Officials said they were called to the Dames Point Bridge on April 12 after a man was spotted getting ready to jump and take his own life.

Video shows a number of officers surrounding the man, who was standing on the ledge of the bridge.

As the man was preparing to jump, Officer Antonio Richardson stepped in.

Richardson is seen in the video speaking to the man for a while and eventually extending out his hand, even offering to pray for him.

Other officers also kept encouraging the man, who eventually took Richardson’s hand, leading to a very emotional embrace between the two.

Jacksonville police say in that moment, their officers weren’t the police, but rather people showing how much they cared for another person, adding that they do what they do every day because they care.

If you or someone you know is struggling mentally, there is help available. Call or text 9-8-8 to reach the suicide hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

On Sunday at Haulover Park, the Miami Host Committee put on the One Game One Future youth soccer clinic.

Participants enjoyed a coach’s workshop that included all kinds of soccer drills.

Grassroot Soccer was part of the event. The health organization uses soccer to help yougsters learn more about life-saving information and how to live a healthier life.

The organization says today their focus was mental health and, of course, soccer.

“We are so excited to be involved with FIFA and the Miami Host Committee to run some mental health soccer programs here called ‘MindSKILLZ,’” said Grassroot Soccer co-founder Ethan Zohn. “We’re using metaphors from the sport of soccer to deliver some really important health information to protect these kids and make them aware about mental health and the dangers and issues around mental health.

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It was shortly after 11:50 p.m. on Monday. Bell, 23, had allegedly used a 7-foot metal pole as a weapon at Taboo Miami by G5ive, an adult entertainment club.

Bell’s questions for NMB police officers before she took off running included, “Why are you guys walking up on me?”

Police officers reported running after Bell from the Shell gas station at Northwest Seventh Avenue and 171st Street to the westbound ramp of State Road 826.

“I have a heart problem ... I have asthma,” Bell said, as police officers ordered her to stand up. “I am telling you, I can’t ... I am scared.”

Bell, of Detroit, worked as a stripper at Taboo Miami by G5ive and was terminated over alleged “bizarre behavior,” according to the arrest report.

The video shows that Bell told the arresting NMB police officers that she was the real victim.

“They just literally put their hands on me and pushed my head against the ground,” Bell said. “You all can watch the cameras.”

On Monday, Bell appeared before Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer, facing seven charges: Aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, providing a false name or ID after arrest, and four counts of resisting arrest without violence.

Glazer learned that there was a warrant out of Georgia for her arrest for failure to appear in court over a robbery case.

Related report: Police: Fugitive working as stripper turns pole into weapon at North Miami Beach adult club

Videos de cámaras corporales de oficiales de la policía de North Miami Beach muestran a Princess Bell en una gasolinera antes de que decidiera huir, según la policía.

Era poco después de las 11:50 p.m. del lunes. Bell, de 23 años, presuntamente utilizó un tubo metálico de 7 pies como arma en Taboo Miami by G5ive, un club de entretenimiento para adultos.

Las preguntas de Bell a los oficiales antes de salir corriendo incluyeron: “¿Por qué ustedes se me están acercando?”

Los oficiales reportaron que corrieron tras Bell desde la gasolinera Shell en Northwest Seventh Avenue y 171st Street hasta la rampa oeste de la State Road 826.

“Tengo un problema del corazón… tengo asma”, dijo Bell mientras los oficiales le ordenaban que se levantara. “Les digo que no puedo… tengo miedo”.

Bell, de Detroit, trabajaba como stripper en Taboo Miami by G5ive y fue despedida por presunto “comportamiento extraño”, según el informe de arresto.

El video muestra que Bell dijo a los oficiales que la arrestaron que ella era la verdadera víctima.

“Ellos literalmente me pusieron las manos encima y empujaron mi cabeza contra el suelo”, dijo Bell. “Ustedes pueden ver las cámaras”.

El lunes, Bell compareció ante la jueza del circuito del condado Miami-Dade Mindy Glazer, enfrentando siete cargos: agresión agravada, asalto agravado con arma mortal, proporcionar un nombre o identificación falsa tras el arresto y cuatro cargos de resistirse al arresto sin violencia.

Glazer supo que había una orden de arresto en Georgia por no comparecer ante la corte en un caso de robo.

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Reginald Jackson, 40, and Roderick Martin, 39, were charged in the murders of 70-year-old Annette Anderson and 20-year-old Tyrone Walker Jr. in Miami Gardens.

Jackson will get 40 years in prison, while Martin will get 25.

Jackson had had an expletive-laden outburst in court during a previous hearing, claiming he was upset that his family wasn’t in the courtroom for him to accept the plea deal.

A motive for the crime remains unclear. Jackson’s attorney, Jimmy Dellafera, said he never told him.

“It’s difficult to pose any questions, as a defense lawyer, to a defendant and many times you don’t know,” Dellafera said. “You don’t really want to be in a position as a defense counsel to have your client confess to you”

The victims’ loved ones declined to comment.

The company earned $26.77 billion, or $10.44 per share, in the January-March period, up about 61% from $16.64 billion, or $6.43 per share, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 33% from last year to $56.31 billion. Meta was expected to earn $6.67 per share on revenue of $55.6 billion, per the estimates of analysts surveyed by FactSet Research.

“We had a milestone quarter with strong momentum across our apps and the release of our first model from Meta Superintelligence Labs,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. “We’re on track to deliver personal superintelligence to billions of people.”

Meta expects total revenue for the second and current quarter to be in the range of $58 billion to $61 billion, compared with the average analyst estimate of $59.48 billion.

The company also updated its projected capital expenditures for the year to be in the range of $125 billion to $145 billion, increased from the previously announced range of $115 billion to 4135 billion. Meta said the change reflects its expectations of higher component pricing and, “to a lesser extent,” additional data center costs.

When Meta posted its initial forecast for 2026 spending at the close of last year, it said the year-over-year growth was driven by increased investment to support Meta Superintelligence Labs efforts. Since then, the company has said it is laying off about 10% of its workforce, or about 8,000 workers, as it continues to ramp up spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure and highly paid AI-expert hires.

Meta ended March with nearly 78,000 workers, up 1% year over year.

Meta's stock price was down more than 6% in extended trading after the numbers came out.

The vote came just two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his proposal and the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The decision could make it harder for Democrats to challenge Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts in ways that limit the influence of nonwhite voters.

DeSantis’ map could increase Republicans’ advantage in Florida’s House delegation to 24 to 4, up from the current split of 20 to 8. The potential four-seat gain is the same as what Virginia Democrats expect from a recent redistricting referendum, which is being challenged in state court there.

Florida’s new map is certain to face lawsuits as well, especially because the state constitution prohibits redistricting for explicitly partisan purposes. DeSantis and his aides believe those provisions will not be a legal barrier because they have been weakened previously by the Florida Supreme Court and again by Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Florida Republicans, comfortable in their supermajority in both legislative chambers, said little about the new districts during the whirlwind special session. The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, limited her remarks to careful answers about an “evolving legal landscape” as Democrats’ asked her about the redistricting effort.

“I believe that there is a likelihood that that map will be upheld against legal challenge,” Persons-Mulicka said.

Democrats decried it as a partisan power play to satisfy Trump and hurt the majority of registered Florida voters who are not Republicans.

“Y’all are doing this because y’all’s daddy in the White House is injecting national political objectives into what should be a state-driven process,” Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, told her Republican colleagues.

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Daytona Beach police pulled over a car they say was involved in a shooting on Saturday, but it quickly turned into a chaotic chase.

Officers started to question the driver, identified as Cory Acree, when they noticed a small baggie between the door and the driver’s seat.

Authorities said the officer picked up the bag and asked Acree to get out of the car, and that’s when he took off.

Officers were able to find Arcee’s young daughter a short distance away from where they took him into custody after they said he ditched her in the woods to try and run away faster.

As they put handcuffs on and detained Acree, officers said they immediately got his daughter out of the woods.

They placed her away from the arrest and did everything to comfort her, handing her stickers and toys.

Acree faces multiple charges including fleeing from officers, drug trafficking and child abuse.

He is being held behind bars on no bond.

La policía de Daytona Beach detuvo un auto que, según dijeron, estaba involucrado en una balacera el sábado, pero rápidamente se convirtió en una persecución caótica.

Los oficiales comenzaron a interrogar al conductor, identificado como Cory Acree, cuando notaron una pequeña bolsa entre la puerta y el asiento del conductor.

Las autoridades dijeron que el oficial recogió la bolsa y le pidió a Acree que saliera del auto, y fue entonces cuando salió corriendo.

Los oficiales lograron encontrar a la hija pequeña de Acree a poca distancia de donde lo detuvieron, después de que, según dijeron, la abandonó en el bosque para intentar huir más rápido.

Mientras le colocaban las esposas y lo detenían, los oficiales dijeron que de inmediato sacaron a la niña del bosque.

La colocaron lejos del arresto e hicieron todo lo posible por consolarla, dándole calcomanías y juguetes.

Acree enfrenta múltiples cargos, incluidos huir de los oficiales, tráfico de drogas y abuso infantil.

Permanece detenido sin derecho a fianza.

Back-to-back losses have the Atlanta Hawks looking into their arsenal of defensive schemes and bench rotations as they search for an answer to defending a high-powered Knicks offense. Karl-Anthony Towns posted a triple-double on Saturday night as Atlanta sealed off Jalen Brunson. The roles were reversed on Tuesday night when a freed-up Brunson scored 39 points.

“Everyone's going to make adjustments," Towns said. “So just being prepared for whatever the defense throws at us and being able to react accordingly.”

Defensively, the Knicks have found a solution for CJ McCollum, who stole Games 2 and 3 with clutch offensive performances. The Hawks' top scorers, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, have struggled to replicate their regular-season success.

“Their defense never really let us establish consistently how we need to play to beat them,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said after Tuesday's 126-97 loss. “We need to execute on who we are and what we've done to be a good team, and like I said, that's hard against a team of their caliber.”

Meanwhile in Boston, 76ers' center Joel Embiid proved he'd been what the team was missing in just his second game back after an appendectomy. The former league MVP paced Philadelphia with 33 points and led the team to a 113-97 road win.

“He (Embiid) was dominant, especially in the second half,” Tyrese Maxey said after the game. “He did a really good job of just inserting himself, and you know, I was proud of him tonight, man.”

The Sixers, with newfound momentum, will try to tie the series at home while the Celtics hope to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“It’ll take everything we’ve got,” Maxey said Tuesday. “It’ll take even more of an effort than it did tonight.”

The Timberwolves might not have lost their confidence or swagger with the injuries to star Anthony Edwards and sparkplug Donte DiVincenzo, but their discipline and focus sure disappeared in the Game 5 defeat in Denver where they fell behind by as many as 27 points in the fourth quarter, with 25 turnovers the most glaring problem.

Though Edwards and DiVincenzo are their two best 3-point shooters and offensive creators, a revival of the smothering defense that fueled the rally in Game 2 and blowout wins in Games 3 and 4 will be the biggest key to the Timberwolves taking the series.

“There’s no doubt that we miss Donte and Ant and all the things they do offensively and defensively, but we played a large part of Game 4 without those guys, so we still have really good defenders elsewhere,” coach Chris Finch said. “I didn’t like our attack mindset the other day. I thought we kind of waited on our heels a little bit too much. We’ve just got to be better getting back to what we know will work for us better.”

New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN)

Series: New York leads 3-2.

Betting line: Knicks by 2.5.

What to Know: The Knicks rank second in postseason scoring, averaging 113.2 points per game while shooting 48.1% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point range. Atlanta trails in all three categories, averaging 102.6 points per game on 44.8% shooting from the field and 32.2% from beyond the arc. Brunson is coming off his best offensive performance of the series with 39 points. His 22 career playoff games with 30 or more points are the most in franchise history. Towns has found a rhythm as a passer, recording 16 assists over the past two games and averaging 2.2 more assists per game than he did in the regular season. Hawks' Alexander-Walker is averaging 14.2 points per game this postseason, down 6.8 from his regular-season average.

Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 8 p.m. EDT (Peacock)

Series: Boston leads 3-2.

Betting line: Celtics by 6.5.

What to Know: The Celtics top the NBA in postseason three-pointers made (84) and rebounds per game (47.6). Jaylen Brown has been Boston’s top scorer, averaging 25.8 points per game in the playoffs. Jayson Tatum leads in nearly every other category, averaging 10.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Payton Pritchard had a postseason career-high 32 points vs. Philadelphia on Sunday night. In two playoff games vs. Boston, Embiid has averaged 29.5 points almost exclusively from the field and free-throw line. Embiid is 1 for 11 on 3-pointers this series and 21 for 44 from the field. Maxey is averaging over 40 minutes per game in the playoffs with 25.6 points per game, 6.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds.

Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves

When/Where to Watch: Game 6, 9:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN)

Series: Minnesota leads 3-2.

Betting line: Nuggets by 5.5.

What to Know: Ayo Dosunmu and Mike Conley Jr. earned their first starts of the series for Minnesota with Edwards and DiVincenzo sidelined with injuries. Dosunmu leads the team with 21.8 points per game in the postseason, seven more than his regular-season average. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are both averaging over 25 points per game for the Nuggets, with Jokic also contributing a team-high 14 rebounds per game and 9.4 assists. He has two triple-doubles in the series.

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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

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

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Broward, el choque con fuga fue reportado poco antes de las 10 p.m. cerca de la cuadra 4900 de West Hallandale Beach Boulevard.

Los momentos previos al choque fueron captados en video por el cercano Koinonia Worship Center.

Kyra Budgett dijo a Local 10 News que su tío, Derrick Sheffield, fue quien murió en el choque con fuga.

“Golpeaste a alguien”, dijo. “Un padre, un tío, un primo, que era querido”.

Ella creó un memorial a lo largo de West Hallandale Beach Boulevard la tarde del miércoles para el hombre de 60 años.

“Duele en este momento porque la persona que lo atropelló, lo atropelló y siguió”, dijo. “Como si fuera un pedazo de basura”.

Un equipo de Local 10 News estuvo en el área más tarde el lunes por la noche mientras una lona cubría el cuerpo de la víctima. Se vio a detectives hablando con testigos en la lavandería en la esquina donde ocurrió el choque.

También se observaron escombros y guantes de los investigadores en el suelo, junto con la bicicleta de la víctima.

“Él recorrió estas calles por años y nunca le pasó nada”, dijo Budgett. “Simplemente esa noche, alguien le quitó la vida”.

Los agentes dijeron que la policía de Pembroke Park respondió inicialmente al incidente y que la víctima fue declarada muerta en el lugar.

El departamento de policía luego solicitó que la Unidad de Homicidios de Tránsito de BSO investigara las circunstancias del choque fatal, informó BSO.

“Pudiste haberte detenido, pudo haber sido un accidente, estaba oscuro, era de noche”, dijo Budgett. “Pudiste haberte detenido y no lo hiciste”.

Cualquier persona con información sobre el choque con fuga debe llamar a Broward Crime Stoppers al 954-493-8477.

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Authorities said the dog’s owner left him in the care of Gongtao Sun, 37, on April 18 while she worked. The two appeared to have been living together with the dog at an apartment in the 5500 block of North University Drive.

According to an arrest report from the Lauderhill Police Department, the woman was working that afternoon but had a video feed of her dog, named Chepe, in his crate. Detectives said the camera fell over and Sun sent the woman a photo of Chepe, in which he “looked normal,” and fixed the camera, but it “fell over again.”

Police said Sun let the owner know that Chepe had “bumped his head” but was OK. The report states, “She was not getting any answers as to why Sun was not answering her calls and why the camera was not positioned correctly.”

Police said at around 4:30 p.m., the woman spoke to Sun on the phone and “asked him to bring Chepe to the vet.”

“Sun sent (the woman) a video holding Chepe, but Chepe was not moving,” the report states. “Chepe’s head was swollen.”

The woman wasn’t able to get home from work until 8 p.m. and saw Chepe still home, injured.

Police said Sun claimed that he had gone to the bathroom and found Chepe “underneath the computer monitor having a seizure.” Police said he claimed that the dog “got tangled in the computer wires,” causing it to fall on his head.

They said the woman asked Sun to take the dog to the veterinarian.

“He just needs to rest,” police said he told her. “Hopefully he will learn his lesson. I don’t have money to take him to the vet.”

Police said the woman took Chepe to the veterinarian, who documented severe head trauma, seizures, neck bruising, eye hemorrhaging and abdominal injuries inconsistent with that of a falling computer monitor.

“The injuries are more consistent with a blunt force trauma to the head that was inflicted repeated times and the swelling around his neck can indicate choking,” the report states.

The dog’s owner later told detectives that veterinary staff told her Chepe was “a vegetable” with a 10% chance of survival, according to the report. Veterinarians had recommended euthanasia, but Chepe “was able to stand” but not “able to fully walk” at a veterinary appointment on Monday.

“It is possible that Chepe will have neurological deficits in the future as a result of this incident,” LPD Detective Alexandra Johnson wrote. “At this time, it is unclear if he will return to a normal functioning dog like he was before.”

With the dog “still recovering” and facing “a long road ahead,” the woman began staying somewhere else, the report states.

Police arrested Sun on Tuesday and he appeared in Broward bond court on Wednesday, where a judge ordered he be held on a $20,000 bond, receive a mental health evaluation and not possess any animals or have contact with Chepe’s owner.

As of Wednesday afternoon, he remained in the Broward Main Jail.

Las autoridades dijeron que la dueña del perro lo dejó al cuidado de Gongtao Sun, de 37 años, el 18 de abril mientras trabajaba. Ambos aparentemente vivían juntos con el perro en un apartamento en la cuadra 5500 de North University Drive.

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de Lauderhill, la mujer estaba trabajando esa tarde, pero tenía una transmisión de video de su perro, llamado Chepe, en su jaula. Los detectives dijeron que la cámara se cayó y Sun le envió una foto de Chepe, en la que “se veía normal”, y acomodó la cámara, pero “se volvió a caer”.

La policía dijo que Sun le informó a la dueña que Chepe “se había golpeado la cabeza”, pero que estaba bien. El informe indica: “Ella no estaba recibiendo respuestas sobre por qué Sun no contestaba sus llamadas y por qué la cámara no estaba colocada correctamente”.

La policía dijo que alrededor de las 4:30 p.m., la mujer habló con Sun por teléfono y “le pidió que llevara a Chepe al veterinario”.

“Sun le envió un video sosteniendo a Chepe, pero Chepe no se movía”, señala el informe. “La cabeza de Chepe estaba hinchada”.

La mujer no pudo regresar a casa del trabajo hasta las 8 p.m. y vio a Chepe aún en la vivienda, herido.

La policía dijo que Sun afirmó que había ido al baño y encontró a Chepe “debajo del monitor de computadora teniendo una convulsión”. También dijo que el perro “se enredó en los cables de la computadora”, lo que provocó que el monitor le cayera en la cabeza.

Indicaron que la mujer le pidió a Sun que llevara al perro al veterinario.

“Solo necesita descansar”, dijeron que él le respondió. “Ojalá aprenda la lección. No tengo dinero para llevarlo al veterinario”.

La policía dijo que la mujer llevó a Chepe al veterinario, quien documentó trauma severo en la cabeza, convulsiones, moretones en el cuello, hemorragia en los ojos y lesiones abdominales que no coinciden con la caída de un monitor de computadora.

“Las lesiones son más consistentes con trauma contundente en la cabeza infligido repetidas veces y la hinchazón alrededor del cuello puede indicar asfixia”, indica el informe.

La dueña del perro dijo posteriormente a los detectives que el personal veterinario le indicó que Chepe estaba “como un vegetal” con un 10% de probabilidad de sobrevivir, según el informe. Los veterinarios habían recomendado la eutanasia, pero Chepe “podía ponerse de pie”, aunque no “caminar completamente”, en una cita veterinaria el lunes.

“Es posible que Chepe tenga déficits neurológicos en el futuro como resultado de este incidente”, escribió la detective de LPD Alexandra Johnson. “En este momento, no está claro si volverá a ser un perro con funcionamiento normal como antes”.

Con el perro “aún recuperándose” y enfrentando “un largo camino por delante”, la mujer comenzó a quedarse en otro lugar, indica el informe.

La policía arrestó a Sun el martes y compareció el miércoles ante un tribunal de fianzas en Broward, donde un juez ordenó que permaneciera detenido con una fianza de $20,000 USD, que reciba una evaluación de salud mental y que no posea animales ni tenga contacto con la dueña de Chepe.

Hasta la tarde del miércoles, permanecía en la cárcel principal de Broward.

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According to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the hit-and-run crash was reported shortly before 10 p.m. near the 4900 block of West Hallandale Beach Boulevard.

The moments before the crash were captured on video by the nearby Koinonia Worship Center.

Kyra Budgett told Local 10 News it was her uncle, Derrick Sheffield, who was killed in the hit-and-run crash.

“You hit someone,” she said. “A father, uncle, a cousin, that was loved.”

She created a memorial along West Hallandale Beach Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon for the 60-year-old.

“Hurt right now because the person that hit him, they hit him and kept going,” she said. “Like he was a piece of trash.”

A Local 10 News crew was in the area later Monday evening as a tarp covered the victim’s body. Detectives were seen speaking with witnesses at the laundromat on the corner of where the crash occurred.

Debris and gloves from investigators were also spotted on the ground, along with the victim’s bicycle.

“He road these streets for years and nothing ever happened to him,” said Budgett. “It just so happened that night, somebody took his life.”

Deputies said Pembroke Park police initially responded to the crash and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The police department then requested that BSO’s Traffic Homicide Unit investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash, BSO said.

“You could have stopped, it could have been an accident, it was dark, it was night,” said Budgett. “You could have stopped and didn’t.”

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

Gun control activists slammed the moves as dangerous and irresponsible just days after authorities say a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and kill the Republican president.

Among the more than 30 changes announced Wednesday is the proposed repeal of a 2024 Biden administration rule that sought to force thousands more firearms dealers across the U.S. to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores.

That rule aimed to close what is sometimes called the “gun show loophole,” which allowed guns to be sold by unlicensed dealers who do not perform background checks to ensure the potential buyer is not legally prohibited from having a firearm. Gun rights groups and Republican-led states had challenged the rule in court, arguing it violated the Second Amendment and that Biden didn't have the authority to implement it.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called the slate of revisions the “most comprehensive regulatory reform package in the history" of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Blanche said the changes bring gun regulations in line with Supreme Court precedent while cutting down on unnecessary burdens on firearms sellers and lawful gun owners.

“For too long, regulations were written without any real understanding of how firearms businesses operate, how lawful gun owners handle their firearms, or what truly improves public safety,” Blanche said.

Gun control groups accused the administration of catering to gun rights activists with loosened regulations they said would make the country less safe.

“Four days after the nation watched gunfire break out at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the Trump administration’s answer is to gut commonsense gun safety laws and sabotage the only federal agency dedicated to keeping guns out of criminal hands,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said in a statement.

The changes were signed shortly after Robert Cekada, a longtime law enforcement officer, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to lead the ATF, the federal agency responsible for enforcing the country's gun laws. Cekada, who joined the ATF in 2005, has been been running the day-to-day operations of the agency for the last year as its deputy director.

Cekada is only the third person to be confirmed to lead the agency since the director’s position was made confirmable in 2006. The agency has mostly been led by acting directors, with both Republican and Democratic administrations failing to get nominees for the ATF position through the politically fraught process.

The ATF has long been the target of conservatives for its role in role in gun regulation, but Trump's Justice Department has touted the agency's role in taking illegal guns off the street and stopping violent crime.

“Rob is exactly the right person to lead the ATF at this moment,” Blanche said.

Alphabet earned $62.6 billion, or $5.11 per share, during the January-March period, an 81% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 22% from last year to $109.9 billion. Both numbers easily surpassed the analyst projections that steer investors.

Alphabet's stock price rose more than 6% in extended trading after the numbers came out, setting up the shares to hit a new high during Thursday's regular session. The company's market value currently stands at $4.2 trillion, up from $1.9 trillion just a year ago.

The performance in the past quarter prompted Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to celebrate the huge bets that the company has been placing on AI technology during the past three years. Those investments, Pichai said, “are lighting up every part of the business.”

As usual, digital ads fueled by Google’s dominant search engine propelled the growth as revenue from those operations shot up 16% from last year’s first quarter. It marked the fourth straight quarter that Google's ad sales increased by more than 10% from the previous year.

Google’s fastest growing division remains its Cloud division, which has been riding the AI boom to sell more products and services to corporate customers and government agencies such as the deal that it just struck with the U.S. military. Google Cloud’s revenue surged 63% from last year to $20 billion.

That growth is a sign that Alphabet’s spending spree on AI is producing dividends so far, although investors continue to worry that the Mountain View, California, company and its Big Tech peers are pouring too much money into a still-nascent and unproven technology.

Alphabet, though, is betting that it’s better to overspend on AI than being too stingy and risk behind left behind.

In a previous quarterly update released in February, Alphabet disclosed that it's earmarking $175 billion to $185 billion for capital expenditures this year that will largely be devoted to building AI data centers and other tools tied to the technology. That's on top of $91 billion in capital expenditures last year.

“It’s really exciting to see how our AI investments are delivering value,” Pichai said Wednesday.

The 6-3 ruling effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act’s requirement that districts be drawn to give minority voters a chance to elect representatives of their choosing. One practical effect of that requirement was the protection of reliably Democratic-voting majority-minority districts, even in solidly red states where lawmakers could otherwise favor the GOP.

With that mandate now largely gone, Republican lawmakers across the country — and especially in the South — have a freer hand to eliminate Democratic-leaning districts and pad the total number of seats they can win to hold the U.S. House. There are more than a dozen such seats in Republican-controlled states.

Shortly after the ruling, Republicans were urging a review of their congressional maps in Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and elsewhere.

Their immediate challenge is that the ruling came down well after filing deadlines for this year’s primary elections — and in some cases, after those primary elections have been held. That means ballots are set and in some states early and absentee voting has already begun.

‘No time to waste’

The timing makes it difficult to tear up maps and draw new ones. In Louisiana, where the mandate to draw a second, Democratic-leaning majority-Black House district led to Tuesday’s decision, the primary election for federal offices is set for May 16 — and early voting is scheduled to begin Saturday. Nevertheless, the state’s governor, attorney general and legislative leaders were meeting to discuss how the state would respond.

Republicans have been scrambling to comply with President Donald Trump’s directive to redraw maps to add more winnable House seats to stave off losses in the midterms. In a sign of the pressure for Republicans to take advantage of the opportunity, multiple hopefuls running for governor in GOP primaries called for immediate redraws.

“There is no time to waste,” Rick Jackson, a businessman and GOP governor candidate in Georgia, said in urging a redraw there even as voting is underway for the May 19 primary. ”Georgia must act now to ensure secure elections in Georgia and counter the Democrats’ national assault on our elections.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, running for the GOP nomination for governor in Tennessee, called for redrawing that state’s congressional map to replace its lone, majority-Black Democratic congressional seat with one more winnable for Republicans — even though that state’s deadline for candidates to get on the ballot was March 10.

Primary calendar is the main obstacle to redrawing maps

Democrats have managed to largelycounter Republicans’ push to draw more winnable seats in the round of mid-decade redistricting that started last year, but there is no clear way they could match the GOP’s potential gains from the effective loss of the Voting Rights Act.

“It should not be lost on anyone that the Roberts court makes this decision at a time when Republican leaders across the country are foaming at the mouth to draw the American people out of a meaningful say in our elections,” former Attorney General Eric Holder, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a statement, referring to the court’s Republican-nominated chief justice, John Roberts. “They want to retain illegitimately obtained power through the use of, among other things, now Supreme Court-sanctioned racial and partisan gerrymandering.”

Only one Republican state has a relatively clear path to gaining seats from the decision in time for the midterms — Florida. GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has called a special session to adopt his map that could give his party four new winnable House seats. DeSantis had been counting on the Supreme Court ruling as it did Wednesday, and his state’s primary is not until August.

The Florida Legislature approved the new congressional map Wednesday.

Other states have to confront the unprecedented possibility of revising maps even as voters are casting ballots or the legal process of declaring intent to run for office has concluded.

“I don’t know what the implications are going be for the fall. It’s pretty late,” said Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

He said any redistricting decisions in the weeks ahead would be up to governors and legislatures.

Voting Rights Act ‘essentially dead’

In the longer term, the ruling clears the way for a drastic reshaping of the nation’s political geography, at least by the time of the next presidential election year in 2028.

“The Voting Rights Act as a means to protect minority voters from vote dilution is essentially dead,” said Jonathan Cervas, a political scientist at Carnegie Mellon University who has worked as the court-appointed special master and mapmaker in multiple Voting Rights Act cases. “It’s hard to imagine how this decision does not lead to additional GOP districts into the future.”

Cervas noted the Voting Rights Act isn’t necessarily a partisan benefit for Democrats. Its most frequent use comes in local, nonpartisan races for offices such as school board or city council. But Republicans have long complained that Democrats have used the law to get winnable districts for their Black voters in red states that Republican-leaning white voters could never receive in blue states.

“For decades the left has spent hundreds of millions of dollars seeking to divide Americans along racial lines in a cynical pursuit of partisan power masquerading as civil rights,” Adam Kincaid, the National Republican Redistricting Trust’s executive director, said in a statement. “Today’s decision rebukes that divisive and unconstitutional effort.”

Democratic states might want to preserve minority districts

While the Voting Rights Act has helped preserve Democratic-leaning districts, those voters don’t vanish just because of Wednesday’s ruling. Republicans in some states cannot just eliminate all those districts without spreading enough Democratic voters around to jeopardize their own incumbents.

Likewise, the requirement that Democratic-leaning minority voters be concentrated in certain districts has occasionally hurt Democrats in states such as Michigan, lowering the number of swing districts they might win. The party could partly counter Republican gains by spreading minority voters wider in states it controls.

But there will be political pressure against that from some Black and Hispanic Democrats who want to ensure their communities still command the majority in certain districts. Democratic-controlled states also are more likely to have nonpartisan redistricting commissions that make their congressional maps less partisan and increasingly have adopted state-level versions of the Voting Rights Act to protect sometimes marginalized communities.

That will take time, but it all points to a far less regulated environment for mapmaking in the years to come.

That worries Thomas Johnson, a Black voter in New Orleans who was at the state Capitol to lobby on unrelated legislation Wednesday when the Supreme Court ruling came down. The majority-Black congressional district in which he lives can now be diced up by that state’s Republican legislature.

“We are going to do all we can and continue fighting so our voices are heard,” Johnson said. “That’s all we want, to be heard.”

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Associated Press writers Jeff Amy in Atlanta, Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee, and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.

La mujer estaba sangrando poco después de la 1:35 p.m. cerca de Northwest 22 Avenue y 90 Street, según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade.

Personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladó a la mujer al Ryder Trauma Center del Hospital Jackson Memorial. Su condición era crítica, según los agentes.

Los agentes detuvieron a un hombre y a una mujer mientras la investigación continuaba. También cerraron Northwest 90 Street desde la avenida 22 hasta la 21.

Los detectives pidieron a cualquier persona con información sobre este u otros casos que llame a Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers al 305-471-8477 para permanecer en el anonimato.

El editor de asignaciones de Local 10 News Carson Merlo y la editora senior de asignaciones Frine Gomez contribuyeron a este informe.

Área de la escena del crimen

Hisham Abugharbieh was delusional at the time, stating “I am son of Mary” and “I created my brother. I am his god.” He was taken to jail under the Baker Act, a Florida law that allows for involuntary, emergency mental health observation for 72 hours, according to an incident report made public Wednesday about the May 2023 misdemeanor battery arrest from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

“HIsham used to be a cool guy, a supportive and helpful eldest son, until he started smoking cannabis, especially medical marijuana,” a relative whose name was redacted wrote in a victim impact statement more than a week after Abugharbieh’s May 2023 arrest. “It turned him mentally ill, with hurtful behavior and anger problems which is affecting the family life. We lost Hisham as a normal family member.”

At the time, Abugharbieh told deputies that he was acting in self-defense because his brother was threatening him. Abugharbieh’s relatives didn’t want him to face prosecution but asked that he receive substance abuse treatment. He entered into a diversion program for first-time offenders.

Last week, Abugharbieh, 26, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of two doctoral students studying at the University of South Florida. He was being held without bond.

The remains of Abugharbieh’s roommate, Zamil Limon, were found in a trash bag on the Howard Frankland bridge last Friday. On Sunday, the sheriff’s office announced that a body had been found in a waterway near the bridge, but the local medical examiner’s office hasn’t publicly confirmed it to be Limon’s girlfriend, Nahida Bristy.

They disappeared April 16. Limon was last seen at the off-campus apartment complex where he lived with Abugharbieh, and Bristy at a campus science building. Limon was studying geography, environmental science and policy, and Bristy was studying chemical engineering.

Reached by email earlier this week, Jennifer Spradley, an attorney in the public defender’s office in Tampa, said the office wouldn’t comment on Abugharbieh’s case.

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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.

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The woman was bleeding shortly after 1:35 p.m. near Northwest 22 Avenue and 90 Street, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel took the woman to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. Her condition was critical, according to deputies.

Deputies detained a man and a woman and closed Northwest 90 Street from 22nd to 21st avenues.

Within the crime scene tape, a yellow evidence marker was on the ground near a white resin plastic high-back chair during the investigation.

Residents said people had complained about crime in the area and asked for M-DSO deputies to “shut the corner down.”

Detectives asked anyone with information about this or other cases to call Miami-Dade County Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477 to remain anonymous.

Local 10 News Assignment Editor Carson Merlo and Senior Assignment Editor Frine Gomez contributed to this report.

Crime scene area

Watch the 3 p.m. report

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The case, now in its fifth week in federal court in downtown Miami, stems from alleged conduct dating back to 2017.

