golapaygani, one of the four remaining senior ayatollahs in Iran, choked often and lifted his spectacles to wipe tears with a handkerchief.

After the 30-minute service, Khomeini’s body was placed in a wooden coffin that was covered with a white cloth, then carried by Revolutionary Guards from hand to hand into a white van.

Crowds cried hysterically. Readings from the Koran, Islam’s holy book, blared from the mosque’s minaret as the masses cried: “Farewell beloved imam!” and “Oh Khomeini, why have you left us?”

They pounded their heads and chests with clenched fists in a traditional Shiite Moslem expression of grief.

In the chaos, women, clad in head-to-toe black chadors, were rubbing shoulders with men, defying an Islamic ban on physical contact between a woman and a man other than her husband.

Firefighters sprayed the mourners with water to cool them off.

About 2 million frenzied mourners had kept a nightlong candle-lit vigil around the bier.

Some mourners scratched their faces until the blood ran and threw ashes over their clothes.

Khomeini died of a heart attack 11 days after intestinal surgery without resolving the problem of who would succeed him. He left a 29-page “political testament,” excerpts of which were read over Tehran radio on Monday.

The excerpts made no reference to how Iran should be governed after his death. But such proposals may have been in the sections that still have not been made public.

President Ali Khamenei, 49, was appointed caretaker leader Sunday. A presidential election and referendum on constitutional reforms, which are likely to increase the president’s executive power, are scheduled for Aug. 18.

Khamenei’s swift appointment was designed mainly to fill the vacuum amid political turmoil that has prevailed since Khomeini launched his resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism in February with a call for the death of British novelist Salman Rushdie.

In the absence of a single personality who can match Khomeini’s religious and political authority, it seemed likely that Iran would be ruled by a collective leadership.

Khamenei has endorsed the presidential candidacy of Parliament Speaker Hashemi Rafsanjani, 55, a political ally and the only declared candidate.

Former Iranian President Abolhassen Bani-Sadr said from exile in France that Khamenei’s appointment indicated “total failure” by the government.

“Imagine a church that cannot find a pope. It is exactly the same, like a dynasty that cannot find a king. … It will not last,” he said.

Supporters of England, Belgium, Senegal, the United States and Bosnia were all represented, creating a melting pot of soccer fans.

The crowd was expected to keep growing as kickoff for the U.S.-Bosnia match approached. During previous matches, Bayfront Park reached capacity, and it remained to be seen whether that would happen again for Wednesday’s night’s game.

“At the end of the day it’s in our city, it’s beautiful, and to be a 100 perfect and support our country,” said U.S. fan Dylan Rodriguez.

“Honestly it’s nice to see — bringing all these people together,“ said fan Caleb. ”At the end of the day that’s what we want to see.”

Fans said the event has been a unifying experience, with friendships forming between people from around the world who share a passion for soccer — or football, depending on who you ask.

Families also packed the park, creating lasting memories while enjoying more than just the match. Along with watching the game, fans had access to food, drinks and a variety of activities throughout the festival.

Leer en español

The man was identified by the Broward Sheriff’s Office as Bart Diguglielmo, of Lauderhill.

According to BSO, the shooting was reported just before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Walmart, located at 7900 W. McNab Road.

Deputies and North Lauderdale Fire Rescue medics responded to the scene and found Diguglielmo suffering from a gunshot wound, authorities said.

Deputies said paramedics transported Diguglielmo to Broward Health Medical Center, where he died.

Local 10 exclusively obtained video showing the moments that the fatal shooting occurred.

According to BSO, Diguglielmo and a woman had gotten into an argument over a parking space prior to the shooting.

Deputies said the woman remained at the scene after the shooting and claimed she shot Diguglielmo in self-defense.

Detectives confirmed that the woman was detained for questioning and is cooperating in the investigation.

The victim’s daughter, who asked to be identified only as Amanda, was in tears as she described her father during a Zoom interview with Local 10 News, calling him a “good man” who previously served in the military.

She told Local 10’s Rosh Lowe that nobody “deserves to lose their life over a parking spot.”

Amanda told Lowe that she was “hesitant to do the interview” but said she wanted her dad “to be remembered for who he was and not who the media is portraying him to be.”

“I heard one news site say it was over a parking spot,” Amanda said. “Another says it was because my dad was making some type of advance towards the woman, which I will completely debunk because my dad is not that person. He’s not perfect, but not someone that would do this to this extreme.”

Amanda said she had been estranged from her dad for many years, but they had recently been working on repairing their relationship.

Detectives said upon the completion of the investigation, the case will be presented to the Broward County State Attorney’s Office to determine whether criminal charges will be filed against the woman.

The woman’s identity has not been released.

Officials are actively enforcing that rule change.

The latest incident came on Tuesday night when Ecuador defender Piero Hincapié was sent off in second-half stoppage time of his team’s 2-0 loss to Mexico in the round of 32. The red card didn’t impact the outcome of the match, which ended moments later.

Hincapié’s red card came after an exchange with Mexico forward Santi Giménez.

Why did FIFA establish the new rule?

FIFA established the new rule to prevent players from hiding abusive, discriminatory or offensive language while on the field.

Nicknamed the “Prestianni Law,” rules for red cards to players at the World Cup were added because of a controversy in international soccer this year.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino pushed for changes after Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni tried to hide verbal insults toward Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior in a Champions League match. Soccer’s rule-making panel, the International Football Association Board, agreed that players can be penalized with a red card if they cover their mouths when verbally confronting another player.

The rule is not mandatory within the Laws of the Game but gives tournament organizers like FIFA the option to use it at their discretion.

The rule change was unanimously approved by IFAB, which includes officials from FIFA and the four British soccer federations, at a special meeting ahead of the FIFA Congress. FIFA’s proposal followed Vinícius, backed by Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé, accusing Prestianni of making a racially charged insult while raising his jersey to cover his mouth during the game in February.

Is Piero Hincapié the only player who has received a red card at the World Cup?

No. Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almirón was the first player to be punished under the new rule when he was sent off in a group match against Turkey for covering his mouth during a confrontation with defender Mert Mulder.

Paraguay won 1-0, but Almiron missed Paraguay’s final group game against Australia. FIFA said that decision was not subject to appeal.

What does it mean when a player receives a red card at the World Cup?

If a player is shown a red card by an official, he is ejected from the match and must serve a one-game suspension in the following match.

The team is forced to play the remainder of the match with 10 players — putting them at a huge disadvantage — but is allowed to start the following match at full strength with 11 players, just not the suspended player. ___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Leer en español

After 16 single direct-knockout matches, the winning teams will advance to the tournament’s Round of 16, which begins on the Fourth of July.

Here is the list of the teams that have advanced to the Round of 16:

1. Canada, the Group B runner-up, qualified after a 1-0 victory on June 28 against Canada. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 1 p.m. on July 4 against Morocco.
2. Brazil, the Group C winner, qualified after a 2-0 victory on June 29 against Japan. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 4 p.m. on July 5 against Norway.
3. Paraguay, the third in Group D, qualified after a 1-1 draw that ended with a 4-3 victory on penalties against Germany on June 29. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 5 p.m. at Philadelphia Stadium.
4. Morocco, the Group C runner-up, qualified after a 1-1 draw that ended with a 3-2 victory on penalties against the Netherlands on June 30. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 1 p.m. on July 4 against Canada.
5. France, the Group I winner, qualified after a 3-0 victory again Sweden on July 1. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 5 p.m. on July 4 against Paraguay.
6. Norway, the Group I runner-up, qualified after a 2-1 victory against the Ivory Coast on July 1. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 4 p.m. on July 5 against Brazil.
7. Mexico, the Group A winner, qualified after a 2-0 victory against Ecuador on July 1. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 8 p.m. on July 5 against England.
8. England, the Group L winner, qualified after a 2-1 victory against Congo on July 1. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 8 p.m. on July 5 against Mexico.
9. Belgium, the Group G winner, qualified after a 3-2 victory against Senegal on July 1. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 8 p.m. on July 6 against the United States.
10. The U.S., the Group D winner, qualified after a 2-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1. The team’s Round of 16 match is at 8 p.m. on July 6 against Belgium.

TRACK PROGRESS

• Eliminations during Round of 32
• Round of 32 teams
• View the knockout bracket

TOURNAMENT’S SCHEDULE

Round of 32 knock-out matches

July 2

• Spain vs. Austria at 3 p.m. at Los Angeles Stadium
• Portugal vs. Croatia at 7 p.m. at the Toronto Stadium
• Switzerland vs. Algeria at 11 p.m. at BC Place Vancouver.

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

July 3

• Australia vs. Egypt is at 2 p.m. at the Dallas Stadium.
• Argentina vs. Cape Verde is at 6 p.m. at the Miami Stadium
• Colombia vs. Ghana is at 9:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Stadium

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 1 p.m to 9 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

Round of 16 begins

July 4

• Canada vs. Morocco is at 1 p.m. at the Houston Stadium
• Paraguay vs. France is at 5 p.m. at the Philadelphia Stadium

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from noon to midnight at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

July 5

• Brazil vs. Norway at 4 p.m. at the New York/New Jersey Stadium
• Mexico vs. England at 8 p.m. at the Mexico City Stadium

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens for the last day from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

July 6: There are two matches at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

• U.S. vs. Belgium at 8 p.m. at the Seattle Stadium.

July 7: There are two matches at noon and 4 p.m.

Quarterfinals begin

July 9: There is a quarter-final match at 4 p.m.

July 10: There is a quarter-final match at 3 p.m.

July 11: There are two quarter-final matches at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders at 5 p.m. on July 11. Parking is free.

Semifinals begin

July 14: The fan festival is closed. There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 14 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

July 15: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 15 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

Finals begin

July 18: The third-place play-off match is at 5 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 18 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 5 p.m. bronze final.

Sunrise ride to stadium: The Amerant Bank Arena has free parking for FIFA World Cup ticket holders who ride Broward County’s free Express bus transportation to the Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock, in Miami Gardens.

July 19: The final match is at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 1 p.m. on July 19 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 3 p.m. final.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders for the final on July 19. Parking is free.

Senegal held a 2-0 lead with just 5 minutes of regulation time remaining but late goals by Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans pushed the round of 32 match into extra time.

Tielemans completed Belgium’s comeback by converting a penalty in the 125th minute of the game – the latest goal in World Cup history.

“Being part of this comeback is a proud moment because I scored the last two goals to give the team the win today. I’m very proud of that to be able to help the team to score goals and bring us over the line,” Tielemans said.

He was fouled with only seconds to go and with a penalty shootout looming, and the referee awarded the spot kick after a video review, ignoring protests from the Senegal team.

“I do not want to interpret the decision. We all have different interpretations when it comes to awarding a penalty,” Senegal coach Pape Thiaw said. “I’d rather not comment, not interpreting the referee’s decision.”

The win for Belgium marked the second time in the last 11 World Cups that a team trailed by two or more goals in the knockout round and advanced. Belgium also did so in a 3-2 victory over Japan in the round of 16 at the 2018 tournament.

“Senegal deserved to win,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said. ”But, I am happy it was us.”

Many of the key players from the Belgium team that finished in third place in Russia in 2018 were instrumental to Wednesday’s victory. Lukaku, who leads his nation in goals scored, came off the bench to get Belgium back into the match by scoring in the 86th minute, setting the scene for Tielemans to force extra time.

“It is a cruel loss, as we were good in the game,” Thiaw said. ”We had the advantage. We were leading 2-0. However a football match is not an 85-minute one. Belgium came back, and we were not able to deal with that ... We must congratulate Belgium as they progress.”

Belgium is back in the round of 16 for the third time in four tournaments. The team reached the quarterfinals in 2014 and the semifinals in 2018 but failed to get out of the group stage four years ago in Qatar.

The Belgians will next face the United States on Monday in Seattle.

Senegal long appeared to be heading toward the round of 16. Habib Diarra scored in the first half and Ismaïla Sarr made it 2-0 at the start of the second. It was his fourth goal of the World Cup, and one of the most beautiful of the tournament. Sarr made a perfect first touch off his chest on a long ball from Moussa Niakhaté and then sent his shot past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Courtois, who was playing in his fourth World Cup, then made three key saves to keep Senegal from increasing its lead.

Senegal defender Krépin Diatta said Belgium should not have been allowed to get back into the game.

“It shouldn’t have happened. You have to defend your box and you have to be the boss of your box,” he said. ”We suffered, but we have to go on. It’s a pity.”

Lukaku said Belgium showed character with its late comeback.

“This Senegal side is one of the best teams in the tournament,” he said. “Technically, physically and tactically, it was really tough. But when we stepped up the intensity of our pressing, when we were there for the second ball, our team spirit shone through and we won the match.”

Senegal headed to the World Cup as the second-highest ranking team in Africa, behind Morocco. It won a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final on Jan. 18 against Morocco, but the result was overturned by the governing body of African soccer because Thiaw had temporarily pulled his players off the pitch.

Senegal advanced to the World Cup knockout phase as one of the best third-place finishers after losing to France and Norway and beating Iraq.

“It’s the best African nation. It’s as simple as that,” Garcia said. ”They showed that even against France, they dominated in the first half. They came out of a difficult group. I would have preferred not to play against them.”

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Harry Kane ensured England avoided an early exit from the inaugural 48-team World Cup by scoring two second-half goals in a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Congo in the round of 32 on Wednesday.

The late victory, England’s second ever at the World Cup after conceding the first goal, earned the 1966 champions a spot in the round of 16 and a match against co-host Mexico.

“It was just about pounding the rock, keep pounding the rock and our moment would come,” Kane said after scoring his fourth and fifth goals of the tournament. “We spoke about people having hero moments. It can be anyone in the team … Whoever it is, we have hero moments, and for me it was the day.”

That team’s next match will be played at the Azteca Stadium, the site of Argentina great Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal that eliminated England from the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals.

Getting there didn’t come easy against a Congo team that nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.

England’s only other World Cup victory after trailing 1-0 came in the 1966 final against West Germany at Wembley Stadium.

“That’s a good sign. It just shows you the level of determination and the level of belief and also the level of focus,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “I didn’t feel the weight on their shoulders and I found that we played it with the exactly right attitude and we trusted our spirit.

“The goalkeeper kept on saving incredible saves ... but this team today did not accept a defeat as an outcome.”

Kane made sure the early deficit wasn’t a problem Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium by extending his record as his country’s leading scorer in tournament history to 13. He has a record 84 goals for the national team in total.

His first goal came in the 75th minute. Substitute Anthony Gordon lifted a cross from the left and despite Congo goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi getting a hand to Kane’s header, he didn’t stop it from nestling into the bottom corner.

Eleven minutes later, Kane sent his shot into the top corner to put the thoughts of an upset to rest.

“When you get to the knockouts, the pressure and the risks are so much higher. But from an attacking point of view, that was easily our best game of the tournament,” Kane said. “Sometimes you just have to grind wins out and we did exactly that today. I told the boys to enjoy it. We’re through, and we go again in four days.”

Brian Cipenga had put Congo in the lead in the seventh minute after collecting a cross on the left of the box and shooting low past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at the near post.

Mpasi did his best to keep that 1-0 lead alive. He denied Jude Bellingham on three occasions — blocking two close-range headers before halftime and then clawing away another deflected effort after the break.

Kane nearly made a breakthrough late in the first half, but Mpasi blocked a powerful shot at the near post. And the keeper was also caught up in a collision with Kane in the box. England thought it should have been awarded a penalty, but referee Adham Makhadmeh waved away appeals.

Congo had a chance to double its lead when Yoane Wissa hit the post in the first half.

“We’re disappointed because we really believed we could do it,” Congo coach Sébastien Desabre said. “We played well. Towards the end of the match, we conceded two chances and one of the world’s best players scored two goals against us. It’s a shame.”

England’s only major soccer title came in that 1966 tournament at home. But the team has been getting closer to another in recent years, reaching back-to-back European Championship finals and the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Tuchel has been hired to end that winless run. As a German, his appointment was a controversial choice given England’s long-standing rivalry with his country. So anything other than a deep run in this year’s tournament would likely reignite questions over the wisdom of that decision.

Despite winning Group L with two wins and a draw at this year’s World Cup, there has been a mixed response to England’s performances.

And in a tournament that has seen traditional powers like Germany and the Netherlands eliminated early, the fear was that England could follow that trend against a Congo team that already held Portugal to a 1-1 draw in the group stage.

The 46th-ranked Congo team had already made history with its first goal, point and win at a World Cup, 52 years after its only previous appearance when competing as Zaire at the 1974 tournament in West Germany.

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

After 16 single direct-knockout matches, the winning teams will advance to the tournament’s Round of 16, which begins on the Fourth of July.

Here is the list of the Round of 32 teams eliminated:

1. South Africa, the Group A runner-up with 4 points, was eliminated on June 28 after Canada won 1-0.
2. Japan, the Group F runner-up with 5 points, was eliminated on June 29 after Brazil won 2-1.
3. Germany, the Group E winner with 6 points, was eliminated on June 29 after a 1-1 draw ended with a 4-3 defeat on penalties against Paraguay.
4. The Netherlands, the Group F winner with 7 points, was eliminated on June 29 after a 1-1 draw ended with a 3-2 defeat on penalties against Morocco.
5. Ivory Coast, the Group E runner-up with 6 points, was eliminated on June 30 after Norway won 2-1.
6. Ecuador, the third in Group E with 4 points, was eliminated on June 30 after Mexico won 2-0.
7. Sweden, the third in Group F with 4 points, was eliminated on June 30 after France won 3-0.
8. Congo, the third in Group K with 4 points, was eliminated on July 1 after England won 2-1.
9. Senegal, the third in Group I with 4 points, was eliminated on July 1 after Belgium won 3-2.
10. Bosnia and Herzegovina, the third in Group B with 4 points, was eliminated on July 1 after the U.S. won 2-0.

TRACK PROGRESS

• Round of 16 qualifications
• Eliminations during Round of 32
• Round of 32 teams
• View the knockout bracket

TOURNAMENT’S SCHEDULE

Round of 32 knock-out matches

July 2

• Spain vs. Austria at 3 p.m. at Los Angeles Stadium
• Portugal vs. Croatia at 7 p.m. at the Toronto Stadium
• Switzerland vs. Algeria at 11 p.m. at BC Place Vancouver.

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

July 3:

• Australia vs. Egypt is at 2 p.m. at the Dallas Stadium.
• Argentina vs. Cape Verde is at 6 p.m. at the Miami Stadium
• Colombia vs. Ghana is at 9:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Stadium

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 1 p.m to 9 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

Round of 16 begins

July 4

• Canada vs. Morocco is at 1 p.m. at the Houston Stadium
• Paraguay vs. France is at 5 p.m. at the Philadelphia Stadium

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from noon to midnight at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

July 5

• Brazil vs. Norway at 4 p.m. at the New York/New Jersey Stadium
• Mexico at 8 p.m. at the Mexico City Stadium

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens for the last day from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

July 6: There are two matches at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

July 7: There are two matches at Noon and 4 p.m.

Quarterfinals begin

July 9: There is a quarter-final match at 4 p.m.

July 10: There is a quarter-final match at 3 p.m.

July 11: There are two quarter-final matches at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders at 5 p.m. on July 11. Parking is free.

Semifinals begin

July 14: The fan festival is closed. There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 14 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

July 15: There is a semi-final match at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 15 at The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the semifinal match.

Finals begin

July 18: The third-place play-off match is at 5 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 3 p.m. on July 18 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 5 p.m. bronze final.

Sunrise ride to stadium: The Amerant Bank Arena has free parking for FIFA World Cup ticket holders who ride Broward County’s free Express bus transportation to the Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock, in Miami Gardens.

July 19: The final match is at 3 p.m.

Miami Beach watch party: Doors open at 1 p.m. on July 19 at The Sandbowl, behind The Bandshell, at 7275 Collins Ave., for the 3 p.m. final.

Sunrise watch party: The indoor Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free watch party for ticket holders for the final on July 19. Parking is free.

Track group-stage

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

Wednesday marked the first day of Plastic Free July, a campaign encouraging people to reduce their use of plastics. Miami-Dade County is joining the effort with a new initiative.

Miami-Dade County unveiled its first Hope Hydration Station at the Government Center Metrorail station in downtown Miami, offering free cold, filtered water to anyone who wants to refill a reusable bottle.

“It’s going to really change culture. I’m sure we’re going to see more people utilizing this and saying no, refusing those plastic water bottles,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.

The goal is to encourage people to switch to reusable bottles and refuse plastic ones to help curb the massive amount of plastic waste ending up in the environment.

“It’s super easy. Place your bottle, water comes out chilled, it’s filtered, it’s free, and our whole thesis is that if these are more accessible, more beautiful and easier to access, then everyone is going to be more sustainable. There’s no need for a plastic bottle if there are Hope stations everywhere,” said Cristina Gnecco, co-founder and COO of Hope Hydration.

Hope Hydration founder and CEO Jorge Richardson said the timing of the station’s unveiling ahead of Plastic Free July was intentional.

Plastic Free July is a global movement urging people to reduce their plastic waste one reusable choice at a time.

“We don’t need a few people doing this perfectly. We need a lot of people trying, and that’s how we will actually start to have this ripple effect impact,” said Maddie Kaufman, program director for Debris Free Oceans.

The idea is to start small by eliminating one plastic habit from daily life.

“It takes, like, two weeks to build a habit. So take two weeks to try to build a habit with one item,” Kaufman said.

The need for action has never been greater.

“It is a scary number. And yes, we are in crisis mode,” said Marcus Eriksen, co-founder and director of research for the 5 Gyres Institute.

Roughly 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year, adding to the more than 171 trillion plastic particles already there. Plastic production is projected to double over the next 25 years.

“We pick up 20,000-plus pounds of trash per day on International Coastal Cleanup Day. Our landfills are filling up with plastic. Our bodies are filling up with plastic,” Kaufman said.

Advocates say recycling alone will not solve the problem. Globally, only 9% of plastic is ever recycled, and they say the only way forward is to refuse plastic whenever possible.

“Recycling does not work. We cannot reasonably keep up with the plastic that’s produced now and will be in the future,” said Catherine Uden, senior field representative for Oceana South Florida.

With Florida law preventing local governments from regulating most single-use plastics, much of the responsibility falls on consumers.

Programs like Plastic Free Miami Beach and Plastic Free 305 help consumers make better choices by highlighting businesses that have significantly reduced their plastic packaging and single-use items.

“73% of visitors, tourists and consumers want to spend their money on sustainable businesses and their products,” said Cynthia Seymour of the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District.

Hope Hydration plans to install 15 more stations throughout Miami-Dade County at public parks and other county venues. The goal is to expand to 250 stations over the next year, making it easier, free and more convenient for people to stop buying bottled water in plastic containers and use refillable bottles instead.

The Ice Bucket Challenge gained popularity in the summer of 2014 as a way to raise ALS awareness. People took a video or photo as they got a bucket of ice water dumped on them, and they’d challenge friends or relatives to do the same.

According to the ALS Therapy Development Institute, the drive helped raise an estimated $135 million in the United States and $220 million worldwide in the fight against ALS.

Johnson attempted to boost the cause once more in an Instagram post Wednesday, two days after announcing on “Good Morning America” that he’s dealing with ALS.

Johnson said he was inspired after watching former Utah men’s basketball player Hunter Mecum post an Instagram video in which he dumped ice water on his head to honor the 40-year-old former running back.

“The support you’ve shown me over the last few days has meant more than I can put into words,” Johnson said in his post. “Seeing this video reminded me of something powerful. Years ago, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge united millions of people around one cause and helped change the fighting against this disease. Today, I’m asking you to help me do it again.”

Johnson challenged former All-Pro running back Marshawn Lynch and former Tennessee Titans teammates LenDale White and Adam “Pacman” Jones to participate. Johnson later added Instagram Story posts showing White and others getting doused with water.

In his “Good Morning America” interview, Johnson said he was diagnosed with ALS last year.

The 2008 first-round draft pick from East Carolina rushed for 9,651 yards during a 10-year career that included stints with the Titans (2008-13), New York Jets (2014) and Arizona Cardinals (2015-17). He rushed for 2,006 yards and was The Associated Press offensive player of the year in 2009.

___

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

The World Cup’s daily group-stage matches ended on June 27 after 16 teams were eliminated.

The 48 qualifying teams started the tournament with matches within 12 groups of four on June 11.

As the tournament continues, the single direct-knockout matches to advance into the Round of 16 are set to end on July 3.

The list of 32

Here is the list of the teams in order of group-stage placement, points earned, and FIFA ranking:

1. Argentina (1) wins Group J with 9 points. The match is at 6 p.m. on July 3 against Cape Verde.
2. France (2) wins Group I with 9 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
3. Mexico (14) wins Group A with 9 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
4. Spain (3) wins Group H with 7 points. The match is at 3 p.m. on July 2 against Austria.
5. England (4) wins Group L with 7 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
6. Brazil (6) wins Group C with 7 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
7. The Netherlands (8) wins Group F with 7 points. The team was eliminated on June 29.
8. Belgium (9) wins Group G with 7 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
9. Colombia (11) wins Group K with 7 points. The match is at 9:30 p.m. on July 3 against Ghana.
10. Switzerland (17) wins Group B with 7 points. The match is at 11 p.m. on July 2 against Algeria.
11. Germany (10) wins Group E with 6 points. The team was eliminated on June 29.
12. United States (15) wins Group D with 6 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
13. Morocco (7) is the Group C runner-up with 7 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
14. Ivory Coast (30) is the Group E runner-up with 6 points. The team was eliminated on June 30.
15. Norway (31) is the Group I runner-up with 6 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
16. Portugal (5) is the Group K runner-up with 5 points. The match is at 7 p.m. on July 2 against Croatia.
17. Japan (18) is the Group F runner-up with 5 points. The team was eliminated on June 29.
18. Egypt (26) is the Group G runner-up with 5 points. The match is at 3 p.m. on July 3 against Australia.
19. Australia (27) is the Group D runner-up with 4 points. The match is at 3 p.m. on July 3 against Egypt.
20. Canada (32) is the Group B runner-up with 4 points. The team advanced to Round of 16.
21. South Africa (54) is the Group A runner-up with 4 points. The team was eliminated on June 28.
22. Cape Verde (64) is the Group H runner-up with 3 points. The match is at 6 p.m. on July 3 against Argentina.
23. Austria (22) is the Group J runner-up with 4 points. The match is at 7 p.m. on July 2 against Spain.
24. Croatia (11) is the Group L runner-up with 6 points. The match is at 7 p.m. on July 2 against Portugal.
25. Senegal (18) classifies after placing third in Group I with 4 points. The team was eliminated on July 1.
26. Algeria (29) classifies after placing third in Group J with 4 points and a minus two goal difference. Game day: July 2
27. Ecuador (32) classifies after placing third in Group E with 4 points. The team was eliminated on June 30.
28. Paraguay (37) classifies after placing third in Group D with 4 points and a minus two goal difference. The team advanced to Round of 16.
29. Sweden (38) classifies after placing third in Group F with 4 points. The team was eliminated on June 30.
30. Congo (46) classifies after placing third in Group K with 4 points plus one goal difference. The team was eliminated on July 1.
31. Bosnia and Herzegovina (64) classifies after placing third in Group B with 4 points and a minus one goal difference. The team was eliminated on July 1.
32. Ghana (65) classifies after placing third in Group L with 4 points. The match is at 9:30 p.m. on July 3 against Colombia.

TRACK PROGRESS

• Round of 16 qualifications
• Eliminations during Round of 32

TOURNAMENT’S SCHEDULE

Round of 32 knock-out matches

July 2

• Spain vs. Austria at 3 p.m. at Los Angeles Stadium
• Portugal vs. Croatia at 7 p.m. at the Toronto Stadium
• Switzerland vs. Algeria at 11 p.m. at BC Place Vancouver.

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

July 3:

• Australia vs. Egypt is at 2 p.m. at the Dallas Stadium.
• Argentina vs. Cape Verde is at 6 p.m. at the Miami Stadium
• Colombia vs. Ghana is at 9:30 p.m. at the Kansas City Stadium

Miami watch parties: The fan festival opens from 1 p.m to 9 p.m. at Bayfront Park, at 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

Awab Metwally said he didn’t hesitate when it sounded like someone was in danger.

“I was like flying because I know there’s something going on,” Metwally said. “There was like an emergency. So I have to act.”

Video shows Metwally running from behind the cameraman before jumping into the water to rescue a man who couldn’t hold onto a ring buoy that had been thrown to him.

