The report draws in part on interviews by Democratic staffers of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Those interviews suggest that donors seeking to celebrate America fell for a bait-and-switch that, if true, could have violated various criminal statutes.

Donors who were intending to contribute funds to America250, a bipartisan committee created by Congress, were instead given the banking and routing numbers for a different but similarly named group, Freedom 250, the Democratic report says.

The key difference was that Freedom 250 was set up under the auspices of Trump's Republican administration to be “a vehicle for a Christian nationalist, partisan, and Trump-centered vision of American identity,” according to the report.

Freedom 250, which has denied the report's claims, has focused on staging big splashy events largely held in Washington, such as the UFC cage fight at the White House on Trump's 80th birthday, the Great American State Fair on the National Mall and the upcoming July 4 celebration featuring a Trump speech and a fireworks extravaganza the president is touting as the “show of a lifetime.”

Freedom 250 calls report ‘partisan smear’

Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez dismissed the Democrats' report as “categorically false” and a “partisan smear from politicians who would rather manufacture division” than celebrate a national milestone.

“Freedom 250 remains fully committed to uniting Americans at this historic moment and giving all Americans a spectacular birthday they can be proud of — and we won’t be distracted by those rooting for it to fail,” said Alvarez, who previously served as a spokesperson for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee.

Democrats allege in the report that this fits a broader pattern in which Trump hijacked the nation’s 250th birthday celebration, redirecting tens of millions of dollars in both taxpayer money and private donations to boost “the President’s ego, political ideology and pet projects.” Much of the spending was directed to companies connected to Trump’s political operation, including the event planners for the Trump rally that immediately preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by a mob of his supporters at the U.S. Capitol.

“The American people are the big losers in this,” said Rep. Jared Huffman, the ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee. “I’m old enough to remember the bicentennial in 1976. No one cared about party labels or political agendas, religious agendas or anything else. Donald Trump stole that. He took this unifying America250 moment, and he made it all about himself.”

The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Report recounts Trump administration effort to control America250

The Democratic report recounts how the Trump administration sought to control America250, the nonprofit arm of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission established by Congress in 2016 to plan celebrations for this year’s anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

After the Trump administration faced pushback, Freedom 250 was created last fall as a limited liability corporation that is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Park Foundation, the fundraising arm of the National Park Service.

Freedom 250’s sole employee appears to be CEO Keith Krach, a wealthy Trump supporter who served in the State Department during the president’s first term.

Democrats said this structure enables Freedom 250 to operate as a “financial black box,” shielded from having to comply with competitive bidding, accounting and transparency rules that would typically apply to a federally controlled entity receiving tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds and private donations.

Under Trump’s big tax and spending cuts bill approved by Congress last year, $150 million in federal funds was allocated to the Interior Department for events celebrating the 250th anniversary. America250 was expecting $100 million of that, though it has received only $25 million, according to the Democratic report.

Even as a member of a congressional oversight committee, Huffman said that he has no way to know exactly how much taxpayer money has been redirected into Freedom 250 by the Trump administration.

Freedom 250 CEO solicited donations from foreign government officials, Democrats allege

The Democrats alleged Krach, the Freedom 250 CEO, traveled in January to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to personally solicit foreign government officials and business leaders for money to help fund America’s birthday celebrations. The report says Trump appointees at the State Department, including some ambassadors, have also held fundraising events overseas and sent out written solicitations seeking foreign donations for Freedom 250.

Krach did not respond to an email seeking comment. Alvarez denied the group accepts foreign donations.

The publicly named sponsors of Freedom 250 include defense contractors, oil conglomerates and big tech companies that have federal contracts, that have regulatory issues before federal agencies and in some cases that Trump has personally invested in. Democrats said the arrangement creates the appearance of a cozy pay-to-play scheme in which donors to Trump’s pet projects could get favorable treatment from his administration.

There has been no public disclosure of how much corporate money has been raised. Freedom 250 also allows donors to request to remain anonymous, and the contributions are tax deductible.

Democrats allege donors were pressured to withdraw commitments from America250

The allegation of potential criminal wrongdoing stems from fundraising by Meredith O’Rourke, who served as the national finance director for Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign and as a board member for the parent company of Trump’s Truth Social media platform.

O’Rourke’s firm, Forward Strategies, initially worked as a contractor for America250, which coordinated with the White House to organize last year’s military parade in Washington to coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday. O’Rourke is also a primary fundraiser for other projects Trump has championed, including the construction of the White House ballroom, the planned renovation of the Kennedy Center and the Garden of American Heroes.

After the creation of Freedom 250 last year, the report alleges, corporate donors were pressured to withdraw fundraising commitments to America250 and shift their financial backing to the new Trump-backed entity.

Democrats say they have also interviewed donors who were misled by fundraisers, including O’Rourke, into believing they were contributing to America250 but were given wire transfer instructions that routed their money to a bank account controlled by Freedom 250 — a ruse the report says could constitute wire fraud.

O’Rourke did not respond to a text message seeking comment.

It’s been a curiously seesawing first six months. The movies have been dominated as much by 26-year-old YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker as they have 79-year-old Steven Spielberg. Some much-prized Hollywood IP has struggled ( “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” ) while other franchises ( “Toy Story 5” ) have been more than fine.

The favorites so far of AP Film Writers Jake Coyle and Lindsey Bahr are fittingly varied, running from shattering debuts to goofy sci-fi. Here are their picks.

“Disclosure Day”

Listen, I realize the alien stuff is a little blunt. And you can question the nostalgia baked into a modern-day movie where everyone huddles around TV sets. But when “Disclosure Day” is moving, Spielberg is back in an idiom all his own — and what reconnecting to that spirit means isn't simply wistful. This is a stealthily political movie about whether Spielberg's warm belief in humankind can exist today — if he can rebuild that suburban family home. “Disclosure Day” is as much Spielberg phoning home as was his autobiographic “The Fabelmans.” (In theaters) — J.C.

“Project Hail Mary”

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s space saga about a middle school science teacher who is called on to help save the dying sun is one of the easiest recommendations of the year. It is a most-ages crowd-pleaser, funny, warm and dazzling, with a hopeful spirit, a quotable alien sidekick and a quirkily charming lead in Ryan Gosling. (Streaming on Prime Video on July 3) — L.B.

“Rose of Nevada”

Everything feels like an echo in Mark Jenkin’s dreamlike tale of time and sea. George Mackay and Callum Turner play crewmen who enlist on a rusty Cornish fishing boat that, upon its return, drops them off in the same English village, 30 years earlier. They’re mistaken for two men thought to be lost. Jenkin, who shoots on 16mm and syncs sound in postproduction, makes films that feel out of time, and “Rose of Nevada” rocks to a haunting tide. (In theaters) — J.C.

“Tuner”

Remember how “Good Will Hunting” originally had a crime element to it and Rob Reiner (rightly) advised taking it out? Daniel Roher’s crackling, original thriller “Tuner,” a spiritual descendant of that great film, goes down that path successfully, creating a scenario where a workaday piano tuner, and musical prodigy who can no longer play, gets entangled in a criminal underworld, using his sensitive hearing to crack safes. Leo Woodall stars alongside Dustin Hoffman and Havana Rose Liu. (Available for digital rental) — L.B.

“Miroirs No. 3”

Christian Petzold, a great admirer of Hitchcock and “Vertigo,” makes movies where identity, rather than people, can go missing. In this lightly enigmatic 86-minute chamber piece, a woman (Paula Beer) injured in a car crash decides to stay and recuperate at a nearby home where an older, solitary woman (Barbara Auer) resides. The unfolding drama is as beguiling as it is healing. (Available for digital rental) — J.C.

“The Invite”

A San Francisco couple host their upstairs neighbors for a last-minute dinner party in Olivia Wilde’s deliriously sharp chamber dramedy about sex and marriage. Wilde both directs and stars as the neurotic Angela, whose relationship with Seth Rogen’s Joe is already on the rocks, when their more, let’s say, liberated neighbors Pína (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) arrive to stir things up for better and worse. The mix — contentious, revelatory, awkward and funny — proves a wonderful showcase for some great acting, staging and filmmaking. (In theaters) — L.B.

“Blue Heron”

Sophy Romvari’s exquisite and soulful directorial debut melds documentary and fiction, past and present. It’s based on her own childhood, when her Hungarian parents moved their family of six to Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Their teenage son is mentally troubled and distant, and you can feel “Blue Heron” yearning to reach him, through his disorder and through time. It’s an aching, probing memory piece. (Streams July 21 on Criterion Channel) — J.C.

“Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie”

Slacker buddies develop crackpot schemes to land a gig at the Rivoli, a Toronto music venue, in this infectiously silly, lo-fi indie about time travel, friendship and dreams. Canadian comics Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol may have a cult fanbase from their various series about these lovable losers, but I’m proof that no prior knowledge is needed to get on their goofy wavelength and enjoy the ride — and all the “Back to the Future” references. (Available for digital rental) — L.B.

“Minions & Monsters”

This year’s most affectionate ode to the golden age of Hollywood comes from … the Minions? Yes, it’s an unlikely role for one of the most ubiquitous marketing forces in animation. But “Minions & Monsters,” a cartoony good time, finds that the best role yet for the yellow henchmen is as filmmakers. They had me at bello. (In theaters) — J.C.

“Is God Is”

Rage and revenge are the heart of Aleshea Harris’s adaptation of her Obie-winning play, in which twin sisters embark on a journey to find, and kill, their abusive father. The tale has both ancient Greek tragedy and Tarantino in its DNA, but it comes alive as its own shocking, vital creation driven by unforgettable performances from Kara Young, Mallori Johnson and a truly terrifying Sterling K. Brown. (Available for digital rental) — L.B.

“A Poet”

There hasn’t been a better protagonist this year than Oscar Restrepo (Ubeimar Rios). He’s a failed Columbian writer, a bit of a drunk and, as one character calls him, “a walking problem.” But he’s also, despite his seemingly total lack of grace, a true believer in poetry. Simón Mesa Soto’s film, reportedly getting an English-language remake, is the tragicomedy of the year. (Available for digital rental) — J.C.

“Hoppers”

There is a gleefully chaotic spirit to Pixar’s “Hoppers,” about a determined young environmental activist who Avatars her way into the world of beavers in an attempt to block the construction of a highway overpass that would destroy her beloved glade. It is unhinged in the best way. Funny, weird and heartfelt with a terrifically distinct voice cast, including Dave Franco as a tyrannical insect prince. (Streaming on Disney+) — L.B.

Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues announced what he called a “temporary safety curfew” within the Boston suburb at a news conference Wednesday. Cape Verde, an island nation off the west coast of Africa that qualified for the World Cup for the first time this year, is scheduled to face Argentina on Friday in the knockout stage of the tournament.

“The purpose of this curfew is to protect public safety, reduce criminal activity associated with post-game celebrations, and enable police, fire and emergency personnel to effectively maintain order and respond to emergencies,” Rodrigues said.

The curfew will run from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Saturday in parts of Brockton, where thousands of people have gathered after Cape Verde’s World Cup matches, pouring into downtown streets waving flags, dancing and celebrating late into the night. No one will be allowed to enter establishments serving alcohol after 7 p.m., and last call will be at 9:30 p.m.

Brockton is home to one of the nation’s largest Cape Verdean communities. Nearly one in five residents is Cape Verdean, and the community is often referred to as the “11th island” of Cape Verde.

Cape Verde has captured the attention of its diaspora during a historic World Cup run, drawing jubilant crowds in Brockton after matches. City officials have repeatedly said the overwhelming majority of those celebrations have been peaceful.

But police say recent celebrations have also been followed by violence. At least nine people have been injured in shootings that occurred after World Cup matches or as crowds gathered downtown, according to Brockton police. Others were hurt in stabbings.

In recent days, detectives released surveillance photos and video from multiple shootings, including one near Main Street as crowds gathered June 21 and another later that night at a gas station, asking the public to help identify suspects.

Police also said they linked a suspect in another investigation to a shooting that occurred after a World Cup match.

Officials said the curfew exempts first responders and people traveling to or from work or seeking medical care. They said First Amendment activities, including news coverage, would also be respected.

Police Chief Brenda Perez said the department is understaffed and has relied on mutual aid from the Massachusetts State Police, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office and neighboring police departments during previous celebrations. She said more than 200 officers were deployed during recent World Cup gatherings but declined to discuss operational plans for Friday.

Steve Hooke, director of the Brockton Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the city requested National Guard assistance but declined to discuss operational details or whether the request had been approved.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional informó el jueves que una ola de calor peligroso con temperaturas récord continuará en gran parte del centro y el este de Estados Unidos hasta el viernes y persistirá a lo largo de la Costa Este durante el fin de semana. Para el noreste se pronosticaron temperaturas en torno a los 30 grados Celsius (90 grados Fahrenheit); Filadelfia y Boston podrían superar los 37 °C (100 °F). Se espera que la humedad haga que la sensación térmica sea aún mayor, lo que prácticamente garantiza que el sudor empañará el ánimo en muchas celebraciones por los 250 años de la Independencia estadounidense.

“Vayas donde vayas en el sur de Nueva Inglaterra, hoy, mañana y el sábado estarás lidiando con un calor peligroso”, advirtió Bryce Williams, del servicio meteorológico.

En Boston, el acceso al Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, que se realizará el sábado, comenzará a las 4 p. m. en lugar del mediodía debido al calor. En Filadelfia, las autoridades acortaron el recorrido de un desfile la mañana del jueves, cancelaron una fiesta de barrio “totalmente estadounidense” por la tarde y retrasaron las horas de inicio de un picnic y un concierto nocturnos en Independence Mall.

En Lower Windsor Township, Pennsylvania, una celebración del 250 aniversario de la Independencia que incluye camiones de comida, juegos y el camión volquete del departamento de carreteras fue reprogramada para el 8 de julio. En Norristown, Pensilvania, las autoridades cancelaron un desfile previsto para el sábado, citando la seguridad de los residentes, los participantes y los equipos de primera respuesta, aunque los fuegos artificiales nocturnos y una fiesta por la tarde con juegos, comida y música se realizarán según lo programado.

“El desfile es una de las tradiciones más queridas de nuestra comunidad, y compartimos la decepción por su cancelación, especialmente en la celebración del 250mo cumpleaños de Estados Unidos”, señaló la administradora municipal interina, Jayne Musonye.

El Parque Militar Nacional de Gettysburg, en Pensilvania, trasladó los eventos al aire libre a espacios interiores. Amtrak, por su parte, canceló el jueves algunas rutas de tren debido al calor, incluida la Acela entre Boston y Washington, y dijo que otras podrían operar con velocidades reducidas, lo que provocaría demoras hasta el sábado.

Un domo de calor, que es un sistema de alta presión sobre una región que atrapa el calor y la humedad, ha sofocado distintas partes de Estados Unidos, desde la región centro-norte hasta la Costa Este. Más allá de las festividades, las autoridades de muchas comunidades han tomado medidas para mantener a los residentes a salvo, entre ellas, abrir centros de enfriamiento. En Boston, varios museos con aire acondicionado ofrecen entrada gratuita a los residentes de la ciudad, y en Providence, Rhode Island, las piscinas y parques acuáticos municipales han ampliado sus horarios.

Mientras el calor se abatía sobre Nueva York, el alcalde Zohran Mamdani instó a la gente a conservar energía ajustando sus aires acondicionados a 25,5 °C (78 °F) —una medida que alcaldes anteriores, como el exalcalde Rudy Giuliani, han recomendado— para evitar sobrecargar la red eléctrica. Aun así, la petición provocó una oleada de abucheos en línea por parte de críticos conservadores del alcalde demócrata.

El gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis, un republicano que suele lanzar pullas al alcalde en redes sociales, respondió en X: “¿Era esto a lo que se refería la calidez del colectivismo?”, devolviéndole a Mamdani una frase que el socialista democrático empleó en su discurso de investidura.

Los operadores de las redes eléctricas del estado de Nueva York, de Nueva Inglaterra y de otra que se extiende por 13 estados del Atlántico medio y de la región centro-norte proyectaron que la demanda de electricidad alcanzaría su punto máximo el jueves antes de bajar ligeramente el viernes. Sin embargo, no han emitido llamados de emergencia para reducir el consumo, y analistas del sector afirman que los planificadores del sistema se preparan para circunstancias como estas.

PJM Interconnection, que opera la red que abastece a 65 millones de personas desde Nueva Jersey hasta Illinois, indicó el jueves que el pico proyectado para ese día establecería un máximo histórico de demanda eléctrica de verano, establecido por última vez en 2006. Ese pico está muy por encima de lo que PJM había proyectado para este verano, pero la entidad afirmó que contaba con un colchón de capacidad energética por encima de ese máximo.

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Los periodistas de The Associated Press Anthony Izaguirre en Nueva York, Michael Casey en Boston y Marc Levy en Harrisburg, Pensilvania, contribuyeron a este despacho.

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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 victims were identified as Mesilien Pierre, 36; and Wilford White, 68.

The suspect, Gregory DaSilva, 26, was arrested Tuesday on two counts of premeditated murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Lauderhill police said the stabbings happened around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday in the 5300 block of Northwest 19th Street.

Investigators said an officer was initially flagged down by a man who reported that someone armed with a knife had tried to attack him.

Officers then located a suspect matching the description, but police said he ran into a nearby residential neighborhood.

As officers searched the area, investigators said they received a 911 call about a man suffering from apparent stab wounds. While canvassing the neighborhood, officers confirmed that they found a second stabbing victim.

Police said one victim was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other died after being taken to a nearby hospital.

Neighbors told Local 10 that one of the victims had been reading a Bible moments before he was attacked. Neighbors also said White used a wheelchair and was unable to escape.

As of Thursday afternoon, DaSilva remailed jailed without bond.

Cuando hablamos de Cuba, por lo general nos concentramos en su sistema político y económico centralizado. Sin embargo, no logramos reconocer que las personas que han vivido bajo regímenes totalitarios han tenido que sobrevivir bajo una cultura del miedo. Ese sistema de gobierno crea un conjunto de actitudes y valores psicológicos que ayudan a definir el comportamiento cotidiano con el fin de alinear los deseos y las necesidades de la población con las restricciones impuestas por el gobierno.

Romper con esos comportamientos podría tomar años de entrenamiento y cambios psicológicos. Por lo tanto, la transición de un Estado totalitario hacia alguna forma de gobierno democrático podría tomar tiempo.

Las actualizaciones de junio del Dr. Andy S. Gómez pueden consultarse haciendo clic aquí.

El Dr. Andy S. Gómez es el analista sobre Cuba de Local 10. Gómez es considerado uno de los principales expertos sobre Cuba. Trabajó en la educación superior durante 32 años antes de retirarse de la Universidad de Miami en 2012.

Julia Reeker Moghal and Reuben Renteria, both of California, sued the ticketing giant this week in federal court in New York, alleging that “false and misleading” sales practices left them without the tickets they purchased for group stage matches last month.

The lawsuit, which seeks to become a class action, says Moghal and Renteria are among hundreds or even thousands of World Cup fans who purchased tickets only to find out that they “did not exist, were revoked without any forewarning, or had been erased” because of what the tournament’s organizer, FIFA, deemed “poor digital infrastructure.”

In addition to monetary damages, Moghal and Renteria are asking that StubHub be barred from selling World Cup tickets and that any profits from those sales be given to affected customers.

StubHub declined to comment on the lawsuit but said in a statement that its “singular goal is to get fans into events.”

If anything goes wrong, “our FanProtect Guarantee provides replacement tickets or a full refund,” the company said. “The World Cup is no different, and the issues fans have experienced are largely driven by problems with the event organizer’s own ticketing infrastructure.”

FIFA encourages fans to buy tickets through its own marketplace, where it adds a 30% surcharge to every resold ticket — 15% each from the buyer and seller.

In a statement, the organization said it “has no visibility over, or control of, secondary market ticket transactions carried out on third-party platforms” and “rejects any suggestion that the functional issues being experienced by users of third-party platforms” are the result of FIFA's ticketing infrastructure.

For weeks, fans have been complaining on social media about tickets that never arrived from resellers, orders that were canceled at the last minute and hours they spent trying to sort out problems between FIFA’s ticketing system and outside resale platforms.

According to the lawsuit, Moghal paid $1,905 for three tickets to the June 18 Switzerland-Bosnia and Herzegovina match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, but never received them and never got a refund, which would violate the company's guarantee.

As the match approached, Moghal was given conflicting information about the status of her order, first receiving a notice that the tickets were ready, then learning that StubHub had canceled her order, then being misled into thinking her tickets would be delivered after all, the lawsuit said.

After the initial cancellation, Moghal spent hours on the phone with StubHub, which said the order would remain canceled but then reversed course and promised her that they would be delivered an hour before the match, the lawsuit said.

Moghal drove to the stadium and waited in line, but never received her tickets, the lawsuit said. She was then promised a refund but never got one, the lawsuit said.

Had she known “that StubHub was either unable to deliver or not authorized to deliver her World Cup Tickets to her, she never would have purchased them,” the lawsuit said.

Similarly, Renteria paid $2,294 for two tickets to the June 18 Mexico-South Korea match in Guadalajara, Mexico, but never received his tickets, the lawsuit said.

Like Moghal, Renteria received a notice that his tickets were ready, only to find that StubHub canceled the order, the lawsuit said. He was only refunded after “significant complaints to StubHub,” but had to eat the cost of traveling to Mexico, the lawsuit said.

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Associated Press reporter R.J. Rico in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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See more of AP's World Cup coverage here

Leer en español

When we talk about Cuba, we usually concentrate on their centralized political and economic system. However, we fail to recognize that individuals that have lived under totalitarian regimes have had to survive under a culture of fear. Such system of government creates a psychological set of attitudes and values that help define the daily behavior in order to align the people’s wants and needs to the restrictions imposed by the government.

To break such behaviors could take years of psychological training and change. Therefore, transitioning a totalitarian state to support a transition to some form of a Democratic government could take time.

Dr. Andy S. Gomez’s June updates can be viewed by clicking here.

Dr. Andy S. Gomez is Local 10’s Cuba Analyst. Gomez is considered one of the leading scholars on Cuba. He worked in higher education for 32 years before retiring from the University of Miami in 2012.

Leer en español

Grieving father Andres Fernandez ― whose 17-year-old daughter, Lucy, was killed during a boating accident that led to a trial for now-acquitted real estate mogul George Pino ― spoke about the importance of boating safety during a press conference on Thursday.

“We want them to just recognize that it is a beautiful thing to do with friends and family, but they need to realize that there is danger, and that at a moment’s notice something could happen,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez played a major role in a comprehensive boating safety task force after his daughter’s death on Labor Day weekend in 2022.

The goal is to make having fun on the water a safer experience for all involved.

Fernandez said despite the passing of time, the hole in your heart doesn’t close.

“We never thought that this could happen to us and, you know, it’s living proof that it can,” said Fernandez. “We’re just so blessed that I get to say her name every day, and I love that.”

Some tips Fernandez and first responders reminded the public about were not drinking alcohol if you’re the captain and making sure there are life jackets for everyone on board.

Fernandez was also a driving voice in the passing of Lucy’s Law, which was signed into law in June 2025, which increases penalties for people who are reckless while operating a vessel on the water.

As for the acquittal of Pino in connection with the boat crash that claimed his daughter’s life, Fernandez said he is disappointed, but respects the jury’s decision.

“We are obviously, you know, disappointed,” he said. “We don’t necessarily agree with the verdict, however, we respect the jury and we respect the jury’s role.”

Mientras las autoridades trasladaban bolsas para cadáveres y apilaban ataúdes en la ciudad portuaria de Catia La Mar, el jueves por la mañana la alegría se abrió paso brevemente entre el sufrimiento generalizado que ha cubierto el norteño estado venezolano de La Guaira, cuando los equipos de rescate sacaron de entre los escombros a un hombre de 43 años que había permanecido sepultado durante casi ocho días.

Rescatistas de todo el continente trabajaron durante unas 100 horas para sacar a Hernán Alberto Gil Flores del centro comercial derrumbado bajo el cual había quedado atrapado en una bolsa de aire. El hombre sobrevivió con el agua y el sustento que los rescatistas le pasaban a través de los escombros. Lo sacaron de las ruinas en una camilla y lo llevaron a una ambulancia mientras multitudes de personas vitoreaban en un inusual momento de victoria.

Miles de personas más no llegaron tan lejos.

El gobierno de Venezuela informó que, hasta el miércoles, al menos 2.295 personas habían muerto y más de 11.000 habían resultado heridas. Miles más dormían en refugios abarrotados o al aire libre, o seguían desaparecidas mientras familiares buscaban entre los escombros. Las secuelas preocupan a los médicos, que temen que las consecuencias puedan allanar el camino hacia una creciente crisis médica, con lesiones sin tratar y enfermedades infecciosas, en un sistema de salud que ya estaba al borde del colapso.

Apoyo de Estados Unidos a un gobierno bajo fuego

La presidenta interina Delcy Rodríguez siguió enfrentando crecientes críticas de los venezolanos por el manejo inadecuado del gobierno ante los terremotos, ya que los esfuerzos de rescate civiles e internacionales han superado con creces la respuesta del gobierno.

Las críticas se produjeron apenas un día antes de que venciera la prórroga del mandato de 180 días de Rodríguez como líder interina. Rodríguez se desempeñó como vicepresidenta del exmandatario Nicolás Maduro hasta que fue derrocado por Estados Unidos en enero y ella se convirtió en líder interina con el respaldo del gobierno de Trump.

La escasa transparencia por parte de los funcionarios venezolanos impedía prever qué ocurriría el viernes, una vez que venciera el plazo.

Según la Constitución de Venezuela, las ausencias temporales deben ser cubiertas por el vicepresidente —cargo que antes ocupaba Rodríguez— por hasta 90 días. Estos nombramientos interinos pueden ser prorrogados por la Asamblea Nacional por 90 días más.

La líder venezolana cuenta con un fuerte respaldo de legisladores y del gobierno de Trump. La Asamblea Nacional, controlada por el partido de Rodríguez, puede activar una elección anticipada si los legisladores declaran el cargo permanentemente vacante.

Estados Unidos siguió respaldando a su gobierno el miércoles pese a las críticas, y varios funcionarios señalaron que actualmente había 900 efectivos militares sobre el terreno para apoyar las operaciones de ayuda y rescate.

John M. Barrett, encargado de negocios de Estados Unidos en Venezuela, rechazó las acusaciones de que Rodríguez politiza los esfuerzos de respuesta.

Durante una llamada con periodistas, Barrett manifestó que la respuesta de Estados Unidos “sí requiere un alto nivel de coordinación con las autoridades locales para tener éxito”.

“Y lo que puedo decir con confianza es que las autoridades locales han cumplido plenamente con nuestras solicitudes y han acelerado esta enorme respuesta humanitaria”, afirmó.

El general Francis Donovan, jefe del Comando Sur de Estados Unidos, añadió durante la llamada que “décadas de mala inversión en el pueblo de Venezuela” habían “hecho que esto sea aún más desafiante para el gobierno actual”.

“Enfrentar un desafío de esta magnitud es un gran problema para cualquier líder”, afirmó.

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Janetsky informó desde Ciudad de México. El periodista de The Associated Press Ben Finley contribuyó a este informe desde Washington D.C.

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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.

Judge Darren Steele approved an agreement last week between Woods' defense attorney and the State Attorney's Office that allows prosecutors to request records from Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital, where Woods was taken following the March 27 crash. The case is being tried in Martin County circuit court, just north of Palm Beach County.

The judge signed off on a similar agreement in May that grants prosecutors access to all prescription medication records for the legendary golfer at a Palm Beach pharmacy from the start of the year through the end of March. For both hospital and prescription records, prosecutors have agreed to defense attorney Doug Duncan's request for a protective order limiting the release of records only to prosecutors, law enforcement officers, state experts and Woods' defense team.

Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence. A sheriff’s office report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket, and he showed signs of impairment after his SUV clipped a truck's trailer and rolled onto its side.

Woods was traveling at high speeds on a beachside, residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30 mph (nearly 50 kph) speed limit when his Land Rover caused $5,000 in damage to the truck, according to an incident report. Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test, authorities said.

Woods has traveled outside of the United States to seek treatment at an inpatient treatment facility, according to court records.

It's the second time in four years that three players from the same team were chosen to start the game, with Las Vegas doing it in 2023. Clark wasn't able to play in last year's game that the Fever hosted because she was injured right before the All-Star break.

Clark and Mitchell will be joined this year in the backcourt by Dallas' Paige Bueckers and Minnesota rookie Olivia Miles. It's the fourth consecutive year that a rookie was chosen as an All-Star starter. Bueckers played last season.