Prosecutors are expected to complete their arguments by the end of the day, after which the case could be turned over to the jury.

Rivera and co-defendant Esther Nuhfer are accused of failing to register under federal foreign agent laws.

Prosecutors allege the pair conspired to profit by using political connections to advance efforts tied to Venezuela’s government, including attempts to normalize relations between Caracas and Washington.

According to prosecutors, Rivera and Nuhfer engaged in undisclosed lobbying activities that benefited Maduro’s administration while avoiding required disclosure under U.S. law.

During rebuttal arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger Cruz told jurors they could use the superseding indictment as an outline to guide their deliberations and referenced the charging document multiple times.

“Of course Rubio trusted them,” Cruz said, arguing to the jury that Rubio was “used by these two to make money.”

He also urged the 12-person jury to review an interview between Rivera and former Local 10 reporter Michael Putney that was submitted into evidence, which prosecutors have described as a key part of their case.

Defense attorneys counter that the work at issue was commercial in nature and did not require registration.

They argue the arrangement involved a U.S.-based company connected to Venezuela’s oil sector and was focused on business opportunities rather than political advocacy.

The prosecutor pushed back, telling jurors, “They wanted it for Exxon” — adding, “we agree — what we argue is the client was Nicolas Maduro.”

Exxon and Venezuela had a major legal battle after Maduro’s predecessor, former President Hugo Chávez, seized the company’s assets, according to the Miami Herald.

Attorneys for Nuhfer told jurors there is no evidence she acted in bad faith, asking during closing arguments, “Why did they charge her in the first place?” They argued that if jurors cannot answer that question, they should return a not guilty verdict.

The jury of 12 also heard testimony from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said he had no knowledge Rivera was lobbying on behalf of the Venezuelan government when they met in 2017.

“The facts in this case speaks volumes that these two defendants are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt,” Cruz said.

Jurors additionally heard from Texas Rep. Pete Sessions, who testified he was unaware Rivera’s consulting work was tied to any foreign government contract.

Cruz reiterated jurors could rely on the charging document, saying, “You can use the charging document” as a reference.

He closed by telling jurors: “Take your time, talk it over, but it is crystal clear” that the evidence stacks up against them.

Read Rivera’s indictment in the document below.

Indictment

The e-commerce and technology company said that sales in its cloud computing unit were up 28% in the January-March period, the fastest increase in 15 quarters. Amazon Web Services had 24% sales growth in the fourth quarter, which followed the division's 20% growth in the third quarter.

The Seattle-based company also offered a bullish outlook for net sales in the current quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates. However, shares slid nearly 2% in after-hours trading.

Investors were closely watching Amazon’s quarterly earnings to see if the company’s $200 billion investment in artificial intelligence, robots, semiconductors and satellites is starting to pay off. The planned expenditure for the year marked a 60% increase from Amazon’s $128 billion in capital spending last year and spooked investors, sending the stock down 11% in after-hours trading when it was announced in February.

CEO Andy Jassy defended the spending during the previous quarterly earnings call, saying Amazon expected long-term returns on its invested capital.

The results from the latest quarter underscored that demand keeps growing for Amazon's services and technology.

“We’re in the middle of some of the biggest inflections of our lifetime, we’re well positioned to lead, and I’m very optimistic about what’s ahead for our customers and Amazon,” Jassy said in a release Wednesday.

Amazon came out with its first-quarter earnings the same day as three other tech giants — Microsoft, Meta and Alphabet — were reporting theirs, giving investors a read on AI spending and cloud growth across the industry.

Big deals that Amazon signed with OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta this month gave the company solid momentum.

Amazon announced what it called a “major expansion” of its partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI on Tuesday, a day after the artificial intelligence company said it was loosening its ties to longtime backer Microsoft.

Last week, Anthropic agreed to commit more than $100 billion to Amazon’s AWS cloud platform over the next 10 years to train and run the artificial intelligence company’s Claude chatbot. The partnership will allow Anthropic to secure up to 5 gigawatts of Amazon’s Trainium chips to train and power their artificial intelligence models, Amazon said.

Also last week, Amazon said that Meta, which owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, signed an agreement to power agentic AI on AWS’ Graviton chips.

Like other retailers, however, Amazon is experiencing higher tariff costs because of President Donald Trump’s foreign trade policies. Rising shipping costs as the Iran war affects oil and fuel prices also could cut into the company's e-commerce revenue.

Amazon this month said it would impose a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on some third-party sellers using its platform. The temporary charge was effective April 17 for many of the sellers that use Amazon’s fulfillment services, the company confirmed to The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Amazon has been speeding up order delivery times through a combination of robotics, AI technology and more efficient warehousing.

A new ultra-fast service called Amazon Now offers deliveries of orders from a selection of thousands of items in 30 minutes or less. The service is now available in various cities in India, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates and is being tested in several communities in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the company said in February.

Amazon reported earnings of $30.3 billion, or $2.78 per share, for the three-month period ended March 31. That compared with $17.1 billion, or $1.59 per share, in the year-ago period.

Net sales rose 17% to $181.5 billion in the quarter, compared with $155.7 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Analysts were expecting $1.63 per share on sales of $177.28 billion, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet.

Revenue from Amazon Web Services reached $37.58 billion. Analysts were expecting $36.6 billion, according to FactSet.

For the current quarter, Amazon said it expected net sales will be in the range of $194 billion to $199 billion.

That would mean an increase of between 16% to 19% from the year-ago quarter. Analysts were expecting $188.96 billion in the current period, according to FactSet.

Funcionarios locales manifestaron que temieron lo peor cuando vieron el martes cómo varios edificios se derrumbaban mientras una poderosa tormenta azotaba Mineral Wells, hogar de unas 15.000 personas al oeste de Dallas.

“Estamos muy agradecidos de que no haya habido pérdida de vidas en el suceso de ayer”, declaró el alcalde Regan Johnson el miércoles en una conferencia de prensa. “Cuando ves la destrucción que hay aquí, te das cuenta de que eso es realmente asombroso”.

Allison Prater, meteoróloga del Servicio Meteorológico Nacional en Fort Worth, indicó que el tornado tocó tierra en Mineral Wells con vientos de al menos 193 kilómetros por hora (120 millas por hora). El servicio meteorológico envió un equipo el miércoles para evaluar la destrucción en la localidad, ubicada a unos 130 kilómetros (80 millas) al oeste de Dallas.

El clima violento ha afectado a varias partes del sur y de la región centro-norte de Estados Unidos durante la última semana. Dos personas murieron en el norte de Texas el fin de semana pasado cuando varias tormentas eléctricas generaron tornados destructivos, y un hombre de Michigan falleció el lunes por la caída de un árbol que se desplomó durante una tormenta.

El martes, una tormenta de granizo dañó techos, tragaluces y vehículos estacionados en un zoológico de Springfield, Missouri, y también mató a una de sus grandes aves. Una emú hembra llamada Adam murió por un traumatismo craneal mientras caía granizo en el Zoológico Dickerson Park, informó el miércoles el portavoz Joey Powell.

Podían registrarse tormentas más severas el miércoles en el Sur y en varias partes del Atlántico medio. El servicio meteorológico señaló que había una ligera probabilidad de vientos dañinos y granizo de gran tamaño en distintas zonas de Texas, Luisiana, Mississippi y Alabama.

En Mineral Wells, funcionarios locales hablaron con reporteros el miércoles frente a restos de madera astillada, árboles caídos y otros escombros esparcidos por una subdivisión residencial.

El jefe de bomberos Ryan Dunn informó que cinco personas heridas en la tormenta acudieron a un hospital para recibir tratamiento. Otras fueron atendidas por los equipos de primera respuesta por lesiones menores.

“Cuando llegamos al lugar, notamos que había muchos escombros, muchos techos arrancados”. relató Dunn, “Y luego empezamos a ver cómo los edificios se derrumbaban”.

Dunn señaló que la mayor parte del área alcanzada por el tornado se utiliza con fines comerciales e industriales, aunque algunas viviendas también resultaron dañadas. Autoridades locales indicaron que al menos dos fabricantes sufrieron daños considerables.

Uno de ellos fue Ventamatic, que fabrica grandes ventiladores y otros equipos de ventilación en Mineral Wells. La empresa indicó en su sitio web que los empleados evacuaron antes de la tormenta y que ninguno resultó herido. Las operaciones se suspendieron el miércoles “debido a daños severos y riesgos de seguridad en curso”, señaló la compañía.

Más de 9.000 viviendas y negocios estaban sin electricidad en todo Texas la tarde del miércoles, según el sitio de seguimiento PowerOutage.us. Cerca de 230 de esos cortes se registraban en el área de Mineral Wells.

Las autoridades de Mineral Wells declararon un estado local de desastre e impusieron un toque de queda nocturno que seguirá vigente el miércoles, informó el jefe de policía Tim Denison.

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

The bill passed with bipartisan support. The three-year extension still faces an uncertain path to passage, with a sign-off needed from the Senate and President Donald Trump.

“Two-thirds of the president’s daily national security briefing comes from intelligence collected by that statute,” Speaker Mike Johnson said about the program. “We cannot allow it to go dark.”

The passage in the House was a breakthrough for Republican leaders after Johnson earlier in the day secured the support of several Republican holdouts to advance the bill to a final vote. The chamber had been unable to pass a long-term extension since Republican leaders earlier this month staged a hectic late-night effort to extend the surveillance program, only to see multiple bills fail on the floor.

Out of options, Republicans settled on a short-term extension through April 30 to work on a solution. Trump, along with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel, had originally pushed for an 18-month extension of the program with no changes.

Warrants remain central to the fight

The debate centers on a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that allows the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze communications from foreign targets without a warrant. In doing so, the agencies can incidentally sweep up communications involving Americans who interact with foreign targets, an element of the program many lawmakers find unacceptable.

“The intel community always just comes in and says, ‘People will die if you do this,’” Republican Rep. Chip Roy said Tuesday, arguing in favor of a warrant requirement. “Well, I’m sorry. A lot of Americans died to give us and protect that Fourth Amendment right that we don’t have government looking at our stuff.”

The House bill does not include the warrant requirement. Instead, it would impose new oversight measures, including a monthly civil liberties review of U.S. person queries by an official within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, with any violations referred to the Intelligence Community’s inspector general.

The bill would also create criminal penalties for officials who knowingly misuse the system or falsify compliance, order a government audit of targeting practices and require new procedures to expand congressional access to FISA court proceedings.

House Democrats took turns criticizing the extension on the floor ahead of Wednesday evening’s planned final vote. Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, derided the measure as a “three-year blank check” that comes “without any meaningful guardrails.”

“Under this bill, FBI agents will still collect, search and review Americans' communications without any review from a judge,” said Raskin.

Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, spoke in favor of the extension, calling the program “without question, the most important foreign intelligence tool." He said the bill makes guardrails on the program "marginally and modestly stronger.”

There are hurdles ahead in the Senate

Although Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he has been in contact with Johnson throughout the process, the next steps are uncertain if the bill clears the House.

One obstacle is that House Republicans are linking the surveillance renewal with separate legislation banning a central bank digital currency — a proposal Thune has said would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate.

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a longtime advocate for FISA reform, said the deal the House is working on is “deeply flawed,” but declined to say whether he would support an extension.

Thune on Wednesday floated another short-term extension of the program while lawmakers figured out final details. He said a 60-day extension “could be a landing spot.”

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Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump's state dinner guest list Tuesday night was heavy on business leaders, tech CEOs and friends from Palm Beach, Florida.

All six conservative Supreme Court justices made the list — even those whom Trump has criticized for voting to strike down his signature tariffs. The three liberals on the bench were not at the dinner.

A slew of stars from Fox News, Trump’s favorite cable network, and two other conservative outlets attended the dinner. Three of the president’s five children were in the room with their spouses, as was his father-in-law. A couple of big sports names made the list, as did a number of lawmakers, including the leaders of the House and Senate.

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The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspected Kotecha Brothers on Thursday and said conditions inside the warehouse posed a risk of foodborne illness.

Kotecha Brothers is a family-owned company founded in 2008 that operates as a major food distributor and produce wholesaler. The business handles and distributes bulk food products such as rice, lentils, tea, and packaged dessert mixes, and has expanded its operations to include distribution centers in Texas and Los Angeles. The facility, located at 17425 SW 172nd St. in the rural Redland area, serves as a key hub for storage and distribution.

During the inspection, regulators reported finding what they described as “too numerous to count” rodent droppings throughout the dry storage warehouse. Inspectors documented droppings scattered across the floor, including around and between pallets used to store food. Rodent droppings were also found in the narrow spaces between vertically stacked pallets holding multiple types of 10-pound bags of rice.

In some cases, droppings were observed directly on food products, including on individual bags of rice and on the exterior of boxes containing packaged dry dessert mixes such as basmati rice kheer, rasmalai, sweet pretzel mix, and green lentil fritter mix. Inspectors also found rodent droppings on the second floor of the warehouse in the area where cardboard boxes and other packaging materials used for food distribution are stored.

According to the report, employees began moving pallets and cleaning during the inspection and voluntarily discarded some of the affected food. Despite those efforts, the extent of the contamination led the state to take enforcement action. The Department of Agriculture issued a Stop Use Order covering the dry storage warehouse, including the second-floor packaging area, citing conditions that rendered food and materials adulterated and insanitary under Florida law. The order prohibits the movement, sale, or use of affected food and equipment until the facility is brought into compliance and cleared by inspectors.

Inspectors also found that the facility lacked adequate protections to prevent pest entry and harborage. There were visible gaps underneath roll-up doors leading into the warehouse, which could allow rodents and other pests to enter. The inspection noted accumulations of debris and waste materials on the floors and the presence of old equipment stored outside near the building, both of which can attract and harbor pests.

Pallets of food products were stored too close to walls, limiting the ability to properly clean and monitor those areas for pest activity. Inspectors concluded that effective measures were not being taken to keep pests out of food storage and handling areas.

In addition to the rodent activity, inspectors documented multiple unsanitary conditions inside the facility. A black, mold-like substance was observed on fan covers of refrigeration units inside walk-in coolers and on walls near cooler doors. There was standing and pooling water in several areas, including under pallets and along aisles inside the coolers.

Inspectors also found water accumulating and overflowing from a floor drain in an area where employees were manually sorting raw vegetables. Such conditions can contribute to bacterial growth and increase the risk of contamination.

The report also cited structural problems within the building. Inspectors observed large holes in the floors of both a walk-in cooler and the dry storage warehouse. These openings contained accumulations of debris and old food, creating areas that are difficult to clean and that can serve as harborage for pests. Food storage practices were also found to be inadequate, with bags of rice and boxes of coconut products stored directly on the floor in some areas. Some of these items were discarded during the inspection.

Additional violations included the facility’s failure to provide records showing that employees had been trained in food safety, hygiene, and health practices. Inspectors also noted missing handwashing signage in employee restrooms and deficiencies in the facility’s drainage systems.

The report further indicated that the business had not registered with the Food and Drug Administration as required for facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food.

The Department of Agriculture has scheduled a follow-up inspection on or about May 12 to verify that the violations have been corrected. If the company fails to comply, it could face administrative fines or the suspension or revocation of its permit to operate.

The stop-use order will remain in effect until regulators determine that the affected areas and products no longer pose a risk to public health.

El Departamento de Agricultura y Servicios al Consumidor de Florida inspeccionó a Kotecha Brothers el jueves y dijo que las condiciones dentro del almacén representaban un riesgo de enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos.

Kotecha Brothers es una empresa familiar fundada en 2008 que opera como un importante distribuidor de alimentos y mayorista de productos agrícolas. El negocio maneja y distribuye productos alimenticios a granel como arroz, lentejas, té y mezclas de postres empaquetadas, y ha expandido sus operaciones para incluir centros de distribución en Texas y Los Ángeles. La instalación, ubicada en 17425 SW 172nd St. en el área rural de Redland, sirve como un centro clave para almacenamiento y distribución.

Durante la inspección, los reguladores reportaron encontrar lo que describieron como “demasiados para contarlos” excrementos de roedores en todo el almacén de almacenamiento en seco. Los inspectores documentaron excrementos esparcidos por el piso, incluso alrededor y entre paletas utilizadas para almacenar alimentos. También se encontraron excrementos de roedores en los espacios estrechos entre paletas apiladas verticalmente que contenían múltiples tipos de bolsas de arroz de 10 libras.

En algunos casos, los excrementos se observaron directamente sobre productos alimenticios, incluyendo bolsas individuales de arroz y en el exterior de cajas que contenían mezclas de postres secos empaquetados como kheer de arroz basmati, rasmalai, mezcla de pretzel dulce y mezcla de frituras de lentejas verdes. Los inspectores también encontraron excrementos de roedores en el segundo piso del almacén en el área donde se almacenan cajas de cartón y otros materiales de empaque utilizados para la distribución de alimentos.

Según el informe, los empleados comenzaron a mover paletas y limpiar durante la inspección y descartaron voluntariamente parte de los alimentos afectados. A pesar de esos esfuerzos, la magnitud de la contaminación llevó al estado a tomar medidas de cumplimiento. El Departamento de Agricultura emitió una orden de suspensión de uso que cubre el almacén de almacenamiento en seco, incluida el área de empaque del segundo piso, citando condiciones que hacían que los alimentos y materiales estuvieran adulterados e insalubres bajo la ley de Florida. La orden prohíbe el movimiento, venta o uso de los alimentos y equipos afectados hasta que la instalación cumpla con las normas y sea autorizada por los inspectores.

Los inspectores también encontraron que la instalación carecía de protecciones adecuadas para prevenir la entrada y proliferación de plagas. Había espacios visibles debajo de puertas enrollables que conducen al almacén, lo que podría permitir la entrada de roedores y otras plagas. La inspección señaló acumulaciones de escombros y materiales de desecho en los pisos y la presencia de equipos viejos almacenados fuera del edificio, ambos factores que pueden atraer y albergar plagas.

Las paletas de productos alimenticios estaban almacenadas demasiado cerca de las paredes, lo que limitaba la capacidad de limpiar adecuadamente y monitorear esas áreas para detectar actividad de plagas. Los inspectores concluyeron que no se estaban tomando medidas efectivas para mantener las plagas fuera de las áreas de almacenamiento y manejo de alimentos.

Además de la actividad de roedores, los inspectores documentaron múltiples condiciones insalubres dentro de la instalación. Se observó una sustancia negra similar al moho en las cubiertas de ventiladores de unidades de refrigeración dentro de los cuartos fríos y en paredes cercanas a las puertas de estos. También había agua estancada y acumulada en varias áreas, incluso debajo de paletas y a lo largo de los pasillos dentro de los refrigeradores.

Los inspectores también encontraron agua acumulándose y desbordándose de un desagüe en el piso en un área donde los empleados clasificaban manualmente vegetales crudos. Tales condiciones pueden contribuir al crecimiento bacteriano y aumentar el riesgo de contaminación.

El informe también citó problemas estructurales dentro del edificio. Los inspectores observaron grandes agujeros en los pisos tanto de un cuarto frío como del almacén de almacenamiento en seco. Estas aberturas contenían acumulaciones de escombros y alimentos viejos, creando áreas difíciles de limpiar y que pueden servir como refugio para plagas. Las prácticas de almacenamiento de alimentos también fueron consideradas inadecuadas, con bolsas de arroz y cajas de productos de coco almacenadas directamente en el piso en algunas áreas. Algunos de estos artículos fueron descartados durante la inspección.

Otras violaciones incluyeron la falta de registros que demostraran que los empleados habían sido capacitados en seguridad alimentaria, higiene y prácticas de salud. Los inspectores también señalaron la ausencia de señalización de lavado de manos en los baños de empleados y deficiencias en los sistemas de drenaje de la instalación.

El informe también indicó que el negocio no se había registrado ante la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos (FDA) como se requiere para instalaciones que fabrican, procesan, empacan o almacenan alimentos.

El Departamento de Agricultura ha programado una inspección de seguimiento alrededor del 12 de mayo para verificar que las violaciones hayan sido corregidas. Si la empresa no cumple, podría enfrentar multas administrativas o la suspensión o revocación de su permiso de operación.

La orden de suspensión de uso permanecerá en efecto hasta que los reguladores determinen que las áreas y productos afectados ya no representan un riesgo para la salud pública.

Some officials were members of Mexico's ruling party, posing a political conundrum for Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as she seeks to offset mounting pressures from the Trump administration. Some of those politicians called the indictment a political attack on their party.

U.S. federal officials announced the charges in a news release. None of the defendants were in custody, but Mexico's government said shortly afterward that it had received multiple extradition requests from the U.S. without identifying those requested. It did not say how it would respond.

The 10 people charged in Manhattan federal court are current and former government or law enforcement officials in Sinaloa, including Rubén Rocha Moya, 76, who has been governor of Mexico's Sinaloa state since November 2021.

Charges against Moya included narcotics importation conspiracy and possession of machineguns and destructive devices, along with another conspiracy count. If convicted, he could face life in prison or a mandatory minimum of 40 years behind bars.

Rocha was a staunch ally of Sheinbaum's mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The governor enthusiastically backed the ex-president's “Hugs, Not Bullets” policy, which involved avoiding direct confrontation with the powerful drug cartels.

Rocha, the highest profile official charged, said he “categorically and completely rejects” the accusations, calling them baseless. The official called the charges an “attack” on Mexico’s ruling party and its leaders.

“It is part of a perverse strategy to violate (Mexico’s) constitutional order, specifically on national sovereignty, ” he wrote in a post on X on Wednesday afternoon. “We will show them that this slander doesn’t have any sort of foundation.”

Ties to Sinaloa Cartel

Some of those named, according to the indictment, have themselves participated in the Sinaloa Cartel's campaign of violence and retribution.

The indictment alleged that they were closely aligned with the faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as “Los Chapitos,” which is run by the sons of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the ex-cartel leader now serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison.

Authorities said the defendants played critical roles in helping the Sinaloa Cartel ship fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States. The Sinaloa Cartel is among eight Latin American crime groups designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S.

In a release, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton called the Sinaloa Cartel “a ruthless criminal organization that has flooded this community with dangerous drugs for decades.”

He added: “As the indictment lays bare, the Sinaloa Cartel, and other drug trafficking organizations like it, would not operate as freely or successfully without corrupt politicians and law enforcement officials on their payroll.”

The indictment of Rocha, who was born in the same town as “El Chapo”, was particularly notable because the governor was embroiled in a scandal in 2023 involving the Sinaloa Cartel. His name was published in a letter written by a then-Sinaloa Cartel capo who was kidnapped by leaders of a rival faction of the cartel and handed off to law enforcement in the U.S. In the letter, the capo said that when he was kidnapped he believed he was on his way to meet with Rocha.

In the years since, the cartels two warring factions have ravaged the northern Mexican state in their struggle for territorial control.

Morena party members indicted

Among those indicted, at least three officials –- Rocha, the governor, the mayor of Sinaloa’s capital, and a senator -– were affiliated with Sheinbaum’s party, Morena. A number of other officials held positions unaffiliated with Mexican parties.

The charges come after U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson last week said that the U.S. administration would launch an anti-corruption campaign targeting Mexican officials he said were linked to organized crime.

"Corruption not only hinders progress, it distorts it. It increases costs, weakens competition, and erodes the trust upon which markets depend. It is not a problem without victims,” Johnson said.

Sheinbaum responded Monday by saying that her government has not seen “any evidence” of the charges of corruption.

“Any investigation in the United States against any person in Mexico must have evidence reviewed by the (Mexican) Attorney General’s Office,” Sheinbaum said.

U.S. prosecutors previously brought drug trafficking charges against a former Mexican cabinet member, Genaro García Luna, who was accused of taking bribes to help the Sinaloa Cartel while he was supposedly combating it as his country’s public security secretary under former President Felipe Calderón. García Luna was convicted in 2023 and was sentenced to more than 38 years in prison. He denied the allegations and is appealing his conviction.

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Associated Press writers Megan Janetsky, María Verza and Fabiola Sánchez reported from Mexico City while AP writer Jennifer Peltz contributed from New York.

The vote came just two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his proposal and the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The decision could make it harder for Democrats to challenge Republican efforts to redraw congressional districts in ways that limit the influence of nonwhite voters.

DeSantis’ map could increase Republicans’ advantage in Florida’s House delegation to 24 to 4, up from the current split of 20 to 8. The potential four-seat gain is the same as what Virginia Democrats expect from a recent redistricting referendum, which is being challenged in state court there.

Florida's new districts are certain to face lawsuits as well, especially because the state constitution prohibits redistricting for explicitly partisan purposes. DeSantis and his aides believe those provisions will not be a legal barrier because they have been weakened previously by the Florida Supreme Court and again by Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Florida Republicans, comfortable in their supermajority in both legislative chambers, said little about the new districts during the whirlwind special session. The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, limited her remarks to careful answers about an “evolving legal landscape” as Democrats’ asked her about the redistricting effort.

“I believe that there is a likelihood that that map will be upheld against legal challenge,” Persons-Mulicka said.

Opposition was vocal but futile

Democrats, activists and some citizens to decried the process as a partisan power play to satisfy Trump, boost DeSantis’ future ambitions and hurt the majority of registered Florida voters who are not Republicans.

“Y’all are doing this because y’all’s daddy in the White House is injecting national political objectives into what should be a state-driven process,” Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, told her Republican colleagues before an 83-28 vote in favor of the measure.

The Florida Senate later approved the plan in a 21-17 vote.

Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat, chided Republicans for yielding the redistricting process to DeSantis, whose second term expires in January.

“Last time I checked, we’re the ones who were supposed to be drawing the map,” she said, “and yet we are allowing y’all to continue to hold the water of the governor, who is a lame duck and just trying to figure out what his next job is going to be.”

Democrats diminished in metro areas

The new map reshapes districts in Democratic areas around Orlando, the Tampa-St. Petersburg area and in south Florida around Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The changes could cost Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, among others, their seats.

DeSantis and his aides said before and during the session that new map is necessary to account for population growth in suburban and exurban areas since the 2020 census and to ensure Florida has a “race-neutral” congressional plan.

The proposal presumed the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Wednesday decision, which specifically struck down a Louisiana congressional district drawn for the electorate to be majority Black. Historically, Black voters have aligned more with Democrats, while a majority of white voters lean toward Republicans.

The changes in Florida include the effective elimination of one nearly majority Black south Florida district that was represented by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Black Democrat, until her resignation earlier this month.

Lawmakers fast-tracked the measures

From the session’s opening bell Tuesday morning, Republican leaders moved swiftly.

In one of just two committee hearings, Senate Rules Chair Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said she wanted “everybody who has taken the time and effort to come to Capitol to have an opportunity to speak.” Then she declared each speaker would have 30 seconds.

“I know that doesn’t seem like a lot but it actually is, uh, if you’re concise,” she said.

Deborah Courtney drove more than two hours from from Jacksonville and noted that all citizen speakers expressed opposition.

“Why are you doing this redistricting now?” she asked senators. “I doubt that your phone have been ringing off the hook from your constituents going, hey, we need some new maps.”

Rob Woods came from the Tampa area, which under the new map could have no Democratic representation in the U.S. House. A Black man, Wood told senators he was a veteran who said he "bought in from elementary school” on notions of the U.S. as an equal-opportunity democracy.

Now, he said, “it seems as if we are back in that period of Reconstruction, moving back to Jim Crow.”

On the House floor, Persons-Mulicka, R-Fort Myers, sidestepped specifics about what factors went into the map. She repeatedly called it “race-neutral,” citing testimony from DeSantis aide Jason Poreda, who took sole credit for the map during the session and did not disclose the names of any architects. But asked about Poreda’s admission that he examined party affiliation and voting patterns, Persons-Mulicka balked.

“I cannot speak to the intent of the map drawer,” she said.

DeSantis unveiled the map on Fox News

Persons-Mulicka and Sen. Don Gaetz, who sponsored the map in the Senate, deflected questions about why DeSantis unveiled the plan on Fox News.

Gaetz, a Crestview Republican, confirmed he had no part in drafting the map and forwarded the governor’s proposal to other senators as soon as he received it late Monday morning.

There’s no guarantee that new maps across the country will play out the way two parties hope. For example, Texas based its revised lines largely on Trump’s performance in 2024, redistributing the president’s voters across more districts to pull them into the Republican column. But Trump’s popularity has waned since his reelection, including among Latino voters who figure prominently in the state.

Florida could face a similar conundrum. Creating more majority-Republican districts could leave margins thin enough to allow for Democratic victories, especially if there’s an anti-Trump backlash at the polls this year.

Some Republicans have expressed worry about that possibility, and a handful voted against the measure in the Florida legislature.

The governor already took a hit because of the session. He had wanted lawmakers to adopt state regulations on artificial intelligence, ostensibly protecting minors from harmful material, while rolling back vaccine mandates for students in Florida’s public schools. House Speaker Daniel Perez, a Republican but not a DeSantis ally, spiked both ideas.

DeSantis called it “political shenanigans.”

House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, lamented that Republicans still delivered DeSantis the big-ticket item that he wanted.

“On destroying our democracy, they’ve been aligned,” she said, “and that’s what we did here today.”

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' decision to reject a so-called “en banc” hearing comes several months after Trump appealed to the Supreme Court another jury’s decision to grant $5 million the writer, E. Jean Carroll, after concluding that he had sexually abused her in a department store dressing room in 1996 and later defamed her. The high court has not yet decided whether to hear the case.

Lawyers for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement that her client was "eager for this case, originally filed in 2019, to be over so that she can finally obtain justice.”

After a three-judge 2nd Circuit panel rejected Trump's appeal of the $83 million verdict in September, an appeals judge asked the other Manhattan appeals jurists to hear the case.

The 2nd Circuit said Wednesday that five judges voted against a rehearing before all the judges while three judges voted in favor of the en banc.

Judge Denny Chin wrote that it was the fourth time the 2nd Circuit had denied a request for all judges to hear an appeal in the case.

He noted that Carroll first publicly asserted in 2019 in a memoir that Trump had sexually abused her in the 1990s in a Bergdorf Goodman store's dressing room.

Trump then claimed he had never met her, called it a false accusation and said “she's not my type” in an interview. Carroll sued him for defamation in November 2019.

Trump did not attend a May 2023 trial when a jury found that he had sexually abused Carroll and later defamed her. But he briefly testified at a second trial in January 2024 when a jury awarded Carroll $83 million for defamation.

Chin defended the appeals court's decision to uphold the large defamation award.

“The record showed that Trump made multiple statements over many years accusing Carroll of lying for political and financial gain, and suggesting that Carroll was too unattractive for Trump to have sexually assaulted her,” he wrote.

“As a result of Trump’s statements, Carroll was harassed and humiliated, subjected to death threats, and feared for her physical safety for years. And Trump showed no remorse, continuing his attacks against Carroll during and after two federal trials, and even proclaiming two days into the Carroll I trial that he would continue to defame her ‘a thousand times,’” Chin said.

Three circuit judges — Steven J. Menashi, Michael H. Park and Debra Ann Livingston — voted for the full 2nd Circuit to hear the appeal.

In a dissent written by Menashi, they agreed that the appeals panel that heard the case should have let the United States be substituted for Trump as the defendant after the attorney general certified that he was acting in the “scope of his office or employment” when the claim arose.

And they said Trump should have been able to argue that he was protected by presidential immunity.

They also agreed that Trump should be granted a new trial and concluded that the size of the award for defamation was “grossly excessive.”

“Put together, these proceedings represent a manifest miscarriage of justice,” Menashi wrote.

The review was conducted as part of the Food and Drug Administration’s Operation Stork Speed project — billed as the “largest and most rigorous” to date. It found that the infant formula supply is “safe,” agency officials and outside experts said.

“There’s no reason not to use any available formula” in the U.S., said Dr. Steven Abrams, a pediatrics professor at the University of Texas at Austin who reviewed the findings.

FDA officials tested more than 300 samples of commercial infant formula between 2023 and 2025 for heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. They also tested for pesticides, chemicals found in plastics known as phthalates, and PFAS, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, sometimes called “forever chemicals.”

Levels of all the contaminants were undetectable or very low, the agency reported. The heavy metals detected were well below U.S. Environmental Protection Agency limits for drinking water, the agency reported. No pesticides were detected in 99% of samples. The FDA found no detections for 25 of the 30 PFAS compounds tested.

Outside experts generally agreed with the government’s assessment, noting that small amounts of substances such as heavy metals are naturally occurring in the environment. But others, such as phthalates and PFAS, are not.

“These chemicals are completely synthetic,” said Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, a pediatrics professor at UW Medicine and the Seattle Children’s Research Institute. “The detection of some of these compounds at all is concerning.”

It points to the need for further monitoring of formula — and of the larger U.S. food supply, she added.

The Trump administration launched Operation Stork Speed in March 2025, promising to review safety and quality standards for infant formula in the U.S. for the first time in decades.

It built on previous FDA efforts to review substances like heavy metals in infant foods, which can cause problems with brain development, learning and behavior in children, Abrams said.

To date, the FDA does not have enforceable limits for heavy metals in infant formulas, unlike the European Union, Canada and Australia.

Some consumer advocacy groups have called on the FDA for years to establish firm limits for contaminants. Last year, Consumer Reports published an analysis of 41 U.S. infant formulas with results suggesting that many had worrisome levels of heavy metals and other contaminants.

However, that analysis used its own level of concern, setting it far below European Union standards. That report garnered wide public attention and prompted some parents to stop using commercial formula, even when it was necessary, Abrams noted.

Abrams called for the FDA to continue monitoring infant formula for contaminants and to share the results.

Abbott, one of the nation's largest formula makers, urged the FDA to set scientific standards for contaminants in infant formula.

“We believe that producing infant formula at scale in the U.S. is a matter of national security,” Abbott spokesman John Koval said in an email. “These results affirm the safety of our current domestic supply.”