“That guy, he was sinking. He was dropping into the water,” Metwally said.

He said watching others throw a lifesaver without jumping in convinced him he needed to act.

“Nobody is doing anything. They’re just throwing to him a lifesaver. Nobody jumped. Nobody did anything. So I said, ‘This guy is going to die,’” he said.

Metwally said it wasn’t easy pushing the man to the back end of the yacht.

“It was hard for me to grab him and to push him all the way to the top of the water, but I did my best,” he said.

Metwally said he started swimming at a very young age in Egypt and was a champion swimmer.

“Thanks to my mom and dad, they put me in swimming training since I was a kid. That paid off today,” he said.

Those lessons have earned him the title of Good Samaritan.

“So if I see somebody, I will do it for sure again. I get goosebumps really bad, but I will do it,” he said.

Metwally said paramedics performed life-saving measures on the man before taking him to a hospital. First responders have not released any information on the man’s condition.

Rodríguez, the interim president of Venezuela since Nicolás Maduro’s capture, faced accusations that her administration and supporters were hindering the disaster relief effort instead of contributing to it.

“If in fact we are having impediments being put in the way of getting the help to the people of Venezuela, then we need to exert as much pressure as possible,” U.S. Rep. Carlos A. Giménez said on Wednesday in Doral.

César Rodríguez, a pilot with W Aviation in Fort Lauderdale, reported having to wait for operating permits from the Venezuelan National Institute of Civil Aviation, or INAC, to be allowed to land with aid.

“We still have two planes with cargo,“ César Rodríguez said in a public update on Tuesday on Instagram.

In Venezuela, Francisco Lermanda, a member of the search-and-rescue team Topos Chile, reported that they had found a 14-year-old boy who was trapped and at risk of a deadly blood clot, so they used a phone to call their team’s physicians for guidance.

“A soldier took away our phone because he said it could be espionage,” Lermanda told Venezuelan Diario La Grey about how the armed Venezuelan military disrupted their effort to save the teen.

Lermanda warned that he had experienced how the Venezuelan government was militarizing and politicizing the response to the earthquakes — and this concerned him.

“It is very difficult to cope with this situation,” Lermanda told Diario La Grey.

The world-famous leader of the Brigada Internacional de Rescate Topos Azteca, Héctor “El Chino” Méndez, has been active since the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

“I am not a politician; I am a rescuer,” Méndez told reporters in Spanish while working in Venezuela. He later added, “I’m 80 years old, and you’re not going to come to me to tell me what to say.”

A spokesperson for the Mexican Topos Tlaltelolco Rescue Brigade later released a statement asking the public to keep the focus on the victims and on the rescue efforts.

Sebastian Eduardo Martinez Borrego, also known as “Boikido,” was among the Venezuelan English-Spanish translators who reported they were harassed over their work with foreigners.

“I fear for my life, I am being pursued and harassed by state repressive agencies,” Martinez Borrego wrote on Instagram, as he blamed Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence, or DGCIM.

Before many of the foreign rescue teams arrived, the civilian volunteers who had rushed to rescue survivors with nothing but their bare hands and tools suddenly faced a new obstacle on June 26: The government required a new permit for access.

Despite the urgency, the volunteers had to stand in line to apply before officials in uniform, who sat behind desks in Caracas to process permits, as the Venezuelan military restricted access to La Guaira.

Venezuelan officials allowed foreign journalists into the area with a list of limitations and requirements. The Venezuelan National Press Workers Union, or SNTP, was documenting the limits to on-the-ground reporting.

Journalists with Runrun.es reported that the Venezuelan military didn’t give them access to the devastation at Carayaca, a city in the state of Vargas, just west of La Guaira.

“The country needs verified and timely information, especially the families of the victims,” a spokesperson for SNTP wrote in Spanish on June 29 on X.

On Tuesday, Diosdado Cabello, a former Venezuelan military officer who serves as the minister of justice, announced the arrests of law enforcement personnel who were accused of looting in La Guaira.

Cabello, who is wanted in the U.S. for narcotrafficking, identified the four suspects as Maya Aguilar Reyes, Fredy Rafael Lugo Oliveros, Roger Andrés Omaña, and Josue Jhonatan Burgos Sánchez.

A witness recorded and shared a video that went viral. It showed Aguilar Reyes, his identification, and a woman in tears who confronted him, took a bag he was holding full of U.S. dollars, and ripped the bills into pieces over the rubble near a collapsed building.

Delcy Rodríguez’s brother Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly, announced on Wednesday that the death toll had increased to 2,295.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates fatalities in the tens of thousands, and the United Nations announced the procurement of 10,000 body bags.

“I would like more presence of public entities, who really are those responsible for this, but in the end, we’re used to making do with almost nothing,” Mijaed Diaz, a veterinarian who was searching for body bags for four bodies in La Guaira, told Reuters.

With the support of the U.S. State Department, North Carolina-based nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse opened a temporary 56-bed field hospital near Paseo La Guaira, north of Caracas.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Southern Command announced some changes on Wednesday afternoon, as U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard continued to lead in Venezuela.

Joint Task Force-Bravo, under Col. David Webb’s command since June 18, moved “advanced elements” from the Simón Bolívar International Airport to the Port of La Guaira, where the USS Fort Lauderdale had a medical support platform.

A U.S. Army medical unit, a military ambulance, and marine logisticians, who had a water purification system, a tram, a mobile potable water container, and a tow truck/wrecker, were on the ground, according to SOUTHCOM.

Helpful list: Aid drop-off locations in South Florida

More on HELPING VENEZUELA

• Doral-based nonprofit GEM dispatches over $1 million in aid from community

• Inter Miami, Marlins, Dolphins join relief efforts
• NFL star joins Global Empowerment Mission’s team; his message to South Floridians, ‘Do what you can’
• More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the US hours before the earthquakes are missing

• Food for the Poor welcomes investments in reconstruction
• Physicians in Miami-Dade collect donations of medical supplies near Doral
• Meet Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. German Leal

• Pembroke Pines police officers announce collection drive
• Airbnb partners with nonprofit CADENA for emergency housing
• Hogar Bambi aims to protect vulnerable children

• Grey Bull Rescue Foundation team arrives at Caracas
• Officials close La Guaira, require volunteers to register in Caracas
• Amazon donates to Airlink to help charities with logistics

• Miami search-and-rescue team prepares to deploy
• Centro Comunitario AFE hosts collection drive in Miami-Dade
• Weston-based charity partners with local pharmacy

• Veteran-led Project DYNAMO delivers 20,000 pounds of aid in 1st 48 hours
• Altruism at El Arepazo feeds Global Empowerment Mission’s team effort
• Salvadoran rescuers work to free 15-year-old survivor in Caraballeda

• Food For The Poor packs disaster relief kits with ‘hopeful’ hand-written notes
• U.S. Southern Command focuses on airport damage
• State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team

• Miami Beach opens 4 new aid drop-off locations
• Miramar to keep 6 aid drop-off locations open 24/7
• Miami-Dade’s tax collector opens 11 drop-off locations
• Doral opens 4 aid drop-off locations

• Aid drop-off location opens in Homestead
• Starlink offers free service through July 25, but a kit is $470
• International Medical Corps deploys staff, needs donations
• Save The Children asks for emergency fund donations

• Samaritan’s Purse focuses on ‘emergency field hospital’
• Red Cross asks for Disaster Response Emergency Fund donations
• UN asks for donations for ‘underfunded’ program for kids

• World Vision asks for ‘disaster relief fund’ donations
• World Central Kitchen asks for donations for fresh meals
• United Way Miami launches ‘Operation Helping Hands’

Leer en español

Authorities said Milagros De La Caridad Navarro, 35, was arrested Tuesday by the Miami Gardens Police Department after surrendering herself in connection with the Feb. 22 shooting.

According to an arrest report, officers responded to the 100 block of Northwest 202nd Terrace just after 1 a.m. on that day after receiving reports about a shooting.

Miami Gardens police said they were notified about 30 minutes later that a gunshot victim had arrived at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital.

The report states the driver who took the victim to the hospital told officers she was unfamiliar with the area because she was visiting from Georgia.

The driver said she heard multiple gunshots while driving before realizing her mother-in-law had been struck and then took her to the nearest hospital, according to the report.

The driver told investigators she did not know who was responsible for the shooting, the report states.

Investigators said they later interviewed the victim after her breathing tube was removed.

According to the report, the victim had difficulty speaking and recalling the events, but remembered leaving Hollywood Beach with another woman, returning home to shower and cook, and later leaving a home where a woman identified as “Caridad” had been present.

The report states that the victim told detectives her next memory was waking up in the hospital.

Police said the investigation included witness interviews, photo lineups and surveillance video.

According to the report, a witness identified Navarro during a photo lineup conducted on March 3. Another witness later identified Navarro in a separate lineup after telling investigators she had left her home in Navarro’s care while she was away, the report states.

Detectives also obtained surveillance video from a neighbor that, according to the arrest report, showed Navarro “shooting multiple shots in the direction of the victim.”

Investigators said a separate witness later told investigators that she saw Navarro pulling a handgun from a black fanny pack before the group got into a vehicle. They said that witness claimed she did not see the gun being fired, but saw Navarro holding the gun in her right hand as they drove away.

Jail records show Navarro is facing two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of aggravated battery with a weapon causing great bodily harm.

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

A motive for the shooting remains unclear at this time.

Tillman delivered the goal of his life, and one of the biggest ever by a U.S. man at the World Cup, sending this American soccer fairytale into the round of 16.

“I’ve been dreaming about this game," Tillman said after scoring the final goal in a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday night. “I’ve been dreaming about maybe taking a free kick and scoring a free kick. I’ve practiced this in training and I think today I showed what I can do.”

The round of 32 win set up a Monday matchup in Seattle against Belgium as the U.S. hopes to make a deep run on home soil. The Red Devils beat the Americans 2-1 in extra time at 2014's round of 16.

“It’s about to keep dreaming,” said U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, who belted out “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as it played over the public-address system after 10 minutes of stoppage time. “In football all is possible if you believe.”

Folarin Balogun put the Americans ahead in the 45th minute with his third goal of the World Cup, then was sent off in the 64th for a red card.

Star Christian Pulisic had a goal disallowed for offside in the 78th, and Tillman helped seal the win when he curled in a free kick that got over the wall and on target from just outside the box in the 82nd. The ball went off diving goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj’s right hand and in despite the pain in Tillman's bloody right foot from being stepped on.

Balogun dominated the first half and scored in the 45th minute. The Americans had to scramble after his foul for awkwardly stepping on Tarik Muharemovic and preserved the shutout despite playing short-handed for more than 30 minutes.

“It felt so comfortable, even down to 10 men,” captain Tim Ream said. “That’s the way you want to feel. You don’t want to have that panic set in. You want have that calm and focus and we had that.”

Pochettino became the first U.S. coach with three World Cup victories, and the Americans gained just their second World Cup knockout round win. They made it to the semifinals in the first tournament in 1930 by winning their group and won a round of 16 matchup against Mexico in 2002.

Balogun leads the U.S. with three goals, but will miss the Belgium match because of an automatic suspension for the red card, assessed by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus after a video review. Balogun stepped on an ankle of Tarik Muharemovic, apparently not intentionally.

“Obviously the ref made a decision that he made, but I think it’s questionable,” midfielder Weston McKennie said. “I think there’s been many other plays like that throughout the tournament on other players that a card wasn’t given at all. It’s disappointing.”

Balogun matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals by an American in a World Cup, behind only Bert Patenaude’s four in 1930.

“Of course he’s a great player," Tillman said. "We have great players who can replace him, and give the best they can, and hopefully score some nice goals as well.”

The win snapped a 10-game losing streak for the U.S. against European teams dating to a tie against England in the 2022 World Cup. The Americans had lost seven games and tied six against European nations in World Cup play since beating Portugal in their 2002 opener.

The U.S. had started fast in the group stage matches by scoring in the first 15 minutes of all three games but it was Bosnia that had the better chances early. Matt Freese needed to make two saves early to stop Ermedin Demirovic following a deceptive goal kick that caught the U.S. defense napping and then again on the ensuing corner kick that Kerim Alajbegovic almost scored on directly.

Balogun took over from there. He had an apparent 31st-minute goal called off for offside and was knocked down in the box on two other opportunities before finally delivering. Ream intercepted a Bosnia goal kick at midfield and passed to Tyler Adams, who flicked to Tillman. The ball, with the help of an errant Bosnian clearance attempt and a deflection, found Balogun in the box. Balogun slid the left-footed shot past Vasilj.

Balogun punctuated the goal with his version of the LeBron James Silencer celebration, drawing a positive reaction from King James himself.

Balogun nearly scored again in first-half stoppage time but his shot from in close deflected off the crossbar and out of play.

Bosnia’s second World Cup trip was a success with a draw against Canada in the opener and a win over Qatar that helped the team advance to the knockout round for the first time. But it ended in disappointment.

“We had our moments after the red card,” Vasilj said. “You could feel that there was something. The only thing that was missing was a goal. And then in the worst moment, out of nothing, I would say, a free kick and we conceded a second goal. After that it was really difficult.”

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

De los 11.000 millones de dólares comprometidos tan sólo por la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA, por sus siglas en inglés), se han desembolsado unos 2.700 millones de dólares, en su mayoría para cosas como equipos, materiales y costos de diseño arquitectónico y de ingeniería, según la Oficina de Rendición de Cuentas del Gobierno (GAO, por sus siglas en inglés).

El gobierno estadounidense está legalmente obligado a desembolsar ese dinero para el propósito especificado.

El informe de 86 páginas se basa en una auditoría realizada de agosto de 2024 a junio de 2026. Fue publicado por legisladores demócratas de Estados Unidos.

"La gente de Puerto Rico ha esperado nueve años a que su gobierno cumpla su palabra", indicó el representante demócrata Jared Hoffman, de California, en un comunicado. "Vieron cómo se asignaban miles de millones y casi nada de eso llegó”.

El huracán María azotó Puerto Rico en septiembre de 2017 como una tormenta de categoría 4, dejando sin electricidad a algunos vecindarios durante casi un año, el apagón más prolongado en la historia de Estados Unidos. Se estima que 2.975 personas murieron en las secuelas de la tormenta.

Dos semanas antes de que María tocara tierra, el huracán Irma rozó la esquina noreste de la isla como una tormenta de categoría 5, también afectando el suministro de electricidad.

Múltiples problemas retrasan el avance

Los apagones crónicos llevaron a la gobernadora de Puerto Rico a declarar estado de emergencia en abril de 2025, pero las interrupciones persisten, y aproximadamente la mitad de esos incidentes se atribuyen a la vegetación que invade las líneas de transmisión y distribución.

Según el informe, hasta febrero sólo se habían despejado 640 kilómetros (400 millas) con fondos federales de los 26.000 kilómetros (16.000 millas) planificados. En total, se despejaron casi 4.500 kilómetros (2.800 millas) de líneas en el año fiscal 2025, de acuerdo con Luma Energy, una empresa privada que supervisa la transmisión y distribución de electricidad en Puerto Rico. Actualmente enfrenta una demanda del gobierno de la isla que busca rescindir su contrato. La empresa ha presentado una contrademanda.

El informe señaló que la rotación de personal; los procesos de revisión de proyectos, que describió como “engorrosos”; y la situación financiera de la Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica de Puerto Rico —que aún pasa apuros para reestructurar más de 10.000 millones de dólares de deuda— están impidiendo el avance.

Una medida que retrasó aún más la liberación de fondos ocurrió cuando la entonces secretaria de Seguridad Nacional, Kristi Noem, implementó una política en junio de 2025 para que los gastos del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en inglés) superiores a 100.000 dólares fueran aprobados personalmente por esa oficina. La norma fue revocada en abril por el nuevo secretario de Seguridad Nacional, Markwayne Mullin.

Muchos fondos asignados, pero pocos desembolsados

Hasta diciembre de 2025, se completaron nueve grandes proyectos financiados por la FEMA, la mayoría relacionados con la generación; otros 133 proyectos se encuentran en distintas etapas.

La agencia también ha comprometido alrededor de 1.300 millones de dólares para 24 proyectos prioritarios de generación, siete de los cuales se han completado.

El informe indicó que los trabajos de reparación a menudo implican apagones programados y que encontrar piezas de reemplazo puede tomar hasta dos años.

De los 2.900 millones de dólares asignados por el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano para modernizar y reparar la red, hasta febrero sólo se habían desembolsado unos 589 millones de dólares.

Mientras tanto, de los 1.000 millones de dólares comprometidos por el Departamento de Energía, se han desembolsado alrededor de 255 millones de dólares, determinó el informe.

Unos 365 millones de dólares asignados originalmente para proyectos de energía solar desde entonces se han redirigido a la red eléctrica, para “arreglos prácticos y reparaciones de emergencia”, según funcionarios del departamento entrevistados por los auditores.

El Departamento de Energía también canceló hasta 350 millones de dólares en subvenciones en el marco de un programa de energía solar, señaló el informe.

Sí desembolsó los 1,2 millones de dólares previstos para centros destinados a proporcionar electricidad a comunidades vulnerables en Puerto Rico durante desastres.

DHS dice que Puerto Rico es el responsable “en última instancia”

La GAO instó a la FEMA a actualizar sus directrices para reflejar flexibilidades y al Departamento de Energía a aclarar funciones y responsabilidades, y a crear un plan de colaboración.

“Dada la complejidad del financiamiento, los numerosos actores involucrados y los diversos planes para la recuperación de la red, una coordinación amplia entre Puerto Rico y las entidades federales es vital”, señala el informe.

El Departamento de Energía y el DHS coincidieron con las recomendaciones, aunque este último señaló que “el gobierno de Puerto Rico es en última instancia responsable de desarrollar una solución integral y reconstruir la red eléctrica”.

___

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

Leer en español

A team of community donors, volunteers, and GEM’s staff moved some 235,000 pounds of donations in a logistics-heavy operation.

The team had some 50 tons of aid at a warehouse in Doral and another 50 tons at a warehouse in Valencia, which is operating as a distribution center.

“It’s the worst disaster that we have ever experienced,” said Doral Councilman Rafael Pineyro, a GEM volunteer who was born in Caracas.

GEM had the support of the U.S. State Department, the agency President Donald Trump tasked with running the U.S. response in Venezuela. U.S. Rep. Carlos A. Giménez stopped by the warehouse in Doral.

“It’s not about politics, it’s about getting help to the people in need,” Giménez said.

The U.S. Southern Command has deployed every branch of the military.

The State Department also activated the Florida Task Forces from Miami and Miami-Dade County. They joined two other highly-trained search-and-rescue teams from Fairfax, Virginia, and California.

Hassel Mendoza, a Venezuelan engineer who lives in Tampa, traveled to La Guaira to search for his mother, sister, nephew, and brother-in-law in the ruins of a collapsed nine-story apartment building.

“We lost a lot of time trying to figure out new tools to use for a specific activity, like to cut steel,” Mendoza told CNN, adding that the government teams and volunteers didn’t have equipment such as drills or sensors.

On Tuesday, Diosdado Cabello, a former Venezuelan military officer who serves as the minister of justice, announced the arrests of law enforcement personnel who were accused of looting in La Guaira.

Cabello, who is wanted in the U.S. for narcotrafficking, identified the four suspects as Maya Aguilar Reyes, Fredy Rafael Lugo Oliveros, Roger Andrés Omaña, and Josue Jhonatan Burgos Sánchez.

A witness recorded and shared a video that went viral. It showed Aguilar Reyes, his identification, and a woman in tears who confronted him, took a bag he was holding full of U.S. dollars, and ripped the bills into pieces over the rubble near a collapsed building.

“I know that many Venezuelans are feeling pain and frustration; I deeply share those sentiments,” said Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president since the U.S. military captured Nicolás Maduro.

Rodríguez’s brother Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly, announced on Wednesday that the death toll had increased to 2,295.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates fatalities in the tens of thousands, and the United Nations announced the procurement of 10,000 body bags.

GEM staff and partners asked the public for online cash donations and to signup online for a shift to volunteer. The high-priority needs included hygiene products, non-perishable foods, and first-aid items.

Helpful list: Aid drop-off locations in South Florida

More on HELPING VENEZUELA

• Inter Miami, Marlins, Dolphins join relief efforts
• NFL star joins Global Empowerment Mission’s team; his message to South Floridians, ‘Do what you can’
• More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the US hours before the earthquakes are missing

• Food for the Poor welcomes investments in reconstruction
• Physicians in Miami-Dade collect donations of medical supplies near Doral
• Meet Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. German Leal

• Pembroke Pines police officers announce collection drive
• Airbnb partners with nonprofit CADENA for emergency housing
• Hogar Bambi aims to protect vulnerable children

• Grey Bull Rescue Foundation team arrives at Caracas
• Officials close La Guaira, require volunteers to register in Caracas
• Amazon donates to Airlink to help charities with logistics

• Miami search-and-rescue team prepares to deploy
• Centro Comunitario AFE hosts collection drive in Miami-Dade
• Weston-based charity partners with local pharmacy

• Veteran-led Project DYNAMO delivers 20,000 pounds of aid in 1st 48 hours
• Altruism at El Arepazo feeds Global Empowerment Mission’s team effort
• Salvadoran rescuers work to free 15-year-old survivor in Caraballeda

• Food For The Poor packs disaster relief kits with ‘hopeful’ hand-written notes
• U.S. Southern Command focuses on airport damage
• State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team

• Miami Beach opens 4 new aid drop-off locations
• Miramar to keep 6 aid drop-off locations open 24/7
• Miami-Dade’s tax collector opens 11 drop-off locations
• Doral opens 4 aid drop-off locations

• Aid drop-off location opens in Homestead
• Starlink offers free service through July 25, but a kit is $470
• International Medical Corps deploys staff, needs donations
• Save The Children asks for emergency fund donations

• Samaritan’s Purse focuses on ‘emergency field hospital’
• Red Cross asks for Disaster Response Emergency Fund donations
• UN asks for donations for ‘underfunded’ program for kids

• World Vision asks for ‘disaster relief fund’ donations
• World Central Kitchen asks for donations for fresh meals
• United Way Miami launches ‘Operation Helping Hands’

The attack with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones damaged buildings and civilian infrastructure across the city. Many residents took shelter at metro stations after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other authorities issued the first warnings of the attack.

The attack killed 17 people in Kyiv, the country’s Emergency Service said. At least 90 others were injured, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine's capital overnight into Thursday that killed at least 13 people and injured scores as loud explosions shook Kyiv for hours.

The attack with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones damaged buildings and civilian infrastructure across the city. Many residents took shelter at metro stations after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other authorities issued the first warnings of the attack.

The attack killed 13 people in Kyiv and injured 86 more, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Damage was recorded in 30 locations across the city, mainly residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said 20 residential buildings were damaged across the city. The Emergency Service says it deployed nearly 500 personnel and 100 units of specialized vehicles, including a helicopter, to deal with the aftermath of the attack.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on Ukraine’s allies to strengthen the country’s air defenses following what he described as a “night of horror” in Kyiv, urging partners not to delay decisions on supplying air defense systems and missiles. Writing on X, Sybiha said the death toll after the attack may rise as the rescue teams continued their work.

Russia has intensified its attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, even as Ukraine’s own long-range drone campaign against Russian military sites and energy facilities has caused fuel shortages and disrupted supply lines inside Russia.

Sybiha rejected any attempts to justify Russian strikes as retaliation for Ukraine’s long-range attacks, saying Ukraine was exercising its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter while Russia remained the aggressor.

Klitschko urged residents of the capital to remain in shelters due to the ongoing “furious enemy attack."

He said a paramedic in extremely critical condition was among the injured in the Shevchenkivskyi district. Ukraine's Emergency Service says a hotel and two five-story residential buildings were damaged in the area.

In the Desnianskyi district, people were trapped inside a damaged nine-story residential building and rescuers headed to the scene, Klitschko said.

In the Holosiivskyi district, a fire broke out on the roof of a 16-story building, according to the Emergency Service.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, fire broke out in two private residencies, the Emergency Service said. Debris trapped people in one of them, according to the mayor. In the Darnytskyi district, six levels of a nine-story building collapsed after a Russian strike and another five-story residential building was damaged, Klitschko said. The Emergency Service said a 16-story building and private residencies were damaged in the area.

Tkachenko said the attack partially destroyed a residential building in the Desnianskyi district, sparked fires near residential buildings at two locations in the Pecherskyi district, and ignited a fire near an administrative building in the Solomianskyi district. He said authorities were also recording damage in the Obolonskyi and Podilskyi districts. The head of the Kyiv Regional Administration, Mykola Kalashnyk, said damage occurred in five regional districts. Three people sustained injuries in Bucha district, he said.

The proximity of the projects embodies what experts describe as an “all-of-the-above" energy approach for Inner Mongolia, which has become China's largest base of both renewable energy and coal production. Its energy transition mirrors China as a whole: Wind and solar capacity are expanding quickly while coal remains indispensable.

China has been installing wind and solar power faster than any other country. Yet coal-fired plants still supplied around 51% of China’s electricity in 2025, according to the latest data from the National Energy Administration.

“While China as a whole is transitioning away from coal, Inner Mongolia is most certainly the most paradoxical part of the story. In Inner Mongolia’s case, more renewables often means more coal capacity as well,” said David Fishman, an energy consultant at The Lantau Group, who has visited Inner Mongolia's coal plants and the solar farms.

Inner Mongolia wants wind and solar power to increasingly replace electricity traditionally supplied by coal, while also meeting the country’s growing demand for power. But officials said both renewables and coal will continue to rise for now, with coal needed to supplement when weather causes interruptions in wind or solar power.

“Many people see there is a conflict or a competitive relationship between traditional energy and renewable energy,” said Gu Qing, an official of Inner Mongolia’s energy administration, standing at the edge of the Dalad Banner solar farm.

“As more renewable energy capacity is added, coal-fired power will also continue to grow, although the pace will gradually slow,” Gu said.

The Dalad Banner solar farm, which Associated Press reporters visited on a recent government-organized tour, currently generates around 2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. It is part of a broader clean energy program started in 2018 in northern China’s Kubuqi Desert.

Inner Mongolia is crucial to China's power transmission plan

Inner Mongolia is one of the most crucial nodes in China’s “West-to-East Power Transmission Project," which transmits electricity from the country's resource-rich northwest to its industrialized east. In 2025, 40% of Inner Mongolia’s electricity generation, about 350 billion kilowatt-hours, was sent to other parts of China. The amount is enough to power 120 million households for a year.

Solar and wind installed capacity has more than doubled in the past five years in Inner Mongolia, but coal still dominates electricity generation. Coal-fired plants produced around 590 billion kilowatt-hours in 2025 in Inner Mongolia, while solar and wind generated about 277 billion kilowatt-hours combined.

Coal power capacity in Inner Mongolia has continued to expand over the past five years.

“Because wind and solar are intermittent…we cannot do without the support of coal-fired power,” said Huang Zhiqiang, vice governor of Inner Mongolia, during a recent news briefing.

“What is changing is that coal power units are turning from supply-guarantee units to serving as a supporting and regulating role,” he said.

Inner Mongolia mined around 1.2 billion tons of coal in recent years, accounting for one quarter of China’s total coal production. Over 60% was transported to other provinces. Ordos, the city administering the Dalad Banner, is also one of the country's five largest coal-producing centers designated by the central government.

Managing the energy transition

Officials said renewable energy is beginning to replace existing demand conventionally provided by coal. The transition requires that coal plants ramp down when renewable output is abundant and ramp up when it is not. Huang said Inner Mongolia refurbished all coal power units so they can ramp down to operate at 15% of their capacity so less coal is burned.

But Fishman, the energy consultant, said ramping units down to 15% is “an aspirational or best-unit capability rather than something that applies across the whole fleet in day-to-day operations,” because it will cause stress both technically and financially.

Similarly, Anika Patel, China section editor at the climate change research organization Carbon Brief, said: “Just because a plant can operate flexibly doesn’t mean that it is operating flexibly."

She said that it's challenging to relegate coal to a supporting role because of Chinese economic and political incentives around its use. Patel said China’s long-term power contracts reduce flexibility for power grids to purchase renewable electricity, while lengthy interprovincial trading arrangements make it harder to include solar and wind.

Supporting artificial intelligence, electric vehicles and manufacturing

The government said Inner Mongolia is not only building more wind and solar projects to meet the rising electricity demand from AI computing, electric vehicle charging and manufacturing. It is also investing in energy storage, transmission infrastructure and other ways to make the grid efficient.