A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Jessica Shepard, Natasha Howard and Gabby Williams were selected for the frontcourt for the game that will be played in Chicago on July 25. It will be Wilson's and Stewart's eighth All-Star appearance while Shepard will be making her first.

“It's an honor to be an All-Star, even though I've had a few of them,” Stewart said. “Each one is really special and I'm not taking it lightly.”

Williams played in her first All-Star Game last season. Howard will play in her third.

Starters were chosen by a mixture of fan, player and media votes. The fan vote counted for 50% while media and player votes were 25% each. Each player’s score was calculated by averaging their weighted rank from all three areas.

The league's head coaches will select the 12 reserves for the team. The 15 head coaches will vote for three guards, five frontcourt players and four players at either position regardless of conference. Coaches can’t vote for their own players.

New this year, two WNBA greats will serve as honorary general managers and select the two teams from the pool of All-Stars. Previously the top two fan vote-getters would serve as captains and select the squads.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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According to Doral police, officers responded to the parking lot outside Doral Park Country Club, located at 5001 NW 104th Ave., after receiving reports of an indecent exposure.

Responding officers spoke to the victim, who told them he saw a man, later identified as the 72-year-old Virgüez, sitting inside a gray Chevrolet Trax, masturbating with his penis fully exposed.

Police said the victim was concerned due to there being several children playing at the park’s nearby playground, so he entered the clubhouse and told employees, who “advised that they were unable to intervene and instructed him to contact law enforcement,” according to an arrest form.

The victim then returned to the parking lot and started recording the still-masturbating suspect, who took off after noticing he was being recorded, after which the victim contacted police and gave them the video, officers said.

It didn’t take long for authorities to track down Virgüez, whose full name is Franklin Jose Virgüez Dun.

According to police, Virgüez was taken into custody without incident outside his Doral home “and his pants were observed to have multiple stains on the front crotch area consistent with semen,” according to his arrest form.

Authorities said Virgüez refused to answer questions without his attorney present.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Virgüez has an extensive history of acting, beginning in 1976. He’s mainly starred in telenovelas and has also worked in films and on English language productions: his most recent credit was a role in the British television show “Atomic.”

As of Thursday afternoon, Virgüez was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on two counts of indecent exposure and was being held on a $5,000 bond.

Según la Policía de Doral, los agentes respondieron al estacionamiento del Doral Park Country Club, ubicado en el 5001 de NW 104th Ave., tras recibir reportes de exhibicionismo.

Los agentes hablaron con la víctima, quien les dijo que vio a un hombre, posteriormente identificado como Franklin Virgüez, de 72 años, sentado dentro de una Chevrolet Trax gris, masturbándose con el pene completamente expuesto.

La Policía indicó que la víctima se preocupó debido a que había varios niños jugando en un parque infantil cercano, por lo que entró al club y avisó a los empleados, quienes “le informaron que no podían intervenir y le indicaron que se comunicara con las autoridades”, según el informe de arresto.

La víctima regresó al estacionamiento y comenzó a grabar al sospechoso, que seguía masturbándose. Al darse cuenta de que estaba siendo grabado, el hombre huyó del lugar. Posteriormente, la víctima llamó a la Policía y entregó el video a los agentes.

Las autoridades localizaron poco después a Virgüez, cuyo nombre completo es Franklin José Virgüez Dun.

Según la Policía, Virgüez fue arrestado sin incidentes frente a su vivienda en Doral, “y se observó que sus pantalones tenían múltiples manchas en la parte frontal de la entrepierna compatibles con semen”, según el informe de arresto.

Las autoridades informaron que Virgüez se negó a responder preguntas sin la presencia de su abogado.

Según la base de datos de Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Virgüez cuenta con una extensa trayectoria como actor desde 1976. Ha protagonizado principalmente telenovelas y también ha trabajado en películas y producciones en inglés. Su trabajo más reciente fue un papel en la serie británica “Atomic”.

Hasta la tarde del jueves, Virgüez permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde enfrenta dos cargos de exhibicionismo y una fianza de $5,000 USD.

Los sospechosos fueron identificados en un informe de arresto de la Oficina del Sheriff de Miami-Dade (MDSO) como Kelton Abston, de 27 años, y Mari Carmen Zelaya, de 42.

Según el informe, el incidente ocurrió poco antes de las 4 a.m. del 31 de mayo en el IHOP ubicado en el 18860 de S. Dixie Highway.

Los agentes indicaron que Abston y Zelaya se involucraron en una discusión con dos hombres dentro del restaurante porque las víctimas “estaban haciendo demasiado ruido”.

Según el informe, Abston salió del restaurante y, mientras se retiraba, les dijo a las víctimas que “iba a matarlas”.

El informe indica que Abston sacó un arma de su vehículo mientras estaba afuera, al mismo tiempo que Zelaya “comenzó a hacer señas y a desafiar a las víctimas para que salieran”.

Los agentes dijeron que Abston comenzó a golpear con el arma la ventana frontal del IHOP.

Mientras las víctimas permanecían dentro, la pareja regresó al restaurante, donde continuó una discusión entre una de las víctimas y Zelaya, según los agentes.

El informe señala que una de las víctimas empujó a Zelaya durante la discusión, lo que provocó que Abston golpeara a esa víctima en el rostro.

Los agentes indicaron que, durante la pelea que siguió, Abston sacó un arma mientras caía sobre un asiento del restaurante y disparó varias veces, hiriendo a ambas víctimas en el pecho.

Según el informe, Abston y Zelaya salieron corriendo del restaurante. Zelaya se sentó al volante y Abston en el asiento del pasajero antes de huir del lugar.

Los agentes dijeron que, tras varias semanas revisando videos de vigilancia, localizaron a Zelaya el miércoles en un Burger King ubicado en el 11400 de SW 186th St., donde fue arrestada.

Indicaron que Abston llegó al restaurante en otro vehículo mientras los agentes realizaban el arresto y también fue detenido.

Según el informe, a Abston le leyeron sus derechos Miranda e hizo una declaración que fue censurada en la versión pública del informe antes de negarse a seguir hablando.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Abston enfrenta dos cargos de intento de asesinato durante la comisión de un delito grave con un arma de fuego que causó lesiones y un cargo de agresión, mientras que Zelaya enfrenta un cargo de encubrimiento después del hecho.

Hasta el jueves, ambos sospechosos permanecían detenidos en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight, donde sus fianzas figuraban como “pendientes de ser fijadas”.

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The suspects were identified in an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office as 27-year-old Kelton Abston and 42-year-old Mari Carmen Zelaya.

According to the report, the incident happened just before 4 a.m. on May 31 at the IHOP at 18860 S. Dixie Highway.

Deputies said Abston and Zelaya became involved in an argument with two men inside the restaurant over the victims “being too loud.”

According to the report, Abston then walked outside and, while leaving the restaurant, told the victims he was “going to kill them.”

The report states Abston pulled a gun from his vehicle while outside as Zelaya “began to wave and dare the victims to go outside.”

Deputies said Abston then began banging the front window of the IHOP with the gun.

As the victims remained inside, the pair returned to the restaurant, where an argument continued between one of the victims and Zelaya, according to deputies.

The report states one of the victims pushed Zelaya during the argument, prompting Abston to punch that victim in the face.

Deputies said during the ensuing fight, Abston pulled out a gun while falling into a booth and fired several rounds, striking both victims in the chest.

According to the report, Abston and Zelaya then ran outside, with Zelaya getting into the driver’s seat and Abston in the passenger seat before they fled the scene.

Deputies said that after several weeks of reviewing surveillance video, they located Zelaya Wednesday at a Burger King at 11400 SW 186th St., where she was taken into custody.

They said Abston arrived at the restaurant in a different vehicle while deputies were making the arrest and was also taken into custody.

According to the report, Abston was read his Miranda rights and made a statement that was redacted from the publicly released report before refusing to speak further.

Jail records show Abston faces two counts of attempted felony murder with a firearm causing injury and one count of battery, while Zelaya faces one count of accessory after the fact.

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

The donations were spread out across 20 local and national charities, according to Swift's publicist, with many located in areas where the couple has deep ties. The announcement did not include any mention of Swift and Kelce's wedding, but a law enforcement official briefed on security plans has told AP that the wedding will be held Friday, with a smaller rehearsal dinner Thursday night.

Nine of the selected organizations are based in New York, ranging from the Food Bank For NYC, City Harvest, to Musical Mentors, a nonprofit that connects music teachers with students in need.

Just how much each charity received was not disclosed.

Other charities reflected where Swift and Kelce have also called home, including the Rhode Island Community Food Bank — where Swift owns an estate in Watch Hill — and the Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri — where Kelce plays tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.

A handful of national groups also received money: Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a book giveaway program spearheaded by the music legend; the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Feeding America.

The large donations ahead of Swift and Kelce's wedding is reminiscent of charitable gifts the couple has given in the past. Swift, a billionaire, gave millions to food banks ahead of her Eras Tour stops, while Kelce has been recognized by the Chiefs for winning “charity challenges” and operating his own nonprofit.

Swift and Kelce have been in a relationship since 2023, enthralling millions around the world. Their relationship have been documented in countless shots of Swift celebrating at Chiefs games and fan videos of Kelce dancing along at Swift’s Eras concert tour as it traveled the globe. In 2025, they announced their engagement with the caption but have remained mum on wedding details.

Yet buzz has remained high around New York's MSG, with multiple trucks and crews going in and out delivering materials for what is expected to be an elaborate event.

Douglas DePodesta has served as special agent in charge in Chicago, one of the FBI's largest offices, for nearly two years and has been with the bureau since 2002.

He told colleagues that his last day would be Monday, according to a message seen by The Associated Press. Multiple people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move, said DePodesta had been pushed to retire.

The events leading up to his departure were not immediately clear, but DePodesta alluded in his farewell note to a conflict that he suggested had precipitated it.

“I've never backed down from a fight, as long as it meant our personnel could continue serving the FBI's mission,” DePodesta wrote in the message. “Unfortunately, that has proved unpopular over time and my departure is a consequence of that.”

The move is part of a broader upheaval in the FBI’s workforce as Director Kash Patel has sought to force out line agents and supervisors alike who are perceived as not supporting the Trump administration agenda. It also comes amid prolonged tumult in the law enforcement community in Chicago, whose top federal prosecutor, Andrew Boutros, described this week a sweeping review of more than 1,000 grand jury presentations made by Illinois prosecutors following the dismissal of a high-profile case over misconduct.

The FBI declined to comment Thursday, but the bureau's “rapid response” social media account on X responded to a separate post about DePodesta's departure by saying: “It’s simple: Anyone who is not on board with THIS FBI under the leadership of President Trump — which has achieved the lowest murder rate ever — is free to leave.”

DePodesta also quoted in his note from a farewell message from Patel's predecessor, former Director Chris Wray, who reminded the workforce that “you have been who the American people have turned to in their darkest moments” and praised them for having “stayed true to the values that define who we are, and to the qualities for which we stand: Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity.”

DePodesta joined the FBI in Chicago in 2002 and worked drug investigations. He later held senior roles at FBI headquarters in Washington and in Detroit and Memphis before being named top agent in Chicago in August 2024.

Andrés Fernández, padre de Lucy Fernández, de 17 años, quien murió en un accidente de navegación que derivó en un juicio contra el magnate inmobiliario George Pino, posteriormente absuelto, habló el jueves durante una conferencia de prensa sobre la importancia de la seguridad náutica.

Fernández desempeñó un papel clave en la creación de un grupo de trabajo integral sobre seguridad náutica tras la muerte de su hija durante el fin de semana del Día del Trabajo en 2022.

El objetivo es hacer que disfrutar en el agua sea una experiencia más segura para todos.

Algunos de los consejos que compartió Fernández fueron no consumir alcohol si se es el capitán de la embarcación y asegurarse de que haya chalecos salvavidas para todas las personas a bordo.

Fernández también fue una de las principales voces impulsoras de la aprobación de la Ley de Lucy, promulgada en junio de 2025, que aumenta las sanciones para las personas que operan una embarcación de manera imprudente.

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Watson, 42, appeared in Miami-Dade court as part of a plea agreement stemming from the incident at Elevation Fitness.

According to arrest documents, Watson told responding officers he was working out when the victim approached him and said he wanted to fight. Investigators say surveillance video captured Watson beating the victim with his weightlifting belt during the altercation.

As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors offered Watson a sentence of 21 months in prison, including time already served, followed by seven years of probation and mental health treatment.

During Thursday’s hearing, Watson’s attorney argued the circumstances leading up to the fight were unusual.

“There’s been a lot that’s been argued in this case about stand your ground,” defense attorney Eric Clemmon said. “What’s unique is you have an alleged victim that sought somebody out because of his presence online. This guy bought a plane ticket, came through New Jersey, showed up at the gym for the sole purpose of confronting Mr. Watson. That turned into something else.”

Watson is a convicted felon and is also facing multiple unrelated criminal charges in Broward County, including charges of felony battery, aggravated assault, witness tampering and allegations related to domestic violence involving his girlfriend.

Watson is scheduled to return to court on July 27 for sentencing in the Miami-Dade case.

Watson, de 42 años, compareció ante un tribunal de Miami-Dade como parte de un acuerdo de culpabilidad relacionado con el incidente ocurrido en Elevation Fitness.

Según los documentos de arresto, Watson dijo a los agentes que acudieron al lugar que estaba entrenando cuando la víctima se le acercó y le dijo que quería pelear. Los investigadores afirman que un video de vigilancia captó a Watson golpeando a la víctima con su cinturón de levantamiento de pesas durante el altercado.

Como parte del acuerdo de culpabilidad, los fiscales ofrecieron a Watson una sentencia de 21 meses de prisión, incluido el tiempo que ya ha cumplido, seguida de siete años de libertad condicional y tratamiento de salud mental.

Durante la audiencia del jueves, el abogado de Watson argumentó que las circunstancias que llevaron a la pelea fueron inusuales.

“En este caso se ha debatido mucho sobre la ley “Stand Your Ground””, dijo el abogado defensor Eric Clemmon. “Lo inusual es que hay una presunta víctima que buscó a alguien por su presencia en internet. Este hombre compró un boleto de avión, viajó desde Nueva Jersey y fue al gimnasio con el único propósito de enfrentar al señor Watson. Eso terminó convirtiéndose en otra cosa”.

Watson es un delincuente convicto y también enfrenta múltiples cargos penales no relacionados en el condado Broward, entre ellos agresión grave, agresión agravada, manipulación de testigos y acusaciones relacionadas con violencia doméstica contra su novia.

Watson tiene previsto regresar a la corte el 27 de julio para la lectura de su sentencia en el caso de Miami-Dade.

The couple, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, said little as they left court, though Beerkus responded to a journalist's question about the stunt by saying: "We believe in love."

Authorities said the two — who were the subject of the 2024 Netflix documentary “ Skywalkers: A Love Story ” about their “rooftopping” exploits and budding romance — created not only a spectacle but a danger by ascending the famed skyscraper's broadcast antenna Wednesday.

After reaching the top, 1,454 feet (443 meters) above midtown Manhattan, the climbers displayed a black banner reading: “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace," news helicopter video showed.

Then they collected the banner and descended to a slightly lower ledge, where an apparently successful marriage proposal unfolded. Nikolau posted images of the escapade on her social media accounts, including a photo that modeled an engagement-style ring above a bird’s-eye view of Manhattan.

Police waited about a half-hour for the antenna to be powered down before Emergency Services Unit officers started ascending and eventually intercepted the climbers on their way down, according to the complaint, which noted the danger to officers who climbed about 1,250 feet (381 meters) above the ground. The court document identified the two by their formal names, Angelina Nikolau and Ivan Kuznetsov.

“Skywalkers: A Love Story” follows Beerkus, now 32, and Nikolau, 33, as they make often unauthorized ascents of tall structures, sometimes posing as construction workers to sneak in.

The court complaint said police found a broken lock on a security door on the Empire State Building's restricted-access 104th floor, which provides access to the antenna. The highest public floor is the 102nd, where there’s an observation deck. Going higher requires a key card, according to the court complaint.

The Empire State Building's management has called the climb “unauthorized” but hasn't answered questions about what interactions, if any, the daredevils had with security workers. Visitors to the skyscraper are screened and told not to bring large packages, sports equipment, costumes or masks, among other items.

Beerkus and Nikolau were released without bail, in accordance with New York laws that restrict when monetary bail can be set. Their attorney, Jason Krinsky, said outside court that once prosecutors provide evidence, he and his clients would assess it and determine next steps.

“What a way to propose — something you can only dream of," Krinsky said. “So you've got to, you know, give him some credit for that.”

Other daredevils have climbed the antenna and other parts of the Empire State Building. Those ascents have largely been unauthorized, but actor and musician Jared Leto was allowed to climb up to the base of the antenna from the 86th floor in 2023 to promote a tour.

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

The final seconds of the match triggered a wave of celebration across the park as fans erupted following the U.S. victory.

“It was absolutely beautiful to see everybody as a community, even tho the odds were stacked against us,” another said.

The match was marked by constant physical play, with Bosnia-Herzegovina pressuring U.S. attackers and using heavy challenges throughout the night.

U.S. fullbacks Sergiño Dest and Christian Pulisic were repeatedly checked and bumped when trying to push forward, while U.S. midfielders were frequently disrupted in tight spaces.

Striker Folarin Balogun was involved in the intensity on both sides — scoring during the match before later being shown a controversial red card in the 64th minute. Even after going down to 10 men, the United States managed to hold on and secure the win.

Fans filled Bayfront Park throughout the evening, gathering to watch the match on a large outdoor screen while waving flags, wearing jerseys and chanting in support of the U.S. team.

“This is a great opportunity for us to be together and support our team,” another fan said.

Some attendees said the atmosphere reflected both the excitement of the tournament and the unity of fans from different backgrounds.

Carlos Jarquin, of Palm Beach County, said, “I think we’re gonna do amazing. I think this is the strongest team we’ve had since I’ve been watching soccer.”

The event also featured pre-match entertainment as performers helped build energy inside the fan zone ahead of kickoff.

For many in attendance, the gathering extended beyond soccer, serving as a cultural celebration that brought together fans from across South Florida and beyond.

“Honestamente, es bonito ver a toda esta gente reunida. Al final del día, eso es lo que queremos ver”, dijo un aficionado de la selección masculina de Estados Unidos.

Los últimos segundos del partido desataron una ola de celebración en todo el parque, donde los aficionados estallaron de emoción tras la victoria de Estados Unidos.

“Fue absolutamente hermoso ver a toda la comunidad unida, incluso cuando todo parecía estar en nuestra contra”, dijo otro aficionado.

El partido estuvo marcado por un juego físico constante, con Bosnia-Herzegovina presionando a los atacantes estadounidenses y realizando fuertes entradas durante toda la noche.

Los laterales de Estados Unidos, Sergiño Dest y Christian Pulisic, fueron marcados y golpeados repetidamente cuando intentaban avanzar, mientras que los mediocampistas estadounidenses fueron constantemente presionados en espacios reducidos.

El delantero Folarin Balogun estuvo involucrado en la intensidad del encuentro por ambos lados: anotó un gol durante el partido, pero posteriormente recibió una polémica tarjeta roja en el minuto 64. Incluso con 10 jugadores, Estados Unidos logró mantener la ventaja y asegurar la victoria.

Los aficionados llenaron Bayfront Park durante toda la noche para ver el partido en una pantalla gigante al aire libre, mientras ondeaban banderas, vestían camisetas de la selección y coreaban cánticos de apoyo al equipo estadounidense.

“Esta es una gran oportunidad para estar juntos y apoyar a nuestro equipo”, dijo otro aficionado.

Algunos asistentes señalaron que el ambiente reflejaba tanto la emoción del torneo como la unión de aficionados de distintos orígenes.

Carlos Jarquín, del condado Palm Beach, dijo: “Creo que vamos a hacerlo increíble. Creo que este es el equipo más fuerte que hemos tenido desde que empecé a ver fútbol”.

El evento también contó con entretenimiento previo al partido, mientras varios artistas ayudaban a animar la zona de aficionados antes del inicio del encuentro.

Para muchos de los asistentes, la reunión fue más allá del fútbol y se convirtió en una celebración cultural que reunió a aficionados de todo el sur de Florida y de otras partes.

"I’m back!” Ovechkin said.

The league’s career goal-scoring record holder inked a deal with a $1 million salary and bonuses worth an additional $8 million. He receives a $3.25 million signing bonus and makes the additional $4.75 million if he plays 10 games, but the contract structure allows him to count just $4.25 million against the cap. Ovechkin turns 41 in September.

Ovechkin has 929 goals after scoring 32 last season. The Russian superstar passed Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals in April 2025, completing the so-called “GR8 Chase” that captivated hockey.

He had said in recent months he was waiting until the offseason to decide whether to return or retire, and management was working on contingency plans either way.

“Thank you to everyone for giving me and my family the time to make this decision," Ovechkin said. “I’m healthy. I love playing hockey and competing to win. I’m excited to come back and join my teammates so we can fight for a playoff spot and have a chance to win.”

The Capitals missed the playoffs this spring but qualified 16 times in a stretch of 18 years, which included winning the franchise's only Stanley Cup in 2018 when Ovechkin was playoff MVP.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The need for action has never been greater.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

El miércoles marcó el inicio de Julio sin Plástico, una campaña que anima a las personas a reducir el uso de plásticos. El condado Miami-Dade se une al esfuerzo con una nueva iniciativa.

El condado Miami-Dade inauguró su primera estación de hidratación Hope en la estación Government Center del Metrorail, en el centro de Miami, donde ofrece agua fría, filtrada y gratuita a cualquier persona que quiera rellenar una botella reutilizable.

“Esto realmente va a cambiar la cultura. Estoy segura de que veremos a más personas utilizando estas estaciones y diciendo no a las botellas de agua de plástico”, dijo la alcaldesa de Miami-Dade, Daniella Levine Cava.

El objetivo es incentivar a las personas a cambiar a botellas reutilizables y rechazar las de plástico para ayudar a reducir la enorme cantidad de desechos plásticos que terminan en el medio ambiente.

“Es muy fácil. Colocas tu botella, sale agua fría, filtrada y gratuita. Toda nuestra idea es que, si estas estaciones son más accesibles, más atractivas y más fáciles de usar, todos serán más sostenibles. No hay necesidad de una botella de plástico si hay estaciones Hope en todas partes”, dijo Cristina Gnecco, cofundadora y directora de operaciones de Hope Hydration.

El fundador y director ejecutivo de Hope Hydration, Jorge Richardson, dijo que la inauguración de la estación antes del inicio de Julio sin Plástico fue intencional.

Julio sin Plástico es un movimiento mundial que anima a las personas a reducir sus desechos plásticos, una decisión reutilizable a la vez.

“No necesitamos que unas pocas personas lo hagan de manera perfecta. Necesitamos que muchas personas lo intenten, y así es como realmente comenzaremos a generar un efecto multiplicador”, dijo Maddie Kaufman, directora de programas de Debris Free Oceans.

La idea es comenzar con pequeños cambios, eliminando un hábito relacionado con el plástico de la vida diaria.

“Se necesitan unas dos semanas para crear un hábito. Así que dedica dos semanas a intentar crear un hábito con un solo artículo”, dijo Kaufman.

La necesidad de actuar nunca ha sido mayor.

“Es una cifra alarmante. Sí, estamos en modo de crisis”, dijo Marcus Eriksen, cofundador y director de investigación del Instituto 5 Gyres.

Cada año, aproximadamente ocho millones de toneladas métricas de plástico llegan al océano, sumándose a los más de 171 billones de partículas de plástico que ya existen allí. Se proyecta que la producción de plástico se duplicará durante los próximos 25 años.

“Recogemos más de 20,000 libras de basura por día durante el Día Internacional de Limpieza de Costas. Nuestros vertederos se están llenando de plástico. Nuestros cuerpos se están llenando de plástico”, dijo Kaufman.

Los defensores de esta causa afirman que el reciclaje, por sí solo, no resolverá el problema. A nivel mundial, solo el 9 % del plástico se recicla, y aseguran que la única solución es rechazar el plástico siempre que sea posible.

“El reciclaje no funciona. No podemos seguir el ritmo de la cantidad de plástico que se produce ahora ni de la que se producirá en el futuro”, dijo Catherine Uden, representante principal de campo de Oceana South Florida.

Debido a que la ley de Florida impide que los gobiernos locales regulen la mayoría de los plásticos de un solo uso, gran parte de la responsabilidad recae en los consumidores.

Programas como Plastic Free Miami Beach y Plastic Free 305 ayudan a los consumidores a tomar mejores decisiones al destacar a los negocios que han reducido significativamente el uso de envases plásticos y artículos desechables.

“El 73 % de los visitantes, turistas y consumidores quieren gastar su dinero en negocios sostenibles y en sus productos”, dijo Cynthia Seymour, del Distrito de Mejoramiento Comercial de Coconut Grove.

Hope Hydration planea instalar 15 estaciones más en todo el condado Miami-Dade, en parques públicos y otros espacios del condado. El objetivo es expandirse a 250 estaciones durante el próximo año, para que sea más fácil, gratuito y conveniente dejar de comprar agua embotellada en envases de plástico y utilizar botellas reutilizables.

Leer en español

Tina, estimated to be about 1½ years old and weighing roughly 48 pounds, came into the shelter as a stray and is not expected to grow much larger, animal officials said.

Shelter staff described her as friendly, gentle and easygoing, noting that she quickly bonds with people and enjoys greeting everyone she meets. They also said she walks well on a leash and does not pull, making her a good fit for first-time dog owners.

As Independence Day approaches, animal services officials are also urging pet owners to take steps to keep animals safe during fireworks celebrations.

They recommend making sure pets are wearing updated ID tags and have current microchip information in case they become frightened and run off.

Shelter staff also advise keeping pets indoors during fireworks, providing a quiet and secure space away from crowds and noise, and walking dogs before festivities begin.

They added that fireworks can be overwhelming for animals, as they are often more sensitive to loud noises than humans.

For pets that experience anxiety, officials said calming aids or anxiety wraps may help, though effectiveness can vary by animal.

Animal services also suggested creating a calm environment inside the home, such as a quiet room or “safe space,” to help reduce stress during holiday celebrations.

More information on Tina and other adoptable pets is available at Miami-Dade Animal Services’ website.

Según las autoridades de bienestar animal, Tina, de aproximadamente un año y medio de edad y unas 48 libras de peso, llegó al refugio como una perra callejera y no se espera que crezca mucho más.

El personal del refugio la describió como amigable, dócil y tranquila, y destacó que crea vínculos rápidamente con las personas y disfruta saludar a todos los que conoce. También señalaron que camina bien con correa y no tira de ella, lo que la convierte en una buena opción para personas que tendrán un perro por primera vez.

A medida que se acerca el Día de la Independencia, las autoridades de bienestar animal también instan a los dueños de mascotas a tomar medidas para mantener a sus animales seguros durante las celebraciones con fuegos artificiales.

Recomiendan asegurarse de que las mascotas lleven placas de identificación actualizadas y que la información de su microchip esté al día, en caso de que se asusten y huyan.

El personal del refugio también aconseja mantener a las mascotas dentro de la casa durante los fuegos artificiales, proporcionarles un lugar tranquilo y seguro, alejado de las multitudes y el ruido, y sacar a pasear a los perros antes de que comiencen las celebraciones.

Agregaron que los fuegos artificiales pueden resultar abrumadores para los animales, ya que suelen ser más sensibles a los ruidos fuertes que los seres humanos.

Para las mascotas que experimentan ansiedad, las autoridades indicaron que los productos calmantes o los chalecos para la ansiedad pueden ayudar, aunque su eficacia puede variar según el animal.

Servicios para Animales también sugirió crear un ambiente tranquilo dentro del hogar, como una habitación silenciosa o un “espacio seguro”, para ayudar a reducir el estrés durante las celebraciones.

Puede encontrar más información sobre Tina y otras mascotas disponibles para adopción en el sitio web de Servicios para Animales de Miami-Dade.

He spoke loudly with his bloody right foot at one of the biggest moments of the World Cup for the United States. Still feeling the affects of being stomped on by an opponent’s studs, Tillman scored the first free kick goal in a World Cup for the Americans in 32 years to seal a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday night that sent the U.S. into the round of 16.

Tillman celebrated the biggest moment of his young career with a smile and a scream as he ran to celebrate with his teammates in front of the large contingent of American fans at Levi’s Stadium.