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

The trackers will be put on fire trucks and other rescue vehicles, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Tuesday. The transponders can provide air traffic controllers with more precise information about the vehicles and their locations by constantly sending signals to the control tower.

The National Transportation Safety Board noted the lack of transponders in a preliminary report it issued last week about the March 22 accident at LaGuardia Airport. An Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck on the runway, killing two pilots and injuring several other people.

An air traffic controller had cleared the vehicle to cross the runway. According to the report, the truck drove past red warning lights. There was also extra heavy air traffic and an emergency involving another plane at the time.

LaGuardia is one of 35 airports that have Airport Surface Detection Systems, known as ASDE-X. They combine radar data with information from transponders inside planes and ground vehicles along with other data to create a display in the tower showing controllers where every plane and vehicle is. The system will also sound an alarm in the tower when it anticipates a potential collision.

The Federal Aviation Administration has recommended that major airports nationwide install the transponders and has offered to help pay for them. Many airports have followed the guidance.

James Allen, the Port Authority's chief communications officer, said the agency has made “targeted investments in safety technology” for its airfield vehicles, including systems designed to track vehicle movements and support operator awareness across the airfield. Besides LaGuardia, the authority operates Kennedy Airport in New York and Newark Liberty Airport in northern New Jersey.

“We recognize that transponder technology can provide an additional layer of visibility on top of existing surface-surveillance systems that already track ground movements," Allen said. ”We will continue to work closely with the NTSB as its investigation proceeds and remain focused on working with the FAA to strengthen safety across our airfield operations.”

“Esas declaraciones son completamente infundadas y distorsionan la realidad”, dijo el portavoz del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Lin Jian, durante una conferencia de prensa.

El martes, el Departamento de Estado emitió un comunicado en el que Estados Unidos, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay y Trinidad y Tobago afirmaron que "la libertad de nuestra región no es negociable” y que las acciones recientes de China que han afectado a embarcaciones panameñas "son un intento flagrante de politizar el comercio marítimo e infringir la soberanía de las naciones de nuestro hemisferio”.

El pasado 29 de enero la Corte Suprema de Panamá declaró inconstitucional la concesión de dos puertos a orillas del Canal de Panamá que eran operados por la empresa hongkonesa CK Hutchinson.

El gobierno de Panamá tomó el control de los puertos de Balboa y Cristóbal en febrero y permitió que filiales de Maersk y Mediterranean Shipping Company asumieran las operaciones en esas terminales.

Desde febrero —y con mayor intensidad en abril— se ha observado un incremento en las retenciones de buques de bandera panameña que son sometidos a inspección en los puertos de China.

De los 124 barcos detenidos en puertos chinos para inspección en marzo 92 —casi el 75%— tenían bandera panameña, según datos públicos del MOU de Tokio, una organización regional de control del Estado rector del puerto que agrupa a 22 autoridades miembros en la región Asia-Pacífico.

El canciller de Panamá, Javier Martínez Hacha, dijo a The Associated Press que se están haciendo todos los esfuerzos para defender la competitividad de la bandera panameña.

Esta no es la primera vez que Estados Unidos aborda el tema. El 2 de abril el secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio, manifestó su apoyo a Panamá y dijo que las retenciones, retrasos y otros obstáculos a la circulación de buques socavan la estabilidad de las cadenas de suministro mundiales, aumentan los costos para las empresas y consumidores y erosionan la confianza en el sistema comercial internacional.

El portavoz de la cancillería china se preguntó el miércoles "¿quién ocupaba durante mucho tiempo el Canal de Panamá, invadió armadamente Panamá y pisoteaba arbitrariamente su soberanía y dignidad?” en alusión a Washington, defendió las inspecciones a los buques como acciones normales, y pidió a los países firmantes del comunicado que “no se dejen engañar ni utilizar por fuerzas con intenciones ocultas”.

A principios de este mes Panama Ports Company, que forma parte de CK Hutchison, inició un procedimiento de arbitraje contra Maersk tras acusarla de alinearse con Panamá en un plan para hacerse con el control de las operaciones portuarias en el crucial canal del país centroamericano.

The most recent spat was triggered in early April when Rubio accused China of “bullying” by detaining or holding up dozens of Panama-flagged ships — though for a short period of time — after the Central American country seized control of two critical ports on the canal earlier this year from a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based company. China denied the allegations.

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department released a joint statement with a handful of smaller U.S. allies in the region — Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago — saying that the action was a “blatant attempt to politicize maritime trade” and that they “stand in solidarity with Panama.”

The comments come as U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a more aggressive stance on Latin America than administrations in past decades, capturing Venezuela's president in an overnight raid and pushing massive reforms in Venezuela, imposing an oil blockade on Cuba, meddling in elections and threatening military action on Mexican cartels.

“The sovereignty of our hemisphere is non-negotiable,” wrote U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a social media post on Tuesday night.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry in a news conference Wednesday said the statements “are completely unfounded and distort reality.”

“Who occupied the Panama Canal for a long time, invaded Panama with its military, and arbitrarily trampled on its sovereignty and dignity? Who covets the Panama Canal, seeks to turn this international waterway — meant to remain permanently neutral — into its own territory, and disregards the sovereignty of regional countries? The answer is self-evident,” Jian said.

"The one who has politicized and securitized the issue of ports is the United States," he added.

Shortly after, Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino wrote in a statement that he appreciated the “solidarity of friendly countries” over the Panamanian-flagged vessels in Chinese ports, but appeared to try and diffuse mounting tensions.

“We do not wish to engage in controversy, as we value respectful relations with all nations,” he said.

The U.S. has long sought to offset China’s growing presence in Latin America. Panama, in part due to its crucial role in international trade with the Panama Canal, has been particularly caught in a broader rivalry between the two superpowers after Trump accused Beijing last year of running the international waterway.

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

El testigo informó que Steven Goldman, quien vive donde trabajan los empleados de valet en el vecindario Mid-Beach de la ciudad, guardaba las armas en una caja fuerte y que “se había vuelto cada vez más inestable”.

El viernes, agentes de la policía de Miami Beach respondieron al área de valet en Seacoast, una comunidad frente al mar en 5151 Collins Ave., según un informe de arresto.

Goldman había estacionado su Hyundai Sonata plateado durante más de 40 minutos frente al área de valet, bloqueando el paso de vehículos, y estaba molesto por una multa de estacionamiento en su ventana, según la policía.

Testigos en el área de valet y en la oficina informaron que Goldman estaba gritando, lanzó la multa, empujó a un empleado, regresó al Hyundai y tomó un arma, según la policía.

Goldman levantó el arma y la apuntó a una de las víctimas mientras gritaba una grosería varias veces antes de irse en el Hyundai, según el informe policial.

Agentes de Surfside detuvieron a Goldman en Collins Avenue y la calle 93. Uno de los agentes reportó que Goldman tenía “ojos enrojecidos, habla arrastrada” y “un fuerte olor a alcohol” en el aliento cuando dijo: “Probablemente les dijeron que saqué un arma contra alguien”.

Los agentes también reportaron que Goldman tenía dos armas —una Smith & Wesson M&P Shield negra y una pistola Springfield XD de 9 mm en negro y plata— en una maleta en el maletero del vehículo.

Los registros muestran que la policía arrestó a Goldman el viernes por la noche, fue ingresado en el sistema correccional de Miami-Dade la madrugada del sábado y compareció ante el tribunal el domingo y el lunes.

Goldman enfrenta cargos de robo con agresión o agresión física y asalto agravado con arma de fuego. También tenía un caso pendiente por conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol.

Según los registros judiciales, la jueza del circuito del condado Miami-Dade Mindy Glazer ordenó que Goldman se mantenga alejado de las dos víctimas, del área de valet y de las armas. Pagó una fianza de $5,000 USD el martes.

El juez del circuito del condado Miami-Dade Richard Hersch estaba programado para presidir el caso grave.

El editor de asignaciones de Local 10 News, Carson Merlo, contribuyó a este informe.

Leer en español

Goldman, 53, parked his silver Hyundai Sonata for about 40 minutes in the valet area, a worker placed a parking violation sticker, and this prompted him to push a man and threaten another at gunpoint, according to police.

Goldman drove away, and police officers reported finding him with “bloodshot eyes, slurred speech,” ”a heavy odor of alcohol," and two guns — a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield and a Springfield XD 9mm handgun.

“They probably told you I pulled a firearm on someone,” Goldman told a Surfside police officer during his arrest on Friday afternoon at Collins Avenue and 93 Street, according to a police officer’s body cam video.

In Miami Beach’s Mid-Beach neighborhood, Goldman’s wife asked police officers to impound about 10 firearms that he was keeping in a safe at their apartment at the Seacoast, at 5151 Collins Ave., according to police.

His wife warned police officers that Goldman “had become increasingly unwell,” according to a Miami Beach police officer’s report.

Witnesses in the valet area and valet office reported he was screaming, threw the parking violation sticker, pushed an employee, and pointed a gun while shouting the same expletive several times, according to police.

After his arrest, Miami-Dade corrections booked Goldman early Saturday morning, and he appeared in bond court on Sunday and Monday, facing charges of burglary with assault or battery and aggravated assault with a firearm.

Records show Goldman also has the DUI warrant case. Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Richard Hersch was set to preside over the felony case.

Related story: Miami Beach drunk driver arrested after pulling firearm at valets over violation sticker, police say

Local 10 News Reporter Rosh Lowe and Assignment Editor Carson Merlo contributed to this report.

El caso, ahora en su quinta semana en un tribunal federal en el centro de Miami, se deriva de presunta conducta que se remonta a 2017.

Se espera que los fiscales concluyan sus argumentos al final del día, tras lo cual el caso podría pasar al jurado.

Rivera y la coacusada Esther Nuhfer están acusados de no registrarse conforme a las leyes federales de agentes extranjeros.

Los fiscales alegan que ambos conspiraron para obtener ganancias utilizando conexiones políticas para impulsar esfuerzos vinculados al gobierno de Venezuela, incluidos intentos de normalizar relaciones entre Caracas y Washington.

Según los fiscales, Rivera y Nuhfer realizaron actividades de cabildeo no reveladas que beneficiaron a la administración de Maduro mientras evitaban la divulgación requerida por la ley estadounidense.

Los abogados defensores sostienen que el trabajo en cuestión era de naturaleza comercial y no requería registro.

Argumentan que el acuerdo involucraba a una empresa con sede en Estados Unidos vinculada al sector petrolero de Venezuela y estaba enfocado en oportunidades de negocio, no en defensa política.

Exxon y Venezuela tuvieron una importante batalla legal después de que el predecesor de Maduro, el ex presidente Hugo Chávez, incautara los activos de la compañía, según el Miami Herald.

Los abogados de Nuhfer dijeron al jurado que no hay evidencia de que ella actuara de mala fe, preguntando durante los argumentos finales: “¿Por qué la acusaron en primer lugar?”. Argumentaron que si los jurados no pueden responder a esa pregunta, deberían emitir un veredicto de no culpable.

El jurado de 12 personas también escuchó el testimonio del secretario de Estado Marco Rubio, quien dijo que no tenía conocimiento de que Rivera estuviera cabildeando en nombre del gobierno venezolano cuando se reunieron en 2017.

Los jurados también escucharon al representante de Texas Pete Sessions, quien testificó que desconocía que el trabajo de consultoría de Rivera estuviera vinculado a algún contrato con un gobierno extranjero.

Lea la acusación contra Rivera en el documento a continuación.

Indictment

The trial centers on the 2015 birth of the ChatGPT maker as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

Musk, who invested about $38 million in OpenAI from December 2015 through May 2017, gave his account of OpenAI’s early years, recounting how he lost confidence that Altman would keep it a nonprofit. Questioned by his lawyer Steven Molo, Musk said by late 2022 he was concerned Altman was trying to “steal the charity.”

"It turned out to be true,” Musk said on the witness stand, wearing his usual courtroom attire of a black suit and tie.

Altman, OpenAI's CEO, was in attendance at the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, although he was not scheduled to testify on Wednesday. The trial started Monday and is expected to last about four weeks.

Lawyers for OpenAI have rejected the allegations brought in Musk's civil lawsuit and said there were never promises that the company would remain a nonprofit forever. The company has argued Musk's legal challenge is aimed at undercutting OpenAI's rapid growth and bolstering Musk’s xAI, which he launched in 2023 as a competitor.

During cross-examination, Musk repeatedly pushed back on questions. OpenAI lawyer William Savitt was asking about emails Musk wrote before OpenAI's founding in 2015 on whether it would be better to make it a standard for-profit company and about tax deductions from his donations to the nonprofit.

“Your questions are not simple,” Musk said. “They are designed to trick me essentially.” Any simple answer, he said, would be misleading the jury.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stepped in, asking Musk to answer whether it's true or false that OpenAI was formed as a nonprofit in December 2015. Musk said in that case, the answer was yes, but added that it is not always simple, comparing it to asking “have you stopped beating your wife?”

“We are not going to go there,” the judge replied, to laughs in the courtroom.

Despite moments of levity, the stakes are high at the trial, which could sway the balance of power in artificial intelligence. Musk’s lawsuit seeks Altman’s ouster from OpenAI’s board. If Musk wins, it could derail OpenAI's plans for an initial public offering of its shares.

Musk’s decision to stop funding the company contributed to a bitter falling out between the former allies that's been evident throughout the trial. On Wednesday, Musk said his views on Altman and his OpenAI cofounders had three phases — from initial excitement to losing confidence to a period in late 2022 when he thought “wait a second, these guys are betraying their promise.”

Lawyers for OpenAI have said Musk sought to control the company for himself.

Musk repeatedly testified that while he initially sought a majority stake in OpenAI and control of four out of seven board seats, this would eventually be diluted when OpenAI grew and gained more shareholders. He compared it to his stake in Tesla, which he said is now around 15% after he initially had a majority stake when the electric car maker was founded over two decades ago.

OpenAI, however, claims there were no assurances that he would eventually relinquish his board majority.

Según la policía de Miami Gardens, el accidente fue reportado a las 7:53 a.m. del martes en la cuadra 1200 de Northwest 188th Street.

Un informe de arresto indica que Jalen Darius Forbes, de 23 años y residente de Miami Gardens, conducía hacia el sur por Northwest 12th Street, intentando evitar el tráfico en una zona escolar cuando se subió al derecho de vía, perdió el control de su Ford Fusion y golpeó a la víctima.

La víctima fue identificada como Johnny Baptiste Jr., de 11 años.

“Lo veo todo golpeado y se supone que debe estar en casa conmigo”, dijo Shakera Rolle, madre del niño. “Cuando escuché por primera vez que lo había atropellado un auto, inmediatamente pensé lo peor”.

Rose Emine, cuyo cercado presuntamente fue impactado por el vehículo de Forbes, dijo a Local 10 News que el niño no respondía después de ser atropellado.

“Dije, ‘Ahh’ porque pensé que el niño había muerto”, dijo Emine.

“Le estaban echando agua en la cabeza. Tenía una gran herida en la cabeza”, dijo otro testigo, Orlando Lawrence.

La policía dijo que personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladó en helicóptero a la víctima al Ryder Trauma Center del Hospital Jackson Memorial con lesiones graves en la cabeza, pero estables.

Mientras tanto, Forbes fue arrestado por cargos de conducción imprudente y conducción imprudente causando lesiones corporales graves.

“Solo desearía que hubiera sido un poco más cuidadoso o que hubiera prestado más atención a la carretera por donde conducía”, dijo Rolle.

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According to FBI agents, the body of Alejandro Jacomino Gonzalez, 41, who is originally from Cuba, was discovered in coastal Georgia.

A cause of death has not been released.

According to the FBI, prior to his body being found, Gonzalez had last been seen on April 17 at the Brevard County Rest Area on Interstate 95 southbound in Grant-Valkaria. He arrived at the rest stop at about 1:21 a.m. and rested there for several hours, authorities said.

Agents said Gonzalez was transporting vehicles from the Port of Brunswick in Georgia, which he picked up the day prior, to Miami when he vanished.

According to the FBI, GPS from the truck shows that someone drove the truck south one exit before turning north toward Jacksonville at 7:49 a.m. after leaving the rest stop.

“Soon after, Gonzalez became unreachable and the truck was reported missing,” the FBI said in a news release.

According to agents, the truck was located later that day in Port Wentworth, Georgia, however Gonzalez was not found with it and several vehicles were missing from the hauler.

“Since the discovery of the truck, three vehicles have been located in Florida. Others are still missing,” the FBI said.

Agents are now seeking photos and video footage from anyone who was in or around the Brevard County rest stop between the hours of 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on April 17, “specifically focusing on the southern portion of the rest area near the ramp that enters back onto I-95 South.”

Anyone who has information about what agents are calling the “Brevard County Car Hauler Hijacking,” or would like to submit photos or video, is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or click here.

Mohammad Sharifullah faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years after his one-count conviction in an international terrorism case that President Donald Trump heralded last year during a speech to a joint session of Congress. Sharifullah didn’t testify at his weeklong trial.

Approximately 160 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, attack at the airport, where U.S. troops were conducting an evacuation operation when a lone suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device near an entry point known as Abbey Gate.

A federal jury in Virginia convicted Sharifullah of providing material support to an Islamic State regional branch known as ISIS-K. But the jurors deadlocked on whether any deaths at the airport “resulted from” that conspiracy. Sharifullah could have faced a possible life sentence if the jury had unanimously decided that question.

Sharifullah didn't appear to have any visible reaction to the verdict. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga didn't immediately set a date for Sharifullah's sentencing.

The jury deliberated for roughly eight hours over two days. In a note to the judge, jurors indicated that they quickly reached a unanimous decision to convict Sharifullah of conspiracy but couldn’t agree on the element that could have significantly enhanced the severity of his sentence. The judge rejected a prosecutor’s request to give them more time to deliberate.

Defense attorney Lauren Rosen argued that prosecutors failed to present any evidence tying Sharifullah to the bombing besides his own words during hours of FBI questioning. Rosen said Sharifullah told FBI agents what he thought they wanted to hear, possibly because he was afraid of being tortured in Pakistani custody before he was brought to the U.S.

“The problem was, he didn’t know much about what actually happened that day,” Rosen told jurors during the trial’s closing arguments. “The government has told you nothing about how this attack actually happened.”

Justice Department prosecutor Ryan White said Sharifullah played a crucial role in planning the Abbey Gate bombing and was involved in several other attacks by ISIS-K, including its March 2024 attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed roughly 140 people.

“The defendant thought nothing of killing,” White said. “For him, it was just another day at the office.”

A review by U.S. Central Command found that the Abbey Gate bomber was Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an Islamic State group militant who had been released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban. Sharifullah recognized the alleged bomber as an operative he had known while incarcerated, according to an FBI affidavit.

A former Marine testified to Congress that he and others had spotted two possible suspects behaving suspiciously on the morning of the bombing but didn’t get permission to act. However, the Central Command review concluded that the snipers hadn’t seen the actual bomber and that the attack was not preventable.

A prosecutor assigned to the Abbey Gate case was fired last year after a right-wing commentator publicly criticized him over his work during President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration. Michael Ben’Ary’s ouster was part of a broader purge of Justice Department veterans deemed to be insufficiently loyal to Trump, a Republican.

During his most recent presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly condemned Biden for his role in the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and blamed him for the Abbey Gate attack.

Biden’s White House was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the first Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020. A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s military and the Taliban takeover.

White, the prosecutor, said Sharifullah told a journalist that he wanted to “catch and kill the crusaders” from the U.S. for invading his country after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

“This case is not complicated,” White said. “The defendant told you everything you need to know.”

Rosen said U.S. authorities accepted ISIS propaganda at face value when the group took responsibility for the airport bombing. She suggested that militants from a Taliban offshoot were manning Abbey Gate and could have been involved in the attack.

“You can’t base your verdict on mere conjecture and speculation,” Rosen said. “That’s what the prosecution is asking you to do.”

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According to the FBI, Alejandro Jacomino Gonzalez, 41, who is originally from Cuba, was last seen on April 17 at the Brevard County Rest Area on Interstate 95 southbound in Grant-Valkaria. He arrived at the rest stop at about 1:21 a.m. and rested there for several hours, authorities said.

Agents said Gonzalez was transporting vehicles from the Port of Brunswick in Georgia to Miami when he vanished.

“The truck and some of the cars have been recovered, but Gonzalez is still missing,” the FBI posted on social media.

According to the FBI, GPS from the truck shows that someone drove the truck south one exit before turning north toward Jacksonville at 7:49 a.m. after leaving the rest stop.

“Soon after, Gonzalez became unreachable and the truck was reported missing,” the FBI said in a news release.

According to agents, the truck was located later that day in Port Wentworth, Georgia, however Gonzalez was not found with it and several vehicles were missing from the hauler.

“Since the discovery of the truck, three vehicles have been located in Florida. Others are still missing, along with Gonzalez,” the FBI said.

Agents are now seeking photos and video footage from anyone who was in or around the Brevard County rest stop between the hours of 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. on April 17, “specifically focusing on the southern portion of the rest area near the ramp that enters back onto I-95 South.”

Anyone who has information about what agents are calling the “Brevard County Car Hauler Hijacking,” or would like to submit photos or video, is asked to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or click here.

Según el FBI, Alejandro Jacomino González, de 41 años y originario de Cuba, fue visto por última vez el 17 de abril en el área de descanso del condado Brevard en la Interestatal 95 en dirección sur en Grant-Valkaria. Llegó al área de descanso alrededor de la 1:21 a.m. y permaneció allí durante varias horas, dijeron las autoridades.

Los agentes indicaron que González transportaba vehículos desde el Puerto de Brunswick en Georgia hacia Miami cuando desapareció.

“El camión y algunos de los vehículos han sido recuperados, pero González sigue desaparecido”, publicó el FBI en redes sociales.

Según el FBI, el GPS del camión muestra que alguien condujo el camión hacia el sur una salida antes de girar hacia el norte en dirección a Jacksonville a las 7:49 a.m., después de salir del área de descanso.

“Poco después, González se volvió inlocalizable y el camión fue reportado como desaparecido”, dijo el FBI en un comunicado de prensa.

Según los agentes, el camión fue localizado más tarde ese mismo día en Port Wentworth, Georgia; sin embargo, González no fue encontrado con él y varios vehículos faltaban del transporte.

“Desde el hallazgo del camión, tres vehículos han sido localizados en Florida. Otros aún están desaparecidos, junto con González”, indicó el FBI.

Los agentes ahora buscan fotos y videos de cualquier persona que haya estado en o cerca del área de descanso del condado Brevard entre la 1 a.m. y las 8 a.m. del 17 de abril, “enfocándose específicamente en la parte sur del área de descanso cerca de la rampa que conecta nuevamente con la I-95 Sur”.

Cualquier persona que tenga información sobre lo que los agentes llaman el “secuestro de transporte de vehículos del condado Brevard”, o que desee enviar fotos o videos, debe llamar al FBI al 1-800-225-5324 o hacer clic aquí.

The Broncos announced Simmons' retirement on Wednesday and noted the news came exactly 10 years after the team selected the safety in the third round from Boston College in 2016.

Though Simmons started 16 games for the Atlanta Falcons in his final season in 2024, when he had two interceptions, he enjoyed most of his success with Denver. Each of his two Pro Bowl seasons came with the Broncos. He also was a four-time second-team All-Pro for Denver.

“Being a Denver Bronco was more than just a team,” Simmons said in the Broncos' announcement on social media. “It was my heart, my home and my story.”

Added Simmons: “I'm always going to be a Bronco, and I'm always going to be a Broncos fan. They took a chance on me, extended me. This is my home.”

Simmons intercepted at least two passes in each of his nine seasons and finished his career with 32, including an NFL-leading six in 2022. He started in 124 of 134 games in his career.

The Falcons also offered congratulations to Simmons on social media.

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

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The Coral Terrace neighborhood resident reported that Yamilet Alfonso returned to the home on Saturday, along Southwest 57 Court, near Coral Way, according to a deputy’s arrest report.

“The victim observed [Alfonso] approaching her residence as she was attempting to retrieve another package from the front of the residence and confronted [her],” the deputy wrote, adding that Alfonso fled.

Miami-Dade deputies tracked and arrested Alfonso on Tuesday, and corrections booked her early Wednesday morning at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, records show.

The victim submitted three videos of Alfonso: One shows her stealing $1,000 in Amazon packages on April 13, another $900 in Amazon packages on April 20, and another a $300 Amazon package on April 22, according to deputies.

Alfonso arrived at the victim’s home in Coral Terrace, near Coral Gables, either in a red Nissan sports utility vehicle or a white Honda Accord, according to the deputy’s arrest report.

Court records showed Alfonso faced four charges in two pending criminal cases. One was for three counts of grand theft, and the other for cocaine possession. Her bond was $5,000.

Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Michelle Delancy was set to preside over the two new cases.

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Alfonso was last released from prison on Feb. 18, 2017, after a Miami-Dade judge sentenced her to a year and a day in prison on May 9, 2016, for a burglary of an occupied dwelling and grand theft on July 6, 2015.

Alfonso’s arrest record in Miami-Dade includes cocaine possession in 2012 and possession of a controlled substance in 2014 and 2019. It also includes arrests for burglary and grand theft in 2014, 2015, and 2021.

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

Sheinbaum dijo durante su conferencia de prensa matutina que con el acuerdo se busca reducir las importaciones de acero y que la mayor parte de ese material que emplea el gobierno federal para la construcción de carreteras, trenes e infraestructura sea producido en México.

El convenio, que forma parte del llamado “Plan México” que lanzó el gobierno de Sheinbaum el año pasado para fortalecer la producción local, también prevé medidas para enfrentar las prácticas desleales y promover a los proveedores nacionales.

Los representantes de las industrias de la construcción y la vivienda también se sumaron al acuerdo de compromiso para aumentar las compras de acero local.

Sobre los beneficios que traerá el acuerdo, Sergio de la Maza Jiménez, presidente de la Cámara Nacional de la Industria del Hierro y del Acero, aseguró que será “clave” para respaldar cerca de 90.000 empleos directos, dar certidumbre a inversiones en curso por más de 8.000 millones de dólares, y fortalecer la competitividad y la sustentabilidad de la industria mexicana.

De la Maza Jiménez expresó en un acto en el palacio de gobierno donde se firmó el documento que la producción del sector se redujo el año pasado como consecuencia del arancel que comenzó a aplicar la administración del presidente estadounidense Donald Trump, que ocasionó una merma en las exportaciones. Los principales mercados del acero mexicano son Estados Unidos, que compra más del 70%, Canadá, Arabia Saudita y Guatemala, entre otros.

El año pasado México tuvo una demanda de acero del orden de los 28 millones de toneladas, pero la industria mexicana sólo logró generar 14 millones de toneladas. En 2024 la producción mexicana de acero fue de 18 millones de toneladas, mientras que en 2023 alcanzó casi 20 millones de toneladas.

Para suplir el déficit local de acero, México ha recurrido a importaciones provenientes de China, Corea del Sur, Japón y Estados Unidos.

De la Maza Jiménez aseguró que la industria mexicana está en capacidad de elevar este año su producción para atender la demanda local.

El gobierno mexicano ha proyectado que en 2026 empleará alrededor de 200.000 toneladas de acero en diversas construcciones, informó el secretario de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes, Jesús Antonio Esteva.

La residente del vecindario Coral Terrace reportó que Yamilet Alfonso regresó a la vivienda el sábado, en Southwest 57 Court, cerca de Coral Way, según el informe de arresto.

“La víctima observó a [Alfonso] acercarse a su residencia mientras intentaba recoger otro paquete del frente de la casa y la confrontó”, escribió el agente, agregando que Alfonso huyó.

Agentes de Miami-Dade rastrearon y arrestaron a Alfonso el martes, y fue ingresada la madrugada del miércoles en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, según registros.

La víctima entregó tres videos de Alfonso: uno muestra el robo de paquetes de Amazon por $1,000 USD el 13 de abril, otro por $900 USD el 20 de abril y otro por $300 USD el 22 de abril, según los agentes.

Alfonso llegó a la casa de la víctima en Coral Terrace en una SUV Nissan roja o un Honda Accord blanco, según el informe de arresto.

Registros judiciales muestran que Alfonso enfrentaba cuatro cargos en dos casos penales pendientes: uno por tres cargos de hurto mayor y otro por posesión de cocaína. Su fianza fue fijada en $5,000 USD.

La jueza del circuito del condado Miami-Dade, Michelle Delancy, estaba programada para presidir los dos nuevos casos.

Según el Departamento de Correcciones de Florida, Alfonso fue liberada por última vez de prisión el 18 de febrero de 2017, después de que un juez de Miami-Dade la sentenciara a un año y un día de prisión el 9 de mayo de 2016 por robo en vivienda ocupada y hurto mayor ocurrido el 6 de julio de 2015.

El historial de arrestos de Alfonso en Miami-Dade incluye posesión de cocaína en 2012, posesión de sustancia controlada en 2014 y 2019, así como arrestos por robo en vivienda y hurto mayor en 2014, 2015 y 2021.

Reginald Jackson, de 40 años, y Roderick Martin, de 39, fueron acusados en los asesinatos de Annette Anderson, de 70 años, y Tyrone Walker Jr., de 20, en Miami Gardens.

Jackson recibirá 40 años de prisión, mientras que Martin recibirá 25.

Jackson tuvo un arrebato en la corte lleno de insultos durante una audiencia previa, alegando que estaba molesto porque su familia no estaba en la sala cuando iba a aceptar el acuerdo.

El motivo del crimen sigue sin estar claro. El abogado de Jackson dijo que nunca se lo dijo.

“This was what he lived for,” said Todd Pletcher, now an accomplished trainer himself after working for Lukas beginning in 1989.

Lukas' eternal optimism about the future was an annual tradition that lasted until June, when the Hall of Fame trainer was hospitalized with a severe blood infection and died at age 89. The horse racing community gathers this week for the first Kentucky Derby without Lukas, though his presence lingers over everything around the biggest event in horse racing.

"I miss Wayne. I miss talking to him," two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer and longtime friend Bob Baffert said. “The thing is, without him here, it’s a different little vibe.”

His name remains a part of Churchill Downs, with a sign marking the “Lukas Gap” impossible to miss on the way between the fabled track and barn 44, which he occupied for more than four decades. Baffert wanted it badly, he said, but it's now where Mike Maker's horses are.

It's fitting because Maker is one of countless horsemen now thriving after learning under Lukas. Pletcher, who has won the Derby twice and has the favorite this year in Renegade, is one of the strongest branches on Lukas' racing version of a coaching tree.

“It’s an incredible tree, really, when you look at all the different branches and how many people are currently training that either worked for Wayne or worked for me or worked for one of the other assistants (who worked) for Wayne,” Pletcher said. “It just shows you how many lives Wayne directly or indirectly touched.”

Among them is now-retired jockey Jerry Bailey, whose second of two Derby victories came aboard Lukas-trained Grindstone in 1996. Their connection traced back to Lukas' days training quarter horses in New Mexico before getting into thoroughbreds and becoming one of the faces of the sport.

Bailey recalled once riding a horse for Lukas that finished up the track, nowhere close to winning, and thinking afterward he never would get aboard again. Lukas changed his mind in their conversation on the way back to the jockeys' room.

"He was such a glass-half-full, positive guy," Bailey said. “He had me believing this horse was the next coming of Secretariat by the time I got back. ... And that’s really who Wayne Lukas was: always Mr. Positive. And I think the game was better off for him.”

Lukas was still riding his pony himself into his late 80s, showing no signs of slowing down the get-up-early work ethic that made him successful. Still, Bailey made it a point to visit every time he got the chance, not knowing when it would be the last time they got to talk.

Fellow jockey-turned-NBC Sports analyst Donna Brothers, who rode for Lukas in the '90s, also was a regular visitor, eager to get his perspective on not just his horse and stable but any number of things leading up to a big race. Working her final Derby, she doesn't get that chance.

“It’s quite a void to walk by Wayne’s barn and not see Wayne’s pony sitting out there and know that you’re not going to be able to go by Wayne’s barn and talk to him about who he likes for this year’s Derby and why,” Brothers said. “He was a consummate horseman, knew his horses well, but he also knew the competition pretty well also, so it was always nice to go by his barn and pick his brain about who he likes and why. Beyond that, he’s just a legend.”

Lukas won the Kentucky Derby four times, trailing only Baffert and Ben Jones for the most victories. He saddled 51 horses in the race from 1981 through last year, second only to Pletcher.

“He recognized very early in his career that the Triple Crown races and the Breeders’ Cup races were what drives the industry and draws the owners to the game,” Pletcher said. “It won’t be the same without him, for sure.”

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

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According to Miami Gardens police, the crash was reported at 7:53 a.m. in the 1200 block of Northwest 188^th Street.

Police said the driver of a black Ford Fusion was heading south on Northwest 12^th Avenue at a high rate of speed when they tried to bypass slow-moving traffic by driving onto the swale.

The driver, identified by police as 23-year-old Darius Forbes, then crashed the car into a tree and then struck the child, police said.

The victim has been identified as Johnny Baptiste Jr.

“I’m looking at him all banged up and he’s supposed to be home with me,” said Shakera Rolle, the boy’s mother. “When I first heard he was hit by a car, I instantly thought the worst.”

Rose Emine, whose fence was crashed in by the driver, told Local 10 News that the boy was unresponsive after being struck by the car.

“I said, ‘Ahh’ because I thought the boy has died,” Emine said.

“They was just throwing water on his head. Big gash on his head,” another witness, Orlando Lawrence, said.

Authorities said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel airlifted the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with serious but stable head injuries.

“We need to pray for that child and family,” Emine said.

Police confirmed that Forbes was arrested on reckless driving charges.

“I just wish he was a little more careful or paid more attention to the road where he was riding,” said Rolle.

A medida que la niebla se disipaba al amanecer, acres de pasto serrado carbonizado se extendían por los Everglades.