Gu said Inner Mongolia will encourage factories to adjust production to better match patterns of wind and solar generation so renewable energy can be used more efficiently.

For over a decade since the early 2010s, China experienced a rapid solar and wind energy expansion that was largely driven by government targets and investment incentives, leading to issues such as overcapacity.

Power generation is only one part of Inner Mongolia’s coal strategy. The region is also a big hub of coal chemical industry, in which coal is converted to chemicals or fuels to produce other products. The processes emit more carbon dioxide than using coal to generate electricity. Huang said Inner Mongolia will deploy carbon-capture technologies to curb emissions.

He said Inner Mongolia has been expanding capacity of coal-to-oil, coal-to-gas and coal chemical industries. The Iran conflict and the close of the Strait of Hormuz exposed the vulnerability of countries that rely on imported oil and liquefied natural gas.

“At the industrial level, this can help offset and ease China’s reliance on imported oil and gas, reducing dependence on overseas supplies,” Huang said.

___

Video producer Olivia Zhang contributed to this report.

___

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

The FBI did not specify how many ransom notes have been received, other than saying “several.”

“This case continues to be investigated as a kidnapping for ransom case,” the FBI said in a statement.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department is also investigating the case. The department declined to comment on the notes Wednesday but said it's taking every tip in the investigation seriously.

Tucson TV station KOLD has said it received two notes, one demanding millions in Bitcoin in exchange for Guthrie’s return and another that said she had died. TMZ also received a note.

Guthrie is the mother of longtime “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie. Authorities believe she was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will on Feb. 1. They found blood near the front doorstep of her home just outside Tucson, and the FBI later released surveillance videos showing a masked man on the porch that night.

Volunteers and search teams scoured the nearby desert terrain filled with cactuses, bushes and boulders in the weeks after she vanished. A volunteer group recently conducted a search for her body near the Arizona-Mexico border.

Of the $11 billion obligated by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency alone, some $2.7 billion has been disbursed, mostly for things like equipment, materials and architecture and engineering design costs, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Obligated funds means the government is legally bound to disburse that money for a specific purpose.

The 86-page report is based on an audit from August 2024 to June 2026. It was released by U.S. Democratic lawmakers.

“The people of Puerto Rico have waited nine years for their government to keep its word,” Rep. Jared Hoffman, a California Democrat, said in a statement. “They watched billions get appropriated and almost none of it arrive.”

Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017 as a powerful Category 4 storm, knocking out power in some neighborhoods for almost a year – the longest outage in U.S. history. An estimated 2,975 people died in the storm’s sweltering aftermath.

Two weeks before Maria hit, Hurricane Irma swiped past the island’s northeast corner as a Category 5 storm, also knocking out power.

The grid was further destabilized by a series of strong earthquakes that struck southern Puerto Rico in late 2019 and early 2020.

Multiple issues delay progress

Chronic blackouts prompted Puerto Rico's governor to declare a state of emergency in April 2025, but outages persist, with about half of those incidents blamed on vegetation overrunning transmission and distribution lines.

As of February, only 400 miles (640 kilometers) had been cleared using federal funds out of 16,000 planned miles (26,000 kilometers), according to the report. Overall, nearly 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) of lines were cleared in fiscal year 2025, according to Luma Energy, a private company overseeing the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico. It currently is facing a lawsuit by the island’s government seeking to terminate its contract; the company has since counter sued.

The report noted that staff turnover; project review processes it described as “onerous;” and the financial state of Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority – which is still struggling to restructure more than $10 billion in debt – are preventing progress.

One move that further delayed the release of funds was when former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem implemented a policy in June 2025 that DHS expenditures over $100,000 be personally approved by that office. The rule was rescinded in April by new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Many funds allotted but few disbursed

As of December 2025, nine large FEMA-funded projects were completed, most of them related to generation; 133 projects remain at different stages.

The agency also has obligated about $1.3 billion to 24 critical generation projects, seven of which have been completed.

The report noted that repair work often means planned outages and finding replacement parts can take up to two years.

Of the $2.9 billion allotted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to modernize and repair the grid, only about $589 million had been disbursed as of February.

Meanwhile, of the $1 billion obligated by the U.S. Department of Energy, about $255 million has been disbursed, the report found.

Some $365 million originally allotted for solar energy projects have since been redirected to the power grid, for “practical fixes and emergency repairs” according to department officials interviewed by auditors.

The Department of Energy also canceled up to $350 million in grants under a solar access program, the report noted.

It did disburse all $1.2 million slated for hubs aimed at providing vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico with electricity during disasters.

DHS says Puerto Rico ‘ultimately responsible’

The Government Accountability Office called on FEMA to update guidance to reflect flexibilities and on the Department of Energy to clarify roles and responsibilities, and create a collaboration plan.

“Given the complexity of funding, the numerous players involved, and the various plans for grid recovery, extensive coordination across Puerto Rico and federal entities is vital,” the report states.

The Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concurred with the recommendations, although the latter noted that “the government of Puerto Rico is ultimately responsible for developing a comprehensive solution and rebuilding the electrical grid.”

The court’s two Black justices notably had very different views on U.S. citizenship in the context of Reconstruction after the Civil War.

Tuesday’s decision rejects an order President Donald Trump issued at the start of his second term, declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.

The majority, composed of Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, determined that birth on U.S. soil plus being subject to U.S. law is enough for citizenship.

Several dissenters, including Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, say birth alone is not enough — the child’s parents must have a deeper political allegiance or relationship to the U.S.

Jackson’s direct disagreement with Thomas’ dissent highlights a major rift between the legal minds. Here are the justices in their own words:

Chief Justice John Roberts

Much of Roberts’ opinion was a history lesson on English common law, in which he concluded that birthright citizenship has always depended primarily on birthplace — not on parents’ immigration status or domicile.

“Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights — to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land,’” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court, citing congressional debate over the amendment, “We keep that promise today.”

“We break no new ground today,” Roberts said on the bench as he read the court’s majority opinion.

Justice Clarence Thomas

Thomas, who wrote the main dissent, disagreed with the majority’s opinion and argued that American-born children are not automatically American citizens.

The basis of his argument, among other things, is that the court ignored evidence from Reconstruction debates that suggested citizenship depended on a deeper relationship to the country. After the Civil War, the U.S. underwent a series of political and constitutional battles over how to define the civil rights and citizenship status of formerly enslaved Black Americans.

“The Citizenship Clause was enacted for people who were born in this country and called it home. It was enacted for freed slaves such as Dred Scott, who had ‘a domicile’ here and therefore were entitled to sue as citizens,” Thomas wrote in his dissent, concluding that Reconstruction was a targeted remedy for freed slaves to restore citizenship to a wrongfully excluded group.

“In my view, the Citizenship Order is not facially unconstitutional,” Thomas wrote, referring to Trump’s executive order. “The Order is consistent with the original meaning of the Citizenship Clause, at least insofar as it applies to children born to parents, here lawfully or unlawfully, who are not domiciled in the United States.”

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson agreed with the opinion in full, but wrote to respond to Clarence Thomas’ dissent, arguing that Thomas fundamentally misunderstands what the Reconstruction Amendments — the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments — are trying to accomplish.

“Despite his longstanding endorsement of a ‘colorblind’ Constitution, Justice Thomas, now surprisingly suggests that the Citizenship Clause was a race-conscious remedial measure, relating only to ‘freed slaves such as Dred Scott’ — but that narrow vision of the Fourteenth Amendment bears little relationship to the history of its ratification.”

“The Reconstruction Amendments were an anti-caste, anti-subordination reset for the Nation, not a mere spot treatment for the dark stain of slavery.”

“The Court’s conception of a color-blind Constitution and the Government’s (and principal dissent’s) cramped, group-specific reading of the Citizenship Clause are two sides of the same coin, stemming from a basic misunderstanding of the relevant history.”

But UPS said in its own submission to the National Transportation Safety Board that the reason it never required those enhanced bearing inspections inside the pylons that hold the engines to the wings of its MD--11 freighters is because Boeing said incorrectly that the failure of those bearings wouldn't jeopardize the safety of flight. And the enhanced inspections were never required.

The plane crashed last fall while accelerating down the runway at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, killing killed all three pilots and 12 people on the ground. Twenty-three more were injured.

The failures that kept mechanics from taking a close look at the key parts securing the engines to the wings were highlighted at two days of investigative hearings on the crash in May, but the documents released Wednesday provide additional details.

The NTSB might not publish its final report on the cause of the fiery crash that happened as the UPS plane was trying to take off in Louisville, Kentucky, last November until late this year or possibly early next year. But UPS said it's clear “once the pylon separated from the aircraft, the crash was inevitable.”

Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration officials acknowledged during the hearings that they misunderstood the risks related to the potential failure of a steel bearing and metal sheath in the engine mount before the crash, not realizing that it could lead to the lugs that secure engines to an MD-11’s wings breaking. The bearings are tucked deep inside near the pylons, so problems are hard to spot without removing each engine for detailed inspections.

Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the actions of Boeing, UPS, FAA and the maintenance company STE San Antonio Aerospace all contributed to this crash.

“There’s just lots of subtleties and semantics that these four entities are using. But in the end, this got missed and to some degree, all four have some role to play in that,” said Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the NTSB and FAA. “Safety is a shared responsibility, and I think the NTSB’s task now is to apportion that responsibility.”

Failure of key part securing the engine never identified

Chris Hentz, who is Vice President of STE San Antonio Aerospace, said UPS only required its mechanics to check for corrosion and not for signs of bearing failure. But Hentz and UPS both pointed out that even as Boeing said “changes to the inspection requirement of the spherical bearing were warranted” the planemaker said in the same letter that the existing inspection requirements were sufficient.

Hentz said in his letter that Boeing “stated that while the MD-11 inspection intervals and requirements for an inspection of the aft bulkhead were sufficient, changes to the inspection requirements of the spherical bearing were warranted to ensure that the migration of the outer race would be reliably detected and identified during inspection.”

UPS said that even though Boeing developed an enhanced inspection procedure that it added to the MD-11 maintenance manual, the planemaker never added that procedure to its federally approved maintenance schedule that would have required it.

“Relying on Boeing’s representations that the issue was not safety-of-flight and that existing MPD inspections were sufficient, UPS determined that no additional changes to its maintenance program were necessary beyond what was already being performed.” the package delivery giant said.

Past problems didn't trigger alarm

At one point, Boeing even successfully petitioned the FAA to extend the schedule for required inspections from once every 19,900 cycles of takeoffs and landings, to once every 29,260, so that airlines could complete more of the major maintenance tasks simultaneously, with less down time.

The planemaker sought the change even after receiving reports about seven of the flaws in the bearings well before the planes had reached their original inspection limits. In the years after the schedule was relaxed, three more instances were discovered before the crash.

The UPS plane that crashed after losing its engine had flown 21,043 cycles, so it should have been thoroughly inspected under the original schedule. There has been only one other crash, decades earlier, involving a similar plane model losing an engine, but that one was blamed on improper maintenance and not the same flaw.

FedEx and other operators of these MD-11s reported at least 10 other instances of failures of these bearings or the parts that hold them in place over the years before the UPS crash. But it's not clear what these other operators might have been doing differently in their maintenance.

FedEx resumed flying its MD-11s in May after the FAA approved Boeing’s plan to ensure their safety. The engine mounts were closely inspected following the November crash, and going forward the spherical bearings will be replaced regularly, after every 4,000 cycles of takeoffs and landings. UPS decided to retire all of its MD-11s early after this crash.

The decision by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics, dated June 10, came after the panel, while investigating then-U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Florida, had “sought documents and testimony“ from Joseph, who failed to hand over any papers or appear before the committee despite being issued ”multiple subpoenas."

According to the report, a subcommittee said Joseph’s actions were “egregious and warrants referral to the U.S. Department of Justice.”

The ethics panel made allegations of illegal campaign donations to Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned in April under the threat of possible expulsion, through a political committee chaired by Joseph.

If convicted of the federal contempt charge, a misdemeanor, Joseph could spend up to a year in jail and receive a fine of up to $100,000.

Joseph has also faced separate questions over his conduct as mayor. He narrowly avoided being censured by city commissioners after a city investigation concluded he placed North Miami Beach in “substantial legal, financial and ethical risk.”

The allegations suggested that Joseph asked an employee to alter official government records, a potential violation of state public records laws and city employees raised questions about some of Joseph’s travel expenses to Japan “including an upgrade to First Class resulting in a charge in excess of $3,000 to the City,” an investigation report stated.

The mayor, at the time, called the report “inaccurate.”

Local 10 News contacted Joseph and a city spokesperson seeking comment on Wednesday night. As of publication of this article, we hadn’t received a response.

Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned in April before the House Ethics Committee started proceedings that could have led to her expulsion. She is facing federal charges after being accused of stealing $5 million in federal disaster aid funds.

Meanwhile, Cherfilus-McCormick, who is seeking her old seat back, has pleaded not guilty in her criminal case and denied any wrongdoing.

Leer en español

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced his intent to recommend CAIR be formally designated on a state list as a terrorist organization.

“We have to draw a very strong line in the sand here,” DeSantis said.

Signed in April, the governor’s office says HB 1471 allows the state to designate terrorist organizations, announcing an “intent to designate” list that includes CAIR, which DeSantis said would prevent “foreign and extremist influence from taking root in the state.”

“This is, I think, what the people of Florida expected when I signed this law, which took effect today,” DeSantis said.

Back in April, representatives for CAIR Florida told Local 10 News they opposed the law.

“Today is a dark day for the Florida Constitution and the United States Constitution,” Wilfredo Ruiz, the communications director for CAIR Florida, said at the time.

Omar Saleh, an attorney for CAIR Florida, said in April that “people don’t become a security risk just because you don’t like them and you don’t agree with them.”

The governor said organizations designated under Florida law may also be subject to dissolution as provided by statute.

DeSantis said upon confirmation by the Florida Cabinet, individuals who “knowingly” provide material support or resources to organizations designated under the new statutory authority as terrorist organizations could face criminal penalties.

State and local governments will be prohibited from providing the groups taxpayer funding and contracts.

Public schools and colleges will also be prohibited from using public resources to support or promote the organizations.

“It will impact Florida’s K-12 school choice scholarship,” DeSantis said. “I am not sending scholarships to schools that are in cahoots with groups like CAIR. That is not going to happen.”

“Florida is not the free state that it says it is, especially when you look at laws like this,” Saleh said in April. “It’s baloney.”

In December, DeSantis signed an executive order that resulted in litigation.

“It is being challenged under the First Amendment right now,” legal analyst Bill Barner said. “CAIR had a district court block the executive order, now the governor is taking to Federal Circuit of Appeals.”

Barner, a criminal defense attorney and ex-prosecutor who teaches at Nova Southeastern University, said, the district judge found that the governor “shouldn’t have the power to be able to do that and also suspects that this was politically motivated ― that it’s political theater."

Court records show a bench trial has been scheduled to start this upcoming January.

Barner said DeSantis “has announced that he plans on using the litigation, the discovery process behind the litigation, to try to find proof of what they’re alleging ― that there are ties with Hamas.”

An attorney from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is representing CAIR, said in a statement to Local 10 News that it, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups “look forward to responding in court.”

“Regardless of what Gov. DeSantis thinks, the U.S. Constitution is supreme across our nation, including in Florida,” Scott McCoy, the SPLC’s deputy legal director, said. “Gov. DeSantis is seeking to unilaterally silence a leading American civil rights nonprofit and punish those who support it.“

Court filings:

CAIR filings by Chris Gothner

Cair vs Desantis - March Order by Chris Gothner

Authorities took six men into custody.

Investigators said they posted an ad online depicting underage girls and a phone number, and on Tuesday, the men called.

According to the arrest reports, in each case the men agreed to pay money for sex with what he believed to be one or two girls aged 14 and 15.

In one case, a man allegedly said he’d pay $200 for a “quick visit” with both, but after arriving at the rendezvous point, the men instead were met by cops.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said her office will be cracking down on sex crimes and other illicit activity that pick up during big events like the World Cup. According to the arrest reports, four of the six men have addresses in Miami-Dade; the other two are from Broward.

They identified the suspects as:

• John Alcin, 30, of northwest Miami-Dade
• Henry Castillo Martinez, 20, of Miami
• Jaasar Rocha Rivas, 23, of Miami
• Melvin Phillip Putney, 47, of Miami Beach
• Deyvi Richard Silva, 36, of Fort Lauderdale
• Ibrahim Vazquez Cobas, 54, of Miramar

The arrests come on the heels of a sting in Homestead in which 12 men were arrested in mid-June.

The men all face charges including human trafficking and traveling to meet a minor for sex.

Conwell was acquired by Miami in a draft-night trade after being selected in the second round, 37th overall, in the 2026 NBA Draft.

The former Louisville guard started all 34 games as a senior last season, averaging a team-high 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 30.9 minutes per game. He shot 40.8% from the field, 34.5% from 3-point range and 83.2% from the free-throw line.

Conwell earned All-ACC Second Team honors and was named to the NABC All-District Second Team. He scored 638 points last season, a single-season career best, and finished his college career with 1,991 points.

He also made 124 free throws and 112 3-pointers last season, ranking among the top 15 nationally in made 3-pointers. Conwell had 15 games with at least 20 points, including two 30-point performances.

He led the Cardinals in points, steals, defensive rebounds, field goals made, 3-pointers made, free throws made and minutes.

La tormenta estaba en el mar y no representaba ninguna amenaza para tierra firme, informó el Centro Nacional de Huracanes en Miami. Douglas se encontraba unos 1.925 kilómetros (1.195 millas) al oeste-suroeste del extremo sur de la península de Baja California, México.

Sus vientos máximos sostenidos eran de alrededor de 65 km/h (40 mph) con ráfagas más fuertes. La tormenta se desplazaba hacia el norte a 11 km/h (7 mph), informó el centro, y agregó que se esperaba un giro gradual hacia el noroeste a finales de esta semana.

Los vientos con fuerza de tormenta tropical se extendían hasta 150 kilómetros (90 millas) desde el centro. Se esperaba que Douglas se debilitara de manera progresiva a partir del jueves.

Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league's fourth-leading scorer this past season — is getting traded by the Celtics to the Philadelphia 76ers, a person with knowledge of the deal's terms said Wednesday.

Boston is getting Paul George, along with a slew of draft capital that could become two first-round picks and two second-round picks, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade does not yet have the required league approvals.

ESPN first reported the trade agreement, and the terms were later confirmed by The Boston Globe.

Add this move to the list of blockbuster moves across the NBA so far this offseason. LeBron James is leaving the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, and now this trade joins a long list of moves that involve All-Star-caliber players — like Giannis Antetokounmpo going from Milwaukee to Miami, Kawhi Leonard and Brandon Ingram headlining a swap between the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers, and Ja Morant getting traded to Portland by Memphis.

Now, this.

“Welcome to Philly, JB!” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on social media. “Sixers get way better and, as a bonus, the Celtics got worse!"

It's a move that breaks up what has been one of the league’s most successful 1-2 punches in Brown and Jayson Tatum, who helped carry the Celtics to the 2024 NBA title.

Tatum missed most of this past season while recovering from an Achilles tear that happened during the 2025 playoffs, meaning Brown had to carry even more of the load for Boston — and he wound up with career-best averages of 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

It seemed, though, that Brown has felt underappreciated, especially after it became known that Boston had included him in trade talks with Milwaukee when Antetokounmpo was on the market.

“Nobody has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago,” Brown posted on social media over the weekend. He’s right: The Celtics have won 523 games with Brown in the lineup, including playoff contests, which is six more than Denver has won with Nikola Jokic over that span.

Brown now gets to be part of a squad in Philadelphia alongside guard Tyrese Maxey and center Joel Embiid — someone who Brown recently called a flopper on a livestream.

“Joel Embiid is a great player, one of the best bigs in (expletive) basketball history,” Brown said. “Flops. He know it. This ain’t breaking news.”

Brown, Maxey (the league's No. 5 scorer this past season) and Embiid (a two-time NBA scoring champion) could become a positively frightening trio in Philadelphia, and the Celtics deciding to play a role in creating such a triumvirate only adds to the intrigue surrounding why they wanted to trade Brown in the first place.

The trade ends a tremendously disappointing two-year stint for George, who was traded with two years left on a four-year, $212 million free-agent contract. The 36-year-old George never approached his nine-time All-Star form in Philadelphia and his tenure was marred by a 25-game suspension last season for flunking a drug test.

He averaged just 16.7 points in his two seasons in Philadelphia after topping the 20-point mark in nine straight seasons with Indiana, Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Brown is the latest big name brought in to team with All-Stars and franchise cornerstones Embiid and Maxey. Brown can try and lead the Sixers to their first title since 1983; a feat a steady string of stars from Ben Simmons to James Harden to George failed to do when paired with Embiid and Maxey to make a Big Three.

George cited mental health reasons as to why he failed a drug test and was suspended in late January for violating the terms of the NBA’s anti-drug program. His first year in Philly was marred by knee and adductor injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career.

George averaged 16.2 points in just 41 games, easily his lowest scoring average in a full season since he averaged 12.1 points for Indiana in his second NBA season. He then had surgery in July on his left knee after he was injured during a workout and missed the first 12 games of this past season.

This was the first blockbuster pulled off under new team president Mike Gansey, who replaced the fired Daryl Morey.

Morey was fired after the Sixers failed to advance out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in his tenure and they were swept by the eventual NBA champion Knicks in the second round last season — but only after erasing a 3-1 deficit to oust Boston in Round 1.

“Philadelphia is a good basketball team," Brown said after the Game 7 loss to the 76ers, surely not knowing at that time that he would be joining them a couple months later.

His job now will be to make that good basketball team even better.

___

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed.

___

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

Beasley, the latest big name caught up in a sweeping federal gambling investigation, said little at his arraignment in Brooklyn federal court. He answered a judge's questions with “yes, your honor” but let his lawyer, Jason Goldman, enter his plea on his behalf.

Afterward, the 6-foot-4 (1.92 meter) shooting guard stood quietly as Goldman spoke to reporters outside the courthouse, demurring when one asked if he had anything to say to his fans. Beasley, who played for six NBA teams in nine years, missed the most recent season because he was under investigation. Instead, he played for a Puerto Rican team co-owned by the rapper Bad Bunny.

“He looks forward to fighting. He’s fought every day,” Goldman said. “He’s presumed innocent and that has to mean something still, obviously."

Beasley, 29, and sports agent Paolo Zamorano, who also pleaded not guilty on Wednesday, were among six people charged in an indictment unsealed this week.

They are the newest defendants in a gambling sweep that has netted more than three dozen arrests, including former Miami Heat star Terry Rozier, who was accused of conspiring with friends to help them win bets, and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, who was accused of conspiring to fix high-stakes poker games.

Zamorano, 39, formerly represented another co-defendant, ex-NBA player Ed Davis, who had loaned money to Beasley and is accused of acting as his “gatekeeper" in the alleged scheme.

“We look forward to our day in court," Zamorano’s lawyer, Kenneth Breen, told reporters.

Beasley and Zamorano were both released on bond. They're due back in court for a status conference on Aug. 6.

Beasley is accused of fixing or trying to fix his performance in at least four games while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024 by under or overperforming bookmakers' expectations. In exchange, the indictment said, the bettors bribed Beasley and his debts to Davis were reduced or eliminated.

“Only way you can beat Vegas is sports betting,” Davis told Beasley in a Jan. 26, 2024, text message, according to the indictment. “Everything else they got the edge.”

In one example, according to the indictment, Beasley told Davis that he would try to outperform the 3.5 line that sportsbooks had set for his rebound total in Milwaukee’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 10, 2024.

With a second left, and the Bucks up by seven points, Beasley challenged a Clippers shot and dashed past four players to grab his fourth rebound and securing a win for the bettors as the horn sounded.

One bettor made a $3,252 profit on a $2,838 wager, the indictment said, and another made a $2,107 profit on wagers totaling $2,400. Other bettors missed out and lost money, mistakenly placing wagers on Beasley to underperform the rebound total because of an apparent miscommunication, the indictment said.

“What’s funny is after he got it he had a big sigh of relief,” a co-conspirator said in a text message, according to the indictment.

Beasley borrowed money from Davis, a former teammate, after racking up millions of dollars in gambling losses. His widely reported financial problems include disputes with a Detroit landlord, a Milwaukee barber and a Minnesota dentist. A 2025 lawsuit from a sports marketing agency resulted in a $1 million default judgment against him.

“There’s a bigger conversation here about the industry, about individuals and institutions that are profiting billions and billions of dollars and fueling the addiction,” Goldman said.

Beasley has been aware of the investigation for about a year, Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Weintraub said.

He last played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons on a one-year, $6 million contract in the 2024-2025 season. He averaged 16 points per game and scored 20 in his last game, a playoff loss to the New York Knicks. He is one of five players in NBA history with more than 300 three-pointers in a season.

Beasley's release was secured by his parents, actors Michael and Deena Beasley, who joined the arraignment by phone from their home in Georgia. Stone-faced for most of the hourlong proceeding, Beasley laughed at his mother's answer to Magistrate Judge Taryn Merkl's question about how often they talk to each other.

“I probably call him every day. He might not answer every day,” Deena Beasley said, prompting chuckles in the courtroom. “If I call him six times a week, he'll answer five times.”

Thursday will feature a sun/cloud mix with the chance for “here/there” showers along the east coast in the morning. As temperatures make a run for the low 90s, showers and storms are expected to develop during the afternoon.

Leer en español

First off, the Main Development Region of the tropical Atlantic – where most our strongest hurricanes form during the season – just recorded its coolest June in 5 years.

The warmth of the eastern part of the Main Development Region – the band of waters between Africa and the Caribbean – is one of our most reliable predictors for seasonal hurricane activity. The cooler the waters, the lower tropical activity we should expect.

While waters here are still slightly above the 30-year average, the trend is down, and the easterly trade winds – prevailing winds that blow from Africa toward the Caribbean throughout the year – that help to regulate the Atlantic’s temperature are forecast to be much stronger than average through at least mid-July. The stronger east-to-west flowing winds mix up the Atlantic and cool it, so I don’t see the Atlantic rebounding to a warmer place as August approaches.

The other bellwether we look to in July for what the cards might hold for August and September is the amount of wind shear through the Caribbean Sea. While wind shear – the change in wind strength and direction with altitude – doesn’t tell us much in June, come July it tends to be one of our best predictors for future hurricane activity.

For June, shear was running well above average, but more importantly, the trend for above-average wind shear across the Caribbean is headed even higher for July courtesy of an increasingly strong El Nino in the eastern Pacific.

Higher wind shear suggests would-be storms will have a tougher time organizing, and it’s the Caribbean and western Atlantic that are most affected during El Niño years like this one.

Lastly, we look to global upper-air patterns to assess the health of the Atlantic basin. One of the telltale signs of a healthy Atlantic are global circulation patterns supporting rising air over the North Indian Ocean and sinking air over the eastern and central Pacific. This year, we have the exact opposite pattern, with impressive subsidence, or sinking air, centered squarely over the North Indian Ocean, and reams of rising air over the Pacific, indicating things just aren’t right in the Atlantic.

The upshot is the tropical Atlantic isn’t looking ripe for a big storm season. That of course doesn’t mean we can’t (and won’t) see strong hurricanes this year, but they’ll be fewer and have a much tougher time than in any year since at least 2015. We’ll be looking more to the subtropics – the region to the north of the traditional tropical belt that runs from Africa through the Caribbean – for activity this season than in seasons of the recent past. We’ll also not want to sleep on the Gulf, which is running well above average, for tropical seedlings that might slip through the shear-laced cracks this fall.

But for now, the Atlantic is fast asleep. The low pressure area we’ve been tracking off the Carolina coast is nothing but an innocuous low-level cloud swirl absent any thunderstorms, and development isn’t expected anywhere across the Atlantic basin for at least the first few weeks of July.

But members of one local business group are pointing the finger at themselves instead.

What started with one table has quickly grown into one of the newest Business Network International chapters in Wilton Manors.

“We are the fastest growing chapter in all of Florida,” said Jerry Windle, who helps lead the group.

The chapter is the only officially designated LGBTQ-plus ally chapter in Florida, but most of its members are not part of the LGBTQ community.

Instead, they are allies, including contractors and hetero family man Ted Knote.

“We have a great group here,” Knote said, adding that he is “a very proponent of the LGBTQ community.”

Chapter members said that in less than a year, they have generated nearly $2 million in referral business.

Windle said part of the idea behind growing the chapter came after seeing corporate sponsorships pull away from LGBTQ organizations amid the current political climate and anti-DEI legislation.