“I’m a different type of person on the pitch,” he said after the game. “Of course maybe you don’t really see my emotions, but then if you score a goal like this, I think also you guys saw my emotions. It’s a great feeling.”

Tillman showed off his bloody sock — perhaps the most famous in American sports lore since Curt Schilling's in the 2004 baseball playoffs for the Boston Red Sox — after the game, saying he was still in a bit of pain.

But the discomfort was lessened by pure joy as the U.S. now prepares to play Belgium on Monday night in Seattle with a chance to make it to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.

Tillman's goal came with the U.S. protecting a one-goal lead and down a man after Folarin Balogun was sent off with a red card early in the second half. Balogun scored his third goal of the tournament in the first half but Tillman delivered the game-sealer in the highlight of what has already been a productive World Cup for the 24-year-old.

“Obviously he’s been playing so well,” captain Tim Ream said. “I’d argue he’s, other than Balo’s goals, he’s one of our best players. Everywhere on the field, doing the dirty things, making the hard things easy. I think it is just that. He just wanted to feel like he had a place. He’s a quiet kid, but he’s just come on leaps and bounds.”

Tillman is the son of an American serviceman and German mother and grew up in Germany playing on the Bayern Munich youth squad and the German national youth team before making the switch to the U.S. team in 2022.

His big moment came last summer in the Gold Cup when he scored two goals against Trinidad and Tobago and another against Haiti in the group stage. He then missed a penalty kick in the first half of the quarterfinals against Costa Rica before making one in the penalty shootout that sent the U.S. to the semifinals.

“The Gold Cup was really huge for him,” Ream said. “I think the adversity of the Costa Rica game, the penalty was really big for him. Now you look at him and he looks like he’s just playing such an easy game. It’s incredible to see. He’s had that in him all this time. It was just a matter of him finding the confidence and him believing in himself.”

This past year wasn’t easy for him after he moved from PSV Eindhoven to Bayer Leverkusen in a transfer worth a reported $41 million. He had six goals and one assist in 29 games in the Bundesliga and scoring two more in the Champions League.

His biggest goal came Wednesday night when he became the first American man to score off a free kick in a World Cup since Eric Wynalda in the 1994 opener against Switzerland.

“It was amazing,” coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “I think Malik is an amazing player, full of talent. We knew that he has the talent to do what he did. I’m so happy for him. Tough season for him in Leverkusen but I think now he’s enjoying and we are enjoying and the fans are enjoying his football.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

El vuelo con destino a Caracas, Venezuela, es la primera misión humanitaria de la aerolínea hacia ese país sudamericano desde los mortales terremotos.

El piloto Cristóbal Orsini, originario de Venezuela, ha volado un avión en innumerables ocasiones. Pero dijo que ningún viaje había sido tan personal como este.

“Estoy muy feliz y agradecido de poder formar parte de este vuelo humanitario”, dijo.

“Conozco a muchas personas que murieron”, agregó. “Murieron muchos pilotos. Murieron muchos auxiliares de vuelo, personas que conocía, personas con las que trabajé”.

JC Lascano, vicepresidente sénior de American, dijo que el avión “transportará 7,000 libras de suministros de ayuda: medicinas, alimentos, productos perecederos, cosas que son absolutamente necesarias en este momento, no solo para nuestro equipo, sino para quienes viven en el país”.

La aerolínea se ha asociado con Global Empowerment Mission, en Doral, donde cientos de voluntarios han trabajado día y noche para clasificar, empacar y enviar suministros que salvan vidas.

Aunque los terremotos provocaron una enorme devastación en el país, nunca sacudieron la compasión de quienes están decididos a ayudar a reconstruirlo.

Lista útil: Lugares para entregar ayuda en el sur de Florida

Más información sobre cómo ayudar a Venezuela.

• La organización sin fines de lucro GEM, con sede en Doral, envía más de 1 millón de dólares en ayuda de la comunidad.

• Inter Miami, Marlins y Dolphins se suman a los esfuerzos de ayuda.
• Una estrella de la NFL se une al equipo de Global Empowerment Mission; su mensaje para los habitantes del sur de Florida es: “Hagan lo que puedan”.
• Más de 100 venezolanos que fueron deportados de Estados Unidos horas antes de los terremotos están desaparecidos.

• Food for the Poor celebra las inversiones en reconstrucción.
• Médicos del condado de Miami-Dade recolectan donaciones de suministros médicos cerca de Doral.
• Les presentamos al capitán German Leal del Departamento de Bomberos y Rescate de Miami-Dade.

• Agentes de policía de Pembroke Pines anuncian una campaña de recolección de donaciones.
• Airbnb se asocia con la organización sin fines de lucro CADENA para proporcionar alojamiento de emergencia.
• Hogar Bambi tiene como objetivo proteger a los niños vulnerables.

• El equipo de la Fundación Grey Bull Rescue llega a Caracas.
• Las autoridades clausuran La Guaira y exigen que los voluntarios se registren en Caracas.
• Amazon realiza donaciones a Airlink para ayudar a organizaciones benéficas con la logística.

• El equipo de búsqueda y rescate de Miami se prepara para desplegarse.
• Centro Comunitario AFE organiza campaña de recolección en Miami-Dade
• Una organización benéfica con sede en Weston se asocia con una farmacia local.

• El proyecto DYNAMO, liderado por veteranos, entrega 20.000 libras de ayuda en las primeras 48 horas.
• El altruismo en El Arepazo alimenta el esfuerzo del equipo de Global Empowerment Mission.
• Rescatistas salvadoreños trabajan para liberar a un sobreviviente de 15 años en Caraballeda.

• Food For The Poor incluye en sus kits de ayuda humanitaria notas escritas a mano con mensajes de esperanza.
• El Comando Sur de Estados Unidos se centra en los daños en los aeropuertos.
• El Departamento de Estado despliega un equipo de búsqueda y rescate en Miami-Dade.

• Miami Beach abre 4 nuevos puntos de entrega de ayuda.
• Miramar mantendrá abiertos 6 puntos de entrega de ayuda las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana.
• El recaudador de impuestos de Miami-Dade abre 11 puntos de entrega.
• Doral abre 4 puntos de entrega de ayuda.

• Se abre un punto de entrega de ayuda en Homestead.
• Starlink ofrece servicio gratuito hasta el 25 de julio, pero un kit cuesta 470 dólares.
• International Medical Corps despliega personal y necesita donaciones.
• Save The Children solicita donaciones para su fondo de emergencia.

• Samaritan’s Purse se centra en los “hospitales de campaña de emergencia”.
• La Cruz Roja solicita donaciones para su Fondo de Emergencia para la Respuesta ante Desastres.
• La ONU solicita donaciones para un programa infantil que carece de fondos suficientes.

• World Vision solicita donaciones para su “fondo de ayuda en casos de desastre”.
• World Central Kitchen solicita donaciones para comidas frescas.
• United Way Miami lanza la ‘Operación Manos Amigas’.

The virus causing this outbreak, called Bundibugyo, is less common than others that cause Ebola disease and there are no specific treatments or vaccines for it. Already more than 1,400 people have been diagnosed and 438 have died, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday.

Standard supportive care, especially if started early, can help and the WHO says more than 200 people have recovered. But there’s an urgent need for better options.

The trial “offers real hope that we can deliver concrete results for – and with – the communities at the heart of the outbreak,” Tedros said in a statement.

Researchers will be testing if two drugs could improve survival. One is Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, a broad-acting antiviral approved to treat COVID-19 but that has shown some hints in lab tests that it may help fight the currently spreading virus. The other is Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s experimental MBP134, antibodies engineered to target Ebola viruses including Bundibugyo.

All patients enrolled in the trial would receive today’s best standard care and be randomly assigned to also receive remdesivir, MBP134, both or neither, said WHO research adviser Dr. Vasee Moorthy. Survival will be tracked for 28 days after starting treatment.

It could take months and possibly as many as 1,000 study participants to tell if either drug works, Moorthy cautioned, explaining that scientists could tell more quickly, and with fewer patients, if one or the other turns out to be highly effective.

Currently the study is being offered only in one Ebola treatment center in Congo’s Ituri province. The region has been hit hard by violence, including toward healthcare workers trying to fight a virus spread by contact with sick patients’ bodily fluids. Officials plan to expand to other locations once it is safe to do so.

Moorthy said enough of each drug had been donated by Gilead and the U.S. government, which has funded MBP134 research and owns those doses, for the trial. If either proves effective, the next step would be ensuring patients can continue to access the treatment outside the study.

The WHO-supported trial is a collaboration between Congo’s national biomedical research institute INRB, Britain’s Oxford University, Antwerp's Institute of Tropical Medicine and other international health groups.

—-

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 application — for a “Special Event at MSG" — was approved Wednesday night by New York City’s permitting office, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Multiple people familiar with the plans have confirmed to the AP that the application is tied to the wedding between the superstar singer and the football player.

The people spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the events.

The permit shows 100 guests will begin arriving at Madison Square Garden at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday for a “pre party celebration," which officials described as an intimate rehearsal dinner.

A full street closure will then go into effect near the Manhattan arena overnight as crews erect multiple entrance and drive through tents, according to the permit.

The “main event” will begin at 5 p.m. Friday, the permit shows, and can continue until 4 a.m. the next morning.

Frenzied speculation around the wedding has built for weeks, intensifying in recent days as crews have been seen unloading equipment from trucks, including a large carpet.

The couple has yet to confirm any details around the festivities. A representative for Swift has not responded to multiple inquiries, including on Thursday.

City officials, meanwhile, have acknowledged they are preparing for a large-scale event at Madison Square Garden that will require an additional police presence during a particularly busy weekend.

But both Mamdani and his police commissioner have repeatedly refused to discuss the nature of the event — angering some nearby business owners and raising questions about the use of public resources to cover private security.

“This is, in my opinion, ridiculous,” said Michael O’Brien, who co-owns O’Briens Bar and Grill, which is located across from Madison Square Garden.

He said he was worried about losing business because of the pending street closures, which still have not been publicly announced by the police department as of Thursday afternoon.

“If they can afford to buy the permits," O’Brien continued, “they can afford this big lavish ceremony, why don’t they just buy out the local businesses instead of having us adversely affected?”

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Associated Press video journalist Joseph B. Frederick in New York contributed to this report.

Leer en español

The flight, to Caracas, Venezuela, is the airline’s first humanitarian trip to the South American country since the deadly earthquakes.

Pilot Cristobal Orsini, originally from Venezuela, has flown a plane countless times. But a trip has never felt so personal until now.

He said, “I’m very happy and grateful that I am able to be a part of this humanitarian flight.”

“I know many people that have died,” he said. “A lot of pilots died. A lot of flight attendants, people that I knew, people that I used to work with.”

JC Liscano, a senior vice president with American, said that the airplane “is going to carry 7,000 pounds of relief supplies: medicine, food, perishables, things that are absolutely needed right now ― not just by our team, but those (who) live in the country."

The airline is partnering with the Global Empowerment Mission in Doral, where hundreds of volunteers have worked around the clock to sort, pack and ship life-saving supplies.

Even though the earthquakes brought tremendous devastation to the country, they never shook the compassion of those determined to help put it back together.

Helpful list: Aid drop-off locations in South Florida

More on HELPING VENEZUELA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Owner Chip Ganassi announced Thursday that Dixon recently informed the team he would not return in 2027.

“Scott has meant so much to CGR over the past 24 years,” Ganassi said. “Together we’ve shared championships, many victories and countless moments that have helped define this organization."

Ganassi said he believed the 45-year-old Dixon’s contract gave him an opportunity to end his career with the team.

“We respect that he’s chosen a different path and wish him nothing but continued success,” Ganassi said. “Scott will always be a special part of this team’s history, and we’re grateful for everything we’ve accomplished together.”

Dixon, who won the 2008 Indianapolis 500, is the defending champion at IndyCar's next race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Sunday. He is 10th in points this season with one top-five finish.

“Our focus now is on finishing this season strong with the No. 9 PNC team while also preparing for the future at Chip Ganassi Racing," Ganassi said.

Dixon won karting titles in Australia and New Zealand before moving to the United States where he raced in Indy Lights and CART series before moving to IndyCar in 2003.

He won series championships in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020 and has 59 career victories, trailing only A.J. Foyt.

Dixon was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2024 and was awarded a knighthood last December in New Zealand. He was born in Australia to New Zealand-born parents who later returned to live in Auckland.

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

As officials carried body bags and stacked caskets in the port city of Catia La Mar, joy briefly broke through the pervading misery that has blanketed Venezuela's northern La Guaira on Thursday morning when rescue teams pulled a 43-year-old man out of the rubble he was buried under for nearly eight days.

Rescuers from across the Americas had worked for about 100 hours to pull Hernán Alberto Gil Flores from the collapsed shopping mall under which he was buried. Trapped in an air pocket, he'd survived on the water and sustenance rescuers passed him through the rubble. He was pulled out of the ruins on a stretcher and was carried to an ambulance as throngs of people cheered in a rare moment of victory.

Thousands more did not make it that far.

Venezuela's government said as of Wednesday that at least 2,295 were killed and more than 11,000 were wounded. Thousands more were sleeping in crowded shelters or outside, or remained missing as family members searched the rubble. The aftermath has left medics worried that the fallout could pave the way for a widening medical crisis of untreated injuries and infectious diseases in a healthcare system already on the brink.

U.S. support of a government under fire

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez continued to face mounting criticisms by Venezuelans over the government's inadequate handling of the earthquakes — civilian and international rescue efforts have far overshadowed the Venezuelan government response.

The criticism came just a day before the extension of Rodríguez’s 180-day mandate as acting leader was set to expire. Rodríguez served as deputy to former President Nicolás Maduro until he was ousted by the United States in January and she became interim leader with the backing of the Trump administration.

With little transparency by Venezuelan officials, it was unclear what would happen once the deadline passes on Friday.

Under Venezuela’s constitution, temporary absences are to be filled by the vice president — which was Rodríguez’s former role — for up to 90 days. These interim appointments can be extended by the national assembly for an additional 90 days.

The Venezuelan leader has strong support from lawmakers and the Trump administration. The National Assembly, controlled by Rodríguez’s party, can trigger a snap election if lawmakers declare the post permanently vacant.

The U.S. continued to throw support behind her government Wednesday in the face of criticism, and officials said there were 900 military personnel currently on the ground to support relief and rescue operations.

John M. Barrett, the U.S. chargé d’affaires to Venezuela, pushed back against accusations that Rodríguez was politicizing response efforts.

During a call with reporters, Barrett said the U.S. response “does require a high level of coordination with local authorities to be successful.”

“And what I can say with confidence is that the local authorities have fully complied with our requests and have accelerated this massive humanitarian response,” Barrett said.

Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, added during the call that “decades of poor investment in the people of Venezuela” had “made this even more challenging for the current government.”

“It is a big problem for any leader to deal with a challenge of this magnitude,” Donovan said.

___

Janetsky reported from Mexico City. Associated Press journalist Ben Finley contributed to this report from Washington D.C.

___

Corrects that the deadline for the acting president expires on Friday, not Thursday.

Some swear that turning off the AC when they’re gone for a few hours is the most energy-efficient, cost-saving method. Others say it’s better to leave it running continuously, preventing the system from straining to rapidly cool the house down after the home has gotten warmer throughout the day.

Three experts interviewed by The Associated Press agreed that setting the thermostat a few degrees higher than normal while you’re away is generally the best way to balance energy efficiency against comfort and humidity.

While turning an AC unit off for several hours and turning it back on can save money and energy compared to continuously running it, that approach can lead to mold problems in humid environments as well as wear and tear that can cause more frequent repairs. The equation can also vary depending on other factors including comfort level, AC unit type and building insulation.

Air conditioning strategies differ in humid or dry climates

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, adjusting your thermostat by 7-10 degrees Fahrenheit (4-6 degrees Celsius) for eight hours a day can save up to 10% a year on heating and cooling.

Experts say there are a lot of factors to consider when deciding what AC habits save the most energy and money.

“If you’re gone for like 15 minutes to go to the grocery store, you don’t get any gain" by turning off your AC, said Elizabeth Hewitt, professor and urban planning expert at Stony Brook University.

But as a general rule, “if you’re going for your work day, say for eight hours or so, you’ll almost always save more energy and money by turning things off," she said.

In some climates, however, turning off the AC might not be feasible, so residents can set back their AC a few degrees instead of blasting cold air all day.

In dry places like Arizona, you can let the home warm up more by raising the thermostat a few degrees higher. But in humid climates like Florida, air inside the home can become damp and harder to cool, and turning the AC off for long periods can increase the risk of mold since the system helps control indoor moisture.

Bumping up the thermostat by 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.6 degrees Celsius) yields about a 3% savings in cooling costs, said Patrick Phelan, mechanical engineering professor at Arizona State University.

Phelan also said leaving your AC off for hours and then turning it back on could lead to wear that results in more frequent repairs. That is because it can take AC systems 15 to 30 minutes after they are turned on to perform most efficiently.

How much energy and money you can save depends on the kind of home you live in, said Gregor Henze, an architectural engineering professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Homes built with heavy materials like concrete or brick hold in cool air longer, while older, draftier houses heat up faster. In less insulated homes, Henze said, it makes sense to adjust the thermostat even if you’re stepping out for just a few hours, because the indoor temperature can rise quickly.

Some AC units save more energy than others

Whether you have a window unit, a smart thermometer or central air could influence your savings.

Window units are generally less efficient because they’re installed in an open window, making it difficult to seal out hot air completely, said Hewitt. She added that spraying “cheap foam spray insulation in open windows or areas that are drafty is a really low-hanging fruit that doesn’t cost a lot of money and really helps retain the indoor temperature in your home.”

Phelan says smart thermostats are a handy tool to remove the mental burden of tinkering with your manual thermostat multiple times a day. Smart thermostats “learn” by monitoring the occupancy with a sensor and raise the temperature when no one is home to conserve energy and lower it when people return.

“If you’re going from just an ordinary manual thermostat to installing a smart one like a Nest, then you can expect something like 10% savings," said Phelan.

How to cool your home without air conditioning

Each expert said simple steps like blocking sunlight can go a long way in keeping homes cool.

Henze pointed to “time-honored strategies” such as opening windows at night when it’s cooler. In dry climates, that night air doesn’t add much moisture, but in humid regions it can bring in dampness the AC will later need to remove.

Hewitt added that closing your blinds can make a difference of several degrees.

Phelan also noted that some blinds are designed to reflect sunlight and said tinted window films are another option.

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O'Malley is a former Associated Press reporter.

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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 benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 6.43% from 6.49% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the average rate was 6.67%.

The average rate has been mostly hovering around 6.5% going back to mid-May and trending higher overall in the months since the war between the U.S. and Iran began in late February, disrupting the flow of crude oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. That’s sent oil prices sharply higher, helping drive up inflation, bond yields and mortgage rates.

Despite the modest decline from last week, the average rate is now at its lowest level since May 14, when it was 6.36%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also declined this week. That average rate fell to 5.79% from 5.84% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.8%, Freddie Mac said.

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

The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.46% at midday Thursday on the bond market, down from 4.48% late Wednesday.

Hope that the United States and Iran may ultimately end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers delivering crude has helped lower oil prices, helping ease some of the pressure on bond yields.

Bond yields remain elevated, though. The 10-year Treasury yield was at 3.97% in late February.

As recently as late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage had slipped just under 6% for the first time since late 2022. It’s hasn’t fallen below that threshold since. Five weeks ago, it reached 6.53%, its highest level since Aug. 28.

While average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this time last year, uncertainty about their trajectory amid the war with Iran kept many would-be homebuyers on the sideline.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes declined in the first three months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales were essentially flat in April, but accelerated in May to their fastest pace since December.

Still, sales of existing U.S. homes continue to hovering close to a 4-million annual pace, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

“Homebuyers and sellers are starting to accept rates in the mid-6% range as the new normal,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. “However, affordability is a major constraint to housing market activity as rates remain elevated and home prices continue to rise.”

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According to police, the incident happened around 10:15 p.m. when the individual was captured on camera walking up to a residence in Miami Shores.

Investigators said the culprit, described as a white male wearing a baseball cap and an unknown-colored shirt and shorts, appeared to be carrying what looked like a long gun.

Surveillance video shows the man approaching the front door, ringing the doorbell and waiting about 15 seconds before leaving the area and walking southbound, police said.

They said the resident told investigators they did not recognize the individual and had never seen him before.

Anyone with information about the man’s identity or whereabouts is urged to contact the Miami Shores Police Department at 305-759-2468.

Según la Policía, el incidente ocurrió alrededor de las 10:15 p.m., cuando el individuo fue captado por una cámara mientras se acercaba a una vivienda en Miami Shores.

Los investigadores dijeron que el sospechoso, descrito como un hombre blanco que vestía una gorra de béisbol, una camiseta de color desconocido y pantalones cortos, parecía portar lo que aparentaba ser un arma larga.

El video de vigilancia muestra al hombre acercándose a la puerta principal, tocando el timbre y esperando unos 15 segundos antes de retirarse del lugar y caminar en dirección sur, informó la Policía.

Indicaron que el residente dijo a los investigadores que no reconocía al individuo y que nunca lo había visto antes.

Cualquier persona con información sobre la identidad o el paradero del hombre debe comunicarse con el Departamento de Policía de Miami Shores al 305-759-2468.

Instead, in varied ways, they are tuning into their own personal concepts of America the Beautiful.

In Associated Press interviews with citizens in the days before the Fourth, auto technician Joe Fuqua-Bejarano, in Topeka, Kansas, sized up “what makes us awesome” as a people. It's clearly not the politics, in his view, but rather resilience.

“We’ve just all got to find unity somewhere, whether that’s in laughter or perseverance, and keep everybody cool,” he said from the fireworks stand where he's doing a booming business as a side hustle.

The world's long-running image of Americans as a brash and confident (if not boastful and jingoistic) lot did not square easily with the tempered enthusiasms and trepidations expressed by many of the people AP interviewed.

“There are lots of points of contention going around,” noted one of them, Christina Zhou, a 25-year-old research assistant from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Yet “there are still a lot of beautiful things that are happening.”

“What I’m trying to do is think about just things that are happening locally,” she added. “It feels a little bit more like within our own personal control.”

‘We’re just happy Americans'

In Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, farmer Mindy Dean, 50, and her family will be milking their goats Saturday and maybe taking in some local fireworks. Or maybe not. The 250th hoopla has been mostly lost on her. “We’re just happy Americans,” she said. “We kinda do our own thing and just enjoy our freedom as Americans.”

In contrast, the goat-free Neil Casey, an 81-year-old retiree from Nashua, New Hampshire, and his friend Maureen Regan, who lives in Cambridge, are free-range celebrants. They're roaming Boston's historical sites, like Paul Revere's house, and as many of the city's Fourth events as they can manage. They, too, are plugging their ears to discord.

“I’m very much aware of our country and what we’ve been through, you know, so I’m just trying to immerse myself in the atmosphere of the 250th," Casey said. Regan took heart in all the soccer fans who poured into the country for the World Cup and praised what they experienced.

“They love everything we have," she said, ”and I want people to not forget that and remember how lucky we are." Her advice to compatriots: "Just enjoy the moment. Enjoy that we’ve been here for 250 years.”

Still, for some, it is nearly impossible to separate holiday patriotism from steps by President Donald Trump to bend the celebrations toward himself, as with the Fourth of July festivities on the National Mall that he said will culminate in a Trump rally Saturday.

When patriotism feels ‘Republican’

"When you’re celebrating the Fourth of July right now, it feels like that’s like a Republican thing to do,” said Madeline Capodilupo, 26, a special-education teacher who lives in Boston. She'll spend the weekend with her fiancé's family at their Maine beach house.

“It’s just hard to celebrate something when it doesn’t feel like we should be celebrating anything," she said.

What celebrants are celebrating, exactly, is diverse and personal.

Ronald Hall spent 18 months in the Air Force toward the end of the Vietnam War. His wife, Karen, served two years in the Army and took part in Operation Desert Storm during the first Gulf War. While they shopped for vegetables at Detroit's Eastern Market this week, Ronald said he's spent a lifetime celebrating American ideals, which might be distinct from reality.

As a Black man, he said, America's promise of freedom and equality was at the core. “I grew up remembering the promise,” he said. “That’s what we celebrated: the promise, not the country.”

Old warriors find their faith tested

Veterans are always front and center in America's big occasions and the 250th is no different. At the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, residents are looking forward to a community celebration in the coming days that will feature a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter, a World War II ambulance, food trucks, music and even Uncle Sam on stilts.

The old warriors are keeping the faith. But that faith is being tested.

“I believe this country is the greatest that ever existed,” said Leo LeClerc, 83, an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. “Our democracy is strong and it will continue to be strong as long as people participate in it.”

But, he said. “I don’t like what’s going on in this country" and “I don’t feel very good about the 250th.” An independent who voted for Trump in 2016, he now believes a “cult of personality has taken over" around the president.

Tom Gaumont, 74, an Army veteran and former history teacher, remembered the 1976 bicentennial as a more hopeful time, despite the aftershocks of President Richard Nixon's resignation under threat of impeachment.

“I’m kinda sad at this point with what I anticipate,” Gaumont said. “I’ve seen and taught about how these things kind of crumble, so I’m concerned.”

“We’ve lasted this long," he added, "and this is a very existential time in our history.”

Allan Bailey, 83, a Republican who also served in Vietnam and later owned a motel, voiced similar pessimism.

“I’m worried about how the country is going, I really am,” he said. "I don’t know what we’re going to leave our children, and that bothers me a lot.”

A security guard works to ‘make the USA the greatest’

In Dearborn, Michigan, Nabeel Mawari, 38, sounded a more hopeful note. On Saturday, he'll be working his security guard job while his wife and two young sons celebrate the holiday with relatives. An immigrant from Yemen, now a U.S. citizen, Mawari spoke from his backyard about life in the United States.

“My life is here,” Mawari said. “We try to make the U.S.A. the greatest. That’s why I’m here. I love this country. The Fourth of July, it is very important.”

Then there's the man who, for perhaps very understandable reasons, wanted to stay far away from the political fray.

Gary MacGrath, 77, has been a caricaturist at a suburban Philadelphia fair for 14 years. This year, McGrath’s booth was sandwiched right between the local Democratic and Republican Party clubs. Talk about a rock and a hard place. He said he learned as a bartender earlier in life to “never talk about religion or politics" and was heeding that lesson now.

But he did permit himself this: “It’s 250 years," he said. “Let’s keep democracy going.”

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Ramer reported from Bedford and Tilton, N.H. Associated Press writers John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., Mike Catalini in Southampton, Pa., Michael Casey in Cambridge, Mass., and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.

The recent devastating earthquakes in Venezuela have put on pause any serious conversations between Washington, D.C. and Cuba. However, the question remains: how long can Cuba hold on as their economic situation worsens and social unrest increases each day?

The Cuban government is trying to find ways to implement the recently approved 176 reforms. But even Cuban economists inside the island agree that they might be too late to save Cuba from a total economic collapse.

June 24 update: US Supreme Court allows claim by Exxon Mobil against the government of Cuba to proceed

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 6-to-3 decision that the claim by Exxon Mobil against the government of Cuba for confiscating their properties in the early 1960’s can proceed under the Helms-Burton law.

This clearly sets a precedent for the other 5,913 registered American companies to file legal procedures against the Cuban government.

June 22 update: Ramiro Valdes, one of the original Comandantes of the Cuban Revolution, dies

Ramiro Valdes, one of the original Comandantes of the Cuban Revolution, died in Cuba Sunday at the age of 94. He was the founder of the Ministry of the Interior, known for its repressive measures against the Cuban people. Valdes is credited for killing numerous Cubans who opposed the regime from the early days of the revolution. Most recently, he was responsible for training the security police in Venezuela.

June 19 update: Cuba approves 176 new economic measures

The National Assembly of the Cuban government approved 176 new economic measures Thursday to help jumpstart their moribund economy. Similar economic reforms were introduced when Raul Castro took over power from his brother, Fidel, but they failed because the government’s infrastructure could not implement them. Are these measures in time to save Cuba from a total economic disaster? Many economists even inside the island have come out and said that they are a bit too late.

On Thursday, the European Parliament approved a resolution sanctioning Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and the leaders of the Cuban economic military conglomerate, GAESA. Finally, it suspended the existing agreement between the EU and Cuba.

June 17 update: Can President Trump afford another conflict?

Now that the U.S. and Iran have reached an agreement to stop the war, can President Donald Trump politically afford another conflict? This time it will be with Cuba -- a nation that will offer little military resistance to the U.S., but can also be a political trap for Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s future run for the U.S. presidency.