En solo 24 horas, el incendio se expandió de unas 450 acres a más de 6,600, el equivalente a casi 5,000 campos de fútbol reducidos a cenizas.

Los equipos de bomberos lo han denominado el incendio de Highway 41, que continúa ardiendo a unas pocas millas al oeste del Miccosukee Casino.

Los funcionarios han cerrado una gran parte del Parque Nacional Everglades, obligando a negocios cercanos — incluyendo Coopertown Airboats, Safari Park y Gator Park — a cerrar.

Al caer la tarde del martes, los equipos continuaban trabajando para contener las llamas. Helicópteros arrojaron cientos de galones de agua, apuntando a varios focos mientras brillantes llamas anaranjadas ardían en la distancia.

Los bomberos dicen que el fuego está avanzando rápidamente a través del pasto seco, alimentado por condiciones de sequía y vientos constantes.

“Este viento ha estado soplando más hacia el sur, por lo que el incendio ha aumentado de tamaño”, dijo Ezra Van, observador de tormentas del Servicio Nacional de Meteorología.

Van dijo que hay varios elementos naturales que siguen siendo los factores más importantes en el comportamiento del incendio.

“El viento, la humedad y la lluvia son los tres factores más importantes”, dijo. “Si el viento aumenta, el fuego se mueve más rápido. Si la humedad baja, arde más rápido. Y la lluvia, si llega, podría frenarlo”.

El incendio, que comenzó el sábado, permanece contenido en un 0%. No se han reportado heridos ni daños a propiedades, y la causa aún está bajo investigación. Los equipos continúan monitoreando las condiciones desde el aire mientras el incendio se mueve por el área.

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As fog cleared at daybreak, acres of blackened sawgrass stretched across the Everglades.

In just 24 hours, the fire expanded from about 450 acres to more than 6600 — the equivalent of nearly 5,000 football fields reduced to ash.

Fire crews have named it the Highway 41 Fire, which continues to burn a few miles west of the Miccosukee Casino.

Officials have closed a large stretch of Everglades National Park, forcing nearby businesses — including Coopertown Airboats, Safari Park and Gator Park — to shut down.

As the sun set Tuesday, crews continued working to push flames back. Helicopters dropped hundreds of gallons of water, targeting several hotspots as bright orange flames burned in the distance.

Firefighters say the flames are tearing through dry sawgrass, fueled by ongoing drought conditions and steady winds.

“This wind has been blowing more to the south, so the fire has picked up in size,” said Ezra Van, a National Weather Service storm spotter.

Van said there are several natural elements that remain the biggest factors in the fire’s behavior.

“Wind, humidity, and rain are the three biggest factor,” he said. “If the wind picks up, the fire moves faster. If humidity drops, it burns faster. And rain, if it comes, could slow it down.”

The fire, which began Saturday, remains 0% contained. No injuries or property damage have been reported, and the cause is still under investigation. Crews continue to monitor conditions from the air as the fire moves through the area.

Click here to get current status updates and statistics about the fire (to include acreage), which is updated perodically, and here to get the latest closures due to the fire.

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According to Miami Gardens police, the crash was reported at 7:53 a.m. Tuesday in the 1200 block of Northwest 188^th Street.

An arrest report states that Jalen Darius Forbes, 23, of Miami Gardens, was driving south on Northwest 12^th Street, trying to avoid traffic in a school zone when he drove onto the right of way, lost control of his Ford Fusion and struck the victim.

The victim was identified as 11-year-old Johnny Baptiste Jr.

Surveillance video in the area first shows the suspect driving at a high rate of speed, appearing to attempt to bypass traffic, before the sound of impact is heard.

Another angle shows Johnny walking with his cousin and the car jumping a sidewalk and mowing down the child.

“I’m looking at him all banged up and he’s supposed to be home with me,” Shakera Rolle, the boy’s mother, said. “When I first heard he was hit by a car, I instantly thought the worst.”

Rose Emine, whose fence Forbes’ allegedly crashed into with his car, told Local 10 News that the boy was unresponsive after being struck by the vehicle.

“I said, ‘Ahh’ because I thought the boy has died,” Emine said.

“They was just throwing water on his head. Big gash on his head,” another witness, Orlando Lawrence, said.

Police said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel airlifted the victim to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with serious but stable head injuries.

Forbes, meanwhile, was arrested on charges of reckless driving and reckless driving causing serious bodily injury.

“I just wish he was a little more careful or paid more attention to the road where he was riding,” Rolle said.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help Johnny’s family with his medical bills.

Crist, 69, has been a Republican, a Democrat and an independent during his political career. He served as a Republican governor from 2007 to 2011 and was a Democratic member of the U.S. House for three terms, ending in 2022. He also unsuccessfully ran against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022 and previously challenged then-Gov. Rick Scott in 2014, as a Democrat in both races.

Now Crist has his sights set on St. Petersburg City Hall and filed election paperwork this week.

The current mayor, Ken Welch, is the first Black person in the job and is running for reelection. Crist endorsed him in his earlier campaign. The St. Petersburg mayor’s office is a nonpartisan election, and around a half dozen other candidates are in the race.

St. Petersburg, across the bay from Tampa, is one of Florida’s more progressive cities and has regularly elected Democrats to various offices. In an interview last fall, Crist pointed out his ties to the area, including his graduation from St. Petersburg High School and his service in Congress representing the area.

“St. Petersburg is a very special place to me. It’s home,” Crist said.

Crist has a long and colorful history in Florida politics. Earlier in his career, Crist was a state senator, education commissioner and Florida’s attorney general, all as a Republican. He also unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate multiple times, including in 2010 as an independent against Marco Rubio, now the U.S. Secretary of State. And he was once known as “chain-gang Charlie” for having inmates clean highways.

While in Congress, Crist voted twice to impeach President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term. In his most recent race, DeSantis defeated Crist with about 59% of the vote for governor.

For his part, Welch has said that he is focused on his job as mayor. St. Petersburg has lately endured much tumult, with twin Hurricanes Helene and Milton striking in 2024, uncertainty following the sale of the city’s Tampa Bay Rays baseball team and a continuing issue with high water bills.

El incidente ocurrió el martes alrededor de las 6:20 p.m. en el Sierra Lakes Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, ubicado en 220 Sierra Drive, justo al exterior de Miami Gardens.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade, los agentes respondieron a la instalación de tres pisos tras recibir un reporte de una paciente que había prendido fuego a su cama.

Cuando los agentes llegaron, indicaron que equipos de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trabajaban para extinguir el incendio y ventilar el pasillo fuera de la unidad donde se originó el fuego, mientras los pacientes del tercer piso eran evacuados.

Los agentes dijeron que luego entrevistaron a la sospechosa, identificada como Lourdes Espinal, de 55 años.

Según el informe de arresto, Espinal dijo a los investigadores: “Inició el incendio al prender un encendedor a su colchón porque estaba molesta porque no estaba recibiendo su medicamento a tiempo”.

Además, los agentes indicaron que Espinal admitió haber provocado el incendio mientras su compañera de cuarto, quien está postrada en cama y requiere una máscara de oxígeno, también estaba dentro de la habitación.

Al hablar con la enfermera de Espinal, los investigadores fueron informados de que después de recibir sus medicamentos de la tarde, Espinal solicitó medicamentos adicionales que no estaban recetados por su médico.

Cuando la enfermera le dijo a Espinal que contactaría a su médico para ver si podía recetar el medicamento adicional, las autoridades dijeron que la enfermera indicó que Espinal se volvió “más furiosa y volcó su bandeja de comida” mientras insultaba a la enfermera, quien luego contactó a un supervisor.

Según el informe de arresto, luego intentó encender un cigarrillo en su habitación, momento en el que el supervisor le informó que no estaba permitido dentro de la instalación y le retiró el cigarrillo de la boca, lo que provocó que Espinal lanzara su encendedor al supervisor mientras gritaba: “Voy a quemar el lugar, demasiadas malas b—–s, tienen que sacar su t— de aquí”.

Poco después, el personal del centro dijo que Espinal salió de su habitación y dijo: “Puse fuego en la habitación, mejor saquen a la residente”, lo que llevó al personal a correr hacia la habitación y desconectar de inmediato a la compañera de cuarto de su tanque de oxígeno y sacarla en silla de ruedas.

Espinal fue detenida y enfrenta cargos de intento de asesinato, incendio provocado en primer grado y agresión.

Hasta la tarde del miércoles, permanecía detenida en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight con fianza “por determinar”.

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The incident occurred on Tuesday around 6:20 p.m. at the Sierra Lakes Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, located at 220 Sierra Drive, just outside of Miami Gardens.

According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to the three-story facility after receiving a report of a patient who had set her bed on fire.

When deputies arrived, they said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews were working to extinguish the blaze and ventilate the hallway outside of the unit where the fire was set while patients on the third floor were evacuated.

Deputies said they then interviewed the suspect, identified as Lourdes Espinal, 55.

According to an arrest form, Espinal told investigators, “She started the fire by setting a lighter to her mattress because she was upset that she was not getting her medication on time.”

Additionally, deputies said that Espinal admitted to setting the fire while her roommate, who is bedridden and requires an oxygen mask, was also inside the room.

While speaking with Espinal’s nurse, investigators were told that after she received her afternoon medications, Espinal had requested additional medication that was not prescribed by her doctor.

When the nurse told Espinal she would reach out to her doctor to see if he would prescribe the additional medication, authorities said the nurse told them Espinal became “more furious and knocked over her tray of food” while cursing at the nurse, who then contacted a supervisor.

According to Espinal’s arrest form, she then attempted to light a cigarette in her room, at which time the supervisor informed her that was not permitted inside the facility and removed the cigarette from Espinal’s mouth, prompting her to throw her lighter at the supervisor while yelling, “I’m gonna burn the place out, (too) many bad b-----s, they have to keep they a-- out.”

Shortly after, facility staff said Espinal exited her room and said, “I put fire in the room, y’all better take out the resident,” prompting staff to run into the room and immediately disconnect Espinal’s roommate from her oxygen tank and wheel her out of the room.

Espinal was taken into custody and is facing charges of attempted murder, first-degree arson and battery.

As of Wednesday afternoon, she remained behind bars at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with bond listed as “to be set.”

Comey was indicted in North Carolina on Tuesday on charges of making threats against President Donald Trump related to a photograph he posted on social media last year of seashells arranged in the numbers “86 47.” The Justice Department contends those numbers amounted to a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Comey has said he assumed the numbers reflected a political message, not a call to violence, and removed the Instagram post once he saw some people were interpreting it that way.

The indictment is the second against Comey, a longtime target of Trump's ire dating back to his time as FBI director, over the past year. The first one, on unrelated false statement and obstruction charges, was dismissed by a judge last November. Now prosecutors pursuing the threats case face their own challenge of proving that Comey intended to communicate a true threat or at least recklessly discounted the possibility that the statement could be understood as a threat.

The indictment accuses Comey of acting “knowingly and willfully,” but its sparse language offers no support for that assertion. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has declined to elaborate on what evidence of intent the government has. But broad First Amendment protections for free speech, Supreme Court precedent and Comey's public statements indicating that he did not intend to convey a threat will likely impose a tall burden for the government.

“Here, ‘86’ is ambiguous — it doesn’t necessarily threaten violence and the fact that it was the FBI Director posting this openly and notoriously on a public social media site suggests that he didn’t intend to convey a threat of violence,” John Keller, a senior Justice Department official who led a task force to prosecute violent threats against election workers, wrote in a text message.

The case was charged in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the location of the beach where Comey has said he found the shells. He made a brief appearance Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, the state where he lives.

Comey didn’t speak or enter a plea during the appearance. But his legal team teed up at least one argument expected to be invoked, with defense lawyer Patrick Fitzgerald saying attorneys would argue that the prosecution is vindictive and selective and would ask prosecutors to save communications relevant for that motion.

U.S. Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick also rejected the government’s request to set conditions on Comey’s release, calling it unnecessary.

As FBI director, Comey oversaw the early months of an investigation into whether Trump’s 2016 campaign had coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of that year’s election. Comey was fired by Trump months into the president’s first term, and the president and his supporters have sought retribution ever since over the Russia investigation.

What the law says on threats

The Supreme Court has held that statements are not protected by the First Amendment if they meet the legal threshold of a “true threat.”

That requires prosecutors to prove, at a minimum, that a defendant recklessly disregarded the risk that a statement could be perceived as threatening violence. In a 2023 Supreme Court case, the majority held that prosecutors have to show that the “defendant had some subjective understanding of the threatening nature of his statements.”

The court has also found that hyperbolic political speech is protected.

In a 1969 case, the justices held that a Vietnam War protester did not make a knowing and willful threat against the president when he remarked that “If they ever make me carry a rifle the first man I want to get in my sights is L.B.J,” referring to President Lyndon B. Johnson. The court noted that laughter in the crowd when the protester made the statement, among other things, showed it wasn’t a serious threat of violence.

Regarding the current case, Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” It notes: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’ We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”

Comey deleted the post shortly after it was made, writing: “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence” and “I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

Trump said Wednesday he believes his life was “probably” in danger as a result of the post, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “If anybody knows anything about crime, they know 86 — it’s a mob term for ‘kill him.'”

What the government will try to prove

John Fishwick, a former U.S. attorney in the Western District of Virginia, said the government will likely try to prove that Comey should have known better as a former FBI director.

“I think they're going to try to circumstantially say that you were head of the FBI, you knew what these terms meant and you said them out to the whole world as a threat to the president,” Fishwick said, though he noted such an argument would be challenging in light of Comey's First Amendment defenses.

Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service last year, and the fact he was not charged with making a false statement suggests prosecutors do not have evidence that he lied to agents, Fishwick said.

Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor, wrote in an opinion piece published Tuesday that “despite being one of Comey’s longest critics, the indictment raises troubling free speech issues. In the end, it must be the Constitution, not Comey, that drives the analysis and this indictment is unlikely to withstand constitutional scrutiny.”

“If it did,” he added, “it would allow the government to criminalize a huge swath of political speech in the United States.”

Blanche defended the prosecution at an unrelated news conference Wednesday but said the case would ultimately be for a jury to decide.

“I know that a grand jury returned a two-count indictment. I know this case was investigated for the past year. I do not know what a jury of his peers will do at a trial that will come at some point in the future,” he said.

___

Tucker and Richer reported from Washington.

“En realidad somos los únicos en Florida, y hasta donde sabemos, también somos los únicos en todo el país”, dijo Michael Zuratti, CEO de Sedation Ink.

Es un nuevo giro médico en una industria que se remonta a más de 5,000 años.

“Creo que fue una idea muy interesante, una idea muy interesante, como sabemos en Miami, somos muy grandes en cirugía plástica”, dijo el Dr. Bryan Merkel, anestesiólogo de Sedation Ink.

Desde febrero de 2024, el estudio de tatuajes especializado con sede en Miami ha estado ofreciendo tatuajes de gran escala mientras los clientes están bajo anestesia general.

“Creo que estamos a la vanguardia de un cambio en la industria”, dijo Zuratti. “Así que creemos que eventualmente esto será más común a nivel nacional. Dicho esto, estamos a la vanguardia y estamos emocionados de establecer un buen ejemplo en términos de asegurar que la seguridad sea de máxima importancia”.

Zuratti dio exclusivamente a Local 10 News un vistazo al proceso desde el inicio, comenzando con la consulta final para su cliente más reciente, un empresario de Boston que pidió que se difuminara su rostro y solo se usaran sus iniciales, E.C.

“Hacer esta cobertura tomaría mucho tiempo”, dijo.

El hombre de 37 años optó por la vía rápida, cubriendo tatuajes que se hizo cuando tenía 15 años.

“Cambias a medida que creces y luego empiezas a darte cuenta de que algunos tatuajes no encajan contigo”, dijo E.C.

E.C. dice que la publicidad en línea de la empresa llamó su atención, incluyendo el lema de Sedation, “di adiós al dolor”.

El procedimiento ayuda a acelerar las sesiones de tatuaje para los clientes. Tradicionalmente, los tatuajes de gran escala pueden tomar hasta más de dos años en completarse con múltiples sesiones de varias horas.

“Podemos hacer proyectos de gran escala en cinco, seis horas”, dijo Zuratti.

“Lo estamos viendo en lugares como Los Ángeles, Nueva York y Miami, y los lugares típicos donde esperarías encontrar ideas innovadoras en medicina y estética y cosas así”, dijo el Dr. Cameron Howard, jefe de anestesiología en Memorial Hospital West. “Tenemos que tomarlo en serio y no podemos ser frívolos con esto. Dicho eso, para los pacientes que reciben anestesia para un tatuaje, deben tener todas las mismas precauciones y las mismas capacidades de emergencia disponibles”.

En 2025, la Sociedad Estadounidense de Anestesiólogos publicó una declaración sobre la anestesia para tatuajes, señalando que someterse a anestesia para un tatuaje puede ser peligroso, pero “no es diferente de recibirla para un procedimiento electivo”.

“Es algo muy serio, ¿verdad? Y no debería tratarse como un día de spa”, dijo Howard.

“Este es un procedimiento electivo, ¿verdad? Así que el paciente está inconsciente y con un tubo de respiración, por lo que es un procedimiento médico primero”, dijo Zuratti.

Lo que diferencia a Sedation Ink de otros es cómo la empresa está registrada tanto como estudio de tatuajes como centro médico, dijo Zuratti.

“Presentar esto ante la Junta Médica de Florida, contactar a las autoridades de licencias de establecimientos de tatuajes, estamos certificados con ambos departamentos, y tomó mucho trabajo construir esto”, dijo Zuratti. “Desde el primer día, seguridad, seguridad, seguridad, eso es lo que impulsamos todos los días”.

“Básicamente le administramos al paciente medicamentos a través de una vía intravenosa, se duerme y, una vez que está completamente dormido, se le coloca un tubo de respiración”, dijo Merkel.

Hasta ahora, la empresa ha realizado más de 50 procedimientos en el South Florida Surgical Center después de que los clientes reciben autorización de su médico primario, con una enfermera y un anestesiólogo monitoreando.

“No es diferente a recibir anestesia general para una cirugía plástica o cualquier otro tipo de procedimiento, como una colonoscopia”, dijo Merkel.

“La industria ha estado pidiendo esto durante mucho tiempo, pero obviamente no es para todos”, dijo el tatuador Francisco Gomez.

Durante siete años, Gomez ha tatuado a clientes y ha trabajado con Sedation Ink durante dos años.

“Mi primera reacción fue, ‘Antes de decir que sí a algo, ¿cómo funciona?’”, dijo Gomez.

Él, junto con un grupo de otros artistas, ayudó a diseñar tatuajes y cubrir el pecho de E.C.

“En el momento en que el cliente es puesto bajo anestesia, hay un reloj corriendo, y el médico no sale de la sala durante las siete horas completas”, dijo Gomez.

Zuratti dijo que quiere que Sedation Ink sea “conocido como un proveedor líder que se enfoca primero en la seguridad y luego en el tatuaje”.

Profesionales médicos y Sedation Ink subrayan que este es un procedimiento médico primero.

Howard dijo que las reacciones graves pueden variar desde problemas en las vías respiratorias hasta complicaciones pulmonares o cardíacas.

La mejor práctica es consultar primero con su médico y verificar la empresa que realiza el procedimiento.

El costo de Sedation Ink oscila entre $32,000 USD y $52,000 USD.

Amin Gemayel spoke with The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday after the first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since the 1980s, as they explore what could lead to a security agreement or even the eventual normalization of relations. He is part of one of Lebanon’s strongest political dynasties that founded the Christian Phalange party, which held powerful positions for decades.

The 84-year-old Gemayel, who rarely speaks to international media, acknowledged that much has changed as Lebanese leaders again pursue talks with Israel and as a fragile ceasefire holds. The discussions in Washington have led to angry protests as the Israeli military invasion of southern Lebanon continues, and as parts of Beirut recover from a devastating Israeli bombardment early this month.

For one, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah had only been established during Gemayel's presidency and was far from the powerful armed and political presence it has since become. Hezbollah opposes direct talks with Israel and believes Lebanon instead should support Iran in its talks with the United States, saying Tehran has more leverage.

But Hezbollah has taken major blows, Gemayel noted, and he supports its disarmament. The group's military capabilities were significantly weakened by Israel’s strikes in Lebanon over the past two years. And the ouster of longtime backer Bashar Assad in Syria by Islamist-led armed opposition groups closed off much of the porous border used for transporting weapons.

Regional circumstances also have changed, Gemayel said.

“During my time, discussing a peace agreement with Israel was an unforgivable fatal crime,” he said.

Now he believes there is more openness in the region, and pointed to Syria’s direct talks with Israel as well as the Abraham Accords, where a handful of Arab countries, notably the United Arab Emirates, established diplomatic ties with Israel.

The deal with Israel in the 1980s crumbled quickly

Gemayel was Lebanon's youngest-ever president in 1982 when he was sworn in, at 40 years old. The country was in the middle of a devastating 15-year civil war, occupied by both Syrian and Israeli troops.

He decided to enter U.S.-brokered direct talks with Israel, via a foreign ministry official, and reached an agreement in May 1983 that included ending the state of war that had existed between the countries since Israel’s inception in 1948. Israeli troops would withdraw from southern Lebanon and Lebanese troops would deploy there.

Despite U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s backing at the time and the Lebanese parliament voting overwhelmingly in favor for the agreement, it never went into effect. Gemayel blamed Syria and its allies in Lebanon, which were critical of any talks with Israel from the start, as well as Israel itself.

“Israel, though we had finished the negotiations and reached the stage of signing, tried to impose an article outside of the framework of the agreement, which was the simultaneous withdrawal alongside the Syrian army in Lebanon. So the Israeli military wouldn’t withdraw unless the Syrians would,” Gemayel said.

“It gave the Syrian military a veto to the agreement ... and a public atmosphere of doubt that (then-Syrian President Hafez) Assad and his crew created.”

But now, Gemayel said, Lebanon's leaders should pursue a long-term peace deal. Even an armistice, like the one signed in 1949 to bring calm to tense frontier for 18 years, could be a good step forward, as long as it keeps the country in one piece.

Lebanon's president seeks a step short of full normalization

President Joseph Aoun has said he is seeking a deal similar to the 1949 agreement, not a full normalization of relations with Israel.

The move by Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to enter into direct talks with Israel was met with both wide support and criticism in the deeply divided country. The officials have said the negotiations are the only way to secure the withdrawal of Israeli troops and bring about long-term calm.

“There is an opportunity for the Lebanese government to go into negotiations to reach a solution that achieves peace, security, and stability in Lebanon,” Gemayel said.

“That would also satisfy the feelings of Lebanese who yearn for the bare minimum of calm, peace, stability, and an end to the war."

During this latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which began two days after the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, over 2,500 people in Lebanon have been killed and over one million people displaced.

Israeli troops remain in large swaths of southern Lebanon and continue to clash with Hezbollah fighters despite a truce being nominally in place. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

Lebanese have largely been critical of Hezbollah’s decision to launch rockets into Israel on March 2, but they have also been horrified by Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion.

Gemayel said the situation remains complicated, especially in a “boiling region” suffering from serious security and economic repercussions from the Iran war.

“We have to see how far we can go,” he said. “We trust General Aoun to enter negotiations as far as they go while maintaining the interests of the country and the unity of Lebanon. And he knows exactly how far he can go in negotiations.”

___

Associated Press senior producer Malak Harb in Bikfaya, Lebanon, contributed to this report.

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“We’re actually the only ones in Florida, and as far as we know, we’re also the only ones in the whole country,” Michael Zuratti, CEO of Sedation Ink, said.

It’s a new medical twist on the industry that dates back over 5,000 years.

“(I) think it was a very cool idea, a very cool idea … as we know in Miami, we’re very big on plastic surgery,” Dr. Bryan Merkel, an anesthesiologist for Sedation Ink, said.

Since February 2024, the specialized Miami-based tattoo studio has been offering up large-scale tattooing while clients are under general anesthesia.

“I think we’re at the forefront of (a) shift in the industry,” Zuratti said. “So, you know, we do believe that eventually this will be more prevalent nationwide. Having said that, we are at the forefront and we’re excited to kind of set a good example in terms of, you know, making sure that the safety is of utmost importance.”

Zuratti exclusively gave Local 10 News a look at the process from the beginning, starting with the final consultation for their latest client – a business owner from Boston who asked that we blur his face and only use his initials, E.C.

“Doing this cover-up, it would take a long time,” he said.

The 37-year-old opted for the fast track, covering up tattoos he got inked when he was 15 years old.

“You change as you grow and then you start realizing that some tattoos, like, hey, they don’t fit you anymore,” E.C. said.

E.C. says the company’s online marketing piqued his interest, including Sedation’s tag line, “say goodbye to the pain.”

The procedure helps to expedite tattooing sessions for clients. Traditionally, large-scale tattoos can take upward of two years to complete with multiple hours of long sessions.

“We’re able to do large-scale projects in five, six hours,” Zuratti said.

“We’re seeing it in like LA and New York and Miami, and the typical places that you would expect to sort of find cutting edge ideas and thoughts on medicine and aesthetics and things like that,” Dr. Cameron Howard, chief of anesthesiology at Memorial Hospital West, said. “We have to take it seriously and we can’t be frivolous with it. So that being said, for patients receiving anesthesia for a tattoo, they should have all of the same precautions and the same emergency capabilities available to them.”

Back in 2025, the American Society of Anesthesiologists released a statement regarding anesthesia for tattoos, stating that going under for a tattoo can be dangerous, but “is no different from receiving it for an elective procedure.”

“It is a very serious undertaking, right? And it shouldn’t be treated like a spa day,” Howard said.

“This is an elective procedure, right? So the patient is unconscious and, you know, with a breathing tube so, it’s a medical procedure first,” Zuratti said.

What separates Sedation Ink from others is how the company is registered as both a tattoo shop and medical center, Zuratti said.

“Pitching this to the Florida Medical Board, contacting the tattoo establishment licensed people, so we’re certified with both departments, and, you know, it took a lot of groundwork to build this,” Zuratti said. “So, since day one, safety, safety, safety -- that’s what we push every day.”

“We pretty much give the patient medication through an IV, they go to sleep, once they’re completely asleep, they get a breathing tube,” Merkel said.

So far, the company has performed more than 50 procedures at South Florida Surgical Center after clients receive clearance from their primary physician, with a nurse and anesthesiologist monitoring.

“It’s no different than getting a general anesthesia for a plastic surgery procedure, for any type of other procedure, getting a colonoscopy,” Merkel said.

“The industry has been asking for this for a long time, but obviously it’s not for everyone,” tattoo artist Francisco Gomez said.

For seven years, Gomez has been tattooing clients and he’s been contracted with Sedation Ink for two years.

“My first reaction was like, ‘Before I say yes to anything, how is it working?’” Gomez said.

He, along with a handful of other artists, helped to design tattoos and cover up E.C.’s chest.

“The second the client gets put under, there’s a clock ticking, and the doctor doesn’t leave the room for the entire seven hours,” Gomez said.

Zuratti said he wants Sedation Ink to be “known as a lead provider that focuses on safety first, and then the tattooing secondary.”

Medical professionals and Sedation Ink both underscore that this is a medical procedure first.

Howard said serious reactions can range from airway issues to pulmonary or cardiac complications.

The best practice is to check with your doctor first and verify the company performing the procedure.

The price tag for Sedation Ink ranges from $32,000-$52,000.

The revival — directed by Jamie Lloyd — will play at a Shubert theater to be announced in the spring of 2027, producers said Wednesday. The musical is about the caustic intersection of politics and showbiz.

“Performing  Tim  Rice  and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s brilliant show  in London was a dream come true, but being able to  partner once again with Jamie to  bring ‘Evita’  to  Broadway  is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Zegler said in a statement. “I can’t wait  to perform for my home, New York City.”

Zegler won the Olivier Award as best actress in a musical earlier this month. She received lots of attention for performing the song “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” on an exterior balcony, attracting large crowds to the street every night while theatergoers inside watched on screens. Lloyd did something similar with his revival of “Sunset Boulevard” — placing the actor Tom Francis outside the theater each night.

“Evita” began as a rock opera concept album and transferred to Broadway in 1979, starring Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin. It was revived in 2012 starring Elena Roger and Ricky Martin, nominated for a best revival Tony.

The Republican administration adopted this strategy after federal courts thwarted President Donald Trump’s efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action. Three agreements have been announced.

U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman of California, the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, and Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, are demanding information about the first and largest of the three. Under a deal made public in March, French company TotalEnergies is getting $1 billion — essentially a refund of its leases for offshore wind projects off North Carolina and New York— if it invests the money in fossil fuel projects instead.

Huffman said that is a “scam” and the administration is going to "light a lot of federal taxpayer money on fire if we let them."

In a letter sent Wednesday to TotalEnergies and provided to The Associated Press, Huffman and Raskin are letting the company know that Democrats have begun an investigation, are demanding documents and communications and are advising the CEO not to take the money. The letter outlines the ways they think the deal appears to be illegal.

“You can’t come into the United States and do a backroom deal like this, that just essentially treats the treasury as a slush fund, and walk away with a billion dollars," Huffman said.

Asked for comment, TotalEnergies pointed to its news release when the payout was announced. CEO Patrick Pouyanné said at the time that TotalEnergies renounced U.S. offshore wind development in exchange for the reimbursement of the lease fees, “considering that the development of offshore wind projects is not in the country’s interest.”

Nearly $2 billion in payouts so far

In the latest deals announced Monday, the administration said Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind agreed to end their leases in exchange for reimbursements totaling nearly $900 million, provided they invest equally in fossil fuels. Trump has gone all in on fossil fuels for generating electricity, which he says will lower costs for families, increase reliability and help the U.S. maintain global leadership in artificial intelligence.

Both Bluepoint and Golden State are co-owned by Ocean Winds, a joint venture of EDP Renewables and French energy giant Engie. Michael Brown, CEO of Ocean Winds North America, said that when market conditions change, “we must adapt.”

Opponents of offshore wind projects praised the administration for being creative.

“This is the latest strategy and we think it’s a winner,” Robin Shaffer, president of Protect Our Coast New Jersey, said Wednesday. Shaffer said the administration “is well within their rights to do this and private businesses can’t be forced to build anything.”

But to the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York, it is a "bailout for fossil fuel donors dressed up as a deal.”

“Donald Trump spent years calling offshore wind subsidies a waste of taxpayer money," Schumer said in a statement. “Now his administration is handing nearly $2 billion of those very same taxpayer dollars to companies to abandon clean energy projects that would have powered millions of American homes and created thousands of good-paying union jobs.”

Once the deals are complete, Ocean Winds will have one remaining U.S. offshore wind project, SouthCoast Wind off Massachusetts. Its development has slowed under Trump.

Amber Hewett, senior director of offshore wind energy at the National Wildlife Federation, said forcing developers to abandon offshore wind energy for more oil and gas sets the U.S. further behind in efforts to curb climate change. Burning coal, oil and gas is the largest contributor to global climate change by far.

Lease buyouts are part of a campaign against offshore wind

When Trump returned to office in January 2025 he ordered a temporary halt to leasing and permitting for wind energy projects. His administration has paused work wind farms under construction, canceled plans to use large areas of federal waters for new offshore wind development and added an extra layer of review for wind and solar projects.

Federal judges allowed construction on the wind farms to resume, struck down the Day One order blocking wind energy development, and stopped the administration from requiring that all solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters be personally approved by Trump's interior secretary.

Energy law expert Kristoffer Svendsen said that after the administration's losses in the courts, the lease buyouts appear to be a last attempt to close down as many offshore wind projects as possible. He was not aware of any other arrangements where energy projects owners have been paid to walk away.

“This saga never ends. They continue to surprise the industry and those of us following the industry,” said Svendsen, assistant dean for energy law at the George Washington University Law School.

Svendsen said he expects to see energy companies head to markets in Europe and Asia because the future for new offshore wind development in the United States is “quite bleak.”

“At this point if you’re interested in offshore wind, you’ll most likely go to a jurisdiction where they want you,” he said.

The global wind industry installed a record 165 gigawatts of onshore and offshore wind last year, with 138 countries now powering their economies with wind energy, the Global Wind Energy Council said last week in its annual report. That is enough to power 118 million households. The Asian market, led by China and India, had 80% of the global total.

David Carroll, CEO and chief renewables officer for Engie North America, also thinks offshore wind will not advance in the United States in the next few years. He cited the administration's pulling of permits that were granted after years of work and much money spent, and the stopping of fully permitted projects under construction, eroding business certainty.

“The offshore wind industry does not have a strong future here in the U.S. And that’s unfortunate,” Carroll, who is chair of the board at the American Clean Power Association, said in an interview this month. “The Northeast needs more energy and that is one of the very key ways we can get energy in the Northeast.”

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

The Democrat with a personal fortune estimated at $2.4 billion wants wealthy people and corporations to pay higher taxes. He's endorsed by a progressive advocacy group that believes billionaires shouldn't exist. He founded one of the world's largest hedge funds yet he's the candidate taking the heaviest hits from business groups.

“I'm the billionaire who wants to tax other billionaires,” he's fond of saying, though he's given only tenuous backing to a billionaires' tax proposal likely to appear before California voters in November.

Steyer has long leaned into the contradictions between his business success and political views. While his hedge fund invested in fossil fuels, Steyer spent millions to protect a California law aimed at curbing planet-warming emissions. As a presidential candidate in 2019 vying to succeed President Donald Trump, another rich man, Steyer championed eliminating corporate money from politics.

“I’m not one of the people who begrudges people’s success,” Steyer told The Associated Press, referring to businesspeople who become wealthy in California. “If you’re going to come here and build a company and make a ton of money, great.”

“But you’re part of a system — you’re depending on a system built by, basically, poor people,” he continued. “If you aren’t willing to pay your fair share, I feel like you’re spitting on those people.”