“It’s very easy to become reactive and say why and point the finger and blame, blame, blame,” Windle said.

“Despite what may happen politically — and we can like it, we can not like it — but rather than point fingers and say would’ve, could’ve, should’ve, it’s what can we do now,” he said.

The group’s efforts have gone beyond growing business.

They have also helped support organizations like the Pride Center, where the chapter meets. The center has struggled to continue its HIV prevention efforts after losing federal funding under the Trump administration.

Windle said the chapter has donated $20,000 to the Pride Center.

“We have strength when we create the gravitas to sit at the table and we create the table,” he said.

The business group meets once a week in Wilton Manors.

The incident happened on June 21 during a softball league game at Waterways Park, located at 3310 NE 213th St., according to police.

Authorities said a verbal argument between teams escalated into a physical altercation, with multiple players pushing and shoving.

Police said Roberto Araujo, 41, of Allapattah, grabbed a metal bat and hit another player, William Rodriguez, in the back of the head.

Newly released body camera video shows Aventura officers arriving at the field and speaking with Rodriguez after the alleged attack.

“I was assaulted,” Rodriguez could be heard telling officers.

Rodriguez described the moments leading up to the incident, telling police the teams were involved in an exchange before he fell to the ground and was hit.

“I think he tripped over my feet. We both fell down and he just came around and swinged me in the head with the bat,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez’s aunt, who witnessed the incident, previously told Local 10 News that she saw Araujo swing the bat while her nephew was on the ground.

“Willie was on the ground, so he just swung as if he was hitting,” she said.

The aunt was also able to provide police with the suspect’s tag number, which helped investigators locate Araujo.

The new video shows officers later taking Araujo into custody.

“Hey bro, listen, just stand up right now. Turn around, put your hands behind your back,” an officer said.

“For what?” Araujo responded.

Police said Araujo initially fled the scene after the alleged attack.

Rodriguez told officers the teams had a history of aggression in the league before Araujo realized he was going to jail.

“I’m being detained or I’m being arrested?” Araujo asked the officer in the video.

The incident led to Araujo’s arrest on a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Rodriguez’s aunt said she believes the charge is justified.

“I think he deserves to be in jail because he almost killed someone,” she said.

Araujo has since been released from jail, but he is still facing the felony charge.

La lista de más de 130 nuevas leyes de Florida incluye legislación para cambiar el nombre de un aeropuerto y una autopista en honor al presidente Donald Trump.

La nueva ley de Aeropuertos de Servicio Comercial cambia el nombre del Aeropuerto Internacional de Palm Beach a Aeropuerto Internacional Presidente Donald J. Trump.

La nueva ley de Designación de Vías de Transporte define la nueva Autopista Presidente Donald J. Trump como la Carretera Estatal 870, desde la Carretera Estatal A1A o South Ocean Boulevard en el Condado de Palm Beach, continuando hacia el oeste a través de los condados de Hendry y Lee, y Commercial Boulevard en el Condado de Broward. También designa una parte de la Carretera Estatal 985, o Southwest 107th Avenue, en el Condado de Miami-Dade como la Avenida Conmemorativa Charlie Kirk.

MÁS LEYES NUEVAS

La lista también incluía legislación relacionada con organizaciones terroristas, el medio ambiente, las nuevas tecnologías, la educación y la seguridad.

Terrorismo

La nueva ley de Influencia Extranjera limita los vínculos con “países extranjeros que suscitan preocupación”, amplía las sanciones penales relacionadas con “organizaciones terroristas extranjeras” y prohíbe los acuerdos de adopción preestablecidos o los contratos de gestación subrogada que involucren a “países que suscitan preocupación”.

La nueva ley sobre sistemas jurídicos y organizaciones terroristas permite al jefe de seguridad nacional del Departamento de Aplicación de la Ley de Florida designar a las “organizaciones terroristas”.

Seguridad pública

La nueva ley de Delitos Peligrosos , más conocida como la Ley de Missy en honor a Missy Mogle , la niña de 5 años víctima de asesinato , incluye “cualquier violación relacionada con la pornografía infantil o la explotación infantil” y exige la detención preventiva independientemente de la declaración del acusado.

La nueva ley sobre delitos sexuales revisa las penas mínimas obligatorias para los delincuentes sexuales condenados y aumenta las sanciones por solicitar, poseer, controlar o ver y crear intencionadamente material de abuso sexual infantil a sabiendas.

La nueva ley de Designación de Infractores Habituales de Tráfico , más conocida como la Ley de Isaías, crea una nueva categoría para los conductores que acumulan tres o más condenas por conducir sin una licencia válida en un plazo de cinco años.

La nueva ley sobre violencia doméstica y órdenes de protección reclasifica las penas por cometer un delito de violencia doméstica si una persona tiene una condena previa por violencia doméstica.

La nueva ley de prevención de ahogamientos amplía el programa de vales para clases de natación y ordena al Departamento de Salud de Florida que desarrolle materiales educativos.

Educación

La nueva ley sobre bienes inmuebles sin urbanizar de los distritos escolares exige un inventario anual de propiedades sin urbanizar o baldías para el Departamento de Educación de Florida. Si no se llega a un acuerdo antes del 1 de julio de 2027, la ley obliga a los distritos a ofrecer dichas propiedades a las escuelas autónomas.

La nueva ley de Atletismo en las Escuelas Públicas K-12 permite a los entrenadores deportivos de las escuelas secundarias realizar contribuciones personales de hasta 15.000 dólares anuales para ayudar a sufragar los gastos de transporte, alimentación y recuperación de sus jugadores.

Ambiente

La nueva ley sobre políticas gubernamentales prohibidas que regulan las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero prohíbe las políticas de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de “cero neto”.

La nueva ley sobre sustancias perfluoroalquiladas y polifluoroalquiladas ordena al Departamento de Protección Ambiental de Florida que regule la espuma formadora de película acuosa, o AFFF, que se utiliza para la extinción de incendios.

La nueva ley de resiliencia costera prohíbe las operaciones de cruceros y el dragado o relleno dentro de la Reserva Acuática Terra Ceia, cerca del condado de Manatee, y ordena al Departamento de Protección Ambiental (DEP) que emita nuevos procesos de permisos antes del 1 de enero.

Nueva tecnología

La nueva ley de vertipuertos permite al Departamento de Transporte de Florida financiar el 100% del costo de los proyectos en vertipuertos públicos que no cuenten con fondos federales y el 80% cuando sí los haya.

La nueva ley de centros de datos otorga a los gobiernos locales un mayor control sobre la planificación y el desarrollo urbanístico de los centros de datos a gran escala, y prohíbe que se trasladen los costes de los servicios públicos a los residentes o a las pequeñas empresas.

Leer en español

The list of more than 130 new Florida laws includes legislation to rename an airport and a highway after President Donald Trump.

The new Commercial Service Airports law renames the Palm Beach International Airport to the President Donald J. Trump International Airport.

The new Transportation Facility Designations law defined the new President Donald J. Trump Highway as State Road 870, from State Road A1A or South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach County, continuing westward through Hendry and Lee counties, and Commercial Boulevard in Broward County. It also designates a portion of State Road 985, or Southwest 107th Avenue, in Miami-Dade County as the Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue.

MORE NEW LAWS

The list also included legislation related to terrorist organizations, the environment, new technology, education, and safety.

Terrorism

The new Foreign Influence law limits ties with “foreign countries of concern,” expands criminal penalties related to “foreign terrorist organizations,” and bans pre-planned adoption agreements or surrogate contracts involving “countries of concern.”

The new Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations law allows the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s chief of domestic security to designate “terrorist organizations.”

Public safety

The new Dangerous Crimes law, better known as Missy’s Law after 5-year-old murder victim Missy Mogle, includes “any violation related to computer pornography or child exploitation” and requires pre-trial detention regardless of the defendant’s plea.

The new Sexual Offenses law revises mandatory minimum sentences for convicted sex offenders, and increases penalties for knowingly soliciting, possessing, controlling, or intentionally viewing and creating child sexual abuse material.

The new Habitual Traffic Offender Designation law, better known as Isaiah’s Law, creates a new designation for drivers who get three or more convictions of driving without a valid license within five years.

The new Domestic Violence and Protective Injunctions law reclassifies penalties for committing a domestic violence offense if a person has a prior conviction for domestic violence.

The new Drowning Prevention law expands the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program and directs the Florida Department of Health to develop educational materials.

Education

The new School District Unimproved Real Property law requires an annual inventory of “unimproved” or vacant property for the Florida Department of Education. Without an agreement by July 1, 2027, the law requires districts to offer such properties to charter schools.

The new Athletics in Public K-12 law allows athletic coaches in high schools to make personal contributions of up to $15,000 annually to help support their players’ transportation, food, and recovery.

Environment

The new Prohibited Governmental Policies Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions law bans “net-zero” greenhouse gas emission policies.

The new Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances law directs the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to regulate Aqueous Film-Forming Foam, or AFFF, which is used for fire suppression.

The new Coastal Resiliency law bans cruise ship operations and dredging or filling within the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve near Manatee County, and it directs DEP to issue new permitting processes by Jan. 1.

New tech

The new Vertiports law allows the Florida Department of Transportation to fund 100% of the cost of projects at public vertiports that don’t have federal funds and 80% when federal funds are available.

The new Data Centers law empowers local governments with more control over the planning and land development of large-scale data centers, and it prohibits passing on the utility costs to residents or small businesses.

Herman, 42, misappropriated more than $100,000 from 2022 to 2025, according to a Broward Sheriff’s Office detective’s request for an arrest warrant.

Herman was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2010. He was a personal injury attorney based in Fort Lauderdale when a few of his clients accused him of withholding settlement funds in civil court in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, according to court records.

The Florida Bar temporarily suspended Herman on Oct. 6, 2023, and on July 29, 2024, before disbarring him on Sept. 25, 2025, records show.

A judge signed the warrant for Herman’s arrest on Thursday. After deputies arrested him, corrections booked him on Tuesday at the Broward County Main Jail in Fort Lauderdale, records show.

Herman appeared in bond court on Wednesday morning. He faced charges of obtaining property by fraud, money laundering, financial structure violation, and the misapplication of an insurance premium. His bond was $200,000.

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

Judge Christopher Wagner, who previously denied a temporary restraining order hours after the lawsuit was filed, said Wednesday during a hearing that his written order will be made on July 9.

The lawsuit was filed shortly after the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a monumental change in eligibility rules last month.

“When each plaintiff completed their fourth season of competition during the 2025-26 academic year, they had every reason to know it was the end of the line and time to make way for the next generation of college athletes,” the NCAA wrote in a filing.

The plaintiffs are seeking to be eligible to play a fifth year during the upcoming season, representing athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 and began their college sports careers that fall and never redshirted.

“Each plaintiff was harmed each time he or she competed in a basketball game against a fifth or sixth-year player without being offered the same opportunity to compete in a fifth season themselves,” attorney Ryan Downton wrote in a filing.

The NCAA now allows athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first.

The move will all but eliminate waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, pregnancy or active-duty military service. Extensions will no longer be considered for athletes who are injured.

Athletes whose eligibility expired by spring 2026 under the traditional model — four years of competition over five years — will not be allowed a fifth year of competition under the new rules that go into effect this fall.

Similar lawsuits are being filed in other states.

The Division I Cabinet has said in a statement posted on X that it was aware of legal action challenging its decision and that “we do not intend to change course.”

___

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

Gregory DaSilva compareció este miércoles por la mañana ante un tribunal de fianzas de Broward, donde un juez ordenó que permanezca detenido sin derecho a fianza por dos cargos de asesinato premeditado.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que también enfrenta un cargo de agresión agravada con un arma mortal.

La Policía de Lauderhill informó que los apuñalamientos ocurrieron alrededor de las 11:15 a.m. del martes en la cuadra 5300 de Northwest 19th Street.

Los investigadores informaron que inicialmente un agente fue abordado por un hombre que denunció que una persona armada con un cuchillo había intentado atacarlo.

Luego, los agentes localizaron a un sospechoso que coincidía con la descripción, pero la Policía indicó que este huyó hacia un vecindario residencial cercano.

Mientras los agentes registraban el área, los investigadores informaron que recibieron una llamada al 911 sobre un hombre con aparentes heridas de arma blanca. Mientras recorrían el vecindario, los agentes confirmaron que encontraron a una segunda víctima de apuñalamiento.

La Policía informó que una de las víctimas fue declarada muerta en el lugar, mientras que la otra falleció después de ser trasladada a un hospital cercano.

Vecinos dijeron a Local 10 que una de las víctimas, un hombre de unos 20 años, estaba leyendo una Biblia momentos antes de ser atacado. También dijeron que la segunda víctima utilizaba una silla de ruedas y no pudo escapar.

“Cuando entré, tenía sangre por todo el estómago, las orejas y la nariz”, dijo un vecino.

Las autoridades no han identificado un motivo para los homicidios y los investigadores no han informado si DaSilva conocía a alguna de las víctimas.

Tras el ataque, agentes de Policía y de varias agencias, incluida la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward y el Departamento de Policía de Sunrise, participaron en la búsqueda. Una unidad K-9 finalmente localizó a DaSilva, quien fue arrestado sin que se registraran más incidentes, informaron las autoridades.

La violencia provocó el cierre preventivo del Broward County Boys & Girls Club, ubicado frente al complejo de apartamentos, donde había más de 200 niños en ese momento, según la Policía.

“Lo primero y más importante es asegurarnos de que los niños estén a salvo, cerrar todas las puertas, garantizar que nadie pueda entrar o salir y verificar que todos los niños estén presentes”, dijo Chris Gentile, director ejecutivo del Broward County Boys & Girls Club.

Además de ordenar que DaSilva permanezca detenido sin derecho a fianza por los cargos de asesinato, el juez fijó una fianza de $15,000 USD por el cargo de agresión agravada.

El juez también ordenó que DaSilva no tenga contacto con la víctima sobreviviente, le prohibió poseer armas y ordenó que se le practique una evaluación de salud mental.

Las autoridades informaron que la investigación continúa y exhortaron a cualquier persona con información a llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

Leer en español

According to an arrest report, the Aventura Police Department arrested Wetsmy Louicius, 25, of Lynn, Massachusetts, on a charge of aggravated battery.

Police said the attack happened on Feb. 4 at the Aventura Mall Transit Bus Depot, located at 19501 Biscayne Blvd.

According to the report, officers arrived to find the victim sitting on a bus bench surrounded by Aventura Mall security personnel, holding paper towels to her face as they observed “a significant amount of blood on the ground.”

The report states she was taken by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue medics to HCA Florida Aventura Hospital as a trauma alert.

Medical staff later determined the woman had multiple facial fractures and were concerned about her airway, according to the report.

Police said the victim told hospital staff on Feb. 6 that she was waiting for a bus when Louicius, who was sitting next to her, asked if she wanted to have sex. They said after she replied “no,” he “punched her in the face without warning,” according to the report.

Investigators reviewed surveillance video from the bus depot, which they said showed Louicius sitting beside the woman before she stood near the curb to look for an approaching bus.

Police said the video shows Louicius punching her, which caused her to fall off the curb into the roadway before fleeing on foot.

Detectives said they tracked Louicius using surveillance footage from nearby businesses, including a Citibank branch, a Total Wine store and a Marathon gas station, where they obtained a clear image of his face.

Authorities said detectives with the New Jersey Transit Police Department also identified Louicius from surveillance images and advised Aventura detectives that the Boston Police Department also had probable cause to arrest him in “similar” incidents.

Investigators said Louicius has also been linked to other alleged attacks. According to WCVB in Boston, he was arrested in December 2022 after Boston police accused him of assaulting three women near the Back Bay MBTA station.

As of Tuesday, he was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center after being transferred from Broward County, where his bond was listed as “to be set.”

Leer en español

Gregory DaSilva appeared in Broward bond court Wednesday morning, where a judge ordered him held without bond on two counts of premeditated murder.

Jail records show he is also facing one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Lauderhill police said the stabbings happened around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday in the 5300 block of Northwest 19th Street.

Investigators said an officer was initially flagged down by a man who reported that someone armed with a knife had tried to attack him.

Officers then located a suspect matching the description, but police said he ran into a nearby residential neighborhood.

As officers searched the area, investigators said they received a 911 call about a man suffering from apparent stab wounds. While canvassing the neighborhood, officers confirmed that they found a second stabbing victim.

Police said one victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other died after being taken to a nearby hospital.

Neighbors told Local 10 that one of the victims, a man in his 20s, had been reading a Bible moments before he was attacked. Neighbors also said the second victim used a wheelchair and was unable to escape.

“When I came inside, (he) got blood all over his stomach, ears and nose,” one neighbor said.

A man named Nelson, who lives nearby, described his neighbor who was allegedly attacked in the wheelchair as a “good man” who “doesn’t give trouble” to anybody.

Authorities have not identified a motive for the killings, and investigators have not said whether DaSilva knew either victim.

Following the attack, police officers and deputies from multiple agencies, including the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Sunrise Police Department, joined the search. A K-9 unit eventually located DaSilva, who was taken into custody without further incident, authorities said.

The violence prompted a lockdown at the Broward County Boys & Girls Club located across the street from the apartment complex, where more than 200 children were inside at the time, according to police.

“The first and foremost thing is to make sure the kids are safe and that we lock down all the doors, make sure no one can get in or out, and we are accounting for all the kids,” said Chris Gentile, CEO of the Broward County Boys & Girls Club.

In addition to ordering DaSilva held without bond on the murder charges, the judge imposed a $15,000 bond on the aggravated assault charge.

The judge also ordered that DaSilva have no contact with the surviving victim, prohibited him from possessing any weapons, and ordered a mental health screening.

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Leer en español

Veteran goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team confirmed.

Bobrovsky agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract with Toronto, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes and SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman confirmed Wednesday.

Bobrovsky spent seven seasons with the Panthers, helping the franchise win back-to-back Stanley Cups while becoming one of the most beloved players in team history.

“A sincere thank you to Sergei Bobrovsky for everything that he’s done for the organization,” said Panthers general manager Bill Zito. “Not just on the ice, but his contribution in the community, but there’s a lot of things that he did that aren’t public. A thank you to Bob.”

The two-time Vezina Trophy winner also helped Florida eliminate Toronto in the playoffs twice over the last four seasons.

The move comes after a difficult 2025-26 season for Bobrovsky, who finished with a .877 save percentage, the worst mark of his Panthers career.

Toronto added the 37-year-old after trading goalie Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Bobrovsky’s reported departure comes shortly after the Panthers announced an eight-year contract extension for forward Eetu Luostarinen and the signing of veteran defenseman Radko Gudas, who played for the Panthers from 2020-2023.

The decision handed several victories to the League of Women Voters of Arkansas and other plaintiffs, which sued last year amid efforts in various states to make it harder for regular citizens to make laws or amend their states’ constitution through ballot initiatives.

One such measure required someone signing a petition to show photo ID. That and other additional ballot-initiative restrictions were imposed by Arkansas’ GOP-controlled state government after election officials cited a legal technicality to reject petitions submitted by abortion rights supporters in a 2024 effort to legalize abortion in the conservative state.

One of the plaintiffs, Protect AR Rights, called the decision an “important victory for the people of Arkansas and their constitutional right to direct democracy."

The decision, issued Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks, also rejected some challenges by the league and its fellow plaintiffs, while Brooks sent three other disputes to trial.

The defendant, Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester, a Republican who had defended the laws in court, said in a statement that his office plans to appeal Brooks' decision and “will fight tirelessly for common sense safeguards like voter ID.”

Among the laws Brooks struck down are 2025 measures requiring canvassers to verify a petition signers' identity through a photo ID and to read the ballot question aloud or require a petition signer to read the entire ballot question before signing it. The ballot questions are often hundreds of words long.

Requiring a petition signer to possess and present a photo ID “before engaging in core political speech” plainly violates free speech laws, Brooks wrote, and noted that the Arkansas secretary of state's office reviews every signature to confirm that the petition signer is a registered voter.

The ID requirement regulates what a registered voter “must do before signing a petition and what a canvasser must do before allowing them to,” Brooks wrote. “This impedes supporters of a measure from expressing their views by signing a petition.”

State officials had contended that requiring a reading of the ballot question before anyone can sign a petition was necessary to prevent a canvasser from misrepresenting the ballot question.

But Brooks wrote that the state had refused to prosecute reported cases of such canvasser misconduct, and that it should enforce its existing laws before it chose a more restrictive alternative of “imposing burdensome speech codes on good and bad actors alike.”

Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., allow citizen-initiated ballot measures, according to the nonprofit Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.

In March, the center reported that it had found a “sharp escalation” by lawmakers in both the number and severity of anti-democratic attacks on the ballot measure process over the past several election cycles.

Sponsors of such efforts, it wrote, framed them as steps to improve election integrity, administrative efficiency or voter protection.

One of the most common methods is making it harder for initiatives to qualify for the ballot by placing restrictions on where, when and how signatures are collected, it wrote.

It singled out efforts in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma.

Another common method of restricting ballot initiatives, it said, is requiring a larger majority of voters, rather than a simple majority, to approve a referendum, thus making it harder to pass. It cited efforts in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, North Dakota and Ohio.

___

Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter

Según el informe de arresto, el Departamento de Policía de Aventura arrestó a Wetsmy Louicius, de 25 años y residente de Lynn, Massachusetts, por un cargo de agresión agravada.

La Policía informó que el ataque ocurrió el 4 de febrero en la terminal de autobuses del Aventura Mall, ubicada en el 19501 de Biscayne Blvd.

Según el informe, los agentes llegaron al lugar y encontraron a la víctima sentada en una banca de la terminal, rodeada por personal de seguridad de Aventura Mall, sosteniendo toallas de papel sobre el rostro mientras observaban “una cantidad considerable de sangre en el suelo”.

El informe indica que paramédicos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue la trasladaron al Hospital HCA Florida Aventura como paciente de trauma.

Posteriormente, el personal médico determinó que la mujer presentaba múltiples fracturas faciales y estaba preocupado por el estado de sus vías respiratorias, según el informe.

La Policía informó que la víctima les dijo a miembros del personal del hospital el 6 de febrero que estaba esperando un autobús cuando Louicius, quien estaba sentado a su lado, le preguntó si quería tener relaciones sexuales. Indicaron que, después de que ella respondió “no”, él “la golpeó en el rostro sin previo aviso”, según el informe.

Los investigadores revisaron videos de vigilancia de la terminal de autobuses, los cuales, según informaron, muestran a Louicius sentado junto a la mujer antes de que ella se pusiera de pie cerca de la acera para buscar el autobús que se aproximaba.

La Policía informó que el video muestra a Louicius golpeándola, lo que provocó que cayera de la acera hacia la vía antes de huir a pie.

Los detectives dijeron que rastrearon a Louicius mediante videos de vigilancia de negocios cercanos, incluidos una sucursal de Citibank, una tienda Total Wine y una gasolinera Marathon, donde obtuvieron una imagen clara de su rostro.

Las autoridades informaron que detectives del Departamento de Policía de Tránsito de Nueva Jersey también identificaron a Louicius a partir de las imágenes de vigilancia y notificaron a los detectives de Aventura que el Departamento de Policía de Boston también tenía causa probable para arrestarlo por incidentes “similares”.

Los investigadores informaron que Louicius también ha sido vinculado a otros presuntos ataques. Según WCVB, de Boston, fue arrestado en diciembre de 2022 después de que la Policía de Boston lo acusara de agredir a tres mujeres cerca de la estación Back Bay de la MBTA.

Hasta el martes, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight tras ser trasladado desde el condado Broward, donde su fianza figuraba como “pendiente de fijación”.

La Oficina del Sheriff de Broward identificó al hombre como Bart Diguglielmo, de Lauderhill.

Según la BSO, la balacera fue reportada poco antes de las 12:30 p.m. del martes en el estacionamiento del Walmart, ubicado en el 7900 de West McNab Road.

Agentes y paramédicos de North Lauderdale Fire Rescue respondieron al lugar y encontraron a Diguglielmo con una herida de bala, informaron las autoridades.

Los agentes informaron que los paramédicos trasladaron a Diguglielmo al Broward Health Medical Center, donde murió.

Según la BSO, Diguglielmo y una mujer habían discutido por un espacio de estacionamiento antes de la balacera.

Los agentes informaron que la mujer permaneció en el lugar después de la balacera y aseguró que le disparó a Diguglielmo en defensa propia.

Los detectives confirmaron que la mujer fue detenida para ser interrogada y que está cooperando con la investigación.

Indicaron que, una vez concluya la investigación, el caso será presentado ante la Fiscalía Estatal del Condado Broward para determinar si se presentarán cargos penales contra la mujer.

La identidad de la mujer no ha sido divulgada.

Contienen bolsas para cadáveres.

El hombre es Germán Bello, un voluntario de 39 años de la Brigada Internacional de Rescate Topos Azteca, una de las organizaciones civiles de búsqueda y rescate más conocidas de México. Fundada tras el devastador terremoto de 1985 en Ciudad de México, la brigada sin fines de lucro opera de manera independiente y se ha ganado una reputación internacional por desplegarse ante grandes desastres dentro y fuera del país.

La noche del martes, Bello se dirigía a uno de los desastres naturales más mortíferos de Venezuela en la historia moderna. Casi una semana después de que dos potentes terremotos devastaran la costa caribeña del país, las autoridades informaron el miércoles que más de 2.200 personas han muerto y más de 11.000 han resultado heridas.

Las esperanzas de encontrar sobrevivientes se desvanecen

Los equipos internacionales de rescate continúan buscando en edificios de apartamentos y viviendas derrumbadas en La Guaira, el estado más afectado, aun cuando las esperanzas de hallar más sobrevivientes se desvanecen y la misión se desplaza cada vez más hacia la recuperación de cuerpos.

Bello no sabe cuándo regresará a casa. Además del equipo de rescate, lleva bolsas para cadáveres y otros implementos que podrían utilizarse para recuperar a quienes murieron en los terremotos.

Ingeniero electricista y dueño de un pequeño taller de reparación de autos, Bello es conocido dentro de la brigada como “La Secre” —abreviatura de secretario— porque funge como la mano derecha del fundador del grupo, el veterano rescatista Héctor “El Chino” Méndez.

Méndez, de 80 años, ayudó a organizar los esfuerzos espontáneos de rescate civil tras el terremoto de 1985 en Ciudad de México y ha encabezado misiones de los Topos en todo el mundo durante cuatro décadas. Ya está en La Guaira, ayudando a buscar a los pocos sobrevivientes que aún podrían estar atrapados bajo edificios colapsados.

“Los más difícil es decirle a alguien que ha fallecido su familiar”, afirma Bello.

Rescatistas de su equipo señalan que deben mantener a raya sus emociones una vez que llegan a la zona del desastre, donde mantenerse concentrados puede significar la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte.

La voluntaria Merry Valencia, que ha pasado 14 años en la brigada, recitó parte del código de conducta del grupo: “No hay hambre, no hay calor, no hay sueño. No hay miedo”.

Una vez que evalúan la estabilidad de las estructuras colapsadas, los rescatistas se dividen en pequeños equipos asignados a distintas secciones de los escombros. Se arrastran por aberturas estrechas y huecos dentro de edificios derrumbados, una práctica que les valió el apodo de “Topos”. A menudo usan cámaras térmicas y otros equipos especializados para buscar señales de vida.

Armados con palas, martillos y otras herramientas, retiran lentamente los escombros, centímetro a centímetro, tratando de evitar provocar nuevos derrumbes.

Un llamado al silencio se propaga rápidamente

“¡Somos rescatistas mexicanos, si hay alguien vivo, hagan ruido, o griten. ¡Ahora!”, gritó el sábado un rescatista del Ejército mexicano mientras buscaba entre las ruinas de un edificio colapsado en La Guaira.

Momentos después, levantó un puño cerrado en el aire.

El gesto indica una orden de silencio total, una técnica de búsqueda que surgió durante el terremoto de 1985 en Ciudad de México y que más tarde fue formalizada por los Topos. Hoy, equipos de rescate en todo el mundo utilizan versiones del protocolo.

La señal se extiende al instante por la zona del desastre. Rescatistas, soldados, voluntarios y periodistas tienen que dejar de hablar. Durante varios segundos, lo único que se oye es el silencio.

Luego, los rescatistas esperan con atención cualquier indicio de vida, usando micrófonos sensibles, cámaras telescópicas o simplemente pegando el oído a los escombros, con la esperanza de detectar una voz, un golpe o el más leve movimiento.