June 11 update: Rubio announces sanctioning of CUPET:

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday afternoon the sanctioning of Cuba’s oil and gas company, Union Cuba Petroleo (CUPET). This company had been confiscated from American owners at the start of the revolution.

This is a sign that Cuba’s government has not shown any willingness to negotiate with the U.S. This action further chokes the regime who is running out of options as the socio-economic problems get worse each day that passes.

June 10 update: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visits Guantanamo Bay for operational briefings

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on Wednesday to receive updates and operational briefings on the base’s mission, according to the Pentagon.

According to Reuters, Hegseth flew into the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, marking the latest visit by a senior American official to the communist-led island as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to increase pressure on the Cuban government.

His trip comes less than two weeks after General Francis Donovan, the top U.S. military commander for Latin America, visited Guantanamo Bay and held discussions with a senior Cuban military official near the base’s perimeter.

Hegseth is the third high-ranking U.S. official to visit Cuba in recent months, highlighting Washington’s continued focus on the island amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.

June 8 update: What will be brought up during any future negotiations?

One of the issues that will certainly come up during any future negotiations between the U.S. and Cuba will be the 5,913 American companies, as well as Cuban-American properties, that were confiscated by the Cuban Revolution in the early 1960’s.

According to Mauricio Tamargo, former chairman of the Foreign Claims Office in the U.S. Department of Justice, the estimated values of these properties are in the billions.

June 3 update: Raúl Castro turns 95

Raúl Castro, the former president of Cuba, turns 95 years old Wednesday under the shadow of a criminal indictment from the U.S. and an uncertain future for Cuba with the legacy of his brother, Fidel Castro, on his shoulders.

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June 1 update: Looking to the future: Should Cuban Americans invest in Cuba?

A few months ago, Cuba’s Vice Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, who is the grand-nephew of Raúl Castro, invited Cuban Americans in exile to invest in Cuba.

In 2019, the Cuban government amended their constitution to allow foreign investment. However, they did not change their laws to protect the investments.

Therefore, the risks to invest in Cuba remain greater than the opportunities.

Dr. Andy S. Gomez is Local 10’s Cuba Analyst. Gomez is considered one of the leading scholars on Cuba. He worked in higher education for 32 years before retiring from the University of Miami in 2012.

Dangerous, record-breaking heat will continue across much of the central and eastern U.S. through Friday and will continue along the East Coast through the weekend, the National Weather Service said Thursday. Temperatures in the high 90s Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) were forecast for the Northeast; Philadelphia and Boston could top 100. Humidity is expected to make it feel even hotter, all but ensuring that sweat will dampen spirits at many celebrations marking 250 years of American independence.

“Anywhere you go in southern New England, you will be dealing with dangerous heat today, tomorrow and Saturday,” said Bryce Williams, a meteorologist with the weather service.

In Boston, entrance to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will start at 4 p.m. instead of noon on Saturday because of the heat. In Philadelphia, officials shortened the route of a Thursday morning parade, canceled an afternoon all-American Block Party, and pushed back the start times of an evening picnic and concert at Independence Mall.

In Lower Windsor Township, Pennsylvania, an America 250 celebration including food trucks, games and the highway department's dump truck has been rescheduled for July 8. In Norristown, Pennsylvania, officials canceled a parade set for Saturday, citing the safety of residents, participants and first responders, though evening fireworks and an afternoon party featuring games, food, and music will go on as scheduled.

“The parade is one of our community’s most beloved traditions, and we share in the disappointment of its cancellation, especially as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” Interim Municipal Administrator Jayne Musonye said.

Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania moved outdoor events indoors. Amtrak, meanwhile, canceled some train routes due to the heat Thursday, including the Acela between Boston and Washington, and said others may operate with reduced speeds resulting in delays through Saturday.

A heat dome — high-pressure systems above a region that trap heat and humidity — has been smothering parts of the U.S., from the Midwest to the East Coast. Beyond the holiday festivities, officials in many communities are taking steps to keep residents safe, including opening cooling centers. In Boston, several air-conditioned museums are offering free admission to city residents, and in Providence, Rhode Island, city pools and waterparks have extended their hours.

As the heat bore down on New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged people conserve energy by setting their air conditionings to 78 degrees — a step previous mayors, including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have advised — in order to avoid stressing the power grid. Nevertheless, the request drew a round of jeers from the Democratic mayor’s conservative critics online.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who pokes at the mayor often on social media, responded on X “Is this what was meant by the warmth of collectivism?,” spinning a phrase the democratic socialist employed in his inaugural address back at Mamdani.

The operators of the electric grids in New York state, New England and one stretching across 13 mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states all projected that electricity demand would peak on Thursday before falling back slightly on Friday. They have not issued emergency calls to reduce consumption, however, and industry analysts say system planners prepare for such circumstances.

PJM Interconnection, which operates the grid that serves 65 million people from New Jersey to Illinois, said Thursday’s projected peak would set an all-time high for summer electricity demand, last set in 2006. That peak is well above what PJM had projected it would see this summer, but it said it had a cushion of energy capacity above that peak.

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Associated Press writers Anthony Izaguirre in New York, Michael Casey in Boston and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

But even as temperatures soared this week, Castle, 82, said she won't be filling the pool — not with the data center behind her house buzzing with the sound of its industrial air conditioners and its backup diesel generators belching fumes at unexpected times.

“I think about the air quality, the water, what effects it has on the kids in the area,” she said on her front stoop as children whirred past on bicycles.

Hot weather of the kind sweeping the eastern U.S. drives up electricity demand for data centers, adding to their strain on power grids and worsening air quality for surrounding areas. The impact on communities like the racially diverse Sacred Heart neighborhood in Lowell, Massachusetts underscores why the artificial intelligence industry is feeling so much heat over the fast-sprouting facilities.

Around the country, data centers have been blamed increasingly for a host of environmental ills. Some tech industry figures say the facilities have become lightning rods for concerns over broader economic and societal changes posed by the AI boom.

But on sweltering days, it's hard not to see the effects on Castle's neighborhood, which the state government has designated as facing higher environmental and health risks because of a population that's been historically excluded from political decision-making.

“It’s majority low-income and working family, family members who are working hard every day to just try to put food on the table,” said state Rep. Tara Hong, a Democrat who represents a heavily Cambodian American district in Lowell, a city of about 115,000 people northwest of Boston.

“It’s an inclusive place there and that data center is just smack in the middle of everything,” Hong said.

Data centers require more resources to cope with heat waves

A heat wave is “almost the worst situation for data center operation,” said Shaolei Ren, a professor at the University of California, Riverside, who has studied AI’s environmental toll. A data center’s racks of computer servers run hot and pose a power grid challenge and a water system challenge, Ren said.

There are two ways to keep data centers running without interruption, Ren said: refrigeration-based cooling, which is energy-intensive, and evaporative cooling, which is water-intensive.

Some data centers will turn to backup diesel generators as a “preventative measure” to mitigate the likelihood of an outage, Ren said. If the grid is highly stressed, grid operators will sometimes request that data center operators turn on their generators as “the last line of defense,” Ren said.

Diesel emissions can have harmful effects on human health, even with short-term exposure. If too many diesel generators are fired up to supply the electricity during heat waves, Ren said that could be "a disaster for the local air quality.″

The operator of the Lowell data center, the Markley Group, said it has planted more than 2,000 trees nearby to improve air quality. CEO Jeff Markley said in a statement to The Associated Press that the company has switched on generators in an emergency only a handful of times.

“They are not run proactively or continuously; they engage only during an actual power disruption to keep critical systems online, plus brief weekly testing of about five minutes per unit, run one generator at a time,” he said.

A data center sprouted where a pasta factory made spaghetti

Markley said he chose Lowell because of its abundant water for cooling — supplied by the same Merrimack River that powered 19th century cotton mills in the Industrial Revolution. He said the Lowell facility uses about 118,000 gallons of water per day at the peak of summer, a small fraction of the city's daily consumption.

Castle, a lifelong resident, was among those who welcomed the Markley Group a decade ago when it first started building on the site of an abandoned Prince spaghetti factory that had employed generations of neighbors from 1939 to 1997. But about two years ago, when the Markley Group plopped its second cooling tank behind her above-ground swimming pool, along with a growing number of surveillance cameras, the relationship had soured.

In response to growing opposition, Lowell's City Council voted 10-0 in February to pass a moratorium that blocks further data center expansion for a year.

Data center electricity use has grown in the last few years, said Jonathan Koomey, a researcher who has been studying the computing warehouses for 30 years. But it’s “very much a local phenomenon,” he said. On a national scale, Koomey said demand growth has been moderate in recent years and he doesn't expect that to change.

“This is not a national crisis. It’s not explosive growth nationally,” he said. But in communities surrounding data centers, there are environmental costs, local economic costs, traffic and other concerns that need to be accounted for, Koomey added.

When temperatures climb into triple digits — as they’re expected to this week in New England — it’s harder to push heat out of a data center. Keeping it cool then requires more power, as is true of commercial buildings and homes. That can put a strain on power grids and can pose a “real risk” of power outages, Koomey said.

That strain looks different from the typical summer AC rush. In those instances, systems operators are dealing with “a lot of small loads” that are “not 100% coordinated” when individuals turn on their home air conditioners, which is to the power system's benefit, Koomey said.

“One of the challenges that the data center operators face is that these data centers are pretty big loads. They are big enough that they have to think about how to coordinate them and make sure that they’re not all cutting off at the same time or coming on at the same time,″ he said.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a nonprofit that develops and enforces standards for the utility industry, recently issued an alert about the “unprecedented challenges from a surge in large power consumers” and developed guidelines to mitigate the "immediate risks posed″ by AI data centers.

As servers heat up, so do community data center tensions

Tensions ran so high in Lowell this week that police officers temporarily detained a 14-year-old girl who spoke out of turn at a city-led community forum fielding input on data center zoning.

“I’m not hurting anyone,” the girl shouted Monday evening after police officers escorted her from a middle school auditorium. “We just don’t want data centers!”

A coalition of data center opponents is increasingly clashing with electricians employed by Markley and other data center backers who say the facility boosts Lowell's ties to the tech industry.

Criticized for calling police to the contentious meeting and later asking an officer to remove the girl, Lowell Mayor Erik Gitschier, whose office is nonpartisan, told local talk radio station WCAP he didn't know her age at the time and defended his efforts to try to bring decorum to a topic he said deserves debate.

“It was warm out," he said. "You had people who had definite, passionate positions and they were screaming.”

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Huamani contributed from New York.

The CT scanner at Havana’s Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, the country’s leading hospital, is broken. Doctors have told her that, because of a lack of resources, they cannot operate on her again in Cuba, she said.

“I feel like my life is in danger,” Tristá, 34, a mother of a 13-year-old from Batabanó, a town 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Havana, told The Associated Press. “I don’t know if it has grown. We have no way of knowing,” she said.

Cuba’s once-vaunted system of free universal healthcare has deteriorated sharply. The crisis, say analysts, has been compounded by fuel shortages they attribute to tightened U.S. sanctions on the island’s energy sector, worsening an economy that had already been struggling for years.

The Trump administration is pressuring Cuba’s socialist government to implement major economic reforms and change its way of governance in return for a lifting of sanctions.

Hospitals across the island face shortages of supplies including syringes, gauze, vaccines and anesthetics. They also lack spare parts to repair equipment such as hemodialysis and CT scan machines, leaving patients like Tristá without critical care. Food shortages have also made it difficult for her to follow the diet prescribed by her doctors.

Medical specialists and technicians have left the country in large numbers.

Children among the hardest hit

Cuba was already grappling with an economic crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic and the tightening of U.S. sanctions. The situation worsened after U.S. authorities captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January, depriving Cuba of one of its staunchest allies. The White House then threatened countries that sold fuel to the island and stepped up pressure on foreign companies and individuals to stop doing business with Havana.

The result was persistent power outages lasting more than 20 hours, gasoline rationing and declines in industrial and food production, among other effects.

For Cuba, a country with health indicators comparable to those of developed nations — including low mortality, high life expectancy, broad vaccination coverage and widespread prenatal care — the situation “is shocking,” said Mario Cruz Peñate, the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization representative in the island.

Cruz Peñate said the fuel shortages have caused “quite large” disruptions to health services, affecting not only the service itself, but the entire process around the continuity of care.

He added that PAHO and the WHO themselves also faced difficulties in distributing humanitarian aid. The United Nations, on which they depend, launched a $94 million emergency plan in March to address the foreseeable humanitarian crisis resulting from the energy blockade.

A government report released in June said the survival rate for children with cancer had fallen to 65% from 85% before the energy restrictions began in January.

“We have had children die. Two so far this year,” said Yolainy Romero, a specialist at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Havana, during a tour of the pediatric ward. “This situation is terrible.”

Romero said some children, particularly those from distant provinces, must return to the hospital every 21 days for treatment.

“Sometimes a week or even 15 days go by before they can come because of the fuel shortage,” she said.

“It’s very hard,” said Adriana Felipe García, whose 4-year-old daughter, Nashly Zerquera, is being treated at the hospital. They traveled about 350 kilometers (217 miles) from their home in Sancti Spíritus, east of Havana, for her treatment.

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

Seis de ellos eran del condado de Broward y el séptimo del vecino condado de Palm Beach.

Según los informes de detención, los detectives utilizaron varios sitios web y aplicaciones en los que se hicieron pasar por chicos o chicas adolescentes, o, en un sitio web, por un “primo mayor” que explotaba sexualmente a una niña de 15 años.

Según los informes, a los hombres con los que conversaron se les indicó que se dirigieran a un hotel en Dania Beach.

Ryan Thorpe Walker, de cincuenta años, cuya dirección figura como una oficina de correos y centro de distribución en Oakland Park, está acusado de intentar reunirse con un adolescente, mientras que Marco Ramirez Linares, de 22 años y residente de Hollywood, está acusado de ofrecer 100 dólares a cambio de sexo con una adolescente.

Según los detectives, algunos de los sospechosos mintieron sobre su edad.

Según los agentes, Zubaer Ashar, de 27 años y residente de Greenacres, dijo tener 17 años y le preguntó a su supuesto “primo” si una chica de 15 años a la que le ofrecía 150 dólares por tener relaciones sexuales con ella “tomaba anticonceptivos”.

Kyle Andrew Rosenthal, de 32 años y residente de Coral Springs, declaró que tenía 30 años cuando intentó reunirse con quien creía que era una niña de 14 años, según la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Broward (BSO).

Según los informes de detención, al menos dos de los sospechosos reconocieron que lo que estaban haciendo podría llevarlos a la cárcel.

Los agentes dijeron que cuando Grant Ryan Werner, de 25 años y residente de Dania Beach, se dio cuenta de que estaba chateando con quien creía que era un chico de 15 años, dijo: “No sé, jajaja, en el fondo no me molesta, pero no quiero meterme en problemas”.

Las autoridades dijeron que Werner también le dijo al supuesto adolescente, antes del encuentro planeado, “sí, jaja, básicamente puedo ser acusado de pedófilo (sic) lol”.

Según los agentes, Luis Chifundo Ortiz, de 23 años y residente de Pembroke Pines, le dijo a quien creía que era un chico de 15 años: “Recuerda que no eres mayor de edad” y “No tienes 18 años o más, así que tengo que tenerlo en cuenta”.

Un comunicado de prensa de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Broward (BSO, por sus siglas en inglés) indica que los hombres arrestados enfrentan diversos cargos, entre ellos “trata de personas de un menor, viajar para encontrarse con un menor, solicitar servicios sexuales a un menor, posesión de MDMA e incumplimiento de la libertad condicional”.

Según la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Broward (BSO, por sus siglas en inglés), los agentes también indicaron que durante la operación, “diez víctimas fueron rescatadas y conectadas con recursos esenciales como refugio, atención médica y asesoramiento para ayudarlas a reconstruir sus vidas”.

“Además, una de las víctimas fue identificada como una adolescente que se había escapado de casa y provenía de otra ciudad”, indica el comunicado de prensa de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Broward (BSO). “Se reunió con su familia y se le ofrecieron amplios servicios de apoyo”.

Operaciones similares también tuvieron lugar recientemente en el condado de Miami-Dade .

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Six of them were from Broward County and the seventh was from neighboring Palm Beach County.

According to arrest reports, detectives used various websites and apps in which they posed as teenage boys or girls, or, on one website, an “older cousin” pimping a 15-year-old girl.

The men they chatted with were directed to go to a hotel in Dania Beach, the reports state.

Fifty-year-old Ryan Thorpe Walker, whose address is listed as a post office and distribution facility in Oakland Park, is accused of trying meet a teenage boy, while Marco Ramirez Linares, 22, of Hollywood, is accused of offering $100 for sex with a teenage girl.

Some of the suspects lied about their ages, detectives said.

Deputies said Zubaer Ashar, 27, of Greenacres, said he was 17 and asked the purported “cousin” whether a 15-year-old girl he was offering $150 for sex with was “on birth control.”

Kyle Andrew Rosenthal, 32, of Coral Springs, said he was 30 when attempting to meet up with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl, according to BSO.

At least two of the suspects acknowledged what they were doing could land them in jail, arrest reports state.

Deputies said when Grant Ryan Werner, 25, of Dania Beach, found out he was chatting with who he thought was a 15-year-old boy, he said, “Idkkk lol I’m low key ok with it but I don’t want to get in trouble.”

Authorities said Werner also told the purported teen, before the planned meetup, “yea haha I can Basically be charged as a pedofile (sic) lol.”

Deputies said Luis Chifundo Ortiz, 23, of Pembroke Pines, told who he thought was a 15-year-old boy, “Remember that you’re not legal” and, “You’re not 18+, so I have to be aware of that.”

A BSO news release states that the men arrested all face various charges, including “human trafficking of a minor, traveling to meet a minor, solicitation of a minor, possession of MDMA and violation of probation.”

According to BSO, deputies additionally said that during their operation, “ten victims were rescued and connected to critical resources such as shelter, medical care and counseling to help them rebuild their lives.”

“Additionally, one of the victims was identified as a teenage runaway from out of town,” the BSO news release states. “She was reunited with her family and offered extensive support services.”

Similar stings also recently took place in Miami-Dade County.

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In recordkeeping that extends back to pre-Civil War days, we’ve only documented two tropical storms and one hurricane landfall on the 4th of July in the U.S. Two of those storms happened more than a century ago.

The only Independence Day hurricane strike on record was Hurricane Arthur back in 2014, which scraped quickly over North Carolina’s Outer Banks as a Category 2 hurricane during the pre-dawn hours of July 4th. Although Arthur technically made landfall at 11:15 PM local on July 3rd just west of Cape Lookout, the eye of the hurricane was still over Pamlico Sound and lashing the North Carolina coastline after midnight on July 4th.

Even so, Arthur was accelerating away from North Carolina by daybreak on July 4th, 2014, with peeks of sunshine even reaching the sands of North Carolina’s battered beaches later that morning.

Why so few U.S. landfalls on the 4th?

The Independence Day holiday falls in the early part of the hurricane season when hurricanes and tropical storms are generally less common. Roughly 94 percent of named storms, 97 percent of hurricanes, and 99.5 percent of all major (Category 3 or stronger) hurricanes form after July 4th. Only about one in eight named storms to hit the U.S. happens before July 5.

But July 4th has something more working in its favor. As we’ve written about extensively in this newsletter over the years, storms begin forming farther away from the U.S. in July, which means we have fewer “homegrown” or “homebrewed” systems.

Because of this, we actually see a dip in the number of U.S. storms in July, with July falling second only to November for the lowest number of U.S. named storm landfalls of any month of the 6-month hurricane season.

So while we can never guarantee a hurricane-free holiday from June through November, July 4th is probably the closest you’ll get before Thanksgiving.

All about the extreme heat this July 4th

Even in the years when storms don’t strike on July 4th, we can see issues from the tropics, such as the tropical-laden air that contributed to the horrific central Texas floods last year and killed nearly 140 people.

This Independence Day, however, it won’t be flooding but excessive heat that poses the biggest threat weatherwise. A dangerous heatwave gripping the central and eastern U.S. will pose major health-related issues for those underneath the massive heat dome in the days ahead.

The National Weather Service has a wide swath of the eastern U.S. under extreme heat risk for the holiday weekend, with dozens of daily temperature records threatened, as feels-like temperatures touch 115 degrees in parts of the mid-Atlantic and northeast.

For those affected by the heatwave, remember to limit your time outdoors, stay hydrated, and ensure you have easy access to A/C or cooling centers.

The tropics should remain quiet for at least the first few weeks of July.

En los registros que se remontan a la época anterior a la Guerra Civil, solo hemos documentado dos tormentas tropicales y un huracán que tocaron tierra el 4 de julio en Estados Unidos. Dos de esas tormentas ocurrieron hace más de un siglo.

El único huracán que azotó el Día de la Independencia del que se tiene constancia fue el huracán Arthur en 2014, que pasó rápidamente por los Outer Banks de Carolina del Norte como huracán de categoría 2 durante las primeras horas de la madrugada del 4 de julio. Aunque técnicamente Arthur tocó tierra a las 23:15 hora local del 3 de julio, justo al oeste de Cape Lookout, el ojo del huracán todavía se encontraba sobre Pamlico Sound y azotaba la costa de Carolina del Norte después de la medianoche del 4 de julio.

Aun así, Arthur se alejaba a toda velocidad de Carolina del Norte al amanecer del 4 de julio de 2014, e incluso algunos rayos de sol llegaron a las arenas de las castigadas playas de Carolina del Norte más tarde esa misma mañana.

¿Por qué tan pocos impactos en tierra en Estados Unidos el día 4?

El Día de la Independencia cae al comienzo de la temporada de huracanes, cuando estos y las tormentas tropicales suelen ser menos frecuentes. Aproximadamente el 94 % de las tormentas con nombre, el 97 % de los huracanes y el 99,5 % de todos los huracanes importantes (categoría 3 o superior) se forman después del 4 de julio. Solo alrededor de una de cada ocho tormentas con nombre que azotan Estados Unidos ocurre antes del 5 de julio.

Pero el 4 de julio tiene algo más a su favor. Como hemos comentado extensamente en este boletín a lo largo de los años, las tormentas comienzan a formarse más lejos de Estados Unidos en julio, lo que significa que tenemos menos sistemas “locales” o “de origen local”.

Debido a esto, en realidad vemos una disminución en el número de tormentas en Estados Unidos durante julio, siendo julio el segundo mes con menor número de tormentas con nombre que tocan tierra en Estados Unidos durante la temporada de huracanes de 6 meses, solo superado por noviembre.

Si bien nunca podemos garantizar unas vacaciones sin huracanes entre junio y noviembre, el 4 de julio es probablemente lo más parecido que tendrás antes del Día de Acción de Gracias.

Todo sobre el calor extremo de este 4 de julio.

Incluso en los años en que no hay tormentas el 4 de julio, podemos observar problemas derivados de los trópicos, como la atmósfera cargada de precipitaciones tropicales que contribuyó a las terribles inundaciones del centro de Texas el año pasado y que causaron la muerte de casi 140 personas.

Este Día de la Independencia, sin embargo, la mayor amenaza meteorológica no serán las inundaciones, sino el calor extremo. Una peligrosa ola de calor que azota el centro y el este de Estados Unidos provocará graves problemas de salud a quienes se encuentren bajo esta intensa ola de calor en los próximos días.

El Servicio Meteorológico Nacional ha advertido de un riesgo extremo de calor en una amplia zona del este de Estados Unidos durante el fin de semana festivo, con docenas de récords de temperatura diarios amenazados, ya que la sensación térmica alcanzará los 115 grados en partes del Atlántico medio y el noreste.

Para quienes se vean afectados por la ola de calor, recuerden limitar el tiempo que pasan al aire libre, mantenerse hidratados y asegurarse de tener fácil acceso a aire acondicionado o centros de refrigeración.

Se prevé que la actividad tropical se mantenga tranquila al menos durante las primeras semanas de julio.

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The banner read, “When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace.”

The incident happened around noon Wednesday and local news outlets reported that the observation deck was later cleared.

According to various news outlets, the two began descending from the top of the building at about 12:35 p.m., and at one point, the man appeared to propose to the woman, who then removed her mask and kissed him.

The couple has since been identified as Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus who star in Netflix’s “Skywalkers A love Story” and have performed similar stunts.

Both were arrested after they descended the skyscraper.

At 1,454 feet tall, the Empire State Building is the eighth tallest building in New York City. The tallest building is One World Trade Center, which stands at 1,776 feet tall.

Reports from media including Sky Sports indicated last week that Verstappen's management had requested, and held, a meeting with McLaren ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. The content of any discussions wasn't reported and the Dutch driver has yet to comment.

“It’s a cool thing, it’s a good thing that a four-time world champion wants to come on board and wants to potentially join the team," Norris said Thursday as he prepares for his home British Grand Prix.

“I don’t know how much of it’s true, but it’s a cool thing and if there’s an opportunity for me to drive with other people, it’s something I’ve always looked forward to. But it’s not a thing for now. It’s not a serious thing.”

McLaren chief executive Zak Brown said on the Up To Speed podcast released Wednesday that Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri are “not going anywhere” and he'd only consider Verstappen if McLaren had an opening.

Besides Verstappen, “quite a few others” in F1 are interested in a potential McLaren drive too, Norris said.

“I’m also just excited for my future with McLaren. I’m still going to be here for many, many more years, so I’m excited for whoever I get partnered with,” he added. "But for the time being, me and Oscar are still working very well together. We’re excited to work together for more years too, so that’s our focus for now.”

Verstappen remains under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028 but there have been signs the deal includes options to exit earlier under certain conditions. A planned move to McLaren for his long-time race engineer GianPiero Lambiase increased the speculation of a potential move to McLaren for the Dutchman.

Mercedes has been interested in Verstappen in the past but team principal Toto Wolff has said he wants to keep title rivals George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

Verstappen's also previously suggested he'd consider leaving F1.

Norris said he believed he could hold his own if Verstappen, a friend and on-track rival for the title last year, is ever his teammate.

“I do believe I can beat any driver. I think what makes Max so incredible is how he is over the course of a season, every single weekend, performing to the level that he does is what’s impressive,” Norris said.

“I believe whether it’s him or having a chance to go against Lewis (Hamilton) or Fernando (Alonso), any of the drivers that people know are some of the best, I think it’s a cool opportunity for me at the same time. So, excited for whatever may come my way in the future.”

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

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According to an arrest report from the City of Miami Police Department, the incident occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Monday in the 2300 block of West Flagler Street.

Police said the victim claimed that as she was walking through the parking lot of a Burger King, on her way to school, the suspect, later identified by police as Keldon Figueroa, hit her on her buttocks, grabbed her by the wrist and asked her a few times, “Do you want to f***?”

The victim told police that the man was holding a key between his fingers and she feared that he would use it as a weapon.

According to the report, the victim said she “had to act clueless,” and the man eventually let her go and fled in the opposite direction.

Figueroa and the victim do not know each other, authorities confirmed.

Police said surveillance footage from the Burger King captured part of the incident.

According to the report, Figueroa was located the next day at work and was arrested.

Police said he was on probation in connection with a separate case and his GPS monitor placed him at the scene of Monday’s crime.

He now faces charges of attempted kidnapping and battery.

As of Thursday morning, Figueroa was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He was expected to appear in bond court sometime Thursday.

Según un informe de arresto del Departamento de Policía de la Ciudad de Miami, el incidente ocurrió poco después de las 11 a.m. del lunes en la cuadra 2300 de West Flagler Street.

La Policía informó que la víctima aseguró que, mientras caminaba por el estacionamiento de un Burger King rumbo a la escuela, el sospechoso, identificado posteriormente como Keldon Figueroa, le golpeó los glúteos, la sujetó por la muñeca y le preguntó varias veces: “¿Quieres coger?”

La víctima dijo a la Policía que el hombre sostenía una llave entre los dedos y que temía que la usara como arma.

Según el informe, la víctima dijo que “tuvo que hacerse la desentendida”, y que el hombre finalmente la soltó y huyó en dirección contraria.

Las autoridades confirmaron que Figueroa y la víctima no se conocían.

La Policía informó que las cámaras de vigilancia del Burger King captaron parte del incidente.

Según el informe, Figueroa fue localizado al día siguiente en su lugar de trabajo y fue arrestado.

La Policía indicó que estaba bajo libertad condicional por un caso separado y que el monitor GPS que llevaba lo ubicó en la escena del crimen ocurrido el lunes.

Ahora enfrenta cargos de intento de secuestro y agresión.