His stances, often unpopular with other billionaires, have earned him staunch support from some and persistent skepticism from others. Despite his vast wealth, progressive supporters perceive him as “one of the good ones” who will stand up to monied interests. But critics in both parties view him as disingenuous and making unrealistic promises to appeal to voters. Democratic rivals accuse him of trying to buy the election, noting he's spending nearly 30 times the amount of his nearest party opponent on ads.

After decades of using his pocketbook to influence politics and policy, Steyer is now a leading contender in the race to govern the nation’s most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies ahead of the June 2 primary. His former hedge fund's investments have been a persistent topic of criticism from his Democratic rivals.

“You made the billions that you're using to fund your campaign off fossil fuels,” former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter charged during Tuesday night's debate. Steyer responded by noting business groups are spending to oppose him: “That's how you know I'm for real.”

From businessman to megadonor

Steyer, 68, founded Farallon Capital Management in 1986 in San Francisco. He earned the respect of business peers for the firm's rapid success and learned to weather criticism from environmentalists for the company’s stakes in oil and coal. In 2012, he left and founded NextGen America, a group encouraging young people to vote.

Much of his political giving has focused on climate change, including a $5 million donation in 2010 to oppose a California ballot proposition that would have suspended a law requiring the state to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The climate law prevailed. Starting in 2013, he used the political arm of NextGen to back governor and U.S. Senate candidates seen as strong on climate with mixed success.

Steyer has spent more than $62 million on California ballot measures, including an unsuccessful effort in 2020 to keep a law that eliminated cash bail. He was one of the largest donors to a successful 2016 measure to tax tobacco products to raise money for healthcare for low-income Californians.

His contributions have been met with some cynicism. Longtime Sacramento strategist Rob Stutzman, a Republican, pointed to an ad Steyer paid for last year that prominently features him urging voters to support a redistricting ballot measure. It was an initiative championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Steyer had no involvement other than simply spending on advertising.

Steyer “has always been a self-promoter with his dollars,” Stutzman said.

Making friends and enemies

Steyer says he wants to tackle three main crises: climate change, California's high cost of living and threats from the Trump administration.

Hundreds of people gathered at a ping-pong club and bar in San Francisco recently to drink cocktails and nibble on hors d’oeuvres — on the campaign dime — as Steyer touted his commitment to fighting climate change. His plan is light on specifics but includes defending the state’s cap-and-trade program.

Some major environmental groups have endorsed him. Progressive organizations have also backed him, including Our Revolution, which was founded by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and advocates for ridding politics of corporate and billionaire influence. State Assemblyman Alex Lee, chair of the progressive caucus, said he's backing Steyer in part due to his support for a government-run healthcare system, an idea that's failed repeatedly in Sacramento.

Lee was hesitant to back a billionaire but said Steyer is different.

“He is someone who became wealthy in his lifetime,” Lee said, “but didn’t go off and become (Mark) Zuckerberg level.”

Meanwhile, Pacific Gas & Electric, one of the nation's largest utilities, spent $10 million to oppose him. Steyer has vowed to “break up utility monopolies” to bring down Californians’ notoriously high electricity rates. One ad funded in part by PG&E says Steyer isn't a “different type of billionaire” as he claims. The California Chamber of Commerce says Steyer will raise costs, not lower them.

“His policy promises will cost billions, driving investment out of California and worsening the state’s affordability crisis,” chamber spokesperson John Myers said in a statement.

Steyer's 2020 presidential bid flopped

It remains to be seen whether money and endorsements will translate into votes. Some political observers say it would be evident by now if Steyer was poised to break away from the pack, given his spending blitz.

Money wasn't enough in the 2020 Democratic presidential contest. Steyer staked his campaign largely on appealing to voters of color, highlighting inequalities in healthcare access, the environment and criminal justice system. In South Carolina, he spent $24 million on ads — more than all the other candidates combined — but dropped out after finishing third.

He often garnered attention for his quirks over his policies — the red tartan tie and colorful belt he made part of his campaign trail uniform, his dance moves to a performance by rapper Juvenile.

Steyer had planned to spend $100 million, and his wealth proved a liability in a race where rivals including Sanders decried the existence of billionaires.

He's spent more in the California governor's primary alone, including on an ad attacking a rival. This time, he's being received differently.

“Tom Steyer is running on taxing the wealthy, supporting single-payer healthcare, and taking on corporate power — positions that are central to our movement,” Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese said in a statement. “That alignment with a pro-worker, anti-corporate agenda — and the urgency of this race — is why we are backing him.”

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Associated Press politics reporter Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

As part of the settlement, the California Coastal Commission acknowledged its members made “improper” statements about Musk's political beliefs at a 2024 hearing on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch program.

“The commission agrees that it may not consider irrelevant factors in performing its function and specifically agrees that it will not take into account the perceived political beliefs, political speech or labor practices of SpaceX or its officers in considering any regulatory action concerning SpaceX,” the commission said in federal court documents filed Tuesday.

SpaceX had sued the commission over its opposition to expanding the launch schedule for Falcon 9 rockets from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on the Southern California coast near Santa Barbara.

The company's lawsuit accused the coastal commission of engaging in political discrimination by refusing to sign off on a U.S. Air Force proposal to boost the number of launches at the busy base owned by the federal government.

The lawsuit alleged the commissioners voted against SpaceX because of their dislike of Musk’s outspoken political views, violating constitutional rights to free speech and due process.

According to the settlement, the case will be permanently dismissed while both parties agree that the deal doesn’t constitute an admission “of any liability or unlawful conduct.”

The commission also agreed it wouldn’t require a coastal development permit pertaining to SpaceX’s launch program in the state.

Representatives for SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the settlement.

The coastal commission acknowledged in a statement Wednesday that it had apologized for “irrelevant” statements made by its members. The commission said it continues to have serious concerns about the impacts to coastal resources from increased rocket launches at Vandenberg.

“These impacts include restrictions on public coastal access, harm to sensitive species and coastal habitat, as well as the frequency and intensity of sonic booms,” the statement said. "Federal law requires the federal government to provide information to and coordinate with the Coastal Commission on such issues. The federal government has yet to provide sufficient information to the Coastal Commission about these activities and their impact on the California coast.

The settlement came while Musk took the stand this week amid a separate court battle with OpenAI cofounder Sam Altman that could reshape the future development of artificial intelligence.

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Turns out, swiping left is out. Showing up is in again.

“Everybody’s in the same boat. Everybody’s meeting new people,” said Jessica Bakeman, founder of “We Met in Miami” and “We Met in Broward.”

“I was overwhelmed by how much demand there was,” she said.

Across South Florida, a growing nonprofit called “We Met” is organizing events designed to help people make friends, find romance and build real-life connections.

Bakeman launched “We Met in Miami” in February 2024 and has since expanded into Broward County, hosting nearly 100 meetups that have drawn thousands of attendees.

“The idea is … wouldn’t it be cool to meet someone at game night? Wouldn’t it be cool to meet someone on a hike in the Everglades?” asked Bakeman. “And look around and already know who’s single, who’s open to making new connections to make it a little bit easier to make those conversations happen.”

The organization hosts a wide range of outings across Miami-Dade and Broward counties — from dance classes and museum visits to sporting events and game nights — all intentionally structured to push strangers out of their comfort zones and into conversation.

To see how it works firsthand, Local 10 morning anchor Andrew Perez attended a “We Met at Game Night” gathering at Tripping Animals Taproom in Oakland Park.

When guests arrive, they choose colored wristbands signaling what kind of connection they are open to making: friendship, romance or LGBTQ connections. Some wear one, others stack all three.

The night begins with an icebreaker challenge, followed by randomized seating assignments listed on each attendee’s name tag. Participants head to their designated tables, meet a fresh group of strangers and choose from a towering collection of board and party games.

After about 30 minutes, everyone rotates to a second assigned table — another built-in chance to start over with new faces.

By the final round, games give way to a facilitated conversation designed to spark more meaningful interaction before attendees fill out a “match card,” indicating who they’d like to connect with again.

“A lot of people say the reason they come is because they want to be a part of a community,” said Bakeman. “They want to be part of something bigger ... also just looking for fun things to do and a way to explore the city.”

“You can really sense that people wanna connect,” said We Met volunteer, Viviane Valvezan. “They wanna meet people in person, they want to have that face-to-face experience and they’re hungry for friendship, for connection and for a way to just have fun.”

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

Resulta que deslizar a la izquierda ya no está de moda. Volver a presentarse en persona está de regreso.

“Todos están en la misma situación. Todos están conociendo gente nueva”, dijo Jessica Bakeman, fundadora de “We Met in Miami” y “We Met in Broward”.

“Me sorprendió la gran demanda que había”, dijo.

En todo el sur de Florida, una organización sin fines de lucro en crecimiento llamada “We Met” está organizando eventos diseñados para ayudar a las personas a hacer amigos, encontrar romance y construir conexiones en la vida real.

Bakeman lanzó “We Met in Miami” en febrero de 2024 y desde entonces se ha expandido al condado Broward, organizando casi 100 encuentros que han atraído a miles de asistentes.

“La idea es, ¿no sería genial conocer a alguien en una noche de juegos? ¿No sería genial conocer a alguien en una caminata por los Everglades?”, preguntó Bakeman. “Y mirar alrededor y ya saber quién está soltero, quién está abierto a hacer nuevas conexiones para facilitar un poco esas conversaciones”.

La organización organiza una amplia variedad de actividades en los condados Miami-Dade y Broward — desde clases de baile y visitas a museos hasta eventos deportivos y noches de juegos — todas diseñadas intencionalmente para sacar a los desconocidos de su zona de confort y llevarlos a conversar.

Para ver cómo funciona de primera mano, el presentador matutino de Local 10 Andrew Perez asistió a un evento “We Met at Game Night” en Tripping Animals Taproom en Oakland Park.

Cuando los invitados llegan, eligen pulseras de colores que indican qué tipo de conexión están abiertos a hacer: amistad, romance o conexiones LGBTQ. Algunos usan una, otros usan las tres.

La noche comienza con una dinámica rompehielos, seguida de asignaciones de asientos aleatorias indicadas en la etiqueta con el nombre de cada asistente. Los participantes van a sus mesas asignadas, conocen a un nuevo grupo de desconocidos y eligen entre una gran colección de juegos de mesa y de fiesta.

Después de unos 30 minutos, todos rotan a una segunda mesa asignada — otra oportunidad integrada para comenzar de nuevo con caras nuevas.

En la ronda final, los juegos dan paso a una conversación guiada diseñada para generar una interacción más significativa antes de que los asistentes llenen una “tarjeta de coincidencias”, indicando con quién les gustaría volver a conectarse.

“Muchas personas dicen que la razón por la que vienen es porque quieren ser parte de una comunidad”, dijo Bakeman. “Quieren ser parte de algo más grande, también buscan cosas divertidas que hacer y una forma de explorar la ciudad”.

“Realmente se puede sentir que las personas quieren conectarse”, dijo la voluntaria de We Met, Viviane Valvezan. “Quieren conocer gente en persona, quieren tener esa experiencia cara a cara y tienen ganas de amistad, de conexión y de una forma de simplemente divertirse”.

Para enviar una idea para What Connects Us, envíe un correo a whatconnectsus@wplg.com.

Según Golfweek, la estatua mide 15 pies de altura y fue instalada en el resort a principios de este mes antes del Campeonato Cadillac.

El medio informa que la estatua fue creada por el artista Alan Cottrill y encargada por un grupo de criptomonedas ($PATRIOT).

New edition at Trump Doral —> pic.twitter.com/SsY6lhaJxa

— Kacy Hintz (@KacyHintz) April 28, 2026

Representa al presidente levantando un puño en el aire.

Cinco jugadores del top 15 del mundo no participarán en el evento, incluido el campeón del Masters Rory McIlroy.

Adam Scott ganó el último evento del PGA Tour en Doral en 2016 cuando era un Campeonato Mundial de Golf. Solo otros nueve jugadores de ese WGC están en el campo.

Este es el inicio más reciente para el campo propiedad de Trump. Doral fue sede de un evento de LIV Golf desde 2022 hasta 2025.

The court’s conservative majority found that the district, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the district as a “snake” that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said the Supreme Court “has humiliated and dismantled the life’s work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and every man and woman who marched, bled, and died for Black Americans to have an equal voice at the ballot box.”

The plaintiffs argued that Louisiana’s second Black-majority congressional district, drawn to correct a previously discriminatory map, has an unconstitutional racial basis and did not follow the standards for drawing a district, including compactness.

The 1965 Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, succeeded in opening the ballot box to Black Americans and reducing persistent discrimination in voting. Nearly 70 of the 435 congressional districts are protected by Section 2, election law experts estimate.

It’s unclear how much is left of Section 2, but the ruling could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress. President Donald Trump has already touched off a nationwide redistricting battle to boost Republican chances.

Here's the latest:

Congressional Black Caucus members vow to fight back

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus pledged to fight back after the Supreme Court decision and called for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

Rep. Yvette Clarke, a New York Democrat who chairs the caucus, told reporters that the decision allows politicians to “choose their voters instead of the other way around.”

“The Supreme Court has opened the door to a coordinated attack on Black voters across the country,” Clarke said. “This is an outright power grab.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, also of New York, said the decision came from “the Trump court” in “an effort to suppress the vote and rig the midterm elections and beyond.”

“At this moment in time, we’re urging everyone to summon the courage, the character, and the conviction of those heroes like John Lewis and Rosa Parks and so many others upon whose shoulders we stand,” Jeffries said.

The top Republican in Tennessee’s Senate warns of ‘logistical challenges’ to immediate redistricting

Tennessee lawmakers need to discuss whether it’s feasible to redistrict in light of the new court ruling, Senate Speaker Randy McNally said, since deadlines to file paperwork to run for office have passed, and candidates have already entered their races. The primary elections are Aug. 6.

The state’s current map is “strong, fair and legal” and has survived court challenges, McNally said in a statement.

Kentucky Gov. Beshear says the court decision underscores the importance of having Democratic governors

While much of the attention in Washington this year is on the battle for control of Congress, there are 36 governors races on the ballot in November.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the Supreme Court’s decision is a reminder of the significance of those races, since so many voting laws are crafted at the state level.

“One of the best ways to fight back is to elect more Democratic governors – who are on the frontlines of protecting and expanding fundamental freedoms and democracy in our states,” Beshear said in a statement. “We have 36 opportunities to do that this year and rulings like this show that the stakes have never been higher.”

Beshear is the chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a group focused on electing Democrats as state leaders.

Alabama Democrat whose district was created by a court order slams the decision

Rep. Shomari Figures, whose district was court-ordered after judges found Black voting power was diluted, said the ruling makes future discrimination claims harder to prove.

He warned it could prompt Southern states to redraw maps in ways that weaken Black voters’ influence. Alabama’s current map remains in place under a court order through 2030, although the state is appealing.

House GOP campaign chairman says redrawing maps is up to the states

Rep. Richard Hudson welcomed the court’s decision. “I was glad to see it come down,” he told reporters at the U.S. Capitol.

But the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee stopped short of saying he would encourage states to reconsider congressional district maps before the November election.

“I don’t know what the implications are going be for the fall,” the North Carolina congressman said.

“It’s pretty late,” he said. “We’ll see. It’s up to governors and legislators.”

Louisiana governor says the state is weighing its next steps

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said the state attorney general and legislative leadership are discussing “what our options are.” He said it could take at least a day to fully assess the high court’s decision.

In a post on the social platform X, the governor — who has close ties to Trump — said the ruling affirms that states can draw districts “for political reasons.” He said federal courts cannot require “race-based redistricting” or treat what he called partisan disputes as violations of the Voting Rights Act.

Obama says the ruling ‘effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act’

The nation’s first Black president issued a statement decrying the ruling as “just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.”

“The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome,” Obama, a Democrat, continued. “But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers.”

Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn says the ruling will fuel redistricting fights and weaken Black representation

The South Carolina congressional district held by 85-year-old Clyburn, who for a time was the highest-ranking Black member of Congress, has been a focus for Republicans angling to pick up an additional seat.

Clyburn said in a statement that the Supreme Court had taken “a giant step backward,” one that “threatens to send our country deeper into the thicket of never-ending redistricting fights, with repeated aggressive map redraws, protracted legal battles, and relentless partisan tugs-of-war.”

South Carolina’s 2022 map, which packs Democrats into Clyburn’s district, was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2024. Republicans have since tried to redraw the seat to flip it.

Trump says more districts should be redrawn after Wednesday’s ruling

The president said the decision, which could pave the way for other districts to be redrawn in the Republicans’ favor, is the “kind of ruling I like.”

“Some states don’t need to redraw, and some do,” Trump said, while noting that generally, he would want Republican state officials to revise the congressional maps.

Still, he wasn’t initially aware of what had happened. When asked by a reporter for his reaction to the decision, Trump asked when the ruling had come out.

“I’ve been with the astronauts,” he rationalized. “I’ve been with contractors because we’re trying to get the ballroom built.”

Georgia senator calls the decision a ‘huge step backwards’

Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is Black, says he would not be in Congress without the Voting Rights Act and slammed the Supreme Court’s decision as a blow for racial justice.

“Make no mistake, this ruling harkens back to the darkest days of the Jim Crow era,” he told reporters.

Americans, he said, are being “further squeezed out of their democracy.”

Tennessee Republicans consider their options

Asked about the prospect of trying to redistrict the state’s Memphis-centered Democratic seat, Tennessee’s Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said in a written statement, “We are reviewing the recent opinion as I have conversations with the White House and other individuals.”

Alabama attorney general wants to apply the Supreme Court ruling to his state’s redistricting

Attorney General Steve Marshall said he wants to ensure Alabama’s congressional maps reflect voters’ will, not what he called an unconstitutional racial quota system.

The state is appealing a federal order requiring the state to continue using a court-drawn map with an additional district where Black voters are a majority or near it.

Marshall called Wednesday’s decision a “watershed moment” that means states “cannot be forced to gerrymander by race.”

He added that the high court recognized progress in the South and said laws from an earlier era no longer reflect current conditions.

A Black voter from New Orleans says he’s upset by the ruling

Thomas Johnson, a Black man from New Orleans who was visiting Louisiana’s Capitol on Wednesday, said he specifically feared the possibility that Republicans could redraw the state’s congressional map in a way that dismantles predominately Black districts.

“I feel like this is an embarrassing attack upon the minorities, particularly the Black community,” who he feels have little say in Washington.

Johnson is currently represented by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, one of two Black Democrats from Louisiana in Congress.

“We are going to do all we can and continue fighting so our voices are heard,” Johnson said. “That’s all we want, to be heard.”

Louisiana’s other Democratic congressman says his seat isn’t safe either

While the Supreme Court ruled on the district represented by Rep. Cleo Fields, the other Democratic member of Louisiana’s U.S. House delegation is concerned about the fate of his seat, too.

“The reality is our maps were drawn together,” said Rep. Troy Carter, whose district includes New Orleans. “So that means if they’re all thrown out as unconstitutional, then the likelihood that new maps would be drawn that would in fact not only impact Congressman Fields but also impact me as well.”

Rights groups aren’t mincing words about the Supreme Court decision

Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said the decision is a blow to American democracy and one that will further erode trust in the Supreme Court among diverse populations.

“It’s a day of loss of any remnant or modicum of credibility of this Supreme Court to rise above partisan politics,” Nelson said. “It has elevated the principle of partisanship and politics over the right to vote.”

Wednesday’s decision is a “profound betrayal of the civil rights movement,” said Sophia Lin Lakin, deputy director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. Minority communities won’t just potentially lose a seat in Congress, she said, they’ll lose a voice on issues like healthcare, education and infrastructure.

“States can now point to partisan objectives to justify maps that strip voters of color of representation, and federal courts will have little basis to intervene,” she said.

A voting rights advocate doesn’t know if the ruling will spur redistricting this year

David Becker, the founder and executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said the ruling will allow lawmakers to reduce the power of minority voters — at least eventually.

“How it will affect 2026, I don’t know,” Becker said Wednesday on a call with reporters. “It could be open season now, but we’re also running out of time.”

Obama’s attorney general says this Supreme Court has earned an infamous place in history

Eric Holder, the former Obama-era U.S. attorney general whose administration lost a crucial voting rights battle in 2013, said Wednesday’s ruling amounted to “Supreme Court sanctioned racial and partisan gerrymandering.”

“The Court today ensures that it will be remembered as one of the most destructive and deeply irresponsible Courts in the history of our nation,” Holder said in a statement.

“It should not be lost on anyone,” he added, “that the Roberts court makes this decision at a time when Republican leaders across the country are foaming at the mouth to draw the American people out of a meaningful say in our elections.”

After leaving public service, Holder formed the National Redistricting Foundation to protect voting rights and challenge gerrymandered congressional and state legislative districts.

Candidate for Tennessee governor calls for redistricting after Supreme Court decision

Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for governor this year, called on social media for the GOP-supermajority state Legislature to reconvene and draw Tennessee’s only Democratic congressional seat to favor a pickup for Republicans.

The district centers on the majority-Black city of Memphis.

One top Georgia Republican calls for immediate redistricting, even with voting underway

Redrawing Georgia’s maps for the 2026 elections would be difficult because early voting is already underway for the May 19 party primaries, in advance of the November election.

A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and state Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon didn’t immediately respond Wednesday to queries about immediate redistricting. State Senate Minority Harold Jones II, an Augusta Democrat, said he’s unsure of the prospects of quick action.

But one leading GOP candidate to replace Kemp urged the governor to act immediately, which could protect Republican power even if Georgia Democrats make gains this fall.

“Democrats nationally are trying to redistrict their way back to power, and what happened in Virginia is just the tip of the spear,” businessman Rick Jackson said in a statement. “There is no time to waste. Georgia must act now to ensure secure elections in Georgia and counter the Democrats’ national assault on our elections.”

Hakeem Jeffries slams the Supreme Court decision as ‘far right extremists’ thinking

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries accused the Supreme Court of being “far right extremists” and of voter suppression being “a way of life” for Trump and Republicans, in a strongly worded statement on social media.

“Republicans know they cannot win a free and fair election in November and so they are desperate to rig it. We will never let them succeed,” the Democrat wrote.

Jeffries has previously claimed Trump makes power grabs when it comes to voting.

When Trump signed an executive order in March to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting, Jeffries said it would make voting unnecessarily difficult of communities of color, people with disabilities and other key demographics.

King family ‘deeply troubled’ by Supreme Court decision

Martin Luther King III, the eldest son of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and his wife Arndrea Waters King said in a statement that the Supreme Court decision “further weakened the Voting Rights Act.”

“This decision silences the voices of millions of voters of color by undermining the purpose of the VRA – securing and protecting the political rights of Black and Brown communities across the country,” they said. “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood that voting rights are the foundation of our entire democratic system. Without them, we are a democracy in name only. “

The couple are the founders of a civil rights organization called the Drum Major Institute.

Congressional Black Caucus says the Supreme Court has ‘signed the death certificate of the Voting Rights Act’

The 60 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is currently made up of all Democrats, said the ruling erased “decades of Black progress.”

“Republicans now have the ability to move forward with a nationwide scheme to rig congressional maps in their favor — to manufacture more districts for themselves by eliminating majority-Black districts, while stripping away the ability to challenge those racist, anti-Black maps in court,” the group said.

The caucus added this could open the door for huge redistricting changes in the South and vowed to initiate “any measure necessary” to find a legislative remedy, and called for a vote on the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.

Inside the Supreme Court as the decision was announced

The already quiet courtroom went silent when Chief Justice John Roberts said Justice Samuel Alito would be reading the majority opinion.

Members of the audience listened raptly as he read, waiting to hear the depths of the Section 2 decision. Some in the audience nodded as Justice Elena Kagan read the dissent and said the majority had effectively finished a yearslong pursuit of the Voting Rights Act.

A Black voter in Alabama reacts to the court’s decision

Shalela Dowdy in Mobile, Alabama, said she’s worried the decision will lead to the rollback of an Alabama congressional district created in 2023, which she said gave previously ignored voters a seat at the table.

“It’s a setback. Putting it in the hands of the states on this level is dangerous,” Dowdy said. “There’s just been a history of the states not doing the right thing based off their state population.”

Dowdy, who is Black, was a plaintiff in a lawsuit that resulted in the creation of the new district, now represented by Rep. Shomari Figures.

She added that they are going to have to battle in court, and at the ballot box, to maintain representation: “The fight continues. You can’t get comfortable.”

Rev. Al Sharpton says the decision is a ’bullet in the heart of the voting rights movement'

“The Supreme Court has not just weakened a law, it has humiliated and dismantled the life’s work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and every man and woman who marched, bled, and died for Black Americans to have an equal voice at the ballot box,” Sharpton, the president of the National Action Network, said in a statement.

“This ruling does not just dishonor the generation that marched, it steals from the generation that hasn’t voted yet,” Sharpton added in the statement. “Black children growing up in this country deserve the same protections their grandparents bled for.”

He called on Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act through federal legislation, a task that has proved elusive while Capitol Hill has been narrowly split between Democrats and Republicans.

Louisiana’s Republican attorney general applauds the decision

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said she will work with fellow Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and the GOP-dominated Legislature to “provide guidance as we move forward to adopt a constitutionally compliant map.”

“The Supreme Court has ended Louisiana’s long-running nightmare of federal courts coercing the state to draw a racially discriminatory map,” Murrill wrote. “That was always unconstitutional—and this is a seismic decision reaffirming equal protection under our nation’s laws.”

Republican redistricting group hails the decision

The ruling is expected to be an enormous boost for Republican efforts to expand their number of winnable seats in the House of Representatives and state legislatures.

The GOP has long complained that Democrats turned the Voting Rights Act’s protections into a partisan weapon to gain seats.

“For decades the left has spent hundreds of millions of dollars seeking to divide Americans along racial lines in a cynical pursuit of partisan power masquerading as civil rights,” said Adam Kincaid, the National Republican Redistricting Trust’s executive director, in a statement. “Today’s decision rebukes that divisive and unconstitutional effort.”

The decision will likely reignite legal battles over congressional districts in southern states including Alabama

A federal court in 2023 ordered the creation of a new near-majority Black district which led to the election of Alabama’s second Black congressional representative.

Alabama is under a court order to use the new map through the rest of the decade, but the state appealed to the Supreme Court. Alabama has argued the court-drawn map is an illegal racial gerrymander.

Alabama House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle, a Republican, said he is hopeful that the Louisiana ruling means justices will rule in favor of Alabama in that appeal, eventually clearing the way for Alabama to draw its own map.

“I do believe the ruling today vindicates the state’s argument that the court illegally racially gerrymandered the state in its ruling,” Pringle said.

The Supreme Court decision is hugely consequential, but maybe not for the 2026 election

In most of the states where Republicans could benefit from eliminating Democratic districts that have majority Black or Hispanic populations, filing deadlines for congressional elections have already passed. In some, primaries have already occurred.

Barring extraordinary action, that means the most likely impact of Wednesday’s decision will come in 2028, when the GOP can potentially replace more than a dozen Democratic-held House districts that were previously protected under the Voting Rights Act.

“The Voting Rights Act as a means to protect minority voters from vote dilution is essentially dead,” said Jonathan Cervas, a political scientist at Carnegie-Mellon University who’s served as a special master in multiple Voting Rights Act cases.

Decision could cut Black political power in states and localities

Over time, the decision could result in a sweeping rollback to Black political power at the state and local level.

There are hundreds of Black state legislators in the South. There are many more Black officials on county and parish governing bodies, school boards and city councils that make decisions about policing, road paving and school districting that touch everyday lives.

In many cases, Black-majority districts that those officials represent have been carved out through decades of repeated Section 2 litigation. In states like Alabama and Mississippi, the racial cleavage is so deep that there are few Democratic state legislators who aren’t Black.

Wednesday’s ruling could let white majorities wipe out districts where Black voters exercise power, particularly where they are numerous but in the minority. That would be a change from today, where Black officials often exercise real influence, even on governing bodies where they are in the minority.

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The witness reported that Steven Goldman, who lives where the valet attendants work in the city’s Mid-Beach neighborhood, kept the firearms in a safe, and he “had become increasingly unwell.”

On Friday, Miami Beach police officers responded to the valet area at the Seacoast, a beachfront community at 5151 Collins Ave., according to a police officer’s arrest report.

Goldman had parked his silver Hyundai Sonata for over 40 minutes at the front of the valet area, blocking vehicles from passing, and he was angry over a parking violation sticker on his window, according to police.

Witnesses in the valet area and valet office reported Goldman was screaming, threw the parking violation sticker, pushed an employee, got back in the Hyundai, and grabbed a gun, according to police.

Goldman lifted his gun and pointed it at one of the victims while shouting an expletive several times before driving away in the Hyundai, according to the police officer’s report.

Surfside police officers stopped Goldman at Collins Avenue and 93 Street. One of the officers reported that Goldman “had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech,” and ”a heavy odor of alcohol emitted" from his breath when he said, “They probably told you I pulled a firearm on someone.”

Police officers also reported Goldman had two guns — a black Smith & Wesson M&P Shield and a black and silver Springfield XD 9mm handgun — in a suitcase in the trunk of the car.

Records show police officers arrested Goldman on Friday evening, Miami-Dade corrections booked him early Saturday morning, and he appeared in court on Sunday and Monday.

Goldman faced charges of burglary with assault or battery, and aggravated assault with a firearm. He also had a warrant case for driving under the influence.

According to court records, Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer ordered Goldman to stay away from the two victims, the valet area, and guns. He posted a $5,000 bond on Tuesday.

Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Richard Hersch was set to preside over the felony case.

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

Cole Allen wore black pants, a black shirt and a red tie as he snapped the image in his room at the Washington Hilton, where Trump and hundreds of journalists were meeting for a gala Saturday night, authorities say.

The 31-year-old from Torrance, California, was captured when he tried to race past security barricades near the hotel's ballroom, prompting an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents tasked with safeguarding the event, investigators say.

New details emerged in a court filing made by prosecutors who want Allen to remain in custody. A hearing is set for Thursday.

The government said Allen repeatedly made online checks to keep track of Trump’s status that night, including live coverage of the president exiting his vehicle at the Hilton hotel. Investigators said preset emails with an “Apology and Explanation” attachment were sent at approximately 8:30 p.m.

“He intended to kill and fired his shotgun while trying to breach security and attack his target. Put simply, the defendant poses an uncommonly serious danger to the community if released pending trial. The defendant’s lack of criminal history and other personal circumstances do not alter this conclusion,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones wrote.

Trump, a Republican, was uninjured. A Secret Service officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was shot in the vest and survived.

Allen appeared in court on Monday and was charged with the attempted assassination of the president as authorities suggested an attack that disrupted one of Washington’s glitziest events had been planned for at least several weeks. Tezira Abe, a member of the defense team, said he “is presumed innocent at this time.”

Meanwhile, ahead of the Thursday hearing, a magistrate judge ordered a District of Columbia jail to allow Allen to have unrestricted visits with his lawyers. The attorneys complained that they hadn't been able to meet him privately.

“Mr. Allen was forced to sit inside of a locked cage in full, five-point restraints, and speak over a phone — of which there is only one — to be able to confer with counsel,” Abe and co-counsel Eugene Ohm said in a court filing. “Counsel were forced to sit in an open lobby area with jail staff and other attorneys standing nearby who could overhear the entirety of counsel’s side of the conversation.”

An FBI affidavit filed Monday revealed other details about the planning behind the hotel assault, with authorities alleging that Allen on April 6 reserved a room for himself at the Hilton where the event would be held weeks later under its typical tight security. He traveled by train cross-country from California, checking himself into the hotel a day before the dinner with a room reserved for the weekend.

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

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

Silent Tactic’s exit puts Great White into the field of 20 horses for the first leg of the Triple Crown.

Casse said it was a very slight separation in one of Silent Tactic’s feet that caused him and owner John Oxley to make the decision.

Casse said it was made early to allow preparations to begin to run the colt in the Preakness on May 16.

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

The vote was 13-11, with all Republican senators voting in favor and Democrats opposed.

Warsh is a former top Fed official but has also been a sharp critic of the institution and Powell’s leadership. He has called the inflation spike to 9.1% in 2022 the central bank’s biggest policy mistake in four decades. A vote on his nomination probably won’t take place until next month, but he could be confirmed by the time Powell’s term as chair ends May 15.

The Senate Banking vote is the first of two key events surrounding the future of the Fed’s leadership. Also Wednesday, Powell is presiding over what will probably be his last meeting of the Fed’s interest rate-setting committee. At a news conference Wednesday afternoon, Powell may indicate whether he will remain as a member of the central bank’s board of governors after his term as chair ends.

It would be unusual for Powell to stay, but doing so would deprive the Trump administration of an opportunity to appoint a new member to the board. Powell may choose to stay if he sees it as necessary to protect the Fed’s independence, which has become part of his legacy as its leader.

Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican and chair of the committee, said Warsh is “battle tested” and added that, "It is incredibly important that we break the bind of Bidenomics on households across this nation.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, criticized the banking panel for voting on Warsh's nomination. Doing so “will bring the president one step closer to completing his illegal attempt to seize control of the Fed and artificially juice the economy,” she said, citing Trump's effort to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook and investigate Powell.

The Fed on Wednesday is widely expected to leave its key rate unchanged at about 3.6% for its third straight meeting, defying Trump’s calls for lower rates.

Warsh has called for “regime change” at the Fed and could alter many of its practices, including the economics models it focuses on, how it communicates with the public, and how large its bond-holdings will be in the long run.

Those changes could affect financial markets, but otherwise won’t necessarily be visible to the general public. But Warsh has also advocated for additional interest rate cuts, which could potentially lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and business loans. He will face barriers to implementing those cuts anytime soon, however, largely because the Iran war has caused a spike in gas prices, pushing inflation to a two-year high of 3.3%.