El equipo puede llevar un rayo de esperanza

De vuelta en el aeropuerto de Ciudad de México, un joven con gafas se acerca a Bello tras enterarse de que se dirige a Venezuela. Le pregunta si él y su colega forman parte de la misión de rescate.

Cuando Bello responde que sí, el hombre rompe en llanto.

“Gracias por venir, mi familia está en Caracas”, dice el ingeniero venezolano Diego Bejarano

Bello lo abraza con fuerza. Es probable que sea el primero de muchos abrazos en los días por venir, mientras se suma a otros equipos internacionales de rescate en la zona del desastre en Venezuela.

Después de que Bejarano se aleja, Bello se seca las lágrimas de los ojos y explica por qué sigue ofreciéndose como voluntario para misiones como esta.

“Esa es mi recompensa: poder darle un rayito de esperanza a alguien”.

___

Arráez informó desde La Guaira, Venezuela.

___

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

“Aquí (la exfiscal) formó un gobierno paralelo que destruyó la carrera fiscal, principalmente al haber destituido a un promedio de entre 800 y 1.000 trabajadores durante su gestión” de ocho años, aseguró García Luna en una entrevista con The Associated Press.

El nuevo jefe del Ministerio Público asumió el cargo hace 40 días y ya ordenó desarticular la red de personal administrativo y fiscal de confianza de la exfiscal Porras denunciada por criminalizar y perseguir a exoperadores de justicia.

“Todos tienen un concepto de un Ministerio Público que se puede usar de una forma y eso ya no podemos tenerlo, no es un ente político, ni un arma política de nadie y yo no pienso volver a hacer cosas que se hicieron en anteriores administraciones”, señaló el García Luna, sentado en un lujoso y vacío escritorio de madera, herencia de su antecesora, en su nueva oficina.

García Luna, de 49 años, es doctor en derecho y comenzó su carrera dentro del sistema de justicia a los 17 años en un cargo menor en un juzgado, hasta llegar a ser juez y magistrado de Sala de Apelaciones. Llegó con el desafío de cambiar el rumbo de una fiscalía general que con Porras al frente (2018-2026) fue señalada de perseguir y criminalizar a decenas de operadores de justicia, activistas y periodistas que buscaron el exilio.

Porras también intentó detener la toma de posesión del presidente Bernardo Arévalo al buscar que el partido que lo llevó al gobierno fuera cancelado por un juez y que se desconociera su presidencia alegando un presunto fraude que no fue comprobado.

El nuevo fiscal apuesta a un cambio radical de una fiscalía “represora y de venganza” a opositores políticos a otra nueva con el relanzamiento de la carrera fiscal. Estados Unidos y la Unión Europea, que sancionaron a Porras y a varios de sus fiscales por obstaculizar la lucha anticorrupción y socavar la democracia, han ofrecido apoyo a ese proyecto y al combate al crimen transnacional organizado.

Porras fue nombrada por el entonces gobernante Jimmy Morales (2016-2020) y reelecta por Alejandro Giammattei (2020-2024), y aunque se presentaron varias denuncias contra es dos exmandatarios, Porras optó por desestimar, no investigar o no accionar judicialmente contra quienes la eligieron.

La exfiscal siempre negó asimismo las acusaciones en su contra, señalando que “afectan el derecho al honor, la dignidad, reputación y presunción de inocencia”.

En mes y medio, el fiscal García Luna ha destituido a una treintena de allegados a Porras, que habrían cometido faltas como destituir a fiscales que llevaban investigaciones importantes para bloquear procesos y por ordenar traslados injustificados para entorpecer investigaciones, entre otras razones.

“Estamos investigando si sus acciones tienen alguna responsabilidad judicial”, dijo.

El miércoles, el fiscal general firmó la destitución de otro grupo de exfiscales y personal, entre ellos el de Gilberto de Jesús Porres de Paz, exfiscal de Sección Adjunto de la Fiscalía contra la Corrupción y esposo de la exfiscal Porras, debido a que según dijo “su trabajo no representaba las políticas de la nueva fiscalía”.

Muchos exoperadores de justicia, como el exfiscal Juan Francisco Sandoval, quien vive exiliado tras denunciar persecución por parte de Porras por su trabajo en casos de corrupción de alto impacto, consideran que los colaboradores de la polémica exfiscal cesados deben ser objeto de una investigación imparcial e independiente.

García Luna dijo que no descarta tomar acciones penales contra Porras, quien enfrenta varias denuncias, una de ellas por presunta trata de personas en un caso de adopciones irregulares.

El nuevo fiscal también creó una comisión que revisa los expedientes de quienes han denunciado criminalización, y aseguró que colabora con la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos de la OEA que ha fijado para el 4 de agosto una audiencia para conocerlos.

García Luna señaló, además, que se revisan los casos en los que la fiscalía, bajo el mandato de Porras, benefició o permitió liberar a presuntos corruptos, narcotraficantes y acusados de otros delitos, con el fin de retomarlos e interponer las acciones judiciales que permita la ley para que no haya impunidad.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that it had confirmed at least 48 cases — 38 of them severe — as of June 30. Since 2004, the average number of cases reported to the CDC by the end of June is around 10. Federal health officials said 23 states have reported finding West Nile virus, the most in 10 years.

“These findings serve as an important reminder that mosquito season is well underway,” said Dr. Erin Staples, a CDC expert on insect-borne diseases. “As families gather outdoors to celebrate Independence Day, we encourage everyone to enjoy their holiday while taking simple steps to protect themselves and their loved ones from mosquito bites.”

Most of the cases have been in Arizona. Of the state's 32 total cases, 29 are in Maricopa County. The county, which includes Phoenix, has also recorded four deaths from the virus so far this year.

Officials there asked people to wear bug spray containing DEET, patch up broken window screens and get rid of standing water, where mosquitoes often breed.

“Even an overturned bottle cap can hold enough water for mosquitoes to breed,” said Melissa Kretschmer, a county health department official. “It’s important that we remove these breeding sources that can form after rain or watering plants.”

The CDC also recommends people wear long, loose-fitting clothes when outside to make it harder for mosquitoes to bite them. Experts also suggest people avoid being outdoors around dusk and dawn, when the mosquitoes that carry the virus are most active.

West Nile virus was first reported in the United States in 1999 in New York, and then gradually spread across the country. It peaked in 2003, when nearly 10,000 cases were reported.

Scientists say many people — perhaps tens of thousands each year — are infected but don’t know it because they have no symptoms, or only mild ones such as headaches, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes.

In severe cases, damage to the central nervous system causes potentially deadly inflammation of the brain or spinal cord. Adults older than 60 and people with underlying medical conditions or weakened immune systems face the highest risk of such complications.

In the last decade, health officials have fielded reports of 2,000 cases annually on average, including 1,200 life-threatening neurological illnesses and about 100 deaths.

___

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.

Andrew Boutros, the U.S attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said the massive review will include all pending grand jury proceedings in his district as well as other presentations by prosecutors going back almost 20 years. It was sparked by revelations of grand jury misconduct that forced prosecutors to abandon a closely watched case against four activists who protested outside a federal building during last year’s immigration crackdown in the city.

“It’s going to be a massive review, a comprehensive review and it is underway,” said Boutros, who was in Washington for an unrelated news conference. Boutros said the process is meant to ensure that his prosecutors have “acted ethically” and to provide “assurances and confidence" that other pending cases have not been tainted by similar issues.

The Justice Department dropped charges against the activists in May after a judge scrutinized allegations of misconduct, which included a prosecutor meeting with a grand juror outside proceedings and other jurors who disagreed with the case being dismissed from participating.

When the case was dismissed, Boutros told a judge that the conduct was upsetting, adding that: “No one acted with the intent to mislead, your honor.”

The judge overseeing the case took the extraordinary step last month of releasing the transcripts of the presentation made by prosecutors, who were seeking to secure an indictment against the activists in the most high-profile cases to come out of the crackdown that rippled across the nation’s third-largest city and its suburbs last year.

The transcripts showed that one of the grand jurors called the case a “crock of (expletive)." The grand juror was subsequently excused from the proceedings.

El gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, anunció el martes su intención de recomendar que CAIR sea designado formalmente en una lista estatal como organización terrorista.

“Tenemos que trazar una línea muy firme aquí”, dijo DeSantis.

La oficina del gobernador informó que la HB 1471, firmada en abril, permite al estado designar organizaciones terroristas, al anunciar una lista de “intención de designar” que incluye a CAIR, lo que, según DeSantis, evitará que “la influencia extranjera y extremista eche raíces en el estado”.

“Creo que esto es lo que la gente de Florida esperaba cuando firmé esta ley, que entró en vigor hoy”, dijo DeSantis.

En abril, representantes de CAIR Florida dijeron a Local 10 News que se oponían a la ley.

“Hoy es un día oscuro para la Constitución de Florida y la Constitución de Estados Unidos”, dijo en ese momento Wilfredo Ruiz, director de comunicaciones de CAIR Florida.

Omar Saleh, abogado de CAIR Florida, dijo en abril que “las personas no se convierten en un riesgo para la seguridad solo porque a uno no le agraden o no esté de acuerdo con ellas”.

El gobernador dijo que las organizaciones designadas bajo la ley de Florida también podrían estar sujetas a disolución según lo establecido por la legislación.

DeSantis dijo que, tras la confirmación por parte del Gabinete de Florida, las personas que “a sabiendas” proporcionen apoyo material o recursos a organizaciones designadas como terroristas bajo la nueva autoridad legal podrían enfrentar sanciones penales.

Los gobiernos estatales y locales tendrán prohibido proporcionar fondos públicos y contratos a esos grupos.

Las escuelas públicas y las universidades también tendrán prohibido utilizar recursos públicos para apoyar o promover a esas organizaciones.

“Esto afectará el programa de becas de libre elección escolar K-12 de Florida”, dijo DeSantis. “No voy a enviar becas a escuelas que estén asociadas con grupos como CAIR. Eso no va a suceder”.

“Florida no es el estado libre que dice ser, especialmente cuando se observan leyes como esta”, dijo Saleh en abril. “Es una tontería”.

En diciembre, DeSantis firmó una orden ejecutiva que dio lugar a un litigio.

Los registros judiciales muestran que un juicio sin jurado está programado para comenzar en enero próximo.

Documentos judiciales:

CAIR filings by Chris Gothner

Alibaba operates some of the world's largest e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com.

The U.S. alleges that Alibaba’s U.S.-based payment processor, AUS Merchant Services, violated federal law by failing to prevent merchants from selling and importing illegal products into the U.S. through Alibaba.com and AliExpress.com.

Alibaba acknowledges in an agreement with the Justice Department that between January 2016 and December 2024, it failed to stop roughly 80,000 product sales involving unlawful imports that violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and other federal laws.

A news release on the settlement resolution says that Alibaba employees raised concerns that the company’s compliance controls were inadequate and failed to prevent the sale of illegal products — and, in some instances, merchants used Alibaba’s messaging service to direct buyers to third-party messaging platforms to facilitate illegal sales.

In a statement, Alibaba said the firm and the U.S. government reached a mutually satisfactory resolution to bring stricter compliance to the sale of products in the U.S. by third-party merchants on its e-commerce platforms.

Law enforcement officers across the FDA, FDIC, IRS-CI, and other agencies conducted more than 40 undercover purchases of pharmaceuticals and equipment that were illegal to import into the U.S., according to the news release. A non-prosecution agreement was crafted between Alibaba and the Justice Department.

IRS Criminal Investigations' Chief Jarod Koopman said the resolution "underscores IRS Criminal Investigation’s commitment to following the money and ensuring that companies operating in the United States comply fully with federal law.”

Un equipo formado por donantes, voluntarios y personal de GEM trasladó unos 235.000 libras de donaciones en una operación logística compleja que incluyó dos almacenes en Doral y Valencia, que funcionaban como centro de distribución.

“Es el peor desastre que jamás hayamos vivido”, dijo Rafael Pineyro, concejal de Doral y voluntario de GEM, nacido en Caracas.

GEM contó con el apoyo del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU., la agencia a la que el presidente Donald Trump encargó la respuesta estadounidense en Venezuela. El Comando Sur de EE. UU. desplegó todas las ramas de las fuerzas armadas.

El Departamento de Estado también activó los grupos de trabajo de Florida, procedentes de Miami y del condado de Miami-Dade. Estos se unieron a otros dos equipos de búsqueda y rescate altamente capacitados de Fairfax, Virginia, y California.

Hassel Mendoza, un ingeniero venezolano que vive en Tampa, viajó a La Guaira para buscar a su madre, hermana, sobrino y cuñado entre las ruinas de un edificio de apartamentos de nueve pisos que se derrumbó.

“Perdimos mucho tiempo tratando de encontrar nuevas herramientas para una actividad específica, como cortar acero”, dijo Mendoza a CNN , y agregó que los equipos gubernamentales y los voluntarios no contaban con equipos como taladros o sensores.

El martes, Diosdado Cabello, un ex oficial militar venezolano que funge como ministro de Justicia, anunció la detención de miembros de las fuerzas del orden acusados ​​de saqueo en La Guaira.

Cabello, buscado en Estados Unidos por narcotráfico, identificó a los cuatro sospechosos como Maya Aguilar Reyes, una oficial; Fredy Rafael Lugo Oliveros, Roger Andrés Omaña y Josue Jhonatan Burgos Sánchez.

Un testigo grabó y compartió un video que se hizo viral. En él se veía a Aguilar Reyes, su identificación y a una mujer llorando que lo confrontó, le quitó una bolsa llena de dólares estadounidenses y rompió los billetes en pedazos sobre los escombros cerca de un edificio derrumbado.

“Sé que muchos venezolanos sienten dolor y frustración; comparto profundamente esos sentimientos”, dijo Delcy Rodríguez , presidenta interina de Venezuela desde que el ejército estadounidense capturó a Nicolás Maduro.

El hermano de Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, anunció el miércoles que el número de muertos había aumentado a 2.295.

El Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos estima que el número de víctimas mortales asciende a decenas de miles, y las Naciones Unidas anunciaron la adquisición de 10.000 bolsas para cadáveres.

El personal y los colaboradores de GEM solicitan donaciones en efectivo al público a través de esta página web . El almacén de GEM, ubicado en 1850 NW 84th Ave., en Doral, aún necesita voluntarios para clasificar y empacar las donaciones. Para inscribirse, hay una página web disponible.

El almacén, abierto todos los días de 9:00 a 17:00, era uno de los muchos puntos de recogida en el sur de Florida. Entre las necesidades prioritarias se encontraban productos de higiene, alimentos no perecederos y artículos de primeros auxilios.

Lista útil: Lugares para entregar ayuda en el sur de Florida

Más información sobre cómo ayudar a Venezuela.

• Inter Miami, Marlins y Dolphins se suman a los esfuerzos de ayuda.
• Una estrella de la NFL se une al equipo de Global Empowerment Mission; su mensaje para los habitantes del sur de Florida es: “Hagan lo que puedan”.
• Más de 100 venezolanos que fueron deportados de Estados Unidos horas antes de los terremotos están desaparecidos.

• Food for the Poor celebra las inversiones en reconstrucción.
• Médicos del condado de Miami-Dade recolectan donaciones de suministros médicos cerca de Doral.
• Les presentamos al capitán German Leal del Departamento de Bomberos y Rescate de Miami-Dade.

• Agentes de policía de Pembroke Pines anuncian una campaña de recolección de donaciones.
• Airbnb se asocia con la organización sin fines de lucro CADENA para proporcionar alojamiento de emergencia.
• Hogar Bambi tiene como objetivo proteger a los niños vulnerables.

• El equipo de la Fundación Grey Bull Rescue llega a Caracas.
• Las autoridades clausuran La Guaira y exigen que los voluntarios se registren en Caracas.
• Amazon realiza donaciones a Airlink para ayudar a organizaciones benéficas con la logística.

• El equipo de búsqueda y rescate de Miami se prepara para desplegarse.
• Centro Comunitario AFE organiza campaña de recolección en Miami-Dade
• Una organización benéfica con sede en Weston se asocia con una farmacia local.

• El proyecto DYNAMO, liderado por veteranos, entrega 20.000 libras de ayuda en las primeras 48 horas.
• El altruismo en El Arepazo alimenta el esfuerzo del equipo de Global Empowerment Mission.
• Rescatistas salvadoreños trabajan para liberar a un sobreviviente de 15 años en Caraballeda.

• Food For The Poor incluye en sus kits de ayuda humanitaria notas escritas a mano con mensajes de esperanza.
• El Comando Sur de Estados Unidos se centra en los daños en los aeropuertos.
• El Departamento de Estado despliega un equipo de búsqueda y rescate en Miami-Dade.

• Miami Beach abre 4 nuevos puntos de entrega de ayuda.
• Miramar mantendrá abiertos 6 puntos de entrega de ayuda las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana.
• El recaudador de impuestos de Miami-Dade abre 11 puntos de entrega.
• Doral abre 4 puntos de entrega de ayuda.

• Se abre un punto de entrega de ayuda en Homestead.
• Starlink ofrece servicio gratuito hasta el 25 de julio, pero un kit cuesta 470 dólares.
• International Medical Corps despliega personal y necesita donaciones.
• Save The Children solicita donaciones para su fondo de emergencia.

• Samaritan’s Purse se centra en los “hospitales de campaña de emergencia”.
• La Cruz Roja solicita donaciones para su Fondo de Emergencia para la Respuesta ante Desastres.
• La ONU solicita donaciones para un programa infantil que carece de fondos suficientes.

• World Vision solicita donaciones para su “fondo de ayuda en casos de desastre”.
• World Central Kitchen solicita donaciones para comidas frescas.
• United Way Miami lanza la ‘Operación Manos Amigas’.

President Donald Trump's latest financial disclosure report showed he took in about $1.2 billion last year from various crypto holdings, overshadowing a real estate business that brought him fame and helped propel him to the nation's top office.

Whereas it took decades for Trump to amass his various properties, the rise of crypto in his portfolio was done in just over a year, a stunning development sped along by his own friendly policies toward the industry and help from billionaires and other actors with important business before the presidency.

Running over 900 pages, the mandatory annual report showed Trump struck several other new veins of wealth last year, raising questions about whether he is profiting from his high office.

He took in tens of millions from new property holdings in foreign countries eager to please a man with power over where to deploy the U.S. military and how much to charge in tariffs. And he got tens of million more suing media companies worried they could lose their broadcast licenses or not get deals approved by his regulators.

Ever the salesman, Trump even made big money off the smallest of things, pulling in millions by slapping his name on Bibles, guitars and watches — the latter alone bringing in $4.7 million.

Hail the new crypto king

Trump got more than $500 million from his World Liberty Financial business selling “governance tokens" and “stablecoins” and other crypto assets. Another crypto business, CIC Digital LLC, took in more than $600 million from sales of souvenir-type “meme” coins stamped with his face.

Both the tokens and the meme coins have plunged in value since his sales, partly because they are so difficult to value. Governance tokens, for instance, confer to holders only the power to vote on certain management policies at a company, not equity stakes, and so typical valuation measures don't apply.

Buyers pounced on Trump crypto anyway, including a Chinese billionaire who spent $75 million on the tokens and $200 million on the souvenir coins. In February 2025, a federal lawsuit charging the billionaire, Justin Sun, with duping investors was paused before being settled for a $10 million fine.

Sun has denied his spending on Trump businesses had anything to do with his federal case, while World Liberty has dismissed the notion of a conflict of interest.

Separately, a company linked to the United Arab Emirates government bought a stake in World Liberty for $500 million shortly before Trump's inauguration. The disclosure says nothing about the deal explicitly, but notes Trump received his share of a “capital contribution” amounting to nearly $200 million.

Subsequently, the UAE got access to advanced U.S. chips that it had been previously banned from importing because of national security concerns.

The White House has repeatedly said that Trump has acted only in the public interest, never gets involved in a family business run by his two oldest sons and has zero conflicts of interest.

His real estate business is booming, too

Trump took in tens of millions in fees from a flurry of new hotel, resort and condo deals overseas, amounting to the biggest property expansion ever in the century since the family business was founded.

Many of those countries were negotiating with the U.S. over tariffs, military aid and other important matters while the family business was striking the deals.

A property in the UAE generated $10.4 million for the Trump business last year. One in Saudi Arabia being built by a real estate developer close to the ruling family sent the president’s company $9 million. And one in Bucharest, Romania, and another in Qatar sent him $5 million each.

Trump's Winter White House is hot

A big winner last year was Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, generating $77 million as heads of state and business people flocked to what Trump has dubbed his Winter White House. That's up 50% from a year earlier when Trump was just another citizen.

His golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, also is doing well from the glow of the presidency. Trump got $38 million from his so-called Summer White House, up nearly 20%.

In total his 16 golf courses and clubs around the world brought in more than $470 million in fees and licensing income.

The president's MAGA book sold more than the Bible

Trump took in millions last year from selling Trump books and various other Trump-branded goods in another unprecedented move for the presidency.

Trump Bibles made $208,486, but the word of God didn't sell as well as a trio of other literary offerings. His “Save America” book took in $1,893,965, “Letters to Trump” generated $590,730, and “A MAGA Journey,” $552,685.

His brand of guitars generated $35,920. Trump sneakers and fragrances took in $67,634.

Trump sued a lot, and made a lot of money

It's anyone's guess why exactly various media companies decided to settle Trump lawsuits alleging fraud and defamation, but settle they did — and paid up.

Lawsuits against ABC, CBS, Meta, and others took in more than $80 million, much of which went to Trump's planned Miami library.

Where Trump hasn't prevailed so far is with E. Jean Carroll, the advice columnist who won millions accusing Trump of sexual abuse and defamation. The disclosure says Trump owes her $50 million, pending appeal.

The festivities will kick off with a smaller rehearsal dinner planned for Thursday night, the official said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the events.

Speculation about the superstar singer and football player’s nuptials has built to a frenzy in recent days, following weeks of unconfirmed reports that it would take place over July Fourth weekend at one of New York’s iconic landmarks.

In recent days, crews have been unloading equipment from trucks outside the Manhattan arena. A large carpet was briefly unveiled outside one entrance and then promptly removed.

Still, nothing has been publicly confirmed by the couple, despite multiple requests from the AP to Swift’s representative for comment, including on Wednesday.

While city officials have made coy references to an upcoming wedding at Madison Square Garden, they have offered few details about the plan, including potential impacts to nearby businesses or local transit.

“We are fully prepared,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference on Wednesday. “There isn’t anything to share beyond that.”

In a separate social media post, he offered New Yorkers tips for staying cool during the heat wave, “especially if you’re (hypothetically) having your wedding at MSG this weekend.”

Swift and Kelce first announced their engagement on Instagram last August, fueling widespread speculation among the Swiftie fan base about possible venue locations.

Following initial reports last month that the event would be held at Madison Square Garden, some theorized that the choice could be an elaborate smoke screen to divert attention from the couple’s real wedding plans.

The arena, which seats up to 19,500 people, is located above Penn Station, the busiest rail hub in the U.S., in the heart of Midtown, Manhattan.

It has on occasion hosted weddings in the past, including funk singer Sly Stone’s marriage to actor Kathy Silva in 1974 and a mass ceremony officiated by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1982.

The arena has guarded entrances, a secure garage and a lack of windows, allowing Kelce, Swift and celebrity guests to stay out of sight of photographers or camera-equipped drones.

On Wednesday, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch outlined a slew of challenges facing the city this weekend, including huge Independence Day celebrations, a World Cup match and a searing heat wave.

“I would be remiss not to mention an event that we are tracking at Madison Square Garden on Friday night,” Tisch added. “The NYPD will, of course, have a detail in place, but I am not going to go into more specifics on that at this time.”

Leer en español

The team announced Tuesday that center Eetu Luostarinen has agreed to an eight-year contract extension that will begin with the 2027-28 season. Financial terms were not immediately disclosed.

“Eetu has been a key piece of our two Stanley Cup championships, and we’re thrilled he’ll continue his career with the Panthers,” President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito said in a statement. “His commitment to playing a strong two-way game and contributing on the penalty kill has been critical to our success.”

Luostarinen, 27, appeared in 73 games during the 2025-26 season, recording 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points — the second-highest point total of his NHL career.

He led Florida’s forwards in shorthanded ice time with nearly 140 minutes, blocked 57 shots and averaged a career-best 16:34 of ice time per game. He also ranked fifth on the team with 121 hits.

Since joining the Panthers in 2020, Luostarinen has become one of the club’s most reliable defensive forwards. Over 447 career NHL games with Florida and the Carolina Hurricanes, he has totaled 61 goals and 101 assists for 162 points.

His impact has also carried into the postseason. Luostarinen has recorded 34 points in 73 playoff games with the Panthers and played a significant role in both of the franchise’s Stanley Cup-winning runs.

During Florida’s 2025 championship run, he set career highs with five goals, 14 assists and 19 points in 23 playoff games. He also owns the franchise record for most points in a road playoff game after tallying a goal and three assists against Tampa Bay in Game 5 of the opening round on April 30, 2025.

Internationally, the Finland native won a bronze medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, collecting four assists in six games. He also captured gold at the 2019 IIHF World Championship and represented Finland at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.

Gudas, Petrovic return

The Panthers are bringing back two familiar faces on the blue line, agreeing to a six-year contract with veteran defenseman Radko Gudas and a two-year-deal with Alexander Petrovic, according to multiple reports.

Gudas’ deal is worth $9 million, carrying an average annual value of $1.5 million.

Gudas, 36, returns to Florida after serving as captain of the Anaheim Ducks for the past two seasons. The Panthers acquired his negotiating rights earlier this week in a trade that sent the rights to forward A.J. Greer to Anaheim, allowing the two sides to reach an agreement before free agency opened.

Petrovic, 34, played in 54 regular-season games with the Dallas Stars during the 2025-26 season, totaling two goals and eight assists for 10 points. He also ranked second among the team’s defensemen with 88 hits.

The exact terms of his deal were not disclosed.

“Alex is a stalwart shutdown defenseman who brings size and depth to our blueline,” said Zito. “We are excited to welcome him back to our organization.”

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Edmonton, Alberta, native has appeared in 323 NHL games over 10 seasons with the Panthers, Edmonton Oilers and Stars. Across his career, he has recorded seven goals, 53 assists and 60 points, while adding 411 penalty minutes, 731 hits and 384 blocked shots.

The species' population has jumped from around 2,000 to around 35,000 in approximately 40 years, close to their population before whaling, said Enrico Marcovaldi, co-founder of the Humpback Whale Project. That means they are increasingly being spotted in Rio’s postcard Guanabara Bay.

“It’s wonderful. It shows that the whales are making a recovery, are healthy and thriving, and hopefully they’ll continue to do so,” said Marcovaldi.

In 1982, the International Whaling Commission decided that there should be a pause in commercial whaling on all whale species and populations from the 1985/1986 season onward.

Louise Raulais, who runs the Rio Ocean Club with her partner Theo Andrade, is among those who see the tourism opportunities in the whales' resurgence.

This year, the company began offering sailboat trips for between five and 10 people to observe the whales. Raulais said they always have a biologist onboard to share information, which can stimulate a desire to protect the whales and the ocean.

“These animals are so iconic and charismatic that they have the power to transform people, to change the way they see the world,” said Raulais.

Humpback whales are known for roaming long distances across major oceans in predictable patterns, typically following migration routes learned from their mothers. They feed on krill and small fish in the warmer months and breed in tropical waters over winter.

Between June and November, thousands of humpback whales migrate through Brazilian waters, traveling roughly 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) from their feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean to breeding and calving grounds off northeastern Brazil.

Most gather around the Abrolhos Bank, a coral reef region spanning the coasts of Bahia and Espirito Santo that is one of the South Atlantic’s most biodiverse marine environments.

The Humpback Whale Project set up a scientific expedition, scheduled to run from June 26 to July 9, to study the humpback whales’ behavior, size and health, as well as identify their travel route, key gathering areas, and to measure how far offshore the whales pass.

“They’re exploring this area," said Pedro Fróes, a biologist for the Humpback Whale Project who is part of the expedition. "They want to find out whether, in the future, it could become a place for them to rest, to mate, or to give birth to a calf,” Fróes said.

___

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

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Wednesday that there are no known specific or credible threats to this year’s celebrations, which will include parades of sailing ships and naval vessels on the Hudson and East rivers, jet flyovers and a massive fireworks show — all happening during a heat wave that could also tax emergency medical personnel.