Hasta la mañana del jueves, Figueroa permanecía detenido en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight. Se esperaba que compareciera ante un juez para la audiencia de fianza en algún momento del jueves.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Police fired tear gas and pepper spray at protesters who were pelting them with rocks, eggs and other objects. Authorities said 12 police officers were injured and 18 protesters were detained.

The gathering was part of daily protests, dubbed the “ flamingo revolution,” that began more than a month ago in opposition to plans for a luxury coastal development project linked to Kushner.

While the protests stemmed from environmental issues related to the development project, they have morphed into more general political demonstrations voicing opposition against the government and Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, blowing whistles and holding cardboard cut-outs of flamingos — one of the protected migratory bird species whose habitats could be threatened by the proposed resort on the Adriatic coast.

The government says the development at Narta Lagoon would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership. But the venture, spanning an abandoned island and a nearby stretch of seafront, has drawn opposition from environmental campaigners and critics of Rama’s government.

On Thursday, several hundred protesters gathered outside the Albanian parliament in Tirana, demanding the prime minister's resignation and chanting “Rama has to go to jail.”

Some hurled rocks, eggs and plastic bottles at police, and used part of a metal barrier to smash the windows of a police car. Police used tear gas, pepper spray and a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

“The protesters want their voice to be heard inside (the parliament), as the prime minister for so many days has not heard them and has ignored them,” said protester Agustela Thoma. “But enough is enough.”

Interior Minister Besfort Lamallari condemned “the acts of vandalism and criminal violence" against the police.

“Police officers are public servants, citizens of the Republic, and family members just like everyone else. They serve the law, public order, and the safety of every citizen, without distinction. An attack against them is an attack against the state,” the minister added.

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Cimili reported from Pristina, Kosovo

La oficina de prensa de la Santa Sede indicó que durante las conversaciones se prestó "especial atención a las repercusiones de los conflictos, a la delincuencia organizada internacional y al cambio climático”.

Además, fue expresada la “satisfacción por las buenas relaciones entre Colombia y la Santa Sede”, especialmente en favor de la “promoción de la paz, la reconciliación y la unidad nacional”.

Tras encontrarse con el papa León XIV, Petro se reunió con el cardenal Pietro Parolin, secretario de Estado, acompañado de monseñor Daniel Pacho, subsecretario para el sector multilateral de la Sección para las Relaciones con los Estados y Organismos Internacionales.

El progresista Petro acudió a la audiencia cuando le resta poco más de un mes para dejar el poder. El 7 de agosto asumirá como presidente De la Espriella, abogado y empresario apoyado por el presidente estadounidense Donald Trump, quien promete dar un giro conservador en Colombia.

Petro aseguró en la red social X que solicitó al papa “ayudarnos a proteger a las comunidades campesinas beneficiarias de la reforma agraria".

En su gobierno Petro avanzó en la entrega de tierras para los campesinos que sufrieron el despojo en años pasados como víctimas del conflicto armado colombiano. En adelante, dijo Petro, las tierras estarían en peligro porque “algunos de los allegados” de las “mafias” que quieren volver a tomar poder de las tierras buscan “dirigir de nuevo el Ministerio de Agricultura” en el próximo gobierno.

A su llegada a Italia el lunes Petro dijo que vería al papa para “dialogar del peligro de ocultar la verdad”, sin dar detalles sobre esa afirmación en X, donde también reprochó que “ningún funcionario del gobierno italiano” lo recibió en el aeropuerto.

La primera ministra italiana Giorgia Meloni felicitó en X a De la Espriella por su triunfo en las urnas luego de la segunda vuelta presidencial en Colombia y dijo estar lista para desarrollar las relaciones bilaterales y fortalecer la cooperación en la lucha contra el narcotráfico y las organizaciones criminales transnacionales.

Justices were at times bitterly divided — and critical of one another — in rulings that winnowed key provisions of a landmark voting rights law, allowed the government to revoke protections for some immigrants and even challenged the historic understanding of birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants.

The decisions come at a moment when long-standing debates over race and identity have turned toward immigration, increasing racial diversity and the fairness of policies meant to prevent and redress discrimination.

“This term, we saw a Supreme Court that is moving quickly to eradicate legal protections in ways that will leave vulnerable communities exposed to the harsh winds of discrimination and hatred that we continue to see across the country today,” Kristen Clarke, general counsel for the NAACP and the former head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division during the Biden administration, told The Associated Press.

Here is a breakdown of the latest decisions involving race and what they may mean going forward:

The temporary protected status case

The court allowed the government to end deportation protections for Haitians and Syrians in the U.S. who have fled violence and natural disaster. President Donald Trump's administration revoked the temporary protected status last year.

With the president's more than decadelong track record of denigrating developing nations and immigrants who come to the U.S. from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, attorneys for some affected migrants contended that the government could not cancel the designations, in part because Trump's comments about immigrants were racist.

“The true reason for the termination is the president’s racial animus towards non-white immigrants and bare dislike of Haitians in particular,” Geoffrey Pipoly, an attorney for the Haitian nationals in the case, said during April oral arguments in the case, Mullin v. Doe. The attorneys noted that, during his second presidential campaign, Trump claimed immigrants “are poisoning the blood of our country" and suggested in another instance that migrants have “bad genes.”

Federal authorities denied prejudice played a role in the decision and argued that TPS was supposed to end but has lasted more than a decade in some cases.

In writing for the 6-3 conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito said none of the cited statements was “overtly racial,” reasoning that any of Trump's actions could have been taken without racial animus and attributing his anti-immigrant comments to “political discourse."

That's not how the court's liberal minority saw the situation.

“The references — of filth, disease, and primitiveness — are shot through with racial stereotypes and tropes. It is hard to imagine the statements being made today of any White community,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her dissent.

The birthright citizenship case

In one of the highest-profile cases of the term, the court reaffirmed that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution means all people born in the U.S. are citizens.

On his first day in office last year, Trump signed an executive order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship to the children of U.S. citizens, a move that civil rights groups challenged as unconstitutional and racist.

In his majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts traced the arc of birthright citizenship — a principle that all people born on U.S. soil are citizens — from its origins in English common law to its codification in the 14th Amendment.

Roberts noted that race and citizenship had been fiercely debated in courts, speeches, Congress and battlefields because of Black Americans’ fight for freedom from slavery.

Freed Black Americans did not receive citizenship as a “reward,” Roberts wrote, but because “the Amendment recognized their rightful claim to birthright citizenship simply and solely by virtue of their having been born on American soil.”

The 6-3 ruling was a blow to the Trump administration, which has made restricting immigration its central goal.

“The clause does not extend citizenship to the children of temporary visa holders or illegal aliens,” U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer argued before the court in April.

Justice Clarence Thomas agreed and wrote in his dissent that African descendants of enslaved people in the U.S. are a unique case separate from the children of tourists or people in the country illegally.

“Blacks were entitled to citizenship because they were Americans. They had no other homeland, owed no allegiance to any foreign power, and were subject to no other authority,” Thomas wrote.

In a stark move, liberal Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor directly criticized Thomas' claim in a joint opinion.

“The Reconstruction Amendments were an anticaste, antisubordination reset for the Nation, not a mere spot treatment for the dark stain of slavery,” they wrote.

The voting rights case

The Supreme Court handed down a decision in April that gutted a key provision of the Voting Rights Act meant to remedy efforts to disenfranchise minority voters. Among the methods the law permitted to stop voting discrimination in states was the creation of majority-minority congressional districts.

In the majority opinion, Alito found that because race and partisan voting behavior were so intertwined, it was unfair to conclude that a partisan gerrymander of a state's congressional districts could be racist, given there may be other reasons for the map's results.

Alito reasoned that “in a state where both parties have substantial support and where race is often correlated with party preference,” partisan actors can “easily exploit” laws meant to protect minority political participation for disingenuous reasons.

The liberal justices balked at the logic and criticized the conservative majority for harming minority representation in politics and culture. They believed that the law's provisions were still necessary to prevent discrimination by states and worried about the fallout from its removal.

“The consequences are likely to be far-reaching and grave," Kagan wrote in her dissent. “Today’s decision renders Section 2 all but a dead letter. In the states where that law continues to matter — the states still marked by residential segregation and racially polarized voting — minority voters can now be cracked out of the electoral process.”

The decision has had profound impact on the political landscape, with nearly a dozen Southern states immediately taking steps to redistrict and eliminate majority-Black districts.

New polling from Ipsos Sports, provided exclusively to The Associated Press, shows that the World Cup has excited soccer fans and piqued many Americans’ interest, even as the sport faces an uphill climb to reach mainstream popularity in the United States.

Despite that challenge, many U.S. adults were excited about the United States making it to the knockout round of the World Cup. Most soccer fans in the U.S. have been pleased by the U.S. men’s national team performance, and the overwhelming majority are excited for the rest of the World Cup.

The poll was conducted June 26-28, after the United States advanced from the group stage but before they won against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the first knockout round.

Soccer fans are excited by the USMNT's performance

About 6 in 10 soccer fans were “extremely” or “very” excited about the U.S. advancing to the knockout round, much higher than the 25% of Americans overall who said the same.

The United States has historically lost once they reached the knockout rounds. Before Wednesday, they had last won a knockout game in 2002.

Though this poll was conducted before the United States' victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina, fans were already giving the U.S. men’s team credit for having a strong showing in the group stage. Most soccer fans, 55%, said the U.S. team's performance was going “extremely well” or “very well.” One-quarter, roughly, believed it was going “somewhat well.”

Similarly, about half of soccer fans say the United States’ role in co-hosting the World Cup is going at least “very” well.

There's less enthusiasm for FIFA's role in managing the World Cup. Only about one-third of soccer fans in the U.S. say that's going “extremely” or “very” well. During the tournament, FIFA has faced criticism for enforcing mandated hydration breaks that some say ruin the momentum of games, as well as cooperating with travel restrictions and visa refusals against Iran.

The poll found Americans and soccer fans alike are about evenly split on whether they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of FIFA. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults have a positive view of FIFA, while 25% have a negative one. Most Americans — 55% — don't have an opinion.

Will this be the moment Americans turn to soccer? Probably not

It’s not easy to get Americans to care about soccer, even with the World Cup in their backyard.

Only about 2 in 10 Americans consider themselves fans of international or U.S. soccer, far behind the share who root for professional football, basketball or baseball. And roughly one-third of U.S. adults say they have heard or read “a lot” about the World Cup, though most have heard at least “a little.”

Roughly 2 in 10 U.S. adults — 17% — say they are “extremely” or “very” excited about the rest of the World Cup. That’s up a smidge from Ipsos polling in May, but points to the challenge that comes with trying to turn America into a soccer nation.

Most Americans expect that the World Cup will increase other Americans’ interest in soccer, but relatively few say they have personally gotten more interested in the sport. About 6 in 10 U.S. adults think Americans in general will get more into soccer because of the World Cup, while 24% say they personally have.

Soccer fans are especially optimistic, though. About three-quarters of soccer fans in the U.S. expect this year’s World Cup will increase Americans’ general interest in soccer, compared to about half of non-soccer fans. And roughly half of soccer fans say the World Cup has increased their own interest in the sport, even if only 17% of non-fans say the same.

Many Americans will watch games or follow on social media

Outside of watching games, there are other ways for people to engage with the World Cup.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults — including about half of soccer fans — say they have used social media to keep up with teams and players.

Roughly one-quarter of Americans have gone to a restaurant or bar to watch a game or plan to do so, and about 2 in 10 have gone to a World Cup watch party. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults — and 33% of soccer fans in the U.S. — say they have bought official merchandise like team jerseys, posters or scarves.

As sportsbooks note how World Cup betting has exceeded expectations amid the USMNT's success, about 1 in 10 Americans in the poll say they have placed an official bet on the games. About 5% say they have traded on game outcomes using a prediction market.

And with official and unofficial watch parties popping up in host cities across the United States, 8% say they have watched a game from a host city.

___

The Ipsos Sports poll of 1,027 adults was conducted June 26-28 using a sample drawn from the Ipsos probability-based KnowledgePanel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

State data and experts who study voting trends suggest those efforts have made no significant improvement in participation, even as California's drawn-out tabulating has put it in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump and made it a target of those who promote unfounded election conspiracy theories.

Turnout hit 40.8% in the June primary, according to preliminary figures from the secretary of state's office, with counties required to complete their counting by Thursday. While that was an increase over the previous two primary elections, it was below participation levels in several other primaries stretching back to 2000 and nowhere near participation in the 1970s, when primary turnout sometimes topped 70%.

Wide gaps also remain in participation by younger voters and voters of color, according to the Center for Inclusive Democracy, a nonpartisan research group. The state's most consistent voters remain older, white, more affluent homeowners.

The state appears to have seen only incremental progress from its voting changes over the past decade or more, said the center's director, Mindy Romero.

“We haven’t seen significant jumps in turnout,” she said. “We still have very significant disparity in turnout with race and ethnicity. The numbers don’t lie.”

Extensive changes have mostly led to longer vote counting

Over the years, heavily Democratic California has ushered in a series of changes aimed at driving up voter participation. Those changes have sometimes come with a price, lengthening the time it takes to count ballots.

Every voter receives a mail-in ballot that can arrive at an election office seven days late and still be counted, provided the envelope is postmarked by Election Day. Residents also can sign up to vote on Election Day if they missed the registration deadline or had not updated their voter registration information. Those ballots are counted once their registration is verified.

Each envelope containing a mail ballot must match the signature on file, and that takes time. If a signature does not match, election officials are required to give those voters a chance to come in and prove their identity so the ballot will count, further delaying a final tally.

In that sense, California’s unusually long vote tally is the result of its own doing. In a report released last month, the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation found that the percentage of California’s ballots counted within two days of Election Day has generally declined over time, from 81% in 2004 to 66% in 2024.

That period loosely tracked a steady expansion of mail voting in the state. In a special statewide election last year, nearly 9 of every 10 voters used a mail ballot.

Florida, Texas and other big states quickly wrap up vote counting. California is a national laggard, with the outcome in close races sometimes taking weeks to decide.

While election officials insist they are focused on accuracy, the extended tabulating period has opened the door for candidates who see their lead slip away to suggest something nefarious is at work. After the June primary, Trump seized on California’s reputation as the national slowpoke in vote counting to renew his long-standing criticism of the state's elections, while the Republican's Department of Justice launched an investigation into Los Angeles County's elections.

Even Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has lamented the glacial pace of counting. The state’s newly enacted budget includes $29 million to help speed up the state’s long count.

“We wish the votes were counted faster, too,” Newsom's press office wrote on the social platform X last month.

Turnout hardly budged after California passed a major participation law

One of the most prominent changes came in 2016, with the passage of what was called the Voter’s Choice Act. It was intended to make voting more convenient and increase turnout, especially among younger voters of color.

The law set a path toward statewide vote-by-mail and, in some counties, replaced traditional neighborhood polling places with community voting centers and ballot drop boxes. The goal was to free voters from being tied to a single polling location or day.

It does not appear the law has had the intended impact.

Elections two decades apart give a stark illustration: Turnout for the 2024 presidential election in California was 71%, 5 percentage points lower than turnout for the 2004 presidential election. The 2022 midterms turnout was 51%, the same rate as the midterm election 20 years earlier.

A 2025 study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California concluded that “turnout did not consistently improve or worsen for any racial or ethnic group.”

“The effects of the (act) have generally fallen short of the reform’s original goal of a larger and more representative electorate,” the study said.

In separate 2025 research, the institute found that whites make up 36% of California’s adult population but comprise 50% of the state’s likely voters. Latinos make up 38% of the adult population but 29% of likely voters. Black residents make up 5% of adults and 4% of likely voters.

“You can’t definitely, clearly say the (act) had an overall, positive impact on turnout,” said Romero, the voting researcher, who added that more study was needed.

Legislative changes can go only so far to boost turnout

There appears to be an emerging consensus that more needs to be done to connect with and motivate infrequent voters, many of them people of color who are often overlooked by campaigns.

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat who was the state’s chief elections officer when the Voter’s Choice Act was signed by Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, said in a statement that while the state is a leader in voting access “candidates and political parties must do more to motivate voters to get out and vote.”

Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, said part of California’s challenge is simply contending with the scale of voting. California has 23 million-plus registered voters, more than any other state. That number has increased steadily over two decades, even as turnout has not jumped significantly.

The state has at least made gains registering new voters — nearly 85% of eligible voters are registered, compared with 70% two decades ago. That also means more votes to count, another challenge to the timeliness of results. The state has about 7.5 million more voters than it did in 2006.

Alexander said a voter’s decision to turn in a ballot can turn on multiple considerations. Primary elections can be seen as optional, with the general election coming in the fall. Misinformation and attacks on the reliability of elections are suppressing turnout. Even California’s notoriously complex ballots with dozens of races overlapping with state and local ballot initiatives can be a turnoff, she said, overwhelming some would-be voters.

Despite all the state's changes, how people vote can be less important than what motivates them to vote.

“The public’s level of trust in government and institutions, who and what’s on the ballot and how well-financed their get-out-the-vote campaigns are, have a much greater impact on voter participation than the election model used,” said Bob Page, Orange County's registrar of voters.

A diferencia de lo que muchas personas creen, el icónico faro no recibe fondos del gobierno federal ni de la Guardia Costera de Estados Unidos. En cambio, es mantenido por la Sociedad para la Preservación del Faro de Hillsboro, una organización sin fines de lucro que depende casi por completo de actividades de recaudación de fondos, membresías y recorridos públicos para cubrir los costos de mantenimiento y restauración.

“No recibimos ni un dólar de la Guardia Costera. No recibimos ni un dólar del gobierno”, dijo Ralph Krugler, historiador de la Sociedad para la Preservación del Faro de Hillsboro. “La mayor parte del dinero proviene de los eventos de recaudación de fondos y de los recorridos públicos que realizamos para generar ingresos. Por eso está tomando tanto tiempo”.

El faro comenzó a operar el 8 de marzo de 1907 y se ha convertido en uno de los monumentos más reconocibles del sur de Florida. Krugler, quien dirige muchos de los recorridos mensuales de la organización, afirma que los visitantes suelen quedar cautivados por las vistas panorámicas desde la cima de la estructura de 11 pisos.

Pero la subida también deja ver el desgaste que más de un siglo de exposición al aire salino ha causado en el faro.

El óxido ha deteriorado componentes originales de hierro y se pueden observar grietas y corrosión en varias partes de la estructura.

“Es por el aire salino”, dijo Krugler. “El ambiente es muy agresivo para el hierro”.

Actualmente, los trabajadores están retirando el material dañado, aplicando nuevos recubrimientos protectores y planean reemplazar las piezas de hierro deterioradas por acero inoxidable, que se espera resista mejor las duras condiciones costeras del sur de Florida durante las próximas décadas.

Se espera que el proyecto completo de restauración cueste hasta $2 millones USD.

Hasta ahora, la sociedad de preservación solo ha recaudado una fracción de lo necesario.

“Nos ha tomado unos 10 años reunir $400,000 USD”, dijo Krugler.

Para ayudar a acelerar la recaudación de fondos, la organización se ha asociado con la influencer local del mundo de la navegación Camilla Pavan, quien creó la campaña en redes sociales “Save the Lighthouse” y una página en GoFundMe.

Pavan dijo que pasa regularmente frente al faro mientras navega y creyó que las redes sociales podrían ayudar a atraer más atención al esfuerzo de preservación.

“Sabía que se volvería viral”, dijo.

También afirmó que la sociedad de preservación tenía muy poca presencia en redes sociales antes de que ella se involucrara.

“Honestamente, la Asociación del Faro estaba un poco desactualizada cuando se trataba de donaciones y redes sociales”, dijo Pavan. “Fue entonces cuando decidí intervenir e intentar ayudar”.

La campaña en internet ya ha recaudado miles de dólares, lo que da esperanza a los responsables de la preservación de que podrán generar el impulso suficiente para completar la restauración antes de que los daños empeoren.

“Estamos tratando de aumentar nuestra presencia y lograr que más personas se den cuenta de que este es parte de la comunidad”, dijo Krugler. “Si de verdad quieren que permanezca aquí, ¿pueden ayudarnos?”.

El Faro de Hillsboro Inlet solo es accesible por barco. Para obtener información sobre los recorridos o las oportunidades de membresía, haga clic aquí.

Grupos de derechos de los inmigrantes y organizaciones religiosas han denunciado las condiciones en esta instalación durante años y organizaron las protestas del miércoles. Según los manifestantes, los detenidos están sujetos a hacinamiento y temperaturas excesivas.

El manifestante Luis Rivera dijo que tiene un amigo cercano de la familia que tenía una cita obligatoria en la oficina. Afirmó sentirse asustado y preocupado.

“Tienes personas —tu familia, tus amigos— a quienes quieres”, dijo. “Es difícil.”

Arianne Betancourt contó que su padre estuvo detenido en la instalación durante seis meses. Ahora trabaja a tiempo completo para asegurarse de que las personas tengan condiciones humanas durante su detención.

“Van a extender la crueldad”, afirmó.

Betancourt añadió: “Hablo con personas que me dicen que antes de llegar al ‘Alcatraz de los Caimanes’ (en el Condado de Collier) podían caminar, y ahora necesitan silla de ruedas. En estos centros no dan sillas de ruedas, así que estos ancianos ahora están postrados en cama.”

Un equipo de Local 10 News presenció cómo un camión de bomberos y una ambulancia ingresaron a la instalación y fueron escoltados fuera por las autoridades.

Rivera dijo que quiere proteger la identidad de su amigo, pero lo describió como un joven de 20 años que llegó a Estados Unidos hace tres años.

Dijo que su amigo está bien “por el momento, pero continuó en la fila, así que no sé si cuando entre le van a quitar el teléfono.”

Rivera explicó que ambos viven en Orlando, pero que llevó a su amigo hasta la oficina de Miramar porque ahí era su cita.

Los manifestantes dijeron que planean continuar con las protestas semanales.

Un portavoz de ICE emitió el siguiente comunicado a Local 10 News:

“La instalación de Miramar funciona como un lugar de registro para personas incluidas en una lista de casos sin detención y sirve como centro de procesamiento para arrestos operativos diarios. La cantidad de personas retenidas temporalmente en la instalación varía según las necesidades operativas. Después del procesamiento, las personas son trasladadas a centros de detención locales.

“Estar en detención es una decisión. Alentamos a todos los extranjeros que se encuentran ilegalmente en el país a tomar el control de su salida utilizando la aplicación CBP Home. Estados Unidos está ofreciendo a los extranjeros que están ilegalmente en el país $2,600 USD y un vuelo gratuito para que se autodeporten ahora. Alentamos a todas las personas que se encuentran aquí ilegalmente a aprovechar esta oferta y conservar la oportunidad de regresar a Estados Unidos por la vía legal para vivir el sueño americano. De lo contrario, serán arrestados y deportados sin posibilidad de regresar.

“ICE garantiza que todas las personas que esperan para registrarse en la instalación de Miramar tengan acceso a baños y agua. Hay baños y bebederos disponibles en el vestíbulo, y las personas solo tienen que solicitar acceso. Las afirmaciones de que las personas que esperan en la fila no tienen acceso a agua o baños son totalmente falsas.”

Portavoz de ICE

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Unlike many people assume, the iconic lighthouse is not funded by the federal government or the U.S. Coast Guard. Instead, it is maintained by the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization that relies almost entirely on fundraising, memberships and public tours to pay for maintenance and restoration.

“We get zero dollars from the Coast Guard. We get zero dollars from the government,” said Ralph Krugler, historian for the Hillsboro Lighthouse Preservation Society. “It’s mostly what we do with fundraising events and public tours in order to generate money. That’s why it’s taking so long.”

The lighthouse first went into service on March 8, 1907, and has become one of South Florida’s most recognizable landmarks. Krugler, who leads many of the organization’s monthly tours, says visitors are often captivated by the sweeping views from the top of the 11-story structure.

But the climb also reveals the toll more than a century of salt air has taken on the lighthouse.

Rust has eaten away at original iron components, and cracks and corrosion are visible throughout portions of the structure.

“Because of the salt air,” Krugler said. “The environment is just so hard on iron.”

Workers are now removing damaged material, applying new protective coatings and planning to replace deteriorating iron pieces with stainless steel, which is expected to better withstand South Florida’s harsh coastal conditions for decades to come.

The full restoration project is expected to cost as much as $2 million.

So far, the preservation society has raised only a fraction of what is needed.

“It’s taken us like 10 years to get $400,000,” Krugler said.

To help accelerate fundraising, the organization has partnered with local boating influencer Camilla Pavan, who created the “Save the Lighthouse” social media campaign and a GoFundMe page.

Pavan said she regularly passes the lighthouse while boating and believed social media could help bring more attention to the preservation effort.

“I knew it would go viral,” she said.

She said the preservation society had little social media presence before she became involved.

“Honestly, the Lighthouse Association was kind of not up to date when it came to donations and social media,” Pavan said. “So that’s when I kind of stepped in and tried to help.”

The online campaign has already raised thousands of dollars, giving preservation leaders hope they can build enough momentum to complete the restoration before the damage worsens.

“We’re trying to up our presence and get more people to realize that, hey, this is part of the community,” Krugler said. “If you really want it to stick around, can you help us out?”

The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse is accessible only by boat. For information about tours or membership opportunities, click here.

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We’ve rounded up some of the biggest fireworks shows, live entertainment and festivities happening across the region so you can plan your holiday celebration.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

Doral: Doral Central Park

3005 NW 92nd Avenue

Event is from 2 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and will include a 25-minute fireworks show to close out the night. In addition to fireworks, there will be live entertainment, interactive inflatables, food vendors, and more.

City of Miami: Bayfront Park

301 N Biscayne Blvd.

America’s 250th Celebration at Bayfront Park -- a free event -- will be held from 1 p.m. to midnight and will feature concerts, food, cocktails and family-friendly activities. Performances will be held by Ashanti and Ja Rule, 112 featuring Slim and Mike, The Fray, Orlando Mendez, Shaggy and Willy Chirino.

The event also includes a FIFA World Cup Fan Zone with match viewing on a large screen.

City of Miami: Charles Hadley Park

1350 NW 50th Street

Event is from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. In addition to a fireworks show, the event will feature free food for kids and seniors on a first come, first served basis, along with rides, games, bounce houses and live music.

City of Miami: Gerry Curtis Park

1901 NW 24th Avenue

Event is from 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The event will feature live performances by Oro Sólido, Nia Skyfer, and Aron Luix; FIFA Club World Cup match viewings; family activities; local food vendors and a fireworks show.

Miami Lakes: Veterans Park

15151 NW 82nd Ave

Event begins at 6:30 p.m., with fireworks at 9 p.m. There will also be live entertainment, food trucks and a kids zone.

BROWARD COUNTY

Coconut Creek: Seminole Casino Coconut Creek

5550 NW 40th Street

The event kicks off at 7 p.m. with live entertainment and food trucks. Fireworks are expected to begin at 9 p.m.

Fort Lauderdale: Las Olas Oceanside Park

3000 E Las Olas Blvd.

The 4th of July Spectacular at Las Olas Oceanside Park will be held from noon to 9:15 p.m. and features live entertainment, a kids zone, beach games, contests, family activities, and a dazzling fireworks display. At 8:45 p.m., a spectacular drone show will be held prior to fireworks.

Pembroke Pines: Charles F. Dodge City Center

601 City Center Way

The Independence Day & Fireworks Celebration includes live music, food trucks, a kids’ zone, and a fireworks show. The picnic grounds will be opened at 7 p.m. with fireworks at 9 p.m. The event will be open to Pembroke Pines residents ONLY and tickets will be required to enter the picnic area.

Click here for more information.

Pompano Beach: Fisher Family Pier

222 N Pompano Beach Blvd.

The annual July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza will take place at the Fisher Family Pier starting at 5 p.m., with a live DJ and the fireworks spectacular illuminating the oceanfront at 9 p.m.

Sunrise: Amerant Bank Arena

1 Panther Parkway

The Amerant Bank Arena is hosting a free outdoor celebration starting at 6 p.m. with live concerts by the Higher Ground Band and Light Balance, a kids’ fun zone, a drone show and fireworks.

Tamarac: Tamarac Community Center

8601 W Commercial Blvd.

The All-American Celebration at the Tamarac Community Center begins at 6:30 p.m. and features live music, food trucks, family activities and a fireworks display.

MONROE COUNTY

Islamorada: Founders Park

87000 Overseas Hwy

The free event starts at 5 p.m. and features family activities, food vendors and a fireworks display at nightfall.

Key Largo: Rowell’s Waterfront Park

104550 Overseas Hwy

At 10 a.m., a parade will be held at mile marker 98.2, near Anthony’s Clothing Store, followed by a community picnic.