The Fed typically keeps rates elevated, or even raises them, to combat worsening inflation.

Most of the other 11 members of the Fed’s rate-setting committee have indicated they would prefer to wait and evaluate where inflation and the economy are headed before making any changes to rates. It could take time for Warsh to build up enough influence to push for rapid rate cuts. He will also replace Stephen Miran, a member of the Fed’s rate-setting committee who was appointed by Trump last September and is the most consistent advocate for rate reductions at the central bank.

Warsh also faces questions about his independence from the White House, a key issue that dogged him during a Senate Banking hearing last week. On Wednesday, Warren said, “Mr. Warsh is a Trump sock puppet who is so cowed by the preident that he could not even say that Trump lost the 2020 election.”

Last December, Trump called for much lower interest rates in a social media post, and added that “anyone who does not agree with me will never be Fed chair!” And just last week he told Fox Business that he expects rates to head lower, “when Kevin gets in.”

Warsh denied at his hearing, however, that Trump had ever pressured him directly to cut rates.

Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it summoned the Russian ambassador to its offices in London to inform him of the “reciprocal action.” The tit-for tat moves reflect spiraling tensions between Moscow and the West.

“This behavior is wholly unacceptable, and we will not tolerate harassment or intimidation of our diplomatic staff,’’ the Foreign Office said in a statement.

The move came after Russia last month expelled a British diplomat over spying allegations that the U.K. rejected as “complete nonsense.”

Russia’s top domestic security and counterintelligence agency, the Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, said the British diplomat had sought to gather “sensitive information” about the Russian economy in “unofficial meetings” with Russian experts. The diplomat was ordered to leave Russia within two weeks.

Russia and NATO member states have carried out multiple rounds of mutual expulsions of diplomats since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, sending diplomatic relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War.

In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority found that Louisiana district represented by Democrat Cleo Fields relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the 6th Congressional District as a “snake” that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge.

“That map is an unconstitutional gerrymander,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the six conservatives.

The effect of the ruling may be felt more strongly in 2028 because most filing deadlines for this year's congressional races have passed. Louisiana, though, may have to change its redistricting plan to comply with the decision.

It is unclear how much of the provision — known as Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — remains.

When he signed the bill —the main way to challenge racially discriminatory election practices —into law more than 60 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson called it “a triumph for freedom as huge as any victory on any battlefield.”

In her dissent for the three liberal justices, Justice Elena Kagan wrote that the court's “gutting of Section 2 puts that achievement in peril.”

Her sentiment was shared by former President Barack Obama, who said the decision showed “how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy.”

In a statement, Fields said the decision's "practical effect is to make it far harder for minority communities to challenge redistricting maps that dilute their political voice.”

Potential political fallout

The voting rights law succeeded in opening the ballot box to Black Americans and reducing persistent discrimination in voting. Nearly 70 of the 435 congressional districts are protected by Section 2, election law expert Nicholas Stephanopoulos has estimated.

Alito wrote that "allowing race to play any part in government decisionmaking represents a departure from the constitutional rule that applies in almost every other context.” He said Section 2 is effectively limited to instances of intentional discrimination, a very high standard.

Kagan said the upshot of the decision is that states "can, without legal consequence, systematically dilute minority citizens’ voting power.”

Reaction to the decision broke along partisan lines.

“This is a complete and total victory for American voters. The color of one’s skin should not dictate which congressional district you belong in. We commend the court for putting an end to the unconstitutional abuse of the Voting Rights Act and protecting civil rights,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson wrote in an email.

The chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee called the decision “appalling.” Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington state said it was the latest in a long line of attacks by President Donald Trump and the conservative court “against the fundamental right of every American citizen to vote.”

She said Democrats remained poised to regain the House majority in November “despite this corrupt and targeted assault on the voting rights of Black and Brown Americans from the Supreme Court.”

A ruling that Trump likes

Trump had touched off a nationwide redistricting competition this year to boost Republican chances of preserving their House edge. The president said some states should redraw their maps and he called the decision the "kind of ruling I like.”

Legislatures already are free to draw extremely partisan districts because of a 2019 Supreme Court decision.

Wednesday's ruling came out as Florida legislators debated a proposed redrawing of the state’s congressional lines, submitted by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and intended to give the GOP a chance to pick up as many as four seats in the state’s U.S. House delegation.

Democrats in the Florida Senate urged the Republican supermajority to delay debate, at least long enough to allow lawmakers to read the decision and consult lawyers about how it might affect DeSantis’ proposal. Republicans refused.

In the Supreme Court's Louisiana ruling, the justices did an about-face from a decision in a similar case from Alabama less than three years ago that led to a new congressional map for the state that sent two Black Democrats to Congress.

The Alabama decision also prompted Louisiana lawmakers to add a second majority Black district. About a third of Louisianans are Black and they now form majorities in two of the state’s six congressional districts. Alabama has a separate appeal pending at the Supreme Court

Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the three liberals to form a majority in the Alabama case, the same term in which the conservative-dominated court ended affirmative action in college admissions. Both joined Alito's opinion on Wednesday.

Roberts long eyes Voting Rights Act

The chief justice has been at the center of the effort to limit the use of race in public life. He has had the Voting Rights Act in his sights since his time as a young lawyer in the Reagan-era Justice Department.

“It is a sordid business, this divvying us up by race,” Roberts wrote in a dissenting opinion in 2006 in his first major voting rights case as chief justice.

In 2013, Roberts wrote for the majority in gutting the law’s requirement that states and local governments with a history of discrimination, mostly in the South, get approval before making any election-related changes.

“Our country has changed, and while any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions,” Roberts wrote.

Barring extraordinary action, the broader impact probably will be felt in 2028, when Republicans potentially can replace more than a dozen Democratic-held House districts that were previously protected under the Voting Rights Act.

“The Voting Rights Act as a means to protect minority voters from vote dilution is essentially dead,” said Jonathan Cervas, a political scientist at Carnegie Mellon University who has served as an outside legal expert in multiple Voting Rights Act cases.

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Associated Press writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, La., Nicholas Riccardi in Denver, Bill Barrow in Tallahassee, Fla., and Lisa Mascaro and Seung Ming Kim contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.

Neck-strengthening exercises are integral in the fast-paced world of Formula 1 racing. Plenty of drivers will bring specialized training gear for that purpose when they arrive in Florida for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, the next event of a lucrative, year-long championship which spans the globe.

Working out with weighted harnesses or using deep body-weight stretches stabilize their heads and help them stay focused on the track through high-speed corners while forces up to five times as strong as gravity heave their bodies from side to side.

Adults with “tech neck” don’t work in such extreme conditions, but the training techniques of professional race car drivers highlight an often-overlooked muscle group. Paying greater attention to posture while using screens and adding neck-specific exercises to a fitness routine are small changes that could ease discomfort, according to Dr. Neeru Jayanthi, an Atlanta-based sports medicine specialist who works with athletes of all ages from a range of sports.

“Does a normal person need to have a neck like an F1 driver? Probably not,” Antti Kontsas, an experienced performance coach who worked with four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and other stars of the sport, said.

Still, “the healthy foundations are the same for the normal person and for the driver. Where you would start is exactly the same,” Kontsas told The Associated Press.

As with any other fitness activity, neck training needs to be practiced safely and with attention to an individual’s physical needs and limitations. When in doubt, seek guidance from a doctor or other medical professional, especially if you have experienced neck injuries or don’t know what might be causing your aching neck.

When you’re aware of your limits, “it’s just knowing the loading, exposing gradually. That’s the safe way to progress,” Konstas says.

How drivers train

The days when F1 drivers smoke and drank before a Grand Prix are long gone. Even in the 1990s, fitness was crucial to Michael Schumacher’s success; the seven-time champion from Germany emphasized cardio and strength training. After all, fatigue causes mistakes.

A key element of Kontsas’ training programs is not overlooking the neck, otherwise known as the cervical spine, when exercising your back and core.

Body-weight exercises like keeping the head level with the shoulders in a lateral, or side, plank position can help. Another easy exercise can be done lying down.

“The most simple thing is lying on your back on a bench with your head hanging and then holding your head in a complete horizontal line. You’re holding your head still and seeing how long you can hold that. That’s a good way to train, particularly, the front musculature,” Kontsas said.

To increase the challenge, drivers typically use a resistance band or a weighted harness that straps around the head to work their neck muscles.

Beating the pain of ‘computer neck’

Training doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. Even F1 drivers might only do neck exercises for 10 to 15 minutes a session, two or three times a week, according to Kontsas.

If you spend a lot of time at a desk for work, improving neck health can start with a simple reminder to be aware of your posture and simple stretches like tucking the chin back to compensate for leaning forward toward a screen.

“Computer neck,” a modern ailment that causes neck, shoulder and back pain, comes when “your head sits in different positions off the spine” while working, explains Jayanthi.

“You sit in front of the computer for two, three, four hours, and you never realize that your head was in the wrong position the entire time,” he said. ”So we can go back to positioning our neck and actually doing chin tucks and isometrics to push your head in the correct position on the spine. Just remind yourself every 30 to 60 minutes.”

There’s evidence that having a strong neck and trunk can help with other serious issues, according to Jayanthi. For example, neck training is “one of the most accessible, least expensive” options for concussion recovery and prevention, he said.

Likewise, spine strength can be a predictor of injury prevention or mitigation in tennis players, Jayanthi said.

Life in F1 can be a pain in the neck

It’s hard to measure how much faster fitness makes a driver, but it’s notable that one of Formula 1’s most celebrated non-driver staff members of the last 15 years is Angela Cullen, longtime personal physiotherapist to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

The physical challenge of racing at the top level can be shock to first-timers.

At age 18, British driver Oliver Bearman made his F1 race debut with two days’ notice as a replacement for Ferrari when regular driver Carlos Sainz, Jr. needed emergency surgery in 2024. Bearman was fit from racing in junior series Formula 2, but the strain on his body from going at F1 speed was in another league.

“Destroyed” was his response to being asked how he felt afterward.

“Physically it was a really difficult race. ... I think especially my lower back and my neck, it’s hurting,” Bearman added.

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Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on all aspects of wellness, at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

The high court's unanimous ruling is a procedural victory for First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, which is challenging a New Jersey investigation of its practices.

The conservative-majority court has given abortion opponents high-profile wins in recent years, most notably the watershed case that overturned the nationwide right to abortion in 2022. First Choice, though, had also drawn support from the American Civil Liberties Union, which supports abortion rights but backed the group's First Amendment concerns.

The Supreme Court's decision lets First Choice sue over a state-issued subpoena in federal court, though the ruling does not resolve the underlying case.

Lawyer Erin Hawley with the Alliance Defending Freedom argued the case, and said the group looks forward to taking up the case in federal court if New Jersey's attorney general decides to "continue these efforts on remand.”

Facilities often known as “crisis pregnancy centers” have been on the rise in the United States as Republican-controlled states enforce bans or restrictions on abortion and some steer tax dollars to the centers, which provide prenatal care and steer women to carrying pregnancies to term.

As Democratic-leaning states seek to protect abortion access, several have investigated whether the anti-abortion centers mislead women, including by implying they offer abortions.

In New Jersey, then-Democratic Attorney General Matthew Platkin sent a subpoena asking for donor lists and other information.

First Choice pushed back, arguing the investigation was baseless and the demand for donor lists threatened their First Amendment rights to free speech and association. They tried to challenge the subpoena in federal court, but a judge found the case was not yet far enough along. An appeals court agreed.

First Choice then turned to the Supreme Court.

They argued access to federal court is important in cases where government investigators are accused of misusing state power, and the ACLU agreed that subpoenas seeking donor information can scare away supporters.

The state argued that the information would only be used to ask donors whether they had been deceived about First Choice’s services, and the subpoena could not have threatened their First Amendment rights because the group hadn’t yet been required to turn over any information.

A court order is required to enforce the subpoena, and the judge overseeing the underlying case has so far only ordered the two sides to negotiate.

New Jersey also argued that allowing First Choice to sue could usher in a glut of lawsuits from the thousands of businesses that get similar subpoenas.

The Trump administration weighed in to support First Choice. The Justice Department argued that any impact would be relatively small since the decision would only apply to groups with similar First Amendment arguments.

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From the start, server Carlos Ortiz said he knew something was off with his customer at the Peter Pan Diner, located at 1216 E. Oakland Park Blvd.

“He walked in, ordered a beer and then he ordered jalapeño bites, but before he ordered, it was just like a really weird interaction,” said Ortiz. “He didn’t know how to say what he wanted.”

After racking up a $50 bill at 11 a.m. on Monday, the man disappeared.

“I thought he left and I was just like, is he still here?” said Ortiz. “I was just trying to see if anyone saw him. He came out of the bathroom wearing something different, so I was like, OK cool, he might be going to work or whatever.”

Ortiz says he saw the man go to the counter and figured he was ready to settle up and be on his way.

Instead, the man tried to pay for a $3 cookie, but his card was declined.

“And after it declined, he just walked out,” said Ortiz.

Ortiz has worked at the diner for over a year and said he thought he had seen it all.

“He just made it seem like we were dumb and just walked out as if he just didn’t order $50 worth of food,” he said.

The restaurant even has a wall of shame for those who have dined and dashed in the past.

The newest addition, with that unpaid tab stapled to his picture, is this latest suspect.

“We have people that will come in and make up for it, so I can’t be too down on it, but it shouldn’t be that way when we’re relying on other people to pay your tips,” said Ortiz.

The ride-hailing and delivery company said Wednesday that users of its app can now book hotel rooms. Uber is using hotel listings provided by Expedia Group, a booking service that works with 700,000 hotels and other properties globally. More than 1 million vacation rentals from Vrbo – which is owned by Seattle-based Expedia – will be added to the app later this year, the company said.

Sachin Kansal, Uber’s chief product officer, said hotel booking is a big step toward San Francisco-based Uber’s goal of becoming an “everything app” that serves many customer needs. Uber, which was founded in 2009, launched Uber Eats for restaurant deliveries in 2015 and expanded with grocery deliveries in 2020.

“Consumers are spending too much time coordinating their life, using multiple apps. AI is in the air and they’re all trying to figure out, how does AI help me or does it not help me?” Kansal told The Associated Press. “Our goal with these announcements is to bring everything into one app, to help them save time, and to also help them save money.”

Any Uber app user will be able to make hotel reservations. But Uber One members, who pay $9.99 per month for zero delivery fees and other perks, will get a 20% discount off a rolling list of 10,000 hotels plus 10% back in Uber credits they can use to book rides, Kansal said.

Kansal said Uber evaluated multiple partners before partnering with Expedia. Uber then spent months integrating Expedia’s technology into its own app. Kansal wouldn’t share the financial terms behind the partnership.

“They’re very excited because Uber brings a certain user base that is very travel-friendly,” Kansal said. “So I would say it’s going to mutually beneficial for both the parties.”

Travel is a big part of Uber users’ lives, he said. More than 100 million people use Uber to get to or from an airport each year. And last year, more than 1.5 billion Uber trips took place outside of a rider’s home city.

The hotel-booking feature was one of several travel-related announcements at Uber’s annual new product event Wednesday. Uber said an upgraded travel mode will help users find restaurants and other points of interest in the cities they visit.

Uber said users will soon get restaurant recommendations and be able to book tables in its app through OpenTable. Rival delivery service DoorDash recently began offering restaurant reservations in its app after buying hospitality platform SevenRooms.

Uber said it's also launching a service that will let users order a drink or snack that would be waiting for them when they get picked up by a driver using a premium Uber Black vehicle. The service is set to launch in the coming weeks in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and other cities.

Desde el principio, el mesero Carlos Ortiz dijo que supo que algo no estaba bien con su cliente en el Peter Pan Diner, ubicado en 1216 E. Oakland Park Blvd.

“Entró, pidió una cerveza y luego ordenó bocados de jalapeño, pero antes de ordenar, fue una interacción muy extraña”, dijo Ortiz. “No sabía cómo decir lo que quería”.

Después de acumular una cuenta de $50 USD a las 11 a.m. del lunes, el hombre desapareció.

“Pensé que se había ido y me pregunté, ¿sigue aquí?”, dijo Ortiz. “Solo trataba de ver si alguien lo había visto. Salió del baño con algo diferente puesto, así que pensé, OK, tal vez iba a trabajar o algo así”.

Ortiz dice que vio al hombre ir al mostrador y pensó que estaba listo para pagar e irse.

En cambio, el hombre intentó pagar una galleta de $3 USD, pero su tarjeta fue rechazada.

“Y después de que fue rechazada, simplemente se fue”, dijo Ortiz.

Ortiz ha trabajado en el restaurante por más de un año y dijo que pensó que ya lo había visto todo.

“Solo hizo parecer que éramos tontos y se fue como si no hubiera ordenado $50 USD en comida”, dijo.

El restaurante incluso tiene un “muro de la vergüenza” para quienes se han ido sin pagar en el pasado.

La incorporación más reciente, con la cuenta impaga grapada a su foto, es este último sospechoso.

“Tenemos personas que vienen y compensan eso, así que no puedo desanimarme demasiado, pero no debería ser así cuando dependemos de otros para pagar tus propinas”, dijo Ortiz.

Several conservative justices appeared to be leaning in favor of the Republican administration’s argument that the law limits what courts can do to the program known as temporary protected status, or TPS.

Haitians and Syrians were among those from 17 countries with TPS, which allows migrants already in the U.S. to stay with work permits in 18-month increments, so long as the Department of Homeland Security Secretary deems their country of origin unsafe for return.

In President Donald Trump ’s second term, Homeland Security has ended the protections for 13 countries, exposing their migrants to potential deportation.

Here's the latest:

Lawyers and TPS holders await the Court’s decision

The International Refugee Assistance Project, which represents Syrian TPS holders in the lawsuit heard at the Supreme Court, says stakes are high.

“The Court now faces a choice about whether it will uphold the checks and balances at the heart of the Constitution or whether the President can run roughshod over the laws created by Congress,” said Sharif Aly, president at IRAP.

The Supreme Court, Aly noted, “faces a moral question of whether our country will destabilize countless families, communities, and the economy by stripping legal status from people who have it and sending them back to danger in Haiti, Syria, and beyond.”

A famously fast talker

One thing to know about Solicitor General D. John Sauer is that he talks fast.

The Solicitor General is the person tasked with arguing cases in front of the Supreme Court for the federal government. He or she is basically the federal government’s lawyer at the court.

If he or she isn’t personally arguing a case, it can also be assigned to an Assistant or another government attorney. The solicitor general also plays a role in deciding which cases the government will appeal to the Supreme Court.

Sauer was also the Solicitor General of Missouri from 2017 to 2023.

The speed at which Sauer talks has been a subject of debate on various legal chats on Reddit.

Skeptical Alito wonders who is considered white

Justice Alito was drilling down on Pipoly on the question of who is considered white and who is not.

At one point he listed off various nationalities like Syrians and Greeks and questioned whether Pipoly would consider them white. Pipoly generally answered that he didn’t know or hadn’t considered that question.

At one point Alito — who has Italian heritage — asked whether southern Italians were considered white and Pipoly answered that 120 years ago during the last wave of European immigration, they would not have been considered white.

Alito said he didn’t like “dividing the people of the world into these groups.”

Gorsuch queries court role in TPS

Justice Neil Gorsuch asks his first questions of the day, pressing the attorney for Haitian immigrants on whether the law lets judges step into Homeland Security’s decisions on TPS.

“I’m struggling with that,” he said, seemingly unconvinced by the immigrants’ process argument.

Race and TPS

Pipoly starts with the Haitian immigrants’ argument that the administration ended TPS for Haitians because of “racial animus towards nonwhite immigrants and bare dislike of Haitians.”

He repeats comments from President Trump, including a reference to Haiti as a “shithole country.”

A lower-court judge found that “hostility to nonwhite immigrants” likely played a role in the decision to end protections for Haitians.

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants were abducting and eating dogs and cats. Federal authorities have denied racial animus played any role in the TPS decisions.

‘Bombing happening now in Syria’

Justice Kavanaugh asked Arulanantham about how many Syrians have returned since the end of the Assad regime and whether those figures might have any relevance to the arguments.

Arulanantham said it doesn’t matter because there still wasn’t consultations with the State Department over country conditions in Syria.

He did note that many people have gone from southern Lebanon to Syria recently, but suggested it had more to do with the armed conflict in the region driving people out than any improvements in Syria itself.

Arulanantham said it’s “not the same thing as saying ‘We’re going from California to Syria.’”

“There is still active armed conflict. There’s bombing happening now in Syria,” he said.

Arguments about TPS for Haiti begin

Attorney Geoffrey Pipoly begins his arguments on behalf of Haitian TPS holders, who say that their country is unsafe and does not meet the conditions to receive them back.

More than 9,000 people were killed across Haiti last year, with the country now reporting a homicide rate of 76 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the world’s highest.

Gang violence also has displaced more than 1.4 million people, with armed men controlling more than 70% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and swaths of rural land north of it.

Hunger also is deepening, with gangs controlling access to key routes leading in and out of Port-au-Prince.

More than 5.83 million Haitians are expected to face acute levels of hunger from March to June, representing more than half the country’s population, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international authority on hunger crises.

Skeptical questions from some conservatives

Justice Samuel Alito appears skeptical, raising questions about the immigration attorneys’ main argument that the administration short-circuited the process. He says the court would have to take an unusual read on the law for them to win.

Thomas also seems sympathetic to the administration on process. Kavanaugh, meanwhile, seems open to their arguments about foreign policy considerations.

Drilling down on consultations with State Department

A little bit more on that exchange between Arulanantham and Barrett.

She was drilling down into the question of how substantive the consultations have to be between the DHS secretary and State Department on whether country conditions are truly stable enough to terminate TPS.

“Let’s imagine the consultation happens. It’s a robust consultation. But everything that she hears cuts in favor of keeping TPS status and she says ‘I’m terminating it.’ Is that reviewable?” Barrett asked.

Arulanantham says in that case it’s not, but then goes on to argue that she really does have to make a substantive inquiry. And he argues that the consultation process makes for better decisions overall.

Barrett raises big-picture questions

Barrett comes in with a zoom-out question about the immigration attorney’s argument that Homeland Security didn’t follow the right process.

“Is this going to get you very much? If it’s just a box-checking exercise, why would Congress permit review of the procedural aspect when really what everybody cares about much more is the substance?”

Arulanantham says that it’s still important: “Congress, and us too, and the millions of people who live with TPS holders have some faith in government.”

TPS holders have two courtroom defenders

Two different lawyers are arguing for the TPS recipients.

Ahilan Arulanantham, a professor at the UCLA School of Law, is up now. He’s arguing the Syrian case.

Attorney Geoffrey Pipoly will represent people from Haiti.

Arguments turn to those defending TPS holders

Sauer has now finished his arguments. The court is now hearing from Ahilan Arulanantham, a professor at the UCLA School of Law who’s arguing for Syrian immigrants.

Arulanantham argues that the Trump administration’s is seeking an open-ended expansion of its immigration power. “The government reads this statue as a blank check,” he said.

Sauer: The T in TPS stands for ‘temporary’

Before wrapping up his argument, Sauer emphasized the issue of the temporary nature of TPS.

“Keep in mind this is temporary protected status,” he said.

He pointed out that a number of the TPS designations go back years, sometimes decades.

That goes to a key Republican complaint about TPS: they say that while it’s supposed to be temporary, it often ends up being extended repeatedly.

Kavanaugh asks about legislative/executive branch powers

Justice Brett Kavanaugh is asking why Congress would have barred courts from considering claims about TPS termination.

Sauer says those decisions should be left to the executive branch, arguing that the decision to grant to revoke protections can have foreign policy implications.

That’s an area where courts have generally given deference to the president.

How much research did Kristi Noem do before terminating TPS?

Some of the liberal justices have really pushed Sauer on the issue of how much the Homeland Security Secretary consulted with the State Department about country conditions.

Advocates have argued that former DHS chief Kristi Noem didn’t really conduct a substantive consultation with State about the conditions of the countries where they were terminating TPS and that means they’re potentially sending people back to countries where they’re at risk.

Sauer is arguing that the secretary can’t force the State Department to respond.

Justices question motives for terminating TPS

Liberal-leaning justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor

are questioning whether racial animus played a part in the administration’s decision to terminate TPS.

Sauer, the government’s lawyer, responded that he “strongly disagrees.”

Barrett asks about the racial dynamic

Justice Amy Coney Barrett jumps in with a question about constitutional claims the migrants have made, which include the argument that race played a role in the decision to end the protections.

She’s another key member of the conservative majority, and one with a personal connection to Haiti. Two of her seven children were adopted from the country.

The Trump administration has denied racial animus played a role in the decision, and Sauer argued the plaintiffs’ constitutional claims are “not a close call.”

Judges question administration lawyer

The three liberal-leaning justices, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, are grilling Sauer on his main argument.

Their focus: Even if judges can’t question the decision to terminate legal protections, why can’t they weigh arguments about whether Homeland Security followed the steps Congress laid out in the law?

Kagan losing voice & making jokes

Justice Elena Kagan is struggling with some voice issues.

She was questioning Sauer, stopped to cough, and then apologized.

Still struggling as she questioned Sauer further, she then joked that “the likelihood of me asking a follow-up is very diminished.”

That sparked some laughter in the court.

Sauer defends Kristi Noem’s decision-making

Sauer mentioned in his opening statement that when the secretary issued her TPS decisions the fact that her decisions were consistent was a “virtue and not a vice.”

That seemed to be in reference to criticism by immigration advocates that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wasn’t doing a substantive consultation with the State Department when it comes to assessing country conditions and deciding whether it was safe enough for them to return home.

Roberts questions link to Trump’s original travel ban

Chief Justice John Roberts questions whether Sauer is seeking a “significant expansion” of the court’s ruling in Trump v. Hawaii, the case where the court upheld Trump’s travel ban for Muslim-majority countries during his first term.

Roberts holds a key vote on the court as both the chief and a member of the conservative majority who has voted against the administration in some cases, like the ruling that stuck down Trump’s tariffs.

And they’re off!

Arguments have started in the TPS case.

The justices first released a number of opinions before launching into oral arguments in this key case.

First up is the federal government. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argues that the law doesn’t allow courts to block or delay Homeland Security decisions, or question any of the steps along the way.

Court voids majority Black congressional district in Louisiana

The Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s second majority Black congressional district in a decision that could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress.

The court’s conservative majority found that the district, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, relied too heavily on race. Chief Justice John Roberts had described the district as a “snake” that stretches more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) to link parts of the Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette and Baton Rouge areas.

The decision weakens a landmark voting rights law’s protections against discrimination in redistricting. It’s unclear how much is left of the provision, known as Section 2, the main way to challenge racially discriminatory election practices.

But first, some opinions!

The court is releasing several opinions on previous cases before getting into the TPS-related arguments.

In the first opinion, The court sided with a faith-based pregnancy center that raised First Amendment concerns about an investigation into whether it misled people to discourage abortions.

The high court’s unanimous ruling is a procedural victory for First Choice Women’s Resource Centers, which is challenging a New Jersey probe of its practices.

The conservative-majority court has given abortion opponents high-profile wins in recent years, most notably the watershed case that overturned the nationwide right to abortion in 2022. First Choice, though, had also drawn support from the American Civil Liberties Union, which supports abortion rights but backed the group’s First Amendment concerns.

The Supreme Court’s decision lets First Choice sue over the subpoena in federal court.

TPS holders are demonstrating outside the Supreme Court

Dozens of immigrants who have been protected from deportation under a temporary status are beginning to gather in front of the Supreme Court to follow the arguments on the Trump administration’s attempt to end these protections for Haitians and Syrians.

The Supreme Court will weigh arguments at 10 a.m. The case has wider implications for more than 1.3 million people from 17 countries who have been living and working in the U.S., protected under TPS.

Immigrants and advocates outside the Supreme Court are demanding “equal justice under the law.”

TPS holders plan to offer their testimony. There are performances by musicians from TPS countries and by Los Jornaleros del Norte, a band from Los Angeles made up of current and former day laborers.

Who’s at the podium

Solicitor General D. John Sauer, the government’s top Supreme Court attorney, will argue the case for the Trump administration.

Two lawyers will argue on the other side, since the court is considering the future of legal protections for people from two countries. Ahilan Arulanantham, a professor at the UCLA School of Law, will argue the Syrian case and attorney Geoffrey Pipoly will represent people from Haiti.

The new secretary gets the blame

This lawsuit originally was directed at Kristi Noem, who was Trump’s first Homeland Security secretary.

But when she was fired, and Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as the new DHS secretary, he also got the honor of being the person named in all the lawsuits.

Lawsuits tend to follow the head of the agency or department so when those people change, the new secretary or agency head takes over the role of being named in all the lawsuits, even if they happened before he or she took office.

This even happens when administrations change. For example, advocates sued the first Trump administration over its efforts to terminate TPS, specifically naming his DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

But by the time the case concluded six years later, it was Biden’s DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas who was named in the suit.

How temporary is temporary?

One of the key complaints by conservatives about TPS is that something that is supposed to be temporary essentially becomes permanent.

Republicans often point to TPS designations that are extended repeatedly, even after the reason for the original designation has long passed.

The TPS designation for El Salvador, for example, was first designated in 2001 following devastating earthquakes in the country.

But immigration advocates say there’s no time limit on TPS use, and the administration is trying to send people back to countries still in turmoil.

Conditions in Syria

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also known as the UN Refugee Agency, says that Syria’s operational contexts reflect a dual dynamic of large-scale returns and persistent humanitarian needs.

As of March 2026, 15.6 million Syrians required assistance, while over 1.5 million refugees and 1.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned since December 2024, according to the agency.

“Internal displacement remains high (5.5 million), underscoring that returns are occurring within a still-fragile system with strained absorption capacity,” said the UN agency in a report.

Conditions in Haiti

Haiti has not had a president since Jovenel Moïse was killed in July 2021 at his private residence.

The government hopes to hold the first round of elections by year’s end, but experts say that’s unlikely given the surge in gang violence.

A recent assessment from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) assessment reveals “grave protection risks and rapidly shrinking access to public services” for civilians in Haiti, as the country faces one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

The report notes that conditions could deteriorate further as political instability and violence and clashes between gangs and security forces continue.

“Millions of people in Haiti continue to face a compounding crisis of food insecurity, forced displacement, deadly disease outbreaks, and surging violence,” said Alice Ribes, emergency country director for the IRC in Haiti. “Public services in many areas have collapsed under gang rule, leaving people with limited or no access to clean drinking water, food, medical care, and education.”

Bill to protect TPS

On April 16, in a rare bipartisan moment, the House passed legislation that would extend TPS for Haitians.

The bill, pushed forward by House Democrats with a group of Republicans over the objections of the GOP leadership, would require a three-year extension of temporary protected status for Haitians by the Trump administration. That would allow hundreds of thousands of qualifying immigrants to remain in the United States without fear of deportation.

But it faces uncertainty in the Senate, and President Trump would almost certainly seek to veto it.

Democratic lawmakers urge the SCOTUS to support TPS

Democratic Senator Edward J. Markey and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, both of Massachusetts, Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, of Delaware, and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, of Florida, asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject the administrations attempts to terminate TPS.

They were joined by a coalition of senior, workers and advocates from the American Business Immigration Coalition, and the National Domestic Workers Alliance, among other organizations.

“TPS holders serve as a backbone for families and our economy—caring for our elders and loved ones through illness, strengthening our communities, and making innumerable contributions daily,” Pressley. “Our message to the Supreme Court today is simple: do your job, uphold the law, save lives, and protect our communities.”

What the administration says

The administration’s claims that TPS holders can safely return to their home countries, where conditions have changed since the protection was originally granted.

Advocates argue that safe conditions do not exist for people to return to their countries of origin. They point out that the government is engaging in a contradiction, given that the State Department warns U.S. citizens not to travel to Haiti or Syria due to violence, instability, and limited access to basic services.

“These terminations have come without credible evidence that conditions have improved,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and Chief Executive Officer of Global Refuge, one of the largest faith-based nonprofit organizations serving refugees.

“The administration is essentially arguing two things at once: that these countries are too dangerous for American tourists, but safe enough to deport families to. Policy makers cannot credibly hold both positions at the same time,” Vignarajah said.

What advocates say

Immigrant advocates argue that the administration’s decision to end TPS is not based on conditions in the countries of origin. They contend that, on the contrary, it is part of a broader policy aimed at deporting not only those who entered the country illegally, but also hundreds of thousands of people who have been residing in the country legally.

“By trying to kill TPS, they are attacking people who are living and working here legally, paying fees and taxes, following all the rules,” said José Palma, coordinator at the National TPS Alliance. “They are de-documenting people… it’s cruel, arbitrary, pointless, needless, and wrong.”

Viles Dorsainvil, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Haitian Support Center, and a Haitian TPS holder, said “TPS provides dignity, stability, and hope... TPS represents more than protection. It represents the ability of families to stay together.”

Public Rights Project, a non-governmental that helps local governments with litigation, filed an amicus brief outlining the economic, workforce and public service impacts cities would face if TPS is revoked.

The brief was filed on April 13 on behalf of a coalition of 47 local governments, mayors and local leaders across the country urging the Court to preserve TPS.

Settle in for a lengthy session

The court has set aside 80 minutes for arguments, but it would be unsurprising if they last two hours or longer.

Justice Clarence Thomas goes first

In the post-pandemic era, the other justices allow the 77-year-old Thomas, the longest-serving member of the court, to pose a question or two before the free-for-all begins. In a second round of questioning, the justices ask questions in order of seniority. Chief Justice John Roberts, whose center chair makes him the most senior, gets the first crack.

Court begins at 10 a.m., Eastern time, but the livestream won’t start right away

The justices have some business to take care of before arguments get going. They’ll issue a decision in at least one case that was argued during the fall or winter, and the justice who wrote the majority opinion in each case will read a summary from the bench. Then, the court will ceremonially swear in lawyers to the Supreme Court bar. Once that’s done, the livestream should begin.