Plus, police will be dealing with another event that will bring a lot of attention to the city — the wedding of pop star Taylor Swift and football player Travis Kelce.

“In a briefing about major events happening this weekend in New York City, I would be remiss not to mention an event that we are tracking at Madison Square Garden on Friday night," Tisch said in a winking reference to the nuptials. "The NYPD will, of course, have a detail in place, but I am not going to go into more specifics on that at this time."

A law enforcement official briefed on security plans told The Associated Press that the celebrity wedding will be held Friday, with a smaller rehearsal dinner Thursday night. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the events publicly.

Uniformed officers, K-9 units and heavy weapons teams will be out in force along the city's waterfronts for the Sail 250 festivities, which will bring around 100 vessels and about 27,000 sailors, crew members and dignitaries to the city for events Friday, Saturday and beyond.

Attendees will be required to go through security checkpoints as they head to waterfront viewing areas Saturday, officials said.

In the evening, the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show will draw thousands of eyes upward as 85,000 shells are launched from six barges and a laser show beams up from the Brooklyn Bridge.

Also in the sky: the police department's aviation unit and drone teams, which will be monitoring the city and looking out for illegal drones hovering in the restricted flight area around the show.

“The message is clear: If there is any illegal drone activity that violates our temporary flight restrictions, your drone will be seized," Tisch said.

The department will also deploy counterterrorism resources, explosive detection K-9s, bomb squad personnel and heavy weapons teams, along with plain clothes officers and a harbor unit for the waterways.

Meanwhile, the city will again have special security restrictions in place at its busiest rail hub, Penn Station, on Sunday to accommodate thousands of fans headed across the Hudson to see Brazil take on Norway in the World Cup. Only people with a ticket to the match will be allowed into some parts of the station.

Police have already been setting up crowd-control barriers and hanging “no parking” signs near Madison Square Garden, which sits atop Penn Station, in anticipation of crowds of Swift fans and other gawkers hoping to catch a glimpse of wedding-related events.

___

Associated Press reporter Jake Offenhartz contributed to this story.

A preliminary autopsy requested by the family of Kohen Wiley suggested the baby was shot from the side of the car, not the front, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said, disputing officers' claims that the car was heading toward them. Kohen's mother, who was holding her baby in the passenger seat, says her friend was driving away from the officers.

Kohen and his mother are Black, and the June 14 shooting has sparked protests and outrage in the small town of Senatobia. Residents point to a string of troubling encounters with police in recent years. Crump said the child was killed after police were called to a Walmart parking lot about diapers that may have been shoplifted.

“We’re going to try to continue to demand transparency,” Crump said. He spoke from the pulpit of Senatobia Church of Christ, surrounded by more than a dozen people including the baby's grandparents, some of them holding “Justice for Baby Kohen” signs.

However, Crump repeatedly emphasized that the pathologist did not have access to complete information. He said the family won't rest until authorities release the police body camera and dashcam video, as well as Walmart surveillance video.

A spokesperson for the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is in charge of the ongoing inquiry, declined to comment Wednesday. Tate County Coroner Ernie Lentz said in an email the official autopsy report is not complete. An email was sent to Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford seeking comment.

An email was also sent to a Walmart spokesperson seeking comment.

On display at the church were photos and diagrams of Kohen’s body and a photo of the car. The passenger window was shattered and an apparent bullet hole pierced the windshield on the passenger side. The other woman in the car was badly wounded, authorities said.

The broken passenger-side window indicates a bullet was fired into that side the car, Crump said.

The preliminary findings, Crump said, show the bullet entered the baby’s torso on his right side and exited on his left. Crump said that assessment is supported by the clusters of cuts on the right side of his chest and abdomen that would have been caused by the broken tempered glass.

“That’s very important as we try to solve a puzzle,” he explained, adding: “The reason that we’re having to try to solve the puzzle is because they won’t release the video.”

In an initial account of the shooting, state investigators said: “Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene.”

Investigators will try to figure out the vehicle’s position, how everyone was sitting inside, and where the officers were standing, said policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina. They will need to look at damage to the car as well as bullet wounds, because people can move around.

“We need to know a lot more before drawing firm conclusions based on bullet wounds alone,” Adams said.

The killing has drawn comparisons to other instances where Black people lost their life over accusations of petty criminal offenses, such as the murder of George Floyd. Kohen’s mom says she thought her friend had paid for the diapers.

Crump, who rose to prominence representing the families of Floyd and other Black people killed by police, emphasized that the officers' own report says they saw two women and a child get into the car. He questioned why the officer would shoot, knowing there was a kid inside.

“They want us to believe that it was a life-or-death situation,” he added. “They told us that, but they have not showed us that.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law Tuesday afternoon officially designating May 17 as Bruce Lee Day, according to the office of state Assemblymember Matt Haney, who represents San Francisco.

An 18-year-old Lee returned to San Francisco on May 17, 1959, after spending his childhood in Hong Kong.

Lee's daughter, Shannon, who is CEO of the Bruce Lee Foundation, said the honor is a testament to her father's enduring legacy as a bridge between cultures.

“From young people who found confidence and possibility in his philosophy, to families who finally saw themselves represented on screen, to athletes who still draw on his teachings of discipline and inner strength, his reach is profound," Shannon Lee said in a statement.

Haney called Lee the epitome of the best of California.

“At a time when Asian Americans were too often absent from or stereotyped on screen, Bruce Lee helped generations see themselves represented with strength and dignity,” he said in a statement.

The foundation and various Asian American organizations hope Lee will be celebrated every year with voluntary commemorative activities around the state such as cultural exhibits, public events and classroom lessons.

Born in 1940 to Chinese parents who were touring with an opera, Lee was allowed to have birthright citizenship. A few months later, the family returned to Hong Kong where Lee became a child actor and began learning Chinese kung fu. He moved back to the U.S. in 1959 and enrolled in the University of Washington in Seattle two years later. He dropped out and threw himself into practicing and teaching martial arts.

In the ‘60s, Lee found work in Hollywood, most notably as Kato in the TV series “The Green Hornet,” but studios wanted him to play racist stereotypes and paid him less than his white counterparts.

He pivoted back to Hong Kong and soon became a megastar of martial arts flicks, including “The Big Boss” and “Fist of Fury.” Lee died in 1973 at 32 after an allergic reaction to pain medication.

Lee's name and likeness remain popular. Fans gather on his birthday. A treatment for a proposed TV action series he wrote inspired the HBO Max show “Warrior.”

El veterano portero Sergei Bobrovsky firmó con los Toronto Maple Leafs, según múltiples reportes.

Bobrovsky acordó un contrato de tres años y $21 millones USD con Toronto, confirmaron el miércoles Kevin Weekes, de ESPN, y Elliotte Friedman, de SportsNet.

Bobrovsky pasó siete temporadas con los Panthers, ayudando a la franquicia a ganar dos Copas Stanley consecutivas mientras se convertía en uno de los jugadores más queridos en la historia del equipo.

El dos veces ganador del Trofeo Vezina también ayudó a Florida a eliminar a Toronto de los playoffs en dos ocasiones durante las últimas cuatro temporadas.

El movimiento se produce después de una difícil temporada 2025-26 para Bobrovsky, quien terminó con un porcentaje de atajadas de .877, la peor marca de su carrera con los Panthers.

Según reportes, Toronto incorporó al portero de 37 años después de traspasar al guardameta Joseph Woll a los Philadelphia Flyers.

La salida de Bobrovsky, según los reportes, ocurre poco después de que los Panthers anunciaran una extensión de contrato por ocho años para el delantero Eetu Luostarinen y la firma del veterano defensor Radko Gudas, quien jugó para los Panthers entre 2020 y 2023.

Se pronostican temperaturas de más de 30 grados Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) para el noreste; Filadelfia y Boston podrían superar los 37 ºC (100 °F) el jueves. Si se suma la humedad, la sensación térmica real será aún mayor en algunos momentos, informó el Servicio Meteorológico Nacional.

Una cúpula de calor —sistemas de alta presión sobre una región que atrapan el calor y la humedad— ha estado sofocando partes del territorio estadounidense desde la región centro-norte hasta la costa este. Esto añadirá mucha incomodidad en medio de desfiles por el 250º aniversario, flotillas de barcos, conciertos al aire libre y, en Boston, una popular lectura pública de la Declaración de Independencia desde un balcón histórico el sábado.

El alcalde de Nueva York, Zohran Mamdani, aconsejó a los residentes mantenerse frescos en interiores y evitar “temperaturas extraordinarias”.

“Que se llegue a tres dígitos a lo largo de estos próximos días es motivo de enorme preocupación, dado que con demasiada frecuencia el calor es algo que se subestima”, declaró Mamdani.

En Hamptonburgh, Nueva York, falló el aire acondicionado en un autobús que transportaba a cadetes del Junior ROTC —un programa en secundarias para el desarrollo del carácter—, lo que provocó múltiples enfermedades relacionadas con el calor, informaron las autoridades del condado de Orange. Algunos cadetes fueron llevados a hospitales como medida de precaución.

El concreto y el acero agravan el calor

La humedad no es inusual en el noreste. Pero el doctor Alexander Azan, de NYU Langone Health en Nueva York, señaló que las altas temperaturas del aire y la humedad son una combinación peligrosa.

“Su cuerpo no tiene ese nivel de aclimatación para responder adecuadamente al calor, y por eso el estrés térmico en forma de lo que llamamos agotamiento por calor, y en casos más graves, golpe de calor, puede ocurrir a temperaturas mucho más bajas de las que vemos en personas que viven en el sur”, explicó Azan.

Las ciudades, en particular, corren un mayor riesgo, según expertos.

“La concentración de concreto, asfalto, acero, todos esos materiales ayudan a retener el calor", señaló Vijay Limaye, científico climático del Natural Resources Defense Council, un organismo ambientalista sin fines de lucro. "La cifra en su teléfono puede que en realidad no refleje el verdadero perfil de temperatura al que va a usted a salir”.

La ciudad de Nueva York informó que más de 200 equipos de empleados del gobierno y voluntarios buscarán a personas sin hogar y las animarán a entrar en interiores. Habrá cientos de centros de enfriamiento, desde el centro de convenciones Javits Center hasta furgonetas y espacios al aire libre con ventiladores nebulizadores.

Aprovechando el clima

El teléfono parecía que no dejaba de sonar en Acme Ice Co. en Cambridge, Massachusetts, que entrega hielo a bares y restaurantes en el área de Boston. El propietario, Marc Savenor, dijo que esta racha de clima caluroso de esta semana es un “sueño de un hombre del hielo”.

“¿Qué podría pedir un hombre del hielo? ... He contratado a un par de conductores extra. He puesto en actividad un par de camiones extra. Puse hielo en diferentes congeladores para no quedarme sin él”, explicó Savenor. “Después de que mi hielo se agota aquí, vamos a recoger otra carga, la traemos de vuelta y la entregamos en todas partes”.

El Museo del Perro del American Kennel Club en Nueva York está permitiendo que los visitantes lleven a sus perros para refrescarse, hasta el domingo. El director ejecutivo, Christopher Bromson, comentó que se le ocurrió la idea al ver a su propio terranova tumbado en el piso fresco del museo.

“Pensé que todos los perros deberían tener acceso a esto”, comentó Bromson.

En Washington, D.C., donde la temperatura máxima fue de 35° C (95 F), niños sedientos tomaban botellas frías de agua de la Policía de Parques mientras esperaban en la fila para subirse a la rueda de la fortuna en el National Mall.

Mientras tanto, en la región centro-norte persistían los riesgos por el calor. Taylor Harnist, cuyo negocio en Cincinnati instala y repara aires acondicionados, contó que intentaba mantener cómodos a sus empleados con descansos, agua y bebidas con electrolitos.

“Cuando te toca un trabajo en un ático con este calor, los hacemos, pero es extenuante", declaró Harnist. "Hace tanto calor que los áticos alcanzan temperaturas de 145 grados (°F)”, lo cual equivale a 62 ºC.

Jeff Schlegelmilch, profesor asociado de la Escuela del Clima de la Universidad de Columbia, afirmó que el calor es una de las cosas más fáciles de atribuir al cambio climático.

“Hemos visto un aumento continuo de veranos más largos, temperaturas más altas, temperaturas más altas en una fecha más anticipada, más evaporación de la humedad, mayor humedad... efectos de ese tipo”, indicó Schlegelmilch.

___

Contribuyeron a este despacho los corresponsales Jennifer Peltz en Nueva York, Rodrique Ngowi en Cambridge, Massachusetts, y Scott Bauer en Madison, Wisconsin.

___

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

The Resolute Desk is one of the most recognizable pieces of furniture in the White House — and probably in the entire nation. As the president’s desk, it’s been at the center of American history for nearly 150 years.

That famous front panel has its own story. Many accounts claim it was added during FDR’s presidency to conceal his wheelchair and leg braces, but some historians dispute that. They argue Roosevelt used the desk in his private study, away from the public eye, and that the panel itself was not installed until after his death.

The desk’s origins extend far beyond the Oval Office. In fact, it's not American; it’s British.

The desk is crafted of timbers from the HMS Resolute, a British naval vessel that set off for the Arctic in the early 1850s in search of Sir John Franklin, who disappeared while seeking the Northwest Passage. During that mission, the Resolute became trapped in ice and was abandoned by its crew. Years later, it was discovered drifting through Arctic waters by an American whaling vessel.

The United States repaired it and returned it to Queen Victoria. The vessel resumed service for many years before eventually being retired.

Once decommissioned, Queen Victoria expressed her gratitiude to the United States by ordering the timbers of Resolute to be transformed into several pieces of furniture. One of them was a large desk that she presented to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880.

The desk spent much of its early White House history out of public view until 1961, when first lady Jacqueline Kennedy moved it into the Oval Office.

Every president since Jimmy Carter has used the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, with the exception of President George H.W. Bush, who instead placed it in the Treaty Room. The desk has also become the place where recent presidents leave a letter for their successor on Inauguration Day.

The Resolute Desk stands not only as a symbol of the American presidency, but also as a reminder of the enduring friendship between the United States and Britain.

___

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.

Leer en español

The banner read, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”

The incident happened around noon Wednesday and local news outlets reported that the observation deck was later cleared.

According to various news outlets, the two began descending from the top of the building at about 12:35 p.m., and at one point, the man appeared to propose to the woman, who then removed her mask and kissed him.

The couple has since been identified as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus who star in Netflix’s “Skywalkers A love Story” and have performed similar stunts.

At 1,454 feet tall, the Empire State Building is the eighth tallest building in New York City. The tallest building is One World Trade Center, which stands at 1,776 feet tall.

Bending Spoons priced 58 million shares at $29 apiece. The company is getting $1 billion in proceeds, while the rest is going to shareholders. The stock surged 39.7% in its first day of trading under the symbol “BSP” on the Nasdaq, giving it a market value of $25.2 billion.

Among the company's well-known holdings are the event creation and ticketing company Eventbrite, and the video hosting service Vimeo. AOL, formerly America Online, is a more recent acquisition for the company. The email and search engine service dates back to the dawn of the internet age.

AOL itself went public in 1992 and was a vanguard of technology and communication. It reached a market value of $164 billion in 2000 shortly before merging with Time Warner. It then crashed along with the rest of the industry following the bursting of the dot-com bubble. It has been bought and sold several times over the last two decades.

Bending Spoons' key focus is acquiring troubled tech companies and overhauling them. The company takes its name from the fictional concept of bending spoons with the mind, as portrayed in the dystopian AI-focused “The Matrix” films. The company's founders say the name is meant to evoke focus and dedication, as well as some humor.

“We were about to attempt to create a world-class company with $40,000, a team of five, and a track record that read 0 for 1," the company wrote in its prospectus. “A touch of irony seemed appropriate.”

The Italy-based company was founded by three friends in 2013 following the failure of their first attempt at building a technology startup. It has since grown by buying more than 50 companies.

The acquired companies are reorganized, and AI technology is often a key tool in the redesign. The focus remains on subscription-based revenue from the portfolio of businesses.

The company said it had net income of $27.5 million on revenue of $601 million during the first three months of 2026. It had more than 500 million monthly active users and 9 million monthly paying customers as of March.

The company has debt of just under $4.4 billion. It plans to use proceeds from the offering to invest in new acquisitions.

The Bending Spoons offering comes amid a resurgence in the IPO market this year, highlighted by the record-setting market debut of SpaceX last month.

El equipo anunció el martes que el centro Eetu Luostarinen acordó una extensión de contrato por ocho años que comenzará en la temporada 2027-28.

“Eetu ha sido una pieza clave en nuestros dos campeonatos de la Copa Stanley y estamos encantados de que continúe su carrera con los Panthers”, dijo en un comunicado Bill Zito, presidente de Operaciones de Hockey y gerente general. “Su compromiso con un sólido juego en ambos extremos de la pista y su aporte en situaciones de inferioridad numérica han sido fundamentales para nuestro éxito”.

Luostarinen, de 27 años, disputó 73 partidos durante la temporada 2025-26, en los que registró 11 goles y 22 asistencias para un total de 33 puntos, la segunda cifra más alta de su carrera en la NHL.

Lideró a los delanteros de Florida en tiempo sobre el hielo en situaciones de inferioridad numérica con casi 140 minutos, bloqueó 57 disparos y promedió 16:34 minutos por partido, la mejor marca de su carrera. También ocupó el quinto lugar del equipo con 121 golpes.

Desde que se unió a los Panthers en 2020, Luostarinen se ha convertido en uno de los delanteros defensivos más confiables del club. En 447 partidos de temporada regular de la NHL con los Panthers y los Carolina Hurricanes, suma 61 goles y 101 asistencias para un total de 162 puntos.

Su impacto también se ha extendido a los playoffs. Luostarinen ha registrado 34 puntos en 73 partidos de postemporada con los Panthers y desempeñó un papel importante en las dos conquistas de la Copa Stanley de la franquicia.

Durante la conquista de la Copa Stanley por parte de Florida en 2025, estableció marcas personales con cinco goles, 14 asistencias y 19 puntos en 23 partidos de playoffs. También posee el récord de la franquicia de más puntos en un partido de playoffs como visitante tras registrar un gol y tres asistencias contra Tampa Bay en el quinto partido de la primera ronda el 30 de abril de 2025.

A nivel internacional, el finlandés ganó una medalla de bronce en los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de 2026, donde sumó cuatro asistencias en seis partidos. También conquistó la medalla de oro en el Campeonato Mundial de la IIHF de 2019 y representó a Finlandia en el torneo 4 Nations Face-Off de 2025.

Leer en español

The event began with 70 service members raising 70 American flags across the airport, symbolizing freedom and commemorating 250 years of American pride, sacrifice and resilience.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said the display serves as a visible tribute for the millions of travelers who pass through the airport.

“I am so proud that during this month of our America semi-quincentennial, all 70 flagpoles, all 70 here at MIA, will have our nation’s flag flying proudly for all of our visitors to see,” Levine Cava said.

As part of the celebration, airport officials also unveiled the “Renaissance of Towers,” a 20-foot-tall, three-ton stainless steel sculpture installed at MIA’s Central Boulevard entrance.

The new monument is intended to serve as a landmark welcoming travelers while commemorating the nation’s milestone anniversary and honoring those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The ceremony comes just days before Independence Day, as airports across the country prepare for one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

El evento comenzó con 70 miembros del servicio militar izando 70 banderas estadounidenses en todo el aeropuerto, como símbolo de la libertad y en conmemoración de 250 años de orgullo, sacrificio y resiliencia de Estados Unidos.

La alcaldesa del condado Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava, dijo que la exhibición sirve como un homenaje visible para los millones de viajeros que pasan por el aeropuerto.

“Me siento muy orgullosa de que durante este mes de nuestro semiquincentenario de Estados Unidos, los 70 mástiles, los 70 aquí en el MIA, tendrán ondeando con orgullo la bandera de nuestra nación para que todos nuestros visitantes la vean”, dijo Levine Cava.

Como parte de la celebración, funcionarios del aeropuerto también inauguraron “Renaissance of Towers”, una escultura de acero inoxidable de 20 pies de altura y tres toneladas instalada en la entrada de Central Boulevard del MIA.

El nuevo monumento está destinado a servir como un punto de referencia para dar la bienvenida a los viajeros, al tiempo que conmemora el aniversario histórico de la nación y rinde homenaje a quienes han servido en las Fuerzas Armadas de Estados Unidos.

La ceremonia se realiza apenas unos días antes del Día de la Independencia, mientras los aeropuertos de todo el país se preparan para uno de los períodos de mayor actividad de viajes del año.

Leer en español

Authorities said it all happened just before 2:30 p.m. outside of the Red Roof Plus at 3401 NW Le Jeune Road.

Miami Springs police said a woman saw Kenton Torrell Williams “watching porn on his cellphone while having his penis exposed and masturbating” while in the burgundy sedan; she told him she was going to tell the front desk.

Police said she came back 30 minutes later and saw Williams, of Miami Gardens, still at it.

According to an arrest report, she then told him “she was going to call the police on him.”

That apparently did not deter Williams, according to police.

The report states that Williams got out of his car when an officer arrived and the officer saw him “with his pants below his groin area, exposing his underwear and with a black sock wrapped around his penis.”

As the officer handcuffed him, Williams said “I have a gun in my pocket,” leading the officer to find a small pistol, according to the report.

Police said after the officer asked if there were any more guns, Williams replied, “There is a rifle in the passenger seat but everything is clean, you can look anywhere you want.”

Everything was not clean, police said. Besides the AR-15, they said the officer found “a purple Crown Royal bottle bag containing a small clear Ziploc baggie” of powder cocaine. They said they also found a scale “and packaging materials consistent with the sale of narcotics.”

“I asked (Williams) why was he masturbating inside of his vehicle, to which he responded, ‘everybody has their kinks and I was molested as a child,’” the arresting officer wrote in the report. “I then questioned (him) on the narcotics located in his vehicle to which he responded, ‘I don’t sell drugs; I’m an addict.’”

Police arrested Williams on charges of armed drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and indecent exposure.

As of Wednesday, he was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on an $8,500 bond.

Las autoridades informaron que todo ocurrió poco antes de las 2:30 p.m. frente al hotel Red Roof Plus, ubicado en el 3401 de Northwest Le Jeune Road.

La Policía de Miami Springs informó que una mujer vio a Kenton Torrell Williams “viendo pornografía en su teléfono celular mientras tenía el pene expuesto y se estaba masturbando” dentro del sedán color vino, y le dijo que iba a informar al personal de la recepción.

La Policía indicó que ella regresó 30 minutos después y vio que Williams, residente de Miami Gardens, seguía haciendo lo mismo.

Según el informe de arresto, entonces le dijo que “iba a llamar a la Policía”.

Al parecer, eso no disuadió a Williams, según la Policía.

El informe indica que Williams salió de su vehículo cuando llegó un agente, quien lo vio “con los pantalones por debajo de la entrepierna, dejando expuesta su ropa interior y con un calcetín negro envuelto alrededor del pene”.

Mientras el agente le colocaba las esposas, Williams dijo: “Tengo un arma en el bolsillo”, lo que llevó al agente a encontrar una pistola pequeña, según el informe.

La Policía informó que, después de que el agente le preguntó si había más armas, Williams respondió: “Hay un rifle en el asiento del pasajero, pero todo está limpio, puede revisar donde quiera”.

Pero no todo estaba limpio, informó la Policía. Además del rifle AR-15, el agente encontró “una bolsa morada de Crown Royal que contenía una pequeña bolsa transparente tipo Ziploc” con cocaína en polvo. También encontró una balanza “y materiales de empaque compatibles con la venta de narcóticos”.

“Le pregunté a Williams por qué se estaba masturbando dentro de su vehículo, a lo que respondió: “Todo el mundo tiene sus fetiches y fui víctima de abuso sexual cuando era niño””, escribió el agente que realizó el arresto en el informe. “Luego le pregunté sobre los narcóticos encontrados en su vehículo, a lo que respondió: “No vendo drogas; soy adicto””.

La Policía arrestó a Williams por cargos de posesión de drogas estando armado, posesión de parafernalia de drogas y exhibición indecente.

Hasta el miércoles, permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con una fianza de $8,500 USD.

Leer en español

Immigrant rights and faith groups have decried conditions at the facility for years and organize Wednesday protests.

They said detainees are subject to overcrowding and overheating.

Protester Luis Rivera said he has a close family friend who had a required appointment at the office. He said he’s scared and worried.

“You have people, your family, your friends (who) you love,” he said. “It’s hard.”

Arianne Betancourt said her father was detained at the facility for six months. She now works full time to make sure people have humane conditions when held in detention.

“They’re going to spread the cruelty,” she said.

Betancourt added, “I talk to people who tell me that before they got to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ (in Collier County), they were able to walk and now they require a wheelchair and at these centers they don’t give wheelchairs, so these elders are bed-bound now.”

A Local 10 News crew saw a fire truck and ambulance go inside and get escorted out by authorities.

Rivera said he wants to protect his friend’s identity, but described him as a 20-year-old who came to the U.S. three years ago.

He said his friend is OK “for the moment, but he continued in the line, so I don’t know when he go inside they’re going to remove (his) phone.”

Rivera said they live in Orlando, but he drove his friend to the Miramar office, because that’s where his appointment was.

Protesters said they plan to continue the weekly protests.

Local 10 News contacted ICE seeking comment.

“I’m extremely torn up about the way that things were perceived,” Cavalli said before the Nationals beat the Red Sox 10-2. “Obviously, there was no ill intention behind that.”

Cavalli shouted at Contreras after striking him out looking with a full-count pitch in the fourth inning of the Nationals’ 8-1 victory over the Red Sox.

The term “boy” has a racist history in the United States. Contreras, who is Venezuelan, demurred when asked after the game if he felt there was a racial component to Cavalli’s word choice.

“My teammates know me, my family knows me, this organization knows me,” Cavalli said. “I couldn’t sleep because of it. It hurt my heart, knowing that, if there’s a 13-year-old Black kid in D.C. that sees that — that looked up to me and thinks that he perceived it in a way that wasn’t intended the way that it came out, and then he’s not looking up to me anymore — that hurts my heart.”

When asked, he said he understands the meaning behind the word used.

“There’s a history behind that word, and that’s just something that as a competitor, like in football or basketball, playing wiffle ball with my brother, you don’t understand it,” Cavalli said. “And then it gets perceived in a way that was not my intention, and then you learn from that. It’ll never happen again.”

The 27-year-old right-hander said he didn’t realize the public outcry on social media until he got back to his hotel room.

“I looked at my phone, and I saw what people were saying about me. Saw how torn up my wife was. It hurt my heart,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it. I really couldn’t. Because I know that people know me, and they know my character, and that’s not me. So, it was hard. I truly didn’t sleep last night.”

Contreras was walking back to the dugout after striking out and yelled back at Cavalli: “Are you talking to me?” A few words were exchanged, and he charged the mound. He was stopped before he got to the pitcher. He tried to throw his helmet over a group of players at the righty.

Things settled down quickly after that, though the brief dustup ended with Contreras, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton and Washington pitcher Miles Mikolas being ejected.

Cavalli said he hadn’t apologized to Contreras yet, but he hopes he hears his explanation.

“I have not reached out to him. I know that we’re both competitors, I hope that he hears this and he understands that was not what was intended at all,” Cavalli said. “I think he knows that. But if I see him, I want to make sure that he knows that.”

___

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

Grupos defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes y organizaciones religiosas han denunciado durante años las condiciones en la instalación y organizan protestas todos los miércoles.

Aseguran que los detenidos están sometidos a hacinamiento y calor extremo.

El manifestante Luis Rivera dijo que un amigo cercano de su familia tenía una cita obligatoria en la oficina. Afirmó que siente miedo y preocupación.

“Hay personas, tu familia y tus amigos a quienes quieres. Es difícil”, dijo.

Arianne Betancourt dijo que su padre estuvo detenido en la instalación durante seis meses. Ahora trabaja a tiempo completo para garantizar que las personas detenidas sean tratadas en condiciones humanas.

“Van a extender la crueldad”, dijo.

Betancourt agregó: “Hablo con personas que me dicen que antes de llegar a “Alcatraz de los Caimanes” (en el condado Collier), podían caminar y ahora necesitan una silla de ruedas, y en estos centros no les proporcionan sillas de ruedas, por lo que estos adultos mayores ahora permanecen postrados en cama”.

Un equipo de Local 10 News vio un camión de bomberos y una ambulancia entrar a la instalación y luego salir escoltados por las autoridades.