The main fireworks display launches around 9:15 p.m. at Rowell’s Waterfront Park.

Key West: Edward B. Knight Pier

White Street

The Rotary Club of Key West is hosting a fireworks show at 9 p.m. There will also be food and drinks to purchase, the proceeds of which will benefit local scholarships.

Marathon: Sombrero Beach

Located at Mile Marker 50

A parade will start from Marathon High School at 11 a.m., leading to beachside festivities that will last all day, and a fireworks display at about 9 p.m.

Hemos reunido algunos de los espectáculos de fuegos artificiales, presentaciones en vivo y festividades más importantes que se llevarán a cabo en toda la región para que puedas planificar tu celebración.

CONDADO MIAMI-DADE

Doral: Doral Central Park

3005 NW 92nd Avenue

El evento será de 2 p.m. a 11:30 p.m. e incluirá un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales de 25 minutos para cerrar la noche. Además de los fuegos artificiales, habrá entretenimiento en vivo, inflables interactivos, vendedores de comida y mucho más.

Ciudad de Miami: Bayfront Park

301 N Biscayne Blvd.

La celebración de los 250 años de Estados Unidos en Bayfront Park, un evento gratuito, se realizará de 1 p.m. a la medianoche e incluirá conciertos, comida, cocteles y actividades para toda la familia. Se presentarán Ashanti y Ja Rule, 112 con Slim y Mike, The Fray, Orlando Mendez, Shaggy y Willy Chirino.

El evento también contará con una zona para aficionados de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA, donde los partidos podrán verse en una pantalla gigante.

Ciudad de Miami: Charles Hadley Park

1350 NW 50th Street

El evento será de 4 p.m. a 9 p.m. Además del espectáculo de fuegos artificiales, habrá comida gratuita para niños y adultos mayores, hasta agotar existencias, así como atracciones, juegos, casas inflables y música en vivo.

Ciudad de Miami: Gerry Curtis Park

1901 NW 24th Avenue

El evento será de 1 p.m. a 9:30 p.m. e incluirá presentaciones en vivo de Oro Sólido, Nia Skyfer y Aron Luix; transmisiones de los partidos de la Copa Mundial de Clubes de la FIFA; actividades familiares; vendedores locales de comida y un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales.

Miami Lakes: Veterans Park

15151 NW 82nd Ave

El evento comenzará a las 6:30 p.m. y los fuegos artificiales serán a las 9 p.m. También habrá entretenimiento en vivo, camiones de comida y una zona para niños.

CONDADO BROWARD

Coconut Creek: Seminole Casino Coconut Creek

5550 NW 40th Street

El evento comenzará a las 7 p.m. con entretenimiento en vivo y camiones de comida. Se espera que los fuegos artificiales comiencen a las 9 p.m.

Fort Lauderdale: Las Olas Oceanside Park

3000 E Las Olas Blvd.

El evento “4th of July Spectacular” en Las Olas Oceanside Park se llevará a cabo de mediodía a 9:15 p.m. e incluirá entretenimiento en vivo, una zona para niños, juegos de playa, concursos, actividades familiares y un espectacular show de fuegos artificiales. A las 8:45 p.m. se realizará un espectáculo de drones antes de los fuegos artificiales.

Pembroke Pines: Charles F. Dodge City Center

601 City Center Way

La celebración del Día de la Independencia y fuegos artificiales incluirá música en vivo, camiones de comida, una zona para niños y un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales. El área de picnic abrirá a las 7 p.m. y los fuegos artificiales comenzarán a las 9 p.m. El evento será exclusivo para residentes de Pembroke Pines y será necesario presentar boletos para ingresar al área de picnic.

Haga clic aquí para obtener más información.

Pompano Beach: Fisher Family Pier

222 N Pompano Beach Blvd.

El espectáculo anual de fuegos artificiales del 4 de Julio se llevará a cabo en el Fisher Family Pier a partir de las 5 p.m., con un DJ en vivo y un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales que iluminará la costa a las 9 p.m.

Sunrise: Amerant Bank Arena

1 Panther Parkway

El Amerant Bank Arena organizará una celebración gratuita al aire libre a partir de las 6 p.m. con conciertos en vivo de Higher Ground Band y Light Balance, una zona de diversión para niños, un espectáculo de drones y fuegos artificiales.

Tamarac: Tamarac Community Center

8601 W Commercial Blvd.

La celebración “All-American Celebration” en el Tamarac Community Center comenzará a las 6:30 p.m. e incluirá música en vivo, camiones de comida, actividades familiares y un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales.

CONDADO MONROE

Islamorada: Founders Park

87000 Overseas Hwy

El evento gratuito comenzará a las 5 p.m. e incluirá actividades familiares, vendedores de comida y un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales al anochecer.

Key Largo: Rowell’s Waterfront Park

104550 Overseas Hwy

A las 10 a.m. se realizará un desfile en el marcador de la milla 98.2, cerca de Anthony’s Clothing Store, seguido de un picnic comunitario.

El principal espectáculo de fuegos artificiales comenzará alrededor de las 9:15 p.m. en Rowell’s Waterfront Park.

Key West: Edward B. Knight Pier

White Street

El Rotary Club de Key West organizará un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales a las 9 p.m. También habrá comida y bebidas a la venta, cuyos ingresos beneficiarán becas locales.

Marathon: Sombrero Beach

Ubicada en el marcador de la milla 50

Un desfile partirá de Marathon High School a las 11 a.m. y dará paso a las festividades en la playa durante todo el día, con un espectáculo de fuegos artificiales alrededor de las 9 p.m.

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Awab Metwally, who is an international student and champion swimmer from Egypt, said he didn’t hesitate when it sounded like someone was in danger.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Metwally said he started swimming at a very young age in Egypt.

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

Those lessons have earned him the title of Good Samaritan.

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

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

Awab Metwally, estudiante internacional y nadador campeón de Egipto, dijo que no dudó cuando le pareció que alguien estaba en peligro.

“Fue como si estuviera volando porque sabía que algo estaba pasando”, dijo Metwally. “Había una emergencia, así que tenía que actuar”.

Un video muestra a Metwally corriendo desde detrás de la persona que grababa antes de lanzarse al agua para rescatar a un hombre que no podía sujetarse a un salvavidas circular que le habían lanzado.

“Ese hombre se estaba hundiendo. Se estaba yendo hacia el fondo”, dijo Metwally.

Dijo que ver a otras personas lanzar un salvavidas sin meterse al agua lo convenció de que tenía que actuar.

“Nadie estaba haciendo nada. Solo le estaban lanzando un salvavidas. Nadie se lanzó. Nadie hizo nada. Entonces dije: “Este hombre va a morir””, afirmó.

Metwally dijo que no fue fácil empujar al hombre hasta la parte trasera del yate.

“Fue difícil para mí sujetarlo y empujarlo hasta mantenerlo en la superficie del agua, pero hice mi mejor esfuerzo”, dijo.

Metwally contó que comenzó a nadar desde muy pequeño en Egipto.

“Gracias a mi mamá y a mi papá, me inscribieron en entrenamiento de natación desde que era un niño. Eso dio resultados hoy”, dijo.

Esas lecciones le han valido el reconocimiento como un buen samaritano.

“Si veo a alguien, sin duda lo volveré a hacer. Me da muchísimos escalofríos, pero lo haré”, dijo.

Metwally dijo que los paramédicos realizaron maniobras para salvarle la vida al hombre antes de trasladarlo a un hospital. Los equipos de primera respuesta no han divulgado información sobre el estado de salud del hombre.

Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, de 43 años, fue rescatado sano y salvo tras permanecer atrapado durante más de una semana bajo los escombros del estacionamiento del centro comercial Galerías Playa Grande en la ciudad de Catia La Mar, en el estado costero de La Guaira.

Equipos con banderas de todo el mundo vitorearon mientras los rescatistas trasladaban a Gil Flores, con una máscara de oxígeno, en una camilla cubierta con una lona naranja hasta una ambulancia de la Cruz Roja.

Un grupo de hombres con uniformes rojos de la Cruz Roja de Costa Rica se abrazaron y rieron aliviados, mientras otros estallaron en aplausos.

El rescate fue considerado un pequeño milagro en medio de la tragedia. Gracias a que los equipos le proporcionaron comida y agua mientras excavaban el hormigón, lograron mantener a Gil Flores con vida mucho más allá del plazo de 48 a 72 horas que suelen dar la mayoría de las operaciones de rescate para encontrar a sobrevivientes de desastres.

En su cuenta de X, la presidenta encargada Delcy Rodríguez publicó: “Celebramos la grandeza del ser humano cuando se une por un solo fin: salvar a otro”.

Gil Flores, quien trabajaba como guardia nocturno en el complejo, se encontraba de servicio dentro de su pequeña caseta de seguridad cuando se produjo el primer temblor el 24 de junio. Aunque la estructura de concreto circundante se derrumbó a su alrededor, su caseta se mantuvo en pie, creando una burbuja de aire.

“Cuando lo encontramos nos pidió que no le dijéramos a su esposa que estaba vivo por si acaso no lo lograba”, declaró a The Associated Press Minyar Collado, rescatista de la Cruz Roja de Costa Rica.

El derrumbe del edificio fue provocado por los dos terremotos consecutivos de magnitudes de 7,2 y 7,5. Los violentos temblores dañaron o destruyeron cientos de edificios en el norte de Venezuela y causaron la muerte de al menos 2.295 personas y heridas a más de 11.200. El estado de La Guaira fue la región más afectada del país.

“Fueron días de tristeza, dolor y desesperación porque no lo encontraba, pero cuando me enteré que estaba vivo ya ví un rayito de luz en la oscuridad”, dijo a AP su esposa Gusbimar González. La pareja tiene dos hijos de 8 y 10 años.

La compleja y arriesgada operación de rescate duró más de 100 horas después de que un equipo especializado de la Cruz Roja de Costa Rica detectara señales de vida y estableciera contacto con él el domingo.

El operativo fue coordinado por el equipo de búsqueda y rescate urbano de bomberos de Chile, que trabajó sin descanso con equipos especializados de Costa Rica, Estados Unidos, Portugal, México, El Salvador y Venezuela.

Junto a un contingente de personal de emergencia integrado por decenas, incluida una unidad humanitaria especializada de El Salvador, los rescatistas sortearon condiciones estructurales muy inestables, lluvias torrenciales y réplicas persistentes para excavar un túnel hasta Gil Flores.

Los equipos utilizaron una cámara telescópica para mantener contacto constante con él y le hicieron llegar agua y nutrientes líquidos a través de un estrecho conducto para mantenerlo hidratado.

María Paz Campos, bombera veterana de Chile, fue quien lo acompañó durante toda la operación de rescate. Ella vigiló a Gil Flores a través de la cámara y lo guió a un lugar seguro mientras lo tranquilizaba.

En un video publicado por los bomberos chilenos se vio a Gil Flores dibujando, aparentemente para pasar el tiempo, mientras Campos le indicaba con delicadeza que mirara a la cámara y se pusiera unas gafas protectoras.

“Los lentes necesito que los mantengas puestos por las pequeñas partículas que están cayendo, no te caiga ninguna en el ojo que ya tienes dañado”, le dijo Campos mientras él miraba a la cámara con un visible derrame en uno de sus ojos.

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Los videoreporteros Andry Rincón y Brayan Antequero contribuyeron en este reporte.

Hernán Alberto Gil Flores emerged to safety covered in dust atop a stretcher surrounded by helmet-clad rescue workers after being trapped since June 24 under rubble in the basement of the Galerías Playa Grande shopping center in the coastal town in La Guaira.

Rescuers, who initially made contact with Gil Flores over the weekend, worked more than 100 hours to free him — navigating a highly unstable structure, torrential rain and persistent aftershocks to tunnel down to the survivor.

Teams carrying flags from around the world cheered as rescuers carried Gil Flores, wearing an oxygen mask and covered in an orange tarp, through throngs of people to an ambulance where they methodically checked his vital signs.

One Chilean rescuer carrying his stretcher pumped his fist in joy. A group of men in red Costa Rican Red Cross uniforms embraced and laughed in relief. Others broke out into applause.

“When we found him, he asked us not to tell his wife that he was alive, just in case he wouldn’t make it,” Costa Rican Red Cross rescuer Minyar Collado told The Associated Press, but she added “We were never going to leave him here.”

The rescue was considered a small miracle cutting through a week of tragedy. By supplying Gil Flores with food and water while they excavated the concrete, rescue teams were able to keep him alive far longer than the 48- to 72-hour threshold most operations give to find survivors in disasters.

Gil Flores, who worked as a night-shift security guard at the complex, was inside his small security cabin when the first violent tremor struck. While the surrounding concrete structure collapsed around him, his cabin held ground, shielding him from crushing debris and creating a vital pocket of air.

A specialized team from the Costa Rican Red Cross first detected signs of life and established contact with him Sunday.

His wife, Gusbimar González, told the AP that she grappled with despair for days before hearing that rescuers made contact.

“When I learned he was alive, I saw a ray of light in the darkness," she said. The couple has two children, ages 8 and 10.

The operation was coordinated by an urban search and rescue team of Chilean firefighters, who worked around the clock with specialized teams from the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Venezuela.

Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez celebrated the rescue on social media at a time that her government has come under fire for what many Venezuelans say has been an inadequate crisis response.

“We celebrate the greatness of humanity, when it is united for a single purpose: to save another. Thank you to our rescuers and to the support of the international rescuers,” she wrote on a post on X.

Teams used a telescopic camera to help maintain constant contact with Gil Flores, passing water and liquid nutrients through a narrow shaft to keep him hydrated during the final three days of the rescue.

María Paz Campos, a veteran firefighter from Chile, talked him through the entire operation and kept him calm during the final excruciating hours Thursday.

In a video published by Chilean firefighters in the hours before the rescue, Gil Flores is seen drawing, seemingly to pass the time. Campos then gently tells him to look at the camera and to wear protective goggles.

“I need you to keep the goggles on, for the small particles that are falling, to avoid them getting into your eye,” Campos told the survivor.

The collapse of the building was triggered by two back-to-back earthquakes on June 24 that registered magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, respectively. The shallow, violent tremors damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of buildings across northern Venezuela, killing more than 2,200 people, injuring over 11,000 and leaving La Guaira state as the hardest-hit region in the country.

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Associated Press video journalists Andry Rincón and Brayan Antequero contributed to this report.

Las autoridades informaron que Milagros De La Caridad Navarro, de 35 años, fue arrestada el martes por el Departamento de Policía de Miami Gardens después de entregarse en relación con la balacera del 22 de febrero.

Según el informe de arresto, los agentes respondieron a la cuadra 100 de Northwest 202nd Terrace poco después de la 1 a.m. de ese día tras recibir reportes sobre una balacera.

La Policía de Miami Gardens informó que aproximadamente 30 minutos después fue notificada de que una víctima de un disparo había llegado al Hospital HCA Florida Aventura.

El informe indica que la conductora que llevó a la víctima al hospital les dijo a los agentes que no conocía el área porque estaba de visita desde Georgia.

La conductora dijo que escuchó múltiples disparos mientras conducía antes de darse cuenta de que su suegra había sido alcanzada por un disparo y luego la llevó al hospital más cercano, según el informe.

La conductora les dijo a los investigadores que no sabía quién era responsable de la balacera, según el informe.

Los investigadores informaron que posteriormente entrevistaron a la víctima después de que le retiraran el tubo de respiración.

Según el informe, la víctima tenía dificultades para hablar y recordar los hechos, pero recordó haber salido de Hollywood Beach con otra mujer, regresar a casa para bañarse y cocinar, y posteriormente salir de una vivienda donde estaba presente una mujer identificada como “Caridad”.

El informe indica que la víctima les dijo a los detectives que su siguiente recuerdo fue despertar en el hospital.

La Policía informó que la investigación incluyó entrevistas con testigos, ruedas de reconocimiento fotográfico y videos de vigilancia.

Según el informe, un testigo identificó a Navarro durante una rueda de reconocimiento fotográfico realizada el 3 de marzo. Posteriormente, otro testigo identificó a Navarro en una rueda de reconocimiento distinta después de decirles a los investigadores que había dejado su casa al cuidado de Navarro mientras estaba fuera, según el informe.

Los detectives también obtuvieron un video de vigilancia de un vecino que, según el informe de arresto, muestra a Navarro “disparando múltiples veces en dirección de la víctima”.

Los investigadores informaron que otro testigo les dijo posteriormente que vio a Navarro sacar una pistola de una riñonera negra antes de que el grupo subiera a un vehículo. Indicaron que ese testigo afirmó que no vio cuando se disparó el arma, pero sí vio a Navarro sosteniendo la pistola en la mano derecha mientras se alejaban en el vehículo.

Los registros de la cárcel muestran que Navarro enfrenta dos cargos de agresión agravada con un arma mortal y un cargo de agresión agravada con un arma que causó lesiones corporales graves.

Hasta el miércoles, Navarro permanecía detenida sin derecho a fianza en el Centro Correccional Turner Guilford Knight.

Por el momento, el motivo de la balacera sigue sin estar claro.

Un equipo formado por donantes, voluntarios y personal de GEM trasladó unos 235.000 libras de donaciones en una operación logística compleja que incluyó dos almacenes en Doral y Valencia, que funcionaban como centro de distribución.

“Es el peor desastre que jamás hayamos vivido”, dijo Rafael Pineyro, concejal de Doral y voluntario de GEM, nacido en Caracas.

GEM contó con el apoyo del Departamento de Estado de EE. UU., la agencia a la que el presidente Donald Trump encargó la respuesta estadounidense en Venezuela. El Comando Sur de EE. UU. desplegó todas las ramas de las fuerzas armadas.

El Departamento de Estado también activó los grupos de trabajo de Florida, procedentes de Miami y del condado de Miami-Dade. Estos se unieron a otros dos equipos de búsqueda y rescate altamente capacitados de Fairfax, Virginia, y California.

Hassel Mendoza, un ingeniero venezolano que vive en Tampa, viajó a La Guaira para buscar a su madre, hermana, sobrino y cuñado entre las ruinas de un edificio de apartamentos de nueve pisos que se derrumbó.

“Perdimos mucho tiempo tratando de encontrar nuevas herramientas para una actividad específica, como cortar acero”, dijo Mendoza a CNN , y agregó que los equipos gubernamentales y los voluntarios no contaban con equipos como taladros o sensores.

El martes, Diosdado Cabello, un ex oficial militar venezolano que funge como ministro de Justicia, anunció la detención de miembros de las fuerzas del orden acusados ​​de saqueo en La Guaira.

Cabello, buscado en Estados Unidos por narcotráfico, identificó a los cuatro sospechosos como Maya Aguilar Reyes, una oficial; Fredy Rafael Lugo Oliveros, Roger Andrés Omaña y Josue Jhonatan Burgos Sánchez.

Un testigo grabó y compartió un video que se hizo viral. En él se veía a Aguilar Reyes, su identificación y a una mujer llorando que lo confrontó, le quitó una bolsa llena de dólares estadounidenses y rompió los billetes en pedazos sobre los escombros cerca de un edificio derrumbado.

“Sé que muchos venezolanos sienten dolor y frustración; comparto profundamente esos sentimientos”, dijo Delcy Rodríguez , presidenta interina de Venezuela desde que el ejército estadounidense capturó a Nicolás Maduro.

El hermano de Rodríguez, Jorge Rodríguez, presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, anunció el miércoles que el número de muertos había aumentado a 2.295.

El Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos estima que el número de víctimas mortales asciende a decenas de miles, y las Naciones Unidas anunciaron la adquisición de 10.000 bolsas para cadáveres.

El personal y los colaboradores de GEM solicitan donaciones en efectivo al público a través de esta página web . El almacén de GEM, ubicado en 1850 NW 84th Ave., en Doral, aún necesita voluntarios para clasificar y empacar las donaciones. Para inscribirse, hay una página web disponible.

El almacén, abierto todos los días de 9:00 a 17:00, era uno de los muchos puntos de recogida en el sur de Florida. Entre las necesidades prioritarias se encontraban productos de higiene, alimentos no perecederos y artículos de primeros auxilios.

Lista útil: Lugares para entregar ayuda en el sur de Florida

Más información sobre cómo ayudar a Venezuela.

• Inter Miami, Marlins y Dolphins se suman a los esfuerzos de ayuda.
• Una estrella de la NFL se une al equipo de Global Empowerment Mission; su mensaje para los habitantes del sur de Florida es: “Hagan lo que puedan”.
• Más de 100 venezolanos que fueron deportados de Estados Unidos horas antes de los terremotos están desaparecidos.

• Food for the Poor celebra las inversiones en reconstrucción.
• Médicos del condado de Miami-Dade recolectan donaciones de suministros médicos cerca de Doral.
• Les presentamos al capitán German Leal del Departamento de Bomberos y Rescate de Miami-Dade.

• Agentes de policía de Pembroke Pines anuncian una campaña de recolección de donaciones.
• Airbnb se asocia con la organización sin fines de lucro CADENA para proporcionar alojamiento de emergencia.
• Hogar Bambi tiene como objetivo proteger a los niños vulnerables.

• El equipo de la Fundación Grey Bull Rescue llega a Caracas.
• Las autoridades clausuran La Guaira y exigen que los voluntarios se registren en Caracas.
• Amazon realiza donaciones a Airlink para ayudar a organizaciones benéficas con la logística.

• El equipo de búsqueda y rescate de Miami se prepara para desplegarse.
• Centro Comunitario AFE organiza campaña de recolección en Miami-Dade
• Una organización benéfica con sede en Weston se asocia con una farmacia local.

• El proyecto DYNAMO, liderado por veteranos, entrega 20.000 libras de ayuda en las primeras 48 horas.
• El altruismo en El Arepazo alimenta el esfuerzo del equipo de Global Empowerment Mission.
• Rescatistas salvadoreños trabajan para liberar a un sobreviviente de 15 años en Caraballeda.

• Food For The Poor incluye en sus kits de ayuda humanitaria notas escritas a mano con mensajes de esperanza.
• El Comando Sur de Estados Unidos se centra en los daños en los aeropuertos.
• El Departamento de Estado despliega un equipo de búsqueda y rescate en Miami-Dade.

• Miami Beach abre 4 nuevos puntos de entrega de ayuda.
• Miramar mantendrá abiertos 6 puntos de entrega de ayuda las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana.
• El recaudador de impuestos de Miami-Dade abre 11 puntos de entrega.
• Doral abre 4 puntos de entrega de ayuda.

• Se abre un punto de entrega de ayuda en Homestead.
• Starlink ofrece servicio gratuito hasta el 25 de julio, pero un kit cuesta 470 dólares.
• International Medical Corps despliega personal y necesita donaciones.
• Save The Children solicita donaciones para su fondo de emergencia.

• Samaritan’s Purse se centra en los “hospitales de campaña de emergencia”.
• La Cruz Roja solicita donaciones para su Fondo de Emergencia para la Respuesta ante Desastres.
• La ONU solicita donaciones para un programa infantil que carece de fondos suficientes.

• World Vision solicita donaciones para su “fondo de ayuda en casos de desastre”.
• World Central Kitchen solicita donaciones para comidas frescas.
• United Way Miami lanza la ‘Operación Manos Amigas’.

The electric vehicle maker run by Musk reported Thursday that it delivered 480,126 cars to customers, a jump of 25% over the 384,122 figure a year ago when many Europeans refused to buy his cars because of his embrace of far-right political candidates there.

The second-quarter sales, the second straight gain in a row, also came in much higher than the 401,000 that Wall Street analysts had been expecting, according to a FactSet survey.

It's a big turnaround from just a few months ago when Tesla reported sales had fallen in 2025 for a second year in a row and it had to yield its crown as the world's largest EV maker to China's BYD.

Tesla’s stock fell sharply in midday trading Thursday, down 6%, an odd development that Seth Goldstein of Morningstar attributed possibly to profit-taking by investors after a recent run-up in its shares.

For the second-quarter figures, the company didn't break out results by country, but an earlier report from European trade groups reported big sales increases in Europe in May, including a 300% rise in Germany.

The Austin, Texas, company introduced cheaper Model Y and Model 3 models last year in hopes of boosting sales. In Europe, it also cut the cost of leasing and loans. Sales were also helped by a surge of EV buying in general on the continent as gas and diesel prices have risen due to the Iran war.

For future quarters, Tesla hopes to lure even more Europeans as countries approve use of its driver assistance feature, available in the U.S., called Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The Netherlands approved the system in April, followed by Estonia, Greece and Lithuania.

Sales fell last year amid protests at showrooms in Europe and the U.S., a Musk figure burned effigy in Milan and vandalism against Tesla drivers. Customers were angry about him publicly supporting far-right political candidates in elections. In the U.S., too, many of Tesla's traditional buyers stopped buying because of Musk's work heading a Trump administration group cutting government spending.

Tesla was also hurt in the U.S. by the elimination of a tax break for buying electric vehicles in the fall last year, which added as much as $7,500 to EV costs. That is still keeping EV buyers away even as gas prices have risen.

Tesla sales in the U.S. weren't broken out in the latest report, but research firm Cox Automotive estimates they are still falling fast, down 20% in the second quarter from the year earlier period.

Amid Tesla struggles last year, Musk managed to shift the narrative about Tesla's future away from its car business to its robots, automated driving system and self-driving robotaxis.

Judging from the stock price, investors approve. Shares have fully recovered from a deep dive early last year, rocketing more than 40% in the past 12 months.

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Business Writer Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

La Oficina del Sheriff de Broward identificó al hombre como Bart Diguglielmo, de Lauderhill.

Según la BSO, la balacera fue reportada poco antes de las 12:30 p.m. del martes en el estacionamiento del Walmart, ubicado en el 7900 de West McNab Road.

Agentes y paramédicos de North Lauderdale Fire Rescue respondieron al lugar y encontraron a Diguglielmo con una herida de bala, informaron las autoridades.

Los agentes informaron que los paramédicos trasladaron a Diguglielmo al Broward Health Medical Center, donde murió.

Según la BSO, Diguglielmo y una mujer habían discutido por un espacio de estacionamiento antes de la balacera.

Los agentes informaron que la mujer permaneció en el lugar después de la balacera y aseguró que le disparó a Diguglielmo en defensa propia.

Los detectives confirmaron que la mujer fue detenida para ser interrogada y que está cooperando con la investigación.

Indicaron que, una vez concluya la investigación, el caso será presentado ante la Fiscalía Estatal del Condado Broward para determinar si se presentarán cargos penales contra la mujer.

La identidad de la mujer no ha sido divulgada.

Anisimova, who was consoled by Kate a year ago after being routed by Iga Swiatek in the final, trailed 3-1 in the third set before she broke back in the sixth game against her fellow American.

“Some moments were really awful. I’m just so happy through to the next round,” Anisimova said on No. 2 Court.

“I never thought that I’d be saying this — but thank you to my serve today,” she added. “I’m not an amazing server. Now, I can finally say I can serve pretty good.”

The sixth-seeded Anisimova whacked her racket on her leg at one point in the deciding set.

“I was down 3-1 and I told myself to just keep fighting and this might be your last moments at Wimbledon ... just try and maybe have fun and enjoy it,” said Anisimova, who will next face 26th-seeded Madison Keys. “I try to remind myself, just have fun, you are playing at Wimbledon. I do get hard on myself sometimes.”

Swiatek, who beat Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 for the 2025 title on Centre Court, needed just 70 minutes to get past 2021 Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-3.

The defending champion gets Filipino rising star Alexandra Eala, who rallied to beat Maya Joint 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, in the third round. On Tuesday, Joint spoiled Serena Williams' singles comeback.

Fritz emulates Tiafoe with tear-away pants

A well-dressed Taylor Fritz impressed again, beating compatriot Patrick Kypson 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the third round.

Fritz's white blazer and NBA-style warmup pants for his walk-on at No. 2 Court drew attention but his play wasn't bad either — he fired 19 aces and avoided getting pushed into a fourth set.

The sixth-seeded American, a semifinalist last year, emphatically pumped his right fist when he broke Kypson to convert his fourth match point.

Fritz also won his opener in straight sets and had worn a similar outfit with tear-away warmup pants — designed to easily unbutton as you pull them off in one tug.

“I took it off slowly in the first round. I kind of actually made a mess of it,” Fritz said in his press conference. “It’s actually just a lot easier to just rip them off. I saw a video of Frances (Tiafoe) doing it. I was just trying to copy him today. ”

Later, an equally dapper Tiafoe showed how it's done — earning applause for quickly pulling off the bottoms before his match against Jan Choinksi.