No hay antecedentes de un mandatario presente en la exposición del ministro de mayor rango del gabinete ante diputados y senadores desde que ese cargo ejecutivo se implementó en la Constitución reformada en 1994.

La presencia de Milei junto a su hermana Karina, secretaria general de la Presidencia, y otros ministros representa un fuerte gesto de apoyo al jefe de gabinete Manuel Adorni cuando se espera que la oposición cargue contra el funcionario por supuestas inconsistencias en su crecimiento patrimonial.

La justicia federal investiga a Adorni por enriquecimiento ilícito por presuntamente adquirir propiedades y realizar viajes al exterior por montos que están por encima de su patrimonio declarado ante el fisco. El funcionario todavía no fue acusado formalmente.

“Han sacado conclusiones equivocadas. No cometí ningún delito y voy a probarlo en la justicia”, desafió Adorni en el cierre de una exposición de casi dos horas en la que enumeró los logros del gobierno.

Milei aplaudió de pie al jefe de gabinete en uno de los palcos el recinto desde donde intercambió insultos con legisladores opositores de izquierda que sostenían carteles con la leyenda “Fuera los corruptos”.

El caso ha hecho mella en el nivel de aprobación de Milei, un economista anarcocapitalista que llegó al poder en 2023 con la promesa de terminar con los vicios de la “casta” política tradicional y coincide con un creciente malestar por el rumbo económico del gobierno.

El nivel de confianza en el gobierno que mide mensualmente la Universidad Di Tella se desplomó 12,1% en abril respecto del mes anterior, la caída más pronunciada desde que Milei es presidente.

En tanto, las denuncias sobre casos de corrupción en el gobierno se ubican entre las mayores preocupaciones de los argentinos junto a la incertidumbre por la situación económica, la inseguridad y la inflación, según una medición del humor social que realizó en marzo la consultora D´Alessio Irol-Berensztein.

Adorni manifestó ante el Parlamento que “no ocultó” información al fisco en su declaración jurada y recordó que ”aún no venció el plazo” para presentar esa documentación correspondiente al año 2025.

“Serán los jueces y sólo ellos los que deberán resolver las denuncias. Las cuestiones de una causa judicial en curso deben ser resueltas en ese ámbito”, remarcó el jefe de gabinete.

Milei se retiró del Congreso mientras Adorni se sometía a las preguntas de los legisladores.

“La gente le dice aloe vera, un chiste popular que se usa para decir que cada día le descubren más propiedades”, lo inquirió la diputada izquierdista Myriam Bregman.

Apoyo incondicional

Milei parece dispuesto a apoyar a su funcionario hasta las últimas consecuencias. Casi a diario arremete en sus redes sociales contra periodistas y opositores, a los que atribuye estar detrás de una campaña para desestabilizar a su gobierno.

Por primera vez desde el retorno de la democracia en 1983 el presidente cerró la sala de periodistas acreditados en el palacio gubernamental como medida preventiva ante una denuncia por presunto espionaje ilegal.

Adorni cumplía la doble función de jefe de gabinete y portavoz del gobierno, pero su última conferencia de prensa en la sede del Ejecutivo fue hace un mes y todas las consultas de los periodistas apuntaron a las acusaciones en su contra.

La defensa a ultranza de Milei al ministro coordinador contrasta con otros casos de funcionarios sospechados de corrupción que fueron eyectados de su gobierno. A mediados de 2024, el mandatario despidió a Diego Spagnuolo, responsable de la agencia nacional de discapacidad por presunto cobro de sobornos a droguerías para adquirir medicamentos.

El último caso fue el pasado fin de semana cuando Carlos Frugoni —secretario de coordinación de Infraestructura en el Ministerio de Economía— dejó el cargo luego de reconocer que había omitido declarar ante el fisco siete propiedades en Estados Unidos.

La disminución en la matrícula ha llevado a las Escuelas Públicas del condado Broward a recortar empleos por primera vez en 20 años.

“Claramente, no queremos afectar nada”, dijo la miembro de la junta escolar Debra Hixon. “Tener que hacer esto es extremadamente difícil”.

En los últimos tres años, el distrito perdió 25,000 estudiantes y se proyecta que perderá 10,000 más el próximo año.

Esta propuesta más reciente recortaría aproximadamente 809 puestos, generando $41.3 millones USD en ahorros.

El superintendente Howard Hepburn ha sostenido que los recortes no impactarán directamente a los estudiantes.

“No quiero que nuestros maestros se vean afectados, y no quiero que nuestros estudiantes se vean afectados por la falta de maestros en nuestro sistema”, dijo el miembro de la junta escolar Adam Cervera.

Algunos de los empleos en riesgo incluyen consejeros, personal de apoyo conductual y trabajadores sociales.

En última instancia, la Junta Escolar pospuso la votación para una fecha posterior.

Los miembros de la junta trabajarán el plan durante una reunión el 11 de mayo y, una semana después, el 19 de mayo, realizarán una votación formal.

Leer en español

Local 10 anchor Nicole Perez served as emcee for the event, which organizers say is critical to sustaining programs that provide childcare assistance, diapers, wipes, education and emergency support to families in need.

The organization says it serves about 3,000 families each year.

“Here at HMHB, we focus on pregnant and parenting women -- give them all the support they need from parent education, wellness, emergency, basic needs, medical education so that way we know mom and baby are safe and we have a healthy mother and baby at time of birth,” said Dawn Liberta, executive director of HMHB of Broward County.

The luncheon highlighted several success stories, including mothers who have benefited from the group’s services.

One of them is Tranea Cannon, a former “American Idol” contestant who overcame significant challenges with help from the organization. Her story can be found here.

Perez also has a personal connection to the organization. In 2021, while pregnant with her son, Reece, she visited HMHB and met other expectant mothers through its programs.

Organizers say the annual luncheon plays a key role in funding those services and ensuring no family is turned away.

Click here to read more stories from Local 10’s Mom to Mom collection.

La presentadora de Local 10 Nicole Perez fungió como maestra de ceremonias del evento, que según los organizadores es clave para sostener programas que brindan asistencia para cuidado infantil, pañales, toallitas, educación y apoyo de emergencia a familias necesitadas.

La organización indica que atiende a aproximadamente 3,000 familias cada año.

“Aquí en HMHB, nos enfocamos en mujeres embarazadas y madres, brindándoles todo el apoyo que necesitan, desde educación para padres, bienestar, emergencias, necesidades básicas, educación médica, para asegurarnos de que mamá y bebé estén seguros y tengamos una madre y un bebé saludables al momento del nacimiento”, dijo Dawn Liberta, directora ejecutiva de HMHB del condado Broward.

El almuerzo destacó varias historias de éxito, incluidas madres que se han beneficiado de los servicios del grupo.

Una de ellas es Tranea Cannon, ex participante de “American Idol”, quien superó desafíos significativos con la ayuda de la organización. Su historia se puede encontrar aquí.

Perez también tiene una conexión personal con la organización. En 2021, mientras estaba embarazada de su hijo Reece, visitó HMHB y conoció a otras futuras madres a través de sus programas.

Los organizadores dicen que el almuerzo anual juega un papel clave en la financiación de estos servicios y en garantizar que ninguna familia sea rechazada.

Haga clic aquí para leer más historias de la colección “Mom to Mom” de Local 10.

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The fire, which started on Saturday and has been dubbed the Highway 41 Fire, is burning to the south and west of Tamiami Trail, just past Krome Avenue.

The fire prompted a partial park closure, including parking lots, facilities and navigable waterways within the impacted area.

On Tuesday morning, Coopertown Airboats south of Tamiami Trail was evacuated as a precaution after smoke conditions increased near the attraction.

Heavy smoke could still be seen Tuesday afternoon coming from the blaze, just a few miles west from the Miccosukee Casino.

By midday, conditions improved as clear skies returned overhead and crews wrapped up hose lines after successfully suppressing the head of the fire, which had quickly spread through the area following a change in wind direction.

Officials said Safari Park and Gator Park were also closed due to predicted weather conditions. At last check, no buildings had sustained damage and no injuries were reported.

Marshall Jones, of Mack’s Fish Camp, said his company is keeping a close eye on wind direction and speed.

“The winds are supposed to shift tomorrow, and when that happens, that fire could potentially jump Tamiami Trail on the horizon line right there and come out into this area,” he said.

North of Tamiami Trail, which is being used as a fire break, airboat tours continued operating without interruption.

Michele Sutter, who is visiting from Switzerland, told Local 10 News that she and her family still felt safe during their tour.

“I know the area so it is not my first time here, but haven’t seen such a big fire lately,” she said. “We still feel safe.”

Sutter, who previously lived in Miami, said she is familiar with brush fires occurring during South Florida’s dry season.

Airboat captain Hank Ridings said those conditions are not unusual.

“In a drought like we are in right now it could happen at any time, a lightning strike, someone throwing a cigarette butt out not understanding how that can start a fire,” Ridings said.

From the early morning hours, the fire off Tamiami Trail was lit by moonlight, but within hours, the billowing smoke and crackling embers reached the road.

At some point, flames pushed onto the street, getting within feet of oncoming cars.

The cause of the fire remains unclear, but fire service crews continue to assess the damage from above as the fire continues to move east.

Fire rescue officials say the smoke has affected the air quality in the area, so residents nearby are advised to stay indoors if they suffer from respiratory issues.

As of Tuesday evening, the fire remains 0% contained, and the cause is still under investigation. Crews continue to assess conditions from above as the fire moves through the area. Officials said there have been no injuries and no property damage.

The National Park Service is also urging visitors to check for closure updates before heading to the park and to allow extra travel time, especially along Highway 41, where smoke can worsen at night and in the early morning hours.

Officials noted that South Florida’s dry season, which typically runs from December through April, increases the risk of brush fires across the region.

Fire officials said smoke has affected air quality nearby, and those with respiratory issues are advised to stay indoors or avoid smoky areas.

Related media

The U.S. Wildland Fire Service is containing a 2,500-acre wildfire along U.S. 41. The road remains open but may have temporary closures. Other closures and current status can be found: https://t.co/VNS4C0Gf3b #EvergladesNationalPark #Everglades #USWFS pic.twitter.com/9rUmJlXhNY

— Everglades National Park (@EvergladesNPS) April 28, 2026

Paris Saint-Germain's 5-4 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday felt more like an NBA game than a traditional soccer match and set new goalscoring records for the sport's biggest club tournament.

And it might not be just a one-off. The thrilling first leg of the semifinals in Paris points toward a growing trend as some coaches embrace a high-risk, high-reward strategy that is leaving fans breathless.

PSG coach Luis Enrique summed it up perfectly, telling French broadcaster Canal+ that "we deserved to win, but we also deserved a draw, and we would have even deserved to lose, because this game was that incredible.”

Soccer's new age of entertainers

Despite being the world's most popular sport, soccer has been criticized, in the United States in particular, because of the low-scoring nature of games, which can result in single-goal victories or even goalless ties over 90 minutes of play.

Compare that to the high octane, high-scoring NBA or NFL and it is understandable why soccer has taken time to fully grab the attention of U.S. fans.

But Champions League holder PSG is at the vanguard of soccer's new entertainers, with Luis Enrique an uncompromising coach, determined to reach new levels of excitement in his pursuit of dominance.

PSG became champion of Europe for the first time last year by beating Inter Milan 5-0 in the final in one of the most spectacular performances in the tournament's history. It completed a trophy treble for the French club, which also won its national league title and cup last season.

Luis Enrique also won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2015 and on Tuesday became the fastest coach to record 50 victories in the competitions — proving his all-action approach is working.

The attacking trend is catching on

It is no surprise then that his methods are being echoed elsewhere. Not least by Bayern, which has blazed a trail through the Champions League this term under Vincent Kompany and already clinched the German title.

PSG, with 43 goals, is the highest-scoring team in the Champions League this season. Bayern is second with 42.

Tuesday's nine-goal thriller was the highest-scoring semifinal in the history of the competition and neither club is talking about changing its approach for the second leg in Munich next week.

“I asked my staff how many goals we think we’ll have to score, and we agreed on three,” said Luis Enrique. "We’ll show the same mentality. We’ll be going to win the match.”

PSG's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele is also ready for another high-scoring affair.

“We won’t change our philosophy. We want to attack and so do they, so I think a great game is in the offing,” Dembele told Canal+.

Kompany, who was a serial title-winning defender for Manchester City in his playing days, is showing his offensive flair as a coach.

“It’s one thing to look at the goals conceded — normally, five goals away from home in a Champions League semi-final, you’re out,” he told Amazon Prime. "But if you look at the chances we created, we could have scored more. And that has to give us belief.”

A clash of styles

Soccer has always involved contrasting styles of attack and defense. Brazil has traditionally been a team that embraces the individual flair of its players. Italy has been more defensive and has nullified opponents' attacking strengths.

Two-time Champions League-winning coach Jose Mourinho has taken a more pragmatic approach to winning the competition — shutting opponents down with well-organized and powerful teams. Pep Guardiola, by contrast, has tried to dominate games with the ball and has won Europe's top prize on three occasions. That approach has sometimes been used to criticize him when, despite having some of the best players in the world at Man City, he has often fallen short in the Champions League.

It is refreshing to hear both Luis Enrique and Kompany accept the dangers associated with their all-out attacking soccer.

“It’s my job to accept nothing but perfection," said Kompany. "There was a part of the match that was inevitable, and that was the risks that we were both willing to take.”

More goals, more thrills

Higher scoring games are the trend in the Champions League. This season there is an average of well over three goals a game (3.51).

That is above last season's 3.27, which was the previous highest average.

Each of the last five seasons feature in the top seven high-scoring Champions League campaigns, pointing to a clear trend toward more attacking soccer since the turn of the decade. In only one of those years did the average drop below three goals a game — in 2022-23 when it dipped to 2.98.

The European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992. During the 1990s the average goals per game was 2.69 and that figure dropped to 2.59 from 2000-10.

It rose to just under three goals a game (2.95) from 2010-20 and so far this decade the average is three goals a game, with teams loading their lineups with attacking talent.

PSG is led by Dembele, who is flanked by brilliant wingers like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue.

Bayern has England captain Harry Kane, who took his season's tally to 59 goals in 51 appearances for club and country this season when opening the scoring on Tuesday. The German giant has also paid big money for France star Michael Olise and Colombia forward Luis Diaz. Both also scored at the Parc des Princes.

Barcelona is another leading proponent of thrill-first soccer, and features the spectacular Spanish teenager Lamine Yamal, Brazil winger Raphinha and goal-scoring icon Robert Lewandowski. But its German coach Hansi Flick has been criticized for being too open in Europe — most notably by losing 7-6 on aggregate to Inter Milan in last year's semifinals.

The good news for fans next week is that PSG and Bayern seem determined to stick to their attacking principles, which should serve up another thrilling clash.

“The game there will be the same game — a crazy game between two teams that want to win and score. We need to go there with the same mentality, the same personality, so we can do an amazing job there like we did here,” PSG captain Marquinhos said.

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

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

The British actor may not have grown up in a moviegoing family, but he was still very aware the Spielberg thing as a '90s kid. It’s just in our psyche, O’Connor told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

There were Blockbuster nights, of course, with viewings of “E.T.” and he’s since caught up with the classics. But even he was taken aback by just how ingrained those quintessential Spielberg images were on his first day shooting “Disclosure Day.” They were on a backlot, he said, and there were dripping pipes and big beams of light and smoke and mist. It was an environment he recognized so vividly. All he could think was, “Wow, I’m in a Steven Spielberg movie.”

While very little is known about the plot of “Disclosure Day,” which opens in theaters on June 12, it's territory that Spielberg knows well. And it has been suggested by Emily Blunt, and confirmed by O'Connor, that it answers some questions raised by “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” O’Connor plays a cybersecurity expert who has a mysterious connection with Blunt’s meteorologist. He holds some truths that the men in suits don't want the world to know.

O’Connor spoke to the AP about the film, the secrecy, the awe of watching it for the first time and having “the greatest Steven Spielberg story.” Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: Have you been able to take stock of this whole experience?

O’CONNOR: It’s sort of still quite surreal. There have been many directors for me where it’s felt like kind of intensely surreal in the lead up to going and doing a movie with a person and then once you start, it sort of settles down and then the next thing you know you’re best friends with that director and it’s all just very normal. I do feel very close to Steven, but it still feels surreal having shot it. And every aspect of making this film was like a pinch-me moment, including seeing it for the first time. It’s sort of a dream for anyone.

AP: Was he what you expected?

O’CONNOR: He was more than I expected. He’s got this energy about him. He’s still so excited. He’s still like a child. He’s inquisitive. He is excited about performance. You know, there’s nothing better in the universe than hearing Steven by a monitor, crying or laughing or shouting with joy. He’s still, I imagine, that same director he was when he made “Jaws” or “E.T.” or any of those other classics. So yeah, he’s still got it. I can confirm he’s still got it

AP: What can you tell us about your character?

O’CONNOR: Daniel’s got some special powers. I’m resistant to saying that because I think it sort of overplays him in some ways. He and Emily’s character have this special bond between them and they’re not even aware of it. And the film really is pulling these two characters together. That’s sort of like the drive for these two, even if they’re unaware of it for half the movie.

Daniel has never really computed it and that’s sort of bubbling away underneath Daniel’s character. But he’s sort of an unglamorous hero. He’s your everyday guy and he’s found himself in this situation and he has to adapt and he is able to adapt, but, you know, he’s not a natural Tom Cruise.

AP: There’s a lot of secrecy around “Disclosure Day.” Was it like that on your end too?

O’CONNOR: There was, of course, a level of secrecy. When I received the script I was filming “Knives Out” and I was in a hotel and a motorbike turned up with the script, and a motorbike turned up to take away the script the next morning. That’s the first time that’s happened for me. It’s a very strange experience but it makes sense. You know, anytime you hear that Steven’s got a film coming out, everyone, myself included, wants to know what it is, so I totally understand why.

AP: What was the setup for watching it? Did it involve a guy showing up on a motorcycle again?

O’CONNOR: No, actually, not this time. It was just me and Emily and we sat in a screening room. You know, seeing any movie you’re in for the first time is a nightmare. It’s impossible to enjoy it fully because all you’re seeing is like, “Why do my ears look so big” or “Why do I stand like that I’m such a freak.” All those things are natural and so there is a little bit of competing with that, but this experience was unlike any other I’ve ever had. Emily and I were just in awe.

AP: You’ve been able to work with such a varied group of filmmakers and in all these different forms in your career.

O’CONNOR: That’s the thing I’m most proud of, I think … Getting to work with diverse artists and people like Alice (Rohrwacher) and Kelly (Reichardt) and Steven and Rian Johnson. They all work in very different ways and make very different films and tell different stories and ultimately that was my dream. I looked up to people like Gene Wilder, or like Robin Williams who’s able to make us roar with laughter and then have us in tears. I think that flexibility, that versatility is what I’ve always wanted in my career.

AP: Do you have a favorite Spielberg story?

O’CONNOR: I have the greatest, in my opinion, the greatest Steven Spielberg story. When it happened, I was sort of like punching the air for this very reason, knowing that when it comes to doing press for this film, I can tell the story, which is that I was halfway through the shoot and we had a scene coming up, which is quite an emotional scene and I was struggling with it. I was in my hotel room trying to prep it, as Steven does so brilliantly, and it’s extraordinary he’s so available to talk about these things.

I reached out to Steven, we discussed the scene, we talked about the emotion of the scene and how to access that and what we’re ultimately aiming to show in the story. And I felt quite satisfied, but not completely with it. And then I got a text from him quite late at night, just saying ,“The door is on the latch, just push.” And it made so much sense. I was like, “of course.” The character’s kind of got all this emotion, it’s built up and it’s like a door on the latch and you just push and it all comes out and it’s an emotional release. I was so thrilled with that note and I came in the next day and said, “Steven, you totally unlocked it for me that was amazing.” And he was like, “What are you talking about?”

I said, “The text about ‘the door on the latch just push’ it’s incredible.” And he laughed and said that that text was supposed to be for his wife. It became a very big joke for all of us. But it did unlock the scene for me, so, fair play.

AP: It’s so good, I almost don’t believe it.

O’CONNOR: I know. It’s ridiculous.

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For more coverage of this summer’s upcoming films, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/movies

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Voters took to the polls earlier this month to choose between current Surfside Vice Mayor Tina Paul and former Mayor Shlomo Danzinger.

Ultimately, in what was a very tight race, voters on Tuesday elected Danzinger back into office.

He received 50.54% of the ballots cast, defeating Paul by a total of just 22 votes.

Danzinger will unseat current Mayor Charles Burkett, who defeated Danzinger in 2024 and became the town’s mayor for a third time.

After both Danzinger and Paul failed to receive 50% of the ballots cast during the initial election in March, a special election was held on April 7, but a judge ruled to extend the mail-in ballot deadline to Tuesday due to a conflict with the Passover holiday.

Nearly half of the population of the town of Surfside is Jewish.

Los votantes acudieron a las urnas a principios de este mes para elegir entre la actual vicealcaldesa de Surfside, Tina Paul, y el ex alcalde Shlomo Danzinger.

Finalmente, en una contienda muy reñida, los votantes eligieron el martes a Danzinger para regresar al cargo.

Recibió el 50.54% de los votos emitidos, derrotando a Paul por un total de solo 22 votos.

Danzinger reemplazará al actual alcalde Charles Burkett, quien derrotó a Danzinger en 2024 y se convirtió en alcalde de la ciudad por tercera vez.

Después de que tanto Danzinger como Paul no lograran obtener el 50% de los votos durante la elección inicial en marzo, se llevó a cabo una elección especial el 7 de abril, pero un juez dictaminó extender la fecha límite de las boletas por correo hasta el martes debido a un conflicto con la festividad de Pésaj.

Casi la mitad de la población de la ciudad de Surfside es judía.

A wildfire burning just south of Tamiami Trail in Miami-Dade County is sending a plume of smoke west into the Everglades, but a shift in the winds will bring this smoke into the metro areas of Broward and Miami-Dade starting late Wednesday night. Expect to smell this smoke at times with reduced air quality.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson told the court that the men — Ukrainian nationals Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Petro Pochynok, 35; and Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian citizen — were involved in setting the blazes in London between May 8 and 12.

They are accused of conspiracy to commit arson, but Atkinson said that Lavrynovych was identified by police as the man behind all the fires. He's also charged with damaging two properties by fire with intent to endanger life or being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

The men deny the charges against them. The court wasn't told how much money was offered or if anyone was injured in the house fires.

“Three fires in the same area within five days would be pretty unusual. However, three fires all involving property linked to the same person were beyond a coincidence,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson said that a Toyota car was deliberately set ablaze in the early hours of May 8 in the Kentish Town area of north London, followed by a house on May 11 and a second house on May 12.

The property fires were started with similar materials and "were set in the dead of night, when the occupants of the addresses would inevitably have been asleep,” he said, arguing that the men who set the fires must have intended to endanger the lives of the people inside.

The car, he said, had once belonged to Starmer, the first house on Ellington Road was managed by a company where the prime minister had once been a director and shareholder, and the second house on Countess Road was occupied by his sister-in-law and still owned by Starmer.

The attacks against the car and houses were “planned and directed, with those involved promised payment for their participation,” Atkinson told the court. Lavrynovych was offered payment to set the fires on the messaging app Telegram by a contact using the name “El Money,” Atkinson said.

In both cases, the occupants of the houses woke up because of the fires, Atkinson said.

On May 11, the occupant of the top floor apartment in the house, which had been turned into separate dwellings, was awakened by the smell of smoke at around 3 a.m., Atkinson said. The resident opened the front door and found the communal hallways full of smoke, had trouble breathing and retreated to the roof for safety, the prosecutor said.

A day later, the prime minister’s sister-in-law heard loud bangs and saw that billowing smoke was coming through the front door and filling the stairs at around 1 a.m., Atkinson told the court. She also struggled to breathe and her 9-year-old daughter was “very frightened,” he said.

Atkinson told the jury that it didn't need to decide what motivated the defendants to carry out the alleged attacks and that it “does not matter whether they knew that the property they were targeting was connected to the prime minister or whether that formed part of their motivation.”

The court heard how more than 320 messages dating back to September 2024 were recovered between Lavrynovych and “El Money,” but Atkinson told the jury that they were not to concern themselves with who “El Money” was and why they decided to recruit people for attacks.

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Declining enrollment has led Broward County Public Schools to cut jobs for the first time in 20 years.

“Clearly, we don’t want to affect anything,” said School Board member Debra Hixon. “Having to do this is extremely difficult.”

In the last three years, the district lost 25,000 students, and they are projected to lose 10,000 more next year.

This latest proposal would cut about 809 positions, generating $41.3 million in savings.

Superintendent Howard Hepburn has maintained that the cuts will not impact students directly.

“I do not want our teachers impacted, and I do not want our students impacted by the lack of having no teachers in our system,” said School Board member Adam Cervera.

Some of the jobs on the chopping block include counselors, behavioral support staff and social workers.

Ultimately, the School Board pushed back the vote to a later date.

Board members will workshop the plan during a meeting on May 11, then a week later on May 19 they will hold a formal vote.

Según la policía de Miami Gardens, el accidente fue reportado a las 7:53 a.m. en la cuadra 1200 de Northwest 188th Street.

La policía indicó que el conductor de un Ford Fusion negro se dirigía hacia el sur por Northwest 12th Avenue a alta velocidad cuando intentó evadir el tráfico lento conduciendo sobre el área verde.

El conductor luego chocó el vehículo contra un árbol y después atropelló al menor, dijo la policía.

Rose Emine, cuya cerca fue impactada por el conductor, dijo a Local 10 News que el niño no respondía después de ser atropellado por el vehículo.

“Dije, ‘Ahh’ porque pensé que el niño había muerto”, dijo Emine.

“Solo le estaban echando agua en la cabeza. Una gran herida en la cabeza”, dijo otro testigo, Orlando Lawrence.

Las autoridades indicaron que personal de Miami-Dade Fire Rescue trasladó en helicóptero a la víctima al Ryder Trauma Center del Jackson Memorial Hospital con lesiones graves pero estables en la cabeza.

La policía confirmó que el conductor fue arrestado por cargos de conducción imprudente.

Las identidades del sospechoso y de la víctima aún no han sido reveladas.

“Necesitamos orar por ese niño y su familia”, dijo Emine.

The concept for the special passport, including a rendering of Trump’s stern-looking visage, had been under consideration for months before finally being approved late Monday. Between 25,000 and 30,000 of the new passports will be available to applicants at the Washington, D.C., passport office beginning shortly before July 4.

It’s the latest instance of Trump having his name and likeness added to buildings, documents and other highly visible tributes. There are efforts to put Trump’s signature on all new U.S. paper currency, also a first for a sitting president, as well as to include his image on a gold commemorative coin to celebrate the country’s founding.

The commemorative passport will be the default document for people applying in person at the Washington office, although those who want a standard passport will be able to get one by applying online or outside Washington, officials said.

“As the United States celebrates America’s 250th anniversary in July, the State Department is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed U.S. passports to commemorate this historic occasion,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

“These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the U.S. passport the most secure documents in the world,” he said.

The limited release passport will feature Trump’s picture over a gold imprimatur of his signature to an interior page, while the cover will feature the words “United States of America” in bold gold print at the top and “Passport” at the bottom — a reversal of the standard cover.

In addition, a small gold laminate American flag, with the number 250 encircled by stars, will be at the bottom of the back cover.

The Bulwark reported earlier on the commemorative passports.

The only presidents featured in current U.S. passports are in a double-page depiction of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Other depictions include the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and scenes of the Great Plains, mountains and islands. Current passports also contain quotations from Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.

The addition of Trump’s picture and signature to the passport book is the newest step his aides have taken to increase the president’s visibility, including adding his name to the U.S. Institute of Peace building and the Kennedy Center performing arts venue.

Trump also has made waves with his plans for a new White House ballroom and a massive arch to be built at one of the entrances to Washington from Virginia.

It’s part of a routine he and other weather observers at Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center, a weather station 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of Boston, have followed every day for the last 141 years. Using largely unchanged analog tools, they have built a continuous record of temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind and other measurements that can feed weather forecasts and scientific research.

“My routine is the same every day,” said chief weather observer Douglas, who has worked there since 1997, sporting a dark blue sweatshirt with the name of the observatory on the front. “The only thing that changes are the numbers and the weather itself.”

Blue Hill is the nation’s oldest continually operating weather observatory, according to executive director Alex Evans. Since 1885, staff and volunteers have relied on many of the same instruments, including mercury and alcohol thermometers, hygrometers that use human hair to measure moisture in the air, and that glass sphere on the roof tracking the hours of bright sunshine.

Keeping the same tools in the same place for nearly a century and a half, Douglas said, means that if they spot a change in weather patterns, they can be sure it’s real and not a result of new instruments measuring data differently than the old ones. Having a “tried and true database” as a reference is very important for climate research, he added.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is a collaboration between the MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing and The Associated Press.

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As climate science has come under fire from the Trump administration, budget cuts and layoffs have swept through federal weather institutions since 2025. Blue Hill, as a private nonprofit, avoided much of this maelstrom. However, its continuing work is not a given. Funding opportunities are limited in this political environment, Evans said.

Blue Hill’s work, though seemingly outpaced by modern technology, serves not just to keep weather records, but also to connect ordinary people to climate science.

A continuous weather record in America makes climate change visible

Few weather observatories in the U.S. are as old as Blue Hill, and fewer still continue to collect data manually. Though similar methods are still used by networks of volunteers across the country that feed data to the National Weather Service, weather observatories — both private ones and those affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — have largely adopted automated digital systems since at least the 1990s.

Blue Hill sends a daily summary of its observations to the National Weather Service, which chief scientist Michael Iacono said may contribute to weather forecasts in some circumstances, and monthly summaries to the National Centers for Environmental Information, where they can be distributed to climate researchers. Local television meteorologists also receive the daily summaries and may use the observations in their broadcasts in rare cases, he said.

Inside Blue Hill’s round tower, which stands three stories tall with castle-like notches at the top, two weather observers, Douglas and Amanda Joly, share an office filled with the results of their daily work. Boxes with sun cards line the walls, wind-speed charts drawn on EKG paper fill the cabinets and computers store the spreadsheets where Douglas and Joly meticulously record temperature and humidity.

Having records that stretch back over 100 years “is really unique,” said Chris Fiebrich, a meteorologist at the University of Oklahoma. This “dataset is golden,” he said, because climate change involves slow trends so “you can only see that clearly if you have measurements that go way back, from before we had satellites” and other modern equipment.

Blue Hill’s records show, for example, a 5-degree Fahrenheit (or about 2.8-degree Celsius) increase in the average annual temperature at the observatory since 1885, and that two local ponds remain frozen during winter nearly three weeks less than they did then.

Observers can also spot the impact of climate policies. Since the 1990s, Blue Hill has recorded an uptick in bright sunlight duration after it reached a low point in the 1980s. Because air pollutants like particulate matter interfere with sunlight, cleaner air means more sunshine, so this uptick can partly be traced back to the Clean Air Act — a federal law passed in 1970 and amended in 1990 to improve air quality by reducing emissions of pollutants.

A third of Americans believe climate scientists understand “not too well” or “not at all well” whether climate change is happening, according to a Pew Research Center survey from 2023. Trump called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly last September, and has sought to undermine climate science.

At a time when “the word ‘climate’ is politically demonized in some circles,” said Alan Sealls, president of the American Meteorological Society, places like Blue Hill can be “a small part of many possible solutions” to make weather and climate science relatable to people, including children.

Blue Hill connects people to science

The road to Blue Hill Observatory is a winding asphalt track that weaves through forest and borders a ski lift; making the drive, one needs to carefully wend between hikers and dog walkers. At the peak, visitors can enjoy the westward view over the treetops or slip through an open arch into the observatory’s courtyard.

Annie Hayes, a local from Milton who visited Blue Hill in mid-March with her husband and two children, said that seeing how observers collect data builds deeper trust in the science, which otherwise can seem “a little bit of a mystery.”

The mercury barometers in the observers’ office — one of which the observatory believes to be the oldest such instrument in active daily use in the United States — are a case in point. “If somebody’s standing there seeing it while you’re explaining it to them … it becomes a little less scary,” said chief scientist Iacono.

Blue Hill’s barometers, which measure atmospheric pressure, consist of glass tubes and small containers of mercury — a shiny, silver-white liquid — housed in a wooden case on the wall. As air presses down on the exposed mercury, it is forced up the tubes, and how far it travels reflects changes in atmospheric pressure. This is where the pressure unit “inches of mercury” comes from.

Another instrument popular with visitors is the Campbell-Stokes recorder, used to measure hours of bright sunshine. Its glass sphere, mounted in a curved metal frame, acts as a magnifying lens, focusing sunlight onto a paper card and burning a streak along it as the sun moves through the sky.

As she pointed to the glass sphere on display in the history room, Amanda Joly, Blue Hill’s deputy chief observer, explained that this recorder, which dates back to 1898, was stolen in 1993 and later recovered. The upside of that burglary is that, while a modern duplicate does the job on the building’s roof, visitors are now free to interact with the old sphere — something kids love to do — and the observers don’t have to worry about it affecting the measurements.

Hayes’ family, which lives nearby, was checking out some rain gauges in the gift shop when facilities head Don McCasland told them about a new Blue Hill citizen science program, which will allow residents to collect and add weather data to a central database. The family plans to start using their rain gauge this summer.

It’s “a great way to involve the kids and get them excited,” said Hayes. “And who knows? Maybe they’ll find an interest and want to pursue it on their own, too.”

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

America's most famous horse race says more than 125,000 mint juleps are consumed at the annual two-day festival at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky. According to its website, that requires about 10,000 bottles of Kentucky bourbon, 2,250 pounds of freshly harvested mint and 475,000 pounds of ice.