Rivera dijo que quiere proteger la identidad de su amigo, pero lo describió como un joven de 20 años que llegó a Estados Unidos hace tres años.

Dijo que su amigo está bien “por el momento, pero siguió en la fila, así que no sé si cuando entre le van a quitar el teléfono”.

Rivera dijo que viven en Orlando, pero que llevó a su amigo en automóvil hasta la oficina de Miramar porque allí tenía su cita.

Los manifestantes dijeron que planean continuar con las protestas semanales.

Local 10 News se comunicó con ICE para solicitar comentarios.

The team advanced on Wednesday, defeating Bosnia-Herzegovina to set up a round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.

“Hershey to me is everything -- it’s where my family is from, it’s where I grew up,” Pulisic recently said on his Instagram account as he promoted limited-edition Pulisic’s Milk Chocolate Bars by the Hershey Company that feature custom wrappers with his signature. “It’s where I learned how to play. It’s just home.”

Pulisic grew up in this south-central Pennsylvania community surrounded by farms and rolling countryside, where even the streetlights along Chocolate Avenue are shaped like Hershey’s Kisses. The community was founded in 1903 by Milton S. Hershey, the American businessman and philanthropist who also built homes for workers, a hotel and a theme park that Pulisic often visited with family.

More than 120 years later, the Hershey Company is still the economic engine of Chocolatetown, USA. But the “Man Behind the Chocolate Bar” now shares the hometown hero honor with the soccer player nicknamed “Captain America.”

Pulisic inspires young soccer players in Hershey

Pulisic’s hometown roots run deep, and during the World Cup, his community has rallied around him as the U.S. plays some of its most exciting soccer ever.

“It’s pretty amazing that he came from Hershey and played for my club,” said Hershey High School rising freshman Cecelia Stefanelli who, on a recent afternoon, kicked a ball to score a goal on her father at a field where Pulisic played.

The Americans won their first World Cup elimination game in 24 years on Wednesday evening, defeating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 32 despite playing a man down for more than 35 minutes. They had a healthy Pulisic in action after the star missed the second group-stage game with a calf injury and played only 33 minutes as a sub in the final group match against Turkey.

“I’d love if USA won the World Cup; it’d make me happy,” said Stefanelli, a center back who also plays for the Pennsylvania Classics soccer club. Pulisic often credits the structure and coaches at PA Classics, where he played for eight years, with helping develop his skills. In 2021, he returned to the club for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for new fields that he financed and helped design. It's now known as the Pulisic Stomping Grounds.

The club is located in Lancaster County, surrounded by chicken and dairy farms that give off a pungent odor of fermenting feed and manure.

On a recent day, Liam Gustafson and Moussa Oumarou juggled a soccer ball and passed it back and forth as they warmed up for training in front of a huge collage of photos of Pulisic that trace from his childhood training to starring for the U.S. at the World Cup.

“It’s really special to see someone from around here, where we live, playing in the World Cup,” said Gustafson, a 17-year-old forward who dreams of playing pro soccer and calls Pulisic his role model. “It’s really inspiring to see someone who paved the way, so that we can do that someday.”

Pulisic's path to USMNT stardom ran through Hershey

The road to soccer was paved early as Pulisic followed in the footsteps of his parents. He was born in Hershey on Sept. 18, 1998, to Kelley and Mark Pulisic, both former collegiate soccer players at George Mason University. His father went on to play pro indoor soccer for the Harrisburg Heat. The family moved to England for a year while Pulisic’s mother completed a Fulbright Program teacher exchange and their 7-year-old rising star played for the Brackley Town youth team.

“Mark and Kelley could write a playbook on how to raise a humble, smart, kind superstar, while maintaining family relationships,” said Tara Seymour, a family friend and retired health and physical education teacher at Hershey Middle School. She met the family at a soccer camp and became close friends with Pulisic’s mother.

“She just quietly said to me one time, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’ This is a kid who could juggle the soccer ball hundreds of times when he was in elementary school,” Seymour said. Pulisic, she said, would practice in his backyard for hours, trying to emulate the moves of pros he saw on TV.

“He has an intensity that couldn’t be taught,” she recalled. “I think he had the opportunity to go pro earlier or go to Europe earlier and they held back just to make sure emotionally and maturity-wise he was ready.”

When the family returned to Hershey, Pulisic joined PA Classics at the age of 10. The club's president and co-founder Doug Harris said Pulisic's talent allowed him to play with older age groups, and he was often the smallest player on the field.

“I think if you were to pull kids in the world who want to achieve the level of Christian Pulisic, you’d have millions that would step up, raise their hand. They’re all gifted; they all can play,” Harris said. “But there’s something fundamental about what Christian has been able to do and I’d credit Mark and Kelley Pulisic with a lot of that.”

Looking forward to the future of American soccer

The Americans' only World Cup knockout win came on June 17, 2002, when they defeated Mexico 2-0 in the round of 16 in South Korea. Pulisic has said the team's approach won't change in this round and the mood remains light despite the high stakes.

“It’s just special to be here,” he said. “You just don’t want it to end.”

Ahead of the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina, PA Classics coaches Brittney Jakobson and Nick Jakobson took their children, Declan and Camden, to kick a ball at Pulisic’s former club. The Americans, they said, have a shot at winning the tournament. But their legacy goes beyond the trophy.

“Their goal is to inspire a generation and it’s really fun to see that happening in real time … to hear people going out and watching the games, to see people buying the jerseys,” Brittney Jakobson said.

“Pulisic, obviously, in the short term is a great kind of figure to follow,” said Nick Jakobson. “But he does very much encourage that it’s not just about him. It’s not about just these four years. It’s about the next eight, 12, 16. It’s forward-thinking, and they’re laying a good foundation for what we can build on.”

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Un video de vigilancia obtenido recientemente de una cámara ubicada en el exterior del complejo de apartamentos también capta una rápida ráfaga de disparos antes de que los residentes comenzaran a reaccionar a la violencia.

Un vecino llamó al 911 y les dijo a los operadores que tenía demasiado miedo de salir de su vivienda después de escuchar los disparos.

La Policía informó que la balacera ocurrió el 2 de mayo en un edificio de apartamentos cerca de Northwest 17th Avenue y 54th Street.

Según los investigadores, Antwan Carter, de 31 años, discutía con su novia durante un incidente de violencia doméstica cuando los dos hermanos de ella, Jahiem y Gianni Pierre, llegaron al apartamento para protegerla.

La Policía informó que, después de que la pelea se tornó física, Carter tomó un arma de su vehículo, regresó al apartamento y abrió fuego, matando a ambos hermanos.

Posteriormente, los detectives arrestaron a Carter después de que, según informaron, confesara el doble homicidio.

Carter permanece detenido en el Centro de Detención Metrowest, donde enfrenta dos cargos de asesinato en primer grado. Permanece detenido sin derecho a fianza y tiene previsto regresar a la corte a principios de agosto.

Leer en español

Newly obtained surveillance video from a camera outside the apartment complex also captures a rapid burst of gunfire before residents begin reacting to the violence.

One neighbor called 911, telling dispatchers they were too afraid to leave their home after hearing the shots.

Police said the shooting happened on May 2 at an apartment building near Northwest 17th Avenue and 54th Street.

According to investigators, 31-year-old Antwan Carter had been arguing with his girlfriend during a domestic violence incident when her two brothers, Jahiem and Gianni Pierre, came to the apartment to protect her.

Police said that after a fight turned physical, Carter retrieved a gun from his car, returned to the apartment and opened fire, killing both brothers.

Detectives later arrested Carter after they said he confessed to the double murder.

Carter remains jailed at the Metrowest Detention Center on two counts of first-degree murder. He is being held without bond and is scheduled to return to court in early August.

La bandera decía: “Cuando el poder del amor vence al amor por el poder, el mundo conoce la paz”.

El incidente ocurrió alrededor del mediodía del miércoles y medios locales informaron que posteriormente fue desalojado el mirador.

Según varios medios de comunicación, ambos comenzaron a descender desde la cima del edificio alrededor de las 12:35 p.m. y, en un momento, el hombre aparentemente le propuso matrimonio a la mujer, quien luego se quitó la máscara y lo besó.

Con una altura de 1,454 pies, el Empire State Building es el octavo edificio más alto de la ciudad de Nueva York. El edificio más alto es el One World Trade Center, que mide 1,776 pies de altura.

Temperatures in the high 90s Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) were forecast for the Northeast; Philadelphia and Boston could top 100 by Thursday. Throw in humidity, and the real-feel heat index will be even higher at times, the National Weather Service said.

A heat dome — high-pressure systems above a region that trap heat and humidity — has been smothering parts of the U.S., from the Midwest to the East Coast. It will add much discomfort amid 250th anniversary parades, ship flotillas, outdoor concerts and, in Boston, a popular public reading of the Declaration of Independence from a historic balcony Saturday.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani advised residents to stay cool inside and avoid “extraordinary temperatures.”

“To be breaking into triple digits over the course of these many next days — it is of immense concern given that too often the heat is something that is underestimated,” Mamdani said.

In Hamptonburgh, New York, air conditioning failed on a bus carrying Junior ROTC cadets, resulting in multiple heat-related illnesses, Orange County authorities said. Some cadets were taken to hospitals as a precaution.

Concrete and steel aggravate hot weather

Humidity is not uncommon in the Northeast. But Dr. Alexander Azan of NYU Langone Health in New York said high air temperatures and humidity are a dangerous combination.

“Their body doesn’t have that level of acclimatization to respond appropriately to the heat, and so heat stress in the form of what we call heat exhaustion, and in more severe cases, heat stroke, can occur at much lower temperatures than we see in people who live in the South,” Azan said.

Experts say cities in particular are at greater risk.

“The concentration of concrete, asphalt, steel, all of those materials help to retain heat,” said Vijay Limaye, a climate scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The number on your phone may actually not reflect the true temperature profile that you’re going out into.”

New York City said more than 200 teams of government workers and volunteers will check on homeless people and encourage them to get inside. There will be hundreds of cooling centers, from the Javits Center convention hall to vans to outdoor spots with misting fans.

Cashing in on the weather

The phone seemed like it wouldn't stop ringing at Acme Ice Co. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which delivers ice to bars and restaurants in the Boston area. The owner, Marc Savenor, said this week's stretch of hot weather is an “ice man's dream.”

“What could an ice man ask for? ... I’ve hired a couple extra drivers. I’ve put on an extra couple trucks. I put ice in different freezers so I don’t run out,” Savenor said. “After my ice is depleted here, we go pick up another load, bring it back, and we deliver it everywhere.”

The American Kennel Club’s Museum of the Dog in New York is allowing visitors to bring their dogs to cool off, through Sunday. Executive Director Christopher Bromson said he got the idea from seeing his own Newfoundland sprawled on the museum’s cool floor.

“I thought every dog should have access to this,” he said.

In Washington, D.C., where the high temperature was 95 F (35 C), thirsty children reached for cold water from U.S. Park Police as they waited in line for the Ferris wheel on the National Mall.

In the Midwest, meanwhile, heat risks remained. Taylor Harnist, whose Cincinnati business installs and repairs air conditioners, said he was trying to keep his employees comfortable with breaks, water and electrolyte drinks.

“You get an attic job when it’s this hot, we do them but it’s strenuous,” Harnist said. “It’s so hot the attics will reach temperatures of 145 degrees.”

Jeff Schlegelmilch, associate professor at Columbia University Climate School, said heat is one of the easiest things to attribute to climate change.

“We have seen a continued increase in longer summers, hotter temperatures, hotter temperatures earlier on, more evaporation of moisture, higher humidity — effects like that,” he said.

___

Associated Press reporters Jennifer Peltz in New York, Rodrique Ngowi in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

Leer en español

Authorities said they were tipped off that there were still RVs on their property, located at 15600 SW 212th Ave. in Miami-Dade County’s rural Redland area, and aerial surveillance on Jan. 20 showed it “was in substantially the same condition” as it was three years ago. Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant on the property two days later.

MDSO deputies went back to the property, which directly abuts the Everglades, on Tuesday to take the 47-year-old twins into custody on felony charges of willful disregard for the environment and willful disregard of water pollution laws.

According to arrest documents, their January search, “revealed multiple modular structures and RVs” connected to unapproved sewage treatment and disposal systems, “some of which contained overflow pipes and/or pumps to allow the liquid effluent to be piped into the surrounding wetlands.”

“There were pipes from two of the RVs that went directly into the wetlands without any storage, including one on the western portion of the premises that was leaking and pooling within the premises and was also being piped directly into the neighboring wetlands,” it states.

Deputies said they also found a pond on the property filled with algae overgrowth and “dead animals,” saying that “testing of the pond revealed very high levels of bacteria, and tested positive for E. coli.”

But, according to MDSO, that’s not all deputies found.

They said that investigators found four mares “in a small corral without access to water” or shelter and a pig “in an elevated crate without access to food or water” or the ability to exercise.

Because of that, Juan Gonzalez-Osorio is facing five additional counts of animal abandonment.

Records show they were being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bonds of $5,000 as of Wednesday. Juan Gonzalez-Osorio faces an additional $500 bond on the animal abandonment charge.

The lawsuit says the records would shed light on the motivations of government officials who are investigating Brennan and would form the basis of defense efforts to dismiss any eventual indictment on grounds that the case constitutes a vindictive prosecution.

Such an argument, his lawyers said, would be supported by the more than 100 verbal or written statements that President Donald Trump has made since 2017 lambasting Brennan and by the Republican president's directives to his Justice Department to initiate investigations of Brennan “without regard to factual or legal justification.”

“To fully consider those motions, the reviewing judge would need to scrutinize the motivations of the Justice Department officials who directed, oversaw, or undertook those actions to determine whether they violated Director Brennan’s rights, and specifically whether they were motivated by a desire to vindictively prosecute him as an act of retribution,” Brennan's lawyers wrote in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington.

Without an order, the lawsuit contends, the records are at risk of being lost or intentionally deleted.

The lawsuit amounts to a preemptive strike of sorts on months-long investigations into Brennan and other perceived adversaries of the president, and represents another effort by Brennan's legal team to sound the alarm on inquiries they believe are part of a pattern of politically motivated probes driven by the White House. It asserts that Brennan is being targeted in a vindictive and selective manner arising from Trump's "obsession with punishing him for his lawful conduct as CIA Director and for his constitutionally protected criticism of the President and the President’s policies.

“That is the reason he is being singled out for investigation of concocted theories of criminal activity, and that will be the dominant reason for any criminal charges resulting from that investigation. That is also why Director Brennan will have an extremely strong basis to challenge those charges as the product of vindictive and selective prosecution,” the lawsuit says.

Investigators based in Florida are examining whether Brennan made a false statement to Congress in 2023 related to an assessment by intelligence agencies documenting Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, when Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton. The other investigation aims to determine whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump, including during the course of the Russian interference investigation.

Brennan has denied any wrongdoing.

The complaint seeks a court order requiring the preservation of all government records relevant to the investigations, including emails, calendar entries and communications — whether public or private — from Trump or other White House officials about the inquiries and efforts to advance them.

“Given these strong indicia of vindictiveness, Director Brennan expects that he will forcefully challenge any eventual indictment as the product of an unconstitutionally vindictive and selective prosecution,” the lawsuit says, adding that the judge presiding over any criminal case would look to those records for a glimpse of the government's motives.

The lawsuit says there's a “very real risk” that the requested communications will not be available by the time any indictment is brought, either because of technology changes that make deletion of records more routine or automatic or because of a Trump administration habit of “failing to observe their legal obligation to maintain such records.”

“Given the government’s questionable recent history with respect to its record preservation and other legal obligations, however, Director Brennan has a well-founded concern that those records and communications will not be preserved until such time as the court can review them for evidence of unconstitutional vindictiveness,” Brennan's lawyers wrote.

The lawsuit names as defendants Trump and other top officials from his administration, including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

Other defendants include Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Joe diGenova, a Reagan administration prosecutor who returned to the Justice Department in April to serve as a special counselor to the attorney general and help oversee the investigations.

Brennan's lawyer, Ken Wainstein, wrote in December to the chief judge of the federal court in Florida asking that the Justice Department be prevented from steering investigations related to Brennan to a “favored” Trump administration judge, Aileen Cannon, who in 2024 dismissed the classified documents prosecution against Trump.

Asked about Brennan's lawsuit, Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington said in a statement, “While we cannot comment on the existence, or lack thereof, of an investigation, it is certainly rich that John Brennan is accusing anyone of a ‘retribution campaign.’”

____

Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

Some of the children discovered Tuesday were unable to speak and one — an 18-year-old who was developmentally disabled — could not even write her name, investigators said.

“Most of our livestock was kept in better conditions than the children,” said Vinton County Sheriff Ryan Cain. “Just a disgusting scene.”

The children's parents and two grandparents were charged with felony child endangerment, a prosecutor said.

Authorities found the children while carrying out a search warrant in an unrelated investigation, Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said Wednesday at a news conference.

Officials said it seemed as if no one outside the family knew about the children, who weren't enrolled in school.

“We didn’t know there were going to be 16 kids there,” said Wilson, who was nearly at a loss for words in describing what officials found in the tiny village of Hamden that sits in one of Ohio's poorest counties.

“It’s the type of thing that we’re not used to seeing here in America,” he said.

Rescued children looked like ‘feral animals’

The sheriff said it appears the children spent most of their time in a room that was roughly 12 feet by 12 feet (3.5 meters by 3.5 meters). He didn’t disclose how the kids were kept inside the home, but said authorities didn’t find any cages in the house.

The children ranged in age from 1 1/2 years to 18 years old and included both boys and girls, officials said. Seven were transported to hospitals in Columbus and two were flown by helicopter. One was in critical condition on Tuesday while some of the others were admitted for care, Wilson said.

“They looked like almost feral animals,” Wilson said. “It was terrible.”

The children were in temporary custody of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services.

Vinton County prosecuting attorney William Archer said the four adults were charged with second-degree felony child endangering because it involves “serious physical harm.”

Gary Siders Jr., Gary Siders Sr., Christina Siders and Elizabeth Siders appeared in court Wednesday where a judge entered not guilty pleas on their behalf and set bond at $300,000 for each. They have not yet been assigned lawyers.

Steve Irwin, a spokesperson for the attorney general's office, would not say whether all of the children are siblings or how they were related.

Neighbor saw ‘no kids at all’

The house where the children were found sits on a road tucked away alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains through Hamden. The closest neighbors are separated by trees and thick brush, but the house is easily visible from the road.

An open door revealed bits of trash inside while a wooden deck and the backyard were filled with discarded tires, a high chair and other debris.

Investigators said members of the family had moved around southern Ohio over the past two decades and that it looks like they avoided setting up medical and government records.

“These folks were pretty good at hiding these kids,” Wilson said.

Investigators were reviewing whether the family was reported to any children’s services agencies in the past.

Neighbor Joseph Stewart, 60, said he saw “no kids at all” since the family moved in three houses down and that he could clearly see the house and yard when passing by.

“It’s a sad situation,” he said. Stewart has lived on the street for six years and called it “a quiet neighborhood.”

On Wednesday, the home's doors and windows stood open to the sweltering heat. A tangle of discarded children’s items -- two busted bicycles, a plastic play table, a beach pail and two infant carriers -- stood in a pile in the yard.

Hamden has a population of less than 1,000 people and is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southeast of Columbus.

The discovery of the children is reminiscent of past horrific cases of family abuse.

In 2019, David and Louise Turpin pleaded guilty to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children at their home in California, starving them and providing only a minimal education.

They were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. The couple were arrested in 2018 after their 17-year-old daughter escaped from the home and called 911.

___

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, and Julie Watson in San Diego contributed.

The Russian climbers, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, were the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary “ Skywalkers: A Love Story ” about their “rooftopping” exploits and budding romance.

Dressed in black and wearing masks but not tethers, the two balanced on a narrow ledge and appeared to kiss atop the New York skyscraper's antenna, news helicopter video showed. The banner, reading “when the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace,” waved from the structure, which rises 1,454 feet (443 meters) above midtown Manhattan.

After lingering for a time, the two collected the banner and began to climb down, picking their way along the latticework of metal to a wider ledge, where one seemed to set up a piece of photography equipment and got down on one knee. After the two kissed again and hugged, the other person took selfies with an outstretched left hand, as if examining a ring.

Police Emergency Services Unit officers started ascending a ladder in the spindly structure to intercept them. Police body camera video showed an officer calling out a greeting and explaining, “Well, you can't be up here.”

An off-camera voice replied with what sounded like, “We are engaged.”

A few seconds later, officers reached a landing within the antenna and met the couple, who were coming down a ladder and calmly spoke with police, the video showed.

Nikolau posted images of the escapade on her social media accounts, including a photo that modeled an engagement-style ring above a bird’s-eye view of Manhattan.

The two climbers — whom police identified by their formal names, Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov — were arrested on burglary, reckless endangerment and other charges. It wasn't immediately clear whether they had attorneys who could speak to the allegations. Messages seeking comment were sent to the couple.

“Skywalkers: A Love Story” follows Beerkus and Nikolau as they make often unauthorized ascents of tall structures, sometimes posing as construction workers to sneak in.

It wasn’t clear how the pair gained access to the Empire State Building's antenna, which rises well above public areas of the 102-story building. Building management said in a statement that the episode was “unauthorized” and didn’t endanger anyone in the skyscraper.

The management didn’t answer questions about how the two reached the antenna and what interactions, if any, they had with security workers. Empire State Building visitors are screened and told not to bring large packages, sports equipment, costumes or masks, among other items.

Tourist Julie Morris told local TV stations that she was on one of the building's observation decks when she saw two people pass through some mesh gates into an off-limits area. She said she assumed the pair, who weren't masked, worked there.

As the stunt unfolded, onlookers gaped from the sidewalks near the Art Deco office tower.

“It's crazy — it's like being in the movies,” said Jonathan Roman, a tourist visiting from the Scottish city of Glasgow. He and his 15-year-old son had observation platform tickets but arrived to find the building blocked off because of the antenna activity.

Still, the spectacle was “probably more exciting than going up to the viewing platform for the second time,” Roman reasoned.

Daredevils have previously climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.

___ This story has been corrected to show that the incident happened Wednesday, not Tuesday.

Leer en español

Free agent guard Norman Powell has agreed to a two-year, $45 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Powell, 33, earned his first career NBA All-Star selection with Miami last season after averaging 21.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Over the past two seasons, he averaged nearly 22 points per contest.

The move comes after Miami decided to lock up another key piece of their roster.

Charania also reported on Monday that forward Andrew Wiggins plans to remain in Miami by opting into the final year of his current contract for the 2026-27 season before signing a two-year, $64 million extension.

The new agreement would keep Wiggins, 31, with the Heat through the 2028-29 season.

According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, the Heat are alos adding free agent swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. to their roster.

Hardaway Jr. is the son of former Heat star shooter Tim Hardaway.

Last season with Denver, Hardaway averaged 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 44.7% from the field and 40.7% from downtown.

Miami is also bringing back forward Simone Fontecchio on a one-year contract, according to Charania. The veteran shooter averaged 8.5 points per game while making 37.5% of his 3-point attempts last season.

In addition, the Heat announced last week that they have exercised their team option on guard Pelle Larsson.

Larsson, 35, appeared in 70 games during his second NBA season, averaging 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.4 minutes per game while shooting 49.6% from the field and 79.7% from the free-throw line.

The moves come after Miami acquired superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks in a blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and multiple draft picks to Milwaukee.

Local 10 digital journalist David DWork contributed to this story.

A statement from the Mediterranean principality’s prosecutor general said the person is a foreign national and was detained in Monaco in the morning.

They were held in police custody “as further checks were deemed necessary” before being released in the afternoon, it said, giving no further information about the person or why they aroused suspicion.

The explosion at an apartment building entrance in Monaco occurred late Monday. Monaco authorities haven’t identified any of the injured but said they were a family and that they appeared to have been specifically targeted.

Media reports identified Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev as being among the injured. He has said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago, and he was targeted by Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for ties to Russia. A woman and a child were also hurt.

The prosecutor’s statement said the child has been interviewed in neighboring France but that the other two victims are still not in a condition to be questioned. One of them is critically injured and their life remains in danger, it said.

It described the blast as an attempted assassination and said French authorities are assisting the investigation. Analysis of the explosive device and work to identify the bomber is ongoing, it said.

It was not clear why the family was targeted or by whom.

Russia has a long history of targeting its enemies abroad, and Western intelligence officials have recently said that a campaign of targeted killings has ramped up since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine is also believed to have carried out attacks and targeted killings of Russian figures in the course of the war, although those attacks have largely been confined to Ukrainian or Russian territory.

The attack shocked the country on the Mediterranean coast, one of the world’s smallest sovereign states known for its high concentration of wealthy residents. Monaco’s Prince Albert II described it as “an odious act” and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.

In northern Venezuela’s state of La Guaira, there was also applause after search-and-rescue teams pulled someone out alive from the rubble five days after the 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes.

The displaced from Caracas to Catia La Mar, Macuto, and Caraballeda were in fear after a 4.6-magnitude aftershock on Monday morning. In Doral, the GEM team had them in mind with every victory.

“GEM will be the distribution center and coordinator throughout Venezuela,” said Michael Kesti, a lobbyist with the Government Relations Group who leads GEM’s government relations efforts.

Michael Capponi, a former nightlife entrepreneur who founded GEM to send aid to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, shared updates from a warehouse in Valencia, the third-largest city in Venezuela.

From the cars at a drop-off drive-thru area outside the GEM warehouse, at 1850 NW 84th Ave., in Doral, to the sorting and packing areas inside, groups of GEM donors and volunteers kept the aid flowing.

“All of these supplies are getting directly to families in Venezuela without any interference of the Venezuelan government,” said Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, who partnered with GEM to run drop-off locations that feed the warehouse in Doral.

The U.S. State Department and the U.S. Southern Command were working with the administration of Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s acting president since Jan. 5, to keep the aid from the U.S. flowing.

“It’s really that leadership role in coordinating flights with the humanitarian supplies, making sure they can get in, they can get unloaded, and on the ground,” said Mignon Houston, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department.

The USS Fort Lauderdale was delivering aid in La Guaira. NASA released a map showing a satellite view of the estimated 58,870 buildings that the earthquakes either damaged or destroyed. Rescue teams were still asking for silence as they searched.

“With every hour that passes, we feel our hopes fading. Many tell us that we’re searching in places where there are no longer any possibilities of finding people alive. However, many Venezuelans have asked us not to give up, and we haven’t,” Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele wrote in a statement on Monday night.

Gianluca Rampolla, a United Nations coordinator, reported the UN had agreed to procure 10,000 body bags for the Venezuelan government.

“I have my sister over there,” said NFL star Andrés Borregales, a GEM volunteer in Doral. “Thank God, she is OK, but a lot of families aren’t.”

To keep the community effort going in South Florida, Borregales had a message for anyone who hasn’t been able to help: “If all you can donate is a box of soap, that is enough. Do what you can.”

The Trump administration committed $300 million in aid to Venezuela. The Miami Marlins announced a $100,000 donation to GEM on Monday.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniela Levine Cava, who has volunteered at GEM in Doral, released a statement on Monday to thank LATAM Airlines and GEM after she and Kesti witnessed the departure of a cargo plane.

“Tonight, I was at Miami International Airport as one of the first major humanitarian aid shipments departed for Venezuela,” Levine Cava said in a statement. “Our community has shown extraordinary generosity and humanity in response to this tragedy.”

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize-winner, released a video on Monday saying that she was in Panama City working on her return to Venezuela. “I ​am willing to do whatever it takes, speak to whoever I ​need to ⁠speak to, in order to coordinate and serve our people,” Machado said in Spanish. “I am ready and close to Venezuela, and I will do what needs to be done so we meet up there.”