Naomi Osaka's fashion statements have made her court walk-ons must-see viewing at Grand Slam tournaments — Wimbledon included.

Also Thursday, both second-seeded Alexander Zverev and fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur recorded straight-set victories.

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

The explosion near the main courthouse complex left 20 others wounded, the ministry said as reported by Syria's state-run Al-Ikhbariya network.

No group immediately claimed responsibility. Security forces rushed to the cafe and cordoned off the area as they investigate the attack.

The Interior Ministry is set to announce its initial findings soon, said Damascus Gov. Maher Idlibi. Idlibi said the device appeared “primitive” and vowed that the perpetrators will be held to account.

A video circulating on social media showed several wounded people lying on the ground, with police officers nearby. Ambulances later rushed to the scene treating people on site and taking the more severely wounded to hospitals in the Syrian capital. The cafe was frequented by lawyers who worked in the neighborhood.

Jalal Aljanani, who owns a restaurant next door, ran toward the cafe when he heard the explosion and was horrified by the sight of the bodies on the floor.

“We carried the victims to the cars until the traffic police arrived,” he told The Associated Press, his shirt covered in blood. "Many of them had suffered severe impact injuries, and almost all of them were bleeding.”

Since overthrowing the Assad dynasty and taking power in a lightning insurgency in December 2024, Syria’s new rulers have cracked down on militants from the extremist Islamic State group in an attempt to thwart attacks in and around the capital.

During the uprising turned- war in Syria that began in 2011, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al Sham group, formerly affiliated with al-Qaida, but since coming to power has vowed to protect Syrians of all backgrounds, especially religious and ethnic minorities.

Al-Sharaa has reasserted the government's full authority across the vast majority of the country, wresting control back from extremist groups or Kurdish-led forces. However, he still contends with security concerns as he tries to stabilize the country.

Security agencies frequently announce that they have raided IS cells and thwarted attacks reportedly targeting minorities and busy commercial areas. However, several incidents such as suicide bombing in a Church in July 2025 have raised concerns among many Syrians.

— Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.

Northrop Grumman ’s rocket-launching plane took off from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific on Thursday, following weather delays all week. While in flight, the team observed a warning in the stream of data and decided against releasing the Pegasus rocket strapped to the plane’s belly, the company said. It was not immediately clear whether the warning came from the rocket or the plane.

The rocket holds a three-armed robotic spacecraft built by Katalyst Space Technologies to capture the Swift Observatory, which will come crashing down by October if no help arrives. No new launch date has been set.

NASA paused Swift's science operations earlier this year to preserve its orbit as long as possible. It has detected thousands of gamma ray bursts and exploding stars since its launch in 2004, tipping off other telescopes for more detailed observations.

Anxious to continue Swift's scanning of the universe, the space agency hired Katalyst Space last September for the $30 million salvage operation.

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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 pattern is on repeat for tomorrow and the holiday weekend. Expect midday heat and humidity followed by spotty thunderstorms. They will be focused on the afternoon, so I’m hopeful that by fireworks time we will have plenty of dry weather.

The rule would apply to hospitals that serve low-income patients under what is known as the 340B program, which lets hospitals buy outpatient prescription drugs at discounted prices. But in many cases, hospitals can bill insurers at rates that exceed those costs, allowing hospitals to keep the difference and resulting in higher costs to patients.

Under the proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would change the formula for what hospitals participating in the program can get reimbursed, in an effort to cut costs for patients.

The Republican administration has sought to show during an election year that it is tackling the challenges of affordability for U.S. families at a time when rising healthcare costs are driving financial strains for households and the government alike. While the administration has taken several steps it says will save money on medical treatment, it is unclear how much savings might ultimately materialize based on the complexity of the country's healthcare system.

The American Hospital Association said the proposed rule would compound the financial pressures its members face.

“These proposals will undermine the ability of hospitals to maintain essential services and protect affordable access to care for those who depend on the 340B program,” said Ashley Thompson, the group's senior vice president for public policy analysis and development.

There is the risk that hospital systems could see their revenues decrease, which could have consequences in the communities they serve. The 340B program was initially designed as a way for healthcare providers to stretch scarce federal resources to better serve more patients. But it has long been at the center of a lobbying battle between hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, with each side attempting to enlist lawmakers in maintaining or changing the benefit.

The agency estimates that the average older adult with Medicare Part B coverage who is administered one of these drugs would save $800 a year in co-payments. That would work out to a total savings of $1.1 billion for everyone with that coverage.

The savings over 10 years could total about $20 billion, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the rule before the official announcement. The official said the proposed rule was not previewed for hospital groups before the release.

In a policy draft of the rule, the administration gave a specific example of how the current system works for the prostate cancer drug Lupron Depot. Hospitals under the 340B program can acquire a dose for roughly $700, but they can receive about $4,000 in Medicare reimbursement for administering it and an additional $1,000 from the patient co-payment.

The proposed rule would cut by roughly 40% that amount that hospitals in the discounted drug program could be paid through Medicare programs. If approved, the rule would go into effect at the start of next year.

In 2018 during President Donald Trump's first term, his administration tried to enact this same type of rule to reduce Medicare payments to hospitals. But the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that the government could not provide a separate reimbursement plan for 340B hospitals.

The president signed an executive order in April 2025 to survey how much hospitals spend to buy drugs. The result of that survey led to the proposed rule, which would cap Medicare reimbursement for participating hospitals at the average sales prices, minus 33.4%. The reason why the average reimbursement rate would be cut is because the hospitals acquired the drugs at discounted prices.

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Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits in the week ending June 27 fell by 1,000 to 215,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 225,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered representative of U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

The government also released its more comprehensive June jobs report on Thursday, a day earlier than usual due to the July 4 holiday.

That data showed that U.S. employers pulled back on hiring last month, adding only 57,000 jobs. That’s less than half the previous month’s total and a sign companies remain cautious. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though that decline is mostly due to the fact that many out-of-work people gave up looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed.

June’s tepid hiring comes after a relative surge in job gains the previous three months, countering concerns that the war in Iran would trip up an already wobbly labor market.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

Among the companies that have cut jobs recently are Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks and Walmart.

Thursday's layoffs data showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which quiets some of the week-to-week noise, fell by 2,500 to 222,000.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending June 20 ticked up by 2,000 by to 1.81 million, also a historically low figure.

The case has been tangled up in courts since the European Commission announced the fine in 2018. But the European Court of Justice dismissal on Thursday marks the end of that process.

“The appeal brought by Google and its parent company Alphabet against the judgment of the General Court is dismissed, thereby confirming the penalty imposed for Google Search’s abuse of a dominant position in the context of the Android operating system,” the Luxembourg-based judges wrote in their ruling.

Google previously argued free and open-source Android has resulted in low-cost phones and driven competition with its chief rival, Apple. Android is the most popular mobile operating system, beating even Apple’s iOS.

The fine is one of three antitrust penalties totaling more than $8 billion that the European Commission slapped on Google between 2017 and 2019, putting the 27-nation bloc at the forefront of the global push to rein in tech giants.

Since then, the commission has widened its crackdown on digital giants with more antitrust investigations targeting Amazon, Apple and Facebook and sweeping new rules aimed at clamping down on the biggest digital companies.

Agustín Reyna, director general of the European Consumer Organization, welcomed the court’s ruling and said the EU needs more regulation akin to the Digital Markets Act to “nip unfair practices in the bud” and protect consumers.

“Today’s judgment sends a very clear message: dominant companies cannot use their power to shut out competition and limit consumer choice,” Reyna said. “Today is a big win for Europe.”

Also, former CIA Director John Brennan sued the Trump administration Wednesday, demanding a court order that would require officials to preserve records from investigations he says are targeting him for “what amounts to phantom criminal conduct.”

The lawsuit says the records would shed light on the motivations of government officials who are investigating Brennan.

Here's the latest:

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is still rebounding despite recent attacks

At least 258 ships transited the waterway last week, a period that included Iranian strikes on two commercial vessels, according to marine data and analysis company Lloyd’s List Intelligence. That’s up from 138 ships the previous week.

Iran’s attacks on ships in the strait on June 25 and 27 “seem to have been forgotten,” Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at Lloyd’s, said Thursday during a webinar.

Still, traffic has slowed somewhat since the strikes and remains far below prewar levels, when about 130 vessels passed through daily.

And with ship operators having to choose between complying with Iran’s demands or braving the route off Oman watched by U.S. forces, “nothing about this situation is stable,” Meade said.

Top FBI agent in Chicago abruptly leaving post, AP sources say

Douglas DePodesta has served as special agent in charge in Chicago, one of the FBI’s largest offices, for nearly two years and has been with the bureau since 2002.

He told colleagues in a resignation message that his last day would be Monday. Multiple people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move, said DePodesta had been pushed to retire.

The move is part of a broader upheaval in the FBI’s workforce as Director Kash Patel has sought to force out line agents and supervisors alike who are perceived as not supporting the Trump administration agenda. It also comes amid prolonged tumult in the law enforcement community in Chicago.

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-By Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer

American Hospital Association says Trump Medicare proposal could hurt hospitals

The American Hospital Association said the Trump administration’s proposal to keep hospitals from charging markups on discounted drugs for Medicare patients would compound the financial pressures its members face.

“These proposals will undermine the ability of hospitals to maintain essential services and protect affordable access to care for those who depend on the 340B program,” said Ashley Thompson, the group’s senior vice president for public policy analysis and development.

There is the risk that hospital systems could see their revenues decrease, which could have consequences in the communities they serve.

Goal of higher voter turnout remains elusive in California

California’s drawn-out tabulating has put the state in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump and made it a target of those who promote unfounded election conspiracy theories.

California has enacted many changes over the years that were intended to boost voter turnout. But there hasn’t been significant improvement in participation and those changes are largely responsible for the state’s tediously slow ballot counting today.

Preliminary figures show turnout hit 40.8% in the June primary, with counties required to complete their vote counting on Thursday.

That would be an increase over recent primary elections but below participation levels in others stretching back to 2000.

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Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a ‘forceful response’

Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” ratcheting up tensions again over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies.

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

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

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

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Hegseth praises National Guard in sweltering DC park as protesters chant

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Trump administration officials thanked National Guard members for their service in the nation’s capital as small groups of protesters chanted, “Guard go home!”

Hegseth apologized for being nearly 30 minutes late to the event in a city park, where more than 200 Guard members sweated in the morning sun as Washington faced an extreme heat warning.

Hegseth called the protesters “ingrates” as their whistles, chants and horn-blowing mixed with the speeches.

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, claimed crime has rapidly fallen since President Trump deployed the Guard last year. Local officials say crime was already going down before Trump ordered troops into the city.

Hegseth credited Trump, Miller and the Guard for why Washington “is a safe and beautiful place” for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations this weekend.

The Supreme Court tackled race, history and the law in fraught and reflective major rulings

The Supreme Court just wrapped up a term that yielded significant rulings in cases involving race and discrimination that could have lasting effects on U.S. politics and society.

Justices were at times bitterly divided — and critical of one another — in rulings that winnowed key provisions of a landmark voting rights law, allowed the government to revoke protections for some immigrants and even challenged the historic understanding of birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants.

The decisions come at a moment when long-standing debates over race and identity have turned toward immigration, increasing racial diversity and the fairness of policies meant to prevent and redress discrimination.

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On July 4, Trump Accounts launch, giving newborns $1,000

On Saturday, Trump’s administration plans to launch Trump Accounts, tying the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to an effort to boost financial independence for American kids.

Under the program, parents can open investment accounts for any child born during Trump’s second term and automatically receive $1,000 from the government. Accounts can be opened on behalf of older children — as long as they don’t turn 18 before the end of the calendar year — but they won’t get the $1,000.

That money — and anything else deposited by employers, philanthropies and relatives — is invested in the stock market by private firms. Children can’t access the money until they turn 18, and then only for specific purposes, like paying for a home or school.

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Trump administration proposes a rule it says could save Medicare patients $1.1 billion on drugs

The administration is proposing the new rule Thursday to keep hospitals from charging markups on discounted drugs for Medicare patients and says that could save consumers $1.1 billion next year, according to estimates obtained by The Associated Press.

The rule would apply to hospitals that serve low-income patients under what’s known as the 340B program, which lets hospitals buy outpatient prescription drugs at discounted prices. But in many cases, hospitals can bill insurers at rates that exceed those costs, allowing hospitals to keep the difference and resulting in higher costs to patients.

Under the proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would change the formula for what hospitals participating in the program can get reimbursed, in an effort to cut costs for patients.

The Republican administration has sought to show during an election year that it’s tackling the challenges of affordability for U.S. families at a time when rising healthcare costs are driving financial strains for households and the government alike. While the administration has taken several steps it says will save money on medical treatment, it’s unclear how much savings might ultimately materialize based on the complexity of the country’s healthcare system.

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Trump and Republicans return to communist attacks against Democrats ahead of the midterm elections

President Trump and his fellow Republicans are reviving a line of attack against Democrats heading into the midterm elections: They’re communists.

In just the past week, Trump has issued dark warnings that members of the Democratic Party’s ascendant left are communists who want to “completely destroy the traditional American way of life” and even engage in assassinations. Vice President JD Vance has similarly called out communism as a political shift that is “something we haven’t seen in the U.S.” House Speaker Mike Johnson has decried “radical candidates” who are “self-described, self-identifying Marxists.”

The GOP’s ideological focus conflates democratic socialism, which often centers on securing universal healthcare, higher taxes on the wealthy and stricter corporate regulation, with communism, under which private ownership is largely eliminated. It’s been building since Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor last year.

But it’s kicked into a higher gear recently after democratic socialists won several New York City congressional primaries last week.

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Trump administration’s $46 billion ‘smart wall’ races ahead on the US-Mexico border

For decades, all that separated the U.S. from Mexico was barbed wire.

Now, after a massive infusion of cash from Congress, Trump’s administration is swiftly building what it’s dubbed a “smart wall,” a combination of 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) steel fencing and an array of sophisticated technology like sensors, cameras and towers allowing Border Patrol to surveil the territory.

The wall is under heavy scrutiny for the billions of dollars being dedicated to it when border crossings are at their lowest in decades. Critics say the U.S. is militarizing the border as it increasingly deploys sophisticated surveillance technology to the area, impacting local communities.

“We are seeing a massive expansion of surveillance and surveillance technology across the borderlands,” said Ricky Garza, border policy counsel at the Southern Border Communities Coalition, an advocacy group. “The wall in all its forms is harmful to communities.”

Officials say the technology is complementary to the physical wall and frees up agents for other tasks.

“It’s a smart wall. It’s not just a barrier,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said during recent congressional testimony.

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Crypto, real estate, watches: How Trump made over $1 billion last year

Trump’s latest financial disclosure report showed he took in about $1.2 billion last year from various crypto holdings, overshadowing a real estate business that brought him fame and helped propel him to the nation’s top office.

Whereas it took decades for Trump to amass his various properties, the rise of crypto in his portfolio was done in just over a year.

Running over 900 pages, the mandatory annual report showed Trump struck several other new veins of wealth last year, raising questions about whether he is profiting from his high office.

He took in tens of millions from new property holdings in foreign countries eager to please a man with power over where to deploy the U.S. military and how much to charge in tariffs. And he got tens of million more suing media companies worried they could lose their broadcast licenses or not get deals approved by his regulators.

Ever the salesman, Trump even made big money off the smallest of things, pulling in millions by slapping his name on Bibles, guitars and watches — the latter alone bringing in $4.7 million.

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Trump visits newly built Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota’s Badlands

Trump visited North Dakota on Wednesday to see the newly built Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, a massive facility exploring the life of America’s 26th president, built in the rugged, lonely landscape where Roosevelt built his conservation values in the 1880s.

During a tour of the 96,000-square-foot library and in a speech afterward, Trump spoke admiringly of Roosevelt and compared himself favorably to the former president, who he described as the embodiment of the American spirit, praising his toughness as a leader and outdoorsman.

“He had a freakin’ wild life,” Trump told an audience at a Western-themed amphitheater. “He didn’t want to be quiet. He wanted to be great.”

The official opening of the library on Saturday coincides with July Fourth celebrations honoring the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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Ex-CIA Director John Brennan seeks court order requiring records from investigations be preserved

Former CIA Director John Brennan sued the Trump administration Wednesday, demanding a court order that would require officials to preserve records from investigations that he says are targeting him for “what amounts to phantom criminal conduct.”

The lawsuit says the records would shed light on the motivations of government officials who are investigating Brennan and would form the basis of defense efforts to dismiss any eventual indictment on grounds that the case constitutes a vindictive prosecution.

Such an argument, his lawyers said, would be supported by the more than 100 verbal or written statements that President Donald Trump has made since 2017 lambasting Brennan and by the Republican president’s directives to his Justice Department to initiate investigations of Brennan “without regard to factual or legal justification.”

Without an order, the lawsuit contends, the records are at risk of being lost or intentionally deleted.

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Now, after a massive infusion of cash from Congress, President Donald Trump's administration is swiftly building what it has dubbed a “smart wall,” a combination of 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) steel fencing and an array of sophisticated technology like sensors, cameras and towers allowing Border Patrol to surveil the territory.

The wall is under heavy scrutiny for the billions of dollars being dedicated to it when border crossings are at their lowest in decades. Critics say the U.S. is militarizing the border as it increasingly deploys sophisticated surveillance technology to the area, impacting local communities.

“We are seeing a massive expansion of surveillance and surveillance technology across the borderlands,” said Ricky Garza, border policy counsel at the Southern Border Communities Coalition, an advocacy group. “The wall in all its forms is harmful to communities.”

Officials say the technology is complementary to the physical wall and frees up agents for other tasks.

“It’s a smart wall. It’s not just a barrier,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said during recent congressional testimony. “It maximizes the use of our most valuable resource, which is our agents.”

Contracts for hundreds of miles of wall already inked

The wall has been a top priority for Trump, a Republican, since he first ran for president.

During the administration of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, the border emerged as a flashpoint, with thousands of people seeking to cross into the country each day. Those numbers started to taper off shortly before Trump returned to office last year and then slowed to a trickle, with his broader immigration crackdown serving as a deterrent for would-be migrants.

Flush with $46 billion to finish the wall after an infusion by Congress for immigration enforcement, CBP is inking tens of billions of dollars in contracts to build the wall and push along the president's signature project.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said recently that a preliminary part of the wall will be finished by “this time next year.” Scott said his agency is putting up 6 miles (10 kilometers) of wall a week.

Hundreds of miles had already been built before Trump returned to office. As of mid-June 2026, CBP has erected another 74 miles (119 kilometers) and aims to build hundreds more. There is no wall planned for roughly 535 miles (861 kilometers) of the roughly 2,000-mile-long (3,200-kilometer-long) border, because rugged terrain already serves as a barrier. Ground sensors and towers will be used instead.

CBP is also going back to hundreds of miles of already built wall and adding more technology, lights and roads. Along the long stretches of river in Texas that mark the border with Mexico, they're deploying 12- to 15-foot-long (3.7- to 4.5-meter-long) cylinder-shaped buoys meant to keep migrants or smugglers from crossing the border.

More technology being deployed on the border

Technology is playing a greater role in the Trump administration’s effort to make illegal crossings along the border more difficult, part of a broader transformation of CBP in the years since Sept. 11, 2001, into an intelligence operation with a mass surveillance network whose reach extends far beyond the nation's frontiers, according to reporting by The Associated Press.

And critics say the border technology poses a threat.

The Southern Border Communities Coalition says surveillance technologies can push migrants into more dangerous routes to avoid being detected.

Garza, the group's policy counsel, warned that surveillance technology infringes on the privacy rights of border residents and that locals have found ground sensors used to detect smuggler or migrant traffic placed on their property without their consent.

Nayda Alvarez and her relatives own land along the Rio Grande roughly 125 miles (200 kilometers) inland from the Gulf of Mexico. She has found cameras placed on her family's land, and just last week she spotted a surveillance tower about a quarter of a mile (almost half a kilometer) down the river from her house.

“Are we expecting a war or something?” she said. "It doesn’t make me feel safer.”

Dave Maass, director of investigations for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on civil liberties related to digital technology, said the technology has made the border area “a hostile environment” for locals and would-be migrants.

The foundation has published a guide on the various types of surveillance towers in use along the southern border designed to help local residents.

These can range from fixed towers with video, infrared and radar technologies that have a range of roughly 8 miles (13 kilometers) to remote video surveillance systems that have cameras and a spotlight fixed on top. Some are mounted on the backs of trucks so agents can drive them to different parts of the border.

Increasingly, these towers are autonomous. They can scan an area, analyze what they're seeing using artificial intelligence and alert Border Patrol agents to something suspicious. Proponents say this helps keep Border Patrol agents out in the field instead of sitting in front of computer screens watching for activity. But it also increases AI decision-making along the border when experts have warned about the technology’s potential for bias or other problems.

The big GOP tax cuts and spending bill passed by Congress last summer requires that CBP buys only the autonomous towers, and the department is deploying an additional 95.

Underground, buried fiberoptic cables can sense movement, capturing data that is also then analyzed by AI.

“We follow the contour of the land. We go through trees. We go down into the river banks. We can go absolutely everywhere,” said Magnus McEwen-King, CEO of Sintela, which has a contract with CBP to install the cables. He spoke at a recent border security expo in Phoenix, where some of the technology was on display.

CBP also uses ground sensors and trail cameras to detect smuggling routes.

Concerns over cost and future plans

The nonpartisan watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense has questioned both the huge amounts of money for the wall-building and whether taxpayers are getting their money's worth.

In 2011, under Democratic President Barack Obama, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano pulled the plug on a project to build a “virtual wall” of integrated technology like radars, sensors and cameras across the entire border after it ran over budget, faced technological glitches and was behind schedule.

Josh Sewell, director of research and policy at Taxpayers for Common Sense, said the organization would like to see more “robust evaluation” of the technologies being used to avoid similar scenarios. And he criticized the Trump administration for lack of oversight on how the money is being spent, a charge CBP has denied, citing “oversight mechanism.”

In the Big Bend area of southern Texas, opposition to the department's wall-building plans gathered strong bipartisan support especially in the most sensitive areas that run through a state and national park and a wildlife area.

CBP now says it is not planning to build a 30-foot-high (9-meter-high) bollard wall in those areas. Its recently announced plans include installing patrol roads and some barriers designed to stop cars and using detection technologies.

Clara Benson, who is one of the founders of the No Big Bend Wall coalition, says bright lights in the area designed to illuminate the border could pollute the skies in an area renowned for having some of the best views of the stars. Even without a 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) steel wall running through the land, there is concern about CBP's plans.

“There's still a lot of fear and dread that the plan is still going to be quite damaging,” she said.

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

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

“At the end of the day, it is in our city, it is beautiful, and we are 100% percent supporting our country,” said U.S. fan Dylan Rodriguez.

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

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

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

El incendio más grande se propagó en las regiones de Aude y Hérault, donde se desplegaron hasta 800 bomberos y 150 vehículos para combatir las llamas que arrasaron más de 900 hectáreas (2.200 acres), informaron las autoridades locales. Se registraron más fuegos en la vecina región de Marsella, donde dos focos quedaron bajo control el jueves, aunque aún no estaban extinguidos.

El primer ministro francés Sebastien Lecornu dijo que casi 7.000 incendios se han declarado desde el inicio de la temporada de verano, con unas 8.700 hectáreas ya quemadas. “La situación es bastante tensa”, afirmó.

En la región de Aude, se desplegaron cuatro aeronaves bombarderas de agua para apoyar a los bomberos .

“La idea es controlar el incendio rápidamente porque las temperaturas están subiendo y el viento está ganando fuerza”, declaró Alain Bucquet, prefecto de Aude, al canal France Info.

Aude sufre incendios forestales con regularidad. El año pasado, los bomberos lograron contener en la región el mayor incendio forestal de Francia en décadas.

Más al sur, los incendios que se propagaban en el balneario de Canet-en-Roussillon obligaron a evacuar a 1.500 personas de tres campings y arrasaron cientos de casas móviles, dijo el prefecto regional, Pierre Regnault de la Mothe.

Los bomberos estaban inmersos en “una feroz lucha” para evitar que las llamas se propagaran en una zona industrial, declaró.

Se esperan altas temperaturas y condiciones de sequía en los próximos días, sin lluvias pronosticadas, tras las olas de calor de mayo y la de finales de junio.

Las plantas y la vegetación están sometidas a un severo estrés hídrico, lo que favorece la aparición de incendios, al tiempo que fuertes vientos soplan en toda la región mediterránea.

___

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

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

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

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

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

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

“We have a great group here,” Knote said.

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

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

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

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

The group’s efforts have gone beyond growing business.

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

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

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

The business group meets once a week in Wilton Manors.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The woman’s identity has not been released.

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Immigrant rights and faith groups have decried conditions at the facility for years and organized Wednesday protests.

They said detainees are subject to overcrowding and overheating.

Protester Luis Rivera said he has a close family friend who had a required appointment at the office. He said he’s scared and worried.

“You have people -- your family, your friends -- (who) you love,” he said. “It’s hard.”

Arianne Betancourt said her father was detained at the facility for six months. She now works full time to make sure people have humane conditions when held in detention.

“They’re going to spread the cruelty,” she said.

Betancourt added, “I talk to people who tell me that before they got to ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ (in Collier County), they were able to walk and now they require a wheelchair and at these centers they don’t give wheelchairs, so these elders are bed-bound now.”

A Local 10 News crew saw a fire truck and ambulance go inside and get escorted out by authorities.

Rivera said he wants to protect his friend’s identity, but described him as a 20-year-old who came to the U.S. three years ago.

He said his friend is OK “for the moment, but he continued in the line, so I don’t know when he go inside (if) they’re going to remove (his) phone.”

Rivera said they live in Orlando, but he drove his friend to the Miramar office, because that’s where his appointment was.

Protesters said they plan to continue the weekly protests.

An ICE spokesperson released the following statement to Local 10 News:

“The Miramar facility functions as a check-in location for individuals on a non-detained docket and serves as a processing site for daily operational arrests. The number of individuals temporarily held at the facility varies based on operational needs. After processing, individuals are transferred to local detention centers.

“Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.

“ICE ensures that all individuals waiting to check in at the Miramar facility have access to restrooms and water. Restrooms and water fountains are available in the lobby, and individuals need only request access. Allegations that individuals in line do not have access to water or restrooms are totally false.”

ICE spokesperson

What she didn’t know when she entered the water on that day in 2024 was that another woman had been bitten by a shark 90 minutes earlier and just 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) down the beach. Had she known about the earlier attack, there is no way she would have been swimming, she said.

Gribbin’s story has inspired new federal legislation to authorize emergency alerts to mobile phones to warn beachgoers when a shark has bitten someone in the area.

President Donald Trump last week signed “Lulu’s Law,” which requires the Federal Communications Commission to allow the emergency messages. The legislation, which Gribbin advocated for, authorizes the warnings by classifying a shark attack as an event for which an emergency alert can be issued. It is up to states to implement the warnings. Gribbin’s home state of Alabama approved such a warning system last year.

“It’s really just common-sense legislation. It says that whenever there has been a shark attack in a certain area where you are near, it will send an alert to your phone, exactly like how an Amber Alert system works when a child is abducted,” she said.

Gribbin said she hopes the alert system will help prevent attacks like hers. “I definitely see this law working in the future and I'm really excited to hopefully save lives,” she said.

A fight to survive

Gribbin was one of three people bitten by a shark on June 7, 2024, off the Florida Panhandle.

She was on a mother-daughter trip to the Florida Panhandle. Gribbin said she and her friend had been diving for sand dollars.

“All of the sudden my best friend yelled, ‘Shark!’ and so we all started swimming for our lives,” Gribbin recalled. She said she remembered that sharks are attracted to frantic splashing and yelled for everyone to be calm. Gribbin, who was closest to the shark, was bitten.

“The shark bit off my hand first, and I raised my arm out of the water, and there was just flesh and bone there,” Gribbin said. The shark then latched onto her leg. A man punched the shark off her and strangers on the beach rushed to help. She was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

Doctors were able to save the teen's life but had to amputate part of her right leg.

Choosing positivity throughout her recovery

In the hospital, Gribbin made a deliberate decision to choose joy and to never give up.

She initially struggled knowing, “that I only have two regular limbs, and that my life would be completely different.”

“I would cry, and I would ask my mom, ‘Why is it happening to me?’ And on that day, we put a Bible verse on my bedside table that said, ‘With God, all things are possible.’ And then she told me that what you look like doesn’t define you, it’s who you are on the inside. And so, I think that stuck with me throughout my whole recovery the past two years.