But you don’t have to be there in person to enjoy this classic cocktail. The julep — a simple mix of sugar, water, fresh mint, crushed ice and bourbon — is accessible and easy to recreate.

First, a little history

Mint juleps have been drunk at the Kentucky Derby since it began in the late 19th century, but they became its signature drink in the 1930s. That's when the Derby created a commemorative cup to serve them in, and people began sneaking them home as souvenirs, says Martha Dalton, co-founder of Never Say Die bourbon.

“Instead of kind of fighting against that, they embraced it. And so from then on, (the mint julep) really became completely synonymous with the Derby," says Dalton, whose company is named after a Derby-winning racehorse said to have been revived with a shot of whiskey as a foal.

The julep’s roots, she says, are in ancient Persia, where sweetened rose water tonic called “gulab” was used for its medicinal properties. It spread to medieval Europe, where alcohol was brought into the mix, and on into the American South, where there was an abundance of mint and bourbon distilleries.

Why does the drink maintain its Southern charm?

“Every sip is slightly different,” says Angelos Bafas, bartender and co-founder of Cato bar in London. The bar is named after Cato Alexander, the 19th-century Manhattan bartender believed to have popularized juleps.

“The ice dilutes and the aromatics of the bourbon open up as the day proceeds,” says Bafas.

How to make one at home

For a traditional mint julep, Bafas says, stirring the ice is key to getting the right amount of cold and dilution. Keep stirring until the outside of the cup turns frosty.

“People tend to forget that water is an ingredient, and it’s actually one very active and important ingredient when it comes to juleps as it allows the bourbon to shine through. And also it allows the drink to be more palatable,” he says.

Plucking some mint from his homegrown plant and brushing it lightly against the side of the cup, he adds that the mint should be slapped (a light tap) not muddled (mashed).

“The mint has to release the delicate aromas,” says Bafas, explaining that muddling “can give you this kind of grassy very chlorophyll flavor.”

Variations

Bafas also suggests adding a few drops of aromatic bitters to “give a bit of flavor and to bring some body to the game.”

If you want to get creative, there are plenty of twists on the classic mint julep. Bafas makes a London Julep, which uses slightly less bourbon and adds a serve of elderflower liqueur for a sweeter, easier introduction to the drink, with a quintessentially English stamp.

He also suggests a highball julep, created by adding a bit of soda. “It’s technically a mojito made with bourbon, but you know, it’s based on the DNA of juleps,” he says.

Recipe for a Cato Classic Mint Julep

Single Serve

Ingredients:

2 oz bourbon whiskey

0.5 oz filtered water

0.5 oz simple syrup

3 dashes Angostura bitters

10 fresh mint leaves

4 drops of mint tincture (optional)

Crushed ice in a metal cup

Directions

Pour the whiskey into a julep cup, lightly slap the mint leaves to release their aroma, and add them in. Stir briefly, then add the remaining ingredients and crushed ice. Stir until the cup turns frosty on the outside, then top with more crushed ice, garnish with a fresh mint sprig, and serve with a straw.

The trick then is to take your time and make your drink last longer than the race record of 1 minute 59.40 seconds set by Secretariat in 1973.

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When an inspection reveals 30, 40, or even 46 violations, it isn’t just a “bad day.” It is a systemic failure of the most fundamental safety protocols.

Below are the establishments that recorded 30 or more violations during a single visit last week.

These aren’t just technicalities. When handwashing is skipped, food temperatures are ignored, and basic sanitation falls by the wayside, the health of the public is put at risk. A kitchen that hits these numbers has clearly lost its grip on quality control.

Reaching the “Dirty 30” should never be part of doing business. It is a total collapse of standards that is simply unacceptable. Our community deserves better.

**THE BARBEQUE STOP COMPANY

1400 NW 23RD ST.

MIAMI

INSPECTION DATE 4/21

46 VIOLATIONS FOUND

FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION 4/22 (28 VIOLATIONS FOUND)

FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION 4/23 (12 VIOLATIONS FOUND)

“Live, small flying insects found Observed approximately 2 flying insects landing on kitchen shelf in front of stove at kitchen area. Also observed approximately 4flying insects flying all around kitchen area.”

“Raw animal food stored over or with unwashed produce. Observed raw shell eggs stored on over of unwashed peppers inside reach in cooler at kitchen area.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed Red beans paste (54F - Cold Holding); red beans soup (56F - Cold Holding); cooked pepper and onions (58F - Cold Holding); Cheese (58F - Cold Holding); Cheese (50F - Cold Holding) inside reach in cooler at kitchen area. As per chef for less than 2 hours. Also observed Cheese (53F - Cold Holding); Raw Chicken (47F- Cold Holding); Raw pork chops (55F - Cold Holding); Sausage (47F - Cold Holding) inside reach in cooler at front counter. As per operator for less than 4 hours.”

“Establishment has no written procedures for employees to follow in response to a vomiting or diarrheal event where the vomit or diarrhea is discharged onto surfaces in the establishment.”

“Food manager certification expired.”

“Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing. Observed metal cleaning scrubber inside hand wash sink at kitchen area.”

“No handwash sink for employees. Observed no hand wash sink at front counter.”

“No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink. Observed no paper towel on hand wash sink at kitchen area and men’s bathroom.”

“No probe thermometer provided to measure temperature of food products.”

“No proof provided that food employees are informed of their responsibility to report to the person in charge information about their health and activities related to foodborne illnesses.”

“No soap provided at handwash sink. Observed no soap on hand wash sink at kitchen area and men’s bathroom.”

“Raw/undercooked animal food offered and establishment has no written consumer advisory.”

“Required employee training expired for all employees.”

“Bathroom located inside establishment not completely enclosed with tight-fitting, self-closing doors. Observed at men’s and women’s bathroom. Repeat Violation”

“Bowl or other container with no handle used to dispense food. Observed bowl with no handle inside sugar container and flour container on top of preparation table at kitchen area.”

“Buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles. Observed reach in cooler door handle is grease accumulation at kitchen area.”

“Ceiling not smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable in food preparation, food storage, or warewashing areas. Observed all around kitchen area.”

“Ceiling tile missing. Observed several ceiling tiles missing at kitchen area.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Observed water damage on ceiling tiles all around kitchen area.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tiles/vents soiled with accumulated food debris, grease, dust, or mold-like substance. Observed ventilation covered soiled at kitchen area. Repeat Violation”

“Cold holding equipment not maintained in good repair. Observed reach in cooler with an internal temperature of 58 at kitchen area.”

“Current Hotel and Restaurant license not displayed.”

“Employee personal items stored in or above a food preparation area, food, clean equipment and utensils, or single-service items. Observed employees personal food stored on top of preparation table at kitchen area. Also observed employee back pack stored on top of reach in freezer at front counter.”

“Equipment and utensils not properly air-dried - wet nesting. Observed wet nesting inside clean pot under preparation table next to 3 compartment sink at kitchen area.”

“Exterior door has a gap at the threshold that opens to the outside. Observed gap door next to second floor storage stairs.”

“Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. Observed trash and food debris on the ground all around property.”

“Food stored on floor. Observed 2 water bottles cases stored on the floor at second floor storage entrance. Also observed 1 water bottles cases stored on the floor at front container.”

“Hole in or other damage to wall. Observed hole on the wall behind television at front counter.”

“Ice buildup in reach-in freezer and/or walk-in freezer. Observed ice buildup inside chest freezer next to back door.”

“Interior of oven/microwave has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris. Observed microwave interior soiled next to storage stairs.”

“Lights in food preparation, food storage or ware washing area missing the proper shield, sleeve coatings or covers. Observed at kitchen area.”

“No Heimlich maneuver/choking sign posted.”

“No conspicuously located ambient air temperature thermometer in holding unit. Observed no ambient thermometer inside reach in cooler at front counter area.”

“No container installed for catching grease from hood drip tray. Observed at kitchen area.”

“No copy of latest inspection report available.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed gaskets soiled inside reach in cooler at kitchen area and front counter area. Repeat Violation”

“Openings to the outside for equipment, such as ventilation fans, not screened or otherwise protected when the equipment is not in operation. Observed at ventilation fan on the wall at kitchen area.”

“Outer openings not protected with self-closing doors.”

“Reach-in cooler shelves with rust that has pitted the surface. Observed reach in cooler shelves with rust accumulation at kitchen area.”

“Silverware/utensils stored upright with the food-contact surface up. Observed clean utensils stored upright inside container at preparation table next to 3 compartment sink at kitchen area.”

“Standing water in bottom of reach-in-cooler. Observed inside reach in cooler at kitchen area.”

“Stored food not covered. Observed margarine container no covered inside reach in cooler at front counter. Also observed sugar container no covered inside reach inside shelf on preparation table in front of stove at kitchen area.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food thawed in an improper manner. Observed raw beef thawing at room temperature inside container on preparation table at kitchen area.”

“Unsealed concrete floor in food preparation, food storage, ware washing area or bathroom. Observed all around kitchen area.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed walls soiled with grease accumulation all around kitchen area.”

“Working containers of food removed from original container not identified by common name. Observed sugar containers not identified on top of preparation table at kitchen area and next to coffee machine at front counter. Repeat Violation”

“Propane tank (larger than 2.7 lb. water capacity/1 lb. gas capacity) located inside of the building. Observed a 20 lbs propane tank under three compartment sink at kitchen area.”

**CRAFTY CRAB CAJUN SEAFOOD

15922 BISCAYNE BLVD.

NORTH MIAMI BEACH

INSPECTION DATE 4/20

40 VIOLATIONS FOUND

FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION 4/21 (31 VIOLATIONS FOUND)

“Container of medicine improperly stored. Observed prescription medication stored on prep table next to plastic wrap in back prep area.”

“Employee began working with food, handling clean equipment or utensils, or touching unwrapped single-service items without first washing hands. Observed server enter kitchen and begin to scoop rice for takeout order without first washing hands. Repeat Violation”

“Employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to initiate a task working with food. Observed employee enter kitchen and put on gloves then begin preparing customer order without first washing hands.”

“Employee rubbed hands together for less than 10-15 seconds while washing hands. Observed employee wash hands in triple sink rubbed hands for less than 10 seconds. Observed second employee rubbing hands for less than 10 seconds while washing hands.”

“Employee touched soiled surface and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Observed employee grab glove off of floor and continue to put on gloves then continue preparing food without washing hands.”

“Employee used tobacco, ate, or drank then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Observed employee eating then go to cook line and began preparing customer order without washing hands.”

“Employee washed hands with no soap. Observed employee wash hands in triple sink without soap. Observed second employee wash hands without soap.”

“Raw animal food stored over or with unwashed produce. Observed raw oysters stored on top of bag of unwashed potatoes inside walk in cooler.”

“Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Observed raw scallops stored over cooked lobster inside sliding reach in cooler across from cook line. Observed raw whole duck stored over cooked chicken wings inside walk in cooler. Repeat Violation”

“Server handled soiled dishes or utensils and then picked up plated food, served food, or prepared a beverage without washing hands. Observed server scrape dirty dish into trash can then grab food to serve to customer without washing hands.”

“Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed cooked corn (50F - Cold Holding) on cart in kitchen near cook line. Observed garlic butter (50F - Cold Holding); sour cream (51F - Cold Holding) at cook line. Repeat Violation”

“Toxic substance/chemical improperly stored. Observed grill cleaner stored on table next to ice buckets.”

“Clam/mussel/oyster tags not maintained in chronological order according to the last date they were served in the establishment. Observed oyster tags not maintained in chronological order from last date served. Repeat Violation”

“Clam/mussel/oyster tags not marked with last date served. Observed all oyster tags not marked with last date served.”

“Employee washed hands in a sink other than an approved handwash sink. Observed employee wash hands in triple sink.”

“Food-contact surface soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime. Observed can opener blade soiled in back prep area.”

“Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing. Observed bucket and scrubbers stored inside hand sink in wait station and next to fryers. Observed squeeze bottles stored inside hand sink at bar. Repeat Violation”

“No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink. Observed no paper towels at hand sink in wait station. Repeat Violation”

“No probe thermometer provided to measure temperature of food products. Repeat Violation”

“No tag on/for original container of raw, in-shell clams/mussels/oysters. Observed no tag for raw oysters stored inside walk in cooler.”

“Paper towel dispenser at handwash sink not working/unable to dispense paper towels. Observed paper towel dispenser not working in front of walk in cooler.”

“Ready-to-eat, time/temperature control for safety food prepared onsite and held more than 24 hours not properly date marked. Observed cooked pasta stored inside walk in cooler not date marked. Repeat Violation”

“Required employee training expired for some employees.”

“Bowl or other container with no handle used to dispense food. Observed plastic cup with no handle stored inside raw calamari in reach in cooler across from cook line.”

“Buildup of food debris/soil residue on equipment door handles. Observed all reach in cooler door handles soiled.”

“Ceiling not smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable in food preparation, food storage, or ware washing areas. Throughout kitchen.”

“Ceiling/ceiling tile shows damage or is in disrepair. Observed ceiling tiles with water damage in kitchen area.”

“Clams/mussels/oysters removed from original container for long-term storage. Observed raw oysters removed from original container stored inside walk in cooler.”

“Clean glasses, cups, bowls, plates, pots and pans not stored inverted or in a protected manner. Observed ice buckets stored not inverted on table next to ice machine.”

“Employee personal food not properly identified and segregated from food to be served to the public. Observed employee food stored on shelf inside walk in cooler. Repeat Violation”

“Food stored on floor. Observed multiple boxes of various foods stored on floor inside walk in freezer. Repeat Violation”

“Ice buildup in reach-in freezer and/or walk-in freezer. Observed ice buildup inside walk in freezer floor.”

“In-use utensil in non-time/temperature control for safety food not stored with handle above top of food within a closed container. Observed scoop stored inside container of sugar with handle in contact with sugar.”

“Nonfood-contact surface soiled with grease, food debris, dirt, slime or dust. Observed all reach in cooler gaskets soiled.”

“Opened employee beverage container in a cold holding unit with food to be served to customers. Observed employee Red Bull stored inside reach in cooler with food items across cook line. Repeat Violation”

“Reach-in cooler shelves with rust that has pitted the surface. Observed reach in cooler shelves rusted across cook line. Repeat Violation”

“Walk-in cooler/freezer shelves with rust that has pitted the surface. Observed walk in cooler shelves rusted. Repeat Violation”

“Walk-in/Reach-in cooler interior/shelves have accumulation of soil residues. Observed walk in cooler shelves soiled. Observed all reach in cooler shelves soiled.”

“Wall soiled with accumulated grease, food debris, and/or dust. Observed all walls soiled in kitchen area. Repeat Violation”

“Wet mop not stored in a manner to allow the mop to dry. Observed mop stored in mop bucket.”

Cuando una inspección revela 30, 40 o incluso 46 violaciones, no es solo un “mal día”. Es una falla sistémica de los protocolos de seguridad más fundamentales.

A continuación, los establecimientos que registraron 30 o más violaciones durante una sola visita la semana pasada.

No se trata solo de tecnicismos. Cuando se omite el lavado de manos, se ignoran las temperaturas de los alimentos y se deja de lado la sanidad básica, la salud pública se pone en riesgo. Una cocina que alcanza estas cifras claramente ha perdido el control de calidad.

Alcanzar el “Dirty 30” nunca debería ser parte del negocio. Es un colapso total de los estándares que es simplemente inaceptable. Nuestra comunidad merece algo mejor.

**THE BARBEQUE STOP COMPANY

1400 NW 23RD ST.

MIAMI

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 4/21

46 VIOLACIONES ENCONTRADAS

INSPECCIÓN DE SEGUIMIENTO 4/22 (28 VIOLACIONES ENCONTRADAS)

INSPECCIÓN DE SEGUIMIENTO 4/23 (12 VIOLACIONES ENCONTRADAS)

“Insectos voladores vivos y pequeños encontrados. Se observaron aproximadamente 2 insectos voladores posándose en un estante de la cocina frente a la estufa en el área de cocina. También se observaron aproximadamente 4 insectos voladores volando por toda el área de cocina.”

“Alimentos crudos de origen animal almacenados sobre o con productos sin lavar. Se observaron huevos crudos con cáscara almacenados sobre pimientos sin lavar dentro de un refrigerador en el área de cocina.”

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para alimentos seguros mantenidos en frío a más de 41 grados Fahrenheit. Se observó pasta de frijoles rojos (54F - mantenimiento en frío); sopa de frijoles rojos (56F - mantenimiento en frío); pimientos y cebollas cocidos (58F - mantenimiento en frío); queso (58F - mantenimiento en frío); queso (50F - mantenimiento en frío) dentro de un refrigerador en el área de cocina. Según el chef, por menos de 2 horas. También se observó queso (53F - mantenimiento en frío); pollo crudo (47F - mantenimiento en frío); chuletas de cerdo crudas (55F - mantenimiento en frío); salchicha (47F - mantenimiento en frío) dentro de un refrigerador en el mostrador frontal. Según el operador, por menos de 4 horas.”

“El establecimiento no tiene procedimientos escritos para que los empleados sigan en respuesta a un evento de vómito o diarrea donde estos sean expulsados sobre superficies del establecimiento.”

“Certificación del gerente de alimentos vencida.”

“Lavamanos utilizado para fines distintos al lavado de manos. Se observó un estropajo metálico dentro del lavamanos en el área de cocina.”

“No hay lavamanos para empleados. Se observó que no hay lavamanos en el mostrador frontal.”

“No se proporcionan toallas de papel ni dispositivo mecánico para secar las manos en el lavamanos. Se observó que no hay toallas de papel en el lavamanos del área de cocina ni en el baño de hombres.”

“No se proporciona termómetro de sonda para medir la temperatura de los alimentos.”

“No se proporcionó prueba de que los empleados de alimentos estén informados de su responsabilidad de reportar a la persona a cargo información sobre su salud y actividades relacionadas con enfermedades transmitidas por alimentos.”

“No se proporciona jabón en el lavamanos. Se observó que no hay jabón en el lavamanos del área de cocina ni en el baño de hombres.”

“Se ofrecen alimentos crudos o poco cocidos de origen animal y el establecimiento no tiene un aviso escrito al consumidor.”

“La capacitación requerida de empleados está vencida para todos los empleados.”

“El baño dentro del establecimiento no está completamente cerrado con puertas ajustadas y de cierre automático. Se observó en los baños de hombres y mujeres. Violación repetida.”

“Tazón u otro recipiente sin asa utilizado para dispensar alimentos. Se observó un tazón sin asa dentro del contenedor de azúcar y harina sobre la mesa de preparación en el área de cocina.”

“Acumulación de residuos de alimentos/suciedad en manijas de equipos. Se observó acumulación de grasa en la manija del refrigerador en el área de cocina.”

“El techo no es liso, no absorbente y fácil de limpiar en áreas de preparación, almacenamiento o lavado. Se observó en toda el área de cocina.”

“Faltan losetas del techo. Se observaron varias losetas faltantes en el área de cocina.”

“El techo o las losetas del techo muestran daños o están en mal estado. Se observó daño por agua en las losetas en toda el área de cocina.”

“El techo/losetas/ventilaciones sucias con acumulación de residuos de alimentos, grasa, polvo o sustancia similar a moho. Se observó ventilación sucia en el área de cocina. Violación repetida.”

“El equipo de mantenimiento en frío no se mantiene en buen estado. Se observó un refrigerador con temperatura interna de 58 en el área de cocina.”

“No se exhibe la licencia actual de hotel y restaurante.”

“Artículos personales de empleados almacenados en o sobre áreas de preparación de alimentos, alimentos, equipos limpios o utensilios. Se observó comida personal de empleados sobre la mesa de preparación en el área de cocina. También se observó mochila de empleado sobre el congelador en el mostrador frontal.”

“Equipos y utensilios no se secan al aire correctamente - apilamiento húmedo. Se observó apilamiento húmedo dentro de una olla limpia debajo de la mesa de preparación junto al fregadero de 3 compartimentos en el área de cocina.”

“La puerta exterior tiene una abertura en la parte inferior que da al exterior. Se observó una abertura en la puerta junto a las escaleras de almacenamiento del segundo piso.”

“El piso está sucio o con acumulación de residuos. Se observó basura y restos de comida en el suelo alrededor de la propiedad.”

“Alimentos almacenados en el suelo. Se observaron 2 cajas de botellas de agua en el suelo en la entrada de almacenamiento del segundo piso. También se observó una caja de botellas de agua en el suelo en el contenedor frontal.”

“Agujero u otro daño en la pared. Se observó un agujero en la pared detrás del televisor en el mostrador frontal.”

“Acumulación de hielo en congelador. Se observó acumulación de hielo dentro de un congelador tipo cofre junto a la puerta trasera.”

“El interior del horno/microondas tiene acumulación de sustancia negra/grasa/residuos de alimentos. Se observó el interior del microondas sucio junto a las escaleras de almacenamiento.”

“Luces en áreas de preparación, almacenamiento o lavado sin la protección adecuada. Se observó en el área de cocina.”

“No hay señal del procedimiento de Heimlich/atragantamiento.”

“No hay termómetro de temperatura ambiente visible en unidad de mantenimiento. Se observó que no hay termómetro dentro del refrigerador en el mostrador frontal.”

“No hay contenedor para recoger grasa de la campana. Se observó en el área de cocina.”

“No hay copia del informe de inspección más reciente disponible.”

“Superficies que no están en contacto con alimentos sucias con grasa, residuos de comida, suciedad o polvo. Se observaron juntas sucias dentro del refrigerador en el área de cocina y mostrador frontal. Violación repetida.”

“Aberturas al exterior para equipos como ventiladores no están protegidas cuando no están en uso. Se observó en el ventilador de la pared en el área de cocina.”

“Aberturas exteriores no protegidas con puertas de cierre automático.”

“Estantes del refrigerador con óxido que ha dañado la superficie. Se observó acumulación de óxido en estantes en el área de cocina.”

“Utensilios almacenados con la superficie de contacto hacia arriba. Se observaron utensilios limpios almacenados de esa forma en la mesa de preparación.”

“Agua estancada en el fondo del refrigerador. Se observó dentro del refrigerador en el área de cocina.”

“Alimentos almacenados sin cubrir. Se observó margarina sin cubrir en el refrigerador del mostrador frontal. También azúcar sin cubrir en estante de preparación frente a la estufa.”

“Control de tiempo/temperatura para alimentos seguros descongelados de manera inadecuada. Se observó carne de res cruda descongelándose a temperatura ambiente.”

“Piso de concreto sin sellar en áreas de preparación, almacenamiento o baño. Se observó en toda el área de cocina.”

“Paredes sucias con acumulación de grasa y residuos. Se observó en toda el área de cocina.”

“Contenedores de alimentos sin identificar. Se observó azúcar sin etiquetar en área de cocina y mostrador frontal. Violación repetida.”

“Tanque de propano (mayor de 2.7 lb de agua/1 lb de gas) dentro del edificio. Se observó un tanque de 20 lb debajo del fregadero en el área de cocina.”

**CRAFTY CRAB CAJUN SEAFOOD

15922 BISCAYNE BLVD.

NORTH MIAMI BEACH

FECHA DE INSPECCIÓN 4/20

40 VIOLACIONES ENCONTRADAS

INSPECCIÓN DE SEGUIMIENTO 4/21 (31 VIOLACIONES ENCONTRADAS)

“Contenedor de medicamento almacenado incorrectamente. Se observó medicamento con receta en mesa de preparación junto a plástico en área trasera.”

“Empleado comenzó a trabajar con alimentos sin lavarse las manos primero. Se observó servidor entrar a la cocina y servir arroz sin lavarse las manos. Violación repetida.”

“Empleado no se lavó las manos antes de ponerse guantes para manipular alimentos.”

“Empleado se frotó las manos por menos de 10-15 segundos al lavarlas.”

“Empleado tocó superficie sucia y luego manipuló alimentos sin lavarse las manos.”

“Empleado comió o bebió y luego manipuló alimentos sin lavarse las manos.”

“Empleado se lavó las manos sin jabón.”

“Alimentos crudos almacenados sobre productos sin lavar. Se observaron ostras crudas sobre papas sin lavar.”

“Alimentos crudos no separados de alimentos listos para comer. Se observaron vieiras crudas sobre langosta cocida y pato crudo sobre pollo cocido. Violación repetida.”

“Servidor manipuló utensilios sucios y luego alimentos sin lavarse las manos.”

“Control de temperatura inadecuado. Se observó maíz cocido (50F), mantequilla de ajo (50F), crema agria (51F). Violación repetida.”

“Sustancia química almacenada incorrectamente.”

“Etiquetas de mariscos no mantenidas correctamente.”

“Empleado se lavó las manos en fregadero no aprobado.”

“Superficies en contacto con alimentos sucias.”

“Lavamanos usado para otros fines. Violación repetida.”

“No hay toallas de papel en lavamanos. Violación repetida.”

“No hay termómetro de sonda. Violación repetida.”

“No hay etiquetas en contenedores de mariscos.”

“Dispensador de toallas no funciona.”

“Alimentos preparados no etiquetados con fecha. Violación repetida.”

“Capacitación de empleados vencida.”

“Recipiente sin asa usado para alimentos.”

“Manijas de equipos sucias.”

“Techos no adecuados en cocina.”

“Techos dañados.”

“Mariscos fuera de su contenedor original.”

“Utensilios limpios no almacenados correctamente.”

“Comida de empleados mal almacenada. Violación repetida.”

“Alimentos en el suelo. Violación repetida.”

“Acumulación de hielo en congelador.”

“Utensilios mal almacenados en alimentos.”

“Superficies sucias.”

“Bebidas de empleados con alimentos. Violación repetida.”

“Estantes oxidados. Violación repetida.”

“Estantes sucios.”

“Paredes sucias. Violación repetida.”

“Trapeador húmedo mal almacenado.”

At Tuesday’s state dinner honoring King Charles III and Queen Camilla, U.S. President Donald Trump said that during a private meeting earlier in the day the British monarch had agreed with him that Iran should never be allowed to have nuclear weapons.

“We’re doing a little Middle East work right now … and we’re doing very well,” Trump told the audience. “We have militarily defeated that particular opponent, and we’re never going to let that opponent ever — Charles agrees with me, even more than I do — we’re never going to let that opponent have a nuclear weapon."

While many Britons would agree with the president’s sentiment, the comment triggered mild consternation among pundits in the U.K.

In Britain, you see, this just isn't done.

By convention, people aren't supposed to relay private conversations with the monarch. That is partly because the king has to remain above the political fray, but also because the sovereign doesn’t have the ability to wade into a public debate and correct the record if he's misquoted.

“Generally, as a matter of protocol, I think I would expect discussions between heads of state to be sort of behind the scenes, in those closed meetings, for those to be sort of kept private,” said Craig Prescott, an expert on constitutional law and the monarchy at Royal Holloway, University of London. “And, you know, this was something that the U.K. government wanted to avoid.”

There had been a fair amount of jitters before the king’s trip to the United States, which comes amid Trump’s very public frustration with U.K. Prime Minster Keir Starmer over his failure to support U.S. actions in the Iran war.

Like all royal visits, this is a carefully choreographed diplomatic event carried out at the request of the U.K. government, which hopes that warm relations between the king and Trump, who seems to love all things royal, can help repair the rift.

But Trump is an unconventional leader who has a penchant for breaking protocol, and there were concerns about just what he might say or do.

At least in this case, the king’s comments seemed clearly within the bounds of existing U.K. government policy.

“The King is naturally mindful of his government’s long-standing and well-known position on the prevention of nuclear proliferation,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement designed to provide context to the president’s remarks.

Prescott said that “in a sense, this was always the issue, just what Trump would do or say — would he put the king in an embarrassing position,’’ Prescott said.

“You always had that sort of issue of what he would post on social media," he said. "And I think, you know, this could have been much, much worse.”

Before the state dinner, Charles gave a speech to a joint session of U.S. Congress. The king received repeated standing ovations during the address, which celebrated the longstanding bonds between the U.S. and Britain while nodding to differences over NATO, support for Ukraine and the need to combat climate change.

Now, from the U.K. government’s point of view, the trip is shifting to safer ground as the king and queen leave Washington behind and head to New York, where the focus will be on the city’s creative industries, rather than politics.

The most difficult part of the trip may be over, Prescott said.

“If this is the only controversy arising out of this phase of the state visit, I think overall this has been an enormous success for the king and the British government, because the king was able to make some quite pointed remarks in Congress and it hasn’t really yielded any sort of negative reaction from the president.”

“In a sense,” he said, “you get the feeling that the king (has) rather charmed Washington with his speech to Congress and, you know, his very witty speech at the state banquet.”

A dyslexic teenager from a working-class background, Welch struggled with his college entry exams and took a job installing tires after leaving school at age 15. When he lost that gig, he lined up at the Liverpool job center. The job board featured a funeral director's listing — a “great career," he's sure, but “pretty grim" — and an advertisement for a charity event where entrepreneurs could win business grants.

Welch took that one and, less than 24 hours later, found himself inside a church filled with vintage furniture and friendly grandparents. It looked nothing like ABC's “Shark Tank," but he recalls feeling very much like one of the reality show's contestants as he described his proposal to sell cheaper tires to niche customers like his friends who drove souped-up cars.

That was Welch's first interaction with the then-Prince's Trust, which became known as The King's Trust when King Charles III became Britain's ruling monarch in 2023. “It wasn’t a well thought out plan, really,” said Welch, who is now based in Florida. “But they backed me. And they backed my enthusiasm. And they gave me a chance.”

Generations of Brits can tell stories similar to Welch, thanks to The Prince's Trust and The King's Trust, which have been supporting young people launch their careers since 1976, when then-Prince Charles took his Royal Navy severance pay and established the charity at a time of great economic distress for the United Kingdom. In the past 50 years, the King's Trust says it has reached more than 1.3 million young Brits through its education and employment initiatives, creating countless success stories that include those of celebrated actor Idris Elba and noted fashion designer Ozwald Boateng.

As Charles and Queen Camilla make their first state visit to the U.S. since he became king, their visit will also include a nod to The King's Trust, as the charity works to deepen its impact in more than two dozen countries including the United States. On Wednesday, The King's Trust will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a gala in New York.

Members of the British Royal Family have traditionally served as patrons of charities, boosting awareness and fundraising for existing organizations in the areas where they rule as nobles. Observers say that Charles' lasting interest in young people's employment is evident in his decision to establish his own foundation and continue lending his title to its expanding work even as he ascended the throne.

“The harsh reality today is that the need for the work of people like the trust is growing at a rate far faster than we can grow,” said Jeremy Green, a trustee of the King's Trust Group Company and chair of the King's Trust USA.

Giving young people an opportunity

The trust's geographic footprint largely consists of countries that, at one point or another, fell under British rule.

Its programs reach young people through schools and established nonprofit partners. They include Get Hired, which helps young people — oftentimes without college educations — land their first jobs, and the Development Awards, a grant that helps them afford purchases to advance their careers such as a laptop or professional clothing.

The Enterprise Challenge is an afterschool program where students develop businesses that address a problem in their community.

“What we see every time is that young people want to be helped. They want to be taken seriously,” Green said. "And it’s not just giving them money. It’s giving them opportunity.”

LaKenya Sharpe, principal of The Collins Academy High School in the Chicago neighborhood of North Lawndale, said being taken seriously by The King's Trust has meant the world to her students, who won The King's Trust US' Enterprise Challenge for launching C2C: Crops2Customers. Their business grows and sells fresh vegetables to stores in their area, which lacked access to stores that sold produce.

“A lot of times our babies, especially in this community, feel like no one’s watching, no one is looking, no one is paying attention," Sharpe said. “This shows that they can achieve anything. Their belief now is ‘Oh, other people are watching. Other people are seeing this.’ And they ask ”How far can this go?" My answer is, “It can go as far as you guys take it. Don’t let anything limit you.'”

Highlighting philanthropic ties between the US and UK

Wednesday's gala aims to showcase “the very best of British-American philanthropy through the individual arts, culture, investments between the two countries,” according to The King’s Trust USA CEO Victoria Gore.

The gala arrives at a moment of unusual tension between the elected leaders of the two longstanding allies. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s refusal to support the United States’ war in Iran has angered President Donald Trump.

The trust’s leaders emphasized that the anniversary celebrations have been in place long before the recent rift. But Charles' emphasis on the country’s deep philanthropic ties could serve as a reminder of their shared interests, according to JP Tribe, a senior lecturer in law at the University of Liverpool who has written about royal patronages.

“Hopefully the gala is a kind of event which shows that both countries have and can continue to engage in very positive public benefit activity that helps the most disadvantaged in our society,” Tribe said.

Expanding in the United States

The King's Trust US has set a goal to reach 1,000 young people in the United States this year.

Their biggest partner in that effort is City Year, the education nonprofit that introduced The Collins Academy to The King’s Trust and sends young adults to help teach in schools nationwide. AmeriCorps members are helping them pilot a version of the “Get Hired” program. They're also relying on the nonprofit Per Scholas and Maryland school districts to test some other programs.

Gore said student participants tend to be very focused on their immediate communities. The goal is to show them they can have an impact where they live.

"Keeping employment in communities and keeping people in communities is actually the key to everyone’s success," Gore said.

Welch said it doesn't require giant investments to make an impact. He received a 500 pound ($677) grant and, perhaps more importantly, a mentor who provided office space for the nascent company that he’d eventually sell for 50 million pounds ($68 million) to Michelin.

He said the blueprint for The King's Trust's expansion to succeed already exists. It's just a matter of building relationships with on-the-ground partners who can reach the people with the most need.

“What we see in Chicago, what we see in Orlando, is really no different -- with obvious local nuances," said Welch, who launched his latest venture the Anglo Atlantic advisory and investment firm. "But it’s not very different to what we see in Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester.”

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