Helpful list: Aid drop-off locations in South Florida

• NFL star joins Global Empowerment Mission’s team; his message to South Floridians, ‘Do what you can’
• More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the US hours before the earthquakes are missing

More HELPING VENEZUELA coverage

• Food for the Poor welcomes investments in reconstruction
• Physicians in Miami-Dade collect donations of medical supplies near Doral
• Meet Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Capt. German Leal

• Pembroke Pines police officers announce collection drive
• Airbnb partners with nonprofit CADENA for emergency housing
• Hogar Bambi aims to protect vulnerable children

• Grey Bull Rescue Foundation team arrives at Caracas
• Officials close La Guaira, require volunteers to register in Caracas
• Amazon donates to Airlink to help charities with logistics

• Miami search-and-rescue team prepares to deploy
• Centro Comunitario AFE hosts collection drive in Miami-Dade
• Weston-based charity partners with local pharmacy

• Veteran-led Project DYNAMO delivers 20,000 pounds of aid in 1st 48 hours
• Altruism at El Arepazo feeds Global Empowerment Mission’s team effort
• Salvadoran rescuers work to free 15-year-old survivor in Caraballeda

• Food For The Poor packs disaster relief kits with ‘hopeful’ hand-written notes
• U.S. Southern Command focuses on airport damage
• State Department deploys Miami-Dade search-and-rescue team

• Miami Beach opens 4 new aid drop-off locations
• Miramar to keep 6 aid drop-off locations open 24/7
• Miami-Dade’s tax collector opens 11 drop-off locations
• Doral opens 4 aid drop-off locations

• Aid drop-off location opens in Homestead
• Starlink offers free service through July 25, but a kit is $470
• International Medical Corps deploys staff, needs donations
• Save The Children asks for emergency fund donations

• Samaritan’s Purse focuses on ‘emergency field hospital’
• Red Cross asks for Disaster Response Emergency Fund donations
• UN asks for donations for ‘underfunded’ program for kids

• World Vision asks for ‘disaster relief fund’ donations
• World Central Kitchen asks for donations for fresh meals
• United Way Miami launches ‘Operation Helping Hands’

That's not what's happening in the volatile Mideast, where ongoing fighting still resembles a war long after ceasefire agreements were announced and President Donald Trump declared victory.

Israel is lately carrying out daily attacks on Gaza. The deal in Lebanon is a ceasefire in name only. As for Iran, low-level talks are continuing in Qatar this week under a 60-day deadline — a long way from a peace deal. People on the ground in the region, as well as some analysts and journalists, are increasingly objecting to anyone describing the state of the conflict as a “ceasefire.”

The shooting and periodic closures of the Strait of Hormuz, they point out, have never stopped for long.

“There is no ceasefire between the United States and Iran," said Fawaz A. Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, “Iran has zero trust in the Trump administration, so they are making the U.S. fulfill its obligations step by step. This tells me we are living in a new era where the ceasefire no longer really means what it used to.”

Ceasefires don't necessarily mean the shooting stops

Ceasefires are almost as old as conflict, an ancient way of formally calling a halt to hostilities. Also known as a truce, such an agreement is commonly understood to be a period between war and peace, in which the combatants agree to pause fighting while negotiations take place.

Beyond that, a truce means whatever the negotiators will tolerate as long as none backs out of talks. Breaches are common and have been used strategically to set a standard, tit-for-tat style, of acceptable lower-level hostilities during the sensitive period. The idea is to allow for accidents, miscommunications or misunderstandings that the participants agree should not scuttle talks.

Some ceasefires end up operating as long-term peace deals that can withstand violations in the absence of a formal treaty. Exhibit A: the Korean Armistice Agreement, which halted the fighting of the Korean War on July 27, 1953.

No formal treaty was ever signed, so the peninsula technically remains at war. Nonetheless, the deal halted hostilities and established the DMZ, a 4,000-meter (2.5-mile) buffer zone between North and South Korea. Breaches over the years have been commonplace.

In contrast, negotiators in the Mideast are still getting started, with the midterm U.S. elections looming and Trump eager to end the unpopular war.

Two U.S. envoys arrived in Qatar on Tuesday for talks with mediators about the an initial deal to end the war in Iran. The visit by Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special Mideast envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, comes after a weekend of crossfire in the Persian Gulf over efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic.

Defining a ceasefire in 2026 is complex

The terms of ceasefires can be vague or highly specific. They can cover troop withdrawals, cessation of hostilities, limits on where fighting can happen, humanitarian aid, buffer zones and timing. Violence levels have a good chance of dropping during a declared ceasefire.

Technically, ceasefires of varying durability exist between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and between the United States and Iran. But that has not meant an end to fighting.

Trump said it's all relative. “It’s a different part of the world, you know," he told reporters last month. "I’d say in that part, a ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”

Instead of halting fighting, the agreements have “paved the way for a new conflict in which the various parties are fighting over the postwar strategic reality and the acceptable rules of the game,” according to analyst Daniel Sobelman of Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

In the Mideast, “so-called 'rules' emerge through a process of violent bargaining over what is acceptable and what is a violation," said Sobelman, director of the graduate program in international security and diplomacy. Thus, the dissonance between the calm many people expect from a ceasefire and near-daily reports of ongoing fighting.

Does it work? Consider, Sobelman said in an email, that the U.S. and Iran have exchanged fire several times since the ceasefire went into effect, “and nonetheless the war has not erupted again because these upticks in violence are limited in time and scope.”

Institutions, from the United Nations to the U.S. Department of Defense and many news outlets like The Associated Press have broadly defined ceasefires as political instruments designed to take the pressure off the conflict as long as the sides consent to talking.

On the U.S.-Iran conflict, the AP advised its writers June 10 to include details about what’s happening on the ground, consider qualifying the deal with such terms as “tenuous” and referring to a "‘ceasefire deal,’ which speaks to the political process and not just the military/security dynamic.”

Over the weekend as fighting in the region flared again, Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., tried more colorful imagery. Asked on NBC's “Meet the Press” whether the war is really over, he described the ceasefire talks as “almost just a mop-up operation." Then he described some of the terms. “We have to press them if they strike us. We have to strike them back by 10.”

He added: “This is a ceasefire, and yeah, they broke the ceasefire.”

‘Ceasefires are changing character’

On the ground in the region it can feel like a war, and there's a rising resistance in some quarters to calling this period anything else.

“It is not a ceasefire when it applies only to Hezbollah, Hamas or Iran, but not to Israel and the United States,” Kathy Gannon, who reported from Pakistan and Afghanistan for the AP for 35 years before retiring, wrote on Substack June 7.

Much of the objection to using the term comes from Israel's ongoing attacks in Lebanon and Gaza despite ceasefires. Israeli leaders make references to deals and agreements. But they stress the country’s freedom to operate against what they say are violations and existential threats.

“Continued Israeli strikes are treated as compatible with the truce; comparable actions by others are treated as its collapse,” said H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow of Middle Eastern studies and geopolitics at the Royal United Services Institute and the Center for American Progress. “A word that once implied mutual restraint now serves to legitimize profoundly unequal restraint."

Israel continues to occupy large swaths of Lebanon's south while battling Hezbollah fighters, causing civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. More than 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in Israeli strikes since March, when Hezbollah fired at Israel two days after the Iran war began. Thirty-eight soldiers and three civilians have died on the Israeli side.

Here's what a ceasefire looks like in Gaza, where Israeli strikes have never really ended after the ceasefire agreement with Hamas in October. On Monday, Israeli strikes in southern and central Gaza killed at least eight people, including two children, and wounded at least 20 others, according to health officials and emergency services.

More than 1,000 people in Gaza have been killed since the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in October, Palestinian authorities say.

El escolta agente libre Norman Powell acordó un contrato de dos años y $45 millones USD con los Chicago Bulls, según informó Shams Charania, de ESPN.

Powell, de 33 años, obtuvo la primera selección al Juego de Estrellas de la NBA de su carrera con Miami la temporada pasada, tras promediar 21.7 puntos, 3.5 rebotes y 2.5 asistencias por partido.

En las últimas dos temporadas, promedió casi 22 puntos por encuentro.

El movimiento se produce después de que Miami decidiera asegurar la continuidad de otra pieza clave de su plantilla.

Charania también informó el lunes que el alero Andrew Wiggins planea permanecer en Miami al ejercer la opción del último año de su contrato actual para la temporada 2026-27, antes de firmar una extensión de dos años y $64 millones USD.

El nuevo acuerdo mantendría a Wiggins, de 31 años, con el Heat hasta la temporada 2028-29.

Miami también traerá de regreso al alero Simone Fontecchio con un contrato de un año, según Charania. El veterano tirador promedió 8.5 puntos por partido, con un 37.5% de efectividad en tiros de tres puntos la temporada pasada.

Además, el Heat anunció la semana pasada que ejerció la opción del equipo sobre el escolta Pelle Larsson.

Larsson, de 35 años, disputó 70 partidos durante su segunda temporada en la NBA, con promedios de 11.4 puntos, 3.5 rebotes y 3.4 asistencias en 26.4 minutos por juego, además de lanzar para un 49.6% de efectividad en tiros de campo y un 79.7% desde la línea de tiros libres.

Estos movimientos se producen después de que Miami adquiriera a la superestrella Giannis Antetokounmpo procedente de los Milwaukee Bucks en un canje de gran impacto que envió a Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. y múltiples selecciones del draft a Milwaukee.

Days after selecting play-making 18-year-old forward Gavin McKenna with the first pick in the NHL draft, Chayka added veteran depth — with Stanley Cup Final experience — in a series of moves highlighted by the signing of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year, $21 million contract as free agency opened on Wednesday.

At nearly 38, Bobrovsky is a two-time Cup champion and leaves Florida to fill what’s been a long-unaddressed need in Toronto.

“Sergei’s a real game-changer for us in terms of the stability, the consistency, the durability,” Chayka said. “We think he’s really motivated to come into the largest hockey market in the world, and it’s important to him that he finish his career strong.”

Among the other more active teams were the San Jose Sharks. They signed free agent defenseman Jacob Trouba and forward Mason Marchment, while also acquiring defenseman Darnell Nurse in a trade with Edmonton.

Utah, coming off its first playoff appearance, signed former Islanders captain Anders Lee to a three-year, $16.2 million contract and acquired Vincent Trocheck from the Rangers as the Mammoth muscled up their front line.

Aside from Lee, and with veteran forward Patrick Kane and defenseman John Carlson still available, Bobrovsky was considered among the most prized free agents on the market.

“A sincere thank you to Sergei Bobrovsky for all he did for this organization,” said Panthers general manager Bill Zito, who this past week had traded for goalies Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid. “Things happen where decisions get made and people move on. It’s part of our game. We have nothing but appreciation for Sergei.”

Though nearly a decade removed from winning the Vezina Trophy for a second time as the NHL’s top goalie with Columbus in 2017, Bobrovsky represents an upgrade for a Leafs team that’s gone through a carousel of netminders, including five alone last season. Toronto is attempting to retool on the fly with a new coach after finishing last in the Atlantic Division standings to snap a nine-year playoff run.

The Leafs also signed center Teddy Blueger, who won a Cup in 2023 with Vegas, center Colton Sissons and center Jack Roslovic.

More than 11 hours into free agency, Tampa Bay signed defenseman John Carlson to a two-year, $17 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced. Carlson chose the Lightning over other interested suitors including Carolina and Washington.

Rangers whe

el and deal

The Rangers made four trades in a five-hour span, most notably sending Trocheck to Utah for defenseman Sean Durzi, prospect Cole Beaudoin and a third-round pick in the draft next year. They also acquired Marcus Pettersson from Vancouver for a conditional 2030 first-rounder, shipped fellow defenseman Will Borgon to Boston for picks and made an additional trade with the Bruins to get backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo.

New York also signed former Tampa Bay forward Oliver Bjorkstrand to a one-year, $4.5 million contract.

Sharks stock up

The fast-improving Sharks are suddenly a destination. They acquired Nurse in a deal that sent defensive prospects Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp to Edmonton. Trouba signed a four-year, $33 million deal and Marchment signed a five-year, $33.75 million contract.

After the Sharks enjoyed a 19-win jump in the standings and barely missed the playoffs, Trouba called being part of a team on the rise behind Macklin Celebrini one of the biggest reasons he signed in the Bay Area.

“You want a team that you feel like you can grow with and make an impact and help these young guys,” Trouba said. “It’s important to get into where everybody wants to be is on a contending team, and I think we have a good opportunity in San Jose to do that.”

Goalies on the move

The Oilers shuffled goalies by acquiring Buffalo’s minor league prospect Devon Levi in a trade and added veteran Frederik Andersen on a $2.8 million contract for next season. Andersen was Carolina's goaltender on the way to the Cup final before getting injured and exiting the series.

Winnipeg signed Stuart Skinner to a two-year, $7.5 million contract with Winnipeg. The Jets' goaltending depth could be in flux with the team listening to trade offers for three-time Vezina Trophy-winner Connor Hellebuyck. Minnesota signed Calvin Pickard, while Tampa Bay got Denis Hildeby from Toronto for forward Nick Paul.

Free agent signings

— Washington, still waiting on Alex Ovechkin’s decision about whether he'll return for a 22nd NHL season, signed Columbus forward Boone Jenner ($23 million) and San Jose defenseman Vincent Desharnais ($16.8 million) to four-year contracts.

— The Los Angeles Kings signed Nashville forward Erik Haula to a two-year, $7.2 million contract. And Mats Zuccarello left Minnesota to sign with L.A.

— Chicago got veteran defenseman Ian Cole (Utah) for next season at $4.75 million.

— Colorado signed former Seattle winger Jaden Schwartz to a three-year, $9.75 million contract.

— Detroit signed Swedish winger Viktor Arvidsson (Boston) to a two-year contract worth $10 million.

Staying put

In the meantime, teams were also busy retaining players.

— Vegas re-signed defenseman Rasmus Andersson to a seven-year, $59.5 million contract.

— Florida signed rugged defenseman Radko Gudas, who just turned 36, to a six-year deal worth $1.5 million annually for a total of $9 million. The 36-year-old Gudas played in Florida for three seasons from 2020-23 and acquired in a trade with Anaheim on Monday.

— New Jersey locked up captain Nico Hischier by signing the Swiss center to a five-year extension worth $58.5 million with an annual cap hit of $11.7 million from 2027 through 2032.

— Montreal re-signed Ivan Demidov to an eight-year, $73 million contract after the 20-year-old Russian forward led all NHL rookies with 62 points (19 goals, 43 assists) last season.

— Philadelphia got two extensions done, signing forward Tyson Foerster to an eight-year, $56.8 million contract and extending goalie Dan Vladar for five years at $27.5 million.

___

AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

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

Miles de venezolanos desplazados duermen en refugios abarrotados o a la intemperie, sin acceso a agua potable, en medio de pésimas condiciones sanitarias tras los terremotos del 24 de junio, que según las autoridades dejaron al menos 2.295 muertos y más de 11.000 heridos.

Trabajadores de ayuda humanitaria señalaron que las consecuencias han derivado en una enorme crisis médica que, a menos que se controle con rapidez, cobrará más vidas en los próximos días y semanas. La emergencia ha dejado al descubierto la escasez crónica de doctores en Venezuela, resultado de años de crisis económica, falta de financiamiento y emigración.

“Ahorita es realmente el tema que vemos ya prácticamente en puerta, es las infecciones que puedan traer consigo los pacientes que más tiempo tienen expuestos a, vamos a decir, el desastre”, declaró Eugenio Cova, jefe de la unidad de traumatología del Hospital del Oeste “Dr. José Gregorio Hernández”, en Caracas. “Ya pasamos el período de los traumas complejos —que van a seguir llegando—, pero ahora vienen complicados con infecciones”.

Trabajadores humanitarios también advierten que los extensos daños a la infraestructura podrían alimentar brotes de enfermedades en las comunidades más afectadas.

“Hace mucho calor y hay mucha preocupación por posibles enfermedades transmitidas por portadores”, dijo Veronique Durroux, portavoz de la agencia humanitaria de la ONU para América Latina y el Caribe. “La gestión de residuos es un problema. La gestión de escombros, cuando se ve la magnitud de la devastación, es muy preocupante”.

Las fuerzas armadas de Estados Unidos despliegan 900 efectivos para ayudar a Venezuela

Washington tiene 900 efectivos militares actualmente sobre el terreno para apoyar las labores de socorro y rescate hasta el miércoles, dijo a The Associated Press Steven McLoud, portavoz del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos.

Los militares han reparado una pista dañada por el terremoto en el principal aeropuerto internacional del país que presta servicio a Caracas, con el fin de permitir la llegada de asistencia humanitaria, y han apostado recursos navales frente a la costa para recibir a sobrevivientes trasladados por vía aérea. Además, se desplegó a otras 100 personas del Departamento de Estado para ayudar con el trabajo de asistencia, indicó McLoud.

Hasta ahora, el gobierno del presidente Donald Trump le ha ofrecido a Venezuela 300 millones de dólares en asistencia canalizada a través de grupos de ayuda y Naciones Unidas. Pero eso es sólo una fracción de la ayuda posterior al terremoto que el país necesita: los daños materiales por los sismos se estiman en más de 6.700 millones de dólares, según un análisis satelital del Programa de la ONU para el Desarrollo.

En los últimos días han llegado otros cincuenta equipos internacionales para ayudar con las operaciones de búsqueda y rescate, incluidos de Ecuador e Israel, que no tienen relaciones diplomáticas con Venezuela. Contra todo pronóstico, los rescatistas siguen hallando a algunos sobrevivientes, entre ellos un niño pequeño el martes que estuvo atrapado durante seis días.

Hospitales en crisis reciben otro golpe

Mucho antes de los terremotos, los hospitales públicos de Venezuela ya estaban bajo presión debido a la escasez de agua, energía, equipo médico crucial y personal altamente capacitado.

Más de 7,7 millones de venezolanos han salido del país desde 2013, cuando Nicolás Maduro asumió la presidencia y la economía se desmoronó a consecuencia de mala gestión, corrupción y una caída en los precios del petróleo. Entre quienes se fueron había muchos médicos especialistas y enfermeras.

La asociación médica de Venezuela calcula que cerca de un tercio de sus 60.000 doctores registrados han salido del país desde que comenzó la crisis económica. El doctor Huníades Urbina, miembro de la junta de la asociación de pediatría de Venezuela, dijo que la cifra de los que se fueron equivale aproximadamente a la mitad de los 84.000 que el país necesita, según los estándares de la Organización Mundial de la Salud.

Urbina añadió que una encuesta nacional sobre hospitales públicos efectuada en 2025 reveló escasez de más del 30% de los insumos de emergencia y de más del 70% de los insumos en quirófanos. Los laboratorios están “todos prácticamente cerrados o hacen las cosas básicas únicamente”, apuntó.

Los terremotos ponen “en evidencia una vez más la ineficiencia del Estado venezolano para tener un sistema de salud adecuado, acorde con las necesidades del pueblo”, agregó.

Hospitales mal equipados reciben mayor número de pacientes

Quienes se quedan ahora enfrentan la abrumadora perspectiva de atender miles de lesiones graves a consecuencia de estructuras de concreto aplastadas y derrumbadas.

El Hospital del Oeste “Dr. José Gregorio Hernández” carece de tornillos y placas necesarios para cirugías ortopédicas y gasas medicadas para prevenir infecciones, según Cova, quien realiza cirugías de extremidades aplastadas en quirófanos improvisados debido a que posibles daños causados por el terremoto han dejado partes del edificio inaccesibles. Incluso, los médicos han comenzado a publicar en redes sociales los suministros que necesitan, solicitando donaciones.

Según el gobierno, los terremotos dañaron o comprometieron de algún modo 38 hospitales en todo el país.

Además hay una escasez nacional de ambulancias que obliga a muchos heridos a llegar a los hospitales en la parte trasera de camionetas pickup, indicó Jaime Lorenzo, director de Médicos Unidos de Venezuela, una red sin fines de lucro de profesionales de la medicina. Esa es sólo una de las maneras en que ciudadanos comunes, que dicen sentirse abandonados por el gobierno, alegan que se han visto obligados a hacerse cargo de gran parte de las labores de rescate.

Cuando el caos y el trauma de los sismos empiecen a disminuir, Lorenzo indicó que teme que los hospitales se vean ante una nueva ola de pacientes: venezolanos que, al quedar repentinamente sin hogar tras los terremotos, han pasado toda la semana sin medicación para enfermedades crónicas como asma, diabetes e hipertensión.

Cuestionamientos sobre la respuesta del gobierno

El gobierno de la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez —quien fue vicepresidenta del gobierno de Maduro hasta que Estados Unidos lo derrocó en enero, y quien se convirtió en mandataria interina con el respaldo del gobierno de Trump— ha enfrentado crecientes críticas por la forma en que ha manejado el desastre.

Videos que circulan en redes sociales en los últimos días parecen mostrar a agentes de seguridad hurgando entre los escombros de edificios caídos y llevándose dólares estadounidenses, electrodomésticos y otras pertenencias personales, lo que desató una indignación generalizada entre los venezolanos. La AP no pudo verificarlos.

En respuesta a los videos, el Ministerio del Interior declaró el miércoles que destituyó y detuvo a cuatro funcionarios policiales, ya que estuvieron “desviándose de sus deberes y aprovechándose de las labores de rescate y asistencia humanitaria”.

Miles de personas siguen desaparecidas, lo que añade incertidumbre a la cifra total de los temblores y deja a las familias en un limbo angustiante mientras esperan durante días junto a edificios desplomados, con la esperanza de que aparezcan los cuerpos de sus seres queridos. Una base de datos digital no gubernamental, en la que las familias pueden registrar a sus seres queridos desaparecidos, mostraba que más de 40.600 personas seguían sin ser localizadas hasta el miércoles.

Funcionarios estadounidenses rechazaron el miércoles las acusaciones de que Rodríguez estaba politizando las labores de respuesta, y restaron importancia a las críticas generalizadas de que hay fallos del gobierno venezolano para responder a la crisis. El general Francis Donovan, jefe del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos, atribuyó la culpa a décadas de abandono en Venezuela que, dijo, “hicieron esto aún más desafiante para el gobierno actual”.

“Es un gran problema para cualquier líder el tener que lidiar con un desafío de esta magnitud”, expresó Donovan.

___

Janetsky reportó desde Ciudad de México y DeBre desde Buenos Aires. El periodista de The Associated Press Ben Finley contribuyó a este despacho desde Washington D.C.

___

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

Tras 16 partidos individuales de eliminación directa, los equipos ganadores avanzarán a los octavos de final del torneo, que comienzan el 4 de julio.

Aquí está la lista de los equipos que han avanzado a los octavos de final:

1. Canadá , subcampeona del Grupo B , se clasificó tras una victoria por 1-0 el 28 de junio contra Canadá. Su partido de octavos de final se disputará el 4 de julio a la 13:00 contra Marruecos.
2. Brasil , ganador del Grupo C , se clasificó tras vencer a Japón por 2-0 el 29 de junio . Su partido de octavos de final se disputará el 5 de julio a las 16:00 contra Noruega.
3. Paraguay , tercero del Grupo D , se clasificó tras un empate 1-1 que culminó con una victoria por 4-3 en la tanda de penaltis contra Alemania el 29 de junio. El partido de octavos de final de la selección se disputará a las 17:00 en el Estadio Filadelfia.
4. Marruecos , subcampeón del Grupo C , se clasificó tras un empate 1-1 que culminó con una victoria por 3-2 en la tanda de penaltis contra los Países Bajos el 30 de junio. Su partido de octavos de final se disputará el 4 de julio a la 13:00 contra Canadá.
5. Francia , ganadora del Grupo I , se clasificó tras vencer a Suecia por 3-0 el 1 de julio. Su partido de octavos de final se disputará el 4 de julio a las 17:00 contra Paraguay.
6. Noruega , subcampeona del Grupo I , se clasificó tras vencer a Costa de Marfil por 2-1 el 1 de julio. Su partido de octavos de final se disputará el 5 de julio a las 16:00 contra Brasil.
7. México , ganador del Grupo A , se clasificó tras vencer a Ecuador por 2-0 el 1 de julio. Su partido de octavos de final se jugará el 5 de julio a las 20:00 horas.

SEGUIMIENTO DEL PROGRESO

• Octavos de final de clasificación
• Eliminaciones durante la Ronda de 32
• Equipos de la ronda de 32
• Consulta el cuadro de eliminatorias

CALENDARIO DEL TORNEO

Partidos de dieciseisavos de final

1 de julio

• El partido entre Inglaterra y la República Democrática del Congo se disputará al mediodía en el estadio de Atlanta.
• El partido entre Bélgica y Senegal se disputará a las 16:00 horas en el estadio de Seattle.
• El partido entre Estados Unidos y Bosnia y Herzegovina se jugará a las 8 pm en el Estadio del Área de la Bahía de San Francisco.

Eventos para ver el partido en Miami : El festival para fans abre de 11:00 a 23:00 en Bayfront Park, en 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

2 de julio

• España contra Austria a las 15:00 en el Estadio de Los Ángeles.
• Portugal contra Croacia a las 19:00 en el Estadio de Toronto.
• Suiza contra Argelia a las 23:00 en el BC Place de Vancouver.

Eventos para ver el partido en Miami : El festival para fans se celebra de 14:00 a 22:00 en Bayfront Park, en 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

3 de julio

• El partido entre Australia y Egipto se jugará a las 2 de la tarde en el estadio de Dallas.
• El partido Argentina vs Cabo Verde se jugará a las 6 pm en el Estadio de Miami.
• El partido Colombia vs Ghana se jugará a las 9:30 pm en el Estadio de Kansas City.

Eventos para ver el partido en Miami : El festival para fans se celebra de 13:00 a 21:00 en Bayfront Park, en 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

Comienza la ronda de octavos de final.

4 de julio

• El partido entre Canadá y Marruecos se jugará a la 1 pm en el Estadio de Houston.
• Paraguay contra Francia se juega a las 5 pm en el Estadio de Filadelfia.

Fiestas para ver el partido en Miami : El festival para fans abre sus puertas desde el mediodía hasta la medianoche en Bayfront Park, en 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

5 de julio

• Brasil contra Noruega a las 4 pm en el Estadio de Nueva York/Nueva Jersey.
• México a las 8 pm en el Estadio de la Ciudad de México

Fiestas para ver el partido en Miami : El festival para fans abre sus puertas el último día de 15:00 a 23:00 en Bayfront Park, en 301 Biscayne Boulevard.

6 de julio : Hay dos partidos a las 15:00 y a las 20:00.

7 de julio : Hay dos partidos a las 12:00 y a las 16:00.

Comienzan los cuartos de final

9 de julio : Hay un partido de cuartos de final a las 16:00.

10 de julio : Hay un partido de cuartos de final a las 15:00.

11 de julio : Hay dos partidos de cuartos de final a las 17:00 y a las 21:00.

Fiesta para ver el partido al amanecer : El Amerant Bank Arena, un recinto cubierto, organiza una fiesta gratuita para ver el partido a las 17:00 horas del 11 de julio para quienes tengan entrada . El aparcamiento es gratuito.

Comienzan las semifinales

14 de julio : El festival de aficionados ha finalizado. Hay un partido de semifinales a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver el partido en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 14 de julio en The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para el partido de semifinales.

15 de julio : Hay un partido de semifinales a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver el partido en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 15 de julio en The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para el partido de semifinales.

Comienzan las finales

18 de julio : El partido por el tercer puesto se jugará a las 17:00.

Fiesta para ver la final en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a las 3 pm del 18 de julio en The Sandbowl, detrás de The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para la final de bronce de las 5 pm.

Viaje al amanecer al estadio : El Amerant Bank Arena ofrece estacionamiento gratuito para los poseedores de entradas para la Copa Mundial de la FIFA que utilicen el servicio de autobús exprés gratuito del condado de Broward para llegar al Miami Stadium, también conocido como Hard Rock, en Miami Gardens.

19 de julio : El partido final es a las 15:00.

Fiesta para ver la final en Miami Beach: Las puertas se abren a la 1 pm del 19 de julio en The Sandbowl, detrás de The Bandshell, en 7275 Collins Ave., para la final que comienza a las 3 pm.

Fiesta para ver el partido al amanecer : El Amerant Bank Arena, un recinto cubierto, organiza una fiesta gratuita para ver la final el 19 de julio para los poseedores de entradas . El estacionamiento es gratuito.

CMA CGM Group said the acquisition will triple the size of its own logistics arm, CEVA Logistics and help build its presence as a contract logistics provider in North America.

In 2025, CMA CGM pledged to invest $20 billion in its U.S. warehousing, air cargo and logistics over four years.

The two companies said they expected to enter into multiyear air and ocean freight commercial agreements as well.

Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of CMA CGM Group, said the deal will "reinforce our long-term commitment to investing in the United States and supporting the resilience and efficiency of its supply chain.”

FedEx, based in Memphis, Tennessee, has been spinning off some businesses to focus on its delivery business, focusing on higher-margin business-to-business deliveries for the healthcare, automotive, aerospace and data center industries. It completed its spinoff of FedEx Freight, which transports heavy and bulky shipments, on June 1.

The acquisition is expected to close later this year, subject to regulatory approvals.

The air cargo and ocean freight deals are expected to be ironed out in different phases between 2026 and 2028.