It doesn’t matter what I look like, as long as I’m spreading positivity and inspiring others to stay strong and to never give up,” she said.

Gribbin was fitted with prosthetic limbs, quickly regained her ability to walk, returned to sports and got her driver’s license. She has gone back in the water and learned to surf, meeting Bethany Hamilton, a professional surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack.

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, the Alabama Republican who sponsored the legislation, said the fact that Griffin was bitten soon after an attack on another woman prompted discussions about what could have been done differently. That led to the idea of an alert. She contacted Griffin's parents who had thought about the same possibility.

“If there had been any type of alert that was given, that there’s no way that Lulu would have been in the water. And so we talked about how a simple change could have made a huge impact,” Britt said.

Shark bites remain rare

While sharks are commonly found in the waters off the United States, shark bites are rare, said Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program.

There are between 60 to 80 known unprovoked bites worldwide each year, he said. It's extremely rare that two or more people are bit in close proximity. He said in a database of known shark bites, called the International Shark Attack File, there have only been a few instances of multiple bites in a single day.

“If somebody is bitten by a shark, and then an alert goes out, the probability that another person’s going to be bitten by a shark within, let’s say, two or three hours is incredibly small,” Naylor said.

When that happens, he said it’s likely because of environmental conditions such as sharks following schools of bait fish closer to the shore. Murky water conditions can also be a factor because they increase the chance that a shark will mistake a person for a fish or seal.

In the area where Gribbin was bitten, there are about 20 to 30 bull sharks 1,312 feet (400 meters) offshore at all time, Naylor said. Great white sharks have been spotted more frequently in the chilly waters of New England and Atlantic Canada, according to conservation groups. A smartphone app called Sharktivity also allows shark spotters to report their sightings.

The sightings might unnerve people, but Naylor said it's important to remember that shark attacks are rare.

“If sharks wanted to eat people, we’d have about 10,000 bites a day. The fact that we have so few is basically testament to the fact that the sharks are doing their level best to avoid people, not to target them,” Naylor said.

Britt said she believes parents and others on the beach will want the information. “I know as a parent, I want every tool in my toolbox to be able to keep my child safe,” Britt said.

Another survivor praises the alert system

Braxton Rocha, who was bitten by a large tiger shark off the north shore of the Big Island of Hawaii, said he liked the idea of an alert system. He thinks it is information that people, particularly tourists to the island, will want to know.

Rocha was spearfishing in 2015 when he saw the large shark. “Looked like a bus or submarine. She was the biggest thing I’d seen in the ocean at that time,” Rocha said. He started making his way to shore. When he looked back to check where the shark was, the animal was right in front of him. He tried to push the shark away, but the animal was too big and powerful. It latched onto his leg. Rocha punched it in the nose and the shark let go and swam away.

“Everything happened so fast. It was almost like being struck by lightning. I was still kind of out of it. I looked down and see giant clouds of blood just bursting out of my leg,” he said.

It took nearly 100 staples to repair the gaping wound on his leg. But the experience did not dampen Rocha's enthusiasm for the ocean and wildlife. “I’ve always loved sharks,” Rocha said.

In just the past week, Trump has issued dark warnings that members of the Democratic Party's ascendant left are communists who want to “completely destroy the traditional American way of life" and even engage in assassinations. Vice President JD Vance has similarly called out communism as a political shift that is “something we haven't seen in the U.S.” House Speaker Mike Johnson has decried “radical candidates” who are “self-described, self-identifying Marxists.”

The GOP's ideological focus conflates democratic socialism, which often centers on securing universal healthcare, higher taxes on the wealthy and stricter corporate regulation, with communism, under which private ownership is largely eliminated. It has been building since Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, won the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor last year.

But it's kicked into a higher gear recently after democratic socialists won several New York City congressional primaries last week. The primary victory on Tuesday by another democratic socialist, Melat Kiros, for a Denver congressional seat suggested the trend may extend beyond Manhattan liberalism.

“The Democrats are making this easy for us,” Rep. Richard Hudson, the North Carolina Republican who leads the House GOP's strategy and fundraising arm, said in an interview. “They're nominating extreme liberals, leftists who are out of touch even with mainstream Democrats.”

Republicans are holding onto slim majorities

The messaging effort comes as Republicans scramble to hold onto threadbare congressional majorities in the November midterms. It risks overlooking public frustration, particularly among younger voters, with unfettered capitalism at a time of growing income inequality and rising costs.

But it also gives Republicans a much-needed opportunity to shift the conversation back to territory that is more comfortable for them after their party has spent much of the year on defense over the fallout from Trump's decision to launch a war against Iran, which contributed to widespread price spikes.

Ralph Reed, the longtime conservative activist who hosted Trump last week at a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, acknowledged that Republicans are facing steep headwinds this year. But the recent string of wins by democratic socialists, he said, allows Republicans to present a contrast between “common sense and crazy.”

Democrats are uncertain over the party's direction

The renewed push could tug at tensions among Democrats who are largely united in their loathing of Trump but are divided over the party's direction. This year's primaries are shaping up as a referendum between centrists who are eager to course correct from what they see as progressive overreach earlier in the decade and a left-wing pushing for even more sweeping change.

“A lot of this anger has been boiling under the surface,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, which was founded by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats. “It’s coming to the fore in this moment in a very powerful way.”

But Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a centrist New Jersey Democrat, called the victories in Colorado and New York “aberrations.”

“We’ve got to fight like hell to keep our party from being hijacked by socialists,” he said. “Most of them are bomb throwers, not problem solvers.”

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford easily dispatched a more progressive rival earlier this year in his Democratic bid for governor in a state Trump carried in 2024. As he eyes a general election challenge to Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, he insisted candidates like those who won in New York don't represent all Democrats.

He said the Democratic Socialists of America “is not the face of our party.”

Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Washington Democrat who chairs the House Democratic campaign committee, said in a statement that Republicans were “resorting to desperate attacks that aren’t actually about the pocketbook issues.”

Trump risks overreaching with communism argument

Trump and fellow Republicans risk missing the mark when the public's embrace of capitalism might not be as strong as it was decades ago.

About half of U.S. adults, 54%, have a positive view of capitalism, according to an August poll from Gallup, a slight decline from 61% in 2010. Democrats have driven some of the shift, but favorable opinions of capitalism have fallen among independents as well.

Only 42% of Democrats viewed capitalism favorably, while 66% had a positive view of socialism. The poll found that both younger and older Democrats have warmed slightly on socialism since 2010, but Democrats under age 50 are much less likely to view capitalism favorably. Democrats age 50 or older didn't shift meaningfully.

“Young voters, who I would argue are driving a lot of the electoral energy that we're seeing, came of age politically in a post-Soviet world,” Geevarghese said. “The attacks don't land in the same way when Donald Trump was politically of age.”

Hudson, who is running the House GOP campaign committee, acknowledged the communism line might not resonate in the same way with all voters, particularly younger people. That's why, he said, it's important for Republicans to tailor their message to the needs of individual districts.

“I've never run cookie-cutter campaigns where we just say one thing over and over everywhere,” he said.

Still, the argument was high on Trump's mind again on Wednesday as he visited the newly built Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota. He called the former president a “ferocious opponent of a thing called communism.”

“It’s the biggest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor, September 11,” he said. "It’s a bigger threat, potentially a bigger threat than that, because it’s like a cancer that spreads, and you better stop it fast.”

Beverly Gage, a history professor at Yale University who has written on the rise and fall of Sen. Joe McCarthy, said earlier eras of anti-communism politics took hold because there was a large and active Communist Party in the U.S. and the Soviet Union was the country's primary foe. But she said Trump's focus on the issue is notable given his ties to Roy Cohn, a onetime confidant of Trump who earlier worked for McCarthy.

“It's not very many steps to get from McCarthy to Roy Cohn to Donald Trump,” she said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential candidate, shrugged off Trump's communism focus as “bunk.” In an interview, he said the direction of the party isn't all that different from the dynamics he's navigated for decades in California politics.

“I governed in an environment where the DSA was otherwise known as progressives," he said. “This dialectic is so deeply familiar to me, and I don't over read any of it.”

___

This story has been corrected to show the spelling of the Washington congresswoman’s first name is Suzan, not Susan.

___

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price in contributed to this report

The princess, who early last year announced her cancer was in remission, is the patron of the All England Club.

“On arrival, Her Royal Highness visited The Queue, spending time meeting attendees who have queued since early this morning, alongside AELTC’s honorary stewards, who volunteer each year to manage The Queue and welcome guests as they arrive at the Championships,” Kensington Palace said in a statement Thursday.

Wimbledon leaves a small batch of tickets available for same-day purchase and fans begin lining up and camping out the evening before in Wimbledon Park to get them each day.

Kate — who also helped out in a Wimbledon ticket office — met with children from Shine Camera Club, a local program that supports kids from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Crowds gathered as Kate walked by “Henman Hill” to reach Court 18, where British player Arthur Fery was facing Otto Virtanen. She was greeted there by All England Club chair Deborah Jevans and board member Tim Henman, a former Wimbledon semifinalist and namesake of the grassy area — also just called The Hill — that overlooks No. 1 Court.

Kate watched a portion of the match — Fery won 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3 — before attending Katie Swan's match against Madison Keys at No. 1 Court, where she sat next to Murray, who in 2013 became the first British man to win the Wimbledon singles title in 77 years. Swan lost 6-1, 6-4.

Kate last year was at Centre Court on consecutive days to present the winners’ trophies to singles champions Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner. Kate offered consoling words to women's runner-up Amanda Anisimova after a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Swiatek.

In 2024, while recovering from cancer, Kate did not attend the women’s final but was on hand for Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Novak Djokovic.

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

Employment projection data offers a grim outlook for the women-dominated profession that may be particularly vulnerable to AI-induced job displacement compared to the broader workforce. But some admins are embracing the technology — and even using it as a tool to get ahead.

Deanna Danger, 43, has worked in an administrative role since 2003. She says adapting and staying ahead of the curve is a key part of her constantly-changing role, and AI is no exception.

“All you do is have to evolve,” she says.

Danger started using AI professionally in 2022, learning through experimentation and collaboration with fellow admins. Today, she no longer takes notes during meetings — she's set up Copilot and ChatGPT to do it for her. That has freed her to “actually participate in the meetings, and not just worry about making sure I typed everything out that was said,” says Danger, executive assistant to the chief information officer at Vanderbilt University. “Honestly, what used to take me hours I’m now done with in under five minutes.”

How — and to what extent — AI might reshape her profession remains to be seen, but jobs for administrative assistants and secretaries have been dwindling for decades. In 2004, about 3.5 million people worked in the role — nearly 97% of them women, according to Current Population Survey data. Twenty years later, that number slid to 2.1 million — despite overall workforce growth during the same period. And except for medical secretaries and administrative assistants — a category projected to grow 4% by 2034 thanks to growth of the healthcare industry — economists at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predict a continued decline in the profession.

The unemployment rate for office and administrative support workers — a broader category that also includes accounting clerks, postal service workers and more — ticked up to 4% compared to 3.6% in June last year, according to Labor Department data released Thursday, although that level remains lower than the overall unemployment rate.

“The overall story in office and admin occupations from the projection standpoint for the last several cycles has been one of productivity-enhancing technologies, limiting demand for employment,” said Emily Rolen, lead economist for the division of employment projections at the BLS. Technological advances — word processing, speech-to-text transcription, scheduling tools and apps — each transformed the duties of administrative professionals and contributed to overall decline.

Clerical and administrative workers may be more exposed to AI-induced job displacement than other professionals because they “lack adaptive capacity due to limited savings, advanced age, scarce local opportunities, and/or narrow skill sets," according to a Brookings Institution report published in January. About 86% of these 6 million workers are women.

Indeed, more secretaries and administrative assistants are 55 and older compared to the workforce at large (34% vs. 23%), median pay is lower than that of all U.S. workers ($47,460 vs. $49,500), and a high school diploma is sufficient for many entry-level roles.

But what labor data doesn't capture — as noted by the Brookings report — is an individual’s ability to navigate a changing environment, including administrative assistants like Danger, who say they “are way more capable than people think.”

Danger hosts a biweekly virtual coffee chat for peers through the American Society of Administrative Professionals, a professional group that says it serves about 132,000 members. Participants in a May session shared their AI use cases: creating flyers, scouting out restaurants for executive events, coming up with captions for employer social media accounts, drafting standard operating procedure language, and more.

But despite the overall atmosphere of enthusiasm, some participants raised concerns, including data security and the lack of AI regulation. Others emphasized that AI cannot, and will not, replace the emotional intelligence and relationship building skills that are hallmarks of a successful admin.

Fiona Young, founder of Carve, a business focused on training executive assistants on AI, says she has seen “a massive shift in demand" for her services since 2023. Young, a former executive assistant herself, says she has delivered AI training to administrative professionals globally, including at Google, Amazon, Uber, Salesforce and LinkedIn. In her experience, employers want staff to be able to leverage AI — “not just loosely understanding it, but genuinely using it as an integral part of how people are working every day,” she says.

Oana Manolache takes an even stronger stance. The founder and CEO of Sequel.io, a platform that enables companies to host webinars on their own websites, wrote in a LinkedIn post last year: “I will fire anyone who doesn’t use AI.”

But even Manolache says AI could not replace her executive assistant, Stephanie Martinez.

Manolache says Martinez uses AI to “free herself” from tasks like note-taking and meeting prep to focus on the “human work” of building team connectivity, making judgment calls, understanding executives' relationships with stakeholders and communicating accordingly.

Maybe AI could supplant the “traditional” assistant, but “it doesn’t replace what an executive assistant does now as the role has evolved,” Manolache says.

Martinez works remotely from El Salvador through Viva Talent, which — in another example of the shifting landscape for the role — trains and matches assistants from Latin and South America to primarily U.S.-based tech companies.

“The people who truly want to succeed in this role have a massive opportunity," Manolache says. “This person has access to information across the entire organization.”

For instance, when the company aimed to drive more customer reviews on a software review platform, Martinez, who manages most invoices and billing, approached the problem innovatively. She leveraged AI to sift through all customer communications, pinpoint good candidates for reviews, and draft outreach emails. Without AI, “it would have taken her so long to do this,” Manolache says, adding that it also freed up Martinez to “think creatively.”

That freedom to strategically implement AI is just as important as education and training, since many assistants are interested in adopting AI but lack the bandwidth to incorporate it, says Melissa Peoples, an Austin, Texas-based executive assistant coach and former C-suite executive assistant.

Gender dynamics compound that challenge in an industry dominated by women who are often paired with male leaders, Peoples says.

“You see those that are early adopters, and are crushing it, and are partnered with really empowering executives, and can do all of these things," she says. "And then you see the other side of this, where literally assistants are being told, ‘You’re not smart enough to be in the room. Just bring me my coffee.’”

With effective AI training, Peoples says admins can “find their voice” and “have higher impact so they are protected against what is going to happen as agentic AI becomes more commonplace and more easily accessible.” ___

The Associated Press’ women in the workforce coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. 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 strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations seeking a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators Wednesday in Qatar.

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

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

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

It also said that interference by U.S. forces in the strait “will be met with a rapid and decisive reaction.”

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

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

Despite the attacks, ship traffic in the strait continued to rebound. At least 258 ships transited the waterway last week, a period that included Iranian strikes on two commercial vessels, according to marine data and analysis company Lloyd’s List Intelligence. That’s up from 138 ships the previous week.

Iran's attacks on June 25 and 27 “seem to have been forgotten,” Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at Lloyd’s, said Thursday during a webinar.

Traffic in the strait has slowed somewhat since the strikes and remains far below levels seen before the war, when about 130 vessels passed through daily. And with ship operators having to choose between complying with Iran's demands or braving the route off Oman watched by U.S. forces, “nothing about this situation is stable,” Meade said.

“Routes are being chosen on an hour-by-hour basis ... and they are contingent on shifting political approvals and real-time security assessments," he said. “This is not the new normal.”

Earlier this week, Iranian state television reported that a foreign ship got stuck in the strait after ignoring instructions from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. However, the vessel’s shape, reported location and other details indicate the ship is tied to Iran and appears to have been stranded for months.

Despite the tensions, Wednesday's talks saw “positive progress,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said. He told journalists that Pakistan hoped the next round of talks would be scheduled as soon as possible after Khamenei’s funeral.

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McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany. Associated Press writers Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, contributed to this report.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

European nations struggled to respond to drones, the IISS said

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

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

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

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

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

Russia is launching drones from shadow ships, the IISS said

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Russia flew drones above military sites, the report said

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

___

Tarigan reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.

A total of 35 monks from Mukdahan province, about 600 kilometers (372 miles) northeast of the capital Bangkok, were on the pilgrimage. Five monks were killed at the site, while four others died at a hospital. Thirteen were hospitalized with three in critical condition, according to the provincial administration.

The group started the 260-kilometer (161-mile) walk to Ubon Ratchathani province about 30 minutes before the crash.

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

The boy is in custody and will be questioned when state child protection officers arrive, police said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, but police said the monks described seeing the vehicle swerving before it slid off the road and crashed into the group.

By declaring a schism and extending excommunications to potentially thousands of Catholics, the Vatican’s doctrine office went above and beyond the minimum sanctions foreseen by the church’s canon law to respond to the consecrations Wednesday of four new bishops.

The society, known by its acronym SSPX, celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and opposes the modernizing reforms of the Catholic Church, which it considers to be rife with heresies and errors. While a fringe movement on the Catholic right, the SSPX has been a thorn in the Vatican's side for five decades because it claims to be even more Catholic than the Holy See.

During a ritual-filled, five-hour Mass on Wednesday at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, the SSPX consecrated four new bishops in direct defiance of Leo, who had urged the group to hold off for the sake of church unity. An estimated 15,500 people and their children attended, a sign that the SSPX has plenty of supporters who came from around the world knowing full well they were defying Rome.

The harshness of the response suggested that after trying to negotiate with the SSPX, the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV had had enough.

Vatican decree targeted bishops and faithful

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

It declared SSPX priests — who number about 750 — to be schismatic, and therefore excommunicated, and invalidated the sacraments of confession and marriage that they administer. The Vatican warned the faithful to stop going to SSPX Masses, decreeing that “those who adhere formally” to the society are schismatic and excommunicated.

The Vatican said that applied to people who are members of the SSPX lay branch and those who “regularly attend” SSPX Masses and formally share its doctrinal positions. The sanctions don't apply to Catholic faithful who attend SSPX Masses "just for liturgical or spiritual reasons" or those who go but accept the pope's authority and teaching.

The SSPX doesn't have an exact count but estimates around 400,000-600,000 people attend its Masses, meaning Thursday's decree could potentially involve the excommunications of thousands of rank-and-file SSPX faithful.

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

Marc-André Mabillard, media manager for the society, expressed shock at the severity of the sanctions and called them “unjust."

“For us, this excommunication extended to the faithful is brutal. It’s not what we expect from a father to whom we refer every day,” he told The Associated Press. “We are told, ‘You claim to have the truth.’ Fine. I’m just saying that we certainly have our flaws, but our main flaw today is having a leader who doesn’t want to communicate with us. And that’s terrible.”

The Vatican's doctrine chief, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, met in February with the SSPX superior, the Rev. Davide Pagliarani, and proposed a dialogue. But Pagliarani asked instead to meet with Leo, who declined but wrote a letter Tuesday begging the SSPX to call off the consecrations.

The group's founders opposed reforms

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

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

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

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

The Vatican responded so aggressively in part because the group poses something of a threat by representing a parallel, ultra-Catholic, pre-Vatican II church that has grown in the decades since its original break from Rome. While representing a fraction of the 1.4-billion strong Catholic faithful, the SSPX now has six bishops, 751 priests, 264 seminarians, 145 religious brothers, 88 oblates and 250 religious sisters representing 50 nationalities, according to SSPX statistics.

A key Vatican II document rejected by the SSPX is one that, among other things, deplored antisemitism in every form and repudiated the “deicide” charge that blamed Jews as a people for Christ’s death. The Vatican crafted the document as the church reckoned with the role traditional Christian teaching had played in the Holocaust.

The SSPX today says it rejects accusations that it ever taught or practiced antisemitism, and the SSPX distanced itself from one of the original 1988 bishops, the late Bishop Richard Williamson, when he denied the Holocaust.

Traditionalists in communion with Rome respond

In a note accompanying the decree, the Vatican said it was willing, “like a caring mother,” to welcome any SSPX faithful back into the fold. It laid out specific procedures for SSPX priests and faithful, by signing two forms professing the faith, promising fidelity to the pope and accepting the core teaching of Vatican II.

While the SSPX is out of communion with Rome, plenty of other Catholic traditionalists who love the Latin Mass remain in communion with the Holy See. They had been watching carefully to see how Leo's Vatican would respond to the SSPX consecrations and were surprised by the harshness of Thursday's sanctions.

“He’s brought the hammer down,” said Joseph Shaw, head of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, which is in communion. Shaw expressed sympathy with the plight of ordinary SSPX faithful, saying the invalidation of marriages especially is going to cause “massive” pastoral problems. “It's a sad day."

Luigi Casalini, of the blog Messa in Latino, meaning Latin Mass, said the excommunication of the bishops was correct because canon law provides for it. But the extension of the excommunications to SSPX priests and faithful was “an act of unusual severity,” he said, while saying the invalidation of SSPX sacraments was problematic.

One of the thousands of worshippers at Wednesday’s consecrations was Allison Isermann, a 24-year-old from St. Marys, Kansas, a small town with a large SSPX church. She grew up as a society member and strongly defended its teaching in opposition to Vatican II, specifically its openness to those of other faiths.

“It is actually very anti-Catholic and anti-charitable to affirm others and their beliefs when it is our duty and our mission to actually convert and sanctify the world and to restore all things in Christ,” she said.

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Keaten contributed from Geneva.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4%, even though two out of every three stocks within the index were rising. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 297 points, or 0.6%, as of 2:10 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.1% lower after erasing an early gain.

Stocks broadly got some help from easing Treasury yields in the bond market, which fell after a report from the U.S. government said employers added 57,000 jobs to their payrolls last month. That’s growth, which is good for the economy, but it was also short of the 100,000 jobs that economists expected and a slowdown from May’s hiring pace.

The weaker-than-expected result could keep pressure off inflation, which has been accelerating worldwide because of jumps in oil prices caused by the war with Iran. And if inflation slows in upcoming months, now that oil prices are back below where they were before the war, the Federal Reserve may feel less need to raise interest rates several times this year.

That would be a relief for investors, who tend to love lower interest rates because they can give the economy a boost by making it cheaper for U.S. households and businesses to borrow money and spend. Lower rates also tend to push upward on prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury got to 4.50% in the morning, up from 3.97% just before the war. But after the release of the U.S. hiring data, it fell back to 4.49%.

The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, fell more sharply. Traders now see an 82% chance that the Fed and its new chairman, Kevin Warsh, will not raise the federal funds rate at its next meeting later this month. That’s up from the 71% chance seen a day earlier, according to data from CME Group.

“The labor market isn’t overheating,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management. He said the data could allow the Fed to wait through the summer to get more clues about how inflation is behaving before having to decide on hiking rates.

On Wall Street, the company behind LaCroix sparkling waters helped lead the market and climbed 13.4% after National Beverage said it will pay a special dividend of $3.25 for each share that investors hold.

Dollar Tree rose 1.9% after the retailer said it approved a program to send up to $2.5 billion to its shareholders by buying back its stock.

Stocks of companies in the crypto industry were also strong after the price of bitcoin rose roughly 2.6%, a day after dropping near its lowest level since 2024. Robinhood Markets rose 3.2%, and Coinbase Global gained 3.6%.

But more drops for computer chip companies weighed on indexes. They’ve come under pressure because of worries that their stock prices shot too high in the frenzy around AI and that all the spending on chips and data centers may not result in as much profit and productivity growth as hoped.

Memory maker Micron Technology erased an early gain to drop 7%, a day after plunging 10.6%. Nvidia fell 2.4%, and Applied Materials sank 10%. They were some of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500 because they've grown so huge in size amid AI mania.

In stock markets abroad, continued drops for chip companies sent indexes sharply lower in several Asian markets. South Korea's Kospi index sank 7.9% due to losses for chip companies like SK Hynix. That’s its worst drop since a 10% plunge a little more than a week ago.

Indexes also fell 2.5% in Tokyo and 2% in Shanghai.

European indexes were stronger, and France’s CAC 40 rallied 1.7%.

In the oil market, prices continued to ease on hopes for negotiations for a permanent end to the war with Iran. Brent crude, the international standard, dipped 0.1% to $71.49 per barrel.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

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

Did someone say breaking news?

Brown might have to make awkward amends with Embiid now that they are teammates on the 76ers in the wake of an out-of-nowhere trade that rocked the NBA and again positions Philadelphia as an instant contender for the franchise's first NBA title since 1983.

You know, because trying to win it all with a hired gun worked so well for the Sixers with Paul George. And James Harden. Or Jimmy Butler.

All flops of the postseason kind in Philly.

The Sixers have another superstar to pair with Embiid — and the true franchise cornerstones in All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey and second-year standout VJ Edgecombe — after new team president of basketball operations Mike Gansey pulled off a whale of a move in his first month on the job.

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

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

“The nba is doing that THING AGAIN,'” Maxey wrote on social media Wednesday night.

Without a game played, the Sixers are the early winners in this deal.

Gansey somehow shed the two years and $110 million left on the oft injured and aging George's deal for a bona fide superstar who was sixth in the NBA MVP voting this past season. The 36-year-old George — who was suspended 25 games for flunking a drug test — played in only 78 total games for the Sixers and has played more than 56 games in a season only one time since 2019.

His contract seemed immovable.

Suddenly — as they say in Boston —- anything is possible in Philadelphia.

The Celtics had to move on from Brown after they dangled him as trade bait to Milwaukee in a failed bid to land Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee.

Following the first round of the NBA draft, Boston president of basketball operations Brad Stevens declined to say how close the team got to executing a trade for Brown. But he said he still views Brown to be part the Celtics’ future. It’s why the team sat down with Brown recently, who is currently overseas.

“Jaylen Brown is a big part of us. I don’t want to predict the future. I look at it as this is our team,” Stevens said.

He's now a big part of Philadelphia's plan and a franchise that seemed stuck in the mud after it was swept by the eventual NBA champion Knicks in the second round — after rallying from 3-1 down to topple Boston in the first round — and was now third among sportsbooks late Wednesday night to win the Eastern Conference.

Gansey said at his first press conference last month that he wasn't concerned the Sixers were traveling on two timelines — a win-now mode while Embiid and George were nearing the end of their deals versus dealing with the long-term of trying to find pieces that can still contribute in the future while Maxey is the undisputed leader of the team and Edgecombe is entering his prime.

“I just don't look at it as two timelines,” Gansey said. “They're our four guys. They're under contract. We've got to do the best to get them to their best selves. I think every night, at 7 o'clock, we've got to get them to their best to help us.”

They're going to get Brown at his best — and with a proverbial chip in his shoulder — trying to prove Boston wrong and that he can lead his former rivals to the NBA promised land. With Jayson Tatum playing in just 16 games during the regular season while he rehabbed from a ruptured Achilles tendon, the 29-year-old Brown averaged career highs in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1).

Brown still has three seasons and about $182 million left on what was then a record, five-year, $304 million supermax deal he signed in 2023.

Before Antetokounmpo was ultimately dealt to the Heat, Brown posted a video on Twitch in which he described his mood.

“To all the people that’s doubted me, that want me to do this, or want me, you’re turning me into a monster,” Brown said.

He'll have his opportunity in Philly to unleash the beast with Embiid routinely sidelined big chunks of the season with injuries. Maxey had lamented how difficult it was to try and carry the Sixers without a 1B when Embiid was sidelined and now the Sixers have a sort of guardrail in Brown to steady the team during those absences.

The Sixers are transformed — just as they thought they would be when they traded for Harden, Butler and signed George, only to fail and fail again in the playoffs.

Now it's up to Brown and Embiid and Maxey to form an All-Star trio that can do the improbable just as the Knicks finally did this season in winning their first title in 53 years.

Speaking of improbable, anyone in Philly have a number for LeBron James?

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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

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

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

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

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

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

European leaders rally around Meloni

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

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

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

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

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

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

Europe's nationalist parties are adjusting

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

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

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

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

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

Beyond Europe’s biggest powers

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

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

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

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

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

Meloni’s balancing act

Though Meloni remains closely aligned with Trump on issues like immigration and security, she has long diverged from him on Ukraine. Her steadfast support for Kyiv made her more palatable for European leaders and has been a key factor in forging a more united European front toward the U.S.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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